BIG BUD 16V-747 Tractor Chisel Plowing

Tractor Power fans, this video comes to you from a 3,000-acre field in the Big Sky country of northwest Montana, known as the Golden Triangle for the region's production of wheat and small grains. The world's largest tractor, the 1,100-horsepower Big Bud 16V747, is working in this field with the Frigstead D780 7-section 80-foot chisel plow. This big tillage team is preparing the ground for next year's winter wheat crop. This video will share the tractor's specifications, production history, original price tag, and take viewers up into the cab to visit with Montana wheat farmer Robert Williams to see his perspective of operating this massive 130,000-pound tractor as it cruises across the field at 5 miles per hour, pulling the large chisel plow equipped with 80 shovels. But first, let's head out to the field so you can see and hear all this tillage action. We're to begin preparing the seedbed for next year's winter wheat crop in the 3,000-acre field known as the 8-mile bench that sits 1,000 feet above the Missouri River in northwest Montana. The Big Bud 16V747 tractor must make a climb up a steep incline of 600 feet. This 25-and-a-half-foot-wide tractor takes up the entire road and a little bit more with its LSW 1,400 tires. Big Bud 16V747 has held the title as the world's largest tractor for over four decades. Just how big is this tractor? Let's take a look at it in a side-by-side comparison with one of today's largest modern tractors, the John Deere 9620R. Manufactured in Waterloo, Iowa, this tractor weighs in at 60,000 pounds and is powered by a 14.9-liter Cummins QSX-15 six-cylinder, 912-cubic-inch diesel engine rated at 620 horsepower. The 16V747 is just over double the size of the 9620R. This 130,000-pound tractor is powered by a 24.1-liter Detroit Diesel 16V92T 16-cylinder 1,492-cubic-inch diesel engine rated at 1,100 horsepower. This tractor was built by Northern Manufacturing of Havre, Montana in 1977. The company manufactured 500 Big Bud tractors between 1969 and 1991. It is the only 16V747 model produced by the company and is the largest Big Bud ever offered. When the tractor rolled off the assembly line, it had a factory horsepower rating of 760 and has the power growth ability up to 1,900 horsepower when the tractor encounters tough field conditions. This dual-turbocharged tractor is currently set at 1,100 horsepower for field work. This machine features a twin-disc TD61-2609 full power shift transmission with six forward speeds and one reverse. The top-end speed of the tractor is 10 miles per hour. It's equipped with a 1,000-gallon diesel fuel tank. The tractor weighed in from the factory at 95,000 pounds and the rear hitch area alone was constructed with 75 pounds of welding rod. It is field-weighted to 130,000 pounds. The original price tag of the Big Bud 16V747 in 1977 was $300,000. Most four-wheel drives produced in that time period ranged from 150 to 300 horsepower and were typically priced anywhere from $50,000 to $90,000. In today's dollars, the 16V747 would cost $1,317,000. So Howard, you're the Big Bud pilot here. What is it like to operate this machine and what kind of control system do you have here on the dashboard? It's basically like... So you've got all your gauges here. The TD was... More, more. Makes a difference. The Big Bud 16V747 was exclusively built for heavy-duty primary tillage jobs. When this machine is paired with an 80-foot-wide Frigstad D780 chisel plow, the team will turn over one acre per minute and till up 800 acres in a 12-hour day. The tractor is cruising at 5 miles per hour, operating the chisel plow's shovels 5 inches deep in the soil. The winter wheat planting window is narrow in northwest Montana. It's limited to late September and early October before the winter snows begin to fly. In order to cover these broad acres, the Williams Brothers farm relies on big tractors and wide implements. Following behind the farm's tillage team is a Detroit diesel-powered 440 horsepower Big Bud 440 tractor. It is operating an 86-foot-wide Morris contour drill that is putting next year's winter wheat crop in the ground. I hope that you've enjoyed spending some time out in this northwest Montana field with the world's largest tractor, the Big Bud 16V747. What is the largest tractor on your farm, or what is your all-time favorite big tractor? Let me know about it in the comments section below this video. And if you've enjoyed the video, consider subscribing to Big Tractor Power YouTube, where there's over 1,000 videos of farm machines in action. As always, thank you for watching.