FARMINGTON — Watching an antique tractor pull in 1999, Arthur “Sonny” Child, 55, of Farmington, decided he “wanted to do the pulling instead of watching.”

“I’m competitive. I love to win,” he said. “There are rules you have to follow and when you stay under the rules and win … that’s a true winner.”

His grandfather farmed in Peru, and he had already bought his 1943 tractor when he decided to start pulling. Then he bought a Canadian built 1949 Cockshutt tractor, restored it and has gone on to win yearly championships for 2007, 2008 and 2009 in the 4,000 pound class and in the 4,500 class in 2008 and 2009. He competes with both big and lawn-and-garden tractors in about a dozen pulls a year, all within the Maine Antique Tractor Club.

“My mother calls me the Dale Earnhardt of antique tractors. She says ‘you win too much, people won’t like you,’” he said.

It’s not just the competition, but the fun and the people that keep him involved in the club.

It’s preparing for its 15th annual Tractor Festival from June 25–27 at Farmington Fairgrounds. This year’s featured tractor is a 1949 Ferguson TO-20.

It’s also a love for the machinery itself.

“It becomes a part of you. If it’s a tractor, I’ll look at it,” he said, although he admits that he “had it in his blood before.”

Raised in the Wilton area, Child’s father owned a wood business. He grew up around the machinery, graduated from Mt. Blue High School then went on to work 32 years for Wausau in Jay.

“I did tower work. It’s hard on the body over the years. I had a heart attack a couple years ago so lifting weights (onto the tire wheel during the progressive tractor pulls) is good for me,” he said.

After the mill closed last year, he went back to school in January pursuing an associate degree in business from the University of Maine at Augusta. He thinks he might like to go into banking.

But that won’t change his hobby.

Along with the 1949 Cockshutt, he has a collection of both large and smaller lawn-and-garden tractors, including a 1936 Ford built Toro.

“It’s an expensive hobby if you want to win. It’s not expensive if you just go pull for fun, but it costs to win,” he added.

The Cockshutt tractor was “bought off a man in North Jay and restored. It was in pretty rough shape when I got it. It even had snow tires on it,” he said. “It’s time consuming but if you love it, it’s not big.”

As a member of the Maine Antique Tractor Club, which boasts about 450 members located throughout Somerset County and Western Maine, he’s involved in the club’s regular pulls throughout the summer and at county fairs. They also participate in the Wilton Blueberry Festival, where they enter the parade then pull at Kineowatha Park on Saturday afternoon, he said.

“People join the tractor club even when they don’t own a tractor. They just have an interest in what we do,” he said.

He likes the people in the club who also like to pick on each other but all in fun, he said.

The other part of pulling that he enjoys is that he can share it with his family. His 15-year-old granddaughter pulls with him, and younger grandchildren are ready to get into it, he said.

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WHAT: Maine Antique Tractor Club’s 15th annual Tractor Festival

WHEN: June 25, 26 and 27 with gates opening at 8 a.m. each day

 WHERE: Farmington Fairgrounds

WHY: Variety of fun activities planned each day for a small admittance fee