It all started when I needed a small tractor to use on some hunting property I bought. I was offered a deal I couldn't refuse when a friend offered me a 1969 Bolens 1220 Garden Tractor for FREE. What I did not realize at the time was that the tractor was in numerous pieces and had a blown gear box. It still looked like an easy fix so I took it on. Needless to say I soon began experiencing a disease known to many as 'project creep'. It seemed the more I fixed on the tractor the more I wanted to fix.
Bolens 1220 Before:
Bolens 1220 After: 
I progressed to the point where I fabricated a 3-point hitch for the Bolens, modified a sickle mower for it and fitted a corn planter as well.
I soon found myself with nothing left to fix or improve on the Bolens so when a sad looking Cub Cadet Tractor refitted with an 18 HP twin cylinder engine, showed up for sale nearby, I figured if one tractor is good, two would be better. Besides, this one needed a lot of work too.
Cub Cadet 1450 Before: 
Nearing completion of refurb: 
One of the reasons for getting the Cub was to dominate the annual July 4th Lawn Tractor Race some friends have every year. It won the race the first year it ran but, the second year, shortly after the refurb was complete, it suffered a mishap during the race. My fault, for showing off doing wheel stands before the race. The young man on the right was driving the tractor in the race when the front axle separated from the frame.
About this time, we decided that rather than build a cabin on the property up north, we would find some suitable property near to town, sell the property up north, sell the house we were living in on the lake and build a new house. We had set our criteria for the new property and that included a nice view for the wife, decent hunting for me and a suitable shed be included in the new construction.
This all prompted me to acquire yet a bigger tractor. This time the 1948 Ford 8N, seen in the shed picture above, in need of some refurbishment.
Work on the Ford 8N was limited to refurb and repair and not a restoration. I did clean it up a good bit, replaced or repaired quite a bit of it and gave it a backyard respray.
I spent more time restoring the implements I ended up acquiring for the tractor. It is now a real workhorse around the property with mowing, plowing, planting in the summer and snow plowing in the winter.
This all led me to my most recent project, the restoration of very abused, 1961 Triumph Herald Mk1. As this has turned into a rather longterm project, and the Triumph GT6 waiting it's turn in the shop would likely not leave the shed for a few more years, I figured I needed something that I could tinker with and still get some more immediate satisfaction. So, when a 1970 Triumph GT6 came up for sale I went out to Denver and drove it home.
