Eleven years ago, my youngest son – then 10 – made his first visit to an antique tractor show.

For two days, he had the run of the show grounds. He was a frequent flier on the steam locomotive, stood in the front row for every equipment demonstration he could find, delighted in the shoot ’em up Wild West show and sampled cream sodas, root beer and fresh lemonade with wild abandon.

In his pocket was a disposable camera with which to record his adventures. On one shot, I was the photographer: Wearing a huge grin, he posed in front of a 110 hp Case’s big back wheel, his head not quite reaching the wheel’s top edge, arms stretching out to trace the span of spokes.

The image is etched in my memory but not in his, for boy and camera became separated soon after. We retraced steps, we checked lost-and-found and followed up days later, but the camera was never seen again. And so it is with photographs: They capture a moment, but are ever after vulnerable to any number of mishaps. As a photographer, I have learned the hard way. The images that are most important to me are the ones I work the hardest to imprint upon my memory.

Perhaps you had better luck with your camera this show season. If so, send your favorite shots of equipment, demonstrations and collectors to Farm Collector! We’ll print the best of the bunch in our annual Show Photo issue (February 2010). It’s a terrific way to spread the word about your club’s show, share a one-of-a-kind display or lend a new perspective to old iron.

While Nov. 2 was the original deadline, we’ve extended the deadline to Nov. 20 for photos submitted by e-mail. We’ll publish as many as we have space for. Please send high quality digital images. Low-resolution digital photos do not reproduce well and will not be accepted.

Please provide names of people in the photos if you can, and tell us when and where the photo was taken, the name of the photographer and the show, and any other relevant information. Include your name and phone number, and e-mail your photos to editor@farmcollector.com. Remember: Nov. 20 is the new deadline.

We can’t wait to see your photos!

Gunfights in the street, a medicine man show, steam engine whistles, train robbers, threshing … am I in the late 1800s?

Gunfight reenactment during the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.

Nope, it’s the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. It runs over Labor Day weekend every year, and this year the dates were Sept. 3-7, 2009.

	Linda and Bob Crowell as they work at the Farm Collector and Gas Engine Magazine tent.

As Farm Collector and Gas Engine Magazine, we set up in a tent at this show. It is always nice to meet so many of our readers, new subscribers and “subscribers from the beginning.” We enjoy when you stop in to say hi, renew your subscription, sign up for prizes or purchase books. Several employees from our office help out in the booth along with Bob and Linda Crowell of Batesville, Ind. They have sold our magazines for many years at various shows. Their knowledge and friendly manner are a welcome addition and we appreciate all their assistance!

This year Christian Williams, our associate editor, drew a crowd by singing a few of his tunes he wrote to poems written by the men and women of the glory days of steam farming. His CD “Songs of the Iron Men” can be purchased by visiting the Steam Traction store, and you can preview a song on his blog, The Water Hopper.

Walking down the Steam Traction road you can feel the mist of the steam from the boilers and see the smoke blowing across the field.		Other sights you might see are horses on the treadmill, sorghum making, shingle mill, steam engines running Baker fans and more.		It’s fun walking through the engine area. There are Maytag washtubs spewing bubbles, roasting peanuts, even squirting flowers for the kid in all of us!

The Drive a Tractor area is where kids can try their hand at driving an antique tractor with some supervision. It takes a lot of volunteers and members to put on a show and this one is no exception. The Drive a Tractor area is just one area of many where those volunteers offer their expertise.

Many people stopped by our booth to sign up for the prizes donated by advertisers. We had overalls, shop manuals, toy models, tire paint, a tractor flag, rust lubricator and even tractor tires. Advertisers who donated this year included Klein Brothers Hardware, Penton Media (Clymer), Nixon Auctioneers, M.E. Miler Tire, First Gear, Inc., Wally’s Tractor Hats, SpecCast, Valu-Bilt Tractor Parts, Northco Products, Antique Caterpillar Machinery Owners Club, McCormick USA and Wilson Tire. See our sweepstakes offers online on this website to enter for more prizes.

