Jan Prinsen (80) is the tractor king of Baarle-Nassau with his tractor collection. Nowhere else in the Netherlands is the number of tactors per inhabitant higher than in his municipality and Jan contributes largely to that. His forty tractors are neatly exhibited in a large stable.
It once started by Jan’s neighbors who had a Field Marshall tractor. “I always told them that as soon as I had time and money I would also buy one,” says the eighty -year -old tractor collector. “I also started with that,” he says enthusiastically.
Eventually he disposed of his cows, giving him more time and money for the tractors. As a result, his collection has started to grow considerably. Jan certainly doesn’t think it’s a hobby that got out of hand. “Some people say that, but I don’t think so yet. I am happy with it.”
833 tractors
Figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) show that 116 tractors have been registered per thousand inhabitants in the municipality of Baarle-Nassau.
The number is therefore the highest number per inhabitant in the Netherlands. In total, 833 tractors are registered in the Baarle-Nassau.
Whether there will be new copies? No, Jan thinks it was nice. “The stable is full and I am eighty years old,” he explains.
The love for the tractors will continue to exist, as long as his health allows it. He does not yet know what his collection will happen to Princes afterwards. His children can decide that.
Favorites
He thinks the best thing is his blue tractor: a Hanomag Nato. “They are actually only made for the army and there are many extras on it,” he says. For example, there are large lamps on it and the bench in the cabin is decorated with leather. “It can cost money with the army.”
The blue model is a heavy tractor. “That makes them pull hard, because the weight pulls the team.” There is also a cabin on the tractor where you can always sit dry.
His favorite is the biggest tractor in the stable: Deutz D 16006. “Only a few of them have been made and a large part of it has been demolished. There are no twenty more in the world. They are very rare. It is really something special.”
According to Jan, the Deutz D 16006 was much demolished, because the model was not really good. This makes the model very rare now. “When I am at a show it is always the only one. Of other tractors there are often more copies,” he knows.
