Half-Scale Deere Tractors

Half-Scale Deere Tractors AG WORLD Ag World 22-3-22 "My half-scale antique Deere tractors look and sound just like the real thing and get a lot of attention at shows and parades. I built them entirely from scratch," says Patrick Prom, Eden Prairie, Minn., who often takes the tractors to parades and shows. Prom has built three different half-scale Deere models - an "L", a "D", and an "830". In addition, he made a 4-bottom moldboard plow for the "D" and a wooden wagon for the 830. The model 830 is powered by a 12 hp Tecumseh gas engine out of a Sears garden tractor. The transmission is the same one used on the old Deere 110 garden tractor. The 1-cyl. vertical engine is mounted in the middle. The engine belt-drives a jackshaft which chain-drives the transmission. The 15.5 by 15 rear wheels are off a Ditch Witch digging machine and are mounted on wheel rims off a Dodge pickup. Prom cut the 8-in. wide rims in half and welded on 4 more inches of material to make the rims 12 in. wide. The 4 by 8 front wheels were bought new and the front spindles are off a Plymouth Horizon car. The grille and hood are hand made from sheet metal. The pre-cleaner is made from tupperware. The gear shifter, clutch lever, seat, and muffler are all hand made. To make the seat Prom bought yellow naugahide at an upholstery shop and sewed it together, then mounted it on a metal box. "It'll go 6 to 7 mph. All the levers work, including the hand clutch and brake lever.The belt pulley starts and stops just like on the real tractor. The muffler has an echo chamber which makes the engine sound like it's a diesel. The 830 was manufactured from 1958 to 1960 and was powered by the last and biggest of the 2-cyl. diesel engines. All 830s were powered by diesel engines. Prom's Model D is powered by an 8 hp Kohler gas engine and equipped with a Ford Escort transaxle. The engine belt-drives a timing belt that's connected to the transaxle. Prom modified the rear wheel hubs off a Ford pickup and bolted them onto the transaxle. The 1-cyl. engine has a vertical piston and is mounted in the middle of the tractor. To make the tractor look more real, Prom made a "mockup" 2-cyl. engine and mounted it in front of the Kohler engine. To make the cylinders he cut pieces of steel pipe in half and welded them together side by side. He cut down a starter housing to make it look like the cylinder water jackets. The 12 by 12 rear tires are from a Ditch Witch while the 4 by 8-in. front tires were bought new. The front axle was handmade and has spindles off a Plymouth Horizon car. The rear fenders are off a car trailer. The seat and flywheel are from an exercise bike. The hood and grille were hand made from sheet metal and rectangular tubing. "The rear tires are filled with foam and weigh 185 lbs. apiece. The entire tractor weighs about 800 lbs.," notes Prom. His model L is powered by a 5 hp Briggs & Stratton gas engine and uses a 3-speed transmission off an old Crosley mini car. The engine chain-drives a jackshaft which belt-drives the transmission. The rear axle is equipped with the rear end off a Datsun car while the front axle is a length of steel pipe. The frame is made from round steel tubing and the hood is part of the fender deck from a Deere 318 riding lawn mower. The steering box is homemade and contains beveled gears from a Toro walk-behind lawn mower. The muffler is off an old riding lawn mower. The 4 by 12-in. rear wheels are off an old Montgomery Ward 2-wheeled walk-behind tractor. The 4 by 6-in., 3-ribbed front tires are mounted on wheel rims off an old Go-Cart. The seat is off an exercise bike. The fenders were cut from an aluminum snow saucer, with half the saucer used on each wheel. "There's a 5:1 reduction between the engine and transmission, a 4:1 reduction in the final drive, and a 2:1 reduction in the rear end so it's really geared down. It'll go about 10 mph," says Prom. "At shows I pull a 1-row Hudson planter behind it. The real L could pull a 2-row planter. It was built from 1939 to 1946 and was replaced by the model M in 1947. It originally was powered by a 2

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