4-WD Articulated Deere Garden Tractor

2011 - Volume #35, Issue #2, Page #43

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People tell us it looks more factory than a factory-made tractor," say Edward and Eugene Kaban, Brandon, Man., about the 4-WD articulated tractor they made out of two old Deere garden tractors.
    They used most of a Deere 300 model equipped with a 16 hp engine on front, removing the front axle. The rear end off a 316 model mounts behind it. Both tractors are about 30 years old. The tractor's 4 wheels are off the original garden tractors, and all of them drive.
    After cutting the front axle and wheels out from under the 300 model, they moved its rear end and transmission forward 16 in., which left the tractor's front end hanging out about 2 ft. They cut 38 in. off the front of the 316 model.
    The 300 model's driveshaft connects the transmission in front to the 316 transmission in back, with a pair of universal joints in between.
    To connect the two drive axles together they welded a triangle-shaped angle iron plate between them and then added the articulation point. They used swivel ball sockets off a Cat. II 3-pt. hitch to make the articulation point. "The tractor has a total of 3 swivel ball sockets, which allow the back tractor to follow the ground contour separate from the front tractor," says Eugene.
    Both transmissions are hydrostatically controlled by a lever that mounts next to the steering wheel. A throttle cable extends to the back transmission and is synchronized so that both transmissions pull or are in neutral at the same time.
    Steering is controlled by a 6 by 1 1/2-in., double-acting hydraulic cylinder, which swivels on a steel pin that's welded to the tractor's articulation point. "The front tractor's original steering valve control is hooked up to the hydraulic cylinder and is used to control the steering," says Eugene.
    "It makes a nice looking tractor with a lot of traction. If we want, we can mount a snow blade on front and add suitcase weights off a Belarus tractor on back to offset its weight. We painted the unit this summer, adding lights on the fenders. We plan to make a 3-pt. hitch and hook up double-acting control valves under the seat in order to operate it. The 3-pt. could be used to operate a rototiller, mower or snowblower.
    "We chose these particular tractor models because both are equipped with the same hydrostatic transmission and have horizontal shafts between the engine and transmission that lined up correctly. It took a long time to find the tractors. All the bolt holes were the same so we were able to join the tractors together without cutting the hood or side panels.
     "We used two universal joints at the articulation point in order to reduce the angle on the driveline and minimize driveline æchatter'," notes Eugene.
    The front axles removed from the 300 tractor model were used to build a trailer. "We can tow the trailer by hand or, by removing half the hitch, hook it up to the tractor," he says.
    The Kabans paid $500 for the 300 model and $550 for the 316. "We spent about $100 to overhaul the 300 model's engine. However, we got some of that money back because we sold the 316's engine for $200," notes Eugene.
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Eugene A. Kaban, 702 Ottawa Ave., Brandon, Man., Canada R7A 1N2 (ph 204 726-5882).

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4-WD Articulated Deere Garden Tractor TRACTORS Made-It-Myself People tell us it looks more factory than a factory-made tractor say Edward and Eugene Kaban Brandon Man about the 4-WD articulated tractor they made out of two old Deere garden tractors They used most of a Deere 300 model equipped with a 16 hp engine on front removing the front axle The rear end off a 316 model mounts behind it Both tractors are about 30 years old The tractor s 4 wheels are off the original garden tractors and all of them drive After cutting the front axle and wheels out from under the 300 model they moved its rear end and transmission forward 16 in which left the tractor s front end hanging out about 2 ft They cut 38 in off the front of the 316 model The 300 model s driveshaft connects the transmission in front to the 316 transmission in back with a pair of universal joints in between To connect the two drive axles together they welded a triangle-shaped angle iron plate between them and then added the articulation point They used swivel ball sockets off a Cat II 3-pt hitch to make the articulation point The tractor has a total of 3 swivel ball sockets which allow the back tractor to follow the ground contour separate from the front tractor says Eugene Both transmissions are hydrostatically controlled by a lever that mounts next to the steering wheel A throttle cable extends to the back transmission and is synchronized so that both transmissions pull or are in neutral at the same time Steering is controlled by a 6 by 1 1/2-in double-acting hydraulic cylinder which swivels on a steel pin that s welded to the tractor s articulation point The front tractor s original steering valve control is hooked up to the hydraulic cylinder and is used to control the steering says Eugene It makes a nice looking tractor with a lot of traction If we want we can mount a snow blade on front and add suitcase weights off a Belarus tractor on back to offset its weight We painted the unit this summer adding lights on the fenders We plan to make a 3-pt hitch and hook up double-acting control valves under the seat in order to operate it The 3-pt could be used to operate a rototiller mower or snowblower We chose these particular tractor models because both are equipped with the same hydrostatic transmission and have horizontal shafts between the engine and transmission that lined up correctly It took a long time to find the tractors All the bolt holes were the same so we were able to join the tractors together without cutting the hood or side panels We used two universal joints at the articulation point in order to reduce the angle on the driveline and minimize driveline æchatter notes Eugene The front axles removed from the 300 tractor model were used to build a trailer We can tow the trailer by hand or by removing half the hitch hook it up to the tractor he says The Kabans paid $500 for the 300 model and $550 for the 316 We spent about $100 to overhaul the 300 model s engine However we got some of that money back because we sold the 316 s engine for $200 notes Eugene Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Eugene A Kaban 702 Ottawa Ave Brandon Man Canada R7A 1N2 ph 204 726-5882

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