The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →A Case Model CC started the Buckert family’s connection to Case tractors. More than six decades later, the family’s collection includes more than 100 full-size tractors and about 50 garden tractors, with uncommon Case models at its center. The history is not just about rare machines: it is also a story of a father teaching his sons, generations restoring tractors together, and a family staying involved in local threshing and collecting communities.
How a Model CC began the family’s Case story
In a profile published November 12, 2025, Successful Farming traces the collection to Alvin Buckert, who farmed near Hamilton, Illinois, with a Case Model CC. A DC and an SC followed. His son Fred joined the operation in 1955 after returning from the U.S. Army, and later added tractors including a Case 730 and 800.
By the early 1960s, Fred had begun restoring unusual tractors, starting with his father’s CC. His sons grew up around the work. Danny Buckert recalled, “Dad had been collecting tractors for about as long as us boys can remember,” and added, “So we just fell into it naturally.”
Fred died in 2016, but his sons Kenny, Danny, Alan, and Richard, along with grandsons Kyle, Kevin, Jared, Jeremy, and Austin, remain involved in the hobby, according to the profile. The family’s tractors are distributed among relatives’ properties and two buildings known as the Fred Buckert Memorial Museum at the Western Illinois Threshers show site.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
#1 Best Overall
- Featuring 20 pieces which include vehicles, wagons, and accessory pieces (farmers, fencing, and animals).
- Recommended age is 3+ years
- Great Play Value!
- 1/64 Scale set includes: Vehicles, Wagons, Farmers, Fencing, Animals
- Manufactured by Ertl
What makes the Case tractors stand out
Two closely numbered SO orchard tractors
The collection includes two 1942 Case SO orchard tractors whose serial numbers are only five apart. Danny Buckert said about 1,800 Case SO Orchard models were built; that is the family’s reported production figure, as quoted by Successful Farming, not an independently verified total. The close serial numbers make the pair a particularly striking example of the family’s interest in unusual machines.
The Buckerts’ orchard tractors also include a 1951 Case DV, a 1953 propane-powered Case DO, and a Case 730 LP. Danny said many orchard tractors in the collection came from California and Florida citrus operations, while some came from Michigan apple orchards. He noted that some machines from southern states required substantial work.
Rank #2
- Farm Toy Duo: Includes a Case IH Puma 215 tractor and J&M gravity grain cart featuring sturdy plastic construction that makes this farm toy set great for play both indoors and outdoors
- Real Moving Parts: Pivoting auger and opening grain chute on the cart add hands-on action as kids haul pretend grain harvests around their farm setup
- Lights And Sounds: Realistic light and sound effects bring the tractor to life while included batteries allow farming adventures to begin right away
- Great Gift For Kids: Young Case IH fans ages 3 and up will enjoy guiding this large-scale tractor and grain cart around during imaginative farm play
- Officially Licensed Case IH Product: Produced by TOMY this farm toy set features authentic Case IH looks that will be recognized by young farm equipment fans
A Case Model 200 with serial number 1
Another standout is a Case Model 200 bearing serial number “1,” as reported in the feature. The profile offers it as a rare and memorable machine, but does not provide a production record or other independent documentation for the number.
A high-crop Case 700
The collection also includes a Case 700 high crop that the profile describes as one of only 16 built. That figure, like the orchard-model production estimate, is reported by the feature rather than independently corroborated there.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsRank #3
- Recommended age is 3+ years
- ERTL Collect N Play Case IH Harvest 4 Piece Set
- Includes, Combine, Tractor with Loader, Grain Cart, Grain Truck
- Approx measurements: 5in L x 2in W x 2in H
A broad collection, not a Case-only museum
Case is the family’s defining connection, but its interests extend across marques. The profile names Huber, Oil Pull, International Harvester, John Deere, Graham Bradley, and Minneapolis-Moline among the collection’s other makes. It also describes four front-wheel-drive tractors: a 1919 Moline Universal, a 1919 Indiana, a 1919 Allis-Chalmers 6-12, and a 1924 Cultor. The Cultor uses major drive components from a Model T Ford; Alan Buckert considers the Moline Universal the best designed of the four.
Other details show how the family collects beyond Case: John Deere Model D “spoker” tractors with consecutive serial numbers, and John Deere Patio garden tractors in four colors. The feature says the first 5,846 John Deere Model D units used open-spoke flywheels, with later units using solid discs. These are part of the wider collection’s story, rather than Case production details.
Rank #4
- Recommended for 14+ years and up, not recommended or intended for play
- Case IH 8250 Combine with 2 headers : 12 Row Corn Head and a Grain Head
- Case IH AFS Connect Magnum 340 Tractor, J&M Grain Cart, Semi Tractor with Grain Trailer
- Diecast body with rubber wheels, some plastic parts
- Approx measurement: 6in L x 3.5in W x 3.25in H
Restoration is a family winter routine
Alan Buckert told Successful Farming that the family usually restores one or two tractors each winter. They meet at Fred’s former farm shop, where they handle mechanical work and painting themselves. Recent projects mentioned in the profile include John Deere tractors, and the machines are owned in different ways: by individual relatives, jointly, or through inheritance.
The family’s approach is shaped by the appeal of uncommon models. Danny explained that his father thought a rare tractor took little more time and money to restore than one built in much larger numbers. “In the end, the rare model would be worth more — even though we’ve never sold one,” he said. That remark describes the family’s collecting logic, not a verified appraisal or sale value.
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallCrashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteBest Value
- Recommended for 14+ years and up, not recommended or intended for play
- Tractor features clear cab windows, detailed interior, front and rear triple wheels, and articulating body
- Part of ERTL's Prestige Collection
- Diecast body with rubber wheels, some plastic parts
- Approximate dimensions: 4.75in L x 3.75in W x 2.5in H
Knowledge and community keep the collection moving
Danny said he learned by helping his father and handing him tools before he was old enough to take part in restoration. That informal apprenticeship continues across generations, alongside the family’s exchange of information with collectors interested in other makes.
Alan said the internet has changed how the family looks for tractors, but the Buckerts still attend shows and auctions. Fred was involved with Midwest Old Threshers in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, the J.I. Case Collectors Club, and Western Illinois Threshers. Kenny, Danny, and Kyle have served as board members of Western Illinois Threshers. The profile presents those connections as part of the collection’s life: the tractors are maintained and discussed in a community, not simply stored away.
The counts and rarity descriptions in this account come from Tharran Gaines’s family profile in Successful Farming, published November 12, 2025. They are reported descriptions and recollections; the feature does not establish an independent production-ledger check or an appraisal. Read the profile at Agriculture.com.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
