Modified F-150 Fitted With 3-Pt. "Dolly"

Modified F-150 Fitted With 3-Pt. "Dolly" PICKUPS Modifications 31-2-18 A short frame Ford F-150 with a 3-pt. hitch and dolly wheels on back can do the work of a farm tractor and more, says W.T. Elliott, who hauls bales down the road at 50 mph and also transports equipment. He even does light disking with the truck. "When I first fixed up the wrecked F-150, I mounted a 3-pt. on the rear," he explains. "But when I used a hay fork or lifted heavy equipment, the front end would come off the ground." So Elliott shortened up the frame, moved the rear axle forward, and added a set of wheels on back. He cut apart a dolly from an old house trailer and welded the axle stubs to steel tubing. The steel tubes are welded to each side of the truck frame behind the original rear wheels. They're just high enough on the frame that when the truck isn't under load, the dolly wheels are off the ground. Pick up a bale or mount an implement on the 3-pt., and they settle into place, helping to support the rear end and keeping the front end on the ground. To add a 3-pt. hitch, he built an upright frame with 4 by 4-in. channel iron, welding it to the truck frame. The frame is about 2 ft. high and about 4 ft. wide. Two brace arms extend down from the top corners to the truck frame for added support. A 1 15/16-in. shaft mounts on pillow block bearings about halfway up the vertical frame. It provides the lift for the 3-pt. arms. He mounted a cylinder to a piece of channel iron he ran across the F-150's frame. The end of the ram connects to a short length of steel welded to the top of the shaft. Two sets of pillow block bearings are welded to either end of the shaft. Steel straps extending down from the bearings attach to the lift arms. When the cylinder ram is extended, it rotates the shaft, causing the arms to lower. When it is drawn back, the arms lift. The top link for the 3-pt. attaches to the top of the vertical frame. "I built the arms out of doubled lengths of 1 1/2-in. cold rolled steel," says Elliott. "They are mounted to the truck frame on pillow block bearings. The hydraulic pump and reservoir are off an old 416 IH combine, and the hoses are from an old cotton picker. About all I had to buy was the spool valve." Elliott mounted the spool valve under the cab. A rod runs up from the spool valve and through a hole in the cab floor to a spot behind the driver's seat. A lever on the rod lets Elliott control the 3-pt. from his seat. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, W.T. Elliott, 5157 Liberty Road, Ashland, Miss. 38603 (ph 662 224-8741).

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