Happy Farmer Tractor Move And Restoration

Happy Farmer Tractor Move And Restoration Introduced in 1915, the Happy Farmer tractor may have been the most misnamed tractor of its time. It quickly earned a sad reputation, as critics proclaimed, “The two happiest days in a Happy Farmer owner’s life: the day he got the tractor and the day he got rid of it.” While a few Happy Farmers remain in private collections, at least two are on public display. One is at Country Heritage Park in Milton, Ontario. The second is among 55 vintage tractors at Jack’s Urban Meeting Place (JUMP) in Boise, Idaho (Vol. 46, No. 6). It’s featured in the museum’s Vintage Tractor Collection book. “We have a 1920 Model G,” says Rob Beardon, JUMP tractor doctor and curator. “It turns over well and seems to have compression, although it isn’t running at this point. Someone added a 4-cyl. distributor, so it was running at one time.” Wendell Kelch had the privilege and challenge of restoring a line-drive Model G. He notes that the restoration required extensive fabrication.  “You can’t just run down to the La Crosse Tractor parts store,” says Kelch. “There were a lot of rusted-out parts, including spokes on the wheels. I had to go through everything and do a lot of rebuilding.” The company was founded in 1915 in Minneapolis, Minn. A year later, it merged with the La Crosse Implement Co. in La Crosse, Wis. Initially, the brand offered two models, the 8-16 (drawbar/belt horsepower) Model A and the 12-24 Model B. In 1919, both were replaced by the 12-24 Model F and the 4-wheel 12-24 Model G. The A, B and F were offset 3-wheel designs. According to an article in Farm Collector, the Model G was the only line-drive tractor tested at the Nebraska Tractor Tests. It had two steering lines (reins), one for starting and one for stopping. A 7-12 Model M line drive was released in 1921, with an improved Model G marketed as a 12-24 Model H introduced in 1922. All but the Model M featured 6 by 7-in., 2-cyl. engines. In 1922, the company attempted to move to Oshkosh, Wis., and take that city’s name. When that move failed, the tractor company failed as well. According to an April 2009 Farm Collector article, nearly 20,000 Happy Farmer tractors were built between 1916 and 1922. They’ve been found in France, South America and Great Britain. One is even on display at a tractor museum in Germany. Early Happy Farmer tractors ranged from $585 to $735, with the Model G topping out at $1,250. In 2025, a 1916 Model A Happy Farmer sold for $20,900 at a Montana auction. JUMP’s Happy Farmer may run once more, and vintage tractor fans may even be able to drive it. While it has been on static display at the original JUMP site, the Happy Farmer will be moving to a new tractor museum and restoration center at the site of the former J.R. Simplot mansion in Idaho. “We’ll have an area for driving smaller tractors, as well as displays and restoration facilities,” says Beardon. “Where our current displays are static, the new site will be operational.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Country Heritage Park, 8560 Tremaine Rd., Milton, Ontario, Canada L9T 2X3 (ph 905-878-8151; info@countryheritagepark.com; www.countryheritagepark.com) or Jack’s Urban Meeting Place, 1000 W. Myrtle St., Boise, Idaho 83702 (ph 208-639-6610; assist@jumpboise.org; www.jumpboise.org/vintage-tractors) or Wendell Kelch, 3727 Starling Rd., Bethel Ohio 45106 (ph 513-543-9477; wkelch2501@aol.com).

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