Second largest BIG BUD tractor built!

We were told this tractor is tuned to over 900hp and weighs around 90,000lbs. To give perspective the BIG BUD 747 (world's largest ag tractor) weighs in at 120,000lbs and tuned to 1100hp. Our BIG BUD 600/50 weighs 52,000lbs and tuned to 600hp. Overall the 740 is a very impressive machine and we can only imagine even more so when deep ripping the hard pan.
Thanks Travis for letting us see the beast!
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[@vehicle_pictures_2328]

6:55 anyone else notice papa welker dragging the rope on his leg 😂

[@kylehansen2122]

Was just going to say that. 😂😂

[@716racingchannel]

Bailing Sting

[@andrewruble7706]

I think Scott was afraid of losing him too so he took precautions. Great Video

[@timothyhays1817]

That safety equipment to satisfy California laws.

[@matthewdowd4686]

I was gonna comment till I saw yours! 🤘😎

[@johndunbar2393]

Thank you Travis for letting the Welker's show us your beautiful Bud, and thank you Welker's, for taking us along on your journey!

[@MattHuey]

Welker Family you guy's are AWSUM!!💯 Thank you for all your videos!!👍🇺🇸 and God Bless your family!!💪👍💯🇺🇸🇺🇸🚜🚜🚜

[@josephhicks1006]

Crazzzy the denial of the flight turns into something cool on your road trip! Everything for a reason!

[@dkjphills79]

He should pay you guys to refurbish it. That tractor is beautiful. Would love to see your tractors and this side, by side, by side, by side.

[@bobbob-fg5wy]

I think Bob is getting ahead of himself. There’s a Wagner there that needs a lot of love and a Welker farms sticker.

[@danielduncan4420]

BIG BUD lives up to it's name for sure.... Massive size tractor power 👍😎

[@WelkerFarms]

Wish we could hear it purr!

[@danielduncan4420]

Yeah i like the feeling you get from a massive engine running... almost vibrates your insides.. lol 😎👍

[@griffwhopper6644]

My son is a year in a half and comes home begging to see “tractors” everyday. He love your videos!

[@JoshuaSeed]

Yeap. My son is 3 and stops everything for the tractors, especially the ones the dogs ride.

[@aberdeenbelfry316]

Love the tractor. I’m a truck driver and one of the first times I was in California I was given fresh oranges off a tree in the front yard. Best tip ever.

[@bradr1085]

Well my guess is that Daddy Welker was dragging the string to check the height of the tractor when it's sitting on a lowboy trailer and its on its way to Montana! Lol

[@RobertWelkerFarmerBob]

All the above are correct . Glad it wasn't toilet paper.

[@uppsalahazzemarkstedt2759]

I just really love this video! Just now it's about same count on views and subscribers, but I can understand it well. I've watched it at least 7 times. Thanks Robert and Scott again for the cancelled flight!

[@aTrippyFarmer]

That tractor was a diamond in the rough

[@boerbrabant]

You guys really need a series 4 to complete the Big Bud series. Maby in a few years:)

[@maxmessenger175]

Thanks guys for the history lesson on the Big Buds wish we had something like them here in the UK. Keep up the awesome videos

[@paulhunt598]

My wife and I drove through the central California valley last year and felt similar awe.

[@greggkahler2103]

Thanks for taking us along on the trip

[@markyoull6744]

I think you should buy that 740 and give it the welker treatment take care god bless welkers

[@WelkerFarms]

I don't know what it would be worth but if the day came we would empty all our piggy banks!

[@thatmrking]

Ye could offer to restore the tractors???

[@dkjphills79]

@@WelkerFarms if you were to start a patreon what would the target goal be.

[@demoman1282]

dkjphills79 well I’d think in the 100$-1000$

[@fenceman53]

Great video. I guess those Big Buds played a part in keeping that land producing and us watching with fresh vegetables during winter months. 740 on the Welker farm would be “awesome “ as Hollywood might say.

