John Deere Wood Stove

John Deere Wood Stove ENERGY Wood Burners (65) 8-2-7 Kansas farmer Glen Hofmann, of Leonardville, used the wheel rims off an old Deere 55 combine to build a "lifetime" wood stove that heats his entire shop. With the help of neighbor Bruce Dodds, Hofmann welded four rims together, one on top of the other, put a cast iron door in the top, a grate in the bottom, and a clean-out door at the bottom. "Wheel rims work great for a stove because they're made from such heavy metal," says Hofmann. "It didn't take long to build and it heats my 36 by 54-ft. shop." Hofmann cut the center hubs out of all but the second to the bottom wheel which supports the fire grate. He used combine rasp bars to make the grate. In the bottom rim he cut out an opening big enough to slip a shovel in to clean out ashes. On top, he welded in a cast iron door off an old top-loading stove. A stove vent that also came off a salvaged stove extends out from the side. A lever on the back side opens a small sliding door under the fire grate to let ashes out the bottom. Above the stove, Hofmann mounted a small tank filled with waste oil that drips into the stove through a small spigot-equipped pipe. He says the waste oil makes the fire easy to light and incredibly hot once it's burning. "The wheel rim stove idea will work with most any size rims. You can adapt the design to whatever spare parts you have available," says Hofmann. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Galen Hofmann, Route 1, Box 171, Leonardville, Kan. 66449.

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