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Half-Scale Deere "B" Tractor Really Works
When Ken Java of Frederic, Wis., set about to build a half-scale 1936 Deere B tractor, he headed straight to his junk pile. The result was a half-scale tractor that looks and works just like the real thing.
"It's proof that if you weld a bunch of junk together and paint it green you get a John Deere. I've had a
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Half-Scale Deere "B" Tractor Really Works TRACTORS Made-It-Myself 24-5-23 When Ken Java of Frederic, Wis., set about to build a half-scale 1936 Deere B tractor, he headed straight to his junk pile. The result was a half-scale tractor that looks and works just like the real thing.
"It's proof that if you weld a bunch of junk together and paint it green you get a John Deere. I've had a lot of fun with it in parades and at shows," says Java.
The tractor is powered by an 8 hp Briggs and Stratton gas engine off an old riding mower. The radiator is off an old school bus, the flywheel off a pump jack, the axle and rear end off a riding mower, and the hood was made from a refrigerator door. The steering gear was made using the gear reduction system off a windshield wiper motor from a Ford pickup. He made the steering wheel by bending a length of old gas line into shape. The exhaust muffler is a piece of sewer pipe.
"I'm proud that I was not only able to make it look half scale, but also to get it to work like the real thing," says Java, who built the tractor five years ago. "People get a big kick out of it at parades. When I drive it in parades I put oil in the gas tank and let the engine idle real slow so it blows smoke rings just like the real B did. It pops four or five rings up in the air at a time.
"I built it mainly just by looking at photos, although I did measure a real Deere B just to get the correct length and height. The first time I sat on the seat I tipped the tractor over backward. Luckily I didn't get hurt. To solve the problem I mounted 80 lbs. of lead under the radiator to hold the front end down.
"I find that refrigerator door metal works great for making tractor hoods. I made a form first, then laid a piece of the door on top of it and pounded it with a rubber mallet until it conformed to shape. Then I trimmed the edges. I had a friend make half-size decals for me. I spent $40 on decals which was one of my biggest expenses. I had to extend the mower's axles and build an extra housing to make the rear end fit."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ken Java, 3186 Benson Rd., Frederic, Wis. 54837 (ph 715 327-8445).
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