“It was like being a detective, for Pete’s sake,” recalled the elder Staurowsky, now 71 years old.
Collectors say more people have specialized in lawn-and-garden John Deere collecting in the last decade. One of the many Facebook groups where collectors congregate has over 25,000 members.
One draw is that, unlike their full-size tractor brethren, lawn-and-garden models can often fit in a pickup-truck bed. They tend to be cheaper, too, though the rarest ones sell for tens of thousands of dollars.
As with other brands like Harley-Davidson and Porsche, collectors buy anything with the John Deere logo on it, from the largest tractors to toy replicas. Enthusiasts at the show sported branded shoes, earrings, golf bags and umbrellas. At least a couple wore T-shirts that said: “If you don’t own one, you’ll never understand.”
Some paraded their tractors across the show grounds. A teenager gave tractor-driving lessons to young kids.
On the sidelines, collectors chatted about what they had bought and sold recently, which rare models might be coming on the market and what parts they needed for restoration projects.
To aid with fix-it work, vendors sold tires, steering wheels, gauges and other parts. Mint condition seats can sell for $1,500 or more.
Getting so many tractors to a show can be its own event. Brandon Pfeiffer, 56, who runs a business selling parts and publishes a magazine devoted to the hobby, owns about 300 lawn-and-garden tractors, roughly 150 of them John Deeres. Once he loaded too many into his trailer, and the weight of it caused the frame to collapse.
His collection has at times been a sore spot with his wife, who he described as a minimalist. Once, when she reminded him that she doesn’t collect anything, he told her that from that point on, every tractor he bought would be a gift for her, and he would simply be its caretaker.
The thrill of the hunt can be addictive, Pfeiffer said. Once he spotted a tractor along a road near his house. It was covered in brush. It turned out to be a 1963 model. He bought it for $20, fixed it up, then sold it for $3,000.
Karl Moritz, 26, who posts on social media using the handle @popeofjohndeere, skipped his senior prom to drive from Pennsylvania to Oklahoma for a tractor attachment used to dig fence-post holes. His favorite tractor is a Patio he picked up in Bill Clinton’s hometown in Arkansas. He named it Monica.
Redding, the show organizer, said someone once dropped off a tractor at his house in the middle of the night with a note that read: “I know you collect anything John Deere and I don’t need this anymore.” He never figured out where it came from.
Kenny Jernigan, 57, and his son Casey, 26, own about 200 tractors, including a few “Sweepsters”—early lawn-and-garden tractors outfitted with an attachment that resembles the back of a golf cart. It took a decade to get their hands on their first one. Those models have recently sold for more than $10,000.
The elder Staurowsky bought an antique John Deere lawn tractor on a whim in the early 1990s, thinking that his son, then 7, might enjoy restoring it with him. They bought a second to harvest the parts to fix the first. They ended up restoring both, one for each to ride.
By that point they had gotten immersed in John Deere history and culture. The younger Staurowsky had a knack for the electrical work, and could take apart and reconstruct the pieces. His father repaired the fiberglass parts. He hung around an auto body shop to learn the art of applying paint.
Their collection grew to about two dozen, then fell into disrepair after Alex grew up and moved out. A few years ago, around when Gary Staurowsky’s wife died, father and son decided to start re-restoring the collection, finding the familiar hobby comforting.
This year, their tractors were back on the show circuit—once again in pristine condition.
