By Mike Olmstead, Contributing Writer
We’ve all got hobbies and favorite past times. For some of us it’s Jeeping, for others it’s snowmobiling, and others perhaps it may be a passion for hunting and/or fishing.
But there’s a niche group of enthusiasts flying under the radar that you might find surprising (and if you’re a gearhead you will love it): Antique Tractors! Just Google ‘antique tractors’ and you will be blown away at the number of clubs, followers, events, and just plain passion for these farm implements from yesteryear!
Like any discipline, antique tractor aficionados have their clubs, meetings, social gatherings, and of course, special events. And one of the uniquely special events for the tractor crowd is the annual Mackinac Bridge Tractor Crossing!
In September of 2025 they will holding their 17th annual tractor crossing when promoters expect well over a thousand antique tractors will stage in Mackinac City, parade through the town, enter the Bridge on the south approach (a story here which will be touched on later!), cross the Bridge exiting on the St. Ignace side of the Straits. And this is not just a ‘local’ or Michigan thing: tractor buffs from all over the country carve out this weekend to make the trek to northern Michigan for the crossing!
The official name of the event is the “Mackinac Bridge Antique Tractor Crossing”, presented by Owosso Tractor & Repair Parts. The event was created in 2007 by Bob Baumgras of Owosso Tractor & Repair Parts, and their first event was in 2008 with over 600 antique tractors participating in that first event. And it has grown every year since. With the exception of Bridge maintenance one year, and the pandemic for another year, the Antique Tractor Crossing has been held every year since 2008.
The Tractor Crossing is open to the public, with a few caveats. Individual tractor owners do not sign up for the event directly, instead they have to be a member of an antique tractor club, and their club signs up for the Tractor Crossing. The club in turn provides the promoter with individual participant/tractor information. Clubs typically sign up in the Spring, and member info follows.
This a popular event in the antique tractor community. For the 2025 event there are already 48 clubs registered, representing Michigan and eight other states, from as far away as New York and even Texas! The event is capped at 1,500 tractors; for the 2024 event they ran just under 1,400 tractors across the Bridge!
Another feature unique to this event is the “buddy seat”. As you’re probably aware, old tractors in general have only one (and usually less than comfortable!) seat! In order to accommodate family members and friends who would like to ride along, the promoters allow “buddy seats’ on the tractors. Needless to say the “buddy seats” are strictly monitored. With the approval of the Mackinac Bridge Authority and fairly rigid rules put forth by Owosso Tractor Parts (promoter), a tractor driver can be modified to add seating for one or more passengers with them. The passengers can ride beside the driver or on a platform behind the driver.
Of course, one would expect some level of rules or tractor requirements for such an event! Here are some of the more obvious stipulations:
Tractors :
• Must be a minimum of 40 years old
• Be able to travel at a minimum of 10 MPH
• Have rubber tires
• Have tow strap
• Must belong to a registered club
A complete list of the participation requirements may be found on the website at:
www.mackinacbridgecrossing.com/eventrules
Here’s an interesting ‘side bar’ with regard to the Tractor Crossing: We all drive the Interstate highway system. In fact it’s almost impossible to get to the Tractor Crossing without a stint on an Interstate highway someplace. And though we may have gone ‘tone deaf’ to the signage when entering an Interstate highway, 90% of Interstate on-ramps are signed with the notice that farm implements are specifically prohibited from running on an Interstate highway.
Well! The Mackinac Bridge is part of the Interstate highway system! So in order to make the Tractor Crossing a ‘go’, Mr. Baumgras and staff had to negotiate an exception with the Mackinac Bridge Authority to allow the tractors to enter the bridge from the south on-ramp, proceed north over the Bridge, exiting at the north end of the Bridge.
To get a little deeper insight into the Tractor Crossing I had a chance to talk to a long-term veteran of the Tractor Crossing and pick his brains a little about the event! I spent a little time with Craig Berry, founding member and director of the Berry Brothers Tractor Club out of Ottawa Lake, MI. The Berry Brothers tractor club was created primarily to enable participation in the Bridge Crossing. As Craig says “We heard about the crossing and decided we had to participate!” They’ve participated in every crossing except the inaugural crossing.
In 2013 they created their own club – Berry Brothers Tractor Club. The club’s membership is primarily made up of family and close friends, and currently boasts 50 members. Prior to the establishment of their own club they participated in the Crossing with other clubs.
Craig says that the fascination of taking an antique tractor across the Bridge is somewhat intangible, hard to explain. However he also explains that the alure of the Tractor Crossing is the family time it provides. Family members are spread throughout Michigan and the Midwest – with one coming all the way from Florida to participate! It’s quite satisfying to have all the family together in one place! Current plans for the club have them taking 35 tractors with 15 ‘buddy riders’ for the 2025 event.
The Mackinac Bridge is a signature Michigan landmark and is known worldwide, and there’s just something to crossing the Bridge in an ‘old’ tractor. Craig says “There’s a feeling a person gets when they are on an old tractor surrounded by nothing: No car, no interior, no windshield, no comfortable seat. Just a metal pan seat, a steering wheel and a throttle lever! The left lane of the bridge deck consists of grates. A person can look down through the bridge deck 200 feet to water! That’s exciting. A bonus takes place when a lake freighter glides by as we’re crossing the bridge, or a giant 150,000-pound pulpwood hauler rumbles by on those grates!”
If you’re looking for something different this September, consider scooting up to the Mackinac Bridge area for the Mackinac Bridge Antique Tractor Crossing. You definitely don’t need a tractor to enjoy the event! One suggestion: Book lodging early!!
Website: https://www.mackinacbridgecrossing.com •