Aviation Meets Agriculture: An Unlikely Hero of the Case IH Merger

Ever hear the story about the crop duster pilot who helped Case IH avert a near-crisis? I stumbled on this Case IH merger story in the Red 4WD Tractors book recently and had to share—and if you’ve never checked out Lee Klancher’s Red Tractors series, you really need to. They’re all chock-full of great stories just like this one.

Anyway, back to the story. It’s all about a random crop duster pilot who saved the day a couple of months after the Case IH merger was announced. This happened back in February of 1985 just a few days before the first all-dealer meeting…a time when they really needed things to go right. The background context of this is important, so let’s pick up the story about four months earlier; specifically, Thanksgiving week of 1984.

If you’re a red fan (or a white one, for that matter), you probably know the significance of that week—it was when the Case IH merger was announced. Shortly after the big news, International Harvester hosted a meeting in Dallas with their key dealers. The goal? Introduce them to the new Case IH leadership and talk about the new company vision going forward.

Ruffling feathers at the Dallas dealer meeting

Outside the hotel, Case IH had parked a J.I. Case row-crop tractor (I presume it was a 94-series, or maybe a 96-Series) for the dealers to see as they arrived. I’m sure it was intended as a harmless gesture, but that white paint likely ruffled some feathers. To make matters worse, in CEO Jim Ketelsen’s opening remarks, he referred to that tractor and hinted that Case’s Power White paint scheme would be more prominent in the future product line.

Well that, my friends, went over about the way you think it did. The reaction was immediate—boos erupted from the crowd. These were loyal IH dealers, and they weren’t happy about it.

The Backlash

Now, I don’t believe the leadership team completely brushed off the reaction—I’m sure they knew that an audience of IH dealers could be somewhat hostile. To a point, this was probably to be expected, and perhaps the reaction was discounted because of that.

However, what they didn’t see coming was what happened later that evening. A group of IH dealers, still frustrated with Ketelsen’s comments, got together and drafted a letter. I’ve never seen that letter, but the gist of it was that if they had to sell tractors that weren’t IH 2150 red going forward, this letter should be considered their resignation. It was a gutsy play, but they didn’t feel like they had much of an option. It was signed, sealed, and delivered to Case IH company leadership the next day.

That letter, combined with the overwhelmingly negative feedback from Ketelsen’s remarks, got leadership’s attention. The result? They decided that the white J.I. Case tractors would be re-decaled and painted red. From where I’m sitting, Case IH’s concession to the dealers was a very smart political move. It may not have won them any fans with the existing J.I. Case dealers, but I’m certain that it eased some of the heartburn that the red dealers were feeling (and likely the red customer base, too).

Now, let’s fast forward to February of 1985…

The Vegas meeting

So Case IH was gearing up for its first all-dealer meeting in Las Vegas. It was a big deal, because this was the first time that J.I. Case dealers would sit together at the same tables. There’s a small army of people out there a few weeks early to prep for this expo, and when the tractors arrived from Racine…they were white. Now, if you’re keeping score, this is exactly what Case IH promised wouldn’t happen. If the red dealers showed up and saw white tractors after they were promised red ones, they’d sharpen the pitchforks and light the torches for sure.

Fortunately, Case IH had planned for this. They sent red paint out there with the tractors, so they could be repainted. There was a crew waiting for it so they could get started. They had a week to get the job done, and it was all going fine; right up until they ran out of red paint with two days left. I don’t know if somebody knocked a paint can over, if they estimated incorrectly, or if there were more tractors there than expected. In any case, running out of paint wasn’t on anybody’s bingo card—and now it presented a real problem.

Scrambling…

Roger Lewno was the product specialist managing the project, and he immediately went into crisis response mode. He got on the horn with the warehouse in Chicago, but they couldn’t get it there in time. So he started calling local dealers, but none of ’em had anything on the shelf. It wasn’t until he got on the phone with a parts manager from Keith Equipment in Casa Grande, AZ, that he finally found some. They had six gallons. The only problem? It was a 12-hour round trip by car.

Then, just as Roger was about to hang up and get in the car for a really long ride, this local crop duster pilot walks in to pick up some parts. The parts manager, thinking on his feet, says, “Hang on a sec, Roger, let me try something.” A few minutes later, that guy picks back up and says, “There’s a pilot who’s heading to the airport right now to fly the paint up to you.”

Lo and behold, a few hours later, Case IH had their paint and they went back to work. Quick thinking on part of Keith Equipment’s employees—and a helpful local pilot—averted a near-certain PR disaster. The repainting got done in time, and when the dealers arrived, all they saw was a lineup of bright, red tractors. Thanks to that pilot, Case IH dodged a heck of a bullet!

By the way, I did a little digging on YouTube and found a video from that dealer meeting in Vegas. Take a look!

Final thoughts

Y’know, we often hear people say, “I’ll die on this hill,” and it’s used pretty flippantly. But when I read this story in Red 4WD Tractors, what really jumped off the page at me was the way the dealers were ready to sacrifice everything for that red paint. I don’t know who signed the letter, but I’ll bet some of them were second- or even third-generation IH dealers. That’s a family legacy right there. That’s an identity. To be willing to walk away from that shows some seriously strong dedication to the brand!

As we all know, while the first years of the Case IH merger were rocky, they persevered. Two years later, they released the Magnum. It was arguably one of the most game-changing tractor to ever wear red paint! They weren’t completely out of the woods when they released it, but it was definitely a turning point.

So at the end of the day, I still have one question about this whole thing. I want to know if that pilot ever realized what a huge favor he did for Case IH that day. If he’s still out there, somebody owes him a proper steak dinner!

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