4-WD Tracked Chore Tractor

1998 - Volume #22, Issue #1, Page #10

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"I use it for hauling wood, pushing brush and pulling my fish house onto the lake," says Orrin "Bud" Davis about the powerful 4-WD tracked tractor he built from scratch last winter.
The Lake Park, Minn., retired farmer used mostly salvaged parts to build the machine. Sections of a 1941 Chevy truck frame were used to build an 8 1/2-ft. long frame. A 6-cyl. 228 cu. in. engine and 4-speed transmission out of a junked 1949 GMC 1-ton truck power the tractor.
Two rear ends out of Ford Thunderbird cars are used for front and rear drives. They're joined by a driveshaft built from drivetrain parts out of Chevy and Ford pick-ups. The driveshaft telescopes 10 in. to al-low Davis to adjust tension on the tracks.
The 12-in. wide tracks each put 5 ft. of rubber on the ground and are made from two 13 by 6 by 38-in. International M tractor tires with the beads cut off. Each turns on two drive wheels with an idler wheel in between. Each "wheel" actually consists of a pair of space saver spares out of Buick LeSabre cars that Davis welded together.
"There's just a 1 3/4-in. space between each set of dual wheels," Davis says. "Each track is fitted with 23 3/8-in. thick flat iron plates, 12 in. long by 3 in. wide, that run across the inside of the track. There's a 3-in. long metal guide welded to the middle of each strap that runs in the space between the wheels to keep the tracks on."
Two master cylinders out of Ford Thunderbirds steer the tracks independently with levers in the cab.
Davis cut an old combine cab down 11 in. and mounted it on the tractor, which has two bucket seats out of an old Datsun car for the operator and a passenger. Heat from the engine heats the cab and a heater fan out of an old Buick car is used to blow heat out if it gets too hot inside.
He also converted the engine's electric system from 6 to 12-volts for easier winter starts.
"I can go from 1 to 5 mph in first gear and 5 to 10 mph in second gear," he says. "Any faster and I might tear up a track so I never even use third or fourth gear. It's got plenty of power and traction. I'm sure it would pull a 2-bottom plow or an 8-ft. tandem disk with no problem."
Out-of-pocket expense was $1,330.
Next season, he plans to equip the tractor, which he calls "Prowler 228", with a dozer blade for pushing snow. It'll be 6 ft., 8 in. wide to match track wheelbase and will be operated hydraulically off a pump mounted on front of the engine, he says.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Orrin Davis, Rt. 2, Box 108, Lake Park, Minn. 56554-9532 (ph 218 532-7858).

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4-WD Tracked Chore Tractor TRACTORS Made-It-Myself 22-1-10 "I use it for hauling wood, pushing brush and pulling my fish house onto the lake," says Orrin "Bud" Davis about the powerful 4-WD tracked tractor he built from scratch last winter. The Lake Park, Minn., retired farmer used mostly salvaged parts to build the ma-chine. Sections of a 1941 Chevy truck frame were used to build an 8 1/2-ft. long frame. A 6-cyl. 228 cu. in. engine and 4-speed transmission out of a junked 1949 GMC 1-ton truck power the tractor. Two rear ends out of Ford Thunderbird cars are used for front and rear drives. They're joined by a driveshaft built from drivetrain parts out of Chevy and Ford pick-ups. The driveshaft telescopes 10 in. to al-low Davis to adjust tension on the tracks. The 12-in. wide tracks each put 5 ft. of rubber on the ground and are made from two 13 by 6 by 38-in. International M tractor tires with the beads cut off. Each turns on two drive wheels with an idler wheel in between. Each "wheel" actually consists of a pair of space saver spares out of Buick LeSabre cars that Davis welded together. "There's just a 1 3/4-in. space between each set of dual wheels," Davis says. "Each track is fitted with 23 3/8-in. thick flat iron plates, 12 in. long by 3 in. wide, that run across the inside of the track. There's a 3-in. long metal guide welded to the middle of each strap that runs in the space between the wheels to keep the tracks on." Two master cylinders out of Ford Thunderbirds steer the tracks independently with levers in the cab. Davis cut an old combine cab down 11 in. and mounted it on the tractor, which has two bucket seats out of an old Datsun car for the operator and a passenger. Heat from the engine heats the cab and a heater fan out of an old Buick car is used to blow heat out if it gets too hot inside. He also converted the engine's electric system from 6 to 12-volts for easier winter starts. "I can go from 1 to 5 mph in first gear and 5 to 10 mph in second gear," he says. "Any faster and I might tear up a track so I never even use third or fourth gear. It's got plenty of power and traction. I'm sure it would pull a 2-bottom plow or an 8-ft. tandem disk with no problem." Out-of-pocket expense was $1,330. Next season, he plans to equip the tractor, which he calls "Prowler 228", with a dozer blade for pushing snow. It'll be 6 ft., 8 in. wide to match track wheelbase and will be operated hydraulically off a pump mounted on front of the engine, he says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Orrin Davis, Rt. 2, Box 108, Lake Park, Minn. 56554-9532 (ph 218 532-7858).

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