We’ve been dropping into the homes of our machinery catalogue pursuers to find out what’s in their backyards: vintage vehicles, antique trinkets, multifarious machinery and curious curios.
This week we headed into the backyard of Ken and Ruth Gardner in Western Australia.
Ken Gardner has been a cattle farmer since he was 12 years old. He has been collecting antique tractors and trucks since the 1980s. In that time, he has collected and restored 110 tractors, five trucks and hundreds of tools.
“I have never been trained as a mechanic but living on the farm all my life meant I had to learn the hard way. I’m a jack of all trades but a master of none as they say,”Ken says.
“The tractors and trucks have been my passion for many years, and I travelled all over Australia to buy them and any parts I needed to restore them. I had so many that I had to have a shed built just to fit them all in.”
“Sadly, now with the ‘Bunbury Outer Ring Road’ going through my property, we will need to move. I’ve now sold most of my collection and have only 35 tractors left and a few trucks.”
“It’s not all bad, I’ve had collectors come and take them to a good home. I only hope they look after them as I did and keep them all running.”
Thing no. 1: 1930s Massey-Harris 25
“I bought this antique tractor about 25 years ago at a farm on the other side of Wagin,” Ken explains.
“The motor had seized up so I bought it and took it home to get it running again. I like this tractor because of the history and because the wheels never go flat,” he says pointing to the steel wheels and having a chuckle.
“ It’s a historic tractor used on farms for seeding. I freed the motor, got it up and running and gave it a bit of a paint job. I just keep this one and many others for display and as a way of looking back on history.”
Thing no. 2: 1920s Horse Wagon - Red Cart
“I bought this from the same farm that I had picked up the Massey-Harris 25. This cart used to be used to cart wool and grain into Wagin to the depos by draft horses.”
“Fun fact, the width of the steel bands around the wheel are the weight it can hold. So, in other words if the cart had steel bands that are 4 inches, the weight it could hold is 4 ton. We were told this cart could exceed this and hold up to 6 ton apparently.”
“I rebuilt most of this cart, the wheels were ok when I bought it but everything else was rotten. I appreciate any part of farming history, and this is how they used to move wool/grain at the time.”
“This would have been back in the 1920s or 1930s. I never used it, I would need draft horses and it was too heavy.. This was before trucks and tractors were used.”
Thing no. 3: 1920s Horse Drawn Grader
“I bought this from a farm in Bridgetown. This was used with draft horses to move and level the ground of the road. The principles are similar to now, but we have advanced since then.”
“I’ve had this grader for about 30 years now. You won’t find many of these, there are very few left around. It was seized up when I bought it so I freed it up and painted it. I just keep this in my collection.”
Thing no. 4: 1950s Massey-Harris 744D
“I bought this antique tractor from a farm in Lake King. This tractor used to be used to dig post holes in the ground. We did get some use out of this one on the farm.”
“This was used in the 1950s a lot. This has a nice motor and runs well, I only had to do some minor works on it and give it a paint job. I found this handy on the farm and again, you won’t find many around.”
“All the tractors behind are early models of Chamberlain. They have all been rebuilt and are all working well.”
Thing no. 5: 1936 Citroen Diesel Truck (made in France)
“I bought this truck from a lovely man in Byford. I couldn’t believe I found one and he wanted me to have it. I told him I would look after it.”
This truck was used to drive up from Manjimup to Wiluna carting timber. Now I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I have been told it’s the only diesel version in the world.
“I heard of two petrol versions in England but never of a diesel one. This one I haven’t touched as it is a part of history and I believe was always meant to be left in its original state. I hope whoever I pass this on to next will also keep it the same.”
Thing no. 6: 1930s Chamberlain Tractor
“This is the only type of tractor that was built in Western Australia as far as I’m aware. After the war, parts were hard to get a hold of so they had to use all different parts.”
“This particular tractor has a Bedford steering box, Fordson steering wheel and Ford Thames motor. With this tractor I did the steering box, basic works, painted and now it’s running well. I’ve never used this one, I just keep it as a part of my collection.”