Wayne Yarnell, 78, owns a 1951 Farmall M tractor that his father, Clarence, bought new. Father and son farmed 400 acres in Putnam County, growing wheat, soybeans and corn. Wayne Yarnell now leases the land to others.
Roughly two decades ago, Yarnell was leaving farming and preparing to sell his equipment. The tractor was among the items slated for sale, but Yarnell recalled deciding just before the auction that he wanted to keep it. He said the buyer had not finished the paperwork. The Farmall M was manufactured by International Harvester between 1939 and 1953 and is described as a large three-plow row-crop tractor with a C248 four-cylinder inline engine.
In 2018, John and Louis Niese, friends of Wayne and Betty Yarnell, restored the tractor. Betty Yarnell said they sandblasted and painted all but the engine, making it look new. The Yarnells take the tractor to antique farm equipment shows; Wayne Yarnell said the events are fun and draw friendly crowds.
The item appeared in The Lima News’s Real Wheels feature, which publishes photographs of vintage cars 20 years old or older.