Steve Metcalfe of Springport, IN was tired of going to shows and being worn out at the end of the day. Due to insurance regulations, some shows don’t allow golf carts and all of the walking can be draining after a long day. Steve had seen custom built miniature tractors before and decided he wanted to build one to take to the shows.

When Steve undertook this project, he set out to be as accurate as possible. He didn’t want something that looked like a chopped down garden tractor. He wanted a model that looked like something that Oliver could have actually built.

The Oliver 77 has always been a favorite of Steve’s and they were very popular in his area. His father bought a new 77 from their local dealer in 1951. He used that as the sole tractor to do all of the work on an 80 acre farm. There were two dealers seven miles each direction from the Metcalfe’s. Goodnight Imp. was in Muncie, IN and Obsorne was in Sulfur Springs, IN. In the 1960’s Steve’s father sold the farm and all of his equipment went with it.

Today Steve and his wife, Debbie, live on his grandparent’s farm and can see the old 77 still at work on his father’s old farm. He has tried to acquire the tractor and bring it back to be part of the family heritage but hasn’t quite talked the farmer into letting go of it. It is still being used.

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