Rare Waterloo Boy Tractor Ready To Run

Rare Waterloo Boy Tractor Ready To Run TRACTORS Antiques A working 1917 Waterloo Boy Model N tractor was the centerpiece of the Northern Indiana Johnny Poppers annual plow day held south of New Paris Ind this past spring The vintage tractor’s owner Randy Kauffman says when he was about 14 in the mid-1950’s his father took him to see the tractor at a farm north of Manchester Ind After digging it out from under a straw pile his father bought it and hauled it back to Randy’s grandfather’s Deere dealership where mechanics got it running before parking it in a corner of the showroom When the business later sold the tractor made its way to Randy’s farm to become an ornament under a backyard gazebo “I pushed it into the barn in the winter and took it out in the summer ” says Kauffman “I also made sure to turn it over a couple times a year with the crank but it hadn’t run in probably 60 years ” With the 2021 spring Johnny Poppers plow day approaching Kauffman’s neighbor and friend Ernie Chupp convinced him to let him try to get it going for the festivities After replacing the magneto and making a few minor repairs they got it running again in time to pull a 2-bottom plow at the festival The Waterloo Boy tractor is started with a hand crank and the 2-cyl engine uses gasoline until it’s warmed up Then it’s switched over to run on kerosene from a separate tank Steering is accomplished by a chain-driven steering mechanism “It’s hard to keep it going straight ” Kauffman says “It heads where it wants to Once you get a wheel in a furrow though it goes pretty straight ” The wheels are steel with spokes and a single rear drawbar is adjustable from side to side The 2-speed forward transmission allows a top-end speed to match a walking pace “It doesn’t have much horsepower Someone told me it’s about the same as two teams of horses pulling a plow The gears and transmission are also quite noisy when it’s working as they don’t really run in oil ” Kauffman believes the Waterloo Boy is worth around $50 000 although some people have told him it would bring $100 000 He says it’s in good shape but he is contemplating repainting it this winter Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Randy Kauffman 26648 County Road 30 Elkhart Ind 46517 gracekauffman@hotmail com

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.