While Winter Olympians were trying to make their mark on their specific sports in South Korea, Frans Rosenquist and his son, Jason, of Atwater, Minn., along with Pit Boss, Bill Daluge, of Buffalo, were in Louisville, Kentucky Feb. 13-16th competing for the first time against premier tractor pullers from around the world in the National Championship Tractor Pull.
"I like to call it the "Super Bowl" of tractor pulls, said Jason who was at the helm of their custom souped-up diesel pulling tractor called "Gold Rush." The Case IH 305 Magnum tractor with over 2,500 horsepower competed in the 9,500 lb. Limited Pro Stock class against 12 other pullers from across the United States. Gold Rush was the only Minnesota tractor in all of the competition this year.
In tractor pulling, like many other sports, victory is many times measured by a matter of inches. Many athletes can attest to that as can the Rosenquists who narrowly missed a national championship trophy run, coming in a very close six inches behind winner Brad Boldry of Rochester, Indiana to place second, and 12 inches ahead of third place winner, Justin Wagler, of Morgantown, Indiana.
Jason waits patiently in line along with other pullers in his class for his turn to pull at the national championships. He was selected to pull 10th and held first place until the last tractor in his class edged him out by inches to win.
This years prize money purse of more than $250,000 will be divided amongst the top runners in close to 20 different divisions all capable of pulling a weighted sled.
I don't have a clue how much prize money we will get; they'll mail a check to us.," said Jason.
The sled they pull operates much like the sleds that kids use in the pedal pull competition, but on a much larger basis. The weight box starts out at 50,000 lbs. and as the tractor pulls it the weight box transfers forward putting more pressure on your hitch making it much heavier and harder to pull. The sled also has grousers, fin like apparatuses, which drop at some point and dig in under it. When a tractor spins out at the end of the run, the distance is computed down to micro-inches to determine the winner.
The numbers are not yet in for 2018, but in 2017, the event hosted 300,000 attendees from across the world while nearly 850 exhibitors filled all 1.2 million square feet of the Kentucky Exposition Center, making it the largest indoor farm show in the country. The always-popular National Championship Tractor Pull drew cheering crowds of more than 64,702 fans that year for the four-day event.
Prior to this competition the Rosenquist's competed in 18 pulls in Minnesota and Wisconsin. This national invitation-only high-octane event stars the nation's best drivers and their machines - Pro Stocks, Super Stocks, Modified, and Alcohol Tractors as well as two-wheel and four-wheel drive trucks.
Getting to the Nationals, even after placing there the previous year, doesn't guarantee you a spot for the following year. The event is by invitation only and much of the criteria to get on the list depends on a point system the drivers accumulate during the tractor pulling season. Jason said there were about 800 applicants this year in all classes to get into the nationals.
"You have to fill out a whole resume just to get there, but it helps when you win your state pull, region hooks and state championship. If you don't win anything at home, you won't get invited," said Jason who did win the 2017 United Pullers of Minnesota State Championship.
“I like to call it the "Superbowl" of tractor pulls. It can be an advantage to pull first, but sometimes the track gets better. We were the sixth tractor to pull in our class and led the field after our run until the 10th puller went 240 ft. beating us by a mere six inches. The guy that actually pulled 13th, placed third. I was in the lead for quite awhile; you might think you have it in the bag with just a few pullers left, but down there they all have top tractors; no slouches in the group.”
- Jason Rosenquist
Atwater, Minn.
"We are continually trying to make modifications to our tractor to make it better. We also had someone use a hot-knife tire technique to sharpen the grooves for better traction," said Frans. "We try different turbos, it's constantly on the dyno, with new parts making more power, we ran about 4,600 rpms using one turbo. This was our first year in this class; we went up last year with a bigger motor," added Jason.
"The big class that runs on alcohol is really loud. Without plugging your ears you couldn't stand it - it would just blow your ears out. They have four big hemi-motors - they don't even look like a tractor, they look more like a dragster car. Our tractor runs on regular diesel fuel. They are pretty strict, you have to buy their fuel and water and they test it after you pull. There's no water in the motors, it's a regular tractor motor, ‘hot-block' they call it. A lot of the classes have tire size limits and the turbo and cubic inches can only be such and such a size. You have to go through tech before you pull. They want it fair for everybody," said Jason.
