Bridget Payne isn’t your typical teenager. As the fifth generation on her Illinois family farm, her love for antique tractors is something she’s proud to share, even among her friend group.
“All my friends think my tractor is really cool,” Payne says. “Actually, my best friend loves the same model of tractors as I do, and the same brand. And all of our friends have different types of tractors that they like. We feud over them all the time. Some like the green, some like red.”
Payne’s favorite kind of tractor is red, a 1954 Farmall Super M-TA that looks brand new. While she likes red tractors, it’s the tie back to her family farm that makes it even more special.
“A really cool story behind this tractor is my great grandfather owned a tractor like this, not the same one,” says Payne. “He actually gave it to his grandson, which is my Uncle Carl, and he sold it quite a while ago and traded it in for a different tractor at the time.”
Knowing her great grandfather also bled red, having her own Farmall was a dream that turned into a reality.
“When it came time to picking a tractor, I’m one of the oldest grandchildren, so I got to choose first, and I just thought this had a lot of neat history,” she says. “Even though it’s not his, it still has that piece of him with it.”
She says the Farmall Super M-TA, which is still in prime condition, is mainly used for parades and tractor shows today. And while the nostalgia of the tractor is extremely special to her it, the ease of driving is a bonus in her book.
“Besides the color, I really like how easy it is to drive this tractor. It’s got power steering. It’s not like the old days where you had to really turn it to get it going but power steering really makes a difference,” she explains.
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