Teen Built His Own Diesel Lawn Tractor
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“Diesel mechanics and a good torque wrench are my true loves,” says 15-year-old Devon Young of Manlius, N.Y., who put a diesel engine into a junked Gilson C-14 Ford he picked up cheap at a scrap yard. He started learning about diesels when he was 3 years old, while working with his dad on Volvo and Mack hay trucks.
Last summer he had some money he earned working at a dairy farm. His first stop was a scrapyard with more than 3,000 old lawn mowers. Young made a deal with the owner to trade a rototiller he’d fixed up for a Gilson C-14 Ford made in the late 1950’s.
“After bringing it home, I gutted it; 95 percent of it was bad,” Young says.
A few months later he attended an auction and purchased a Lombardini 6ld260 for $74. The engine had been used to power a flashing road sign and had low hours, but required extensive repair. The oil pump was in good shape, but the rest of the oil system was missing. The injector pump was defective and the injector nozzle was pitted and stuck. Young researched and found parts online and had Ralph’s Diesel Service in Nelson, N.Y., repair the injector for $80.
On the chassis, Young cut new holes for drain plugs, drilled mounts for the engine, and added rubber stoppers as vibration dampers for the engine mounts. He rebuilt the transmission, built an electrical harness and wired up lights. He flushed out the tractor’s old gas tank, resealed it and customized it to fit with the diesel engine. Because there wasn’t room for a fuel separator he installed two inline filters on the fuel line.
To make it look as good as it runs, he added a polished aluminum grille to the front and a stack.
“It sounds like a Harley at higher rpm’s, and at lower rpm’s it’s like a diesel grader,” Young says.
He loves the sound of the diesel engine and its fuel efficiency. With the lawn tractor’s granny gear he can drive up hills and over rocks without any problems. The engine has so much torque that he out-pulled a 4-wheeler in a tug-of-war contest.
The total cost to make the diesel lawn tractor was $600. Young figures he ended up with more than just a piece of equipment for his investment though.
“I learned so much,” he says.
He notes that he appreciates people who took time to share their knowledge and specialized skills with him: Skip from Ralph’s Diesel Service, family friend Jim Hartnett, Craig Dennis at Dennis Family Farm in Pompey, N.Y., and his father, Ron.
With his first big project finished, Young is working on another project repowering a 4-wheeler with a street bike engine and transmission.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Devon Young, 3050 Gulf Rd., Manlius, N.Y. 13104 (ph 315 956-4373; ronaldyoung@windstream.net).
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Teen Built His Own Diesel Lawn Tractor AG WORLD “Diesel mechanics and a good torque wrench are my true loves ” says 15-year-old Devon Young of Manlius N Y who put a diesel engine into a junked Gilson C-14 Ford he picked up cheap at a scrap yard He started learning about diesels when he was 3 years old while working with his dad on Volvo and Mack hay trucks Last summer he had some money he earned working at a dairy farm His first stop was a scrapyard with more than 3 000 old lawn mowers Young made a deal with the owner to trade a rototiller he’d fixed up for a Gilson C-14 Ford made in the late 1950’s “After bringing it home I gutted it; 95 percent of it was bad ” Young says A few months later he attended an auction and purchased a Lombardini 6ld260 for $74 The engine had been used to power a flashing road sign and had low hours but required extensive repair The oil pump was in good shape but the rest of the oil system was missing The injector pump was defective and the injector nozzle was pitted and stuck Young researched and found parts online and had Ralph’s Diesel Service in Nelson N Y repair the injector for $80 On the chassis Young cut new holes for drain plugs drilled mounts for the engine and added rubber stoppers as vibration dampers for the engine mounts He rebuilt the transmission built an electrical harness and wired up lights He flushed out the tractor’s old gas tank resealed it and customized it to fit with the diesel engine Because there wasn’t room for a fuel separator he installed two inline filters on the fuel line To make it look as good as it runs he added a polished aluminum grille to the front and a stack “It sounds like a Harley at higher rpm’s and at lower rpm’s it’s like a diesel grader ” Young says He loves the sound of the diesel engine and its fuel efficiency With the lawn tractor’s granny gear he can drive up hills and over rocks without any problems The engine has so much torque that he out-pulled a 4-wheeler in a tug-of-war contest The total cost to make the diesel lawn tractor was $600 Young figures he ended up with more than just a piece of equipment for his investment though “I learned so much ” he says He notes that he appreciates people who took time to share their knowledge and specialized skills with him: Skip from Ralph’s Diesel Service family friend Jim Hartnett Craig Dennis at Dennis Family Farm in Pompey N Y and his father Ron With his first big project finished Young is working on another project repowering a 4-wheeler with a street bike engine and transmission Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Devon Young 3050 Gulf Rd Manlius N Y 13104 ph 315 956-4373; ronaldyoung@windstream net
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