Patrick Davis
Age: 15
Parents: Shannon and Rachel Davis
Hometown: Strafford, Mo.
4-H Club: Greene County Sho-Me 4-H
4-H Leader: Terri Johnson
FFA: Strafford FFA Chapter
FFA Advisors: Megan Collins and Duane Fabro
Restoring Trucks and Tractors: Patrick Davis possesses a passion for figuring out how things work. His love for reviving broken vehicles started at a young age. Patrick recalled, “When I was 9 or 10 years old, my dad gave me a truck and said, ‘Here you go. You can fix it up and sell it.’’’ When bringing a ditched vehicle back to life, Patrick starts with the basics. “I take the insides out, the seats, dashboards and the flooring. I strip it down to where there is nothing on the inside and then I power wash everything,” said Patrick. He tinkers with the vehicles to determine what needs to be repaired. “I find parts at flea markets and my dad has a stockpile of stuff,” said Patrick. So far, Patrick has restored four trucks.
Favorite Projects: Patrick’s pride-and-joy is his 1952 Farmall Super-A tractor with a Woods Belly mower deck. “They are hard-to-find all original, and it is all original. It was converted from a crank start to an electric start. The whole gearbox in the back did not work. I went to Harrisonville, Mo., and I bought another half a tractor and I pieced it together,” said Patrick. His other project is a 1970 International long bed truck. “The international truck and the antique tractor were not running when I bought them, now they are running,” said Patrick with a grin. His dream is to hitch a trailer to his International long bed truck and transport his Farmall tractor to antique truck and tractor shows.
Involvement in 4-H and FFA and on the Farm: Patrick helps his parents run the family’s beef cattle operation. He also plays a lead role in baling hay and making sure the farm equipment is in working order. He competes in trap shooting and archery through 4-H, winning regional and state awards. Patrick shows beef cattle during the summers. In addition, he runs cross-country for Strafford High School.
