By PAUL WALLEM

I was in my office at our Belvidere, Ill., dealership in 1981 when a visitor introduced himself as the representative for Big Bud tractors, Havre, Mont. I had never heard of Big Bud.

He said they wanted an Illinois dealer and showed me photographs of their tractors. They were white with red and black trim, and really big. He said we would be the first outlet for them east of the Mississippi. We agreed to take a 525 HP model on trial. When I mentioned we also had a dealership in Plainfield, Wis., he offered the Wisconsin market to us in addition to Illinois. We agreed on a 320 HP tractor there, and both arrived 10 days later.

They were traffic stoppers. Farmers at both locations came from miles around to see these giant tractors. The 525 was 14-feet tall and 27-feet long. When I looked down the hood it seemed to reach out forever. Top speed in sixth gear was 15 MPH and the engine was incredibly loud when throttled up. Black smoke poured out. The seat was first class and really comfortable. Visibility was excellent.

We had field demonstrations with the 525 and drew big crowds. Everyone wanted to drive it.

After we put a lot of effort into marketing, it became obvious these tractors were too big for our market area. One reason was the lack of implements big enough to make use of this much horsepower. Also, farm operators east of the Mississippi were not yet ready for equipment this large and this expensive. We exercised our option to return the tractors to Big Bud, and they moved them back out west.

(A year later we became a Steiger dealer. The Bearcat 111 @225 HP and Panther 111 @ 325 HP fit our market well, were already known in the Midwest, and we did well with them.)

Big Bud history

During July 1981 a Big Bud 525/50 was tested at the Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory (NTTL). It was the largest tractor ever tested at the lab. It weighed in at 51,920 lbs. with duals and tested 421.49 HP.

In the July-August 2021 issue of Heritage Iron Magazine, publisher Sherry Schaefer wrote a feature article about Big Bud. Here is part of that story about the “Biggest Tractor.”

She writes that Big Bud’s name itself screams “Muscle Tractor.” A simple yet rugged design, the Big Bud line has done nothing but grow in popularity among collectors and aficionados for the last few decades.

In 1969, the first one was named H-N 250. H-N stood for Willie Nelson and Bud Hensler, and 250 was the horsepower. Big Bud was born.

Sixty units were built the following six years. The H-N 320 was added, then the KT-450 and KT-525 using the 1150 Cummins engine. The Cruiser Cab was added and fuel capacity was increased on the large models to 550 gallons.

Easy maintenance was a strong Big Bud priority. The cab tilted back to allow easy access to components underneath. The radiator, engine and transmission were all mounted on a removable skid. When the time came to work on any of these components the driveline would be uncoupled and wires disconnected, allowing the entire skid to roll out of the frame. The mechanic could stand on the ground next to his toolbox and work on anything in the power train instead of climbing up a ladder or hanging off a fender. This concept would also make it easy to swap power units quickly, saving valuable down time.

The company had started production in 1970 and closed their doors for good in 1990. The largest one built is now rated at 1100 HP and is called the 747. It appeared at the Half Century of Progress in Rantoul, Ill., in 2021. If you attended, you probably saw it - it was hard to miss. Williams Brothers, of Big Sandy, Mont., use it in the field with an 80-foot Friggstad chisel plow.

The most recent Big Bud auctioned was a 1976 H-N 250; it sold for $61,110 in April 2022. There are currently five for sale online, as follows:

1979 320/10    $62,500

1979 525/50    $125,000         

1979 400/30    $95,000             

1980 525/50    $190,000

1980 525/50    $149,000

From the outset, the goal was to build Big Buds with readily accessible parts that any tractor shop could work on. Cummins, Detroit, Clark, Fuller etc. are examples.  Now, all these years later, they are brought into shops for facelifts and updated modern technology. These are indeed MUSCLE TRACTORS.

Paul Wallem was raised on a dairy farm. He spent 13 years with corporate IH on domestic and foreign assignments. He resigned to own and operate two IH dealerships. He is the author of THE BREAKUP OF IH and SUCCESSES AND INDUSTRY FIRSTS OF IH. His email address is pwallem@aol.com