Museum & Collection

Meinhardt Farm Equipment, a
Local Family Business Since 1964

The Meinhardt family has been synonymous with quality agriculture equipment since 1964 when founder Jim Meinhardt, then 19 years old, opened the first Meinhardt Farm Equipment store on Highway 24, in Wamego, Kansas. Having just completed a short stint in the Army, and with no real business or financial experience, Jim opened the doors with three employees. Since then, the family business has become KanEquip and expanded to 180 employees and nine stores, eight locations throughout Kansas and one in Syracuse, Nebraska.

“The Meinhardt Farm Museum collection spans thousands of sq feet indoors and out, displaying more than 50 different types of equipment.”

 

Starting out selling Allis Chalmer (now AGCO) and New Holland equipment, the business grew well over the years and KanEquip now sells AGCO, Kubota, C-IH and New Holland along with more than 50 short lines of equipment- many of which are produced in Kansas.

The Meinhardt family has always been a big supporter of the many great activities and programs in Wamego and nearby and was heavily involved in the rebirth of The Columbian Theatre and building a new local Catholic Church.

One of the Largest Allis-Chalmers Collections in the United States

When he’s not busy as the President and CEO of KanEquip, Jim fosters his interest in antique farm equipment and cars. His interest in antiques and the preservation of farm equipment started 30 years ago when a customer had a 1909 IH truck and needed to trade it in on a combine to cut his wheat. Over the next 15 years, Jim traded for several items of farm equipment and began saving what he felt were good and collectable items. One of the pieces of the collection (an Allis Chalmer-D-17 IV) is reconditioned, after having been one of the first tractors on the Meinhardt showroom floor nearly 50 years ago.

 

“Meinhardt Farm Museum is home to more than 40 Allis Chalmers, the largest collection in the Midwest and one of the largest in the U.S.”

The collection of antique farm equipment is now housed in its own museum, which was featured on the television show Ag AM in Kansas. Over the past few years the collection has continued to grow mostly through trade-ins on newer farm equipment. There are several hundred items to look at, including antique cars and trucks, many tractors, combines and all types of farm equipment plus some toys, tools, signs and almost anything involved in the history of agriculture. Showcasing more than 25 restored (and some authentically unrestored) Allis-Chalmers pieces, the Meinhardt Farm Museum is home to one of the largest collections in the country.

“Tractors and historic equipment in the Museum range from authentically unrestored to completely rebuilt and shiny.”

 

Meinhardt Farm Equipment Buys and Sells

We continue to buy, sell and trade for good, older, used tractors and equipment and save what we can before it’s hauled to the iron buyer, which is very inviting with salvage prices at or near an all-time high.

We enjoy visiting and reminiscing with our customers and friends about the great past and history of agriculture and farming.