Watching the other drivers on tractors of every color before you run might help, but Jason said you know your tractor and don't know there's, you can get a little bit of a feel, but there are so many variables, they may have weights hid somewhere where you can't see them. There were about 10 women drivers this year, mostly in the truck classes.
Once you are there you only get one pull towards being named the best in the world in your division. The order of pull, determined by a random computer draw to see who will be first on the dirt, can and may not make a difference in the outcome. Drivers have the option to start anywhere within the 60 ft. wide track, whether it be at the center or off to the side where a previous pull took place.
"It can be an advantage to pull first, but sometimes the track gets better. We were the sixth tractor to pull in our class and led the field after our run until the 10th puller went 240 ft. beating us by a mere six inches. The guy that actually pulled 13th, placed third. I was in the lead for quite awhile; you might think you have it in the bag with just a few pullers left, but down there they all have top tractors; no slouches in the group," said Jason.
Frans Rosenquist stopped by the Schweiss Doors booth at the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville. Rosenquist Farms in Atwater has purchased five Schweiss bifold doors that they have been using over the years. With Frans are Dave Schweiss, left, and company owner, Mike Schweiss.
Jason takes after dad, who was born competitive. Frans tried his hand at tractor pulling this past year where he tied for first in the state with his 1026 IH Demonstrator. Now, at age 63, he was also named 2017 Rookie Puller of the Year."
But Frans biggest claim to fame came about as a teenager as a professional snowmachine racer, traveling the world for 15 years and later being named to the National Snowmobile Hall of Fame in 2006. https://www.bifold.com/farm-photos-rosenquist.php His winnings over the years, amounting from $3,000 to $5,000 per weekend of racing on oval tracks enabled him to buy his first tractor, farming equipment, and rental on farmland that is now his. This year he and Jason were both signing autographs at the nationals.
Frans said they were selling tickets at the pull for up to $45. They also live-streamed the pulls on TV to about a dozen different countries, including for the troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"I guess my whole life I've been competitive," said Jason. "I was satisfied with my pull, I could have had a little more weight on the front to keep the nose down. Just being there was one thing, finishing second was icing on the cake," explained Jason.
This summer, between farmwork, Jason and Frans will be back on the circuit trying to earn another shot at nationals. If you mark down the August 7-9th date on your calendar which falls on Farmfest, you'll be able to see them compete at the Redwood Falls fairgrounds on both their tractors.
Rosenquists tractor, named "Gold Rush" is a 2,500 h.p. Case IH 305 Magnum that they ran in the 9,500 lb. Limited Pro Stock Class against drivers from throughout the United States. Frans tied for first in the Minnesota championships on his souped-up 1026 IH Demonstrator. He was named Rookie Puller of the Year in 2017.
Black smoke pours out of the exhaust as Jason is shown here on his way to a first place finish at the United Pullers of Minnesota championships in Mora, Minn. For the indoor meet in Kentucky an extension is affixed to the exhaust to eliminate filling the auditorium with smoke. See video of him in action.
The Rosenquist's bring their Atwater farm to every tractor pull. On the front weight box is an aerial photo of all their buildings, five of which have Schweiss bifold doors.
