Buying a new one would be easier.

As Milton Sharpe holds up the seat of a 1949 International Cub tractor, he talks about his plans to restore it by sanding down the piece’s rust and covering the metal with Fiberglas. Of course, it would be faster, cheaper and less work to buy a new seat, he said, but it wouldn’t mean nearly as much to him.

“It is just like any other hobby, you have to enjoy it to do it. Some people play golf. I like to do this,” said Sharpe, 69, of Rocky Mount.

Collecting and restoring antique tractors might sound like a strange pastime to some people, Sharpe said, but for him, it has been a passion for about five years. So, he was thrilled a few years ago to learn about Classic Antique Power Inc., a club started in 2006 in Johnston County for people who enjoy restoring antique tractors and farm equipment.

More than 100 families across Central and Eastern North Carolina are members, said Stephanie Parker, the club’s secretary. Their collections include a variety of tractor brands, including John Deere, Farmall/International, Allis-Chalmers, Ford and Leader. Members bring classic tractors, which have to be at least 30 years old, to festivals, farmers markets, fairs and heritage days throughout the region.

The club had a show Aug. 21 at the Rocky Mount Farmers Market and will put on a display from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 9 at the Down East Festival, Parker said.

“You would be surprised how many events out there are geared to tractors, to farm equipment. I think it is because we don’t see it anymore. You are seeing land being developed with housing developments and strip malls now, and you just don’t have the farmers around like you did at one time. The family farm is just disappearing,” Parker said.

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Growing up on a farm in Sharpsburg, tractors were a big part of Sharpe’s life. He remembers learning to drive on his father’s first tractor, a 1948 Ford Model 8N.

Sharpe’s early interest in farming equipment probably is what sparked his interest in mechanics, he said. He was as a career mechanic, first for the Air Force on the X-15 rocket plane and then for private companies working on lunar module descent rocket engines and, later, large diesel engines.

Restoring tractors is completely different from his previous positions, Sharpe said, but the more he works, the more he learns. Sharpe has 10 tractors in various stages of restoration or disrepair that he houses on land he owns near Sharpsburg. Several date to the 1940s and ’50s, and one is a 1939 Allis-Chalmers Model B. So far, only one, a 1955 Allis-Chalmers Model B, is fully restored.

Sharpe works on his tractors daily if the weather is not too hot. Right now, he is focused on a 1951 International Cub, but he already has decided which tractor he will restore next.

Talking with other members of the clubs can provide a wealth of information in learning how to restore tractors, said Robbie Collier, the club’s president. At the group’s monthly meetings in Selma, there often is a presentation on the mechanics of restoration or tractor history.

“It is people who like preserving the agricultural history of North Carolina in the area, because farming has changed so much, in the past 25 to 30 years especially, but even before then. We are just hanging onto our heritage,” said Collier of Four Oaks.

Jason DuFour, 33, of Nashville didn’t grow up on a farm, but his father started taking him to antique tractor shows when he was about 8. He fell in love with the machines, and when he turned 18, he bought his first tractor, a 1934 Farmall with steel wheels.

“Cosmetically, it was completely rusty. I still have it, and it is still completely rusty. I plan to keep it that way. I took it to a couple of tractor shows. It got so much interest in it as it was that I decided not to restore it,” DuFour said.

DuFour still has the tractor, as well as 14 others that he keeps on his property in the country. He went to his first club meeting about a month ago and plans to join, though he only wants to restore a few of his tractors. Often he likes attending the shows as a spectator rather than showing any of his own tractors. It’s always an educational experience, he said.

The club is looking for more members with an interest in antique tractors. Dues are $25.

For information, call 919-868-6616 or go to classicantiquepowerinc.com.