His Shop-Built Tractor Looks Factory Made

His Shop-Built Tractor Looks Factory Made TRACTORS Made-It-Myself “One day I looked around my shop and at the junk pile and couldn’t believe all the spare parts I had laying around ” says Michigan handyman Jerry Buskirk “I realized I had enough stuff to build my own tractor ” Buskirk says he must’ve done a nice job on the finished rig because people tell him that his home-made tractor looks like it was built in a factory The 7-ft long and 4-ft wide homemade rig is painted green and yellow to match Deere colors “Everyone who sees it asks what model it is and I just tell them it’s experimental ” Buskirk says with a laugh He drove it in several parades in the summer of 2014 “It has a top speed of about 15 mph so I can keep up with anyone out there ” Buskirk says Buskirk built his home-made gem from the ground up He made the frame out of 2-in channel iron that he doubled and welded together for extra strength The transmission was salvaged from a Model FG Speedex a high-clearance garden tractor that was built in Ravenna Ohio He adapted an old 18-hp 2-cylinder Kohler engine to power it The engine has 2 flywheels from an old hit and miss Economy engine The motor doesn’t have a radiator so Buskirk built a grill out of steel mesh to give the tractor a more authentic look Buskirk used 42-in spoke wheels on the rear and 18-in spoke wheels on the front The tractor rides on ribbed rear tires and smooth rib front tires “I wanted to make the tractor look somewhat like an old Deere so I made a nice hood out of sheet metal with a smooth top 12 in wide and 45 degree angled sides ” Buskirk says The seat steering wheel and steering mechanism are from an old Deere tractor “I’ve had the tractor in several parades and people really enjoyed looking at it ” Buskirk says The tractor has a small fuel tank under the hood a 12-volt battery electric start and floorboards to round out its authentic appearance Buskirk uses it around his yard for summer jobs including grass mowing with a 60-in trail mower that he built from a 3-pt machine For that project he installed a 15 hp Briggs motor with a vertical motor in the center of the platform and made a carriage with 4 wheels so the mower glides easily over the lawn He uses the two homemade rigs to mow his own 1½ acre yard and also mowed a 20-acre field for the Big Rapids Antique Farm and Power Show “The 3-blade mower does a nice job and my home made tractor works great pulling it ” Buskirk says Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Jerrald Buskirk 20924 175th Ave Big Rapids Mich 49307 ph 231 796-2834

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