Toy Tractors Made From "Nuts And Boldts"

Toy Tractors Made From "Nuts And Boldts" FARM HOME Toys/Games 25-4-21 "They're fun to make and people really get a kick out of them," says Harry Benjamin, Shelby, Mont., about the toy tractors he makes out of gears, bearings, nuts, bolts, and other miscellaneous scrap metal parts that he welds together. The tractors resemble full-size machines but they aren't built to scale. Benjamin salvages whatever materials he can find - often from old tractors or cars - and then uses his imagination. "I've built 15 or 20 models, and no two are alike," he says. He makes two sizes - small ones that stand about 6 in. high, and bigger ones that stand about 1 1/2 ft. high. The 1 1/2-ft. high models include two Deere tractors, a Cat Challenger, a Big Bud, and a Deere Wagner built in the late 1960's. The 6-in. wide hoods on the Deere tractors were made by cutting apart the drive chain off a big Wagner 4-WD tractor. The rear wheels and spokes consist of the ring gears and pinions off big Steiger and Versatile 4-WD tractors. "The drive chain is made up of hundreds of little half-moon shaped pieces held together by pins. I removed the pins and welded the individual pieces together to make the spokes for the wheels," says Benjamin. The front wheels were made from roller bearings. "We keep one of the Deere tractors in our front yard, where it sits on a concrete pad," says Benjamin. "These 1 1/2-ft. high Deere tractors weigh up to 300 lbs. The reason they're so heavy is that the differential ring gears are very heavy." Some of the smaller models resemble old steam engines. One uses a welded-on nut as a steering wheel and has a body made from the timing chain off a car. "The small tractors make nice lawn or mailbox ornaments," notes Benjamin. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Harry J. Benjamin, 205 S. Devon Rd., Shelby, Mont. 59474 (ph 406 432-2196).

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