Grey Fergie on steroids - Page 2

**Burnout** · 09-06-2009, 05:10 PM

I was actually wrong in my prior post about the 'Big Bud', production started in 1977. A couple were imported into Aussie & were used in central Queensland.

See web site here, bit of a beast:

http://www.williamsbigbud.com/bigbud.htm

**Burnout** · 09-06-2009, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deanp100

Did you take these photos of the Baldwin? Do you know where it was in Qld? Toobeah perhaps?

I didn't take the photos - they were passed onto me by a relative still in the game; He said they were taken over near Tara, Qld.

RED FGII · 09-06-2009, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CAMS290

Just got home from a relaxing weekend at Echuca, while we were up there we took a look at the Historic Steam Festival, plenty of old steam traction engines, old vintage tractors and trucks, but this thing stood out more than anything else I had seen in quite a while.......some people just have too much time on their hands.

Their almost classed as classics, and someone's done that.......

NC1183 · 09-06-2009, 06:41 PM

Some of the videos of bogged tractors and harvesters that were listed as relevant were funny as

deanp100 · 09-06-2009, 07:53 PM

Thanks Burnedout. There were a couple near Goondiwindi working in the 80's on a property I worked on, but they were the smaller 5-600 hp models. They weren't real common and your photos could have been them. The 747 Baldwin(990hp) in your next post was certainly uncommon. 4 were made worldwide if I remember correctly. 2 to Australia, 2 for the States.

NC1183 · 09-06-2009, 09:08 PM

Where at Gundy, i have family up there, they might no them

deanp100 · 10-06-2009, 09:33 AM

Back before the whole place turned to cotton, Arthur Norman from Toobeah had Big Buds working what was I believe the biggest wheat farm in Australia. He has passd away now,light aircraft crash. I used to work next door but he eventuallly swallowed up all the neighbourig properties to put under wheat. It was a sight to see. Last time I was out there, it was all cotton. I have a photo of one of his big buds doing tight donuts, emptying an airseeder ,creating a dust cloud with this blue and white monster appearing out of it. Quite a sight. It is amazing that these monster tractors were tiny compared to the 747 bud posted the photo of.

**Burnout** · 10-06-2009, 04:47 PM

Interesting stats on the 'Big Bud' in the photo:

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 1,000US gallon fuel tank is full the tractor tips the scales at over 100,000US pounds.

Spanrz · 10-06-2009, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burnedout

The tractor was built to produce 760 horsepower using a 16-cylinder Detroit Diesel engine.

Big ol Screamin Demon 2 Stroker..........For some reason they loved the GM's back then......Noisy bloody things...."All revs and no go" to me..Hahaha

4Vman · 10-06-2009, 06:18 PM

Iv got a soft spot for the old GM 2 stroke diesels..!!! 6/53's, 6/71's 8v92TTA's etc's

**Peuty** · 10-06-2009, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NC1183

Where at Gundy, i have family up there, they might no them

Ditto - except I lived there, be interested to know who you worked for.

**Burnout** · 10-06-2009, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4Vman

Iv got a soft spot for the old GM 2 stroke diesels..!!! 6/53's, 6/71's 8v92TTA's etc's

Bloody oil sprayers if you ask me!

4Vman · 10-06-2009, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burnedout

Bloody oil sprayers if you ask me!

They do sound tough as hell though!! There used to be a Diamond Rio tipper next door to my parent property when i was a kid, it used to scream its ring off hauling crushed rock up the quarry hill, never forget that sound.

deanp100 · 10-06-2009, 08:19 PM

Peuty, I worked on a small family property called Gamut Lea (John Slacksmith). It was next door to Arthur Norman's property. I can't remember his properties name. He bought Gamut Lea and turned it into wheat, then cotton and took some of my prime hunting ground at the same time. He used to have 4 silos at the AWB site at Bungunya when the rest of the district had 3 between them. Everything he did was quantity, not quality. One year he burnt a Big Bud to the ground in a stubble fire so his natural immediate response was to call Steiger and say" I need another tractor. How quickly can you bend over backwards for me" and they did very quickly. Lots of fun days as a boy.

**Burnout** · 10-06-2009, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4Vman

They do sound tough as hell though!! There used to be a Diamond Rio tipper next door to my parent property when i was a kid, it used to scream its ring off hauling crushed rock up the quarry hill, never forget that sound.

True in my ancient middle range farm induced deafness I'd forgotten the exclusive 2 stroke rattle.

I just remember stripping down a 671 in the Inter, in the paddock after it dropped it's guts, me trying to get a coupla 'undered ton in the silo. Rotten thing!
The Diamond T's & Reo's were good old beasties. Simple trucks for simple days. (Found another beauty up here, note to self, must get a pickie for Whoosha).

DECIM8 · 10-06-2009, 09:54 PM

Geeez....definately something different

imugli · 10-06-2009, 11:50 PM

Did someone say BloBak?

cowboy · 11-06-2009, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4Vman

Iv got a soft spot for the old GM 2 stroke diesels..!!! 6/53's, 6/71's 8v92TTA's etc's

Once you spend some time with them you can't help but love them, the sound! I worked for a bloke who was obsessed with them, even had a 4/53 in an F100.