Ford tractors featured at Historic Farm Days

Kent Casson
·2 min read
3
The featured brand of tractors at the Historic Farm Days at Penfield last week was Ford, including these that were on display.
The featured brand of tractors at the Historic Farm Days at Penfield last week was Ford, including these that were on display.

PENFIELD — Tractor pulls and daily parades were just some of the highlights of this year’s Historic Farm Days event at Penfield in east central Illinois.

The weekend trip down agriculture’s memory lane featured the Ford, New Holland, Versatile and David Bradley brands of tractors. John Bensyl of Penfield is director of the National Ford Fordson Collectors Association and had equipment on display at the show.

“I’ve got a half dozen different tractors,” Bensyl said. “I have a Fordson and wartime 2N on steel wheels.”

Bensyl, who also helps with the Historic Farm Days show, has been around the brand for much of his life as he worked for the local dealership in Urbana for 32 years. His association remains active with around 800 members, including some from overseas.

“We have annual meets all over the country from the east coast out to Missouri,” Bensyl said.

When Fordson tractors were first released, the cost was actually based on the price of a team of horses and 10 acres of ground for hay. According to Bensyl, the tractors were less than $500 at first. The length of the Fordson was designed so eight could fit in a boxcar to be transported.

Volunteer Chris Karr said there was no shortage of events during the 2022 Historic Farm Days.

“We’ve got a lot of activities going on — we are going to plow and cut wheat,” he explained.

There were plenty of non-featured tractors on display and new activities for everyone in the family to check out such as a kiddie train offering rides for children. A Cub Cadet lawn tractor served as the locomotive’s body, which was donated by an I&I Club member. Thanks to work on the steel frame, which made it appear to be an old steam boiler, the train appeared to be pretty authentic.

“There are pieces of equipment that you see in a book but you can come here and see the real thing,” Karr said.

Around 100 vendors sold items such as tractor parts, crafts and farm toys throughout the show grounds. Food options ranged from homestyle breakfasts to homemade ice cream from the Moo Mobile along with pie, pulled pork sandwiches and deep fried food choices.

The I&I Antique Tractor and Gas Engine Club, which puts on the Historic Farm Days show each year, got its start near Alvin, on the Illinois side of the state line between Illinois and Indiana. The group has moved around since its start in 1976 but eventually settled at Penfield.

This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Ford tractors featured at Historic Farm Days in Penfield, Illinois