Old military trucks can be converted into low-cost, heavy-duty loader tractors, says Steve Forseth, Fairfield, Mont., who converted a 1 1/2-ton 4-WD military truck for his cousin Bill Chalmers. Chalmers uses the rig to haul and stack round bales on his ranch.

"The truck was a piece of junk when I got it," says Forseth. "The engine was froze up and part of the frame was bent. I mounted a Deere tractor cab on it, and built a loader to mount on front. There's a tilt-up hood over the engine on back. "It may look a little different but it's built tough and does the job."

Forseth stripped the 1941 World War II military truck down to the frame and then cut out 4 ft. of the frame where it was bent, giving the rig a shorter turning radius. He turned the axles around so the rig runs backward and also switched the gears around. He replaced the original engine with a Chevy 292 6-cyl., in-line engine and used 16-ga. sheet metal to build a tilt-back hood and fender assembly over it. The cab is off a Deere 7520 4-WD tractor. Forseth used 3 by 8-in. rectangular steel tubing to build the loader arms, mounting them on a horizontal steel frame made from 8-in. sq. tubing. The loader is raised and lowered by a pair of new, 4-in. dia. military surplus cylinders.

"It's built much heavier than most commercial loader tractors and works fast," says Forseth. "You can't buy much of a tractor for what I spent on this. A big problem with using conventional tractors to haul round bales is that the front spindles are often not built strong enough. On this rig, the bale's weight is over the truck's load-carrying axle, which is equipped with 7.50 by 20 dual wheels. The truck still has its original spring suspension, which also helps carry the load. The original transmission was too light so I replaced it with a heavy-duty GM 4-speed transmission. The rig still has its original 2-speed transfer case so there's a total of eight gears. Old military trucks were geared low so the top speed now is only about 15 mph."

The rig's loader can stack bales two high with a pair of 4-ft spears. A short spike extending down from the end of the arm helps clamp the bale in place. "This design lets the operator pick the bale up from any side," says Forseth.

The loader is operated by a hydraulic pump on back that's direct-driven off the engine, providing live hydraulics. The tractor's hydraulic oil reservoir is inside the loader arms.

The cab is off Forseth's own tractor, which had a blown engine. It has bucket seats off a 1975 Pontiac Sunbird car, heating and air conditioning, power steering, and a tilt and telescoping steering wheel. The power steering unit is off a Massey 510 combine.

The rig's rear bumper is off an old Diamond T truck and the fuel tank is from a New Holland 907 swather.