This tractor bringing up the rear had the honour of letting people know there was an event in progress. Drivers may have been slowed down a bit, but we're sure once they saw what was going on ahead it brought a smile to their face.
Photo: Scott Garvey
This Minneapolis Moline Twin City tractor pulled a trailer along the route, but on closer inspection, there was something very unusual about the hook up between them. A shaft ran from the tractor’s PTO to an old truck axle under the trailer. The owner explained that they really wanted to put the old MM into the trek, but with a top speed of around five miles per hour, it would have been impossible to keep up. So the owners came up with a clever solution. A shaft from the PTO linked to the truck axle under the trailer, which let the trailer push the tractor. The gear ratio that created allowed the tractor to make over 12 m.p.h.
Photo: Scott Garvey
High clearance tractors are a relatively rare sight on the prairie, but this MF Super 90 represented that class of machine in this year’s Trek. High clearance machines are used in row-crop applications where the body of the machine needs to have increased ground clearance to let crops pass underneath without damaging them.
Photo: Scott Garvey
This Fordson Super Major was one of the tractors in the parade that originated in the UK. With 54 rated engine horsepower, the Super Major, which was sold as the 5000 in the U.S., was in production from 1961 to 1964. It was never one of the most popular tractors here in Canada, but it did develop a kind of cult following among some farmers.
Photo: Scott Garvey
There were a couple of early Cockshutts in the group to represent a brand that originated and remained Canadian through its relatively short life. Examples included this well restored Model 70.
Photo: Scott Garvey
There were several W Series tractors from International Harvester in the Trek. That long-lived model line included the W4, W6, and W9 models, as well as their diesel-powered versions that were identified as WD. This W4 still has the McCormick – Deering name on the side. Those two brands merged to form International Harvester.
Photo: Scott Garvey
This Allis-Chalmers 180 did double duty on the truck, pulling a trailer loaded with one of the brand’s earlier Model M crawlers. Allis-Chalmers was involved in the manufacture of several models of crawlers and construction equipment as well as ag machinery before the company fell on difficult financial times was taken over by Deutz and later became part of today’s AGCO Corp.
Photo: Scott Garvey
Over 40 tractors took part in the 2019 Tractor Trek, which covered roughly 50 kilometres of travel throughout the Steinbach area.
Photo: Scott Garvey
Of course the green brand was well represented in the Trek. This John Deere 530 was a prime example of a two-cylinder “Johnny Popper” in pristine condition.
Photo: Scott Garvey
Organizers say the Tractor Trek will go again next year, for its 11th annual run. Anyone who wants to join in then is welcome. For information on the Trek, go to the Mennonite Heritage Village web page, mennoniteheritagevillage.com, for more information and details on the next event.
Photo: Scott Garvey
The vintage tractor-collecting hobby may not be as strong as it used to be. A look at the selling prices of older restored machines indicates that demand for them is down from its high over a decade ago. That has been attributed to a hobby dominated by an aging demographic. But an event in southern Manitoba this week showed it still has an appeal to all ages, and younger generations are showing interest in these great machines.
The 10th annual running of the Tractor Trek, which is organized and sponsored by the Mennonite Heritage Village in Steinbach and Eden Health Care Services, saw over 40 tractors take part. Drivers and participants of all ages took in the event. As one organizer put it, it’s a chance for those who restore and own the classic machines to get them out and put them to use for a good cause: raising money for charity. And the number of tractors taking part this year was up from 2018. That’s a good sign for the collector hobby.
Read Also
Satellite-supported JDLink Boost connectivity comes to Canada
The JDLink Boost service, previously available in the U.S. and Brazil, is now available to farmers in Canada seeking satellite connections for their telematics-equipped farm machinery.
The tractors make a road trip of roughly 50 kilometres stopping at various locations along the way. We met up with them at their lunch stop near Mitchell, Manitoba.
The machines entered in this year’s Trek covered a wide range of ages and brands, some looking pristine and others still in their “working clothes”. Here is a look at some of those that caught our eye.
