Cover story: Antique power

<i>Originally published in the July 24, 2009, print edition.</i>

By Dick Hagen

Antique tractor clubs continue to sprout up across much of rural America, including in Minnesota.

However, there likely is only one club with enough “political clout” to convince the Minnesota Department of Transportation to let an unused highway rest center become the home ground for their annual two-day show.

In 2004 the West Central Antique Power Collectors Club started using the Minnesota Highway 7 rest stop between Lake Lillian and Blomkest for their annual club show — and it only gets bigger every year.

This year’s event, held June 26 and 27, had more than 110 hookups for its Sunday afternoon “big” tractor power pulls, and a few lawn and garden tractors for the Saturday pulls.

The WCAPC club president is Jim Lippert, a Danube-area farmer with about 12 Olivers in his collection.

“Four years ago a couple of our club members heard that MnDOT was shutting down this particular rest stop,” Lippert said.

“Also it just happened that we had club members who were MnDOT employees. Because we are a non-profit group, we applied for a long-term lease. MnDOT agreed with our request and so our club has been cleaning up this 13-acre area and it’s become just an excellent location for our event.”

With plenty of shade trees on a gently sloping hillside overlooking the tractor pulling track area, this old rest stop makes a picturesque, comfortable outdoor arena.

Every club has its history. The WCAPC started several years back at the Kandiyohi County Fairground in Willmar. It moved to the Lake Lillian city park for about 10 years, and now resides at this Highway 7 location.

“Just a few years ago we had about 50 members. Today we’re at 82 and growing,” said Lippert. “Membership isn’t just for antique tractor owners, however. The show also displays corn shelling, corn grinding to make corn flour, antique wood cutting machinery, a shingle maker setup, model railroad train sets, virtually whatever gives people a chance to look at ‘power farming’ and country living 40 to 60 years ago.”

Because of its June date, threshing isn’t part of this particular show, even though an antique threshing machine was on display.

And because the crowds keep getting bigger, the club has already talked with a neighboring farmer to lease a 3-acre alfalfa patch for additional parking in 2010.

The club always runs their show the weekend after Father’s Day, and each year features a particular tractor brand — this year the J.I. Case brand.

The club meets only January through July, said Lippert, so club members could haul their particular rig to other shows around Minnesota the rest of the summer. Practically every weekend all summer long some club somewhere in Minnesota is hosting a tractor event.

Despite his Oliver bias, Lippert said John Deere and IH tractors are the featured brands for 2010 and 2011. With Olivers scheduled for 2012, there’s a good chance the entire Lippert collection will be on display alongside Highway 7 for that event.

Tractor pulls

The WCAPC pulls are geared just to the older tractors — 1955 or older — and the little lawn and garden rigs.

“We’re staying in this narrow market because people like it,” Lippert said. “One thing nice about the slower speeds and less noise of these older rigs is that there’s less tension. You get these high speed, super-powered rigs and it just seems to add tension. Yes, its exciting but ours is a much more relaxed pull, both for participants and spectators.”

Neighboring farmer Ardell Johnson is one of those farmyard mechanics who can build most anything from scratch. That’s exactly what he did when he built a special pullers skid, scaled down for the lawn and garden tractor pullers.

“We’re trying to attract the average Joe — whether he lives in town, or the farm — to hitch his lawn tractor to this little skid and enjoy an afternoon of fun,” said Johnson.

Rigs get weighed ahead of each pull, so that they are properly slotted. For example, the heaviest weight category for the garden tractors is 1,150 lbs.; 10,500 lbs. for the big tractors. Johnson explained that many pullers start in lighter classes, then add weights to qualify for three, even four different classes. At only $15 per hookup ($5 for the lawn and garden rigs) nobody complains about this unique opportunity to test their tractor and driving skills. Instead of cash payouts, the club uses revenue to further improve the grounds. The payouts are “trophies and bragging rights,” said Lippert.

Jim Borg, a retired mechanic and engineer from Waverly, brought his grandson Tyler to the WCAPC show, plus two home-built machines — a 2418 and a 2318, painted “John Deere green” and powered by John Deere LUC combine power units. These pull-type combines date back to the 1950s and had 18 hp engines. The 2418 was built in 2004, the 2318 in 2003. The 2418 even articulates and all four wheels pull.

“These events are great fun,” Borg said. “Beautiful grounds here and the weather is perfect, so just a great way to enjoy Minnesota.”

For photos of past shows, log on to www.wcapc.org.