Product Description

Antique tractor collecting and restoration has never been more popular—and all the newcomers need to be warned, according to old tractor guru Roger Welsch. Otherwise, they’ll end up alone with three mortgages and two ex-wives—but they will have a barn with a sparkling restored tractor. Here, in a tone comfortably lodged between wise and wisecracking, the man Charles Kuralt called "America’s premier storyteller" recounts falling in love with bringing old tractors back to life—and, along the way, manages to impart some sound advice, including the basics: What is old? What is a tractor? And what is it with old tractors, anyway? He also covers the finer points of restoration and repair, from the tools of the trade to tractor parts to the restorer’s use of common household objects in a pinch.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #510571 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

From Booklist
In a just and proper world, From Tinkering to Torquing would be a classic for adults and youth alike. How can reading about murder, madness, and mayhem compare to the unadulterated joy of learning about motors, manifolds, and mankind's endless battle with rust? Welsch, author of Old Tractors and the Men Who Love Them (1995) and Love, Sex, and Tractors (2000), returns to his favorite subject. These anecdotal reflections venture far from the realm of a practical maintenance manual, but even so, Welsch does an admirable job of providing beginners through gearheads with detailed information about the key components of tractors and their tools. Beginning with the motor (there are no engines in tractors) and working through the major mechanical and electrical systems, Welsch describes in a neighborly fashion the pieces of a tractor and how they fit and work together. Along the way, the story is sprinkled with Welsch's trademark witticisms, as he delves into such patently nonmechanical domains as marital harmony, public speaking, high finance, and Zen. A must for rural libraries and surprisingly entertaining for readers everywhere. Mark Coe
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

About the Author
Author Roger Welsch can best be described as a cross between Erma Bombeck and Dr. Ruth, except he’s male, collects tractors, and lives in Nebraska with his wife and dogs. Before turning his talents to canine psychology, Roger was best known as "the guy in overalls" on CBS’ Sunday Morning, where he offered up essays on rural and small-town life on the plains, and as an author of books of fiction and folk humor.

Many know him as the guy with the fetish for old Allis Chalmers tractors, as an advocate for Native American interests, and as the second most prominent citizen of Dannebrog, Nebraska, (population 352).

In addition to being a prolific author—this is his 30th book—and a genuine television celebrity, Roger writes for dozens of publications, from Successful Farming to Reader’s Digest.

Customer Reviews

Ole Rog does it again!
Pretty basic stuff for a veteran tractor enthusiast, but the humor is worth checking out. Rog does a great job, especially on the workshop and tools section, which even the most experienced tractor fan will identify with!

Should have researched better
Don't get me wrong - I am a HUGE Roger Welsch fan and have several of his books - this is why I rushed out to aquire this latest release. My wife got it for me for Christmas and unless you are completely clueless about antique tractors, or internal combustion theory in general, you will have a very hard time chewing through this one. It is so basic you could use it to describe the inner workings of an antique tractor to a 3 year old city boy. I am sure it has some of old Rog's witty banter in it - but I couldn't get past the first chapter. Buy it for your significant other in hopes they will read and at least understand what you are talking about at the next antique tractor show.

Another great Roger Welsch offering
Facts fight their way to the reader through opinion, hyperbole, border-line sarcasm, slapstick, somewhat jingoistic anecdotal narrative. In short--another good read from one of Nebraska's best.