Vintage Farm Impliment Plans 1950s

FARM

BABY TRACTOR For Odd JobsBy no means a mere toy, this little tractor has ample power

and maneuverability to perform all sorts of light tasks.

ANY small gasoline engine geared low- enough will develop considerable pull in

this junior tractor and a handy boy not onlyshould have a lot of fun with it, but may beable to pick up various odd jobs of haulingand towing in the neighborhood. It can beused to pull small loads of dirt, gravel orrubbish, or tow two or three coaster wagonsfull of youngsters. It is geared to travel asfast as a brisk walk and is designed to runover rough or soft ground as well as on thesidewalk.

Its lines are similar to those of a full-sizejob, as seen in Fig. 1; its wide tread preventstipping over on the side of a hill and it has avery short turning radius for work in closequarters. The large drive wheels are verysimply made. Two 20-in. disks are built upof 3/4-in. x 7-in. boards cleated on the inside,as shown in Fig. 2. The tire is a 6-in. widestrip of heavy galvanized sheet iron with crosstreads nailed over it. A section of brass tubeserves as a hub. The wheel turns on a 3/4-in.

116

cold-rolled steel axle. It is highly importantthat the hub, which is driven in to a tight fit,be accurately centered and true in the wooddisks. The driving load is carried by carriagebolts through V-pulley and one side of thewheel.

Make the chassis frame of parallel two-by-two's (net) with cross pieces as indicated inFig. 3. The hood may need to be altered fromdimensions given here if a larger engine isused. The dummy radiator is merely a 1-in.board cut as shown with heavy screen nailedover it. The "instrument board" is merely aduplicate of the radiator. These two ends ofthe engine compartment are tied togetherwith strips on the sides, as shown, and coveredwith galvanized sheet iron. Use an old steer-ing wheel from a sidewalk auto. The wheelshould be fairly small. A length of 3/4-in. gal-vanized pipe makes a good steering shaft, andthe spool is 3-in. x 3-in. wood. The cables mustbe crossed in order to steer the same as anauto. A coil tension spring keeps the cable taut.

Mechanix Illustrated

FARM

The rear axle is clampedto the two-by-three crossmembers by means of U-bolts, as is the front axleto its two-by-five inchmember. The 3/4-in. steeljackshaft is carried inbrass- tube bearingsclamped to the frame withwood blocks as shown.

Small pulleys on theends of the jackshaftcarry belts to the drivewheels, and as these beltsare not adjusted too tight-ly, they allow slippage inturning corners, thus serving as a differential.In this connection the writer has found byexperience that a good V-belt is very accomo-dating in this way; it will slip if the loadbecomes excessive but pulls like fury whennot overtaxed. A 10-in. (Delta) V-pulley isdriven direct by the engine pulley. The V-belt between the two is adjusted looselyenough to permit the motor to run free. Anidler pulley serves as belt tightener and whenthrown in position the tractor starts in motion.

October, 1941

The diagram, Fig. 4, illustrates operation.When the lever is forward the idler pulley isfree and the brake shoes engage with the reardrive-pulleys. Drawing the lever back bringsthe idler-pulley against the engine ,belt andtightens it. Note that the idler should beswung on an arm about 3-in. long, and soinstalled that when engaged the arm is pastcenter and is automatically held in this positionuntil released by the operator.

[Continued on page 136]

117

which—if delivered at ten-pound pressurethrough a 12-inch pipe—would stretch all the wayto the moon and two-thirds of the way back again.The statistically-minded will agree that that'smore than just a lot of hot air.

If you joined a party of tourists and went look-ing for the New York Steam Corporation's plant,the chances are you'd be disappointed. It isn'tdistinguished by a maze of pipes, boilers and re-torts; if it weren't for four large smokestacks,you'd probably miss the plant completely, sincemore than half of its total assets lie buried beneaththe city's streets and sidewalks.

This is the beauty of a central steam plant, asthe founders of the New York company realizedalmost sixty years ago. Coal is delivered to theplant in barges, thus eliminating the rumbling ofcoal trucks through the city streets, and, by beingable te press a button to get his heat or cut it off,Mr. Citizen does his part to do away with ashremoval trucks and the soot that is the scourgeof most big cities.

But, even though it is the centralized core of a$10,000,000 enterprise, the company's plant is notthe roaring maelstrom one might expect it to be.Only about 1,800 men—including executives andoffice staff, distribution gangs and the plant force—are required to run this gigantic organization,with less than 300 needed at the plant itself tomanipulate the levers, buttons and switches thatkeep the wheels turning.

