Old Home Built Tractor?

22136 Views 30 Replies 15 Participants Last post by Banjojelly, Feb 1, 2012

Banjojelly

Discussion Starter · Jan 21, 2012

Found this a few months ago when I was looking for a GT to push snow around. Guy said he had saw it on ebay and bought it but needed to unload it quick. I didnt give him much for it, but I probably would have. I fell in love with the construction of it. Appears to be a narrowed Ford? rear end with independent rear brakes and a chevy transmission belt driven off a Wisconsin AEH motor.

At some point someone cut the front end out from under it and it has been replaced by the front of a riding mower. The steering was hob-knobbed together and when you turn the wheel right it goes left and turning left it goes right.

I was able to get it running after going through it and cleaning some of the internals up. Asked my wife if she wanted to watch me drive it around so she snapped a few pictures while she hid in the doorway where the neighbors couldnt see her. It ran good. Little scary with reverse steering and the gear reduction in the pulleys isnt enough to slow it down for tractor use.

While i was unloading it, a guy stopped and wanted to look at it and he seemed to think that it wasn't home made but actually a bought tractor that had been modified. Anyone know anything about the components that its made from? I know the transmission is a chevy. Any ideas what to do with it? I would like to put a narrow front in on it and i need to rework the seat area as I obviously do not fit well.

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jdcrawler

· #2 · Jan 21, 2012

That is pretty slick.

The rear axle is off a 1936 thru 1939 Ford as they were the only years that Ford used that wide bolt pattern.
The Chevy transmission would be 30's and early 40's with the floor shift.

There were a few companies that tried to build garden tractors in the late 40's and thru the 50's that used car parts.
However, this doesn't look like any of the factory built tractors that I have seen.
I think it is a home made unit.

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John Snykus

· #3 · Jan 21, 2012

:thThumbsU Neat, I love it. And the location of the starter setup is really the best. And I like the turf tires.

Dodgeboy49

· #4 · Jan 21, 2012

That bellhousing assembly is pretty neat looking- I am assuming that the lever is the clutch? I wonder what kind of machine that might have come from?

If your transmission is a 3-speed, then you might be able to find a 4-speed from an old pickup that has granny-low. That would slow things down a bit, and more than likely give you a PTO option on the side of the tranny.

Great find!!

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deereboy55

· #5 · Jan 21, 2012

Nice tractor ,,will make a nice project,,,,By the way is that your ford pickup in the picture..old pickups and old tractors seem to go together.

LilysDad

· #6 · Jan 21, 2012

It looks as though someone had done a pretty clean job of it, before the modifications. I bet you can get it back to original.

dmorrill22

· #7 · Jan 21, 2012

Looks similar to a Pow'r Pup, but a modified version. The Pow'r Pup tractors were made from plans that anyone could purchase - you bought the plans and got a bunch of car parts and steel, and built it. This looks like it might have been inspired from those plans?

Kbeitz

· #8 · Jan 21, 2012

I think it's a Gibson model D

It's been changed alot...

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AC 190 XT

· #9 · Jan 21, 2012

At some point someone cut the front end out from under it and it has been replaced by the front of a riding mower. The steering was hob-knobbed together and when you turn the wheel right it goes left and turning left it goes right.

That's just wild, a lot things wouldn't be safe in my yard if I had to deal with that steering. I'd have to do a lot of

raying:

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Banjojelly

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jan 22, 2012

jdcrawler said:
That is pretty slick.

The rear axle is off a 1936 thru 1939 Ford as they were the only years that Ford used that wide bolt pattern.
The Chevy transmission would be 30's and early 40's with the floor shift.

There were a few companies that tried to build garden tractors in the late 40's and thru the 50's that used car parts.
However, this doesn't look like any of the factory built tractors that I have seen.
I think it is a home made unit.

Ray, just wanted to say that I actually found this website by finding a picture of your R/T tractor on a google search when I was trying to find information on mine. Since then I have read every thread you have posted and I have to say, your work is incredible. It always leaves me inspired to better my own projects when i see the quality and ingenuity of yours.

