4WD 4 Wheel Steer Tractor Has Mudder Pickup Tires

4WD 4 Wheel steer tractor hs mudder pickup tires TRACTORS Made-It-Myself 15-5-7 "My 4-wheel drive, 4-wheel steer tractor has lots of power and cost only about $500 to build," says Bruce Lawson, Fal¡coner, N.Y., who used the front axles from two Chevrolet 1/2-ton 4-WD pick-ups and a 2-cylinder, 20 hp Wisconsin engine salvaged from an old New Holland baler to build the tractor. "It comes in handy for a variety of jobs," says Lawson, who built the tractor one year ago. "I've used it to haul loads up to 5,000 lbs. on a utility trailer. I plan to build a 5 1/2-ft. mower for it, as well as a 7-ft. blade for plowing snow on my 300-ft. long driveway. The tractor's geared down for use at low speeds, and it's equipped with four 10.00 by 15 `mudder' pickup tires that are 31 in. in dia. The combination of these tires and 4-WD lets me go almost anywhere." Lawson used 3 by 3-in. angle iron to build a 20-in. wide, 7-ft. long frame for the tractor. He narrowed the pickup axles down to 5 ft. and positioned the front axle facing backward. An A-frame suspension system removed from a Toyota car allows the rear axle to oscillate on uneven ground. He shortened one of the pickups' driveshafts down to 2 ft. and used it to connect the two axles. He installed a 4-speed transmission (removed from a Chevrolet 1-ton truck) on the right side of the frame and the engine on the left side to keep the tractor as short as possible. The engine belt drives a jackshaft which in turn chain drives the transmission. A no. 60 chain connects the output shaft of the transmission to the driveline. There's a 2:1 gear reduction between the engine and jackshaft, a 3:1 reduction from the jackshaft to transmission, and an additional 2:1 reduction from the transmission to driveline. Lawson has an artificial left leg so he rigged up a hand-operated clutch lever that's connected to the belt-drive off the engine. When Lawson pulls on the clutch lever the jackshaft swings away from the engine to tighten the belt. When he pushes on the lever the jackshaft moves toward the engine and a rubber wheel mounted on the jackshaft engages a second pulley to provide reverse in all forward gears. "It will come in handy for mowing because I have to back up a lot," says Lawson. "I used a gearshift lever off a Chevrolet pickup for the hand clutch lever. I'll use a belt-driven hydraulic pump to raise and lower the mower and blade. I'll belt-drive the mower off the engine." The tractor has four wheel hydraulic disc foot brakes and a hand-operated band brake on the output shaft of the transmis¡sion for parking. Lawson cut the fenders and hood from 275-gal. oil storage tanks made from 14 ga. metal. The steering wheel and column were salvaged from one of the pickups, as was the power steering pump and steering box. Lawson uses a hand crank to start the engine. The steel seat is from an old tractor. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bruce Lawson, Sprague Hill Road, Fal¡coner, N.Y. 14733 (ph 716 665-3199).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.