A highlight of the year for the entire community was the annual spring auction at Neffs Farm Equipment during the 1950s.

“Every year oodles of equipment was traded in,” Abner Krumanocker recalled. “Farmers emptied their barns of horse drawn equipment and the Amish would flock there for it.

“We had four different auctioneers going. Each piece had a code to let the auctioneer know the least amount it could go for.

“We cleared an area for the Schnecksville Grange to serve hamburgers, hot dogs and oyster stew.

“At night we had a local band for square dancing. We washed the floors down good and sprinkled something to make dancing easier.

“People came from all over.”

After Neffs Farm Equipment signed a franchise to sell and service Case excavating equipment, Abner’s dad, Oliver Krumanocker, and hist partner, Clinton Geiger, realized the company was growing too large and dissolved the partnership in 1959.

A year later, Oliver Krumanocker opened a new corporation in the Fogelsville area, Wheel and Crawler Equipment Co., to promote the J.I. Case line of products.

After Oliver Krumanocker died in 1962, Abner Krumanocker became president of the company at age 27, working with his cousin Harold Krumanocker, the salesman at the time.

Abner recalls the purchase of a parcel of land from Earl Adams in 1964 at the intersection of Routes 22 and 100.

He obtained eight and one-half acres so customers would have space to try out the equipment.

Route 100 was still a simple two-lane road, and the land to the west was mostly open space.

In 1965, Wheel and Crawler opened a new facility with an open house attended by hundreds of visitors.

One of those persons was Clayton Snyder, then in his upper 80s, who told Abner Krumanocker he had made a mistake not buying into the J.M. Snyder Company.

On the front of the building, Abner Krumanocker displayed the company motto, “Our Service - Your Insurance.”

Contractors, townships, cities and counties purchased four-wheel drive loaders, backhoes and dozers from Wheel and Crawler.

The company served more than 1,000 customers from five counties.

Equipment rodeos during the 1970s and 1980s were very popular. Entire families came for a day of fun, with pony rides for the children.

When the Schnecksville Fire Company undertook construction of the facility where it stands today, Abner Krumanocker provided the bulldozer to excavate the site.

“I gave the biggest dozer I had and didn’t charge for it,” Abner Krumanocker said. “Nelson Tyson operated it.”

In 1995, he sold the Wheel and Crawler business to Powerco, which moved to a different location.

On the day it was sold, Abner Krumanocker took a ride in the Poconos to reflect on the 38 years of service his company provided to individuals using J.I. Case equipment.

He expressed admiration to his father for providing the inspiration for the successful business.

“it was Dad’s good call to get into this field,” Abner Krumanocker recalled. “Farms were disappearing, and homes were going up.

“There were lots of bumps in the road but each day I felt his presence over my shoulder.”

Although J.M. Snyder, Neffs Farm Equipment and Wheel and Crawler no longer exist, the accomplishments enabled by their equipment were notable in the endeavors of farmers and other workers in this area.

Through his career, Abner Krumanocker played a large role in improving the lives of residents and their communities in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.