BUCYRUS – Five local farmers are climbing up on their tractors for a ride on the “Mighty Mac.”

On antique tractors, that is for a trip across the historic Mackinac Bridge.

Roger Haas, Greg Lutz, and Tyler Snyder of Bucyrus are joining Kenny and Andy Williams of Caledonia for the Mackinac Bridge Antique Tractor Crossing on Sept. 11. The annual event draws thousands to Mackinaw City, Michigan, and to its world-famous suspension bridge.

“I’m scared of bridges, and I’m scared of heights, and it’s five miles long,” said Haas, who, like his counterparts, is a member of the Crawford Antique Farm Machinery Association.
“I’ll probably be putting fingerprints in the steering wheel.”

Haas has crossed the four-lane bridge connecting Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas a few times, but never in a tractor. He’s chosen a special one for the occasion – his father’s 1952 Farmall Super C. Haas has completely restored the tractor, which his dad bought brand new in Galion the same year.

Two lanes of the span will be shut down for six hours during the “parade” that day, which begins outside Mackinaw City and ends in downtown Saint Ignace. Kenny Williams has been there. “Lots of tractors. There’s every possible combination that was ever made. You won’t see any new ones, though.”

Williams will also be driving a 1952 model tractor for his crossing debut, an Allis-Chalmers G, while his son, Andy, will be tagging along in another classic – a 1956 Allis-Chalmers WD45 – the same model his grandfather owned because “it’s the most reliable.”

Lutz said he’s pumped up for the weekend trip and the chance to cross an item off his bucket list.
He’ll be onboard a 1961 John Deere 4010, which he still uses on his grain, hog, and cattle farm. “I’m hoping when we go across the bridge; there’s a ship going underneath. That just fascinates me.”

Snyder, who was gung-ho about participating from the get-go, will trailer his father-in-law’s tractor to Michigan for the 14th annual event, which is usually held on the first Friday after Labor Day. It’s also a “Persian Orange” Allis-Chalmers, built in 1942.

The idea for the road trip originated in June when Haas and Lutz were in Columbus for the Classic Green Reunion, a show for John Deere fans, at the Ohio Expo Center. There they ran into a couple from Ohio who had driven their “Deere” over 3,400 miles from Fairbanks, Alaska, back to their home in Dover.

“We were all standing there talking, and they said, ‘You outa do what we do. Drive across the bridge,” Lutz recalled, “and Roger – I call him Uncle Rog – the whole rest of the show kept saying, ‘You wanna go? You wanna’ go?’ and he nagged me the whole show.”

Haas pitched the idea at the Antique Farm Machinery Association’s next meeting, and the other three quickly signed up. They had to pay a registration fee, plus meet other crossing requirements, including “a full tank of gas, a tow strap, and a tractor that goes at least 10 miles an hour.”

The crossing, which has to be approved by the Mackinac Bridge Authority, drew 614 participants in 2008, its first year, but has grown considerably since then. “It’s a regular festival. People lining the streets to watch,” Kenny Williams said. “It’s just a good time.”

And a good time for five fellas to make their mark on the tourist town. And on the 26,375-foot long bridge. One tractor at a time.