Probably no business in the world is as de-pendent on buttons as the New York steam plant.Virtually everything is done with buttons; onebutton starts the scoops that grab up the coalfrom barges and dump it into the crushers; an-other starts the machinery which pulverizes itinto black dust at the rate of 160 tons an hour;another sets the furnaces into roaring action, and

[Continued on page 137]

136

Baby Tractor For Odd Jobs[Continued jrom page 117]

The job can be greatly simplified because thebelt tightener and brake are not absolutely neces-sary. The slow speed of the tractor does not in-volve any hazards, especially if the engine beltis always tight, for by shutting off the ignition themotor itself serves as a brake. In starting, theoperator simply works the kick-starter with onehand and pushes the light vehicle forward withthe other until it takes hold, after which he caneasily hop aboard.

If one wishes to work over uneven ground thechassis can be made flexible by the use of a swiv-elled king bolt, Fig. 5. This, however, is a black-smith's job if you haven't the proper equipmentto make it yourself. A brace should be installedas in Fig. 4. In case of a swivelled king bolt thisbrace must also be swivelled at the top connection.

For greater power use as large pulleys as areavailable on the drive wheels, and as small aspossible for those driving them.

Power Tool Bracket[Continued jrom page 123]

socket for the post from thicker wood and afterremoving sharp corners with sandpaper, screw itto the edge of the workbench. The post may bestored on a shelf when not required, as it can beslipped into the socket in an instant. Provide apadlock for the hasp so that you may lock thehand piece and prevent use of the tool in yourabsence. By using a clip and hasp of suitable sizeand shape, this bracket is easily adapted for usewith other types of flexible-shaft tools.

FEBRUARY 1950 217

Above, an adjustable offset hitch of special designcouples the loader to the side of the truck frame.Below, the loader coupled behind truck for transport

UILT BY Lem Shaw and George Ham-merschmidt, California ranchers, this

efficient bale loader, coupled to the side ofa truck, picks up individual bales from thefield and elevates them high enough to en-able one man to build a six-tier load oneither a truck or trailer platform.

Fig. 1 pictures the offset hitch by meansof which the loader is coupled to the side ofthe truck. The manner in which the loaderis towed to and from the field behind thetruck or trailer is shown in Fig. 2. Figs. 3.to 15, inclusive, detail the construction andassembly of the unit. First, note in the topview, Fig. 4, that the loader axle is offset tobring the loader as close as possible to thetruck. The offset hitch is shown assembledfor attachment to the side of the truck

This bale loader is constructed almost en-tirely of discarded car parts and stocksizes of both angle iron and sheet metal

The neat, trim lines of the bale loader, shown abovein operation, will appeal to every farmer who likesto build efficient, labor-saving equipment in his shop

B

TOW AND PUSH BAR1½" PIPE, 92" LONG

¼" X 1½"FLAT IRON WELDED TO PIPE

FLATIRON

ROUND2½"1¼

PICKUP DOG( = 62 INTN'L. HARV. CHAIN)

36"

SPACERBAR

ELEVATOR DOG

1¼" 2¼"

TOW AND PUSH BAR

16' - 4"

7' - 5"

15°

30" 19"

36"

10"

28¾" CENTER LINE OF BALE LOADER

6"

19½"

TOP VIEW

8' - 10"

4

(CHAINS AND SPROCKETSNOT SHOWN)

WELDED

2" R.

CHANNELS FORPICKUP CHAINS

CHANNEL FORELEVATOR CHAIN

SPROCKETSNOT SHOWN

¼" X 1¼"FLATIRONTIP BENT

OUTWARD

STEELPLATE

FIXEDBEARING

SHOE WELDEDON PARALLEL WITH

LINE OF TRAVEL

3"

18"

¼" STEEL TRUCK-SPRING LEAF

4" SQS.

SHOE

PICKUP CHAIN, 30 LINKSOR 6' OF CHAIN.

ONE DOG EVERY 3rd LINKWELDED

5"

¼" X 1½"FLAT IRON

PICKUP SPROCKETS (FORWARD)

HOUSING FORBALL BEARING

9

SIDE VIEW8

ONE DOG EVERY9th LINK

52"

ELEVATOR CHAIN,330 LINKS OR27' - 6" LONG 26°

30°

15°

V PLATEFOR CHAINADJUSTMENT

BRACKET

ADJUSTINGBOLT

7

ADJUSTABLEBEARING

GALV. SHEET METALBENT AROUND SHAFT

CENTER OF AUTO AXLE 7"

OFFSET 41/2"

6½"

¾" BAR

SPACER BAR1½" PIPE, 32" LONG

5½"

