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If you would happen to
walk into the big barn at our farm and enter the workshop, you would immediately
notice a large array of various tools of all kinds that are in the barn. It
seems more and more tools are purchased every year. In the course of farming,
there is a need at one time or another for just about all of them. On many occasions,
I have need of them too. When we were kids, neither our father nor Uncle Ned
had such an array of tools. It seemed like all they ever had, for the most part;
to work on farm equipment was a pair of vice grips and a Crescent wrench. If
Tim and/or I would “borrow” the two of them, we would inevitably loose them
somewhere. After this happened a number of times, when they purchased
replacements, they painted a wide orange strip around the handles. Hopefully
this was so they could more easily locate where on the ground we left them. This
method was not always successful, however. They also had a socket
with a shaft about 4 or 5 feet long with a crank on the end to remove the big
rear tractor tire lugs in order to reverse them to make the wheel spacing wider
to cultivate corn and beans. The wrench also fit the drawbar nuts to remove it
in order to install the 2-row cultivator. I never could figure out how they
could use it because with just a crank on the end, it would be extremely difficult,
if not impossible, to get enough torque to loosen or tighten the large nuts
that held the wheels and drawbar on. Until recently, the original one they used
still hung in the same place on the barn wall. I went to take a picture of it
and after 60 plus years of hanging there, it was gone! Tim isn’t sure what he
did with it. I know he didn’t use it on the present “M” or “H” tractors for which
it was designed. And for nostalgic sake, he and I are positive he didn’t “scrap
it out”. If it turns up, I’ll take of
picture of it to post with this story. If not, I’ll do my best to make a
drawing of what it looked like. Of course, they didn’t have a welder or
acetylene torch. If they needed to weld or a torch to repair something, they
went to Heckleman's Sohio Gas Station just up the road and they did it there.
If they needed any additional tools, other than a Crescent wrench or vice
grips, they also went to Heckleman's and borrowed theirs. I suspect in light of
this, they figured they didn’t need to buy a lot of tools, since they could
just use theirs anytime the need arose. If the welding had to be done on a
large piece of equipment, they brought it to Heckleman's and they did it there.
These days, unless you know the owner or manager of a facility like that, really well, I doubt anyone would loan out any tools to anyone. Tim
and I still wonder how they could have farmed with just a pair of vise grips
and a Crescent wrench! They must have wasted a lot of time having to go to
Heckleman's to make repairs or borrow tools! Of course, in those days, life was
much simpler, slower, and more subdued. Being raised on our farm during those
times, I’m still pretty “laid back” and am rarely in a hurry to do anything,
like mow the lawn, do the dishes and washing, etc. etc… Some would say I’m too
“laid back”. I suppose they’re right, but nevertheless, “that’s just the way I
am”. I remember on one occasion
when our father got the tractor and the International “76” combine stuck in the
mud while harvesting wheat. No problem, he just walked up to Heckleman's and
they came right down with one of their wreckers and pulled him out. I highly
doubt that they even charged him for it; since I’m sure my father and Uncle Ned
did favors for Bill Heckleman too. Those were indeed times when neighbor helped
neighbor, expecting nothing in return. In contrast to this, these days most
people, including me, don’t even know their neighbors! Years ago, I purchased
some basic tools to use around the house for minor repairs. It’s a good thing I
did, because Bill Heckleman is long deceased and the building is now a drive
through convenience store! Tim and I had some wonderful times at Heckleman's
when we were kids and they even loaned us tools on occasion to make repairs on
our bicycles when we rode them to the station! Bill's old Sohio station went
through some transitions after he died. It's served as a commercial electrical
building, and presently it's a drive through convenience store. I have never
and will never patronize it because I want to remember the way it used to be.
In addition, I don't like any real estate development being so close to me,
even though it's a quarter of a mile east, I consider it too close. Ah, how I
yearn for “The good ole days!” At least now I’ll always have cherished memories
of a bygone utopian like era. Related Stories Links: |
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