A John Deere Saga

It was Christmas morning in 2016. Santa had brought my little girls a car. A little navy Range Rover, to be exact. I was thrilled. I had seen little kids driving around in their miniature cars, and I couldn't wait for my girls to join in the fun.

Unfortunately, after one quick trip in the cul-de-sac, the car stopped. We tried all kinds of things, but nothing worked. After a lot of effort, several phone calls, and endless amounts of googling and you tubing for solutions, we gave up. The Range Rover was a dud.

In 2017, Christmas came again. Santa, obviously making up for the previous year, delivered. He came through in a BIG way. Tucker, who was just 4, got a John Deere 6x4 tractor. This thing was amazing. He immediately drove it around and around. It was a hit.

Shortly after that blissful time, the tractor started slowing down. A LOT. One day, it just stopped. I called the manufacturer, and they helped identify the problem and sent out a new part. We waited dutifully for the replacement. When it arrived, I switched out the part and Tucker was back on the road.

This fix was short-lived.

The John Deere 6x4 tractor began beeping. Certain beeps were normal and expected, but this beeping was unusual and constant. Once again, I called the manufacturer. Several hours of troubleshooting later, the woman on the phone said she didn't know what was happening. Great. Thanks.

I decided to take out the battery, thinking it might be bad? I found a business nearby that worked with the specific batteries in the tractor, so I took it in. I placed the battery on the counter and explained our dilemma. The employee said he could test the battery and tell me if it was good. I was confident in his ability to help. I watched as he tried to access the battery leads, but they were enclosed in a plastic cover and difficult to reach. He kept pulling. All of a sudden, something came flying off and landed on the counter. I can't tell you what part it was, but it was pretty obvious that this battery was never going to work again.

I just stood there, dumbfounded, for a minute. I asked if they had a new battery I could purchase? Nope.

I grabbed the old battery and drove home. I searched online until I found a new battery for the tractor. A few weeks and $100 later, it arrived. I eagerly opened the box and went to install it. Unfortunately, it didn't fit. I was beyond frustrated. Tucker asked everyday about his tractor, and I had no idea what to do.

So I did nothing. Every morning when I got into my car, I looked at the bright yellow battery that didn't fit and the green tractor that didn't run. I told myself to just throw everything away...but I couldn't. After some time, I called the manufacturer again. I pled for help.

This time, they told me about a shop that could fix our tractor. Filled with hope once again, I loaded up and dropped it off. I explained the whole story. As I was leaving, the guy at the counter called after me.

"You should know, they take a LONG time to fix anything. Probably months. We will call you when it is ready."

You know the phrase out of sight, out of mind? Well, that's what happened.

I never got a phone call. Tucker turned 5, and then 6. He rode bikes and scooters and played soccer and basketball. The garage was much roomier, and the yellow battery was long gone. The John Deere 6x4 tractor started to feel more like a dream. Had Santa really brought one of those?

Then, in the fall of 2020, I started thinking more and more about the tractor. I couldn't even remember the name of the place where I had dropped it off. I looked online and found a business that sounded vaguely familiar. I decided to give them a call. Yes! They had Tucker's long-lost tractor and it was ready to go! Apparently, my phone number had been misplaced, and they had no way of contacting me. I made plans to pick it up the next day.

Just hours later, I got a call. The tractor was missing a part and still needed 6 weeks.

Reluctantly, I agreed to wait again. I begged them to call when it was done. They promised. I forgot, and no call was made.

Earlier this week, Tucker asked me if I remembered a car he used to have? He wondered what had happened to it. Oh, man. I immediately called the repair shop and it was ready! I told them I'd be there in the morning. I showed up and the place was locked. I called and they told me the battery was dead and they'd have to build a new one. Then they asked me to come to pick it up the next day.

This saga has continued for nearly four years. While I would like to blame several people along the way, the real person who is at fault for this debacle, is me. I let myself ignore it. I didn't know how to fix the tractor, and when my first several attempts didn't work, I quit. I was so happy to drop the tractor off and let it be someone else's problem. That transfer of responsibility felt great. Well, temporarily great.

Now I have an 8-year old son who probably exceeds the weight limit, and will be undoubtedly disappointed in the tractor's top speed at 5 mph. Sigh.

Still, ever hopeful, I will drive tomorrow and pick up that tractor. And maybe Tucker's last ride will be a fun one.