Stretched Case Makes Handy 4-Wheeler

Stretched Case Makes Handy 4-Wheeler TRACTORS Conversions 32-2-34 Why pay big bucks for a utility vehicle when you can make one out of an old garden tractor and spare parts? Marion Schultz wanted something to ride around in at farm shows and flea markets and also use around the farm. His Case 446 had high and low range and could travel at speeds up to 10 mph, which is plenty for a chore vehicle. "Since it was hydrostatic drive to begin with, all I had to do was lengthen the frame two feet," says Schultz. "I also lengthened the hydraulic hoses to reach the hydraulic motors in the rear axle." Shultz added a passenger seat beside the operator's seat. He also picked up two wider rear tires at a garage sale. "I had to make 2-in. wide spacers to go between the rear axle flange and the wheel centers so the new tires could clear the hydraulic drive motors," notes Schultz. Another big change to the garden tractor was to rework the hydraulic lift for the belly mower deck. Schultz moved the lift, which was controlled by the same two-spool valve that controlled the hydrostatic drive, around to the rear of the tractor. "I built a 2 by 3-ft. dump box on the rear. I use the lift mechanism on that," says Schultz. "It's handy for running parts, and my daughter likes it for landscaping and gardening." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Marion Schultz, 10635 Stephenson Rd., Onsted, Mich. 49265 (ph 517 467-4786).

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