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Banjojelly

Discussion Starter · #11 · Jan 22, 2012

Dodgeboy49 said:
That bellhousing assembly is pretty neat looking- I am assuming that the lever is the clutch? I wonder what kind of machine that might have come from?

If your transmission is a 3-speed, then you might be able to find a 4-speed from an old pickup that has granny-low. That would slow things down a bit, and more than likely give you a PTO option on the side of the tranny.

Great find!!

Yes the lever is a hand clutch. Works well. Right now I am more interested in keeping the driveline as is, but you are right, a 4 speed would be an easy solution. I would be willing bet that in 3rd I could have hit 25 or more no problem

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Banjojelly

Discussion Starter · #12 · Jan 22, 2012

deereboy55 said:
Nice tractor ,,will make a nice project,,,,By the way is that your ford pickup in the picture..old pickups and old tractors seem to go together.

Thanks. Yes that is my 65 Ford F100 in the picture. I restored it 5 or 6 years ago and have used it as a daily driver ever since. It is one of a collection of 14 vintage vehicles. They tend to follow me home.

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Banjojelly

Discussion Starter · #13 · Jan 22, 2012

Here are some pictures of the plates and tags I found on my computer.
Tractor is buried under snow right now or I would go look for more.

It hit me this afternoon that the guy who stopped and looked at it while I was unloading it thought it was an economy. Thoughts?

Also, does anyone know the HP rating on the engine?

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ShelbyGT550

· #14 · Jan 22, 2012

Neat little find, Hope to see lots more

Out of curiousity, If thats a chev rear end. How did they reduce the stance so much?

1996 John Deere 425 Main Summer Machine - 20HP Liquid Cooled Kawasaki - Hydrostatic Twin Pedals - 48" Deck
197? John Deere 400 H3 Main Winter Machine Down - Fixing odds & ends - 19.9HP Kohler 532- Hydrostatic - 3PT Hitch - Back Blade - Snow Blower - Cab - Weights - Chains
1974 Massey 12G - Backup Machine - Tecumseh 12HP - 4 Speed Variator - 42" Mower Deck - Snow Blower - Tiller - Cab
1996 Sears GT6000 - Backup Machine - Kohler Command 22HP Twin - 6 Speed Hi/Low - 42" Mower Deck - 42" Dual Stage Blower - Brush Guard - ATV Tires - Chains & Weights
1974 John Deere 112 (Parts)
197? John Deere 112 Electric Lift - Storage - 12HP Kohler K301- 4 Speed Manual - Turf Tires
Past Machines & To-do's - 1974 Snapper LT16 - 1989 Murray GT18/46 - 1970 Massey Ferguson 10 - 2004 John Deere LA100- WIP

jdcrawler

· #15 · Jan 22, 2012 (Edited)

The AEH is rated at 5.9 HP at 2200 RPM.
Serial #965547 makes it a 1947 engine.

ShelbyGT550 said:
Out of curiousity, If thats a chev rear end. How did they reduce the stance so much?

The transmission is a Chevy but the rear end is a Ford.

DonF

· #16 · Jan 23, 2012

I think it was home built. The main difference from the Power Pup design is that this tractor has a hand clutch attached to the engine.

TexasFire

· #17 · Jan 31, 2012

What a cool rig, can't wait to see what you do with it. I bet that steering thing is a trip!!!

TexasFire

LilysDad

· #18 · Jan 31, 2012

I believe the hand clutch is a Wisconsin accessory.

attorney_barnabas_collins

· #19 · Jan 31, 2012

Swapping the steering from outside the frame to inside if you can take the steering arm loose from the box and move it would solve the backwards issue.

jdcrawler

· #20 · Jan 31, 2012 (Edited)

attorney_barnabas_collins said:
Swapping the steering from outside the frame to inside if you can take the steering arm loose from the box and move it would solve the backwards issue.

I've changed the steering arm direction on several steering boxes and it's not that big of a problem.

Some of the steering boxes have a fine spline on the shaft so the arm can be repositioned.
On some other steering boxes, several of the splines will be fused together to form a wider flat area so the arm can only fit in one position.
On this type I use a die grinder and grind out that wide flat area so the arm can then be rotated around.

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