Katrina BRANDON
LETTING go of his prized possession, retired farmer Bill Robinson of Thorpdale is selling off 18 historical tractors.
“My father started the collection years ago,” Mr Robinson told the Gippsland Farmer.
“His first tractor was a Bulldog. I think he said they had to sell about three teams of horses, and that got a deposit for the new tractor. And so that’s where the love of the Bulldogs came from.
“When I retired from farming, I started restoring and collecting a few more, but mainly just restoring what I had.”
Getting hands-on restoring the tractors, Mr Robinson said that he had no prior experience restoring tractors or had any background in mechanics.
Mr Robinson learned all his mechanical restoration skills through YouTube, aiming to get each tractor up to scratch and looking its best. Down to every last detail, Mr Robinson did each piece himself, whether it was touching up scratches or fixing parts for each machine.
The collection of Bulldog tractors ranges from pre-war to post-war models, including some rare ones with a rotating chain instead of wheels, designed for tough terrain. Models include Bulldog, Chamberlain, Ferguson, and Massey Harris tractors, the oldest model dating to the mid-1930s.
The Lanz Bulldog is a famous German tractor series produced by Heinrich Lanz AG from 1921 to 1960. Known for its simple, rugged hot-bulb engine that could run on almost any liquid fuel, the engine was produced in over 220,000 units. They are iconic for their slow-revving, single-cylinder sound, hand-crank starting, and significant role in German agriculture, often serving as a synonym for tractors.
Picking up some of the collection from his father, Mr Robinson took over four tractors and continued to collect and restore more.
Aiming to downsize, Mr Robinson realised that he wouldn’t be able to keep the tractors at his new home.
As the story goes in Thorpdale, Mr Robinson was originally a potato grower who then moved on to sheep and a few cattle. A few years ago, Mr Robinson said it was time for him to retire, only to find his way to tractor restoration.
Selling off his collection, Mr Robinson is holding an online auction through ME Auctions on June 14.
