Truck-Tor Makes Great Baler Tractor

Truck-Tor Makes Great Baler Tractor TRACTORS Conversions 20-5-25 J.P. Powell, Stockton, Mo., merged two machines - a 1959 Dodge 1/2-ton pickup and an Allis-Chalmers WD-45 tractor - to build a "truck-tor" that works great for pulling his round baler and mower-conditioner. "I use it to put up hundreds of bales each year. The engine has a lot of power and the hydraulics work great. We've even had it in several parades," says Powell, who built the truck-tor 10 years ago. It's equipped with hydraulics and reversible pto. Powell controls the tractor half of the machine from inside the pickup by means of rods connected to the hand clutch, pto, gear shift lever, and hydraulic levers. There are two transmissions - a 3-speed in the pickup and a 4-speed on the tractor rear end. The coupled-up transmissions provide 24 forward gears and four reverse. Powell removed the pickup bed and cut off the frame just behind the cab. He re-moved the tractor engine and front part of the frame. Then he welded the two frames together and connected the pickup's 3-speed transmission to the input shaft of the 4-speed tractor transmission. He raised the front end of the pickup 10 in. for extra ground clearance and to level up the pickup cab with the tractor frame. He also widened the front axle by 5 in. so it would turn shorter. A 20 gpm hydraulic pump that's belt-driven off the engine is activated by an electric clutch. A governor from an old Massey combine is used to maintain engine speed. "I bale in third or fourth gear which is about the same speed that I'd go with a conventional tractor," says Powell. "I usually put the pickup transmission in second gear and the tractor transmission in low. I can reverse the pto which is a big advantage because if a wad of hay jams in the baler I can reverse the pto and spit it right back out. To change the pto direction I put the pickup in reverse and throw the tractor's hand clutch out so that the truck-tor won't go backward. I go about 35 mph on the road. "I hooked up a pair of 8-in. long hydraulic cylinders to the tractor's foot brakes. I can also use the front brakes on the pickup." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, J.P. Powell, Powell Implement Co., 211 West 32 Highway, Box 250, Stockton, Mo. 65785 (ph 417 276-3317).

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