Nebraska farmer Shelley Bruha found his family's 1946 John Deere GM tractor rusting beneath a tree on a neighboring farm on May 15, 2024.
The GM, a wartime version of the Model G, was built by John Deere between 1942 and 1947, with only about 13,000 units produced. Bruha recalled the tractor was sold in the 1970s after decades of field work.
He remembered the fencerow incident when a tightened hand clutch left him unable to slow the tractor. Bruha said the extended clutch rod, added by a local welder, became the key identifier that led him back to the rusted machine.
Bruha brought the tractor back to his farm and, with a local mechanic, restored the 34‑horsepower engine, electric starter, six‑speed transmission, and original paint scheme.
The restored tractor will now headline the Omaha County fair parade and the county’s spring plow day, giving the community a tangible link to its farming past.
The project highlights the importance of preserving agricultural heritage and may spur other Nebraskans to revive forgotten equipment.