“Vintage” Schweiss Door Owner Decides on a Big UpgradeIn Schweiss' early production days, Keith Peterson and his father, Earl, got a Schweiss bifold door with cables for a quonset shed on their farm. Now many years later, he decided to get another Schweiss bifold door for their new machine shed - this time with the modern lift straps. Keith jokingly calls the old door “vintage”, recounting how he and Earl got the door in pieces and welded it together themselves. The new door is a 18' x 50' bifold door with lift straps and remotes. Keith remarks that it is handy to keep them in the equipment so you can open the door and drive in without getting out. |
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Beautiful automotive farm shop is highlighted by Schweiss bifold doorCraig Beranek of Lafayette, Minnesota put a Schweiss 18 ft. x 16 ft. bifold liftstrap/autolatch door on his new automotive farm shop. Over the years he has watched Schweiss Doors evolve into a major quality bifold and hydraulic door manufacturer. His 5,808 sq. ft Cleary building is combined for farm machinery cold storage and a heated automotive shop. |
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For over a century Haug Implement has met the ever-growing and high-tech requirements of farmersCEO Donald "Butch" Haug and his General Manager son, Paal, are co-owners of Haug Implement Co. John Deere dealerships in Willmar and Litchfield, Minnesota. Butch's grandfather, Gunder Haug, started the first implement dealership in 1918. Haug Implement saw the reliability of Schweiss liftstrap doors with the first purchase of a 34.10 ft. x 15.7 ft. custom door with a walk-through door and manual latching system. Two years later another 34 ft. x 18.11 ft. door was installed on another building at the Willmar location. |
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Melberg's homemade 'Big Bud' tractor is replica of World's LargestCharlie has restored four Minneapolis Moline Jet Star's for his other grandchildren. Grandson, Eric, at right received one of them. He is pictured with Charlie and Madden, inside the cab. Charlie and his sons have nine Schweiss bifold doors on various buildings on their farm, two of which can be seen in the background. |
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Western Wisconsin Ag Supply knows a good door when they see itWestern Wisconsin Ag Supply liked what they saw in the original Schweiss bifold doors and replaced them with bifold liftstrap doors. All three bifold doors they replaced were 16' wide x 17.10' tall and have automatic latching systems and are clad with white polycarbonate panels, matching the same style as on the plant tower above the door. |
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Mapleton farmer goes with Schweiss bifold door for his new machine shopStencel's new insulated farm shop is 60' x 72' and has a 36' x 16' Schweiss bifold liftstrap door on it. Four 4' x 3' sliding windows on the door let in an ample amount of natural daylight and the door has an automatic latching system, backup system and remote opener. Minnesota Buildings & Equipment, Inc. of Mapleton did the construction on the Solid Core EPS pre-engineered building; the door was installed by Schweiss Doors. |
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Huisman Farms think BIG and go BIG with Schweiss doorsTim Huisman, wireless remote in hand, opens the big 50' x 18' bifold liftstrap door on his new cold storage machine shed at Huisman Farms southeast of Atwater. When you farm big with big equipment you need big machine sheds with big doors. Schweiss Doors filled that bill over the years by manufacturing three large bifold liftstrap doors for Huisman Farms of Atwater, Minnesota. |
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Central Region Coop in Fairfax has four bifold doors at its new bulk fertilizer plantThe newly constructed Fairfax CRC plant consists of three buildings that have four Schweiss bifold liftstrap doors that are all 16' x 18,' large enough for a semi to come in one end, load or unload, and drive through the opposite side at the fertilizer receiving and fertilizer load-out bays. The bifold doors are equipped with the new auto strap latch systems and have dustproof motors and electrical in compliance with National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) standards. |
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Agtegra Cooperative uses two 70' drive-thru hydraulic doors for aerial spray hangarsAgtegra Cooperative installed two of these 70' x 14' Schweiss hydraulic doors for its aerial spraying operation in Harrold, S.D. The two doors, one on each end of the hangar give them the capability of time -saving in and out refueling and loading chemicals into their fleet of Air Tractors. |
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Three bifold doors go to work at Iowa farm and two hydraulic doors for body shopVic Hansen, owner of Ace Body Shop in Linn Grove, Iowa, put a 80' x 54' addition on his body shop business and has Schweiss 24' x 14' and 12' x 14' hydraulic doors placed on the sidewall entrances. He chose the hydraulic door in order to get maximum headroom to be able to work on big trucks, RVs and farm equipment. |
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Ely Helicopter Services wins Star Master Builder Best of Hangar competitionThis 98' x 70' hangar owned by Ely Helicopter Services of Sallisaw has a Schweiss 46' x 15' hydraulic door with a remote opening system. The door is positioned in the middle of the steel building endwall. Jason "Hoot" Ely, of Ely Helicopter Services was added to the satisfied customer list after having a new 98' x 70' hangar built for his thriving Sallisaw, Oklahoma crop spraying business that also provides anything from aerial sightseeing and much more. |
