Mike Schantz sits atop a John Deere H tractor he restored in his Luray garage. He's restored tractors in need of some TLC for nearly four decades. TRAC TOR TRANSFORMATION Luray farmer breathes new life into family relics by Paul Newton | pnewton@ruralmissouri.coop E very tractor has a story. Mike Schantz has heard his fair share of those tractor's stories over the past four decades. The stories are less about the nuts and bolts of the tractor and more about the who and why ie recalls when he was contacted aout fi ing up an old amily tractor that had een uilding up dust and wear for years. he amily was surprising one o the rothers on 8 RURAL MISSOURI | APRIL 2024 Memorial Day weekend, which was a year away, " Mike says. " I worked on it for a year and come the holiday, I just droe right up and deliered it to him with his amily there e had no idea it was een gone t was really emotional eeing that hits home why these tractors are so important to amilies and their legacies or years, ie has fi ed, degreased, painted and breathed new life into tractors that have seen better days. From his Luray farm, Mike and his team have restored hundreds o amily relics rom pedal to large, our-wheel