Old Combine Makes Dandy Farm Forklift

Old Combine Makes Dandy Farm Forklift COMBINES Conversions 13-6-16 Laurence Stephens says the handiest machine on his farm is the giant farm forklift he built out of an old Deere 55 combine. "The 8-ft. width of the machine keeps it steady on high lifts. The 6-cyl. engine has power to spare and the 4 speeds forward with variable speed drive gives me infinite speed from a turtle crawl to about 25 mph. Hydrostatic steering makes maneuvering a breeze. It's great for hauling round bales, pallets, logs, and anything else we have to move around the farm," says Stephens, who farms near Mocksville, North Carolina. To build the forklift, he stripped away all tinwork and grain cleaning components. He kept the transaxle, steering axle, engine, and the hydrostatic steering and variable speed drive. "I completely disassembled the machine and built my own frame using 2 by 8-in. thick wall steel tubing, off setting the frame down behind the transaxle 11 in. to keep a low center of gravity. "I added a 22 gpm 2-stage hydraulic pump since the pump on the original machine was too small for the 5-in. cyl. on the mast and the two 3¢-in. tilt cylinders. The mast is a 4-stage unit with 6,000 lb. capacity, 21 ft. of lift, and side-shift capability. It was salvaged from a junked Clark lift. I added a counter weight bar taken from a junked 6030 Deere tractor. "I cut the gas tank in half, welded new ends into each half, and then used one half for fuel and the other for a hydraulic oil reservoir." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Laurence Stephens, Rt. 4, Box 602, Mocksville, N.C. 27028 (ph 919 998-4683).

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