THE iconic spluttering rumble of Lanz Bulldog Tractors is set to roar across Swan Hill and Woorinen next month, when the Mallee Steam, Oil and Machinery Club hosts Dog’s Day Out – a vintage rally and Bulldog tractor pull.
The single-cylinder workhorse, described by enthusiasts as the Harley Davidson of farming machinery, changed global agricultural practices when it was first produced in Germany in 1921.
Arriving in Australia shortly thereafter, the Lanz Bulldog tractor proved a reliable and high-horsepower asset for broadacre Mallee farmers, and their “addictive” sound became part of the region’s character.
“As a kid I used to lay in bed and listen to the Bulldog tractors in the neighbouring farms on a winter’s night, and you could nearly pick the neighbour’s different tractors because they all sound a little bit different,” machinery club member Laurie Barber said.
“You could hear these things popping and banging all around the place, just like bloody Galahs singing in the morning, these tractors would make noise at night all across the Mallee.”
The Bulldogs earned their name from the hot-bulb ignition device mounted on the front of the machine, which is heated with a blowtorch before the steering wheel is removed to hand‑crank the engine.
Designed to run on crude oil, the machines were expensive to acquire but convenient and inexpensive to maintain.
“Probably as a three-year-old I used to go and watch my father light a fire under the front and get the steering wheel out,” Mr Barber said.
“They’ve got a real unique smell too, not like any other tractor.”
In the late 1950s, German Bulldog producer Lanz was bought out by John Deere and production of the iconic farming machine ceased in 1960.
A large number of Bulldogs were melted down to make munitions for the two world wars in Germany, where there’s a significant market for old or restored Bulldogs.
Mark Bail has helped restore a number of Bulldogs, and said while they would fetch a pretty price, it’s important to preserve Australian agricultural history.
The Mallee Steam, Oil and Machinery Club president also said a number of younger members in their 20s and 30s had joined the club due to love for the iconic tractors
“Bulldogs just do it don’t they?” he said.
Mr Bail said with a large number of Bulldogs coming from across the country for April’s pull, the event was sure to be a nostalgic spectacle of farming history.
“On Saturday night the tractor pull will be going under lights until 10pm, and it’ll be a good show – there’ll definitely be flames coming out of the tractors,” he said.
A street procession will take place in Swan Hill on Saturday, 11 April at 10.30am, with the tractor pull taking place that night at the Woorinen South Township Recreation Reserve.
Further events will also take place on Sunday, 12 April, with a wide range of other vintage engines, trucks, cars, motorbikes and memorabilia on display.
