Where's the Welder?

This tractor decided it wasn't goin' nowhere for nobody!

Nathan, my farmer boy, was driving along when the wheels just fell right off of this old tractor!  Nobody was surprised or upset. You see it's happened before; several times in fact.  This tractor is probably one of the oldest pieces of equipment that we have here on the farm.  It dates back to 1973-74.  It has been used so much and has alot of stories to tell. Like the time it help lift giant snowballs to make a giant snowman which got pictured in our local farm newspaper.  It's cleaned snow off of the driveway many times.  Parts have fallen off over the years and Farmer Grandpa just keeps welding it back together.  It even caught on fire once.....or twice.  This ol' tractor survived 2 tornadoes and has done many, many jobs around the farm.  It's been replaced a couple of times by more up-to-date tractors and when they get this old one out to use, it has the happiest look on its face!  The farmers here decided to sell it one time....they painted it all up real purty with yellow and blue paint and set it out along the road with a for sale sign.  Trouble is, no one believed it was for sale because our farmers kept going out to get it to use for different jobs.  Eventually the idea of selling it got put on the shelf.  When you drive it, (and believe me I have)  the whole frame of the tractor rattles and shakes and you wonder if its all going to fall apart around you.  Well, as long as we've got welding equipment I guess we'll just keep the Ford 4000 here

 "on the farm."

Here is a picture of my farmer when he was 9 or 10 years old with the Ford 4000.  Don't they both look happy?