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Iowa farm supply dealership relies on Schweiss quality hydraulic doorBuilt by Lembke Construction of Albert Lea, Minn., it has a Schweiss hydraulic 32' x 20' door on the south sidewall. A hydraulic door was ordered to take full advantage of clear opening height of the 24' tall building. Asmus Farm Supply has Schweiss bifold doors at three of their other locations. Those locations include, Estherville and Manly, Iowa and Fulda and Okabena, Minnesota. |
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Rosenquist's 'Gold Rush' tractor pull team finishes second at NationalsFrans Rosenquist stopped by the Schweiss Doors booth at the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville. Rosenquist Farms in Atwater has purchased five Schweiss bifold doors that they have been using over the years. With Frans are Dave Schweiss, left, and company owner, Mike Schweiss. |
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Iowa farmers decide on bifold door over sliders - and glad they didWhen it came time to decide on a door for Wes and Todd Westra's new farm machine shed and hangar in Ireton, Iowa they did their homework and found a Schweiss bifold door really was an affordable option. The 40' x 15.3' liftstrap bifold has an automatic latch system and remote openers. |
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Pilots fly-in for fun and Schweiss factory tourPilots from throughout the state arrived at Schweiss Doors Friday for fun, food and a Schweiss factory tour where hydraulic and bifold liftstrap hangar doors are made and distributed throughout the world. It was a time for these pilots and others to trade stories compare flying stories and reunite with old friends; some of whom have taken to the skies for over 50 years. |
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Brownton Coop Ag Center has 40' bifold liftstrap door on its newest buildingIn recent years growth and services have escalated. Just a few years ago a new equipment and shop building was added adjacent to the offices. It has a Schweiss 40' x 18' 6" bifold liftstrap door with autolatches and remote openers. |
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Mathis Implement replaces slider doors with a Schweiss 50' hydraulic doorThe dealership offers Case IH, New Holland, Haybuster hay processors and grinders, Rowse mowers and rakes and Koyker loaders in additional to other lines of farm implements. Mathis replace sliding doors on his building with a Schweiss 50' 9" x 14' 2.5" one-piece hydraulic door. He went with the hydraulic style door in order to get maximum height and headroom. The door is equipped with remote openers and a 17" double bottom seal. It also has a walkdoor built into the left side of the door. |
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Knutson's like their farm shop and cold storage bifold doorsEverything there has its place and the heated shop with all its tools and gear is neat as a pin. The Knutson's take pride in their buildings and also their two Schweiss bifold doors. One of the bifolds that was purchased nearly 20 years ago is still operating with cables. It's 36' x 16' and on their 70' x 75' shop that they can heat with a forced air wood stove or in-floor heat. The other is a bifold liftstrap 50' x 17' door that was attached to their new 80' x 150' cold storage building a few years ago. Both doors have automatic latches and the big door has a remote opener. |
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Kurt Reiner says his 40 ft. Schweiss hydraulic farm door is solid as a rockReiner went a couple of steps further to make his door even nicer. He ordered it with a remote opener and two 24' x 36" windows to take advantage of available daylight. He also mounted three sets of fluorescent lights on each side of the windows, that he says really lights up the outside of his building after the sun goes down. |
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Busy Olivia farmstead has five Schweiss bifold doorsThose first two doors are bifold cable lift doors 23' x 16' and 26' x 12' and they have manual latches, that Brian said have been holding up really good since the day they were put on. He says he keeps them in operating order by following simple routine maintenance such as keeping them well lubed. |
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'No maintenance' is what sells Vernon Mellies on Schweiss bifold farm doorsTwo Schweiss 40' x 16' bifold doors are placed on the endwalls of his newest 60' x 120' and 60' x 80' pole barns built by Lester Buildings. The larger one is a cold storage machine shed and the latter one is a heated farm shop. An older 40' x 70' building that initially had sliding doors on it was replaced with a 34' x 15' Schweiss freestanding header bifold cable door that has since been converted to liftstraps. The doors all have windows and autolatch systems; two can be operated by remote openers. |
