"Nut's and Bolt" corner 

Digital Age and the way things use to be.

Seems to me we were in the digital age in the 1960’s or late 50’s. True, I have seen some 1940’s documentaries on computers that showed the military having computers.  One mega-byte took up a whole room.   While watching the movie “Apollo 13” with Tom Hanks in it, I noticed that the splashdown capsule they were in had digital gauges.  So while visiting Space Center Houston, in Houston Texas quite a few years back, I checked out the real capsule and sure enough a digital panel.  During my electronics class at high school in the 1970’s, the computer chip was just coming out.  I can still remember Mr. Sowash our electronics teacher, showing a handful of computer chips as he explained the new technology was up and coming. Yes we were still in the “tube / CRT” era, There were transistors, resistors, diodes, that replaced the tubes in TV sets and short wave radio’s. I remember Kmart store having a tube tester so you could bring your tube from home out of your television set and have it tested. If your tube was bad, they had one for you to buy.  Today computers are not just for geeks. Computers are in every part of our lives including your refrigerator, stove, toaster, coffee maker “if they are new enough” and tractors.  WOW! What a leap in 35 short years.  Who would guess that we would have farm machinery controlled by satellites?  Cellular phones that can turn your lights on at home and start your car.  Track your every move and still have dinner on the table before you get home. Well maybe the last part is a little farfetched but maybe not.  We have digital cameras that can take thousands of pictures on a single micro-chip.  Digital video cameras with HD and beyond quality.  So, what’s my point you may ask. Well, with all this digital age stuff going on, how come there are so many people still fixing up 60 + year old tractors.   With all this technology going on around us, we still long for the things of yesterday.  It’s amazing to me how many people tell me about riding grandpa’s tractor when they were a little shaver. And now they are fixing it up for their grandchildren.  It’s what they grew up with. It’s their first real sense of responsibility and pride when they were allowed to drive that tractor for the first time by themselves.   You see, I believe it’s all about not letting go of the days gone by.  And, to keep the American heritage “farming” alive for younger generations.  When a tractor enthusiast comes to us for help, we are often told the story of that tractor and the future of where they would like to see it go. Grandfathers take particular pride when they watch their grandchildren drive the same tractor they did as a child.  I truly believe that even though we are in the digital age, people don’t want to let go of the past. Bringing an old tractor back to life has its own challenges and rewards.  A restored tractor that is kept up will outlast any of these computers built today.

I guess the old saying “The more things change, the more they stay the same” really applies to the old iron of yesterday.   So, go ahead, get techie, but don’t ever forget the way things use to be.

Thanks for visiting and visit often.

Bob Baumgras
Owosso Tractor Parts

Thanks for visiting our "Nut's and Bolt" corner.

Bob Baumgras

www.owossotractorparts.com