Description: In the late summer of 1966 while chopping corn for silage, Jim Brinkmann entered the Washington Tractor Company to order parts for his Massey Ferguson 65. While in the parts department, he was approached by the sales manager Art Jasper. Mr. Jasper knew Mr. Brinkmann had seen a 180 recently at a field demonstration and was impressed by the machine. After short negotiating and a deal he could not refuse, Uncle Jim walked out of the sales department the proud owner of this Massey Ferguson 180. And this is where the story begins… The 180 (as it was referred to) was used for various chores around Mr. Brinkmann’s farm near Washington, Missouri. Paired with a 717 New Holland field chopper, the Brinkmann brothers that worked the farm were quick to talk about the 180 at the local diner or after church. On Christmas day 1973, a little chubby Brinkmann boy was born to Erwin and Bonnie. (Jim’s brother and sister in-law) He was given the name Daniel James, after his God-father. It soon became apparent, the choice of God-parent could not have turned out better for the toddler. The young boy would ignore everyone in the house when his Uncle Jim was around, even his mother. Uncle Jim was the ONLY one allowed to change his diaper, give him a bottle and put him to bed. When the young man was set on a tractor for the first time, his mother took a picture of him being held by his older brother Bill, and that is where the infatuation with machines is said to have taken hold on him. That tractor was his Uncle Jim’s 180. On September 2, 2016, Uncle Jim decided to “Do with the tractor what he decided to do with it” and passed it on to his nephew Dan. When the 180 became a two owner tractor, it completed a collection of four tractors Dan had his sights on. These tractors were owned by the men who greatly influenced and “built” him. The tractor collection consists of a Massey Harris 30 owned by his grandfather George Brinkmann, a 730 John Deere owned by his father Erwin, and a Ford from his cousin Jack Brinker. Dan had decided to bring these tractors back to better than new condition as a tribute to these men. The tractors spent their working days growing crops and families, and now have moved on to inspire a new generation of young men to find their place in this world. Dan Brinkmann is now an instructor at Four Rivers Career Center in Washington, Missouri teaching an Auto Technology class. As a way to motivate students to achieve higher standards in class and life, a Night Shift class was formed to give those students on that bubble the push in the right direction. The class is completely voluntary by students and instructor and meets two nights a week. The Night Shift works on numerous types of transportation machinery, but Mr. Brinkmann “likes to work on tractors.” The Night Shift currently has nine students from three different disciplines in the Career Center. Students are encouraged to teach the skills they have learned to other students not in their class to broaden the overall skill level of the Night Shift students. These students learn to maintain grades, work as a team, listen to the boss, and become better employees in future occupations.These students were presented with the 180 in February 2016. The 180 has been completely dismantled to accommodate some mechanical repairs and upgrades. By doing this, the students have been analyzing and learning how a major project unfolds and the effort it takes to achieve the goal of producing one of the finest Massey Ferguson 180. This is a sample of the work being performed.