It is big, it is bad and it arrived in Rantoul, Ill., before the Fourth of July weekend – “Big Bud” is the largest tractor ever made, and it was big news when this mega tractor rolled into town.

Routing it was the job of the driver’s wife, at the head of the long trek. Her name is Amy, and Darius Harms, who heads up the planning committee that brought Big Bud to Illinois, added, “They deserve a gold medal.”

“It took over a couple of thousand dollars in permits,” Robert Williams, one of the owners of this mammoth-sized tractor, said.
The Big Bud tractor arrived at 1:30 p.m. July 2 at the airport, after a trek of some 1,440 miles from Havre, Mont., to Rantoul. A group with a site on Twitter has been following the trail of the Big Bud since it left on June 29; to see comments about the trip online, log onto http://twitter.com/Bigbud747

Robert and his brother, Randy, own this tractor and while Randy stayed back on the farm in Montana, Robert participated in this lengthy trip across the upper Midwest to share this one-of-a-kind tractor with antique tractor enthusiasts.

The tractor was transported on one trailer, with the huge eight-foot tires transported on another. “The tractor weighs 70,000 pounds and the tires weigh about 35,000,” Robert said.

With the tires the tractor weighs in at around 50 tons. “Our first leg of the journey, we stopped in Bismarck. We traveled 11 to 12 hours a day,” he said. “We had to stop and change a couple of tires in Wolf Point (Mont.).”

After making their way into North Dakota around 4:30 p.m. on June 29, they arrived in Bismarck around 7:30 p.m. There was a bit of worry when the group hit the scales, but all went well as the team traveled into the second leg of the journey.

The Big Bud crossed the Minnesota-Wisconsin border at around 5:30 p.m. on June 30. “We stopped at Eau Claire, Wisconsin,” Robert added.

Day three, Big Bud made the Illinois border around 11:30 a.m. The routing in Illinois was tricky, with many pitfalls to avoid, such as bridges and toll roads. Accidentally exiting onto the toll road proved a treacherous path for the two trucks and followers.

“We got east of Chicago and got off on the toll road because of construction, and then we couldn’t get off. On the toll road,” Robert explained, “there were no exits. We were 20 miles from Chicago and a patrolman helped us get back.”

The group pulled to the side of the road at a tollbooth and sought assistance. “We were all very nervous,” Robert shared. (The Twitter site credits an Illinois state trooper for helping them.)

A couple of hours and a few permits later, and Big Bud was back on the road heading south rather than into Chicago’s downtown. Besides a slight catch under a bridge and a little less paint on Big Bud’s rooftop, they arrived intact at the Rantoul airport to be met by a welcoming committee.

“I should have just drove the tractor the last 100 miles,” Robert said, laughing.

Glad to get on solid ground, several of the I&I Antique Tractor and Gas Engine Club, including President John Frederickson, were on hand to officially welcome Robert Williams and the crew.

Darius Harms shared how they all felt that the Big Bud had arrived. “We can’t describe the feeling. Ron Harmon, president of Big Equipment, did the final touches. It is just unbelievable what they went through to be here.”

Big Bud was on static display at the Historic Farm Days antique tractor show in Penfield, Ill., and will be at the Half Century of Progress show Aug. 27-30, at the Rantoul National Aviation Center Airport.

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