X 1¼" X 1¼"ANGLE IRON

¼" X ¾"FLAT IRON

¼" PLATE FORCHAIN-ADJUST-MENT BRACKET

X 1½" X 1½"ANGLE IRON

¼" X 1¼"FLATIRON

½" PIPE

X 1½" X 1½"ANGLE IRON

¾" X 1¾"CHANNEL

WELDED

4½"X 1" FLAT IRON

½" PIPE

70"1" PIPE

11

FRAMEASSEMBLY

1½" PIPE,8½" LONG

BALLBEARINGENGAGED

POSITIONHOLES

FOR PIN SPLINEDSLEEVE

SPLINEDSHAFT

NEEDLEBEARING

¼" PIPE

DISENGAGEDPOSITION

12

SECTIONAL VIEW OFCLUTCH ASSEMBLY

WELDED

PIN

CLUTCHASSEMBLY

16"-WHEEL(6" X 26" AIRPLANE TIRE)

PIVOT

23"

½"PIPE

WELDEDTO

AXLE

LUGWELDEDTO AXLE

7"

VIEW LOOKING FORWARD15SMALL SPROCKET (5 REQD.)

HOLE

PIVOT

3¼"PITCH DIA.

LARGE SPROCKET,TEETH FOR #62

INTN'L. HARV.CHAIN (1 REQD.)

14

FORD,MODEL-A

REARAXLE

PITCH DIA.14"

CLUTCH

88°

2½

13

WELDED

6"

¼" PLATE

8' - 4"

4" SQS.

4½"

14-GA. GALV.SHEET METAL

PLATFORM SIDES

DEVELOPEDPATTERN OF

TOW BAR,1 ½" PIPE

WELDED

28¾"4½"

14-GA. GALV.SHEET METAL

19"

8"

10

7"

23" 4" SQS.

220 POPULAR MECHANICS

Above, chain tighteners are fitted on the pickupidler shaft. Below, ground drive is through car axle

Short pickup chains start bale on its way up theelevator bed, or "flight," to the loading platform

Lugs on the pickup chain are curved slightly to re-lease bale. Those on the elevator chain are straight

frame. The parallel spacing bars are ad-justable so that the loader can be located tosuit the width of the truck platform. Thelong member of the hitch, top detail in Fig.3 and also Fig. 11, serves the dual purposeof tow bar when the loader is towed on theroad and that of push bar when the hitchis assembled for operation of the loader inthe field. The three views of the drivemechanism, Figs. 13, 14 and 15, show theassembly of the drive unit. Note that theoffset axle brings the drive sprocket, Fig.14, in the center of the elevator bed. Thisposition lines up the sprocket with thechannel for the elevator chain, Figs. 4 and 5.

Two Ford Model-A rear axles are as-sembled to form the drive as in Figs. 13, 14,18 and 21. One axle, with the housings re-moved, is mounted on the end of the torquetube of the second axle which is used intact,including the radius rods, Fig. 15. The openends of the upper differential housing areclosed with steel plates, welded on. Oneplate extends to form a mounting bracket,Fig. 13, and is bored and slotted for mount-ing bolts and for the drive-sprocket shaft.The throwout clutch mounted on the endof the torque tube between the two differ-entials is assembled from stock parts asin Fig. 12. In addition to the large drivesprocket, Fig. 14, five small sprockets of3½-in. pitch diameter are required to car-ry the elevating chain and the pickupchains. The pickup chains travel in steelchannels welded into the lower end of theelevator bed as in Fig. 5. The pickupsprocket assembly, with fixed and adjust-able bearings, is detailed in Fig. 7, and isalso pictured in Figs. 16, 17 and 19.

The bottom of the elevator bed, or "flight,"is covered with galvanized sheet metal andthe sides are built up and braced as in Figs.

Above, rear view showing curved platform fenderwhich turns the bale at top of elevator. Below, dif-ferential and clutch are mounted on torque tube

4, 8 and 10. Sheet metal forms the floorof the bale platform at the top of the eleva-tor bed, Fig. 20. The sheet-metal guide, orfender, which forms one side and the endof the bale platform, is curved to turn thebale as it slides onto the platform. A lay-out pattern for cutting the sheet-metal partto correct size is shown in Fig. 8, and thedetailed pattern for the bottom of the plat-form is shown in Fig. 4. Note that a "bead-ing" of ¼-in. pipe is welded to the top edgeof the platform fender, Fig. 15. The wings,or gatherers, Fig. 16, are made up for bothright and left sides as in Fig. 6. A shoe iswelded to the bottom of each wing to carrythe lower end of the elevator. It is im-portant that each shoe be welded parallelwith the line of travel, otherwise it willwear rapidly and may cause side draft.

