Sweet Rides of Macedonia - May

MS MAY - Sturdy Tractors

One of the more durable sweet rides in Macedonia is the tractor.  As much of Macedonia is rural, the tractor is found everywhere, doing things that tractors do - plowing, cultivating, and hauling Baba to town.  Tractors appear to have all the same rights to roads and sidewalks as cars - plus they are uncaring to any physical damage that might result from a quarrel with a car for a prime spot.  I am very impressed by tractors that abound in small towns.  They are rugged, perform all the essential services a tractor is designed to do, and are driven by usually cheerful people.

Most of the tractors that I see look pretty old, a testament to their solid design and the back-yard mechanic skills of their owners.  One very common type is the IMT, which I believe the one below represents.  IMT (Industrial Machine and Tractor) is Serbian and may still be in production.

 Here is an IMT on the way to the fields in Bogdanci, Macedonia.  Passengers often sit on the fenders, just like farm kids used to do in the US  until farm-wives put a stop to this fun but otherwise risky practice.  Baba usually sits in the trailer scowling at the indignity of having to share the ride with onions.

Here is another IMT in Negotino.  This one was wired together and leaked oil like a North Sea drilling platform, but had the best view of the city of any other tractor around.  

This blue sweet ride below is a bit of a rather rare beast.  The nameplate identifies it as a "Fordson Super Dexta" which were made in England for just 4 years in the mid 1960's.  I really like the fender seats on this model, so Baba can ride up front in the sweet style she deserves.  The little rusty white tool box (I think) on the deck is a nice touch, but probably useless.  

Front view of the Fordson, with an IMT behind it.

Here, (below) is another Fordson in the parking lot of a food market.  This one has a much more manly tool box.  Tractors just run the streets like cars, park where they wish, and don't need no dang seat belts.  Plus, they sound a lot cooler than any other car, except maybe the Yugos.

 Now, for the sweetest ride in tractor-land.  I do not know the make, but these small yellow tractors are everywhere.  They are used to cultivate the grape  and vegetable fields as they fit between the rows perfectly.  They are all-wheel drive so they seldom bog down in the soft soil common to this country, and they are all engine.   As far as I can tell these tractors consist of a 2-cyclinder engine, and a couple gear boxes connected to the wheel drive shaft.  No lights, sometimes no seat, no worries.  This one gets the job done and from the looks of most of them have been doing said job for a long, long time.

We thank the tractors of Macedonia for giving us the best fruits and vegetables imaginable.  We also are thankful that Baba gets a stately ride into town.  For all this, Ms May has a special place in our hearts, and we gladly donate gear oil to keep them running long into the future.  

Thank you, Ms. MAY!!