Big Bud 747 is a custom built agricultural Tractor and was built in Havre, Montana USA in 1977 by Ron Harmon of the Northern Manufacturing Company, for a cost of $300,000. 

Its purpose  was to work on The Rossi Bros Cotton Farms in Bakerfield, California, to pull ripper ploughs to churn up fields to a depth of four feet.  Bigbud 747 works at a rate of 1 acre every minute whilst motoring along at 8 mph...and that's quite a fast ratio of work.

It is a 16 cylinder behemoth powered by a 24.1 litre Detroit V16 92Turbo engine delivering 900hp. It has 6 forward and 1 reverse gear driving all eight foot tall wheels.

"That motor has a potential of up to 1100 horsepower..." said Big Bud's current owner Robert Williams. "...It can handle our biggest equipment at the current setting, so there's no advantage to burning more fuel and putting more stress on the drive-train."

The Big Bud 747 Tractor was rebuilt and reconditioned at the end of 1990, after successfully working for many thousands of man hours.  The Tractor at present resides in Montana, where it is apparently still in use today, pulling a huge 80 foot wide plough.  It is owned by The Williams Brothers of  'Big Sandy' who's farm is in Chouteau County.

"We've had people from all over the world come to see it..." said Williams "...we welcome visitors, and if it's on a day when it's running in the field, we might even give them a ride."