Last year my parents made the trek from Kansas to see what the talk was all about and enjoyed it so much they returned for this year’s Mt. Pleasant show. Come and see this show or any of the shows all over the country and support the hard-working clubs who make them possible.

See you down the road!

The 19th Annual Wheatland Poppin’ Johnnies Swap Meet will be Oct. 30, 31 and Nov. 1, 2009 (Halloween weekend).

Originally scheduled for Oct. 23-25, the swap meet changed dates due to a scheduling conflict at the venue.

Held at the Kansas Coliseum Pavilion, I-135 and 85th St. N. in Wichita, Kan., the swap meet will include a toy show, arts and crafts, stationary engines, a tractor show, and sale: tractors, parts, equipment and related farm items, any make. An antique auction will be provided by Nixon Auctioneers of Wakefield, Neb., on Saturday at 2 p.m. The hours for the swap meet are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday through Saturday and then Sunday 9 a.m. till noon.

A drawing will be held for a 1939 Model B John Deere (serial number 84334). The Antique & Classic Tractor Pull for 1952 and older using Division 2 and 3 NATPA Rules starts Oct. 26 at 11 a.m.

Call Bob Metzger at (316) 775-2834 for information on the tractor pull, and for information on the swap meet call Kevin Rooney at (866) 722-7515 or Frank Kaster at (316) 323-7097.

Take a drive through the Flint Hills of Kansas and come enjoy the swap meet — hope to see you there!

Biggest flying American flag, Big Foot and Big Bud.

The biggest flying American flag, a highlight of the I & I Antique Tractor Club’s Half Century of Progress show.

			The sign Rodney displayed with his father’s IH tractor. Click the image above for a larger version.
	McCormick CEO Rodney Miller restored and displayed his father's International Harvester 1086 tractor.
	The 15-foot-tall, 22-foot-wide, 122,000-pound Big Bud 747 tractor.
	Left to right: A barbeque grill on skis, hitched to a snowmobile; a look at a few of the 700-plus golf carts cruising the grounds; and a Case working the field during a demonstration. Click the three images above for larger versions.

That was the tagline the I & I Antique Tractor Club used for its Half Century of Progress show in Rantoul, Ill. Held Aug. 27-30, 2009, at the Rantoul National Aviation Center Airport, the show runs every other year.

The shows premier sponsor was McCormick. The CEO of McCormick, Rodney Miller, was there with his 1086 IH tractor that he had restored in his dad’s, Gene Miller’s, honor.

There was quite a flurry of activity and lots of cameras flashing around one of the main attractions, the Big Bud 747. The tractor came from Sandy, Mont., and is 15 feet tall and 22 feet wide (with the wheels on). It weighs 122,000 pounds and has nearly 1,000 hp.

Anyone for a quick BBQ while racing down the tundra on your snowmobile?!

I heard rumors that there were at least 700 golf carts running around the show on the day I was there. Understandable, when you take in the fact that the show sets on 100 acres of concrete and 400 acres of farmland.

The club doesn’t have a specific feature for the show so there was a variety of makes and models of tractors. You can also see field demonstrations, hand corn husking demos, tractor pulls and a stage show with Orion Samuelson and Max Armstrong.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for 2011 to attend the next Half Century of Progress big show. There are already big plans in the works!

See you down the road!

Billed as the largest gas engine show in the world …

… the Tri-State Gas Engine Show in Portland, Ind., was held Aug. 26-30, 2009.

As I make my way past the engines and tractors, parts and pieces, and dodge golf carts and moving iron, I know it must be true. (My feet say so, anyway!)
 

	Click the two images above for larger versions.

The feature this year was Lesser-Known Tractors (or Orphans). Orphan tractors usually come from companies that went out of business or weren’t merged into another company. There were 100 different models of orphan tractors featured, with names like Rockol, Global, Gray, Happy Farmer, Love, Wards and on and on. The feature engine was Ohio-built engines.

