Tractor Mechanic Takes His Skills On The Road

2010 - Volume #34, Issue #6, Page #39

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An old black truck drives in the yard. A tall man wearing baggy bibbed overalls and a big straw hat slips out of the seat and reaches for a toolbox. Traveling Tractor Mechanic Ted Kalvitis is on the scene. He's ready to change the oil on a new Kubota tractor or head out to the woods to see if he can start an old Oliver tractor.
    "This is my 21st year doing this," says Kalvitis, who started out working as an indoor mechanic. "I wanted to work outside so I developed this occupation."
    A stint as a mechanic at a Massey-Ferguson dealership, along with his farm upbringing, gave him the skills he needed.
    Field mechanics are not new, he notes, but he carved out a unique market for himself after he put an ad in a newspaper for the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The affluent area netted a wide range of clients ranging from folks who wanted to keep their old tractors running to farmers with new tractors who wanted to maintain them well.
    Jobs cover the gamut. Doctoring a Zetor on a mountain; performing a transmission repair on a 1939 Ford 9N behind a barn; axle seal replacement on a Farmall C û precariously close to a shelf of ceramics. Kalvitis credits his Lithuanian genes for his fortitude in all types of weather. And unless the tractor has a serious design flaw, he always comes through with a fix û with the help of his extensive library of repair books and manuals and common sense advice from old-timers.
    He's well known in the 50-mile radius he serves ù not just for his mechanic skills, but also his personality. He even writes off-beat articles for magazines such as Antique Power.
    "He's an amazing character," says Chuck Kleine, a documentary producer with West Virginia Public Broadcasting. He's currently filming Kalvitis with some of his customers to tell the stories of why people love their tractors. The film is expected to air by mid-2011. "He's creative with his business and has lots of knowledge of local history."
    Kalvitis's interest in history and mechanical skills merged when he was recently asked to remove a crankshaft from an 1850 Faber steam engine so it could be taken out of the American History Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. Kalvitis reassembled it at a Smithsonian storage site in Maryland.
    But jobs such as fixing a 1950 Oliver Super 77 so it could be started for a man whose father parked it before he died, are the most rewarding.
    His successful career has been part luck and part skill.
    "It helped getting into the right population and having a certain tenacity to keep at it," he says.
    While he continues to take his mechanic work on the road ù in his second old black truck ù he has also set up a shop two days a week in North River Mills, W. Va.
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ted Kalvitis, HC 78 Box 86AA, Augusta, W. Va. 26704.

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Tractor Mechanic Takes His Skills On The Road SPECIALTY/SERVICES Specialty/Services An old black truck drives in the yard A tall man wearing baggy bibbed overalls and a big straw hat slips out of the seat and reaches for a toolbox Traveling Tractor Mechanic Ted Kalvitis is on the scene He s ready to change the oil on a new Kubota tractor or head out to the woods to see if he can start an old Oliver tractor This is my 21st year doing this says Kalvitis who started out working as an indoor mechanic I wanted to work outside so I developed this occupation A stint as a mechanic at a Massey-Ferguson dealership along with his farm upbringing gave him the skills he needed Field mechanics are not new he notes but he carved out a unique market for himself after he put an ad in a newspaper for the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia The affluent area netted a wide range of clients ranging from folks who wanted to keep their old tractors running to farmers with new tractors who wanted to maintain them well Jobs cover the gamut Doctoring a Zetor on a mountain; performing a transmission repair on a 1939 Ford 9N behind a barn; axle seal replacement on a Farmall C û precariously close to a shelf of ceramics Kalvitis credits his Lithuanian genes for his fortitude in all types of weather And unless the tractor has a serious design flaw he always comes through with a fix û with the help of his extensive library of repair books and manuals and common sense advice from old-timers He s well known in the 50-mile radius he serves ù not just for his mechanic skills but also his personality He even writes off-beat articles for magazines such as Antique Power He s an amazing character says Chuck Kleine a documentary producer with West Virginia Public Broadcasting He s currently filming Kalvitis with some of his customers to tell the stories of why people love their tractors The film is expected to air by mid-2011 He s creative with his business and has lots of knowledge of local history Kalvitis s interest in history and mechanical skills merged when he was recently asked to remove a crankshaft from an 1850 Faber steam engine so it could be taken out of the American History Museum of the Smithsonian Institution Kalvitis reassembled it at a Smithsonian storage site in Maryland But jobs such as fixing a 1950 Oliver Super 77 so it could be started for a man whose father parked it before he died are the most rewarding His successful career has been part luck and part skill It helped getting into the right population and having a certain tenacity to keep at it he says While he continues to take his mechanic work on the road ù in his second old black truck ù he has also set up a shop two days a week in North River Mills W Va Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Ted Kalvitis HC 78 Box 86AA Augusta W Va 26704

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