Electric "ATV" Works Cattle Quietly

Electric "ATV" Works Cattle Quietly ATV'S ATV'S 31-2-33 "I didn't want to use a noisy gasoline motor when checking cows during calving season," says Francis Weber of Wadena, Sask., who made an electric-powered "ATV". Since he likes to "scrounge" materials, the project cost him very little. Weber bought a scrapped Craftsman riding mower for $20. It was just a shell, as the wrecked motor had already been removed, along with the front tires. But the back tires were good, so he switched them to the front and installed some old ATV tires on back. He powered the rig with a used 12-volt Smith-Roles drill fill motor. He mounted it in the old engine cavity and built a frame above each back fender to hold the two used 12-volt batteries. He used the original drive belt and pulleys from the mower to drive the transmission. "I put the batteries in the back because I didn't want it to be too heavy on the front," he explains. "I had to buy the battery cables and an electrical switch, which cost me another $20, but everything else was scrounged. I pull the calf cart in low gear and it works well." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Francis Weber, Bos 626, Wadena, Sask., Canada S0A 4J0 (ph 306 338-2711).

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