GO , BIG

OR GO HOME
BIG BUD HN250 COMING TO IOWA PREMIER By Kellen Olshefski

A s it’s often said, “Go big , or go home.” A nd that’s

exactly what Northern Manufacturing Company did
when it began producing its Big Bud tractors. Based out of
Havre, Montana, Northern Manufacturing Company built
about 550 tractors during its years in business. Each tractor
constructed was a purpose-built machine believed to not
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only offer more than what any big-name manufacturer
could at the time, but also work thousands of acres of land
at a faster pace.
Northern Manufacturing Company got its start when the
Wagner Company, which built the first articulated tractor
that bent in the middle, sold its production to John Deere.
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As a result of the sale, Wilbur Hensler and Bud Nelson lost
their Wagner dealership. However, their determination
wasn’t lost, and they soon decided to begin building their
own articulated tractors. The first Big Bud tractors, dubbed
the 250-series, were built starting in 1969 and were designed
by Nelson, who would later join Hensler as part-owner of
Northern Manufacturing Company before it was purchased
by Ron Harmon in 1975. Nelson designed his custom-made,
heavy-duty working machines to be easily worked on and
upgraded, notably designing the engine, transmission and
drivetrain so that it could be pulled out on a track for easy
maintenance. Harmon further improved Nelson’s design in
1977 with the custom construction of the biggest, baddest
Big Bud of them all: the Big Bud 16-V 747, to this day believed
to be “The World’s Largest Farm Tractor.”
At 27-feet long , 20-feet wide, 14-feet tall and rolling
on specially made 8-foot-tall tires, this massive tractor
weighs in at about 130,000 pounds with a full fuel tank,
and while its V-16 originally pumped out about 760 HP,
upgrades have pushed it upwards of 1,000 HP today. Despite
its massive size and weight, Big Bud tractors were built
to be workhorses. Even after 20 years, it could still pull a
35,000-pound, 80-foot cultivator at an 8-MPH pace, working
more than an acre of land per minute. The tractor was used
in regular farm operation until about 2009, when it then
began touring at museums and farms around the country.
In 2014, the tractor was offered up on an indefinite loan
to the Heartland Museum in Clarion, Iowa, where it rests
today, still wearing its original tires, which were custom-
HN250
built by United Tire Company of Canada. The tractor’s
OFFERED NOVEMBER 9-11 AT DAVENPORT 2017
incredible story, capabilities and ability to stand the test
of time serve as a testament to the craftsmanship achieved
by the Northern Manufacturing Company.
Harmon’s design upgrades to the 747 expanded upon
Nelson’s innovation and continued in all of the tractors
going forward, about 75 percent of the 550 made. Designed
w it h bolt holes for mount i ng a ny k now n component
from engines to transmissions, the tractor allows for
each component to be removed individually to be worked
on, replaced or upgraded with ease. Furthermore, parts
used on Big Bud tractors were over-the-counter parts
available worldw ide. However, despite t he company’s
user-friendly designs, it would run into problems in the
19 8 0s when a transmission manufact urer was unable
to deliver parts and the shells of pre-sold tractors sat
around for months on the company’s propert y. Today,
Harmon runs Big Equipment Company, which focuses
on ser v ici ng a nd upg rad i ng t he t rac tors , wh i le a l so
rebuying them to rebuild and sell them to new owners.
The Big Bud HN250—part of Big Bud’s first model line
of tractors—offered here was designed by Nelson with the
same purpose-built and maintenance-friendly vision in
mind that has helped make it easier to keep the vast majority
of Big Bud tractors in working condition all these years
later. It’s a beautiful example that showcases the quality of
craftsmanship put into each and every one of the tractors
produced under the Big Bud name. It was the 250 series that
started it all, and this Big Bud HN250 from the Henry Blume
collection, coming to the 2017 Gone Farmin’ Iowa Premier
is sure to make its new owner happy in a big way.