Pedal Tractor Business Booms

Pedal Tractor Business Booms FARM HOME Novelty Items If you want to restore buy or customize an old pedal tractor check out Magnuson Pedal Tractor Parts Former dairyman and tractor-pulling enthusiast Tom Magnuson has turned a fun hobby into a full-time business Magnuson makes and sells pedal tractor parts restores customizes and even makes his own limited edition 1/4-size working replicas “A lot of what I do is restoration welding parts and patching panels cleaning old tractors up to look like new ” says Magnuson “One customer gave me a box of parts for a rare Ford model I worked on it for a week stripping it and heating and straightening parts When it was done it was worth nearly $6 000 However most restorations take only a few hours and are worth less than $1 000 ” As a former tractor puller Magnuson has a special fondness for the sport He customizes pedal tractors for full-size “pullers” He even carries polished aluminum rear wheels he has custom-built “I have orders for three of them now ” he says “Guys order ones customized to look just like the tractors they pull with complete with sponsor graphics They take them to the pulls and set them next to their full-size tractors ” Magnuson started out by restoring a single pedal tractor in 1988 He enjoyed it so much he began collecting quarter-scale models At one point he had nearly 100 in his collection one of nearly every cast aluminum scale model built since 1948 The exception was an extremely rare Deere model In 1998 he sold his dairy herd and invested the proceeds in pedal tractor parts and inventory While he no longer maintains his full collection he now has more than 200 pedal tractors in inventory for needed parts or resale When parts are hard to find and the demand warrants it Magnuson will cast his own He also makes accessories not available elsewhere including weight brackets $12 and suitcase weights $7 each to fit them His high crop drop housings $125/pair have working chain drives He even offers an exact reproduction of a 900/901 Ford tractor-trailer canopy for $175 In recent years he has taken this process to a new level making numbered special editions of rare full-size tractors modeled after full-size tractors he owns He may spend two weeks doing detailed blueprints for a tractor A friend uses the plans to carve a model out of wood That model is used to make molds for casting a limited number of the collector editions “I do a limited number to protect the value of the tractors ” explains Magnuson “The molds alone can cost as much as $18 000 I made as many as 100 from a mold when I started but now I’ve cut back to as few as 25 before I destroy the molds ” Magnuson’s newest limited edition is for an Oliver 1655 He says he took the first four to a collector’s show this spring He sold four in half an hour and took orders for half a dozen more The 2-wheel drive models were priced at $1 100 and 4-wheel drives were priced at $1 200 Magnuson prefers people call rather than send emails In one conversation he can find out what shape the tractor is in what needs to be done and disclose how much original or replacement parts will be Magnuson is always in the market for pedal tractors or parts people wish to sell whether as he says they are “dead or alive original or broken” Knowing what collectors pay for pedal tractors he also can advise on what a tractor is worth “I’ve restored pedal tractors worth as much as $15 000 but most are worth less than $1 000 ” says Magnuson “Most people have no clue what their tractor is worth People will ask me to restore a tractor for their kid to use and find out it’s worth $4 000 Do you really want to leave that in the front yard?” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Magnuson Pedal Tractor Parts 2630 Prairie Ridge Rd Verona Wis 53593 ph 608 437-5061; cell 608 445-7361; info@pedaltractor com; www pedaltractor com

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