‘Red Power’ Gears Up For Huge Tractor Convention
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ed the reaper. The company built
trucks, bulldozers, construction
equipment, refrigeration, milking
equipment “everything a man
in a rural area needed to farm,”
Trapani said.
At one time, IH was named the
eighth largest business in the U.
S. The company had lumber,
steel, and coal mining operations
that enabled them to process
every tractor and equipment
piece from start to finish. For in
stance, the forges were run with
coal to form the steel.
Despite “Red Power’s” popu
larity and size, the company went
out of business in 1985.
“Not because they didn’t have
customers. It was sort of an
‘Enron’ thing,” Trapani said of
financial mismanagement.
Some of the company’s
International Harvester Collector Chapter 17 President
Ben Trapani rides his 1952 Farmall H at a recent event.
branches were sold to other com
panies. Part of the company con
tinued manufacturing trucks,
which today are sold under the
International name. The tractor
division was sold to Case IH,
which had been making orange
tractors. Case IH changed their
color to red.
“The color is half the secret (to
success). It’s all about that beau
tiful red paint. There’s nothing
like a red tractor,” Trapani said.
Cub Cadet, which focuses on
lawn and garden equipment,
eventually assumed Case IH’s
tractor line.
Trapani, who sells outdoor
power equipment, says the little
dealers were pushed out because
only big operations are desired by
tractor companies.
The demise of the Internation
al Harvester company certainly
does not deter its devotees.
“People like to come (to the
shows) and see all the equipment,
especially that odd piece they
never saw before.” Trapani said.
Tractors and equipment varied
from area to area. The South had
high crop tractors to harvest cot
ton and the tractors used LP gas.
Because of huge acreage to be
farmed, the West had larger trac
tors than Pennsylvania. In addi
tion to the known models, some
strange-looking pieces continue
to show up at shows odd pieces
that were put together to meet a
particular need.
“Just one more piece,” say col
lectors such as Trapani, who look
for anything connected to the IH
company. In addition to tractors
and farm machinery, Trapani
collects toys, a whole series of
pedal tractors, memorabilia, hats,
old clothing, “no matter what
even greased-stained mechanics
clothing,” he said.
Trapani has collected tractor
models included the 1937 Fl 2,
1931 1020, 1937 F2O, IH 1947,
1951 Farmall M and H models,
and a 1954 IH4OO. He figures it
takes about a year, working
about 10-15 hours a week, to tear
a tractor apart, fix it, paint it,
and put it back together.
Trapani is president of Inter
national Harvester Collectors of
Central Pennsylvania Chapter
17. Members share their enthusi
asm for red tractors and related
memorabilia. The club’s origin
has roots to the early 19905, when
two Indiana men, a former IH
dealer and a farmer, started the
first IH Club. Today there are 32
chapters in the U.S., Canada,
and Sweden. The clubs conduct
semi-annual shows at different
sites throughout the U.S.
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 8, 2003-A2l
Frank “Tubby” Bartlow on a peddle tractor. IH afficion
ados worldwide can visit the museum and participate in a
great many events June 26-28 at the Bloomsburg Fair
grounds.
Pennsylvania has three Red
Power clubs with more than 500
members.
In addition to admiring the
tractors and equipment, one of
the focuses of the dub is to offer
expertise in restoring old tractors
and equipment to its original
showroom condition.
“But some guys like the stuff
just the way they found it
rusty,” Trapani said.
Club membership costs only
$lO annually. Members meet
monthly and also publish a news
letter.
Trapani and Bartlow are mem
bers of Chapter 17 in charge of
hosting the convention.
They selected the Bloomsburg
Fairgrounds as the site because it
is the largest in the state, accord
ing to Trapani.
“You don’t need to be a club
member to attend the convention
or to display things,” Trapani
said.
Neither do you need to prereg
ister, although it will save time if
you do.
For general information about
the show, call Trapani at (570)
275-0398. For tractor pull in
formation, call Brian Shively at
(570) 922-4841. For vendor space,
call Marvin Walter, (570)
837-3386. For memorabilia dis
plays, call Helen Barto at (570)
547-0851.