PEORIA MAGAZINE June 2023

SEED AND SOIL

A FONDNESS FOR FARMALLS Eureka area farmer Ron Underwood may have taken his tractor collection a bit too far, but it’s a labor of love

BY LINDA SMITH BROWN PHOTO BY RON JOHNSON

O n the Fourth of July, while driving east on U.S. 24 toward Eureka, one might do a double-take upon seeing the line of beautiful, bright red tractors lined up along the roadside. They’re not just any ol’ tractors. They are all Farmall tractors from the 1940s and ‘50s, beautifully restored to their like-new appearance by Eureka area farmer Ron Underwood. Each Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day, weather permitting, Underwood lines up as many of his restored Farmalls as he can get started that day. “They all start a little bit different,” he said. “Sometimes I have to talk to ‘em a little bit to get them going.” A FONDNESS FOR FARMALLS Twenty years ago, Underwood started his tractor restoration hobby to keep from spending his golden years drinking coffee in local diners or vegging out in front of the TV. To date, he has restored 18 Farmall tractors, manufactured some 80 years ago by International Harvester. Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Underwood started working in the fields at age 9, right about the time his father began

to medium-sized family farms. The machines enabled many farmers to reduce the number of farm hands and eliminate the need for working horses or mules. After restoring those first two Farmalls, Underwood went searching for more of them to fix up. He was having fun. ‘I’VE GOT ONE THAT’S THE SAME AGE AS I AM, A 1941’ — Ron Underwood He purchased some of the dilapidated, faded, dirty tractors from farm sales. Others in similar condition he has acquired by word-of-mouth. “Somebody will call up and ask if I want another one,” he said. He usually pays about $1,000 for the old Farmalls. “With paint and decals — I don’t count my labor — I’ve got probably another $400 to $500 in each one,” Underwood said. He does all the work himself. “I tear them apart and clean ‘em up,” said Underwood. “Carburetors are easy to work on. “And thank goodness I’ve got Interstate Battery down the road here. I wish I’d bought stock in that company. I’m always running to Interstate for batteries.”

renting a farm and farmhouse west of Eureka. He has lived elsewhere in the ensuing years, but a couple of decades ago Underwood purchased that boyhood home, where he now resides with his wife Lois. Now 81, Underwood is partial to the Farmall because that was his father’s tractor of choice. The Underwood family has remained loyal to the International Harvester brand, now known as Case IH, to this very day. Underwood continues to farm 1,300 acres with his son Curt and grandson Lane Fowler. Brother Gerry steps in to help during the busiest times. “My son and grandson do all the thinking and getting everything rolling,” said Underwood. “So much of it is computerized in the tractor. I couldn’t begin to get them ready to go. “We’ve got two big machine sheds where we keep our working planters and combines. That’s our priority for the good stuff,” he added. “This shed here, we had room for tractors and I filled it” with the Farmall collection. A LABOR OF LOVE Originally manufactured in 1920, Farmall was an all-purpose tractor, affordable for the owners of small

10 JUNE 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE