History of Randell’s Ranch Museum

Jan Randell, the owner of the museum was born and raised on a farm. His parents started farming in 1945 east of Ermelo the time he was born. His father Edwin Randell had a passion for machines and how their mechanics worked. That made him the first farmer in the area to buy a tractor. He bought a Minneapolis Moline U in 1945 and started ploughing the fields with it. The neighbouring farmers would come and look at the tractor working because it was the first time they saw a machine pulling a plough other than oxen they where use to.

Soon after in 1948 his father bought his second tractor a Fordson major. Later in 1952 he bought a Lanz Buldog 25 and a second Lanz 28 in 1954.  Meanwhile his sons Pieter and Jan grew up on the farm with tractors and a father that would learn them all about mechanics. That is where they got their love for tractors, especially the ones they grew up with.

In 2007 a friend of Jan took him to Hannes Rothmann in Amersfoort to look at his old tractors. There Jan saw a Lanz Bulldog 25 and as Hannes told him the history of the tractor and where he bought it. They came to the conclusion that it must have been the Lanz his father owned. Exited with his finding Jan desperately wanted the Lanz. Hannes was only willing to sell if somebody would buy the whole collection. That is where it all started.

Jan then bought a big Farmall collection from Artchie Bartelman in Clockelaan. He then met Willie Ludeke at Rouxville and got hold of his collection.  He bought a few 8 series John Deere tractors from Piet Combrink at Delmas and also acquired a selection of Allis Chalmers tractors from Jan Joubert at Reitz. 

At this moment they are still restoring rare models with the help of Hannes.    

The museum also spread its wings and added old cars, trucks, motorbikes, old engines and even a 1948 Beechcraft Bonanza 35 aero plane to the collection.  Jan and his older brother Pieter are still farming east of Ermelo where it all began in 1945. Their sons are also keen farmers and the Randell family will be farming for many years to come.