“THE WORLDS LARGEST FARM TRACTOR”
In 1977 the Big Bud 747 tractor was built in Havre, Montana. The tractor was built by Ron Harmon and the crew of the Northern Manufacturing Company. The tractor was built to produce 760 horsepower using a 16-cylinder Detroit Diesel engine. The tractor measures 27 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 14 feet tall. The tires were specially made by United Tire Company of Canada and are 8 feet in diameter. When the 1,000 gallon fuel tank is full the tractor tips the scales at over 100,000 pounds.
It was originally designed for the Rossi Brothers, cotton farmers in Bakersfield, California. The Rossi Brothers used the tractor for deep ripping. They owned and operated the 16-V747 for 11 years.
After leaving the cotton farm of the Rossi Brothers the Big Bud found its way to Indlantic, Florida. The second owners, Willowbrook Farms, also used the tractor for deep ripping purposes. Willowbrook Farms retired the Big Bud and left it to rest.
In 1997 the Big Bud found its way back home to Montana, only 60 miles from where it was built. The Williams Brothers of Big Sandy, Montana purchased the tractor and brought it to their farm in Chouteau County. The Williams Brothers use the tractor for cultivation purposes, pulling an 80 foot cultivator. The tractor can work more than one acre per minute, at speeds up to 8 mph. Except its new paint job, chrome stacks, and a whopping 900 plus horsepower – the Big Bud looks like it did when it rolled out of the Northern Manufacturing Company building back in 1977.
