Bud Radtke has been collecting items that some people may consider junk for more than 30 years.

However, an interest in the past has led to his drive to amass a collection of old machines, according to a report from Kansas' Marion Record newspaper. Included in his horde are a number of John Deere wrenches, each of which were designed to be used on a specific kind of tractor.

Radtke told the paper he is concerned people may not care about how things used to be done to help past generations make it through a day.

"There’s folks that don’t want to think about the past," Radtke told the paper.

Along with the John Deere wrenches, Radtke's collection includes old hammers, axes and wagon plates. Because his items come from different eras, the collection acts as a kind of timeline that shows how tools and tractors have progressed through the years.

The company that produced some of Radtke's wrenches also has its own museums to mark history. John Deere said it plans on opening a new location in Waterloo, Iowa, that will celebrate its tractors and engines.