World’s largest tractor given new lease of life
Massive 1100hp Big Bud tractor receives brand new tyres from Goodyear and is ready for work againFor the past decade or so, the world’s biggest tractor – the Big Bud 747 has laid dormant in its shed at the Heartland Museum in Clarion, Iowa, unable to work due to irreparable tyre damage.
But thanks to its determined owners and a team of experts at Titan International, the 1100hp beast has been shod with not two, not four, but eight brand new Goodyear Optitrac Low sidewall (LSW) 1400/30R46 tyres, which also happen to be the world’s largest agriculture tyres, according to Titan.
The tractor belongs to Robert and Randy Williams of Big Sandy, Montana, who bought it from its original owner - Rossi Bros Cotton Farms in California. The Williams brothers used the Big Bud 747 for cultivating until a tyre suffered irreparable damage.
Its original tyre manufacturer, United Tire Company of Canada, had stopped making its custom tyres and as a result, Big Bud was retired and put on display at the Heartland Museum. The museum owners even built it its own shed to ‘rest’ in.
The transformation
It has always been the Williams brothers’ dream to restore the Big Bud 747 to its former glory and bring it home to their farm in Montana. So they approached local tyre dealer, Janesville Tire Service, to come up with a solution.
“We came down here and tore it apart and one of the original tires was beyond repair,” said Paul Beckstrand of Janesville Tire Service.
“So, I called Scott Sloan from Titan – they’re a good company to work with.”
On July 14, 2020, Titan and the Janesville Tire Service team installed eight Goodyear Low Sidewall (LSW) 1400/30R46 tyres on the Big Bud, complete with new rims to support the dual LSW setup.
Titan Ag Product Manager/Global LSW, Scott Sloan, gave credit to Titan, Twin Valley Tire and Janesville Tire Service for help with the fitting of the tyres; as well as Wold Rim & Wheel for the rim modifications.
“That’s what we do – that’s our job here, to help end users solve their problems,” Sloan said.
“It’s the perfect match to put the world’s largest ag tires on the world’s largest ag tractor. We’re just proud to be part of this project.”
Now that the Big Bud 747 is operational again, it will return home to the Williams brothers’ farm in Montana, where it will be ready for any challenge ahead.
“[The tyres] are made in the USA, the tractor’s made in the USA, and the Detroit engine’s made in the USA,” said Robert Williams.
“We’re looking forward to getting it home.”
The Williams brothers are currently planning to bring the Big Bud 747 home sometime in the next few months to run it during harvest and then have it on display in Montana, at a to-be-determined location.
Those interested in seeing the Big Bud 747 in action with its brand new tyres can do so at the Farm Progress Virtual Experience that will run from September 15-17.
About Big Bud 747
The Big Bud 747 was built in 1977 and has a maximum output of 1100hp, making it the world’s biggest and most powerful tractor even after 40 years. It is capable of farming three acres per minute and towers over today’s largest 4WD tractors.
Big Bud 747 is 27 feet (8m) long, 25 feet (7.6m) wide and 14 feet (4m) tall. With the new tyres, its width is just over 25 feet. It holds 1000 gallons (3785-litres) of fuel and weighs more than 135,000 pounds (about 61 tonnes) when fully ballasted.
The engine is a Detroit Diesel 16V92T 16-cylinder, two-cycle engine.
Big Bud Tractors, which manufactured the 747 and a series of high horse power tractors that remain some of the biggest in the world, was based in Montana.
It stopped production in the early 1990s following increasing competition from other manufacturers in the farm machinery sector.
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