Broken down and covered in thick layers of dust and grime, it lay forgotten in a shed for 20 years.
However, while most of his family ignored the tractor sitting in a far corner of the storage unit, young Alex Black always kept a keen eye on it.
The 14-year-old, who is a budding young mechanic, dreamed of returning the vehicle, which was built in 1958, to the glory days when it ploughed the Borders fields where he lives.
Following years of petitioning them, his father Gary, 46, and grandfather Alec, 79, gave in to his pleas last year and let him start the long and arduous task of fixing it up.
Now, after months of hard graft – much of it done by Alex – it is running like new and set to appear at the Truckfest vintage the Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston, Edinburgh.
Alex said: ‘The David Brown had been at the back of the shed all my life and I was very keen to see it going again.
‘After a lot of pestering to my dad and my papa we decided to see if we could get it going.’
During the restoration project, the trio had to disassemble the tractor to such an extent that Mr Black admitted he feared whether they’d be able to put it back together again.
Alex cleans the newly-restored tractor
Alex and his younger brother Cameron take the tractor for a spin
However, Alex and his younger brother Cameron, 10, were delighted when it roared back into life – albeit with a lot of putrid smoke from its many years out of use.
Alex said: ‘We tried to fire her up, starting to fire on one or two cylinders it was giving us some encouragement, eventually firing up on all four and filling the shed with reek.’
He added: ‘We had some short test drives up and down the track. I could finally drive the tractor I’d wanted to see running my whole life.’
The challenging task even saw Gary’s brother James, 38, who runs a bodyshop, being enlisted to help Alex repaint the entire vehicle.
Mr Black, who runs the family’s garage business Blacks of Stichill, has been filled with pride watching how his son tackled the task.
He said: ‘He worked alongside my dad doing everything, like stripping brakes, taking things apart, degreasing, cleaning and sanding down parts. It’s fantastic seeing him do these things.
‘These days kids are sitting in the house on tablets and computers – it’s a different world.
‘I enjoy seeing him have the kind of childhood I did. With something like this he’s learning all sorts of hands-on skills.’
He added: ‘I get a great sense of pride seeing Alex and Cameron interested in this stuff.’
The tractor was bought by farmers in the Borders village of New Smailholm in 1959 and later sold to another farm in Gordon in 1968.
The tractor before it was restored by Alex and his family
Alex’s grandad bought it in 1999 and took it to some shows in their local area.
However, in 2005 the tractor broke down and was retired to the back of the shed where it sat for the next two decades.
Alex’s father said he was baffled by the extent of the issue behind the breakdown and was wary of tearing it apart to locate the problem.
Now, with its new parts and a fresh coat of paint it looks as it would when it rolled off the factory floor more than 60 years ago.
And the family can’t wait to give it a run out at Truckfest’s Classic Trucks & Tractors show on 28th Feb and 1st March 2026 at the Royal Highland Centre, in Ingliston, Edinburgh.
The event will see hundreds of beautifully restored classic tractors and vintage trucks on display, as well as trade stalls, family entertainment and food.
Mr Gray said the family – especially his two boys – is looking forward to showing off the fruits of their labour.
He said: ‘A lot of the time the boys are the driving influence in going to shows. I take a great deal of pride seeing their interest in this stuff.’
