Double Tractor Built From Two Deere 5020's

Double Tractor Built From Two Deere 5020's TRACTORS Conversions 18-6-40 When Rudy DeBruycker, Dutton, Mont., decided he needed a more powerful tractor, he bought two used 140 hp Deere 5020's and coupled them into a single 280 hp unit. Both tractors are equipped with triple rear wheels, giving him 12-wheel drive. DeBruycker removed the front wheels from the rear tractor and used a heavy steel frame to couple it to the drawbar on the front tractor so it pulls like a trailer. A cable runs from the clutch on the rear tractor up to a hand-operated clutch on the front tractor. The hydraulic system of the front tractor is used to raise or lower towed implements. Operating the double tractor takes some getting used to, admits DeBruycker. But he says he's had no real trouble with the double tractor arrangement. "It really works good in the field. I use it to pull a 40-ft. air seeder equipped with flotation tires and a 185-bu. seed hopper. I also use it to pull a 40-ft. anhydrous applicator equipped with two tanks. If I want to shift, I have to stop and go back to the rear tractor, but once I'm in the field I rarely need to shift anyway. "I moved all the gauges from the rear tractor to the front tractor. I synchronize engine operation by watching the tachometers for both tractors. I keep both tachometers at about 2,400 rpm's. "I go only about 8 mph on the highway between fields using seventh gear at 1,500 rpms. It's slow when I first start out, but once it's running it really works nice. If I want to use the rear tractor by itself I simply pull the drawbar pin and put the front wheels back on, leaving the coupler frame on the tractor. "I paid $3,000 for one of the tractors (a 1968 model) and $5,500 for the other (1970). I also painted both tractors. My total investment was about $10,000. A comparable 180 hp used tractor would sell for about $30,000. A new 4-WD tractor would sell for $120,000. Another advantage is that I don't have to grease the driveline all the time like I would on a 4-WD tractor." DeBruycker left the front axle on and clamped two lengths of 4 by 6-in., 3/16-in. thick sq. steel tubing together to make a box beam and welded a bracket on one end which he runs from the front tractor's draw-bar back to the rear tractor's drawbar. A 1-in. thick, 14-in. long steel frame that welds to the box beam and bolts onto the front of the rear tractor in place of the tractor weights is used to brace the front of the rear tractor. Straw and dust coming off the rear tires of the front tractor was plugging up the radiator screen on the rear tractor. DeBruycker solved the problem by making a pair of radiator "guards" that extend 2-ft. above the tractor on each side to draw in clean air. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Rudy DeBruycker, Rt. 2, lox 6265, Dutton, Mont. 59433 (ph 406 - 16-3406).

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