"Croc" Utility Truck Looks Like A Deere

Croc Utility Truck Looks Like A Deere ATV S ATV S It s painted like a Deere so I call it my æCroc utility truck It s the only one of its kind says Paul Tucker Wickliffe Ky about his home-built mini dump truck     The 2-WD rig seats two people and has a large cab with plexiglass windows It s powered by a 1 6-liter 4-cyl Chevette gas engine with a 4-speed transmission The hydraulic-operated dump bed on back measures 6 ft 2 in long by 5 ft 10 in wide and has 1-ft high sides A 2 000-lb electric winch can be used to bring objects up onto the bed Painted crocodile teeth made from old mower sickle sections bolt on front between the headlights And there are crocodile emblems on the hood and behind the cab      I m disabled and built this machine for fun But I m happy with how it turned out says Tucker I used a little bit of everything to build it     The engine transmission and front and rear axles are off a 1978 Chevette with the axles welded to frame rails made from 2 by 3-in steel tubing the Chevette has a unibody design with no frame It has two bucket seats out of a 1987 Dodge Shadow A pair of suicide doors open from the front making it easier for Tucker to get in and out The rig sports West Coast mirrors on custom made brackets and has a tilt-forward metal hood The hood fenders and bumper all tilt forward together at the same time so I can easily work on the engine says Tucker The sides of the hood are made from an old clothes dryer The front bumper is made from a 2 by 4 galvanized metal stud     The cab s instrument panel is equipped with temperature oil pressure amp tach and fuel gauges The dash as well as the back of the cab are padded with foam and black leather The suicide doors open from the front and are locked in place by inserting a 1/2-in steel rod through a hole in the car frame The gas tank is off an old steam ginnie washer A length of curved galvanized pipe comes out one side of the rig and serves as a muffler     The steering wheel is out of another car but the foot pedals are off the Chevette Inside the cab is a 5-speaker stereo system On top of the cab is a flashing rotating light with a spotlight just below it      I use it to haul everything from my ATV to fencing materials says Tucker It took me about two years to build I couldn t have built it without the help of my children and my wife      It s highway legal and would probably go about 75 mph but I ve never gone more than 50 mph It has brakes on all four wheels and I made all the brake lines I mounted a pair of crocodile emblems on the hood      I replaced the Chevette s coil springs with new 2 500-lb leaf springs for more hauling capacity     The bed is raised and lowered by a 12-volt hydraulic pump with 2 500 lbs of pressure The pump acts on a 3-in dia cylinder with a 16-in stroke     The rig has dual wheels on back They were made by taking six 13-in wheels cutting the center out of four of them and leaving the bolt pattern still in one wheel on each side Tucker bolted those wheels onto each end of the axle and welded two rims onto both sides of each of those wheels     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Paul Tucker Sr 864 Fraser Rd Wickliffe Ky 42087 ph 270 876-7467

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