Prairie-gold paint doesn’t fade. That’s according to Iowa farmer Dale Frahm, who restores classic Minneapolis-Moline tractors when he’s not working his corn and soybean fields.
“World’s finest tractor. Says it right on my steering wheel,” said Frahm, a member of the Minneapolis-Moline Collector’s Club, leaning against the back wheel of his antique 1959 Minneapolis-Moline 4 Star tractor at the 2026 Farm Progress Show’s Antique Row classic tractor display — the 33rd to roll off the machinery brand’s Minnesota assembly line. Brand-new, the old tractor cost $3,300. What’s the price tag now? About the same.
“This is my return. Talking to people like you, showing, sharing this history — that’s where I get my money back out of this,” he said, noting he invested approximately $20,000 in the paint job alone. Needless to say, restoring tractors isn’t about the money. Beyond Frahm’s machine, historic tractors of all paint colors glistened on Antique Row…