Semi Truck Converted To Deere Motor Home
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Hank Friday collects antique Deere tractors and likes to take them to shows. So the Rolling Prairie, Ind., man turned a 1967 Hendrickson semi tractor into a one-of-a-kind motorhome by mounting a 10 1/2-ft. long pickup camper on back. He also added a fifth wheel hitch, allowing him to pull a 35-ft. long, triple axle trailer on which he can haul the tractors.
The semi tractor, camper, and trailer are all painted Deere green and yellow. The back of the cab is cut out so he can get into the camper without having to go outside.
"It's a lot of fun to drive and draws attention wherever I go," says Friday. "People who see it for the first time give me everything from a casual look to a downright stare. The Hendrickson semi tractor has an unusually long hood that really stands out. The truck and trailer together are about 64 ft. long."
He started with two identical Hendrickson semi tractors. One of the semi tractors had a badly rusted cab but a good engine, so he cut the cab off it and replaced it with the cab off the other semi. He cut the frame and used 1/4-in. thick channel iron to lengthen it by 7 ft. On back of the cab he built an angle frame and bolted the camper onto it.
The semi was originally equipped with a tandem axle and steering system that had no brakes. He couldn't find brakes to fit the tandem axle, so he replaced it with a single axle that's equipped with air ride suspension as well as "Bud" wheels with solid dish hubs.
The semi tractor's original air and fuel systems used copper tubing which had greatly deteriorated, so he replaced it with plastic tubing. He also rewired the entire truck.
"It's licensed as a motorhome, which is far cheaper than a truck license," says Friday. "I used a fifth wheel hitch instead of a gooseneck hitch because it's easier to hook up to the trailer by myself. The camper sleeps two and is complete with an oven, refrigerator, bathroom with shower, and hot water heater. I mounted an insulated 150-quart cooler on one side of the truck and painted it white to reflect sunlight. It'll keep ice for three days.
"The semi tractor and camper were both given to me. My total expense for everything, including the trailer which I also built, was only about $6,000."
The Hendrickson semi tractor was never a common truck, says Friday. "It was mostly used as a heavy duty road dump truck and was built in Lyons, Ill. Hendrickson was a builder of rugged tandem suspension systems and was known more for that than for building trucks. If you wanted a truck you told them what kind of engine and transmission you wanted. Then you put your money down and they built it. They installed their own fiberglass fenders and metal hood."
The semi tractor is equipped with a Detroit 671 diesel engine and a 10-speed Road Ranger transmission. "The engine has about 238 hp," says Friday.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Henry R. Friday, 9002 N. 500 E., Rolling Prairie, Ind. 46371 (ph 219 778-4667).
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Semi Truck Converted To Deere Motor Home TRUCKS Conversions 31-2-19
Hank Friday collects antique Deere tractors and likes to take them to shows. So the Rolling Prairie, Ind., man turned a 1967 Hendrickson semi tractor into a one-of-a-kind motorhome by mounting a 10 1/2-ft. long pickup camper on back. He also added a fifth wheel hitch, allowing him to pull a 35-ft. long, triple axle trailer on which he can haul the tractors.
The semi tractor, camper, and trailer are all painted Deere green and yellow. The back of the cab is cut out so he can get into the camper without having to go outside.
"It's a lot of fun to drive and draws attention wherever I go," says Friday. "People who see it for the first time give me everything from a casual look to a downright stare. The Hendrickson semi tractor has an unusually long hood that really stands out. The truck and trailer together are about 64 ft. long."
He started with two identical Hendrickson semi tractors. One of the semi tractors had a badly rusted cab but a good engine, so he cut the cab off it and replaced it with the cab off the other semi. He cut the frame and used 1/4-in. thick channel iron to lengthen it by 7 ft. On back of the cab he built an angle frame and bolted the camper onto it.
The semi was originally equipped with a tandem axle and steering system that had no brakes. He couldn't find brakes to fit the tandem axle, so he replaced it with a single axle that's equipped with air ride suspension as well as "Bud" wheels with solid dish hubs.
The semi tractor's original air and fuel systems used copper tubing which had greatly deteriorated, so he replaced it with plastic tubing. He also rewired the entire truck.
"It's licensed as a motorhome, which is far cheaper than a truck license," says Friday. "I used a fifth wheel hitch instead of a gooseneck hitch because it's easier to hook up to the trailer by myself. The camper sleeps two and is complete with an oven, refrigerator, bathroom with shower, and hot water heater. I mounted an insulated 150-quart cooler on one side of the truck and painted it white to reflect sunlight. It'll keep ice for three days.
"The semi tractor and camper were both given to me. My total expense for everything, including the trailer which I also built, was only about $6,000."
The Hendrickson semi tractor was never a common truck, says Friday. "It was mostly used as a heavy duty road dump truck and was built in Lyons, Ill. Hendrickson was a builder of rugged tandem suspension systems and was known more for that than for building trucks. If you wanted a truck you told them what kind of engine and transmission you wanted. Then you put your money down and they built it. They installed their own fiberglass fenders and metal hood."
The semi tractor is equipped with a Detroit 671 diesel engine and a 10-speed Road Ranger transmission. "The engine has about 238 hp," says Friday.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Henry R. Friday, 9002 N. 500 E., Rolling Prairie, Ind. 46371 (ph 219 778-4667).
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