4WD Tractor Built Form Two Farmall F-30's

4WD tractor built form two Farmall F-30's TRACTORS Conversions 14-4-11 "It's no raving beauty to look at, but it's a real tiger in the field," says Slim Hodel, Roanoke, Ill., about his one-of-a-kind 4-WD tractor built from two 1930's-era International Farmall F-30 tractors and miscellaneous junk parts. Hodel cut off the two F-30's behind the engines and faced the two rear ends to-ward each other. He made an articulation joint out of 3-ft. lengths of 18-in. dia. oil well pipe. He cut a slot in one pipe, squeezed it together, and slid it inside the other. A 30-in. hydraulic cylinder con¡trols the joint, bending the tractor as sharply as 40?. The tractor is powered by an industrial-type 200 hp Caterpillar engine. Each of the F-30 transmissions has four forward gears and one reverse. "It's a junkyard special. My brother and I built it in 1961 before 4-WD tractors were introduced," says Hodel. "We originally installed a Mann German diesel engine, but it was short on power so we replaced it with the more powerful Cater-pillar diesel DC 330 engine. It has a 5 1/ 2 in. bore by 6-in. stroke for tremendous lugging power. The belt-driven drop box is geared at a 1:1 ratio which gives it tremendous torque. I used it to plow 300 acres each year for nine years and never had a problem. Now I use it to pull a 25-ft. field cultivator, 25-ft. disk, and 12-ft. chisel plow. It weighs only about 12,000 lbs. but has plenty of traction and never slips while pulling implements. It goes 2 1/2 mph in first gear and 12 mph in fourth

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