The nearly 200 tractors, 40 cars and close to 140 trucks make the 125,000-sq. ft. Keystone Truck and Tractor Museum a place worth visiting. Don’t miss the one-of-a-kind tractor powered by a WWII Indian motorcycle motor. It’s made almost entirely with WWII government surplus parts.
If you prefer trucks, check out the cab-over-engine Diamond T. It features an OEM-installed 450 CI IH Red Diamond engine and a V8 Buick engine that sticks out like a turtle’s head.
“We have some very rare and one-off or ‘only a few made’ cars, trucks and tractors,” says Dylan Simmons, Keystone Truck and Tractor Museum. “The founder is Keith Jones. He grew up on a farm and now operates a nationwide trucking company. He started collecting tractors and trucks before opening the museum.”
The one-of-a-kind tractor is a good example of the unique exhibits to be seen at the museum. It was designed and built by Leonard Kanner in 1951/52. He was an engineer living in Macedonia, Ohio.
The motor is a 1942/43, 72-cu. in., flathead twin V model 342 from a military Indian motorcycle. It has a 3-speed transmission. Belt drives run from the motor to the rear wheels. Kanner used heavy-duty hydraulic parts for many tractor functions, including powering both the top and lower links of the 3-pt. hitch.
Even the wheels look homemade, with large square steel plates mounted inside the rims and bolted to the front and rear axles. Hydraulic motors are used throughout, including for the cooling fan.
In the display, the tractor has an attachment on the 3-pt. Kanner’s family recalled him using the tractor for dirt work on a house he was building. He also used it for gardening and yard work with a sickle bar mower. He designed and built the mower so it could be raised to trim his hedges.
The tractor was built for multiple purposes. The truck was modified for one thing only: power. Frank Gripp, Gripp Trucking, Annawan, Ill., added the second engine after his newly hired son complained the truck couldn’t keep up with traffic.
According to an article on Hemmings.com news, Gripp first installed a Wisconsin air-cooled V4 ahead of the stock RD450. He linked the crankshafts with air controls, but the Wisconsin couldn’t match the larger engine’s rotational speed. He then tried a Jeep 4-cyl. It matched the rpm but didn’t add much power. The 300-cu. in. Buick V8 replaced it.
Gripp ran the Buick’s output shaft through a hole in the radiator and bolted it to the IH’s engine crank pulley. The torque converter in the Buick handled the difference in engine speeds. Air controls shift the automatic transmission between neutral and third gear. The Diamond T’s throttle pedal worked both engines. Gripp added a hood and grille to the add-on engine.
Gripp and his son were satisfied. He reported passing every car on I-80 on its first trip out. The modification was made in the mid-1960s. The truck remained in operation through 1975, when it was pulled off the road due to rust. The tag axle was repurposed for a trailer, and the truck sat until the late 1980s, when it was sold to a collector. A few years later, it was sold to Adams Transit, which restored it to preserve the unique drivetrain. They replaced the cab-over-engine cab and added a Diamond T grille for effect. In 2023, it was acquired by the Keystone Museum.
Keystone offers more than just trucks, cars and tractors. Other displays include old tools for carpenters, loggers, coopers, barn builders and blacksmiths. One cabinet holds the tools and spare parts Kanner used to build his tractor.
There are displays of garage tools, oil cans and oil company signs. A replica of a two-bay service station has a 1955 Thunderbird on the hoist and another on the floor.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Keystone Truck and Tractor Museum, 880 W. Roslyn Rd., Colonial Heights, Va. 23834 (ph 804-524-0020; www.keystonetractorworks.com).