At this year’s Husker Harvest Days, visitors were treated to more than the latest equipment and technology. They also got a chance to step back in time, thanks to Mike Polasek and his collection of antique Krueger-Atlas stationary gas engines. These machines, built in the early 1900s, once powered farms and towns, and now, thanks to Mike’s dedication, they are running again for people to see, hear, and appreciate.

Mike brought three restored engines from his home in Karnes City, Texas: an 8-horsepower model that had been left in a pasture for decades, a 16-horsepower engine, and a massive 32-horsepower machine. Each one has a story. The smaller engine had been stripped of brass and left to rust until Mike and others painstakingly fabricated parts, cleaned it up, and got it turning again. The larger motors once pumped water and even ran oil wells, serving as vital lifelines for communities before electricity was common.

What makes Mike’s work special is not just the restoration itself but the experience he creates for others. When these engines roar to life, the smell of oil and fuel fills the air, pistons pump in rhythm, and smoke rises from their stacks. It is a sensory connection to the past that a museum display simply can’t match. Visitors don’t just see history; they feel it, and that makes it stick.

At 90 years old, Mike admits he mostly restores these engines for the love of it. While others might fish or golf, he prefers “messing with motors.” He also worries that interest in these machines may fade, and he has already decided to pass them down to his family. But by showing them at events like Husker Harvest Days, he keeps that appreciation alive for younger generations who may never have realized just how much early engines contributed to farming and rural life.

In a world of high-tech tractors and GPS-guided equipment, it is easy to forget where it all started. Mike Polasek’s engines remind us that modern agriculture grew out of ingenuity, grit, and the determination to make things work. Watching one of his old machines chug along is not just about nostalgia. It is about honoring the history that laid the foundation for everything we rely on today.

Here’s a video courtesy of Farm Progress:

You can also read the more extensive write-up by Farm Progress.