"Farmers like trying to figure out what machines the parts came from to build it," says Wally Keller, Mt. Horeb, Wis., who built "Partsman", a self-propelled 12-ft. tall robot that's a big hit at parades.

The robot's orange arms are actually springs from an Allis Chalmers forage blower. They're fastened to a horizontally-mounted manure spreader beater that makes up lower body. The upper body is built out of the pickup from a Fox chopper and the head consists of a tractor gas tank, two blow torches, sealed beam lights, and other miscellaneous parts. The legs are actually water softening tanks and the front wheels are tail wheels from a hay sickle rake.

"Partsman" is powered by a 6-hp Briggs & Stratton engine that drives a Model A Ford transmission and a Chevy Vega drive axle. There are seats for 4 passengers on the robot and a seat at center for the driver. "I spent very little to built it," says Keller.