One Lunger Makes Good Parade Tractor

One lunger makes good parade tractor AG WORLD Ag World 13-6-19 The first couple years after Dale Luttig, Emmett, Kan., bought a 1928 Sears Economy "one lunger" engine, he hauled it around to shows on a trailer. Then one day, while pulling the engine in a parade, he started to think, "Why not let this engine pull itself?" Luttig had bought the engine in near-mint condition in 1980. The only repairs it needed was a new connecting rod bearing and a paint job (he painted it "IH" red). The engine has a 6-in. piston, a 9-in. stroke and runs at 400 rpm's. "I built a frame and running gear and then hooked the engine up to a 3-speed transmission from a 55 series Deere combine which has a transaxle-type gear box. I also made use of the combine's clutch, differential and twin disc brakes. Steering components were salvaged from a 1946 Ford truck and the front axle was fashioned from a piece of 2 1/ 2-in. sq. tubing and Ford car spindles." "The engine was connected to the trans-mission with two V-belts on 12-in. pulleys - a 1:1 ratio. Low gear is 25:1, second gear is 11:1, high gear is 5:1, and reverse is 12:1. Speed varies from 7 1/2 mph in high gear to 1 1/2 mph in low. "We took the tractor to 16 parades or pulls last year. It really draws a crowd and people of all ages enjoy riding on it. A local politician even drove it in parades during his reelection campaign." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dale Luttig, Rt. 1, Box 22, Emmett, Kan. 66422.

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