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Large tractor draws a crowd

SALEM–When Randy and Drew Van Scoy of Lisbon were in the market for a new tractor they were looking for an older model but they ended up with something much bigger than your average machine.

“A standard tractor would be around 100 horsepower,” Drew Van Scoy said. “This is probably four or five times the size of that.”

The Van Scoy’s own one of 285 Steiger Tiger IV KP525 which were produced between the years of 1983 and 1986. There are less than 50 of these still in operation today.

They bought the tractor off a farmer from Thief River Falls, Minnesota.

“We weren’t exactly a fan of the new equipment and I was a fan of this one,” Drew Van Scoy said.

The tractor has 525 horsepower.

The original use of the tractor was meant to be for farming but the Van Scoy’s have had a change of mind since.

“We originally bought it for work but things have changed since than so we are wondering what to do next,” Randy Van Scoy said.

This is the first time they have brought the tractor out for display.

“It’s amazing how much of a draw this is,” Randy Van Scoy said. “There is a lot of people who can’t get over the size of it.”

Maintenance can be costly but the Steiger company is very accommodating to any repairs or maintenance they may have.

“There’s still a very large warehouse in North Dakota at the old assembly plant and I guess they have millions of dollars of overstock inventory,” Drew Van Scoy said. “They are an accommodating company.”

The estimated amount of time they do for up-keep on the tractor per year is 250-500 hours a year.

“It’s not too difficult to maintain but it holds a lot of fluid and there is a lot of filters on it,” Drew Van Scoy said. “You spend a lot of time on it.”

As for other owners of identical tractors the Van Scoy’s know of only a few owners of the machine out of state.

“There are two I know in Minesotta and than some out west,” Drew Van Scoy said. “I know a few farmers in Australia have them. I’m not sure how many many but I just know there is a lot of Australian farmers that imported this type of tractor.”

The two have enjoyed catching people’s attention with their tractor on display at South Broadway Avenue during the annual celebration of automobiles and in this case tractors.

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