Model Tractors True To Last Detail

Model Tractors True To Last Detail AG WORLD Ag World 20-4-21 "The natural iron finish shows off the detail better than if they were painted," says Kermit Ehrenberg about a pair of painstakingly detailed 1/4 scale antique tractors he built and displays at Midwestern toy and threshing shows. Ehrenberg of Appleton, Minn., spent a total of seven winters building the models of the 1937 Farmall F20 and the 1938 Deere G. A quarter of that time was spent measuring parts on the real tractors and then machining each 1/4 scale piece to within 1/32 of an inch, he notes. "The tractors assemble exactly the way the originals did," he says. "Every bolt that was in the original tractors is in the models." Here are highlights of each of the tractors: • The F20 weighs 105 lbs, has 346 parts, and 449 bolts. It's complete with a brass oil can and grease gun with spring-loaded plungers that really work, as well as a crescent wrench that hangs from the seat and plank bolted across the drawbar. The rear wheels of the tractor were machined from a 10 1/4-in. well casing that Ehrenberg fitted with lugs and spokes. "The lugged wheels were the most time-consuming part of building the tractors," he notes. • The Deere G weighs 60 lbs, has 283 parts, and 358 bolts. It's complete with moving shift lever and brake shoe on a pulley. The steering wheel turns the front wheels through gearing mounted above the front end. The radiator core is a section of car radiator that had a similar design to the original tractor. He enclosed the radiator in the tractor shell. Ehrenberg is currently working on a 1935 Allis-Chalmers WC tractor he plans to have ready for the shows he attends in 1997. He's not interested in selling the tractors or building them for others. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Kermit Ehrenberg, Rt. 1, Box 41A, Appleton, Minn. 56208 (ph 612 394-2385).

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