Changing
Demographics and the Death of the Machine
It has been tragic to
witness the decline of this civilization. I said to someone recently
that I would much rather read about what is going on right now in a
history book, than either read it in the newspaper or be seeing it with my
own eyes. Oh, well...
When I was a young
lad, kids did all kinds of odd jobs, from tossing newspapers, to shoveling
snow, cleaning out barns and stalls, running little lawn mowing
businesses, all of these on top of regular chores. Almost no one was
“too good” to be engaged in this meaningful exercise of learning life's
important lessons, and almost no job was “beneath” anyone. The
weekly allowance was generally a pittance of a sum that didn't go far, and
spending it all in one place was pretty darn easy. Supplementing the
allowance with hard work was the only way to go to the movies, hit the
soda shop, or anything else. We knew how to work and no one
complained – much, anyway. Nowadays, what you see in American youth
is general sloth hanging out at the malls, minds being drowned in the
incessant drumming from iPods, cars simply given to them, and their
parents keeping them flush with unearned cash.
For a tractor like
the Gravely Convertible to maintain economic viability and remain in
production, like anything else, it requires purchasers. The main
buyers of these tractors came from three demographics. First, was
the small acreage farmer and homesteading type - the fellow who did all
his own work and needed a machine that would “do it all”. Second,
would be the upper-end residential owner who not only had a nice lawn, but
gardened extensively as well, and did all the necessary maintenance on his
grounds by himself or utilized the help of the members of his immediate
family. Slipping in third on the purchaser list was a combination of
maintenance contractors and municipalities who required the versatility
and durability the machinery offered. All three of these groups
changed dramatically over the last couple of decades, but the change in
the nature and composition of the first two groups is what ended
production of these great machines.
2003 was the final
year of manufacture for the little tractor. Over the years the
Gravely product line had diversified to meet changing markets, and they
remain a manufacturer of some of the best commercial mowers made.
Flat-out good stuff. But that's the catch – commercial mowers.
Demographics. Mowing and little else. And by 2003, the demand
for the little tractor and its implements could no longer justify further
production.
These little tractors
were always expensive, but you got what you paid for. They did what
you asked every time, and rarely ever broke down. I bought my first
one in 1987, and now own four of them, along with somewhere around fifteen
implements. I doubt
that in twenty plus years of ownership I've spent over a five hundred
dollars on parts outside of tires and batteries on all of them combined.
Three hundred bucks of the parts expense was for new roto-tiller tines,
but I live in a rock-pile, so that expense was to be expected. Dad,
now 83, has five of them including his first 1958 “L” model, and it still
runs like a clock. That's reliability.
I purchased a
“Professional 12” model in really good shape on eBay for $600.00 in 2001.
New, it would have run me close to $5,000. I bought my last Gravely on
eBay, a 2003 model in mid-03' with 70 hours on it from a fellow in
Virginia for $3,000. It is a 14-horse model, with steering brake and
special order wheels and tires that listed at almost $6,000 new.
What a bargain! A month later the fellow called
me and told me Gravely had quit producing the tractor, and if he had known
he never would have sold it to me. I wasn't prepared for the news he
gave me, but sure enough, he was right. The little tractor was no
more.
My father was pretty
well furious about the circumstance. His father had owned them as
well, and an era had drawn harshly to a close. American small
agriculture and its associated manufacturing culture was dying right in
front of our eyes. Somehow, he could not understand why this had
happened. I had given the matter some deep thought, and in
conversation with him pointed out that of of his six children, I was the
only one who owned enough dirt to justify owning one. All the rest
lived in small-lot suburbia in oversized houses, their gardens suited to
nothing more than a Mantis tiller, and two of them used mowing services to
cut their mini-lawns. 8 to 5 soccer moms and 8 to 5 NFL-watching
dads. That is what has become of America. Who needs a great
little tractor when there is nothing left for it to do?
As you can tell by
these photos,
these are absolutely wonderful machines. There are none better and
certainly none more versatile. Ebay is loaded with the tractors and
has implements galore. The manuals for virtually everything are
available online, and there remains a steady supply of repair parts if,
and when, one breaks. Richards Lawn and Garden (Google it) carries
about everything you could ever need, and they are real fast on the
shipping. YouTube even has videos of these tractors in action, and
believe me, after seeing, you will become a believer.
We are heading back
to those hard-scrabble times of yore, and I do pity those who folks who
live in town. The possibility of soup kitchens and bread lines is
not as remote as one might think, but then, the mind is adept at denying
the obvious. It's a peculiar sort of survival mechanism until you
actually need to survive. And that is why I wrote this, because the
Gravely Convertible Tractor is a real survival mechanism, and you may well
need one to survive. Give it serious and due consideration for your
homestead needs. You won't be disappointed.
Here are a few old brochures full of photos and
information:
http://www.oldgravelys.net/pdf/Power_vs_Drudge_0860.pdf
http://www.oldgravelys.net/pdf/Com_5xxx_Broch_0878.pdf
Gravely - The best little tractor a homesteader could
ever have.
