4/25/2008

By TIM UNRUH

Salina Journal

A nostalgic convoy of old tractors is planned Saturday morning through northern Saline County.

The 23-mile tour, organized by the Central Kansas Flywheels, is just for enjoyment, board member Jerry May said.

"A lot of people like to dig the old things out and have some fun with them," he said.

Anyone with a tractor that will travel at least 10 mph can join in the ride beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the Yesteryear Museum, 1100 W. Diamond. The nonprofit Flywheels organization owns and operates the museum.

Plan to assemble at 9 a.m. near the museum just north of Interstate Highway 70 and west of the Petro 2 truck stop off Ninth Street. A slow-moving vehicle placard must be affixed to the back of each tractor.

Tractor drives are popular in eastern and northern states, said Cain Hiner, Assaria, a Flywheels board member.

"You see a lot of country at 10 miles an hour; it's kind of a neat deal," he said.

From the museum, the tour will proceed east on Diamond to Ninth Street, north to Shipton, east to Ohio Street, south to Schippel then east to Crystal Springs Road, north to Humbargar Road, east to Simpson, south to Old Kansas Highway 40 and then west to Stimmel, continuing west to Ninth street and back to the museum.

"We'll have a chase vehicle with a trailer and winch in case one of them breaks down," May said.

A noon hamburger lunch will be available for $5 at the museum.

"It's not a parade. We're just going to blend in with the traffic," Hiner said.

His first tractor, at 10

May will lead the procession in a 1950 John Deere A. Three of Hiner's 8N Ford tractors, 1948, 1950 and 1951 models, will be in the tour. Hiner's neighbor, Leroy Goppert, and KINA and KSKG radio station manager Jerry Hinrikus, Salina, will drive the other two. Hinrikus was reared on a farm near Hastings, Neb.

"That was my first tractor when I was 10 years old. I remember pulling a two-bottom plow out in the field for days and days," Hinrikus said. "I think my dad put me out there to keep me out of his hair."

Hiner figures each of his tractors will burn about five gallons of fuel.

"In the field, you couldn't get four hours on 10 gallons," Hiner said.

He predicts about 20 tractors will join in the ride.

"A lot of that will depend on the weather. That and gas prices, I'm sure, will make a difference," Hiner said.

n Reporter Tim Unruh can be reached at 822-1419 or by e-mail at tunruh@salina.com.

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