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Peerless Plowman
Tractors have always exerted a special pull on Robert Manley.
By Bill Hudgins
Tractors. Whether he's riding in one or on one or hauling several of them, Robert Manley is surrounded by tractors. The owner/operator from Myakka, Fla., near Sarasota, raises a significant portion of his daily bread hauling new and used tractors for John Deere. He does so in magnificent comfort in his 1967 Peterbilt road tractor, lovingly restored and muralled to reflect his work — and his hobby, collecting John Deere tractors, of course.
The murals were adapted from paintings produced by the John Deere collectors club, he says.
Manley developed his lasting fondness for the classic green-and-yellow workhorses as a boy growing up on a farm. As an adult, he began to collect old ones, plowing considerable time and effort into restoring and showing them at fairs and other events. "I used to have about 15 of them, but I'm down to four now. I'm also starting to fool around with old trucks."
He wasn't fooling around when he restored his Peterbilt, which has taken numerous prizes in truck beauty contests. Manley rebuilt the vehicle nearly from the frame and front axle, stretching it to a 324-inch wheelbase to carry a 145-inch sleeper. The sleeper boasts custom-crafted wood trim, cabinets and panel, a hardwood floor in the sleeper, and burgundy diamond-tuck upholstery.
Robert and his wife, Piri, installed shelves to hold model tractors and also built wooden planters filled with live plants. Powered by a 3406E Caterpillar engine, the rig runs, you guessed it, like a Deere.
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