Here’s a small sampling of some of the creative thinking I saw. This Harley-Davidson garden tractor and this souped-up snowmobile were engineered by Scott Werling of Decatur, Ind., and this custom tractor tricycle was invented by Myrl Hawley of Onandaga, Mich.

Left to right: Myrl Hawley's custom tractor tricycle, and Scott Werling's Harley-Davidson garden tractor and racing snowmobile.

	Lee Anderson, Frazee, Minn., stands with his motorized horseless carriage.
	A look at the motor of Lee’s horseless carriage.
	The Corn Items Collectors booth was an interesting and colorful spot to visit.

Lee Anderson of Frazee, Minn., constructed a motorized horseless carriage that drew a lot of attention. This 1908 motor buggy is a reconstructed blacksmith-built auto. The engine is from an unknown make of a 1908-era auto.

It’s built mostly of pre-1911 orphan auto parts and various carriage and buggy parts, and it took Lee 25 years to accumulate the parts and build it. He said it was built to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the heyday of the high-wheel auto, a forgotten style of transportation designed for rural use before roads were common. The engine is a 12 hp, air-cooled, 2-cylinder opposed engine.

Thursday evening of the show is set aside for the ATIS (Antique Tractor Internet Services) banquet. ATIS is a community of friends who enjoy each other’s company and help each other during the trials and tribulations of restoring and preserving old tractors. This great group of engine and tractor collectors holds a meeting and an auction every year during the Portland show. The proceeds of the auction are pegged for various charities. ATIS has helped many good causes and they have a lot of fun in the process.

Portland also hosts a Fall Swap Meet in October and a Spring Swap Meet in May, which keeps the club members and volunteers hopping.

See you down the road!

Hi, I’m back. Back from another antique tractor show.

The Auto-Mower from the McCormick International Harvester Archives, Wisconsin Historical Society.

Boy, this one really had me seeing RED and a lot of it, but I mean in a good way. It was the 20th annual International Harvester Collectors Club Red Power Round Up. Sponsored by Case IH, Cub Cadet and the Wisconsin Historical Society, hosted by Wisconsin Chapter No. 4 and held July 23-25 at Willow Island at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis. Even the center’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum dome was red for the occasion!

George Monis took some time out of his busy schedule during the show to tell me about the club. They became incorporated and strove to have the funds they raised allocated directly to the McCormick International Harvester Collection archives at the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Over the years, the Wisconsin Chapter  No. 4 has raised some $50,000 itself and has funneled funds from other donors and chapters totaling over $100,000. This helps make the archives, photos and information available to the public and used for advertising and publicity for Case IH. Many items from the archive collections were on display at the show, including memorabilia from Cyrus McCormick and the first tractor built in North America, the Auto-Mower.

The sponsors helped make it possible for the country music recording artist Craig Morgan to perform at the show, and author and humorist Michael Perry to make an appearance, mixed in with displays of new and old tractors and equipment.

A group of IH collectors led by the Nebraska Cowman tore down an F-20 and rebuilt it during the show. It was then auctioned off on Saturday, proceeds going to the McCormick International Collection.

Antique Farmall tractors at the 20th annual International Harvester Collectors Club Red Power Round Up.		The Red Power Round Up also had a new Case tractor on display.
This corral of kids enjoyed chasing each other around in the pedal tractor area.		Artist Charles Freitag of Marion, Iowa, painted in the sunshine on his newest work of art.
Jim and Jane Rose's 1954 Farmall SA Fire Trac included a sign with information about their tractor.		Another view of the Brookville, Ohio, couple's Farmall SA Fire Trac.
A group of IH collectors tearing down and rebuilding an F-20 and rebuilt it during the show.		The parade of Farmalls and patriotic flags was quite a sight and a nice farewell to another show.

Just a reminder, the 2010 Red Power Roundup will be held in LaPorte, Ind., and hosted by the IH Collectors of Northern Indiana, Chapter No. 33.

See you down the road!

