Perfect 1/2-Scale Massey Tractor, Combine

Perfect 1/2-Scale Massey Tractor,Combine AG WORLD Ag World 20-6-20 One reason Ken Peterman spent 3,000 hours painstakingly building a 1/2-scale Massey tractor and pull-type combine is that he happened to find a pair of 15-in. tires at an auction that were ideal for the tractor's rear tires. "That's the æexcuse' that really triggered the whole project," says Peterman, a Webster City, Iowa, antique tractor enthusiast. The project took almost three years from start to finish. The 1952 Massey "44" diesel tractor with standard tread was built almost totally from scratch. "I fabricated everything from the bell housing back," says Peterman. "The sheet metal was tough. The gauges were tough, too. You just figure out what you have to do and go for it." The 5-ft. long tractor is powered by a D600 Kubota engine coupled to a 3-speed Cub Cadet transmission. It's fitted with 8-in. three-ribbed front tires. Everything on the tractor works. After the tractor, he got to work on the late 1940's vintage Clipper combine, which he says was even more difficult than the tractor. "The hardest part was building the con-cave and cylinder and forming the rear sheet metal," he says. The 10-ft. long combine features all the working augers and elevators found on the original as well as a 6-ft. pickup. Peterman says he'd consider selling the models but only as a set. Asking price is $40,000 to cover labor and materials. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ken Peterman, 1057 180th St., Webster City, Iowa 50595 (ph 515 543-8641).

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