Snout-Nosed Tractor For Row Crop Work

Snout-Nosed Tractor For Row Crop Work TRACTORS Made-It-Myself 18-6-4 A built-from-scratch tractor with a "snout nose" equipment carrier up front is "great for row crop" work, according to Russ Jensen who built the tractor for use on his St. Ansgar, Iowa, farm. The engine, transmission and other power components are all positioned under or behind tractor cab and rear wheels. The front axle sits out ahead, connected to the main part of the tractor by a 7-in. sq. steel "bridge. The tractor frame is made from 3 by 5 in. 1/2-in. wall tubing. The rear end is a 23,000 lb. Eaton 2-speed, offset with Steiger planetary final drives. The rear end housing is bored out to let a powershaft through. It drives a Fuller 5-speed transmission from a truck (mounted backwards) which then drives a gearbox that Jensen made to transfer power through a constant velocity joint back into the rear end. "This arrangement gives us 10 equally spaced forward gears and two in reverse. Runs at a top speed of 18 mph. A pto runs off the crankshaft of the engine and was made from a 2-speed unit off a truck rear end. We mount a roller pump on the pto to power our sprayer, mounted on front end. A 60 hp. 3-cyl. Ford 201 cu. in. engine from a Ford backhoe provides the power. Jensen mounted the engine backwards on the rear end with a 14-in. 4 finger clutch with 1 3/4 fine spline disc that was custom made by Theobald Custom Mfg., Stacyville, Iowa. "All clutch and other components were built extra heavy since we were originally going to fit the tractor with a 392 Chrysler until a friend donated the smaller Ford engine (we ended up putting the Chrysler engine in a Dodge Club Cab)." Jensen covered the engine and rear end under a sheet metal housing that's easily opened for maintenance. Only the pto protrudes from the back of the housing. Fuel tanks, which mount on top of the fenders, appear to be part of the tin work. The radiator is above the engine behind the seat, just under and slightly behind the back window. A fan draws air through the radiator and down over the engine and out the bottom to keep dust in the engine compartment to a minimum. "I made my own all stainless steel `pusher' fan because the engine is mounted backwards. Fan is belt-driven by powershaft that runs over engine." Rear tires are 18.4-38's. Front wheels are off Jensen's stock car as are the spindles and aluminum hubs. rest of the front end is made from heavy wall tubing and he used Torrington needle bearings on steering components instead of bushings. Power steering is provided by a hydraulic cylinder. All hydraulics on the tractor came off a Massey combine. The front-mount cultivator is an old John Deere unit which is raised and lowered by lift cylinders above the front axle. Spray tank that mounts above the front axle is used to carry 28 percent nitrogen - for side dressing corn - or herbicides for spot spraying while cultivating. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Russ Jensen, Jensen Bros., Rt. 2, Box 132, St. Ansgar, Iowa 50472.

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