Restoring Tractors a Passion

2006-06 - by Susan McIver - Roland Bilodeau of Coulthard Avenue in Cawston has a passion for restoring old farm equipment, especially tractors. Currently, he has close to three dozen pieces of vintage equipment from all over Western Canada on his two and one-half acres. "I've got most of them running and I'm working on the rest," said Bilodeau. The first tractor he restored was a 1943 John Deere LA that he bought in 1992 in Fruitvale. The tractor that hadn't run for 25 years was painted pink and mired in deep mud. Bilodeau remembers thinking "I'm going to buy that tractor" and then "What the hell am I going to do with it?" The owner wanted $100 for the tractor but settled for half when Bilodeau told him the $50 bill in his pocket had his name on it. Restoration of the LA, including painting it green, took six months of fairly steady work. Bilodeau has restored a number of John Deere tractors ranging from a 1934 Model D to his newest tractor, a 1954 Model AR. Over the years, he has become good friends with the parts woman at the John Deere dealership in Okanogan, Washington. "It's amazing what she can find," Bilodeau said. Another early project was the restoration of a 1928 Hart Parr tractor that Bilodeau bought north of Regina. "The first tractor I ever drove as a kid was a Hart Parr and I'd always wanted another one," Bilodeau said. Bilodeau drove that first Hart Parr on the mixed farm on which he grew up near St. Vincent, Alberta. He moved to BC in 1949 and became a mechanic and welder working on major projects, such as dams, airports and highways, all over the province. In the mid 1990s, Bilodeau went to Lloydminster to look at a tractor but ended up buying one of his more unusual pieces of equipment, a 1947 REO Speedwagon. This particular REO is a one-ton grain truck with a dump bed. The REO Motor Car Company was founded in 1904 by Ransom Eli Olds after he left the Olds Motor Works Company (Oldsmobile) which he had previously established. Bilodeau has sold quite a few tractors to other collectors, but making money isn't the reason he restores equipment. "I love the challenge," he said. His partner, Shirley King, is convinced Bilodeau's enthusiasm and dedication to the restoration work is responsible for the spring in his step at age 77. Bilodeau's tractors can be seen at the Elks Parade and the tractor pull held in Keremeos on the Victoria Day Weekend. Each summer, local fruit stands, including Parson's and Lidder's, use the tractors for decoration. "They're quite a tourist attraction," King said. In the past, Bilodeau has shown his tractors at the agricultural fair in Armstrong in conjunction with the Spallumcheen Pioneer Power Club. In 1999, Bilodeau bought a thrashing machine when he realized it had been exactly 50 years since he'd done thrashing. For the next four years, members of the power club spent fun-filled weekends helping Bilodeau thrash the wheat and barley he'd grown at the Grist Mill and on leased acreage. Bilodeau has seven children, 13 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Five year old Josh is following in his grandfather's footsteps. "He can name every tractor, make, model and year, and knows how to start each one," Bilodeau said proudly.

 

< Prev		Next >