Back When: 1940 Ford 9N

This 1940 Ford 9N was a life changer for its owners Randy and Linda Patsy of East Brady, Pennsylvania, so I wanted to share it with you.

After Randy Patsy’s first wife passed away five years ago, he met Linda who was a city girl. As their relationship grew and they started talking marriage, one stipulation that Randy had was that he would not leave the farm. He had grown up on the farm and lived there all of his life. Randy has since retired from his-long time job with the Commonwealth and currently enjoys growing and selling vegetables and sweet corn on his acreage.

Linda had never been on a tractor in her life but caught on quickly. Randy is 100% Allis Chalmers in both his working tractors and his restored antique tractor collection. Linda quickly learned to drive Randy’s D17. Not only did she develop a love for the antique tractors, she fell in love with all that goes with it, especially auctions. She developed a passion quickly for all antique tractors, not just one brand like her husband. So when she purchased the 9N, Randy thought she had lost her mind. Randy teased Linda by asking what on earth she was thinking, and he joked “that thing is not even big enough to bring a jug of water to me in the field.” Linda was determined

to disk ground with the little N; but after about three days, the novelty wore off and the little Ford became a yard ornament. Randy even had a buyer for it at one time; but Linda refused, saying that was hers and it wasn’t going anywhere.

Then a life changing experience hit the family. In July of 2013, the Patsy family got a call that a sisterin- law was rushed to the hospital with what was thought to be a stroke. That evening she had surgery to remove a brain tumor and was also diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Randy’s father had passed away from cancer twelve years earlier. The family was numb with disbelief; the dreaded C had struck again.

Linda presented Randy with an idea. She told him, since you hate that old Ford so much let’s do something constructive with it! Let’s make it a cancer awareness tractor! At first he wasn’t sure, but after talking with friends and family and finding that many thought it was a great idea, he decided it would be a good plan. Many of their friends have family members or friends who have or were lost to cancer. Everyone jumped on the idea. Their local API donated the paint, a local body man and his son did the bodywork, a local painter donated his time to paint it, and another individual donated the decals. There is nothing like a common cause to bring people together.

The old Ford is now a cancer awareness tractor, which is taken to local shows, parades, and farm shows. The Patsy’s also make it available for Relay For Life events and it also works great for cancer fundraisers.

Randy said, “I guess the old Ford is worth something after all, even though it now takes up room in the shed alongside my Allis Chalmers tractors. I have to admit that the city girl did all right!”