Two-Ton Tractor Lighter Than Air

By Dale Jensen
Published on October 15, 2009
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Moving the Dain tractor across a stone floor in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, Ill.
Moving the Dain tractor across a stone floor in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, Ill.
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Air lifting the Dain tractor.
Air lifting the Dain tractor.

Editor’s note: This description of moving the John Deere Dain tractor into the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum is in addition to “Lincoln’s Farm Legacy,” Dale Jensen’s article about one of the museum’s exhibits.

The all-wheel drive, 3-wheeled tractor designed by Joseph Dain makes an impression.

It’s the largest and most eye-catching artifact in How Vast and How Varied a Field: The Agricultural Vision of Abraham Lincoln. On loan from Deere & Co., this 1918 tractor occupies a central spot in the gallery, as well it might after what it took to get it there.

The steel-wheeled, 2-ton tractor presented a unique challenge to exhibit designers and museum technicians. Between the street-side offload point and the gallery were two large carpeted areas and a polished limestone floor, none of which could be touched by the tractor.

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