our people: ROB ROBERTS
Tractor Pull
One Family’s Attraction To Small,
Vintage Tractors
BY ABIGAIL GIEGER
F
acing retirement from his 25-year-old business,
Robert’s Sharpening, Rob Roberts was looking for a
hobby.
“I needed to stay active,” Roberts said. “I’ve gone to
a lot of tractor shows and I’m a member of three clubs.
I started collecting both walking and riding garden tractors from several different manufacturers.” Of the tractors
Roberts has collected, 13 are completely restored and two
more are waiting in his shed. His oldest tractor is a 1938
and the newest is a 1979.
“I’m always on the lookout for certain old tractors.
They come one at a time, not running, missing parts, rusted and sad to look at,” Roberts explained. “It takes about
one or two years to restore each tractor.”
SEPTEMBER 2016
PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
Rob Roberts
leading in the
25th Annual
Christmas Parade
The idea to start restoring tractors came about at
Balentine’s Donut Shop, where Mr. Roberts has coffee
every morning with his friends Raymond George, Wayne
Hamilton, Tom Sanford and Gerald Hannah. “I was talking to the guys about it at the coffee shop,” he said. “It
gives me something to do. I see so many old people like
myself and all they do is whimper and complain about
their health. I’ve got something to do. That’s my thing. I
have something to look forward to every day.”
His quirky hobby keeps him busy and he enjoys the
work more than anything. The challenging aspect is something Mr. Roberts strives for. “My schedule is I go to bed
at midnight and I get up at five am, I go to the Balentine’s
till 11 o’clock. Then I go home have dinner, take a
109