Alive & Working

Matt Hopkins Posted by Matt Hopkins|January 23, 2009

Big A 3-wheeler

Over the years since CropLife IRON introduced its tribute to classic pieces of equipment still earning their keep in the fields of America, perhaps no other unit has inspired more letters and notes than the good old Big A. In all, more than 20 readers provided information about how they rescued Big As from the scrap heap or inactivity, spruced them up, and turned them back into the field workhorses they were built to be.

This month’s Classic IRON featured machine is no exception. According to the good folks at Burrer Farms in Elyria, OH, this vintage Big A 2500 three-wheeler was made during the nation’s bicentennial in 1976. The unit has been used by the Burrer family to apply fertilizer to approximately 5,000 acres of its crop fields for several years now. On occasion, the Big A has applied lime as well.

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According to the Tom Burrer, however, the Burrer Farms Big A 2500 is unique among all its peers because of some engine and transmission improvements the family made to it a few years back.

“Our Big A is powered by a large Ford-built 534 cubic-inch gasoline motor with Allison transmission,” writes Burrer. “This was a big improvement over the smaller Ford 391 gasoline engine with manual transmission that originally were on the machine.”

So for anyone driving through Northwestern Ohio who happens to pass by Burrer Farms, don’t be surprised to see this classic IRON member making its way through the family’s fields for years to come.

“Live on forever, Big A,” writes Burrer, in the conclusion of his letter.

We couldn’t agree more.

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Hopkins is Senior Online Editor for the CropLife Media Group at Meister Media Worldwide. See all author stories here.

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