D21 tractors a sight to see

PONTIAC – Old tractors tend to bring folks together and those friendships last a lifetime.

Darryl Krause from Linden, Washington knows numerous collectors thanks to his fondness of Allis-Chalmers tractors. Krause is displaying the very first and last D-21 tractor at this year’s Threshermen’s Reunion near Pontiac. He hosted the national show for the D-21 50th anniversary in 2013 and felt he had to visit Pontiac for the 55th anniversary.

“It was worth the 2,252-mile drive one way to get here,” Krause joked. “At eight years old, I fell in love with the first D-21 and it’s been contagious ever since.”

Krause reminds Threshermen’s Reunion visitors that they will never see this many D-21’s on one site again. One Colorado family brought four semi loads of tractors to the reunion while others came from California, Oregon and even Canada.

Chuck Wilfrong of Michigan City, Indiana brought his Allis-Chalmers G with a tool box built into the middle.

“They only made two of them so it’s usually got a crowd of people around it,” Wilfrong explained.

Wilfrong grew up on a farm with Allis-Chalmers equipment and still has his father’s 1945 WC. He has some Farmall and John Deere machines in the shed, even though the majority of his equipment is orange.

This weekend's Threshermen's Reunion runs through Labor Day at Threshermen's Park north of Pontiac along Route 23. The annual Threshermen's Parade travels through downtown Pontiac Sunday starting at 1:15 p.m.