[@ih1206]

Some great pieces of history. Hats off to Mr. Travis for letting the Welkers take a gander and share some history with us. And it’s great to see a different side of California that a lot of folks forget about. It would be awesome to get out there and see some different kinds of farming.

[@artayers2372]

Thank you Scott and thank you Pops for taking time out of your trip to share these awesome tractors with us. I have been a Big Bud fan since I was a kid!!!

[@watchjaredwork1487]

Just watching him drag this big snag all the way up into the cab 😂😂😂

[@WelkerFarms]

He saw that last night too 😂, didn't know it till this video 😁

[@nickpopelka]

Thought they would need it to pull him out

[@AIr5tatI0n]

safety harness

[@austinfluit1492]

Leg arms needs to keep him on a least 😂

[@ADKEMT]

Is this the farmers equivalent of the high priest going into the holy of holies? If I get struck dead just pull me out.

[@stuartroland9605]

I would take that ride over a plane ride any day . Great video of historic equipment . Thank You . 👍👍😊😊✌

[@alanstant9356]

When I seen those tractors out in the fields, I never thought they was that huge. Now that I seen the size comparison, I believe it guys. Thanks for sharing .

[@randallharmsen5802]

What a great side trip for father and son. We are so blessed with our farmers and the land they use! Sad to see those Big Buds fade-away in the heat and sun. Thanks guys great job.

[@tomcleghorn4005]

Any video with Bob in it is always worth watching. He is so knowledgeable and always explains things in depth. That's for another threat video. In the beginning I thought Scott was showing us the mold his arms came out of!!!!

[@74LAnderson]

Nothing like some good machine envy! You guys do an amazing job explaining things while showing us, super informational but interesting at the same time.

[@mikemoore9757]

I remember reading about a Big Bud tractor in an engineering magazine many years ago that was bought by the Rossi brothers out in California. It may have been in the valley where you were or in Bakersfield. I remember the writer talking about when they were pulling a soil separator with the tines about 2 feet into the ground and at night you could see them glowing red hot. That is a tractor with a lot of suds! Thanks for the tour, and by the way, Mr. Welker, Your name would look real good on that series 4. Might as well have the entire collection.

[@timgear9892]

I enjoyed listening and watching you guys talk "Bud". Thanks

[@fynbo1007]

Thank you for sharing your amazing journey, very interesting to see another part of US and learn something new, just love it. God bless you and your family.

[@joshkolden9103]

That 740 needs to make its way to the Welker Farm! Being only 1 of 2 it needs to be restored and appreciated.

[@lrruschfarms6352]

Really neat tractor thanks for explaining it so clearly

[@Disinterested1]

I like hearing your dad talk :) nice to see people talking about stuff they know well and love :)

[@christophereaves862]

Hey Welkers, giving you a shout out from Kentucky. Those tractors are 👀 “Bud-luscious” God bless

[@wildcoyote34]

the bigbud tractors are amazing because they were built with totally off the shelf components so they are easily customizeable and replacement components are easily found

[@danmeyer5737]

Thanks guys! Being a farmer with a small 400 hp tractor as my biggest machine, I have always loved the Big Buds!

[@jtparker4978]

Nice, what a treat. Thanks guys.

[@clinthochrein888]

Wow! 740 big bud! Impressive

[@larjomack8576]

Great video!! Scott and Robert do these so well together that a person almost forgets it was Nick who started all this. Thanks a million for missing your flight guys. 😁😄😉

[@scottlundy257]

Thats a man that loves his Buds to miss his flight to visit a tractor.

[@edwardfast4525]

It is cool to see those tractors and glad you got to see them and share them with us it's sad just to see them sit there.

[@787Earl]

Thank you, two awesome tractors. God bless you

[@johnahola3502]

The 740 should go home with you, and legarms would have his very own big bud

[@billsargent3407]

Legarms IS a big bud...

[@Ticdaniel]

""The other one maybe goes to a museum"" is that "museum" welker farms workshop?? Please!!!!! 😜😜

[@billsargent3407]

That would be sweet.. but if that beast was an example, you just KNOW that every moving bit, anything exposed to grit, is just used up and tired. The Welker's as willing and able as they are have limits of time and money. I am afraid a full refurb on that giant beast might be prohibitive.

