[opening the box to sift amongst the collectibles]
My very first ride I cannot find a pix of.
It was known as "the crawler" and was I believe a Greens22, from Dad's
story of how it ran over his leg. From memory it was similar to this;
https://ibb.co/k9LppvThe very first drive came after some riding and tutoring. Known as "Devil", due to the blasphemy which accompanied starting it - "cor an' begorrah thar be the Devil in ye woman!!" as the crank flicked Dad's arm to the shed roof, "she" owned a petrol/kerosene combination engine with a mean backfire when starting cold, on petrol.
https://ibb.co/eTHKpvThe rule was "ye don't drive 'till ye can crank her", despite many pleadings of a young keen lad. I was maybe a shade the other side of 11 before I could get her to fire without wrecking my shoulder for a few days.
Our only tractor at that time it was a huge step up in Life, literally.
Being a high clearance type for the sugarcane, and carrying an array of scarifiers mounted between the front and rear wheels, I couldn't mount it as intended so I used to climb up from the back of the axle over the drawbar. Dismounting was stepping onto the rear wheel and leaping off... a height from the ground as a kid.
In revisiting the childhood, as you do, our farm hack now is this sole classic I happened acoss;
https://ibb.co/ek5B2FStrong in heart yet owning neglected carriage work I restored him to a
shadow of his former glory. Put to work he does what is required of tilling
for our small enterprise.
Sorely tempted to restore more "classics" I resist knowing the body is well past those endeavours.
Cheers.
Bill