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Straightline winds of 85 mph damage new shop, but not the bifold door on itThat particular building has a 35' x 16' Schweiss bifold liftstrap autolatch door on it. The door itself weathered the storm quite well but wasn't operational again until the tilted and leaning structure could be straightened out. The busy 3,800-acre farmstead has 320 Red Angus beef cattle and a 75-head dairy herd operated by a trio of brothers; Mark, Steve and Scott Nelson, along with Mark's son, Evan and two nephews; Darrin and Troy. In addition to the livestock, they grow corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa. The family farm dates back to the brothers' great-grandfather, Thor, who settled here from Norway in 1885. |
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Bird Island farmer likes his big bifold door, but now wishes he'd gone biggerSuch was the case for Jeff "Jumpy" Hagen and his son, Jesse, who farm 300 acres of corn and soybeans south of Bird Island, Minn. When he put up a new 54'x72' cold storage pole shed and shop he knew he wanted a Schweiss bifold liftstrap door on it. The bifold door spans 40' wide x 16' tall, has an automatic latching system and sliding windows. |
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Schanil farm retains red barn look with modern 40' x 18' Schweiss bifold doorThe building has and will have many modern conveniences such as a 40' x 18' Schweiss bifold liftstrap door with a remote opener and automatic latches. Three 4' x 4' windows on the bottom half of the door bring in natural daylight to the building and a decorative faux haymow door, adds a touch of class to the upper half of the door. A basketball hoop is centered near the rear of the building for Jason's four-year-old son Dylan and seven-year-old daughter, Molly, to perfect their game on a newly poured concrete floor. The Schanil's plan to do some additional electrical work inside that will enable them to use it as a heated shop. A overhead 16' x 16' door was built into the west side of the building, mostly for use to bring smaller vehicles in, while the big Schweiss bifold allows access for the biggest of their farm machinery. |
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Ken Kuttner's 42' x 20' Schweiss bifold door is built to match the strength of his reinforced buildingWhen Ken Kuttner, who farms southwest of Stewart, MN, decided to put up a new 80' x 145' machine shed he wanted it done right and he wanted his building to be reinforced to the max. And without thinking twice he ordered a Schweiss 42' x 20' clear opening bifold liftstrap door with autolatches to put on the south endwall. Kuttner said that putting in a 20' tall door was one of the best things he could have done. |
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Karl's 50' x 20' bifold gives plenty of machine shed headroomDave, who started farming 43 years ago, says he is now Dan's helper, and Dan has 20 years of farming behind him. Dave and Dan’s wives, Laurie and Rachel, don't do field work, but run the farm from behind their computers and do other things necessary to keep a farm running successfully. Dan also gets help from his 14-year-old son, Logan. |
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Bird Island farmer has his son build and install his Schweiss bifold doorWhen you have a modern line of farm equipment one thing you want to have is a quality building to protect it from the Minnesota elements. Dave Elfering, who farms northeast of Bird Island, MN went to Country Wide Lumber in Hector, MN for a 150' x 80' building which combines as a shop and storage building. Buildings this size require big reliable doors to bring today's large farm machinery in and out; and for that he made a one-stop shop for Schweiss Doors. |
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Ryberg Farms and Country Transport business rely on Schweiss Bifold DoorsWhen you have a busy trucking business and a big farming operation to boot . . . that calls for a lot of buildings to store and service a fleet of semis, tractors and other related farm equipment. These buildings require reliable doors for its day-to-day operation and Schweiss doors fill that bill. |
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Brian Lamb is very happy with his Schweiss bifold doorsBrian Lamb has been producing corn, soybeans and sweetcorn on 2,000 acres of prime Renville County farmland just southwest of Hector, MN since 1981. He emphasized how fortunate he was to have what he called a "World Class" door manufacturer near his backyard and stressed the importance of doing business locally with an experienced builder to put up his machine shed and farmshop. |
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Danube farmer likes his 40' Schweiss hydraulic doorGary Seehusen, a third generation farmer who works 1,600 acres of farmland six miles north of Danube since 1988 has seen considerable improvements to his farmsite and equipment since his father, Dale and grandfather, George, farmed it going back to over a century ago. Corn, soybeans, sweetcorn and occasional pea crops grow well on the prime agricultural land. |
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End-to-end 50' bifold doors open up Kubesh's 175' post frame buildingWhen it came time for Teri Kubesh to put up a new Country Wide Lumber 80' x 175' post frame farm building, she and her son, Justin called on Schweiss Doors for a couple of large bifold doors.The Kubesh's have two 50' x 18' Schweiss bifold liftstrap doors at their rural Olivia, MN farm location. The doors are equipped with autolatches and remote openers. |
