Shop Specializes In Antique Equipment

Shop Specializes In Antique Equipment Justin Click of Hobart, Ind., founded and runs JC Tractor Restoration and Repair. The five-employee business focuses on tractors from 1910 to 1980, along with antique trucks and old semis. Although Click didn’t grow up on a farm, he’s had a passion for repairing machinery since childhood. “I’ve always enjoyed old mechanical stuff in general,” says Click. “As a kid, I’d pull apart old lawnmowers, fix them up, and sell them from my parents’ front lawn.” This hobby eventually progressed to like-new engines and transmissions on small, new-model tractors. He developed a love for antique tractors and, as a teen, purchased his first Rumely tractor. That purchase started a collection that has since grown to more than a dozen pieces. As an adult, Click worked full-time while also doing side work from home. He founded JC Tractor Restoration and Repair 20 years ago and eventually grew it to the point that he could devote himself full-time to the business. Today, Click prefers to work on Rumelys and other steel-welded pieces made before 1925. “I like that it’s a challenge to work on stuff without manuals and parts,” he says. “Lots of problem-solving.”  The company receives a higher percentage of Rumely machines than any other brand, but other popular brands include Aultman & Taylor, Avery, Flour City and International. Jobs range from full restorations to less time-consuming engine tune-ups. “I get stuff sent to me from all over the country,” Click says. He often handles shipping logistics himself, even returning items in person to show customers how it works. Estimates are challenging until a machine’s been opened up, so the business bills on a time-and-materials basis.  “We’re talking about obsolete parts that have been stuck for a hundred years or longer,” Click says. “It’s impossible to predict how long that repair will take.” The parts can be nearly impossible to find, so he makes what he can in his shop and contracts with foundries to produce the rest from diagrams or pictures of the parts that need replacing. “Every job is unique,” he says. “Sometimes we’re working on stuff that there’s only two of in the whole world. It’s a real challenge waiting on parts; our lead time can be years. But it’s always satisfying to experience the success of getting something running again.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Justin Click, JC Tractor Restoration and Repair (ph 219-771-9915; www.facebook.com/jctractors).

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