Becknology Days is always a big deal for the Beck family. More than 8,000 people flocked to this annual event each August in Atlanta, Ind., the headquarters of Beck Hybrid’s. This year, though, the big surprise was not for customers and dealers, but for company President Sonny Beck.

Sonny’s son’s, Tony and Scott Beck, and daughter, Kim Marschand, unveiled his fully restored 1938 F-20 Farmall. “It was the first tractor my grandfather used to farm,” Scott said.

Purchased new by Sonny’s father and one of the company founders, Francis Beck, this tractor has sentimental family history.

“Dad was really surprised,” Tony said. “We wanted to keep it a secret. We took it out to the shed that morning. It was neat; I drove it and parked it, and Dad hopped right on it. I guess driving a tractor is like driving a bicycle – once you learn it, you’ve got it.

“Dad was born in the 1940s and this is the first tractor he remembers driving … Dad said he wanted to keep the tractor around because he wanted to restore it. We thought we would restore it for him.”

The Becks took the rusty F-20 that, according to Ryan Parkin, marketing communications manager at Beck’s, “had sat in the barn for over 20 years” to Devon Wilkins, a tractor restoration expert from Westfield, Ind. The tractor went through a total transformation.

“We searched for where to take the tractor,” Tony said, adding they wanted someone local to do the job. “Devon was eager to restore it. We wanted it as original as possible and we knew he could get it done.”

Devon knew what the tractor meant to the Beck family, so he was thrilled to be in on the renovation; however, he noted, “When Tony Beck called me, I had no idea what kind of shape the tractor was in, but I told him on the phone I could do it.

“When he got to my shop and I saw it, I knew I could fix it,” Devon added, “but he was asking for it back three months.”

Work began, which included replacing tires and even installing a few new engine blocks. “There were times I just didn’t think I was going to make the deadline,” Devon said, especially “after I got the second bad engine block.”

One of the hardest things for Devon to do was keep the job a secret: “Tony asked me not to tell one person who it belonged to, either, wanting to keep it from Sonny. Everyone that saw the progress wanted to know who it belonged to; I just kept telling people that it belonged to a person in Terre Haute. Lenny Ogle (who did the painting) didn’t even know.”

The paint job speaks for itself. Devon said, “A lot of credit needs to be given to Lenny – without him the tractor would not look better than new, he’s a very good painter, takes pride in his work.”

Tony explained to Devon he wanted the tractor restored, but kept as original as possible. “When I took it apart, the engine block was broken, the head was cracked, the two main bearings were rusted in place, the clutch was frozen in place (he had to use a torch to remove the clutch plate off the flywheel),” Devon said.

“The brake covers took a day to remove. I could have torched them off, but my goal was to save every part I could. It seemed like any part that I took off of the tractor required a torch or some sort of a puller.” The most stressful part was trying to find parts for a tractor made in 1938.

One neat addition to the tractor was the tractor cover Devon had. “My mother made a cover for it. She’d made the one for my H and they wanted one, so I talked her into it,” he explained.

He was proud to be part of this project that meant so much to the Beck family. “It was a fun job; it meant a lot to me that they chose me to do the work.”

The restoration turned out to be a major success. “It has been interesting how other customers have reacted (to the tractor),” Scott stated. “People can put their minds around this tractor and celebrate the changes that machinery has gone through; they are stepping stones to where we are now.”

Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication. Those wanting to reach Devon Wilkins should call 888-560-1466.