High-Wheeled "Hardly Davidson" Tricycle

High-Wheeled "Hardly Davidson" Tricycle FARM HOME recreation 24-1-23 "I call it my æHardly Davidson' tricycle because it's powered by a gas engine but is hardly a motorcycle," says Dean Fechter, Belvue, Kan., who made a high-wheel tricycle entirely from scratch. The tricycle is equipped with a big 55-in. high front wheel and two 19-in. rear wheels. An 8 hp Briggs & Stratton gas engine mounts above the rear axle. It belt-drives the one-piece differential and 3-speed transmission off a Bolens riding mower. There are three control levers in front of the driver: the clutch, which pulls a cable that tightens and loosens the belt; the gearshift; and the brake. There's also a small lever to control the throttle. "My granddaughter often rides it in parades. It's a lot of fun for her and the parade watchers get a kick out of it," says Fechter. "I mounted a pair of Buick car horns on front and when she blows them it really gets people's attention. A big American flag mounts in a holder on front, and a pair of smaller flags mount behind. The single front wheel is off an old dump rake while the rear wheels are off old implements of some type. I mounted 1/2-in. thick rubber conveyor belt on all three wheels to make it ride smoother. "The steel seat, which is off an old horse-drawn riding plow, is supported by a shock absorber off the front end of a motorcycle. The seat is 5 ft. off the ground but is easy to reach because the rider can climb on top of a metal hood mounted over the engine. I used some metal off an old Caterpillar tractor to make the hood. The engine was given to me." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dean Fechter, 21855 Oregon Trail Rd., Belvue, Kan. 66407 (ph 785 456-7622).

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