Giant Inflatable Balloons Promote Farm Products

Giant Inflatable Balloons Promote Farm Products COMBINES Miscellaneous 24-3-25 If you've seen the giant inflatable farm tractors and combines at big farm shows the past few years, you might have wondered where they came from. We decided to track down the source and see what else they make. The Apple Balloon Company of Palatine, Ill., says it provides giant balloons for all kinds of promotions. The big inflatable Case-IH tractor and combine that have shown up in recent years at farm shows, were designed and built by Apple for Case-IH to use at all kinds of events. Owner Bennett Schwontkowski says it all started in the fall of 1993 when Case-IH launched its Magnum 7200 series tractor. Schwontkowski's company made an inflatable tractor that stood 30 ft. high, 45 ft. long, and 25 ft. wide. It was manufactured and decorated with Case-IH logos and the 7250 model marks. It made its debut at a Wisconsin equipment dealer and was the centerpiece for their customer appreciation day. It toured and made appearances at events around the U.S. and Canada. The tractor was followed by a giant inflatable combine that promoted the Case-IH 2100 series Axial Flow combine. Scaled at twice the size of a standard combine, the combine was 28 ft. high, 60 ft. long, and 45 ft. wide. Its grain head was 45 ft. across and the grain tank was calculated to hold 2,000 bu. Both the tractor and combine are tethered and secured by stakes. A pair of fans at the back of each unit keep it full of air. It takes 15 minutes to inflate the tractor balloon. The combine takes a little longer û about 30 minutes to fill with air. Many people think the balloon is hollow. Actually, there are air chambers in each section of the balloon. Each balloon is hand-sewn. It took 12 weeks to make the tractor, and 16 weeks to make the combine. Schwontkowski says other companies sell inflatables but none offer turnkey services where everything is done for the customer. His company can provide inflatables of a wide variety of other farm products including seed bags, ears of corn, soybeans, apples, etc. "Today's 3D imaging programs allow us to take a product, logo, or icon and create a 6 to 50-ft. tall inflatable replica. Pricing depends on the complexity." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bennett Schwontkowski, The Apple Balloon Co., 509 N. Easy St., Palatine, Ill. 60067 (ph 847 991-9475; fax 9446; E-mail: bpsapple@aol.com).

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