A Hi-Tractor Homecoming
September 15, 2008 
It’s always a special day when a long lost family member returns home following years of wandering. For Clarion, IA-based Hagie Manufacturing Co., that day arrived this past March when one of the company’s last mechanical drive sprayers — a Hagie 437 Hi-Tractor — was reunited with its maker.
This particular 437 Hi-Tractor was made during the middle of the model’s production run back in 1971 (Hagie made 437 Hi-Tractors from 1968 to 1973). As with other units in its family, this 437 Hi-Tractor was equipped with a Wisconsin VH4D, 30-hp engine and a 285-gallon stainless steel tank. It featured a 30-foot, front-mounted boom with an extender that could bring its total width to 40 feet. 437 Hi-Tractors were also built with mechanical drive systems — the last Hagie-produced machines to have this distinction.
According to Hagie’s sales records, this 437 Hi-Tractor was sold on May 13, 1971, to the Cyanamid outlet in Spencer, IA for $6,394.25. From that point on, the unit spent many seasons in nearby farm fields providing insect and weed control.
In early 2006, Hagie representatives discovered the old Cyanamid 437 Hi-Tractor was for sale and they quickly snatched it up. Fully restored to its original condition by Clarion native Carl Studer, this 437 Hi-Tractor is now enjoying a second life touring the country at trade shows as a cherished showpiece in the Hagie company booth.
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