Heritage Iron Issue #108

Heritage Iron Issue #108 Nov/Dec 2026 FEATURING: Oliver’s One and Only V8 – The Beastly 2255: As the horsepower race heated up in the 1970s, Oliver entered the V8 battle with the mighty 2255. Take a closer look at Oliver’s big-muscle tractor, powered by the Caterpillar 3150 V8, along with its Over/Under Hydraul-Shift, row crop and four-wheel-drive configurations, available options, and a USAC field comparison that put the 2255 up against the John Deere 4630, International Harvester 1468, and Massey-Ferguson 1150. Feature Tractor Owner: Paul Lano, Norwood, MN. CrustBuster-Speed King, American Products, and the Hornung Family – Built on the Plains: Tyler Hook traces the western Kansas roots of CrustBuster-Speed King, beginning with Michael Hornung and American Products in Spearville, Kansas. Learn how the original Crust Buster implement led to hydraulic-folding grain drills and tillage equipment, and how the company expanded through Speed King grain-handling equipment, the Boll Buggy line, cotton equipment, seed tenders, and more while remaining a multi-generation Hornung family business. HI 108 BOOK proof 3 The Grinder/Mixer – When Old Equipment Is Back In Style: Ryan Kelly looks back at the days of hammer mills, local feed mills, ear corn, and on-farm feed grinding, and how the portable grinder/mixer changed livestock feeding. From Gehl Mix-Alls and Bearcat to Massey-Ferguson and other familiar farm equipment brands, the story explores why grinder/mixers faded from many farms — and why changes in local feed availability are making these old machines useful again. Kieffer Steiger Tractor – Scraping Up Its History: Jesse Henderson tells the unusual story of a 1966 Steiger 1700 connected to North Dakota farmer, mechanic, and self-taught engineer Peter Kieffer. Originally paired with Kieffer’s hydraulically powered Steiger 4E-14 elevating dirt scraper, the early Steiger later received a Mack diesel engine, an Eaton Fuller transmission, a Steiger cab, and other modifications that became an important part of the tractor’s working history. The SOS of the Ford 6000 – Select-O-Speed or Send Help!: Take a closer look at one of Ford’s most talked-about tractors and its revolutionary Select-O-Speed powershift transmission. The story follows the Ford 6000 from its rushed 1961 introduction and troublesome red-frame tractors through Ford’s recall and rebuilding program, the improved blue-and-gray models, and the later 6000 Commander — separating some of the facts from the reputation that followed the tractor for decades. Plus Blowing Smoke reader letters, History Vault, Mini Muscle, classifieds, and ad listings.