The Great Tractor Project
In 2021 we found out about an opportunity to get a John Deere 2010 tractor for the price it would bring for scrap metal, at that time about $300. This tractor had been split in two pieces due to transmission issues but the price was right so we went ahead and dragged it home with some help from extended family. It was a beast to move around with only 2 wheels on each piece, luckily my husband is very determined. We also got a bucket of parts and some metal covers. We were told that we could go back and sort through a pile of parts but after a couple of weeks the people we purchased the tractor from had already scrapped the pile, so started the quest to figure out what we had, what we needed, and how to get it all back together and working.
Back half of separated tractor showing rust due to exposure.
Front half of the John Deere 2010.
You can see in the pictures above that due to the tractor being separated for quite some time the transmission was exposed to the elements and had a bit of rust and crud in it. Once the tractor pieces were unloaded the back half of the tractor was pulled into the garage so my son, Nick, could take out the remaining pieces from the transmission and get it all cleaned up to see what was salvagable and what we needed to purchase to get it all back together. Getting the back of the tractor in the garage was a little tricky but thankfully we have another tractor that could pull through the garage towing the back via the bucket to keep it elevated. It is also lucky my husband thought ahead to have the garage designed with large doors on each end. We purchased a parts washer and Nick got to work cleaning and researching. He found manuals for the tractor and after several months, and many purchases, had the transmission parts ready to begin assembly. I wish I had taken more pictures of the process, hopefully my descriptions give some idea of the work my son put into this project. We purchased the tractor in pieces on April 18, 2021. December of 2022 Nicholas was ready to put the two pieces back together.
Sliding the pieces together was another project in itself. Many jacks were involved in a precarious process of balance and slow progress. My part of the process was to gently push on the front half of the tractor as my husband maneuvered the jack . I am not ashamed to say that I did not enjoy this in the least, several times the front half of the tractor shifted to the side in a way that seemed like it might tip right over. I do not do well in situations where the chances of someone I love getting squished by a large piece of tractor seem imminent so it was decided when the tractor pieces were within a few inches of being all the way together that I should let my husband and son do the work on their own. They knew what they were doing and there was never really any risk, my nerves just couldn't take it. I was so relieved when I heard the tractor turning over in the garage because I knew it was together finally!
There were a few more hiccups with the engine to get it going but nothing really in comparison to the transmission work that had already been done. In a few days Nicholas drove the tractor out of the garage, its first time moving of its own volition since we purchased it. It was a very happy day for Nick as you can imagine. It always brings back fond childhood memories when I hear a tractor starting up, the popping and catching of the engine as it fires up always makes me think of my dad and his old tractor. His influence is one of the reasons I have always wanted a big old green John Deere. Now I have one and I have my family to thank for it, my father-in-law, husband, and kids all know how I love tractors and that is the reason we now have this beauty in the snow shown below.
It still needs paint and some more TLC but that will happen this coming summer once the muddy spring is over. My son saved all the packaging from various parts that were purchased for the project, with all the cool John Deere logos it was decided I should build a little display box to put in the garage to show off our big family project. I know there were some people who didn’t see the potential in my tractor in two pieces that I was so excited to have in my yard, but there are always nay sayers. In the end it was a great learning experience for all of us and I would recommend if you have the time, ability, and opportunity to get any old John Deere do it! The sound of it running and driving it around are worth more than money, at least to me.
Of course it looks better in person due to the glare.
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