All-Electric 1/4 Scale JD 8020

All-Electric 1/4 Scale JD 8020 TRACTORS Made-It-Myself Gene Gregory wouldn’t fit on his scale model Deere 8020 and he doesn’t have to thanks to remote control The electric motor-powered tractor looks moves and even sounds much like the real thing “I added a sound track to replicate a real diesel engine ” says Gregory Gregory has plenty of experience with full-size tractors having restored 12 of them including a rare 1923 Model 23D Deere While restoration was fun he was looking for a bigger challenge “Scale versions of the old tractors started popping up at shows ” says Gregory “Many were big and bulky some powered by gas engines I wanted to build one a little different I decided to try my hand at building one powered by a radio-controlled electric motor ” The entire tractor is aluminum with the exception of the engine block which is made out of wood Even the support components attached to the engine block are aluminum and Gregory cast them himself “I made wood carvings of each casting and then used the wood for a reverse mold ” he says “Once the aluminum was poured and cooled it had to be ground and polished ” Gregory spring-loaded the 3-pt hitch for authentic movement Front and rear lights all function and the front and rear tires are even inflatable In fact the scale model was designed based on the rear tires’ 14 by 450-6 size though it’s close to a 1:4 scale While most models are scaled down from the full-size version Gregory had no access to one Instead he scaled his up from a 1:16 scale die-cast Deere 8020 that he purchased just for the measurements Knowing scale tires would be the most difficult component to find he adapted the measurements accordingly “Scaling up works just as well ” he explains “Once I found the wheels and tires I began drawing to fit everything to them ” Batteries are mounted inside the model’s fuel tank with a light switch where batteries would go in the full-size version Servo and electronics are mounted in the rear of the tractor The grill emblem was found on a belt buckle Gregory estimates he spent more than 500 hrs on the tractor Using aluminum and wood instead of steel reduced the near quarter scale tractor’s weight considerably Unlike its full size cousin Gregory’s model is one-wheel drive “I mounted two electric motors and gearing to the front wheels ” he explains “At first the tractor handled a little awkwardly when turning due to the lack of a differential So I disconnected the front left wheel from the drivetrain It now operates very smoothly both in forward and reverse ” Gregory requested that his address remain confidential However the writer will forward questions Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Fred W Hendricks SunShower Acres Ltd 4505 Holmes Center Rd Bucyrus Ohio 44820 ph 419 569-3050; fwhendricks@gmail com

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