Shelley Bruha of Dorchester, Neb., recognized and reclaimed his father's long-lost John Deere GM tractor after spotting a distinctive repair that dated to his boyhood. The tractor had worked away from the family for years, then sat rusting under a shade tree until Bruha saw the telltale modification that identified it as his. Recognized by clutch
As a child, Bruha once rode that tractor through a fencerow because the hand clutch had been tightened so far he couldn't activate it, a hazard his father quickly fixed. His father, Lauren Bruha, had a local welder extend the clutch rod so the younger Bruha could reach it with enough leverage. That custom extension left an unusual profile on the machine that later proved decisive when Shelley tried to confirm the tractor's identity.
The tractor eventually left the family and worked on other farms for decades before Shelley found it again. With no readable serial number, he relied on the extended hand clutch to make the match and arrange to bring the machine back home. Once returned, the GM was restored and now appears at local events and working demonstrations. Extended hand clutch
How it was found
The restoration returned the tractor to operational condition and to community life in Nebraska, where Bruha takes it to parades and plow days. Farm broadcaster Max Armstrong recounted the story as a Tractor Shed selection, noting the clutch modification that first solved a safety problem then later solved the mystery of the tractor's whereabouts. The machine's open-station design and visible repairs make it a memorable piece for show-and-tell at regional machinery gatherings.
Collector interest
The John Deere GM remains a sought-after model among collectors because it was produced in relatively limited numbers and carries visible signs of its working past. Bruha's restored unit combines those collector attributes with a personal history that illustrates why many owners keep even small, idiosyncratic repairs on vintage tractors. Today, the machine is active in community events, serving as both a working tractor and a piece of family and regional heritage.
Shelley Bruha continues to drive the restored GM at parades and plow days across Nebraska, where the extended hand clutch — the same modification that once kept him safe as a boy — remains an unmistakable identifying detail. Restored and returned
Photo - eu-images.contentstack.com
