Collector provides continuing education through magazine

URBANA, Ill. — The Prairie Gold Rush magazine has provided stories and information about Minneapolis-Moline and Twin City tractors and equipment to readers for the past 40 years.

“This magazine was the first brand-specific magazine published,” said Cheryl DeLap, who is now owner and editor of the quarterly publication. “I’ve been the editor for 22 years.”

Published in January, April, July and October, the magazine features information about the history of tractor models.

“It’s a continual education for all of us because we continually find information that was hidden in someone’s barn,” DeLap said.

The Minneapolis Moline Power Implement Co. was established in 1929. Minneapolis-Moline acquired the Avery farm equipment line in 1951, and the White Motor Co. purchased the company in 1972. The last use of the MM badge was in 1974, and the White company is owned by AGCO today.

Any Minneapolis-Moline tractor is rare or at least harder to find, DeLap said, since the company only had 3% of the market in the 1950s.

“It was not one of the biggest manufacturers so the parts are continually becoming harder and harder to find,” she said.

The magazine is a good place to find parts for Minneapolis-Moline tractors.

“There are advertisers who have collected parts from dealerships that were dissolved,” DeLap said.

Sometimes Minneapolis-Moline tractors appear to be the same model, but they really are not. For example, tractors may have different manifolds.

“We have people who do research on build sheets, so we’re pretty good with the year and what was put on that particular tractor for that particular year,” DeLap said. “And we’ve got serial number lists to help people figure out what year the tractor was made.”

In addition to publishing the magazine, DeLap also enjoys collecting tractors and plans to display some of her tractors July 8-11 at the Historic Farm Days in Penfield.

The show, hosted by the I&I Tractor and Gas Engine Club, will feature three brands of tractors this year — B.F. Avery, Minneapolis Moline and Massey Ferguson.

“I always take my Minneapolis-Moline 350 and I’ll probably take a UB or UB Special,” she said. “And I have a YT tractor that I like to drag around.”

DeLap’s collection includes a couple of lawn tractors.

“I really like the 350 and 450 Fiats that were Italian made and came through Canada,” she said. “I also have a 1944 NTX Jeep that was made by Minneapolis-Moline.”

The collector has a UB Special that she enjoys entering in fun pulls.

“It’s nothing serious, but once you do it, you get hooked on pulling,” she said. “That’s why I think we get together because we have a good time. It’s that kind of hobby.”

Like most collectors, there are some tractors DeLap would like to add to her collection.

“I like the White Americans that White put out in the ’90s as a heritage series,” she said. “They are pretty tractors.”

The tractors were produced in two sizes — 60 hp and 80 hp.

“The tractors are silver for White, red for Cockshutt, green for Oliver and yellow for Minneapolis-Moline,” July 8-11 said. “The Minneapolis-Molines were the fewest number of all of those, so they are a little harder to come by.”

For more information about the Historic Farm Days, go to www.historicfarmdays.com, or call 217-595-5000.