WD 45 "Stretch Limo" Has Twin Engines

WD 45 Stretch Limo Has Twin Engines ENGINES Engines Denis Post s WD 45 tractor attracts long stares when he takes it out in public The tractor is 14 ft 7 in long and has 2 hoods to cover the twin engines underneath
     I was looking for a challenge Post says He started with a rusted WD 45 he purchased from a neighbor It had been parked in the weeds for years To restore and convert the tractor Post had to recreate the structure and the mechanical parts of the tractor The first thing he had to do was lengthen it
     Welding the side frames was a real challenge he explains It s really important to have frames perfectly straight or the drive shaft will bind It has to be perfect
    On his first try he was reminded that the steel in channel iron warps when welded Fortunately he had several frames on hand The next time he clamped the two pieces together and welded one side It warped When he welded the other side it warped back ù making it straight again
    Post built the second engine from parts he had from half a dozen old Allis Chalmers tractors Connecting it to the engine in the WD 45 created several challenges Post hooked up just one governor and one radiator for both of them which required designing on the fly
     I used pretty much what I had around the shop Post notes He purchased some new rings and hired machine shop work on the drive shaft and universal joint to connect the engines
    He finished the project off with a first-class paint job and supersized wheels from an old Gleaner combine
     It s drivable and usable for everything Post said noting he uses it for hauling hay and other small jobs around his dairy farm
    But it s become more of a show tractor Less than a year after he started working on it the tractor debuted as a down-home limo pulling a bale wagon for his daughter s wedding party
    He took it to another local event and hopes to get a trailer so he can haul it to area parades
     The more generic that tractors are getting today and the more technically advanced it seems that people like their old colors They re almost heirlooms Post says If you see something you want to do try it Even if it doesn t work out you ve got the experience ù no matter what color it is
    Allis Chalmers is part of his family s history He remembers the WD his father bought in 1950 Post s goal is to restore an Allis Chalmers tractor for each of his grandchildren No 12 is on the way
     So I ve got a really good excuse to buy a lot of old tractors he laughs
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Denis Post 61010 County Road 7 Zumbro Falls Minn 55991 ph 507 843-5333

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