Tandem Tractor Built From Two Deere A's

Tandem Tractor Built From Two Deere A's AG WORLD 34-1-22 We spotted these doubled-up Deere A tractors at the recent Husker Harvest Show near Grand Island, Neb. Two Deere A's - both equipped with dual wheels - were coupled into a single unit. The front tractor is a 1937 model and the rear one is a 1938. The tandem tractors articulate. The front wheels on both tractors were removed and a heavy steel frame used to couple them together. The two tractors were originally equipped with steel wheels, and the outside wheels on the doubled up tractor still have the spokes from the steel wheels. "As far as doubled-up tractors go, this one is one-of-a-kind," says owner Brian Wolfe, Hastings, Neb. "I occasionally take it to shows and fairs. It sounds kind of neat when both tractors are running, with both tractors making a popping sound at the same time." Wolfe bought the doubled up tractor last winter from someone who had bought it at a sale in Iowa in the early 1990's. "I was at the same sale, but I didn't buy the tractor then. At the auction, I was told the tractor had been put together in Canada in the late 1940's or early 1950's. "I've never seen two unstyled Deere A's put together," says Wolfe. "I've seen newer tractors built in tandem, such as Deere R's, 820's, and 830's from the 1950's. They were styled and equipped with rubber tires, whereas Deere A tractors were originally equipped with steel wheels. "After World War II farms started growing in size and farmers needed more horsepower. Some farmers started building their own 4-WD tractors, and some machine shops built kits to hook two tractors together. But the farmer who built this doubled up tractor didn't use a kit. It was put together kind of roughly using a cutting torch. With some cosmetic work, I think it could be made into a really nice tractor." All operations are controlled from the rear tractor. A hydraulic cylinder acts on the front tractor's clutch to engage or disengage it. A fender-mounted lever on the rear tractor is used to activate the cylinder. A hydraulic pump mounted on the rear tractor is used to steer the front tractor. The pump operates a hydraulic cylinder that acts on the tractors' articulation point. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Brian Wolfe, 2720 Wendell Drive, Hastings, Neb. 68901 (ph 402 726-2281).

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