Electric-Powered 1/10th-Scale Deere 4020

Electric-Powered 1/10th-Scale Deere 4020 FARM HOME Toys/Games 21-2-37 This photo shows me with my 1-year-old son, Jake, on an electric-powered 1/10th-scale Deere 4020 I built. Among some of the more unique features, it's equipped with a fully functional 3-pt. hitch on back and a telescoping steering wheel. The 400-lb. tractor is powered by a 1.7 hp, 24-volt electric motor connected to a gear box with 7:1 reduction through a lovejoy coupler. It runs on two 12-volt batteries installed under the hood, which I made out of an old flail chopper cover, and has an extra outlet in back for spare batteries. I used the differential, jack shaft, motor and forward/reverse switch, as well as the battery charger, out of an electric feed cart. It's equipped with two forward and two reverse speeds, as well as high and low range, offering a top speed of 15 mph. The high and low range are produced by two different sized sprockets on a jack shaft and are engaged and disengaged by levers on either side of the dashboard through a series of pulleys and cables that slide a dog on the jack shaft. It's equipped with brake pads in a bell housing on the differential with a linkage to the brake pedal. The clutch pedal works by activating a micro-switch wired to a 24-volt solenoid which kills power to the motor. Rear tires are 5.00 by 12-in. off a rototiller and welded together to make duals; front tires are off a lawnmower. My friend, Eric Murray, did the paint job. Decals from a pedal-powered tractor finish out the cosmetics. Everybody who sees it says it's an impressive piece of work that should be in parades. I figure I've got about $600 invested. (Louis Nop, Rt. 7, Box 192, Salisbury, Vt. 05769; ph 802 388-3043).

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