Looking for unique tractors in unexpected places is one of the fun aspects of being a collector. Who would think about checking on tractors at the Warner Robins Museum of Aviation, for example?

Not many perhaps, but it is notable that tractors are used in many aspects of not just farming, but also construction and even, yes, aviation.

On display at the Georgia museum is a 6-cylinder MB-4 Aircraft Towing Tractor. Built by the American Coleman Co. in Littleton, Colo., it was designed to tow and push aircraft weighing up to 140,000 pounds, or 70 tons. This cool tractor came from the Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina in 1994 and was restored by museum staff.

The Department of Army Technical Manual provides details that this is a 4-wheel-drive towing tractor powered by a 6-cylinder industrial engine. The engine output is transferred through the hydraulic transmission, mechanical transmission and transfer case to the front and rear axles, to provide 4-wheel-drive at all times.

An important aspect for the driver to know is that all systems and components are operated by controls located within the cab.

Another cool tractor not often seen at shows is the M274 Mechanical Mule that museum staff said was built to replace the 1/4- and 3/4-ton 4X4 vehicles used in infantry battalions. It needed to weigh less than 750 pounds and carry at least 1,000 pounds.

Developed initially by Willys, the models were purchased by the U.S. Air Force, but museum sources said they were unsuitable for government needs and the program was short-lived.

While there were only a few tractors among the exhibits, this amazing museum is one of the largest aviation museums in the United States and it offers one of the major Air Force Heritage, Exhibit and Education centers in the Southeast.

This is not a short stop; plan to spend some time at this museum, which is situated on 51 acres. Located next to Robins Air Force Base, it is the second largest museum of the U.S. Air Force.

There are more than 90 aircraft on public display and one of the best things is that visitors can sit in several individual cockpits. Go with your camera in hand!

The museum offers an array of historic aircraft, including an F-80, the first online jet fighter used in the Air Force; U-2 and SR-71 spy planes; a Lockheed C-140 used by President Lyndon Johnson; a C-54 like those used in the Berlin Airlift; and a C-141 cargo plane.

There’s also an EC-135 once used by General Norman Schwarzkopf during Operation Desert Storm, and an MH-53 special operations helicopter which served in Iraq and other combat theaters. World War II aircraft include a B-29 and B-25 bomber and a PT-17 open cockpit biplane.

For those who love World War II history, the museum houses an award-winning display that takes up a whopping 6,000 square feet. It tells the story of the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment from Fort Benning, Ga., and the U.S. Army Air Force C-47s and gliders that participated in the invasion of Europe on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

The exhibit has an actual C-47 elevated and another cutaway C-47 fuselage with paratroopers and crew in action, artifacts and recordings of D-Day veterans and the award-winning 20-minute movie “Papa Said, We Should Never Forget.”

Admission to the museum is free and it is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily except Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day, with shorter hours on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. The museum is located 10 miles east of Interstate 75, off Exit 144 at the end of Russell Parkway.

Visit www.museumofaviation.org for more information.

Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication.