Probably the most well-known of the company’s toys is the Tonka Mighty Truck also known as the Mighty Dump Truck Tonka toy. It’s the iconic symbol of the company, outside of their logo. Of all Tonka toy trucks, this Tonka chuck truck is easily the flagship of the line. It was part of a “Mighty” line of construction-related equipment, which introduced in 1964.

Other diecast toy cars the company has produced include the highly collectible Tonka Fire Truck line, the Tonka Garbage Truck series, and a handful of short-lived or discontinued Tonka toy trucks from the 1970s and 1980s.

If you’d like to see some of the rarest and most interesting of the Tonka toy trucks, had over to Winifred, Montana where the Winifred Museum has a collection of Tonka trucks and toys spanning more than 3,000 in number. That, friends, is a lot of Tonka trucks!

Kubota’s are designed in Japan and much like Japanese automobiles, the same quality standards are applied to their tractors. Although they have only been available in the United States since the late 1960′s Kubota tractors have earned a good reputation among farmers.

For most farm applications, farmers normally need a tractor above 40 horsepower and although Kubota makes very good quality compact tractors, these tractors are better for landscape professionals. Growing up on a farm I became familiar with the demands of the tractor. On our small farm, we only had one 60 horsepower tractor, which meant that it had to be reliable. During seasons where the tractor is the most important piece of machinery and time is limited, the tractor has to work. We just didn’t have time for breakdowns. Consider baling hay for a moment. When the sun was shining and the hay was dry, it had to be baled and the tractor had to work. A breakdown could mean that the hay got rained on and therefore was ruined.

Kubota tractors appeal to farmers because they have proven to be reliable. The L and M series Kubota tractors are well suited to farm operations as they have enough power to handle many routine farm tasks. If you’re in the market for a new or used tractor, take a good look at Kubota Tractors.

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Collecting die-cast trucks is a fun and fascinating hobby. Whether you are interested in casual collecting or if you’re a die-hard collector, there is something in this hobby for everyone. When starting out collecting, or if you are purchasing a truck for a collector, there is some basic information that all collectors should know about die-cast trucks.

Die-Cast Truck Types

While some people collect strictly one type of die-cast vehicle, there are a wide range of vehicle types available. Some collectors focus on antique trucks, and others like to collect trucks from a single manufacturer. Others may focus strictly on a type of truck, such as 18-wheelers, and others may have an interest in farm vehicles or construction equipment. It’s important to decide what sort of truck you are most interested in, so you can focus your research and purchasing.

Die-Cast Truck Manufacturers

There are many different manufacturers of die-cast trucks. Some of these manufacturers include:

· Norscott – Norscott is the primary manufacturer of Caterpillar die-cast construction equipment, as well as other brands such as Peterbilt, Kenworth, Case, Claas, Bell, Liebherr and Yale/Hyster.

· Ertl – Ertl is one of the oldest die-cast truck manufacturers. Ertl’s primary focus is on farm equipment, and manufactures John Deere and Case/New Holland farm vehicles.

· Tonkin – Tonkin focuses on road trucks, primarily 18-wheelers, but their collection also includes log trucks and dump trucks.

· New Ray - New Ray Trucks also focus on road trucks, including 18-wheelers and pickup trucks, but their collection also includes specialty trucks such as garbage trucks and tanker trucks.

· Yatming - Yatming is a Hong Kong company that manufactures a wide line of fire trucks and police vehicles, in addition to its automobile lines.

· Corgi - Corgi is a British manufacturer that specializes in branded trucks and limited edition collectable vehicles.

· Tonka - Tonka trucks were manufactured more strictly as toys than many die-cast trucks made today. Tonka is currently owned by Hasbro, and now licenses the Tonka name to Maisto for die-cast vehicles. Today’s Tonka trucks include pickup trucks, farm tractors, big rigs and branded trucks.

Die-Cast Truck Scales

A scale refers to the ratio of the size of the model truck to the size of the actual truck. The primary scales for die-cast vehicles are 1:18, 1:24, 1:43, and 1:64. In a 1:18 scale truck, one inch on the die-cast truck translates to 18 inches on the actual truck. Some collectors prefer one scale of die-cast toy trucks, while other’s collect trucks from a variety of scales.

Resources for Die-Cast Truck Collectors

The majority of resources for die-cast truck collectors are web sites created by die-cast truck manufacturers and sites developed by other collectors. While manufacturer web sites can easily be found with a simple search, it is more difficult to locate non-manufacturer resources.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Edward_Fisher