For the last several years, Arthur Smyth, Norman Smyth and Justin Davis have traveled hundreds of miles from Birtl, Carberry and Woodlands, Manitoba, respectively, to mobilize some of the rarest tractors not only in Canada and the U.S., but in the world.

“I’ve worked on dozens of tractors at different shows in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and North Dakota, but I have never worked on tractors and stationary engines as rare as some of the ones in Makoti,” Norman Smyth, lifelong engine expert, said. “You just don’t see some of this stuff.

“We’ve been coming down to Makoti to get the 1916 Heider Model C running for a number of years now, and, of course, we’re always tinkering with the hundreds of stationary engines in Makoti’s collection. The tractor we got running this week is a 13-30 Plow Boy. Before this one, I’ve never actually seen one in person; I’ve only heard about them and seen them in magazines – never in real life. There are only a handful left in the entire world.”

Manufactured in 1917 by the Interstate Tractor Company, the Plow Boy the Manitobans revived was donated to the Makoti Threshers Association (MTA) in July 2022 by Everett and Peggy Dobrinski after sitting idle for a number of years.

Arthur Smyth, of Birtle, Manitoba, in this photo by Hunter L. Andes, drives a 1917 13-30 hp Plow Boy tractor that he, his son and family friend revived this week while preparing for the Makoti Threshing Show. There are only a handful of Plow Boy tractors left in existence and even fewer Plow Man tractors. Smyth said Massey Harris parts seem to be compatible with the rare brand.

“Over time, as the tractor sat idle in the building, a couple of the valve lifters became seized,” Arthur Smyth said. “Had it sat for much longer, it would have been much more difficult to get running. We are so glad we were given the opportunity to help get this rare tractor running once again.”

Company History

The Interstate Tractor Company was a company that only lived to be three or four years old, and it was based in Waterloo, Iowa. In an effort to branch out and extend its brand, the company also had operations in Grand Forks and Minot.

According to old advertisements found on the Interstate Tractor Company, in circa 1917, there was a large plowing contest in Minot, where a handful of local farmers demonstrated their talent in plowing. The Plow Boy and Plow Man tractors were among the most popular features displayed. According to the company’s literature, many visitors came to the contest “primarily to look at Plow Man tractors.”

“Not much information is available on these tractors, or the company who produced them; however, from what we know, three models existed: The Plow Boy 10-20, Plow Boy/Plow Man 13-30 and the Plow Man 15-30,” Justin Davis said. “We’ve been looking all over the internet to find anything we can about the company’s history.”

An MTA book from the 1980s states the tractor in Makoti is a Plow Boy 13-30 horsepower four-cylinder Buda engine (Buda was bought out by Allis-Chalmers in the 1950s). It was owned by Gilbert Jacobson of Rice Lake, who sold it to Everett Dobrinski’s father, Ed. The tractor was originally sold by owner and salesman Harry Eck at Stearns Motors in Minot. Stearns Motors was the Minot dealer of Plow Boy and Plow Man tractors, which according to the Minot Memories Blog, is now the I Keating Furniture building.

“I’ve been calling it a ‘Plow Teen,'” Norman Smyth said. “From what we’ve read, it seems like the 13-30 was kind of an in-between model that used elements from both the 10-20 Plow Boy and 15-30 Plow Man. So, we made the joke that the 13-30 tractor in Makoti is the ‘teenager’ model. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

The elder Smyth echoed his son’s sentiment.

“I’ve never seen one before,” Arthur Smyth said. “But, it feels pretty good at my age to have a chance to run such a rare tractor of that era. It’s 30 years older than myself — and I’m 76!”

Generosity

Darin Vangsness, president of the MTA, related how grateful the association is to Everett and Peggy Dobrinski for donating not only the Plow Boy but other rare items. It is because of the Dobrinskis and a few other families in the past who have donated their rare collections to the organization that the show is so unique, with some of the rarest machinery in the world, he said.

Vangsness also extended appreciation to the Manitobans and all volunteers whose help makes the show a success.