by Jason Hasert

        The Big Bud 16V-747 built in 1977 and sold in early 1978 was not only the biggest agricultural tractor of the day,  but was largest tractor ever built.  It was designed for the toughest jobs in agriculture.  The Big Bud company who built the 16V-747 dubbed it "Field Artillery". 

        Only one 16V-747 was built but it was designed with the idea to offer it as a full production tractor.  The 747 was built for the Rossi brothers 10,000 acre cotton farm in California.  The Rossi brothers needed a deep tillage tractor that could move fast.  In the 1970's the farm was using two Caterpillar D-9's, fitted with 5 shank rippers, which covered around 15 acres per day.  With the purchase of the 747 teamed with a 15 shank ripper the farm could cover 15 acres an hour.  

        The Big Bud 16V-747 in 1978 was rated at 760 hp powered by Detroit Diesel 16V92T engine with 16 cylinders in a V configuration. The engine was built to put out 1900 rpms and can be opened up to 900 - 1000 hp. The tractor has a top speed of 20 mph and weighs 130,000 pounds.  A modern CaseIH STX 440 Quad-Trac weighs 54,000 pounds.  This mega tractor is 14ft tall to the cab and has a wheel base of  16.25 feet. 

       Additional 747's were planned but never were developed leaving the Rossi brothers model the only model built.  In the late 70's the hp race was on between 4wd producers.  Steiger built a triple engine tractor offering 1,000 hp, a twin engine tractor with 650 hp and Versatile built an 8wd tractor called "Big Roy" offering 600 hp.  All these tractors never made it to market and the dismal farm economy of the 1980's killed the high hp market.

          Toy Farmer Magazine teamed up with Die-Cast promotions to offer a 1/64 model of the 77-78 "Factory" 760 hp 16V-747.  This model is one of the highest detailed 1/64 toys ever offered.  It is offered in a black box giving the history of the 16V-747's origins.   This model will most likely sell out fast. Hopefully you have purchased or ordered yours. 

          The 16V-747 1/64 model has unprecedented detail. The hood opens to show a life like 16V engine. This is only 1/64 tractor ever produced with a serviceable engine. The engine is built very close in detail to the real machine. All of the hand and guard rails around the cab and access is a real plus on the toy as well.

        Detail was not over looked in the cab area. This 1/64 model shares the same interior detail that the 1/32 version had. You can see in this picture of the 1/64 747 there is a dash board, shifter and steering wheel.

      The articulation joint offers detail too. Most toy 4wds pivot on a pin or a die-cast joint that allows for a bending motion and holds the toy together. Die-Cast Promotions went beyond the call by adding life like cylinders and joints at the articulation point to stay true to the real machine.

   The 1/64 747 will look great on any shelf. It is even more fun to display 1/64 tractors on a model farm. For that you need implements. Believe it or not there are a few implements available that look right at home on the 16V-747. I would like to note that it is ok to use the 16V-747 on a display. Yes there was only one and some may say it is unrealistic to display one but what fun is that. A 1/64 farm is often a dream farm and having a 16V-747 in use can be part of that dream. Either your farm bought the one and only or in your display Big Bud was able to build a series of 16V-747's. Maybe your farm is so big you run two 747's.

      As we discussed above the factory version just released was used to rip and subsoil. C&D Models is about to release a 13 shank ripper. This 1/64 disk-ripper suites the 747 well. The largest rippers on the market today are 9 shank units that make CNH, CAT and John Deere 450-500 hp 4wds really work. A 13 shank unit would stop a normal 4wd cold. The 16V-747 could handle the new C&D ripper with ease. It looks pretty good ripping up some wheat ground on my display.

        The modern 16V-747 which now resides in Montana pulls an 80ft field-cultivator. Out in Montana fields are not measured in acres but in thousand acre sections. The Big Bud 16V-747 with a big field cultivator can work an acre a minute. In an 8 hour day you can cover 800 acres. That is a real plus if you have 10,000 or 15,000 acres.

