No-one’s immune to a good YouTube session. You start with the best intentions and next minute you’re whiling away the time watching a cat play the keyboard. But for Anthony Warr, one video had him falling head over heels in love – with a black tractor.
But there was just one issue. There was none in Australia. The limited Black Case IH AFS Connect Optum is in short supply in other parts of the world and getting his hands on one was no easy feat.
What makes it so rare? Innovative engineering? Cutting edge technology? Of course it has all that but as it turns out, there’s no trick question. It’s the colour. According to Daniel Arthur, general manager at Truck and Tractor Bomaderry, tractor companies stay true to their colours.
"They (the brands) stick to the colours they're known for, so to have a black tractor is essentially unheard of," Daniel told Australian Community Media.
While in very limited supply, the South Coast, New South Wales business was determined to track down the black gem for Anthony, a long-term customer.
The black tractor is now the only of its kind in Australia and has the best of homes with its besotted owner, who said he feels very lucky to have acquired the rare machine, albeit a little overwhelmed.
“I didn’t think it was going to draw as much attention as it did,” Anthony told Australian Community Media.
Photo: The only black tractor in Australia is now in the hands of Anthony Warr and his family, pictured with Daniel Arthur at the Berry Small Farm Field Day. Credit: South Coast Register.