812-Lancastar Farming. Saturday, March 30. 1996
Ted Slpe rejuvenates “basket cases of tired Iron.” On April 6, Sipe is selling 30 of his
restored antique tractors but keeping a few for tinkering.
GAY BROWNLEE
Somerset Co. Correspondent
ROCKWOOD (Somerset Co.)
Theodore (Ted) Sipe. who
could probably be dubbed a “pro
fessional tinkcrcr,” recently real
ized his collection of upwards of
35 vintage tractors, has finally
outgrown their owner.
So he’s letting them go the
Saturday before Easter—April 6.
He had put his heart and soul into
restoring the rusty castaways and
made them all operational, but
now, at age 76, the widower and
retired farmer is holding an auc
tion of his prized collectibles.
He’s keeping five, however, for
sentimental reasons. Besides, “I
gotta’ keep something to play
with,” he said, grinning and look
ing somewhat impish about the
metal hunks of “toys” arranged in
several surrounding buildings.
The hobby that has spanned a
quarter century, found Sipe over
the years, rescuing the abandoned
relics that previous owners simply
left sitting where they had emitted
their last chug. And, naturally, he
bought them at sales.
On Saturday Sipe will bid his
farewells to what once were his
“basket cases of tired iron,” like
the 192 S Fordson, his oldest mod
el.
His biggest model is the 1930
Minneapolis cross-motor tractor
parked prominently, right inside
the entry to his shop and garage
Ted Slpe stands with his largest antique tractor, a gray,
1930 Minneapolis cross-motor model.
Tinkerer
Vintage
amid an acrid, but not altogether
unpleasant, smell of mingled
grease and oil. The gray crank
starter and its smaller counter
parts. including a 1928 Caterpillar
10, once used in an apple orchard,
are wall to wall with narrow pas
sageways between them.
Sipe was fortunate to find one
of the 800, rare 1930 Rumely’s, in
Ligonier, Westmoreland County.
Generally, Sipe had little prob
lem hiring transport for the apples
of his hobby’s eye, when he scan
ned neighboring places for them.
Except, for the 1940 Minneapolis
model he found in Accident (Gar
rett County) Maryland. It fell that
Sipe, himself, would have to drive
it SO to 60 miles to his home just
off Route 281. The long journey
was successful, but only because,
Sipe and his brother, patiently
added oil every few miles to keqp
the “basket case” moving along.
“I used to help thresh with the
Minneapolis (model) when I was a
kid,” Sipe reminisced, about his
youth.
There’s a John Deer GP, the
two Silver Kings 1937 and
1938, a 1929 Farmall on steel
wheels; an Oliver 60 and an Oliver
80 from the 19405; four Allis
Chalmers’ including the 1930 Al
lis Chalmers 2540.
A fleet of John Deere tractors
eight are parked in alternat
ing forward and backward se
quence, in respect of space. Of
two other John Deere tractors, one
Restores
Tractors
is styled and the other, a 1936, un
styled.
There’s a Massey-Harris 33,
F-20 and F-I2 FarmaU’s, Ford 8 N
and the Ford 7000 which isn’t go
ing anywhere.
“I’m keeping it,” Sipe says.
“The Ford is sentimental, I bought
it"
His own 1948 S.C. Case tractor
was spanking new, when Sipe
bought it “It was bought new on
this farm,” he said.
Looking around he espies a
smaller piece of equipment, the
Beaver sickle mower of intermin
ate years. “God only knows its
age,” he said.
When his late wife, Eleanor
(Meyers) had good health, she and
Sipe did absolutely everything as
partners. Eleanor was a petite ball
of energy confined in a package of
under five feet in height.
“My wife and I ran the farm all
by ourselves," Sipe says. “I never
touched a cow, I did the feeding.
She stood on cement blocks (at
niilking time) because she was so
short She was wonderful with
animals,” he said fondly, adding
that after 52 wonderful years of
marriage, she died in February
1995.
Their only child, a son, is a nu
clear engineer whose home is in
Connecticut
It mattered little what job they
were doing driving tractor over
the 250 acres that were Eleanor’s
homeplace, caring for the 40 Hol
steins or dismantling another
piece of tired iron Sipe’s favor
ite friend worked beside him,
making his a rich life.
Haying season, especially, was
enjoyed by Eleanor who worked
with such vigor, the men had to
hustle to keep pace with her. “She
had a knack for unloading hay,”
Sipe said. “She could keep two
fellows going in the mow.
“She was a go-getter. I was
married to her for 52 years and I
never heard her admit she was
tired. She got tired, but she just
wouldn’t admit it,” Sipe said.
However, they both took great
pleasure in driving to church in the
1931 Ford Crown Victoria coupe
that, with its original upholstery,
is still in mint condition.
Unlike some couples where one
(Turn to Pagt BIS)
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