Waltanna '1973–91

James Nagorcka, a farmer from Tarrington near Portland, decided to build his own four-wheel-drive tractor in 1973. He displayed the finished product at the 1977 Wimmera Machinery Field Days, where a Mallee farmer bought it for a price of around $30,000. Jim Nagorcka then hired a tradesman and they sold a few more tractors direct from the works. Production built up steadily until they could produce 20 custom-built tractors a year from the Portland works. Caterpillar engines were used initially. The series was extended to include 7 tractors, up to the 55-525 PC, with 525 engine HP Cummins diesel in 1985. Then in February 1986 Waltanna entered a contract with Ford Australia to manufacture Ford's FW25 and FW35 series four-wheel-drive tractors, with Ford 401 engines. On the larger series, the FW310 and the FW400, Cat's 3406B engine was used. For a time, the line leader of the Waltanna tractor series was the FW525, then a new series with positive-drive rubber-track ground drive was launched. After significant contributions to rubber-track designed tractors with Deere in Waterloo, Iowa, and then a short-lived arrangement with Marshall in England with the rubber-tracked machines, tractor-making at Tarrington ceased in 1991.