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Country Wide Lumber serves farmers with quality-made post frame buildingsIn smaller towns, such as Hector, MN, family-owned businesses are a big deal. Customers and repeat customers get to know and trust the owners and staff and feel comfortable knowing the business sees them as more than a number or a name. Jim and Jan Eiler, owners of Country Wide Lumber and Hardware, along with the rest of their staff are a prime example and have been so for nearly the past 25 years since they embedded themselves into the business community. |
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Sullivan Farms is a family-run operation geared to modern-day technologySullivan Family Farms is up on the latest modern-day equipment and technology, but like most farms it didn't start out that way. Patriarch, Mike Sullivan, can still remember those first years going back to 1968 when he began working a handful of acres with a limited amount of equipment. |
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Liftstraps sold Sleepy Eye farmer on Schweiss bifold farm door"When I heard the Schweiss bifold doors went to straps instead of cables, it was a no brainer. I knew there would be less maintenance because of the straps - it works every time, all the time, and that's what I really like about the door." Those were the words of Lonnie Spaeth, who farms 400 acres just northwest of Sleepy Eye, MN. |
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Towering crane, huge concrete precast panels move under massive 58' Schweiss bifold doorFor over 100 years and four generations, the Hanson family has been involved with agriculture and has grown to symbolize quality, economy, and dependability. Hanson Silo was founded at Lake Lillian, Minnesota in 1916 by Emil Hanson - a local farmer who wanted a better product for himself and for his neighbors. His goal was to manufacture an improved product at the best price with the lowest upkeep. Hanson silos are easily identifiable - those with the checkered pattern on top are a Hanson silo. |
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Postwar body and fender shop evolves into a premier implement dealership; expansion includes big Schweiss bifold doorWorld War II had just ended and in March of 1946 a new business by the name of Lano's Body and Fender Works took roots in the small town of Chaska, MN. The original Lano brothers, Dick, Hauser and Clarence, returning from service in WWII, started that repair shop and expanded their business vision in 1948, when they took on the Allis Chalmers farm equipment line. When the company switched from the automotive business to farm equipment, brother Joe, also just out of the military, joined the corporation. The rest, as they say, is history. |
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Morton Building was fitted with four Schweiss bifold doorsWhen the time came for the City of Meriden, CT to order four new bifold doors for its new municipal airport hangar they went through the usual procedure of getting multiple bids, as most cities are required to do. The low bid for four 40' x 14' doors was awarded to Schweiss Doors. |
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Turtle Farms likes its reliable, quick opening hydraulic and bifold doorsTurtle Farms of Gibbon, MN, managed by the brother combination of Mark and Brad Turtle, along with Brad's son-in-law, Andrew Hansen, have been loyal Schweiss door customers ever since they put up their first farm shop. |
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Peterson's motivation to 'Go Bigger' is something he is happy withForty-one years of farming can teach you a lot. Dennis and Jennifer Peterson of Hector know just about everything there is to know about the good years, the not so good years and how farming technology has progressed to where it is today. |
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Erik Dean joins a generation of young farmers working the prime ag land of Renville CountySleek is a good word to describe Erik Dean's new Hector, MN cold storage building. The clean lines and brown accent, all the way down to the exterior LED lights and large Schweiss Bifold Liftstrap/Autolatch door with decorative windows give this structure a great working and farmsite appeal. |
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Koehn Construction Services is the kingpin in Kansas and Missouri farm countryFredonia, Kansas is a city of 2,482 and the county seat of Wilson County, Kansas. The quiet picturesque city is in the southeast corner of Kansas farm country at the junction of US Highways 400 and 47 within 150 miles of Wichita, Kansas City and Tulsa Oklahoma. It was founded in 1868, and saw considerable expansion in the early 20th century, with a fossil fuel boom. |
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Anderson farms was a Schweiss Door customer decades ago and still isDon Anderson of Hector, MN has a progressive Renville County farm operation and building arrangement that is well planned out. For the 40-some years he's been farming, he has a good handle on what it takes to be successful at what he does. |
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Dave Duehn had farming running through his veins when nobody else in the family didDave Duehn's path to farming followed a different route than that of most farmers today. I guess you could say, "It was from the ground up." And at first it wasn't an easy row to hoe. |
