Sheila Donnelly/Austin Daily Herald

Thirty years ago Jim Manggaard of rural Sergeant purchased a John Deere 1953 "70s" from Phil's Implement in Rose Creek. The mechanic told him the tractor had been owned by two women farmers in Iowa and they had traded it in for a tractor with wider tires.

Manggaard named the tractor Henrietta. These type of tractors are affectionately called old "put puts," as this is the sound they make when driving.

The tractor had been sitting in the family shed for a long time and wasn't running. Manggaard's son, Willie, knew how much his father cherished this tractor. Willie, now a junior at Hayfield High School, had grown up hearing stories about the tractor.

"My grandfather had said that the A and B John Deeres had too much power and would go too fast. The 70 series can only top out at 27 miles an hour," Willie said.

As a child, Willie took apart machinery pieces and would put them back together. He also likes to read machinery books. Last fall he decided to repair his dad's beloved Henrietta. With help from Scott's Cattle Farm near his home he pulled the tractor to the Hayfield High School mechanic shop. The first thing he wanted to repair on the tractor was the radiator cap because it had broken off the radiator.

"We had painted the cap when I was little. I wanted to weld it on myself. The type of welding I had to do is called braze. You take a torch, heat up a rod, and make circles on the metal to do the repair work. The metal is thinner and more delicate. I learned how to do this type of welding at school," Willie said.

This was just the beginning of fixing up Henrietta. Fellow students and teachers became interested in the project. Willie and the his fellow classmates were fascinated with taking apart the 50-year-old machinery. They took the shields off, which are the outside casings, and metal hoods and top. They cleaned every single square inch of Henrietta. The radiator needed major repair and Mr. Nute, an instructor advised Willie to take the radiator to Anderson Auto in Austin.

"I drained everything on the tractor. I took the water pump off. I was really seeing how the tractor was made and could see that it would still run even though it was 50 years old," Willie said.

Persinger's Equipment got Willie gaskets for the water pump and the radiator. The gaskets were needed to seal the radiator and head. In all Willie and his classmates worked on the tractor for two months. Willie's goal was to have the tractor all mended and running by Christmas. Fellow classmates helped him paint the tractor and rewire all the parts. Willie put a coat of sealant on the tractor so it would gleam. Willie kept track of his hours and how much money he put into the repairs. He spent about $600 out of his own pocket and his father put in another $200. The day before Christmas Eve, Willie accomplished his goal and drove Henrietta to his neighbor's farm. On Christmas Eve, Willie drove the tractor to his farm. His dad was in the barn and he heard the "put-put" of the tractor driving down the road.

"I yelled to dad that his Christmas present was in the yard. He couldn't believe it. The tractor looked like a million bucks. Dad got on it and to drove it around the yard," Willie said.

Mr. Thompson, an instructor in the Ag shop at Hayfield suggested that Willie take the tractor to the county fairs this summer to show it and that is what he plans on doing.

"I had a lot of support from the teachers and kids at school working on this tractor. It was a big enough project for the time limit I had. It was really fun to restore something that means a lot to our family. I would do it again. In fact I am thinking of fixing up another tractor," Willie said.

Sheila Donnelly can be reached at 434-2233 or by e-mail at newsroom@austindailyherald.com