World’s Largest Farm Tractor Leaving Iowa to Head Back to Field

They call it 'Big Bud 747.' It's big, alright, and it's called an Iowa museum home for the last decade.

'Big Bud 747' is a massive, beast of a tractor that was built in Havre, Montana in 1977. It was used by cotton farmers in California and was then sold to a farm in Florida. In 1997, the Billings Gazette reports current owners Randy and Robert Williams purchased the tractor and moved it back to its home state of Montana.

How much did the Williams' pay for the tractor? An incredible bargain of $95,000. Why such a bargain? Tour buses came to Montana to see the tractor and how many tractors do you know that have their own line of merchandise? This one does, available HERE.

According to Siouxland Proud, when the Williams farm went no-till, they stopped using the ginormous tractor. It ended up at the Heartland Museum in Clarion, Iowa. That's where it's been ever since, until now.

This week, 'Big Bud 747' had its original 8-foot-tall tires replaced and the giant tractor is preparing to head west, back to Montana. Back to work.

Just look at some of the specs on this thing that can pull an 80-foot chisel at 8-miles per hour, covering 1.3 acres per minute:

• Height: 14-feet
• Weight: Approximately 100,000 pounds
• Horsepower: 1,000
• Fuel Tank: 1,000 gallons
• Engine: 16-valve
• Tire and Rim Weight: 36,000 pounds

Here's more about 'Big Bud 747' from a show in Illinois back in the late 2000s.