[@herbyverstink]

@@billsargent3407 i'd wager they could pull that off if they set their mind to it..money providing

[@jamesbainton]

@@herbyverstink they would make a fair bit from KZbin if they did a series on it. I suspect that they provide probably the best chance of refurb of that tractor. KZbin Ad Revenue + Sponsors + a working tractor on the farm would make it worth it. Most other farms wouldn't have the resources that the Welkers could provide.

[@vtwinbuilder3129]

herbyverstink 😂🤣👏 Well done, very funny name!

[@cleetusmacfarland9453]

@@jamesbainton I'd kick in $5 to see that! fark, It would be like $3.50 to you guys):

[@giannidifrancesco193]

Wow what a experience thanks for sharing.

[@rongrose3746]

Awesome tractor !! Thanks !

[@jimharris4013]

I saw a sign that said; "this Bud is for you, Welkers".

[@straightpipeacres6365]

Buy er UP boys!!

[@DancerOfClouds]

Awesome and very imformative video Guys. I fell in love with the Big Bids back in the 70's. It's been a joy to watch.

[@markmortensen4341]

Awesome video‼️ Thank you so much too you and your Dad for making this. A lot of great information for everyone👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻‼️

[@SearleD01]

New series 'Pimp my Bud' with the Welkers :D

[@Depressed_Nightfury]

I'd watch that

[@kopenhagenkid]

Great video Welkers

[@robertfitzsimmons2507]

You definitely should be#1 on the list if ever there's a chance to purchase that bad Bud.

[@DTRAX33]

Man you guys do such a great job on the history of the Big Bud. That 740 is a beast.

[@lynwessel2471]

I read when they had the 747 in California pulling a big deep ripper ,the shanks got so hot they started to bend the curve out of them.

[@trackmader]

Just wait till you see the 747... That thing is massive. It was in a barn with some 2 bangers made it look even bigger

[@cecilmckinley9452]

I can remember when I was a kid when we would go to eastern Mt. we would always stop and look at the Big Buds in Haver. They are so cool

[@gumtreejunction6342]

Loved that historian the big(gets) Bud I've ever seen. Thanks for an entertaining and informative video. I love the history and the engineering of old machinery - from horse drawn, stem driven and motorised. Great work, keep it up. And a big thank you also to Travis for giving you the opportunity. Cheers, Mark.

[@rays2506]

The Great Central Valley of CA has compacted soil and hardpan layers. So the fields have to be ripped down to 4 or 5 ft depth. A hundred years ago two local ag equipment companies, Holt and Best, came up with the track layer drive for the huge tractors needed to pull those jumbo rippers. In the late 1920s the company was renamed Caterpillar Tractors and moved its operation to Peoria, IL. It's a multi-billion dollar Dow Jones 30 company now.

[@ddorn04]

The San Joaquin Valley varies along the rivers the topsoils can be 20 feet in depth. My grandparents had ranches a 1/2 mile from the Kings river. When we dug holes the topsoil depth would be 12' in depth.

[@rays2506]

@@ddorn04 Away from the rivers where the cotton fields are/were located, it's different and that's why those Holt and Best track layers were developed to pull those giant rippers.

[@williameisenbrandt5578]

In the 1990’s I worked for the farm that owned both the 747 and ordered the 740 new . They where both in Florida

[@nellsonstout7001]

Jim Sartori at Willowbrook?

[@tizianfohler2935]

This tractor on the Welker Farm... unbelievable🥰

[@WBOS72]

Great video guys! Thanks for sharing this.

[@remmiemax3624]

AWESOME Guys! The Lords Blessings come in mysterious ways! Thanks for taking me/us along!! Oh and Bob, sorry you had to endure KIDZBOP 🤪😉

[@WelkerFarms]

Thank you Remmie!

[@patmancrowley8509]

Pops and Leg Arms, I really appreciate you bringing us along on this road trip! Thanks!