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Modern 80'x120' farm equipment building with 50' bifold door was built with future needs in mindThere's a very old John Deere two-row corn planter that sits next to Jeff Buboltz's modern 80' x 120' Lester Building steel-sided building that now shelters a full line of powerful, modern John Deere tractors, implements, a combine and two semi grain trucks. Now an ornamental piece, that old planter which probably sat in a grove for quite sometime, would easily fit in the back of a pickup truck - it is literally a step back in time from farming days gone by. |
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New Ulm farmer was looking for a strong and reliable bifold doorPerry Meyer of New Ulm, MN lives and works on a seventh-generation farm dating back to 1858. Things were a lot different when his great-grandparents tilled the soil with a horse-drawn plow. |
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Kurt Sandgren is one of many repeat bifold farm door customersKurt Sandgren is like a lot of other Schweiss Door customers who at one time or another have purchased a Schweiss door and who like it enough to be a repeat customer when they put up or renovate another building. |
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Hydraulic door is perfect for Paul Lux repair shopAround these parts Paul Lux is known as a Jack Of All Trades and master of many. He's one of those guys who can and has fixed everything from refrigerators to airplanes and everything in between. |
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Rosenquist races himself into a booming farming operationHow Frans Rosenquist got his start in farming back in the late '70s is quite unusual. It wasn't a situation where the family farm was handed down to him or where he was able negotiate a nice loan through his local friendly banker. It was a matter of him spending money wisely. |
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Chad Hoese is a new-generation farmer and livestock producer with two Schweiss doorsChad Hoese at age 29 is a new-generation, unmarried farmer producing corn, soybeans and a herd of 60 dairy heifers at Stoney Creek Farms, a 2,500 acre spread just three miles north of Glencoe, MN. His latest acquisition was to put a Schweiss One-Piece Hydraulic 29.10' x 14' clear door on an existing woodframe cold storage building. He uses it to shelter two sparkling semi trucks and other equipment. |
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Minnesota farm machine shed was designed for modern day farming and practicalityIf you are a farmer that takes care of a lot of acres and you need a machine shed that's more than just the average machine shed, you might want to give Randy Buboltz of Hector, MN a jingle. His 80' x 240' machine shed has it all from in-floor heating, a kitchen for farm help, to an office to conduct and keep track of crop production and all the ins and outs associated with it. |
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Two large bifold doors are the crowning touch on Jack Kiecker's pole barn"I didn't even price anyone elses doors, I knew this was the one I wanted. I still would have went with a Schweiss door even if I wasn't so close to the factory. Schweiss is the only company I know of that has the liftstrap. I've seen bifolds on other buildings that weren't Schweiss doors, but they didn't have the quality. Some guys tried to talk me into these big rollup doors, and then they put a post in the middle of them that I figure someone sooner or later is going to back into and you lose some headroom with a rollup..." explained Kiecker. |
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Cliff Willhite is a believer in Schweiss bifold farm doorsCliff "Chipper" Willhite of Hector, MN has two Schweiss bifold liftstrap doors, both equipped with autolatches and remote openers. His first Schweiss bifold, a 24' x 15.6', went on his remodeled 30' x 72' shop over nine years ago to replace a worn out rollup door. When he built a new 70' x 84' machine shed he didn't hesitate to give Schweiss Doors another call which resulted in a 40' x 18' bifold liftstrap door. Willhite farmed for 40 years. In 2012, retirement was calling so he turned the keys to the 1,000 acre corn and soybean farm over to his son-in-law, Mike Koenig. |
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Hinton's Red PowerNever try to beat a man at his own game was the advice of Jim Hinton, father of Randy Hinton, General Manager of the 'Red Power' Case/IH Team of northern Iowa. That was back in 1971 when Randy and his Dad were just trying to get a toehold in the farm equipment business with their 'start up' store in Bancroft, IA. |
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Revier Feed Storage BuildingIt stands tall, nearly 40' to the roof line. It's big, like 120' x 200'. Concrete walls standing 16' tall wrap all four sides of this huge structure. And it holds nearly 1 million bushels of corn. We're talking about the huge feed storage structure at Revier Cattle Company, a beef operation with feedlot capacity of about 16,000 head. But what makes this feed storage especially unique are two steel hydraulic doors, each 15' 6" wide and 15' tall and positioned at both ends of this feed storage structure. |
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Jim Becke is a farmer who has stayed with Schweiss bifold doorsJim Becke, a Winthrop, MN farmer stands in front of his new Country Wide Lumber 120'x66' machine storage building. The tractor, sitting just outside the Schweiss 36'x 18' bifold door is a New Holland T6050 that he bought from Lano Equipment and it is fitted with a Loftness snowblower. |