Cockshutt Tractor Repowered With Datsun Car Engine

Cockshutt Tractor Repowered With Datsun Car Engine REPOWERED EQUIPMENT Repowered Equipment 22-6-31 When the engine on his 1953 Cockshutt 20 tractor wore out, Dave Lentz, Frazeysburg, Ohio, replaced it with a 4-cyl. gas engine out of an old Datsun car. He also connected the car's 3-speed automatic transmission to the tractor's original 4-speed transmission. "It has a lot of power and runs like a deer. With 12 forward speeds and 4 reverse speeds I can go anywhere from a slow crawl to 35 mph," says Lentz. The tractor's original 20 hp Continental engine needed a total rebuild. Lentz had a Datsun 610 car that was badly rusted but had a good engine and transmission. He re-moved the hood to make room for the new engine and installed new rubber engine mounts. To make room for the engine he moved the radiator about 8 in. forward and mounted it on a pair of angle irons bolted to the sides of the tractor. He made a new grill using long bolts salvaged from old wooden reels that were used to hold phone cable. He also had to make an adapter plate that connects the two transmissions. The tractor was originally equipped with a single front wheel. Lentz replaced it with the front axle and wheels off an old Dodge van. He mounted the axle upside down in order to get more ground clearance. The axle pivots on a 6-in. long, 1 1/4-in. steel shaft that rides inside a pipe. A pair of 2 1/ 2-in. dia. pipes are used to brace the axle and keep it from twisting. The back end of the pipes rides up or down on two loose bolts, allowing the pipes to pivot with the axle. "It turns people's heads when they first see it. Many of them can't believe it," says Lentz. "I use it mostly around my home to pull a 5-ft. Bush Hog mower as well as a 2-bottom plow which I use in my two big gardens. I also use it to haul firewood and to drag logs out of my woods. The car's 1,800 cc engine is rated at 105 hp at 6,000 rpm's. However, I usually go 2,000 to 3,000 rpm's. "To drive the tractor I put the automatic transmission in neutral and then put the 4-speed transmission in gear. I usually go in third gear. However, if I want to go at a crawl I put both transmissions in first gear. If I want I can shift the automatic transmission on-the-go. I like the addition of the automatic transmission because it allows the tractor to provide constant power without digging its wheels into the ground. I can use the throttle to regulate engine speed to the point where the tractor is just about to spin its wheels, then back off on the throttle. The automatic transmission also eliminates the need to set the brake whenever I stop." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dave Lentz, 9224 Lentz Rd., Frazeysburg, Ohio 43822 (ph 740 828-3889)

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.