Airplane Tug Makes Great Utility Tractor

2004 - Volume #28, Issue #6, Page #34

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"When I was thirteen years old, in the early 1970's, my father and I built a snowplow from an old military 4-WD truck," says Cameron Gackstetter, Fairbanks, Alaska.
    "Twenty years later, I was wandering through one of the local junkyards in Fairbanks when I spotted a military airplane tug. I figured it would make an even better snow moving rig and the owner of the yard let me have it for $2,500," Gackstetter says. "The tug is powered by a flat-head 6-cyl. with an Allison torque converter and a four-speed manual transmission."
    He tapped into the tug's hydraulic system to provide hydraulic power. He made a 10-ft. wide snow blade out of a piece of 50-in. pipe from the Alaska oil pipeline. He cut it length-wise into quarters.
    To provide a cutting edge, he used an old, serrated grader blade. The backing of the cutting edge is a piece of 3 by 3/8-in. angle iron that's welded to the bottom of the blade. He welded nuts on the back of the blade so he could attach the cutting edge to it.
    Gackstetter then welded three lips at the top and bottom of the blade so that when he inserted a sheet of Teflon, it could rest against the top of the cutting edge.
    "I used the Teflon because it "rolled" the snow and made snow slide more easily at low speeds," he explains. "I welded some 24-in. wings onto the ends of the blade and made them adjustable."
    Finally, Gackstetter added a boom, which is located on the flat deck behind the cab. The cab sits high and provides good visibility. The driver can easily see all four corners, he says. The extension boom pivots 360 degrees and will easily pivot and lift 500-lbs. without outriggers.
    With outriggers, he says it will lift about 1,200 pounds. The total weight of the tug, with plow and boom, is 13,000 lbs.
    "I use it year-round, for snow-removal in the winter and for blading the road in the summer. The boom's great for all kinds of lifting jobs. It has become indispensable," he says.
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Cameron Gackstetter, 1201 Heldiver Street, Fairbanks, Alaska 99709 (ph 907 474-4037; email: ShannonG@Alaska.net).

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Airplane Tug Makes Great Utility Tractor TRACTORS Conversions 28-6-34 "When I was thirteen years old, in the early 1970's, my father and I built a snowplow from an old military 4-WD truck," says Cameron Gackstetter, Fairbanks, Alaska. "Twenty years later, I was wandering through one of the local junkyards in Fairbanks when I spotted a military airplane tug. I figured it would make an even better snow moving rig and the owner of the yard let me have it for $2,500," Gackstetter says. "The tug is powered by a flat-head 6-cyl. with an Allison torque converter and a four-speed manual transmission." He tapped into the tug's hydraulic system to provide hydraulic power. He made a 10-ft. wide snow blade out of a piece of 50-in. pipe from the Alaska oil pipeline. He cut it length-wise into quarters. To provide a cutting edge, he used an old, serrated grader blade. The backing of the cutting edge is a piece of 3 by 3/8-in. angle iron that's welded to the bottom of the blade. He welded nuts on the back of the blade so he could attach the cutting edge to it. Gackstetter then welded three lips at the top and bottom of the blade so that when he inserted a sheet of Teflon, it could rest against the top of the cutting edge. "I used the Teflon because it "rolled" the snow and made snow slide more easily at low speeds," he explains. "I welded some 24-in. wings onto the ends of the blade and made them adjustable." Finally, Gackstetter added a boom, which is located on the flat deck behind the cab. The cab sits high and provides good visibility. The driver can easily see all four corners, he says. The extension boom pivots 360 degrees and will easily pivot and lift 500-lbs. without outriggers. With outriggers, he says it will lift about 1,200 pounds. The total weight of the tug, with plow and boom, is 13,000 lbs. "I use it year-round, for snow-removal in the winter and for blading the road in the summer. The boom's great for all kinds of lifting jobs. It has become indispensable," he says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Cameron Gackstetter, 1201 Heldiver Street, Fairbanks, Alaska 99709 (ph 907 474-4037; email: ShannonG@Alaska.net).

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