Tracked Tractor Built For $150

Tracked Tractor Built For $150 TRACTORS Made-It-Myself When I opened up a copy of FARM SHOW a couple issues ago I couldn t believe my eyes when I saw the home-built tracked tractor put together by Jim Brown of Lincoln Vermont says Tad Schreiner Prior Lake Minn I had just finished building my own tracked tractor and I was surprised we had both used some of the same ideas     Schreiner converted a Bolens garden tractor adding an automotive rear end and tracks made from tractor tires      It was a fun project Getting everything to work together was a bit of a challenge but it was worth every minute of it the first time I took it for a ride It s powerful for its size and extremely maneuverable says Schreiner     He obtained a 1963 Bolens 800 garden tractor with a blown engine and went to work on it He took off the front axle replacing it with the rear end off a Dodge Caravan which he narrowed up to fit the frame The axle bolts solidly in place He put donut-type 15-in spare tires on front and left the 23-in tractor tires on back     He installed an 8 hp Briggs & Stratton engine reworking the mounting blocks and modifying the hood The original transmission remained in place     A steel pipe subframe under the tractor s original frame allows the front axle to slide back and forth To put the tracks on I slide the front axle all the way back so that the front and rear tires touch each other After installing the tracks I pull the front axle forward and drop a steel pin into place on each side to lock the tracks in place says Schreiner     To make the tracks Schreiner cut the sidewalls off a pair of 6 by 30 bias-ply rear tires off a rear engine Allis Chalmers cultivating tractor He ran a row of sheet metal screws through the inside middle part of the track spacing the screws about 3 1/2 in apart The screw heads dig into the tires and help keep them from coming off when turning     A pair of steering levers are used to control the drum brakes on the tractor s rear axle     He used 11 ga steel to build a 50-in wide 16-in high blade on front of the tractor The blade can be raised up and down and locked into place at six different positions by pulling on a lever that used to raise and lower the mower deck The blade can also be angled from side to side A spring-loaded pin inside a steel cylinder mounted behind the blade is used to control blade angle A cable runs from the pin back to a lever on the hood Pulling on the lever releases the pin Pushing another lever that s attached by linkage to the blade moves it either to the left or right      It works surprisingly well and does very little damage to the ground It s also very maneuverable says Schreiner who finished building the rig last summer I painted it Caterpillar yellow and applied decals on the sides and front that read Taderpillar T 850 I call it the 850 because it has an 8 hp engine and a 50-in blade      I chose the Bolens tractor because it has a cast iron rear end and transmission which is much stronger than aluminum and should keep the tracks from snapping the rear axle The tractor was given to me I paid $35 for the front axle and $70 for the tractor tires that I used to make the treads I already had the engine My total cost was only about $150     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Tad Schreiner 16258 Suel Lane Prior Lake Minn 55372 ph 952 447-5421

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