How this tractor collector found his way back to his Massey roots

The first tractor Lloyd (Bub) Robbins learned to drive when growing up on a farm near Pamona, Kansas, was the family's Massey-Harris Model 33.

So it’s little wonder that Robbins was drawn to late-model Massey-Harris models when he started collecting vintage tractors.

“We had other Massey tractors while I was growing up on the farm,” Robbins explains. “We had two 44s, along with a 55 that we used on a belt-driven sawmill. A lot of the time, the 33 was also equipped with a two-row mounted cultivator.”

His favorite tractor, and the one he spent the most time on, was a Model 444 that his dad bought in 1956. Not only was it more powerful than the 44 his dad traded in, but it also had power steering, live clutch, and a three-point hitch.

“However, by the time I started farming on my own in ’76, Dad had moved on to International Harvester tractors. So when he bought a Model 806, I bought the 706 that he had been using.”

Soft spot for Masseys

Over the next 20 some years, Robbins continued to use IH tractors on a farm that grew to more than 2,000 acres, but he always had a soft spot in his heart for Massey-Harris. Finally, in 1999, after his three daughters were grown and married, Robbins saw a flyer for an auction in northern Kansas that listed a Massey-Harris 333. Although he wasn’t able to buy the 333, he did meet another collector from Nebraska, Duane (Tub) Drohman, who was there to bid on the same tractor. While Drohman didn’t get the tractor either, he did invite Robbins to his farm to look at his collection.

As they say, “The rest is history.” Since that day in ’99, Robbins has built one of the most extensive collections of triple series Massey tractors.

Triple Series Masseys

In addition to the standard 333, 444, and 555 models in his collection, he also has nearly every variation of the triples: gas, diesel, and propane; high altitude; long axle; Wheatland models; and more. He’s also collected numerous versions of the earlier Massey models, including the 33, 44, and 55; the horse models, which include the Pony, Colt, and Mustang; several M-H implements; three combines, including an M-H Clipper; and a plethora of parts tractors. In memory of his IH years, he also has a 966 hydro with front-wheel assist and two 1466 models with the V-8 engine.

One of his most unusual models is a supposedly experimental tractor that was built by Massey-Harris to compete with John Deere and IH. The story is that it was abandoned when M-H merged with Ferguson to become Massey Ferguson. Doubters, on the other hand, believe it was hand-built by some unknown collector.

“The first vintage Massey I bought was a triple 4 that was basically in parts and pieces,” Robbins explains. “The next one after that was a 444 propane model. Finally, I decided I wanted to find Dad’s 444, which I was able to track down to a collector in Iowa. I know for certain that it was Dad’s tractor because he had lost a hand in a farm accident and had an extension welded onto the throttle lever.

Collecting mushroomed

“Unfortunately, by that time, Dad’s tractor was in parts and pieces, too, so I had to go out and buy more tractors so I’d have the parts to complete his,” he says with a grin, noting that he finally decided it was too far gone to restore. “It just kind of mushroomed from there.”

Robbins says he and Drohman remained friends until Drohman’s death in 2017. When Drohman’s collection was auctioned, Robbins came home with 10 tractors. Still, Robbins continued to use International Harvester tractors on the farm, even though he did use a M-H 333 on the planter.

“Over the years, I also had a couple IH 806 models, a couple 1066 tractors, and a 4568 four-wheel-drive,” he says. “I even had a Steiger ST325 and a C65 Caterpillar. But I’ve always had Massey combines.”

Gone back to Massey work tractors

Robbins has since gone back to Massey for his working tractors. They include a 325-hp. MasseyFerguson 8690 tractor, a Model 8120, and a 2680 with a loader. Other AGCO equipment includes a Hesston by Massey Ferguson round baler, a Sunflower vertical tillage implement, and a 10-year-old Model 9560 MF combine. While he calls himself retired, he still farms about 650 acres of corn, soybeans, and wheat, and manages 50 head of cows on 600 acres of pasture and hay.

Robbins’ life involves more than just farming and collecting, though. He and his wife, Jackie, are actively involved in the Power of the Past Antique Engine and Tractor Association, which holds a large antique power show in nearby Ottawa, Kansas, each September.

“Our Power of the Past show was supposed to host the national Massey Expo in 2020,” Robbins relates.“Unfortunately, it was canceled due to COVID. Now, it’s been rescheduled for 2024, so we have a lot of work ahead of us.”