It’s safe to say that the process of ranking the best farm shows in the country would be a futile endeavor. Everyone has their favorites and it’s not likely you’ll find two people with the same list.

That said, it would be interesting to see which shows make it onto multiple lists. And I have a feeling that if more folks were aware of it, the annual Camp Creek Threshers show in Waverly, Neb., would be one of those.

The 2010 Camp Creek Antique Machinery and Threshing Show will take place July 17-18 in Waverly, Neb. Photo by Christian Williams

Wrapping up its 33rd year, the Camp Creek Antique Machinery and Threshing Show is simply one of the best all-around farm shows I’ve been to. Even my wife - who’s hardly ever excited about walking down dusty paths and watching me ogle gas engines – had a great time. And the reason is because there truly is something for everyone.

I know that phrase gets tossed around so much that it has likely lost its meaning for most of you. But in addition to a stellar display of rare gas engines and prairie tractors (more on those later), I was pleasantly surprised by how well the show was geared toward everyone ages 8-88.

There was a blacksmith shop, a working print shop where, for $1, you could have your name printed on a linotype slug, an elaborate model railroad set-up in the old Waverly train depot relocated to the show grounds, a replica service station surrounded by antique vehicles, a saddle and harness shop with horse demonstrations, a butter churning demonstration, a flour mill, flea market and antique drug store, as well as much, much more. And don’t forget the delicious homemade apple pie and ice cream!

I was also excited to see so many kids having fun, whether by turning the crank on the corn shellers, playing with the animals in the petting zoo, watching a gas engine power a water pump, or just simply marveling at the size and beauty of the steam engines and prairie tractors. I had a chance to speak with Camp Creek Threshers President Heidi Cheney, and she shares my opinion that getting kids interested in the hobby is vital to the future of the hobby. And it’s obvious that the Camp Creek Threshers recognize the unique opportunity they have to educate children about the history and preservation of antique farm equipment. You could tell that the kids weren’t just having fun, they were also learning how their ancestors got work done. I think the hobby is in great hands with folks like the Camp Creek Threshers around.

And for those who are just interested in the nuts and bolts of a farm show, there was plenty of rare old iron on display. The featured tractors were of the prairie variety – my personal favorite – and I counted at least 10 on display. Over in the gas engine area, I spotted several engines which I had yet to see in person including a 5 HP Stickney, 1-1/2 HP Flying Dutchmen, 12 HP Root & Vandervoort, 8 HP heavy-pattern Baker Monitor with enclosed crankcase and 10 HP Ohio sideshaft, just to name a few. Having talked to several club members, I’m going to venture a guess that next year’s lineups for tractors and gas engines will be just as impressive.

Located just 10 minutes from Lincoln, the show is also one of the most convenient I’ve attended, and would be an easy drive for most anyone in the upper Midwest. I’m already checking to see if my 2010 schedule allows for a return trip. And speaking of the 2010 show, it takes place July 17-18, preceded by a swap meet on May 22. Visit www.ccthreshers.com for more information.

I love hitting the road to attend the different tractor and engine shows and swap meets.

I met club historian Clem Demmin and he let me share the buddy seat with club secretary Jeanne Zielinski in the parade on his 1957 Model 720 Hi-Crop. Where’s the “parade wave”?

I just returned from the New York State Two-Cylinder Expo IX held July 9-11, 2009, in Canandaigua, N.Y. This Kansas farm girl found New York to be a friendly place to visit, despite the Dorothy jokes – which just goes to show, the tractor and engine enthusiasts are the nicest bunch of folks, wherever you go. And what a beautiful setting for a show!

Four Two-Cylinder clubs lent their expertise and hard work to the Expo (Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, Western New York and Central New York) to make this a really nice event to be a part of. It’s held at the New York Steam Engine Assn. grounds east of Canandaigua. I met Dave Shearns of the Pageant of Steam Assn., which is held this year on Aug. 5-8 at the same grounds. Dave was kind enough to show me around the buildings chock full of beautiful old steam engines and other equipment.

