“He’s Got the Fever”
Take a virtual tour to Crawford County, Iowa, where the Kahl family is preserving an array of vintage tractors
Drive along the county road between Buck Grove and Dow City, and prepare for a vintage tractor lover’s dream. At Don and Barbara Kahl’s farm, it’s hard to miss the line of Oliver, Massey Ferguson, Case and Allis-Chalmers tractors lined up with military precision along the north side of the striking red barn.
“He’s got the fever,” said Barbara Kahl, referring to her husband’s love for old iron. “Don loves talking tractors.”
He had the chance this spring when members of the West Central Iowa Collector Club (a 50-year-old-club devoted to collections of three or more items) stopped by. Since the Kahl family has a collection of about 30 tractors (including 20 that run), they definitely fit the criteria.
“I grew up with a 1930s vintage Allis-Chalmers,” said Don, whose family’s farm roots run deep in Crawford County. He never thought he’d become a farmer, though. The young newlywed and 1969 Dow City High School graduate worked as a truck mechanic until he was drafted in the U.S. Army in 1969. While this was the Vietnam era, he was stationed at the Panama Canal.
When Donald’s two years of service were complete, he decided farming back in Crawford County looked pretty good. The first tractor he and wife bought was a 1962 Massey Ferguson 65. They still own this tractor, which features a sun shade. Their vintage tractor collection started with a 1942 square-front Allis-Chalmers that Donald acquired in the 1980s.
Restoring “The Twins
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Today, some of the couple’s favorite tractors are “The Twins.” Donald recalled the day he was checking out tractor arrivals with a guy who sold vintage farm equipment purchased out of Canada. “I had previously purchased an Allis-Chalmers WF and a Case S,” Donald noted. “That day there were two Oliver 70 Standards that caught my eye.”
One was a faded green. While it was complete, it was rough. “The other tractor was in various piles and very rusty,” Donald said. “The price was cheap enough, and I didn’t need to give it any more of a looking over, so I bought it.”
When he got home and looked through the rusty pile he’d just purchased, he discovered he had the components of a 70 Cockshutt Standard. These tractors were built in the 1930s and 1940s in Charles City, Iowa, and shipped to Canada. “Boy, was I excited,” Donald said.
While he restored the 1948 Oliver 70 in 2002, the Cockshutt sat in the weeds for several years. “Because it was so rough, I just wasn’t up to the challenge at the time,” he said. “I knew I did want to make ‘The Twins’ shine and be parked side by side sometime, though.”
When Donald heard that the Hart-Parr Oliver Collectors Association summer show was coming to Iowa, he knew it was time to bring the Cockshutt to life. He overhauled the engine, sealed up the transmission and replaced the radiator. “The fenders were so rough I thought I could never fix them, but I hammed and puttied them and the rest of the tin work until they were nearly perfect.”
Once he added some new side panels, the tractor was ready for sandblasting and painting. “My son, Dennis, is my body man helper, and my brother is my painter,” Donald said. “Together we make a great team.”
The Kahls have exhibited “The Twins” at shows from Mount Pleasant, Iowa, to Madison, Wisconsin. Antique Power magazine has also featured the Kahl’s 1948 Oliver 70.
Building a collection
Through the years, Donald has continued to add more tractors to his collection. Sometimes he seeks them out, and sometimes sellers approach him. “Vintage tractors are like little puppies,” Barbara joked. “They seem to follow Don home.”
About 12 years ago the Kahl family built a modern, clear-span barn (with a classic gambrel roof design) to house part of their tractor collection. The barn also provides shop space where Kahl can restore vintage tractors.
The Kahls, who have been married 56 years, enjoy participating in tractor rides every year, including the Red Rock Threshers ride near Pella. Their tractors aren’t just for looks, though. “I put them to work,” said Donald, who uses them for various jobs around the farm. He has also used his 1942 Allis-Chalmers WC to combine wheat at the Albert City Threshermen & Collectors Show, which is held each August.
The Kahl’s barn includes a loft that functions like a mini-museum of tractor history, complete with tractor manuals, magazine articles and other memorabilia. Donald is a preservationist at heart, noting that some of the vintage tractors in his collection were headed for the scrap heap before he intervened. That’s just fine with Barbara. “I think everyone in the county knows that Donald loves tractors.”
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Enjoyed that column. Happy Father’s Day! 🌺🎉