Big Betsy Tractor

• published: 10 Jan 2015
• views: 13

BIG BETSY’S STORY Big Betsy was the name given to the two-unit tractor built by Raymond Meller of Balfour, ND, during the winters of 1956 and 1957. It was operated from 1958 through 1962 by Raymond and his sons Reuben and Alvin. Betsy is now on display at the Drake Thrashing Grounds in Drake, ND, along with the Meller family’s Hart Parr. Big Betsy was moved from the Butte farm to Drake by local Balfour and Drake farmers. Ray left a successful Balfour blacksmith and repair business in 1954 to return to farming. His farm was located in the Dogden Buttes west of Butte and east of Kongsburg, near his childhood farm. Betsy was built in the machine shop on the farm. When he returned to farming at age 50, he recognized that the farm was a two person operation and that neither of his sons were inclined to become farmers. But he purchased all the equipment required by two people and began planning how to make it a one person operation. Thus began Big Betsy. Big Betsy was built from a 1938(?) Allis Chalmers and a 1948(?) Oliver 99, both of which were large tractors for their time. The front wheels and steering wheels were removed from both tractors. The Oliver front was cradled in the back of the Allis and a swiveling, wide, aircraft tire was installed on the front of the Allis. Two large hydraulic cylinders were installed between the tractors for steering purposes. An auxiliary four cylinder engine was installed on each tractor for additional hill climbing power. A cab with windows was built on the Oliver in which the controls were located and the operator sat. Betsy pulled two four bottom plows with packers and drills. Conventional hydraulic controls were utilized for maintaining plow depth. Modified controls included a metal handle which replaced the steering wheels and controlled the large hydraulic cylinders for steering. Additional controls were designed and built for the Allis clutch and throttle; auxiliary engines; trips for the plows and drills; and clutch trips for the tractor engines if a plow caught on a rock. These controls consisted of modified automobile starters controlled by push buttons in the cab for tripping and resetting the plows and drills, and hydraulic master and slave cylinders made of automobile shock absorbers for clutches and throttles. These controls had to be actuated when starting and stopping, and the steering and trip controls actuated when turning corners in the field. The operator was very busy at these times. Many of the North Dakota fields were lengthy, a half mile or longer. So Ray could relax, observe, and smoke his pipe during these periods, he also designed and built an auto-steering mechanism mounted on the front of the Allis. This consisted of a metal wheel which followed the plow furrow and was linked to another hydraulic valve body which also controlled the large cylinders between the two tractors. The assembly also had a mechanism for lifting it out of the furrow when not needed. BETSY’S MOVIE The movie was likely made in 1958, the first year of operation, during spring planting. The Oliver does not have dual tires yet, and the automatic steering is not mounted. Dual tires were likely also added to the Oliver after Betsy got stuck crossing a marshy meadow and neighbors had to come and help pull her out. You can observe the long orange spring-loaded packer hitch. It was a patented hitch designed by Raymond Meller and Art Kandt, and manufactured in Cooperstown, North Dakota. They marketed it on consignment for a couple years until a major farm equipment manufacturer basically copied it. The other long green packer hitch was one of the many built by Raymond before they went to a manufacturer. The hitch was designed to let the tractor and plow back up a short distance when needed without buckling up the packer and drill behind the plow. Backing up was required if the plow got hung up on a rock or the tractor needed to be rocked back and forth to get unstuck. Unfortunately, in the movie Raymond’s back is to the camera, except when he is driving Betsy. He is also the person leaning on the Lincoln’s door near the end. The dog is Suzie, Raymond’s companion. The Lincoln belongs to Henry Frantsen. The Meller’s 1947 Chevy is the beige automobile; it had been replaced by a 1956 Chevy, and was now a “field” car. Others in the movie are probably Henry and Edwin Frantsen and perhaps their friend Bobby, one of which likely did the filming. Raymond Meller passed away in November, 1961. His son, Reuben utilized Big Betsy during the 1962 farm season.