Like these John Deere Utility tractors (below). John Craig of Mentone, Ind., wanted to see this elite set of U’s displayed together at various shows. Although he doesn’t actually own any of them, he hauls them to the shows for the mere satisfaction of showing them off.  They are divided into two models, 330s and 430s. Each model is divided by color.

Left to right, top to bottom: Dan Yeck's green 1960 John Deere 430 LP (one of three); Kenny Smith's red 1960 John Deere 330 (one of four) and one of two known; Dan's yellow 1960 John Deere 330 (one of 92) and one of two shipped with factory silencer muffler; Ray Mak's yellow 1960 John Deere 430 (one of 68 built) and his red 1960 John Deere 430, the only one known; and John Craig's 1960 John Deere Industrial 840 self-elevating scraper the he restored himself, only about 300 were built with the model 400 scraper pan.

Included in the show was an auction, tractor pulls, seminars, pedal tractor pulls, good food, and plenty of exhibitors and vendors to see. There are so many premiere tractors and equipment and the collectors and stories to go with them. I am always in awe of the heart and soul poured into each piece.

Left to right: This pink 1949 MT owned by Lillian Foster of Red Creek, N.Y., stood out among all the green; Dave Shearns of the New York Steam Assn. shares stories while Travis Hutchins of Wilson Tire looks on; and Al and Brenda Hain of the Western New York Club let me land in their tent space off and on during the show. They have the Expo IX limited edition ’32 Ford toy delivery sedan available for this year’s show (585-227-1864). Click the three images above for larger versions.

Attending the shows and swap meets in the past, I have run across a variety of contraptions, from a gas-powered pogo stick (courtesy of Tom Pfieffer of Galion, Ohio, at the swap meet in Portland, Ind.) to gas-powered skate boards, crazy “butt buggies” and souped up lawnmowers. Proof that American ingenuity is alive and well! All the events have their own flair and feel but the common thread is always the great people.

Thanks to everyone involved in the show who made me feel welcome.

See you down the road at the next one!

— Terri Keitel, Advertising Account Executive
Farm Collector and Gas Engine Magazine

Also read about Big Bud’s specifications and where you can catch a glimspe of the caravan of six Chamberlain tractors from Australia.

Not your grandfather’s tractor: The Big Bud 16V-747 is the world’s largest tractor, featuring 900 hp and weighing 100,000 pounds. It is owned by Robert and Randy Williams, Big Sandy, Mont. The John Deere at lower left was their grandfather’s tractor, with about 20 hp.

If you’ve ever loaded a tractor or two on a trailer and hit the road, you know it’s no day at the beach. Any number of things can go wrong. But picture an operation that moves one tractor across five states with a nightmare trifecta: a load that’s over-height, over-width and over-weight.

That’s the scenario for a crew charged with hauling the world’s biggest tractor all the way from Havre, Mont., to Penfield, Ill., where it’ll be the belle of the ball at I&I Antique Tractor Club’s Historic Farm Days, July 9-12. The Big Bud 16V-747, also known as the “Montana Monster,” will be surrounded by other rare tractors at the show, which celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Classic Farm Tractors Calendar. All owners of tractors featured in the calendar during the past 20 years have been invited to attend the show and bring their tractors for a reunion of sorts.

Big Bud’s trek to Illinois will require planning, permits and patience, notes John Harvey, producer of the Classic Farm Tractors Calendar. He might have added persistence to this list, as the undertaking is devilishly complex. “A wide, heavy load of this kind is complicated to move on highways,” says Ron Harmon, the man in charge, “partly because every state has different rules and weight regulations to contend with. During construction season, roads can be closed with almost no warning. And weather’s always a factor too.” Because of the load’s size and weight, even a light rain causes a spray that can reduce visibility.

The route itself is hard to pin down. “We can have a route that works one day, and the next day they totally change it,” Ron says. “By the time we get on the road, we still won’t know the route. There are so many restrictions, and they won’t even tell you what those are until you’re within five days of the move. It’s all the unknowns … You do everything you can to plan, but it can change in a heartbeat.”

