For red tractor enthusiasts, the 28th Annual Red Power Round Up is the place to be June 15-17 in Des Moines, Iowa. More than 1,000 tractors will be on display, including many special tractors such as one of the six Steiger-built models – 7388, 7588, 7788. Only two of each of these were built. The 7488, Serial Number 1 also is expected, the very first example of only 15 built.
Lee Klancher, owner of Octane Press, an IH authority and author of such books as Red Tractors, Red Combines and the soon to be released, Red 4WD Tractors, will moderate panel discussions on the 2+2 tractor and Steiger-built tractors and last days of IH. He will be joined by several of the engineers who brought these tractors to life. They’ll share untold stories about the tractors’ design, development and creation – offering a sneak peek into some of the stories in Red 4WD Tractors.
Red 4WD Tractors, features the limited 7488 on the cover and captures stories about the design and evolution of high-horsepower four-wheel-drive tractors. The book chronicles many rare and collectible machines, including the 2+2 – one of the most revolutionary and controversial machines built by IH, with styling and performance that generated varied reactions. The last of these are now some of the most collectible IH tractors in existence, with values well above $100,000. Early copies of Red 4WD Tractors will debut at the show.
We invite you to join Octane Press during the three-day event to learn more about IH tractors, see one-of-a-kind tractors, interview the guest engineers and meet the authors who are capturing their stories.
When: Thursday, June 15 to Saturday, June 17
Where: Iowa State Fairgrounds, Varied Industries Building
Who: Individual interviews will be available with Lee Klancher, Jim Allen and the engineers involved in the panel discussions.
What: Educational Presentations and Meet the Experts at Book Signings
Thursday, June 15
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1-1:45 p.m. – Deep Inside the International 2+2 Tractor
Moderated panel discussion of design and evolution of the 2+2 tractor.
Friday, June 16
• 1-1:45 p.m. – Untold Stories of Machine Development at IH
Moderated panel discussion on Steiger-built tractors, last days of IH, and more.
• 2:30-3:15 p.m. – International Scout Secrets by author Jim Allen
Visit Octane Press for a complete schedule of events and list of authors and speakers who will be at the Red Power Round Up Show on behalf of Octane Press. Please contact Linda Leydens – 515-360-2029 or lindaleydens@outlook.com if you have any questions or would like to schedule an interview with Lee Klancher or any of the panelists.
Meet the Experts
Jim Allen. For the past 24 years, he has been writing for magazines and writing books. The award-winning International Scout Encyclopedia is his 12th book if you count second editions. He also contributed the J.I. Case history to Red 4WD Tractors.
Lee Klancher is the author and photographer of the Red Tractors series of books, and also writes about engineering and science of motorcycles, and photographs travel. He has authored more than 20 books.
Marilyn McCray is a popular regular speaker at Red Power Round Ups, and her presentations discuss issues related to women in farming and the lore behind Irma Harding, the fictional IHC spokeswoman from the 1950s. She is the author of Canning, Pickling and Freezing with Irma Harding. She is also deeply involved in the organic food movement and local farming community within Austin, Texas.
Gerry Salzman spent 42 years working for International Harvester and Case IH, and the co-author of Red Combines 1915-2015. He retired in 2014 as Senior Director, Global Marketing, after playing key roles in product development and marketing, primarily with combines and harvesting equipment lines.
John William “Bud” Youle worked for the International Harvester Company at many levels starting as a Zone Manager in Kansas all the way to the Worldwide Corporate Marketing group. He is known in IH circles as the “Farmall Marketeer.” He contributed heavily to Red 4WD Tractors 1957-2017.
Paul Nystuen was an engineer for Steiger and Case IH from the early 1970s into the 1980s, eventually becoming the chief engineer. He holds a large number of patents, and he was the creative mind behind some of the most interesting agricultural machines ever created, including “Big Jack,” the triple-engineered Steiger, and the original Quadtrac. He contributed heavily to Red 4WD Tractors 1957-2017.
Bill Schubert was an engineer for International Harvester from 1961-1985, and for Case IH from 1985-2000. He played key roles in the development of several new machines, including being the lead engineer in the 50 series tractors introduced in 1981. He also was the lead engineer on the Magnum 2+2 project. He contributed heavily to Red 4WD Tractors 1957-2017.
Sarah Tomac is the author of International Harvester Australia: Geelong Works. Tomac discovered her passion for writing about IH while living in Australia, and spent 10 years writing about them for enthusiast magazines. She now resides in Michigan with her family.