Garden Tractor Turned Into "Mini" Bulldozer

Garden Tractor Turned Into "Mini" Bulldozer TRACTORS Conversions 34-5-35 A "mini" bulldozer made from a junked out 1975 Cub Cadet 1250 garden tractor lets Art Pascale, Monson, Mass., handle snow and gravel on his driveway. The mini dozer is equipped with a 14-in. high, 48-in. wide blade. Its steel tracks measure 4 in. wide, 13 in. high and 54 in. long. "It works great and outperforms the original wheeled Cub Cadet. Improved traction is the key," says Pascale, a retired machinist. "Everything unbolts, and the tracks are fully adjustable." He discarded the Cub Cadet's wheels, front axle, steering wheel, steering column and tie rods, keeping the rear axle, hydrostatic transmission, gas tank and starter. He installed a new front axle made from 2-in. sq. tubing. Then he used more tubing to build an undercarriage for the Cub Cadet. Inside the frame on each side he installed 3 idler wheels to support the tracks. Then he lowered the Cub Cadet chassis into the undercarriage and bolted them together. To drive the tracks, he installed two 12-in. sprockets side-by-side on the end of each rear axle. The tracks were made by a fabricating shop and consist of interlocking, 8-in. long by 4-in. wide steel plates. A total of 124 plates were used to make both tracks. Track tension can be adjusted by tightening a bolt that runs through a slot cut into a telescoping tube. Pascale steers the dozer by pulling forward or backward on 2 levers which control the hydraulic disc brakes. "I designed it myself without using any blueprints, and just building it as I went along," says Pascale. It took about 6 months and $800 to construct. "The blade can be raised or lowered electronically by an electric motor, which was originally used to raise or lower the 3-pt. hitch on a Bolens garden tractor. Or, I can pull a lever to bring the blade up or down more quickly. I can set the blade at 3 different positions by changing the position of a pin. "I kept the fenders but cut them down and welded a 2 1/2-ft. long steel plate under them." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Art Pascale, 59 High St., Monson, Mass. 01057 (ph 413 267-9982).

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