Page 19 - Best of 2016 English

and a loud bump. e bear comes to life, the engine pounds and the vehicle prepares to jump away, but the brakes thwart the bear’s every attempt to run o . Now the Ursus looks like a chained animal that is ercely gnawing at its shackles.
More and more people are succumbing to the charm of old tractors. “ e number of collectors and rallies is growing,” reports Stefan Sievers. is is forcing the prices up. “A good Ursus costs 20,000 euros, while unrestored ones are worth from 12,000
Lined up for inspection: The Sievers and their best tractors
to 15,000 euros.” In addition to the Ursus, the Sievers own nine old tractors, most perfectly restored. Does the maintenance ever get
to be too much? is is not a problem for Stefan Sievers, who works building car bodies at Porsche. He laughs and says, “One time we wanted to sell an Allgaier. We cleaned it up, and took nice pictures for the advertisement. But in the end, we gave in and pushed it back into the barn.” e Sievers and their tractors remain inseperable.
Stefan Sievers lights the blowlamp for the Ursus tractor. The rst turn of the ywheel causes white smoke to escape from the hot bulb
AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY 19
Photos: Carsten Brand