       C&D models offers a 72ft field cultivator that hooks right onto the 747. If your display requires allot of ground to be covered this is your team. C&D also makes a 72ft double fold packer that can be hooked onto the field cultivators rear hitch.

       C&D also offers a 16 bottom plow. With 760 hp the "Factory" 16V-747 can walk away with a big plow like that. Back in the early years of the 16V-747 plowing would have been a common site across the mid-west. Make a 1970's farm around your 747 and hook up a big plow. C&D offers a build it your self 16 bottom plow and offers a 12 bottom plow on a blister card. If you bought two C&D 16 bottom kits you could make a 32 bottom plow and then you would have a real sight to see on your display.

        4wds have become a popular piece of equipment on construction sites. They are often used to pull scrapper pans. The 16V-747 if produced in a larger quantity may have been sold for industrial purposes too. It takes allot of power to pull pans and you can never have too much. With 760 hp and the massive 747 frame few pans will hold up this 4wd. Gordy Shultz a well known 1/64 builder is now building single and tandem pans. You can contact him through e-mail at tfarmin@athenet.net to order your set.

       There are two more versions of the 16V-747 in 1/64 on the way. In September Toy Farmer will release the "modern" version and a signature edition . The "modern" version will be painted all white and have 900 hp decals. This model represents the way the 16V-747 looks today. The tractor was refurbished and purchased by the Williams brothers. They operate a 15,000 acre wheat farm in Montana. The 16V-747 during its over haul was turned up to 900 hp to make better use of its size. The toy version will be sold in a black box just like the current "factory" model featured in this article.

       Another version of the "modern" 1/64 16V-747 will be offered in September. This model will be a collectors signature edition. This unit will be packaged in a white box. 3,000 units will be produced. The underside of this model will feature factory applied signatures of Robert and Randy Williams. 747 1/32 16V-747's were produced and sold in 2002 with the signature option. Van Kley farm toys will be the key distributor of these "signature" edition 16V-747's. The Williams Brothers will also sell them to visitors to their farm. The "modern" version can be reserved at Toy Farmer by calling 1-800-533-8293 for a price of $25. The "signature" edition can be reserved for $60 by contacting Van Kley Farm Toys at or on the web at www.vankleyfarmtoys.com.

       To conclude the 16V-747 article there are a few items that I would like to clear up. Big Bud has gained fame in the past two years from the release of the 16V-747. Some collectors think all Big Buds are 16V-747's. This is not true. Big Bud was a company that built over 500 4wds ranging from 250 hp to 760 hp from 1968 through 1991. There is only one 16V-747. The 747 was built in 1977 and farmed with in California and then Florida. From the factory it had a black hood and a 760 hp rating. In 1998 the 747 was hauled from Florida back to Montana. The 747 was repainted all white and chrome mufflers were added. Today the 747 is owned by the Williams brothers and used on their ranch in Montana.

       From a collectable stand point there are some terms to sort out on the 16V-747. The "Factory" version has a black hood and black mufflers. The "modern" version will be all white and have chrome mufflers. Both will be sold in black boxes. The "signature" edition will be a "modern" version in a white box with imprinted signatures on the bottom of the tractor. One other twist in the 1/64 16V-747's is autographed models. Both Robert and Randy Williams have been kind to autograph the 1/32 and 1/64 747's. They have signed the boxes and the tractors at the LaMoure, ND toy show in 2002 and 2003. They will also be on hand at the National Farm Toy Show this fall to sign the toys. These models are not "signature" editions so be careful when you see one on e-bay or at a show. Look for the imprint. Although the autograph adds just as much to the tractor.

        Many Thanks to Al Van Kley for information on the "signature" edition. If you would like to learn more about Big Bud visit . To see some nice pictures of the 16V-747 that really put the tractor into perspective visit www.vankleyfarmtoys.com.

To equip your 4wd or purchase a new one visit www.cdmodels.com

TTT July 2003 Page 10

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