Further complicating the undertaking is the Fourth of July holiday. “A lot of states shut us down as early as Thursday for the holiday,” Ron says. The current route takes Big Bud through several major cities, including Minneapolis – and that means additional restrictions (for instance, most cities will only allow loads of this size to pass through in the wee hours of the morning).

Timing is everything. In theory the trip should take three days. But weather, route changes, weigh station stops and the holiday could wreak havoc with schedules, which become increasingly important as the show’s opening day approaches. The job is far from complete when the load arrives in Penfield. The tractor’s 8-feet tires and wheels have been removed and travel as a separate load: On arrival, those must be re-installed. And nothing that big happens in a hurry.

Big Bud rides on a special beam trailer that keeps it low. There are eight axles (five on the trailer and three on the truck) on the ground with total bridge length of 98 feet. When loaded on the trailer, the tractor measures 15 feet high, 13-1/2 feet wide and weighs 125,000 pounds.

“It’s not unlike moving a very large specialty piece of construction equipment,” Ron notes. “You just normally don’t do that over a holiday and during construction season.”

Historic Farm Days, July 9-12, I&I Club grounds on Hwy. 135 at Penfield, 35 minutes north of Champaign-Urbana.

One Big Boy

Big Bud’s tires are 8 feet tall. The tractor measures 14 feet from the ground to the top of the cab (a five-step steel ladder is used to reach the cab). The fuel tank holds 1,000 gallons.

The tractor weighs 50 tons (with no fuel in the tank), measures 20 feet, 10 inches wide and is 28 feet, 6 inches long. It covers an acre a minute, pulling an 80-foot field cultivator. (“In baseball,” notes John Harvey, “it’s 90 feet between bases.”) Modern tractors nudge 600 hp; built 33 years ago, the Big Bud 747 generates 900 hp. [Back to the top]

And Don’t Miss This!

If you go to Penfield, Ill., don’t miss the caravan of six Chamberlain tractors from Australia. The convoy will stop at the I&I show as part of the Aussies’ 5,000-mile “Trek Across America.” [Back to the top]

Time was, I’d wake up one day and there it was: spring.

With the passage of years, however, I find myself scouting for signs of spring as early as December – and am generally rewarded by the arrival of the first seed catalog just before New Year’s Day.

But in the depths of winter, the seed catalog thrill lasts only so long. Fortunately, by the time this issue of Farm Collector hits your mailbox, we’ll be seeing very real signs of spring. Robins and daffodils? That’s kid stuff. In the old iron community, a swap meet that opens with axle-deep mud and closes with a blizzard is a more accurate barometer.

The Big Plan is equally strong evidence of change. When collectors start flipping through a show directory in one hand (got yours? The ’09 model is available now: Call (866) 624-9388 or visit our online store) and a calendar in the other, plotting summer expeditions, or ordering parts for projects long dormant, those are sure signs of spring fever.

A particularly wicked case can result in The Big Plan, Derailed. You’ll know it when you see it: You attend that first spring swap meet (wearing long underwear and Carhartts; balaclava optional) and fall hard for that piece of old iron you knew you’d never be lucky enough to find, let alone afford. Yet there! It! Is! And priced to sell! This is a slippery slope indeed. “The guy doesn’t know what he has,” you say to yourself, as you feign disinterest. And so it is that The Big Plan is abandoned, replaced by Big Plan Version 2.0.

The first nice day is another good indicator of the approach of the vernal equinox – even if it comes in February (meteorologists, after all, consider March 1 to be spring’s opening day). Like the salmon that are suddenly and inexplicably called to return to fresh water, on the first nice day you may find yourself itching to fire up the tractor and drag a rusting hulk of iron out of the tall grass.

If the stars align in such a way that the first nice day falls on a weekend, look out: Conditions are ripe for a sudden bloom of old iron in front of the shop, a sight for sore eyes – and one every bit as cheering as robins and daffodils!