[@retireddriver16]

Patman Crowley is a great job and

[@AJwesleyify]

Thanks for the ride, those Buds are amazing. The pumpjacks brought back memories, my Dad was an oilman, from boss of the drilling rigs in Texas working for Howard Huges to his retirement in Ky. checking the input and output of several of the pumpjacks every day.

[@thomasleonard1846]

Thanks for sharing!

[@davesfarmforestvideos8395]

Great video, and it was all made from a mixup at the airport. It was great seeing how excited Bob, and Leg Arms got looking at those tractors. It makes me wonder if you are going to plan to see the Big Bud 747 when you are in Iowa. You could also see John Deere, but it’s going to be during harvest time, and we know how Leg Arms gets around that shade of green paint. Lol

[@RobertWelkerFarmerBob]

It would awesome to see it again. I saw it right after it came off the assembly. Blessings Davud

[@lancea7622]

The scraper pans on the 650 look like the ones built by Friggstad Mfg at their plant in Havre. They had some kind of marketing/partnership with Big Bud at one time selling tractor/ pans

[@lynwessel2471]

Somewhere I saw a picture of "Friggstad/Big Buds" like that with 2 pans everything painted orange.

[@lancea7622]

I don’t know how many combos they made, maybe someone on here could answer that Not sure why they weren’t more successful, maybe just ahead of their time

[@taz9075]

Thank you for sharing. I love watching your videos. Please keep them up. Thank you and god bless

[@casto-]

That was some trip lads! Really enjoyed looking at the buds👍I forget how varied the US is with its agriculture and the variety of things that can be grown in its soils! Thanks again 😊

[@jfdb59]

Komatsu SA6 D170 turbocharged intercooled diesel 6-cylinder liquid-cooled 1413 ci [23.2 L] courtesy of tractor data

[@Street_Tractor59]

I thought the state of California was buying those old tractors and giving subsidies for buying newer emissions equipped tractors but I ‘m probably wrong. Either way get that one to Montana!!

[@WelkerFarms]

They are... 😔 So the 740 will get repowered to meet emissions and the other buds might be traded in exchange for credit towards a newer emission compliant tractor.

[@Street_Tractor59]

Welker Farms Inc well that’s crappy to hear

[@motor2of7]

California has really screwed a lot of people. It isn’t just big tractors and semis, they’ve banned commercial vehicles over 14k GVW older than 2010. A lot of small businesses have really been hurt by an overly aggressive state legislature and an of control SCAQMD.

[@Street_Tractor59]

Motor 2of7 I live in Virginia and unfortunately it looks like we’re not gonna be far behind

[@dennisguttrich7442]

Go nuts, get em both, park by the Versatile, Wagner. Restore later.

[@tomn7087]

I appreciate your Big Bud review. Always follow your channel, great family viewing. Your enthusiasm is contagious

[@danweaver345]

That was pretty cool, thanks for showing us these Buds!

[@jasontaylor162]

I love your videos and keep good work up

[@WelkerFarms]

Thank you!

[@jasontaylor162]

@@WelkerFarms do you need help hands work on your farm someday or oneday

[@4PeTe2]

Thanks for the road trip. We see them ripping the subsoil, I thought it was done only once but your explanation of the lack of freezing/frost heave makes sense to keep the lower soil permeable. Interesting your fascination with Big Bud tractors, keep up the good work- farming and restoring.

[@kat2641]

While you may have missed your connecting flight home I got to tell you I think it was a most wonderful thing that could of happened.... That was such an honor and a privilege to see that Big Bud ...I just fell in love with that big dude 💙❤️ that would be so awesome to sit behind and go across the field (( knowing it was one of the biggest tractors built!!!)) But I am sorry you missed your connecting flight home but I'm not sorry you had to drive without you having to drive home we would have never got the opportunity to see that big boy he is a bruit!! Thank for a once-in-a-lifetime to see them BIG Budds...

[@warrenbridges4095]

Excellent video as usual.. Those Buds are definitely working tractors that deserve a little, er... a lot of TLC ... Thanks for taking us along with...

