'Big Roy's' A Big Boy

"Big Roy's" A Big Boy TRACTORS New Tractors 22-4-19 "Big Roy" was built in 1977 by the Versatile company of Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was named for Roy Robinson, the company's biggest share-holder at the time. Power limit for production tractors in those days was 350 hp, but Robinson instructed Versatile engineers to build a 600 hp giant. The articulated, 8-WD, 28-ton tractor is powered by a Cummins KTA 1150-600 diesel in its rear section. The rear-mounted engine created rear visibility problems, so a closed circuit TV camera was mounted on back of the tractor and linked to a 9-in. screen mounted above the instrument panel in the cab. In field tests, Big Roy easily handled a 118 ft. wide cultivator at up to 6 1/2 mph and a 20-bottom plow to 12 in. deep, no problem. But there were a couple design problems, such as the steering system and the pivot point for the articulated steering behind the cab. Worse was the fact the tractor simply had too much power for the implements that were avail-able in the late 1970's. Eventually, Versatile switched to developing a smaller, 470-hp version of the tractor. Big Roy is now on display at the Manitoba Agricultural Museum in Austin, Manitoba. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Manitoba Agricultural Museum Inc., P.O. Box 10, Austin, Manitoba, Canada R0H 0C0 (ph 204 637-2211).

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