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With the Antique Tractor Club, known as the South Central Montana Antique Tractor & Machinery Association, that meets each month; progress continues for the Montana group that is involved with machinery.  The Antique Tractor Club is a non-profit organization founded in 1987 and has continued to grow since.  SCATMA launched the club’s website last December as www.antiquetractorclub.org.  

The Antique Tractor Club is dedicated to the collection, restoration, preservation, and exhibition of early day agricultural machinery & tools, including power and horse-driven farm machinery, or any other equipment of historical value.

Our main event each year is the Annual Threshing Bee.  It is held the third weekend in August at the Huntley Project Museum of Irrigated Agriculture approximately 15 miles NE of Billings Montana.  This is the time of the year when the club members bring out their latest restoration of a tractor, stationary engine, or demonstrate their expertise in blacksmithing, binding grain, threshing, sawmill operation.  Antique tractors and steam engines power the sawmill, thresh the grain, and plow as it was done in the early days.  For entertainment there is an antique tractor pull.  Our show is different than most in that we encourage members to demonstrate their equipment, not just show it as a static display.

The following is a little taste of what you’ll see in the monthly message from the President 

With the nice weather now upon us I hope to make some progress in between yard work. We had a productive work day down at the show grounds on Sunday, April 25th. I would like to thank everyone that showed up. We mowed the grounds, put up some wall boards in the blacksmith shop and cleaned out the sawdust chute in the sawmill building. I would especially like to recognize Ken Schilling and his wife Lesley that came all the way from McLeod Mt to participate in the workday. For those of you that have never attended a club workday it eventually becomes a social event (bull session) and is a great way for new members to get to know everyone and become part of the group. I do apologize to Justin, who brought a trailer to the workday with the idea of hauling away the carcass of the Allis Chalmers WC. As club president I may have gotten over zealous at getting rid of the abandoned tractor. At the last meeting I offered the tractor to anybody that was interested in it. Justin jumped at the chance but thought it was a restorable tractor. After careful examination we have come to the conclusion that at best it is just a parts tractor with the possibility of a good engine since it is free and seems to have compression.

The Antique Tractor Club’s membership consists of almost 200 families.  The organization meets monthly (every 3rd Thursday) at 7:00 PM at the Yellowstone Valley Electric Co-op Hospitality room just south of Huntley.  We welcome new members and dues are only $20/year.   Membership is open to anyone who has an interest in what we do.  Our members come from Miles City to Columbus, and Bridger to Lewistown. We even have members from out of the state and Canada. Our club is affiliated with the “Early Day Gas Engine & Tractor Association”, (EDGE&TA) as Branch 29.  EDGE&TA is a national organization that puts its members in touch with other collectors all over the USA.  New members are always welcome!  For membership information contact info@antiquetractorclub.org.  The Antique Tractor Club annual event is the Threshing Bee in August each year.  The President is Ken Amann.

The Antique Tractor Club participated in the annual Threshing Bee in August 2009 which attracted about 3,000 visitors over the period of three days.  The antique tractors, made of original models and shapes, really brings to life the old west and what the homesteaders and farmers used in those days.  For more info and events, visit www.antiquetractorclub.org.