We All Scream for Tractor Ice Cream!
Orval Bontrager pours sugar into his recipe for tractor-made vanilla ice cream.
Dark clouds rolled through Brownsville, Oregon on a recent Saturday morning, suggesting a thunderstorm would quickly wash out the town's annual summer picnic. To the organizer's relief, the threat quickly passed, and the clouds gave way to a welcomed blue sky and bright sunshine.
The sudden warmth bumped the humidity to a misery level that could only be cured by a cold treat, and Orval Bontrager, one of the many vendors at this year's picnic, was ready to help. How? It just so happened that Bontrager and his rig were capable of pumping out gallon after gallon of fresh, homemade vanilla ice cream.
The novelty factor draws people to Bontrager's setup as much as the sweet, frozen confection itself. You see, the retired carpenter adds a unique tractor-powered twist to the way he makes it. Walk up to get a closer look at his Farmall, and he will offer a sample of ice cream. Once you have made it that far, he has made an easy sale!
The idea for the twist did not happen overnight. Its evolution took several years, during which time Bontrager farmed 300 acres of grain. As most of us will do, he reached the point in his life where he wanted to retire, but he began looking for a hobby that would keep him busy. As a man who loves to tinker, he soon settled upon the idea of rebuilding old tractors. Bontrager has now rebuilt five antique Farmalls, meticulously restoring their faded glory right down to the decals and signature bright red paint. He is proud of his projects and loves to show them at events around the state.
The sudden warmth bumped the humidity to a misery level that could only be cured by a cold treat, and Orval Bontrager, one of the many vendors at this year's picnic, was ready to help. How? It just so happened that Bontrager and his rig were capable of pumping out gallon after gallon of fresh, homemade vanilla ice cream.
The novelty factor draws people to Bontrager's setup as much as the sweet, frozen confection itself. You see, the retired carpenter adds a unique tractor-powered twist to the way he makes it. Walk up to get a closer look at his Farmall, and he will offer a sample of ice cream. Once you have made it that far, he has made an easy sale!
The idea for the twist did not happen overnight. Its evolution took several years, during which time Bontrager farmed 300 acres of grain. As most of us will do, he reached the point in his life where he wanted to retire, but he began looking for a hobby that would keep him busy. As a man who loves to tinker, he soon settled upon the idea of rebuilding old tractors. Bontrager has now rebuilt five antique Farmalls, meticulously restoring their faded glory right down to the decals and signature bright red paint. He is proud of his projects and loves to show them at events around the state.
As anyone who has grown up enjoying home-made ice cream can tell you, the trick is to keep the wooden bucket packed as tightly as possible with ice.
His restored beauties are retired from the farming business, but he still exercises a 1948 Farmall Cub on a regular basis. The tractor is no longer used around the farm to turn dirt; instead, it travels around the country, turning the crank of a five gallon ice cream maker.
“It's a unique way to produce old-fashioned ice cream,” says Bontrager.
The idea hit him one day when he met a vendor at another local event who was using a small Honda engine to turn his ice cream maker.
“That started the wheels turning,” said Bontrager. “I said to myself, what a great idea , but I can do one better.”
He went home that afternoon and with the idea still fresh in his head, he began tinkering with the rebuilt Cub. Using his own design, he came up with a unique way to use the power of his tractor to turn the crank on a wooden ice cream maker he had purchased from a distributor in Pennsylvania. He replaced the crank on the ice cream maker with a pulley and used a belt between it and the tractor's pto. The belt-and-pulley system is fitted with a manual hand clutch, which he uses to set the turning in motion. It is a simple design, and the unique mechanism can churn out five gallons of vanilla goodness in about 30 minutes.
Bontrager put the new design and and Cub into service six years ago. He has been cranking out delicious ice cream and scooping in the profits ever since. He then plows the profits back into his hobby of rebuilding tractors. As you might expect, the re-purposed Farmall is the hit of the show, no matter where he takes it.
Bontrager and his ice cream tractor spend Thursdays at the farmers market in his home town of Lebanon, as well as many summer events up and down the Willamette Valley. He is also on call for special events, including private parties, weddings and reunions. If you should see Bontrager and his tractor be sure to stop and say “hi.” He loves to talk about his two most favorite subjects: Farmall tractors...especially the re-purposed Cub and vanilla ice cream. Vanilla, being the most popular flavor in the country, is the only flavor the Farmall cranks out, although Bontrager does offer flavored syrup for those who cannot leave well enough alone.
“It's a unique way to produce old-fashioned ice cream,” says Bontrager.
The idea hit him one day when he met a vendor at another local event who was using a small Honda engine to turn his ice cream maker.
“That started the wheels turning,” said Bontrager. “I said to myself, what a great idea , but I can do one better.”
He went home that afternoon and with the idea still fresh in his head, he began tinkering with the rebuilt Cub. Using his own design, he came up with a unique way to use the power of his tractor to turn the crank on a wooden ice cream maker he had purchased from a distributor in Pennsylvania. He replaced the crank on the ice cream maker with a pulley and used a belt between it and the tractor's pto. The belt-and-pulley system is fitted with a manual hand clutch, which he uses to set the turning in motion. It is a simple design, and the unique mechanism can churn out five gallons of vanilla goodness in about 30 minutes.
Bontrager put the new design and and Cub into service six years ago. He has been cranking out delicious ice cream and scooping in the profits ever since. He then plows the profits back into his hobby of rebuilding tractors. As you might expect, the re-purposed Farmall is the hit of the show, no matter where he takes it.
Bontrager and his ice cream tractor spend Thursdays at the farmers market in his home town of Lebanon, as well as many summer events up and down the Willamette Valley. He is also on call for special events, including private parties, weddings and reunions. If you should see Bontrager and his tractor be sure to stop and say “hi.” He loves to talk about his two most favorite subjects: Farmall tractors...especially the re-purposed Cub and vanilla ice cream. Vanilla, being the most popular flavor in the country, is the only flavor the Farmall cranks out, although Bontrager does offer flavored syrup for those who cannot leave well enough alone.
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© Copyright 2019 by Scott Gese. All Rights Reserved.
© Copyright 2019 by Scott Gese. All Rights Reserved.