You have reached your limit of 5 free stories. A story preview is shown instead.
To view more stories
(If your subscription is current,
click here to Login or Register.)
Winch-Powered Mini Loader
"I was using a wheelbarrow to clean manure out of my lamb barn one day when I decided there had to be a better way. So I converted my old 1958 David Bradley garden tractor into a loader tractor.
The tractor has no hydraulics or electrical power supply, so I operate everything on the loader manually," says Dennis
..........
You must sign in, subscribe or renew to see the page.
You must sign in, subscribe or renew to see the flip-book
Winch-Powered Mini Loader TRACTORS Loaders 28-4-11 "I was using a wheelbarrow to clean manure out of my lamb barn one day when I decided there had to be a better way. So I converted my old 1958 David Bradley garden tractor into a loader tractor.
The tractor has no hydraulics or electrical power supply, so I operate everything on the loader manually," says Dennis Hartman, who farms part time near Williamsburg, Mich.
He uses a hand-cranked boat winch to raise and lower the loader, and a long trip handle to dump the bucket, which measures 3 ft. wide and raises to about 4 ft. high. He made the bucket by cutting a section out of a galvanized steel water tank. A cutting edge made from 5-in. wide by 1/8-in. thick steel was then welded onto the front of the bucket. He used 1 by 2-in. tubing to build the loader arms.
The sheet metal engine hood on the tractor was removed to make room for the loader and a counterweight bracket that mounts on back.
There's a tripod lift frame at the front of the tractor with a pulley at the top. A steel cable runs from a boat winch up over the pulley and down to the loader arms. To raise or lower the loader, Hartman simply reaches forward to crank the winch.
A long handle off an old farm implement mounts just ahead of the steering wheel. The handle is attached to a metal rod that's connected to a pivoting mechanism at the back of the bucket.
"The bucket holds almost twice as much as a wheelbarrow. I wasn't sure how well the loader would work so at first I used a cable come-along (shown in the photo) which I later replaced with a boat winch. The tractor is small enough to fit through the barn door."
Hartman built a metal bracket on back of the tractor where he carries two cement blocks to provide a counterweight to the loader. After the photo was taken he poured cement into the wheel rims to add more weight.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dennis D. Hartman, 8198 Cram Rd., Williamsburg, Mich. 49690 (ph 231 267-5107).
To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click
here to register with your account number.