[@josephrodgers3119]

Noticed your dad's shoestring was untied , good thing he didn't trip on it. Thanks for the video.. Blessed day..

[@cheeto4493]

I noticed he had the same smashed finger as NIck. That's where he gets that from too.

[@williambrooymans]

Yeah.... There us a 4 series bud coming to the Welker farm it just has to be.

[@billhodges7822]

Keep the videos coming guys. Helps getting thru these northeast winters. Got a feeling one of these days, one of those tractors are gonna be in Montana.

[@steve2ish]

What a great video and trip you 2 had... I am so glad you missed your plane.

[@normanhosford2506]

I grew up in Iowa; now living in SoCal. I'm sure the freezing and compaction explanation would be news to Bloomberg because it was news to me. It was so well explained that it feels as though it should have been obvious. Great job! I love the depth and breadth of knowledge shown in your videos . Chemistry, physics, statistics, mechanical technology and economics are just the beginning of it. Thanks for sharing it all.

[@edgarburnett2115]

You guys drove nine hours just to look at a tractor that was not for sale? Come on now. Tell us you bought it.

[@WelkerFarms]

Haha we wish, it was along the way to their end destination in Phoenix.

[@hobbyperson18]

This looks like somewhere in tulare county California and it is not 9 hours from the airport where they came from

[@adamsherm29]

Edgar Burnett let help them out!!

[@davidrambarran4217]

You all bought it

[@MrPaw45]

@@hobbyperson18 The 9 hours is Tulare to Phoenix, not to where the Big Buds are.

[@JeSTeRoS]

I'm glad you explained big buds series me being from Europe i couldn't figure it out. Love your channel, keep more vids coming 👍

[@dehavenfamilyfarm]

Wow, great finds- thanks for sharing these!!

[@christianbabbitt3927]

Love the videos!

[@WelkerFarms]

Thank you!

[@scrapbudgetgarage4404]

please try your hardest to buy the 740 restoring it would make amazing content

[@dustinlowry9075]

Great video guys That 740 Big bud is awesome tractor Thanks again for coming out to California.

[@MACHOMISTERYMAN]

Old tractors tell tales. Modern machinery is unmatched for comfort, but if you want a machine with character and history, you just cant beat old iron

[@williampayne1045]

Because of welker farms and your videos I’m am a massive big bud fan. Would love to see that 740 on your farm with the other big buds! Keep up the good work.

[@Hubeeeert]

Something tells me we might see another BIG BUD restoration. ;)

[@chun1310]

Thanks for sharing !!! It is great !!

[@dougyurecko6500]

I have only been following you guys for a short time, love the videos and the Big Buds!!!

[@anton903]

I would gladly donate some money so you could buy that 740 and give it a new life

[@RobertWelkerFarmerBob]

That might be an option in future

[@tweek857]

So when can we expect to see the 740 on the welker farm ? I know I wouldn't be looking at it without trying to atleast offer them something for it

[@trapperjdbia8205]

Great video. My son and I love Big Bud’s too. We were able to see a 747 in Independence Iowa a few years ago and that was awesome. Hope some day to be able to operate one. Thanks for sharing.

[@rickycarter1142]

Take it home!! The dog would love that fender.🤑🤑🤑

[@wymershandymanservice9965]

When were the series 4 Bug Buds built. Just wondering what the time line was. How many years these machines have tilled the soil helped feed America. Not so cushy but made to do a job longer than the builder envisioned. Great content 👍

[@Bowiiihowdy]

87 to 1990. Very tail end of the big buds

[@Tractors_Trucks_And_Pups]

This past month when my cousins Buba and Melissa came down from Haver Montana where they farm wheat and hay, they came down here to Washington (state) and I found out that there neibhoors who just so happen to also be my cousin are the OWNERS OF THE 747, I was shocked that MY family OWNS the BIGGEST tractor in the WORLD!!!!!

[@johnpatterson6947]

Thanks yall for the Big Bud history safe trip

[@KH2PM]

American ingenuity at it’s best! Thanks for sharing!