1/2-Scale Deere 530 Near Perfect In Every Detail
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"It's built to look as real as possible and even has authentic controls for the driver, including the throttle, shift lever, and hydraulic lever," says Patrick Prom, Eden Prairie, Minn., about the 1/2-scale Deere 530 tractor he built.
This is the tenth 1/2-scale tractor Prom has built over the years, along with six pedal tractors.
The mini 530 is equipped with a 4 hp Kohler 1-cyl. engine and a 4-speed Peerless transmission off a Deere 110 series garden tractor. The 7.50 by 16 rear wheels came off the front of a combine and mount on the wheel rims off a Chevy 3/4-ton pickup. Prom cut the center out of the rims to make new centers, then made an adapter plate and welded it to the center of the rim to make it look like a cast iron wheel. The single 3.50 by 8 3-ribbed front tire, from Miller Tire, is off a wheelbarrow, as is the rim. "The wheelbarrow originally had a 4-bolt wheel, but the Deere 530 had six bolts so I welded all the bolt holes shut and drilled six new holes," notes Prom.
He used channel iron to build the frame and bent sheet metal to form the body. To make the radiator grill, he bought a section of screen and then used a homemade jig to bend it back and forth to produce the ripples in the screen. The hood was made from sheet metal.
"To make the headlights I went to Menards and bought some pvc cups, then inserted plastic lenses - normally used as ceiling grid lights. I used rubber rings from some cheap lights I bought on clearance to mount the lenses to the pvc cups," says Prom.
The seat looks just like the original one and is made from vinyl over a metal frame. The steering wheel is made from conduit. He made the exhaust muffler by squeezing 4-in. dia. pipe until it was oval. There wasn't room for an electric start so he installed a recoil rope that comes out from under the flywheel cover.
"It took about a year to build, but I'm happy how it turned out," says Prom. "I've driven it in parades while pulling a Deere dump trailer.
"Both the fan and pto turn whenever the engine runs, just like on the real tractor. I installed a right angle drive from a walk-behind snowblower to chain-drive the fan belt and pto. It even has a pair of air couplers on back that look like hydraulic couplers."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Patrick G. Prom, 12661 Pioineer Trail, Eden Prairie, Minn. 55347 (ph 952 944-9266).
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1/2-Scale Deere 530 Near Perfect In Every Detail TRACTORS Made-It-Myself 33-4-43 "It's built to look as real as possible and even has authentic controls for the driver, including the throttle, shift lever, and hydraulic lever," says Patrick Prom, Eden Prairie, Minn., about the 1/2-scale Deere 530 tractor he built.
This is the tenth 1/2-scale tractor Prom has built over the years, along with six pedal tractors.
The mini 530 is equipped with a 4 hp Kohler 1-cyl. engine and a 4-speed Peerless transmission off a Deere 110 series garden tractor. The 7.50 by 16 rear wheels came off the front of a combine and mount on the wheel rims off a Chevy 3/4-ton pickup. Prom cut the center out of the rims to make new centers, then made an adapter plate and welded it to the center of the rim to make it look like a cast iron wheel. The single 3.50 by 8 3-ribbed front tire, from Miller Tire, is off a wheelbarrow, as is the rim. "The wheelbarrow originally had a 4-bolt wheel, but the Deere 530 had six bolts so I welded all the bolt holes shut and drilled six new holes," notes Prom.
He used channel iron to build the frame and bent sheet metal to form the body. To make the radiator grill, he bought a section of screen and then used a homemade jig to bend it back and forth to produce the ripples in the screen. The hood was made from sheet metal.
"To make the headlights I went to Menards and bought some pvc cups, then inserted plastic lenses - normally used as ceiling grid lights. I used rubber rings from some cheap lights I bought on clearance to mount the lenses to the pvc cups," says Prom.
The seat looks just like the original one and is made from vinyl over a metal frame. The steering wheel is made from conduit. He made the exhaust muffler by squeezing 4-in. dia. pipe until it was oval. There wasn't room for an electric start so he installed a recoil rope that comes out from under the flywheel cover.
"It took about a year to build, but I'm happy how it turned out," says Prom. "I've driven it in parades while pulling a Deere dump trailer.
"Both the fan and pto turn whenever the engine runs, just like on the real tractor. I installed a right angle drive from a walk-behind snowblower to chain-drive the fan belt and pto. It even has a pair of air couplers on back that look like hydraulic couplers."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Patrick G. Prom, 12661 Pioineer Trail, Eden Prairie, Minn. 55347 (ph 952 944-9266).
