An Amish tractor? Say what?

[Fuddy1952]

We were in Lancaster Pa last month, Amish farms are beautiful. The tractors I saw had home made steel wheels welded rebar on tread area.
They're hardworking nice people and I always get good deals on tools and hardware. Very serene and peaceful.
If anyone goes to New Holland , you have to stop at Yoders buffet restaurant not far from the blue tractor factory.

 

[Imold]

Amish around here are all Horse and Buggy, totally all old school the only more modern ones are by Hawley Mn at Spring Prairie where they (Hutterites)have a p/u they take to Fargo, they use tractors and they also have a electrical motor rebuild shop that a lot of folks use, they rebuild anything from starters for Honda Goldwings to Alternators/ Generators for tractors they do good work and when they go to town they always want to barter chickens and stuff for parts, seems they hate parting with what money they have. We did a fair amount of business with them or should say they did business with our store.

 

[Henro]

Same where I live, ALL the Amish here have tractors on normal rubber.

SR

I suppose they could be foam filled tires...if air in tires is against their beliefs. Would look like normal rubber from a distance.

 

[Streetcar]

at 66 years old, I still tend to do something stoopid daily!

how long until you were down to one thing, just trying to plan for my future

 

[goeduck]

Bishop did not say so. Order, structure, respect and preserving the culture and way of life are all things. Local control.

Preserving the culture......hence use of the Diesel engine. Got it...

 

[tradosaurus]

 

[sixdogs]

"You want that barn where"?

An Amish Barn Move - YouTube

 

[goeduck]

I am catholic, or at least was born catholic, and I have much more respect for the Amish religion than I do the Catholic religion, although I believe all the precepts of the catholic church, how does one continue to have faith in the actual church after finding out all of the sins of its leaders?

While I never would defend what has happened in and has been covered up in the Catholic religion, I am sure the Amish have had their scandals, you just do not hear as much of it. Other religions as well have had atrocious behavior. Catholic coverups is what made theirs fester. No excuse for that carp.

 

[aczlan]

Your not the only one. I don't understand any of it. And my feeling are that if you have a belief then you need to stick with it. If you think tractors are bad, then tractors are bad. You don't stick stupid wheels on them and then allow them. You don't use battery tools because electricity is a bad thing. None of it makes sense, and the "slipping down the slippery slope" and changing you "beliefs" because they are more expedient seems hypocritical to me.

Ok, you can have a gasoline engine powered baler, but it has to be pulled by horses and have a stationary engine. NO. If engines are bad ALL engines are bad. And if power tools are bad ALL power tools are bad. If telephones are bad, then ALL telephones are bad. You can't have one outside in the rain.

Jeez...Hold to your beliefs or change your beliefs. Don't do things half axed, and make concessions to reality. Oh sure a nice JD tractor and now you have to wreck the tires.. yeah, that will keep you on the "straight and narrow". Uh huh.

But what do I know. People do stupid things. I have done a few myself.

As I understand it, you are supposed to be "plain and simple" without "frivolities"
Air filled rubber tires are seen as frivolous as the air is to "give you a better ride". Hence steel wheels (or steel wheels with rubber tread), horses and buggies, etc.
As for phones and electricity, they are not supposed to be dependent on the world, hence a cordless tool battery powered light, or a diesel motor/generator to run your milk cooler, power your workshop, etc because you aren't tied to the world like you would be with a monthly electric bill.
In some cases, the rules are different for a business (ie: a business can have a prepaid cell phone, a computer and a internet connection, etc but it need to be "in the business" not in the home).

What is and isn't allowed depends on the board of Elders for that congregation, hence some allowing rubber tires tractors to run a baler, others allowing steel tired tractors whole others require a horse drawn power cart and yet others require a stationary baler.

We have had some who were honest, some who weren't, but overall have had good luck with the people we have worked with.

Aaron Z

 

[Fuddy1952]

View attachment 630737

I love that.

 

[lilranch2001]

While I never would defend what has happened in and has been covered up in the Catholic religion, I am sure the Amish have had their scandals, you just do not hear as much of it. Other religions as well have had atrocious behavior. Catholic coverups is what made theirs fester. No excuse for that carp.

Dead carp at that, because it stunk!

 

[Fuddy1952]

Watch "Kingpin (3/12) Movie CLIP - Milking the Bull (1996) HD" on YouTube
Kingpin (3/12) Movie CLIP - Milking the Bull (1996) HD - YouTube

 

[ovrszd]

One of the very few times I have disagreed with James.....
Religion is so very personal, and to each their own,

I am catholic, or at least was born catholic, and I have much more respect for the Amish religion than I do the Catholic religion, although I believe all the precepts of the catholic church, how does one continue to have faith in the actual church after finding out all of the sins of its leaders?

I still believe in Mother Mary, and Jesus Christ, but having a sustainable belief in the Church has been an impossible feat for me

There's a huge gap between a "Religious" man and a "spiritual" man.

 

[lilranch2001]

I am not quite sure what your point is, but I wont argue since I am unsure what to make of it

 

[Sawyer Rob]

By Amish, do you mean the black clothed, black bonnet types? Or the Mennonite that might wear the lighter blue pants, drive a car and seem more modern?

I mean exactly what I said. They (Amish) hire me to do work for them, there's lots to see out back or behind the barn... lol

BTW, it's not about the air in the tires or the electricity ect. You guys need to educate yourself on why they do what they do...

SR

 

[lilranch2001]

Do tell!

I am listening

 

[CADplans]

Airless tires,,,

 

[Clint S]

My Dad used to bring certain Mennonites Garbage bags full of freshly laundered but rejected work clothing and gloves. FREE. In one of those interactions, he had bought eggs from the woman and was short the exact change. She held out until she got the full amount. That about sums some of them up. Friendly facade, but there's them, and there's everyone else.

Its about the person not the group. Last year I went into the local Amish metal shop. I frequent the shop 5 or 6 times a year. The man running the checkout said " I've been waiting for you to come back in" . He said I had left a box of nails on the counter. He told me I could have the box or get my money back It was like 10$. I assured him I had gotten all my boxes , but he had none of it and said he was sure I left the box and gave me the $10 . I then spent it there along with more.

 

[lman]

The Amish here use tractors with inflated rubber tires and cargo trailers to go to town or construction jobs. They use their buggies on Sunday to go to their church service at one of their residence's.

 

[poncho62]

I drive a delivery van and deliver to many Mennonites. There seems to be different levels of their faith if you will. Some are real old school, no electricity, do it all by horse team or by hand. Then there are others that have no power to the house, but the barn has power. There are some that have gone the whole hog with brand new houses and ultra modern, computerized chicken barns etc. Funny thing is though, they all seem to dress pretty much the same, dark work clothes, the women in the long patterned dresses, nothing fancy. Most of them also have the horse drawn buggies in the drive in shed. Sunday morning, they are all out going to church in them....Most of them are Lutheran religion around here I believe.