Love of vintage machinery 'in blood' | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

Today's vintage machinery is an obsession you were born with, enthusiasts at the weekend's Harvest Rally say.
''It's in the blood because we have been brought up with it on farms,'' Wayne Hermansen, a harvesting contractor from Dannevirke, said. ''It's a disease, you catch it from your father.'' Mr Hermansen now runs 12 John Deere tractors and trucks from his contracting business, but the obsession was planted by the end of primary school.
''Back then you weren't meant to drive a tractor until you were 12 but we learnt much earlier than that,'' he said.
Mr Hermansen said he was sad to see the old technology superseded and he did not think the design trends of new harvesting machines were going in the right direction.
''There's too much electrics in them these days. It's just that computers and electrics and dust are not compatible, and it gives a lot of trouble.''
He said the downfall of modern farm machinery was it had become too complex.
''The extra features are nice, there's no doubt about it, but of course to fix them you need a laptop.''
Hobby mechanic Rodney Smith, who has restored about 30 machines over the years, agreed.
''I know a guy who had the air-conditioning go in his tractor and the whole tractor stopped,'' he said. ''That's the problem. With these old things you could fix them yourself and anybody with sense could operate them.''
He said the simple technology meant children were much more involved around family farms.
''We learned to drive by watching when we were picking up hay, and as soon as you could reach the clutch and stop it and steer it you were out driving the tractor helping out.''
Wairarapa Vintage Machinery Club president Phill Cottle said yesteryear's farm machinery was simple to use, but also brutal and potentially lethal. ''You heard of a lot more deaths.
''But in years gone by this is what kept people young, fit and healthy, it was hard physical work.
''As well as horses, these machines were the backbone of farming in New Zealand.''
Paul Czepanski from Marton agrees it is important to keep the old machinery from being forgotten. He has restored several machines and owns three vintage tractors. He likes to find uses for them and to demonstrate them working. ''They have just got a lot of character and they are still very efficient on fuel.
''There is a lot of history in them.''