WATERLOO - Most people have a personal connection to their Johnny Popper. Not Justin Kutka.

He's pretty much in the minority at the 19th annual Two-Cylinder Tractor Expo at the National Cattle Congress grounds for a couple of reasons. Not many exhibitors are younger than 30, and when fellow John Deere collectors - most old enough to be his parents or grandparents - ask Kutka about his 1940 H or 1935 AR, he can't tell stories about spending countless hours raking hay or cultivating corn with the machines or how they were two of the first tractors his grandfather owned.

Of the more than 400 vintage John Deere tractors and implements on display through Saturday, most owners have a special attachment. Kutka, a 29-year-old civil engineer from Palmyra, Wis., grew up on a acreage with no family ties to farming.

Yet he bleeds green just the same.

"Most people have a grandpa interested. My dad had a John Deere garden tractor and I had a mechanical mind," Kutka said.

After attending a threshing bee at 13, which piqued his interest in vintage machinery, Kutka bought the H and got to work. And things "just clicked."

He read manuals, found parts and asked a lot of questions. Kutka and his dad went from not knowing how to start the tractor to learning how to completely rebuild the motor, do body work and even fabricate parts when none could be found.

Now, Kutka's H and AR look as good or better than when they rolled off the assembly line decades ago.

"This is history, and these people (exhibitors) are keeping it alive. As a nonfarm person, I appreciate that," Kutka said.

Kutka has 11 tractor projects awaiting his attention.

Like Kutka, Chris Aspegren of Mundelein, Ill., doesn't have a farm background but fell in love with everything Deere after attending a tractor show as a teenager. Now the 27-year-old is hooked, exhibiting three tractors, two crawlers and a 1950s Mack truck featuring a John Deere motor.

One of the best parts of the Expo is learning what his implements could do in the field from people who used them, Aspegren said - something he can only imagine.

"I love to hear how they changed lifestyles (going from real to motorized horsepower). It's like a history book constantly opening up," Aspegren said.

Knowing there's a new generation taking an interest in two-cylinder power is comforting to Jack Cherry, show organizer.

Cherry said tractor restoration is a great hobby and not as intense as cars and trucks, which he's also done.

"Restorers have the same attitude as farmers who help a sick farmer get their crop out - help comes from nowhere," Cherry said.

Dick Carey of Shell Rock can attest to that. Earlier this week, a guy called the well-known collector from out of the blue for help. Most people ask where they can find parts or seek restoration tips.

"People are always calling me and I share what I know. We're all here for the same reason," Carey said, referring to the desire to preserve history.

The expo continues today and Saturday. An estimated 9,000 people are expected to attend. Gates open at 8 a.m. each day and close at 6 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Admission is $5 for people 13 and over. The show is free for kids 12 and under and all current John Deer employees and retirees.