Pick of the Crop
Case orchard tractors hold top billing in Illinois collection
By Bill Vossler
The Buckert family of Hamilton, Ill., collects Case orchard tractors for three reasons. First, as a family, they’ve collected tractors for more than 40 years. Second, the Case orchard tractors they favor are different from most tractors found in Illinois, where they live. And third, Case orchard tractors were built in small numbers.
“My dad, Fred Buckert, has been collecting tractors forever,” says Danny Buckert. “All of us kids just grew up around all these old tractors.” The clan includes Danny’s brothers Kenny and Alan; Kenny’s son, Kyle; and Danny’s sons Jared and Jeremy.
Fred was president of the J.I. Case Collectors’ Association for many years. During that time, the association published production numbers for Case VA and SO tractors. “(VA and SO) were low production and ‘oddball’ in this part of the country, and we tend to go that way,” Danny says of the family’s collection of more than 100 tractors.