5/16-Scale Mini Pulling Tractors Built From Scratch

5/16-Scale Mini Pulling Tractors Built From Scratch AG WORLD 29-1-24 "People who see them for the first time can't believe they're built completely from scratch," says Dale Kolpin, Minnetonka, Minn., about his pair of home-built 5/16-scale mini pulling tractors which are built to resemble full-size tractors. One is a John Deere 4240 and the other is an International Harvester 1486. Both tractors are powered by 50cc, 4-cyl. Honda gas engines that put out about 2 hp and run at 7,500 rpm's. The John Deere model has a 4-speed transmission and the IH a 5-speed transmission. The body and fenders are milled from 6061 T-6 alloy aluminum, and the hoods are made from fiberglass. "I don't enter them in pulling contests - they're strictly for show. But they look just like the real thing," says Kolpin. "My grand daughters have a lot of fun driving them in parades. The tractors are geared down so they really rev up when you drive them. Top speed is 6 or 7 mph. It took almost a year to build each tractor." The rear wheels are 21 in. tall with a 10-in. rim, and the front wheels are 10 in. tall with a 5-in. rim. "The reason I made these tractors 5/16-scale is that the full-size tractors use 30.5 by 32 tires, and the tires I use are exactly 5/16 as big," says Kolpin. According to Kolpin, both tractors are built to scale to the specifications of the National Tractor Pulling Association. They're complete with wheelie bars on back, suitcase weights on the sides, and aluminum tanks on front that are used to circulate oil in the dry sump oil system on full-size pulling tractors. They also have chrome-plated exhaust stacks, and the IH model has air cleaners on one side. A torque converter is used to power the transmission. The steering wheels and the seats are off old pedal tractors. Each tractor has a Peerless rear end and axle made for riding mowers. The spindles off a pair of riding mowers were used to build the tractors' front axles. Kolpin calls his IH model the "Red Line Fever" and says it's copied after the "Red Line Fever" diesel pulling tractor driven by Esden Lehn, who has been a 10-time Grand National champion. "I call the John Deere æSmall Farmer' because if all you had was this tractor, ten acres would be a lot of land to farm," says Kolpin. "I made everything myself and did all the painting. To make the hood I made a wooden plug and had a company make a mold for the fiberglass hood. The decals are computer made. To make the exhausts, I used chrome-plated plumbing pipe." Kolpin says he's almost finished building another mini pulling tractor, this one a D21 Allis Chalmers. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dale Kolpin, 15831 Lake St. Ext., Minnetonka, Minn. 55345 (ph 952 935-0118).

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