Search For Vintage Tractors Led To A Blue Ox

Search For Vintage Tractors Led To A Blue Ox Like a hunting dog on the hot trail of a game bird, Jesse Henderson has been scouring the countryside for big farm-built 4-WD tractors for more than 25 years. A 2015 search led him to the farm in Red Lake Falls, Minn., of Vern Schindler, who, along with his brother-in-law John Schafer, had built 4-WD tractors modeled after the Steiger 105 in 1960 and 1961. “Schafer and Shindler wanted to buy Steiger 105s,” Henderson says, “but Doug and Maurice had only built three and didn’t have any to sell them. The brothers-in-law decided to build their own tractors because they were mechanically inclined and had warm shops during the cold winter months. The Steiger brothers, who were neighbors farming nearby, helped them by supplying the transfer cases, hydraulic components and forming sheet metal for the tractors.” In 2015, Henderson learned the backstory behind those builds during a visit to Vern Schindler, who was in poor health. Vern still clearly recalled how he and Schafer built the tractors. “Vern said he and John each bought a decommissioned North Dakota snowplow truck, which supplied them with 3-71 Detroit engines, 5-speed Clark transmissions, radiators and engine gauges. They modified axles from WC Allis-Chalmers tractors and built their own wheels, with 3/4-in. thick center sections welded into 24-in. rims. Those accommodated 16.9 x 24 tires.” Modeling their tractors after the 105, Henderson says they built front frame sections from 1/4-in. steel plate and used 1/2-in. plate for the rear frames. They also made 100-gal. fuel tanks mounted in front of the rear wheels and 10-gal. hydraulic reservoirs. Schafer’s tractor was completed in 1960 and proved its worth in the fields that year. Schindler’s rig was finished in 1961. Both 4-WDs worked for nearly 40 years without major mechanical problems. They were also easy to recognize in the field. “Vern told me that he and Schafer wanted their tractors to be a distinct color,” Henderson says. “They mixed equal parts of white, John Deere green, and Ford blue. That mixture created a bright turquoise final coat that definitely stood out.” Schindler named his tractor the Blue Ox in honor of Paul Bunyan’s legendary companion, Babe. Both tractors logged hundreds of field hours before being retired, but the legendary Blue Ox still lives on. Henderson acquired the rusted turquoise relic from Schindler’s farm in 2024. “Vern’s son and daughter were both excited for me to get their dad’s tractor so it could be restored in his honor,” Henderson says. “The Blue Ox was a sorry sight because it had sat outside for many years,” Henderson says. “I got the engine to turn about a quarter of a revolution, then it locked up. I pulled the blower and found that one of the rotors was cracked. That couldn’t be repaired, so I put on a different blower, and the engine was still bound up.” In the winter of 25-26, Henderson pulled the head, worked on the valves, and performed a minor engine overhaul. “The engine started and runs well. I still have to repair a few other things, get the operator station fixed up, and locate different tires. I hope to have it completed this summer and might even try to mix up those three different paint colors and make it look like it did more than 65 years ago.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jesse Henderson, P.O. Box 8, Casselton, N.D. 58012 (ph 701-214-3375; homemadetractors@gmail.com; www.facebook.com/groups/homemadefarmequipment).

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