The lugs, or dogs, welded to the elevatorchain are straight while those on the shortpickup chains are curved back as in Fig. 3.This backward curve is important as it per-mits the lugs to disengage freely from thebale as they pass downward over the idlersprockets. Tension on the pickup chainsshould be sufficient to prevent buckling.Chain tension can be changed by adjustingthe idler sprockets, Fig. 7.

After the frame and elevator assemblyhas been completed, the axle assembly istrial-fitted in the frame and mounting lugsare welded onto the axle housings as in Fig.15. Bolts passing through holes drilled inthe lugs and the horizontal members of theframe hold it firmly in position. The upperend of the drive unit is bolted to a lugwelded to the platform frame. Slots in thedifferential lug, or plate, Fig. 13, permitadjustment of the drive sprocket to theproper height with relation to the chainchannel. The elevator chain need not runtightly as the weight of the chain ordinarilywill give sufficient tension to prevent buck-ling. Note in Fig. 15 that the tires specifiedare of the airplane type and are mounted on16-in. wheels. While tires of this type aresatisfactory under ordinary field conditions,it may be necessary at times to use tirechains or casings with high-traction lugs inorder to prevent slippage. The truck, ortractor pulling a trailer, should be drivenat uniformly slow speed and the unit guidedso that the pickup chains engage the endof the bale. To save time, bales which aredropped from the baler crosswise of theline of travel should be straightened beforebeing picked up by the loader. As designed,the loader will pick up the standard sizebale either flat or edgewise, depending onhow it is dropped. If the larger, three-wirebales are handled, the elevator flight shouldbe made correspondingly wider. Keep thedrum and clutch units well lubricated toprevent undue wear on the parts.

FEBRUARY 1950 221

Power Concrete MixerEases Home Improvements

Supporting frame. Twoidentical sides with handlesare welded over layout drawnwith chalk on cellar floor.Sides are braced to stand ver-tically and cross membersadded. Short lengths of 7/16"rod for axles are welded intolower cross member at rear.

Pouring yoke. Cross mem-bers of the yoke are bent 1 1/8"below level of side membersso that mixer-shatt bearingswill be centered. Motor is1/3 hp., 1,725 r.p.m., fitted with1½" pulley. Speed-reductionshaft and pulley ratio turndrum at 43 r.p.m.

206 POPULAR SCIENCE

This midget mixer isjust right for a one-manjob. It'll mix concreteas fast as you can spreadand smooth it.

AFEW spare hours spent build-ing this mixer will save you

many hours with a mixing hoewhen you tackle that new drivewayor barbecue.

Though its capacity is small, themixer is no bottleneck on the job.I get through more bags of cementin less time than I did with a rentedquarter-bag job. The 10-gal. drumis a type commonly used for soda-fountain syrups, paint and bakers'supplies. Mine is 15" in diameterand stands 18" high.

In or out of doors. The con-venient handlebars permit you toroll it like a hand truck, and easilyget through a basement doorway.The front legs of the frame canstand in a shallow form when youpour, eliminating the need for achute or wheelbarrow.

Construction. A light welder,electric drill and hacksaw are thetools you'll need. Materials cancome from a plumber's scrap pile-3/8'' and ½" pipe, and a few shortpieces of ½" rod. The mixing bladesare bent from 16-gauge sheet steeland bolted to the inside of thedrum at a slight angle in the direc-

Maple bearings, soaked in oil and dusted withgraphite, support drum shaft. Steel straps andJ bolts secure bearings. With motor, drum andall parts in place, yoke is balanced to locatetrunnions. These are welded 4" forward of bal-ance point so drum swings up.

tion of rotation to toss the mix toward thebottom of the drum.

Speed-reduction shaft. A ½" inside-diameter ball bearing is housed in each pipecap to support the pulley shaft. The shaftassembly pivots on a ½" rod held betweenthe yoke cross members by ¼" bolts.—EvanWright, Topeka, Kan.

Loading up. Mixer takes about a tenth of a bagof cement for most sand-and-aggregate mixes.In final assembly, the frame is sprung apart justenough to admit the trunnions into the support-ing washers. Cotter pins prevent trunnions fromslipping out and keep frame from spreadingwhile mixer is moved about.

That's right! 100 blocks per hour . . . provided you have the help and the space and racks to cure the blocks properly. In Fig. 1 you see the outfit complete, ready for work. It's a self-contained unit mounted on its own two-wheeled, pneumatic-tired trailer with a supporting caster wheel under the drawbar. There's nothing to take apart and put together again when you move the machine. Merely disconnect the water hose and the power line, hitch it to a truck, and away you go.

Figs. 4 to 7 inclusive show how it works. Fig. 2 details the metal mold and Fig. 3 the ejector plates and as-sembly. In Fig. 4 the mold, sup-ported by a crane, is being lowered into place on the molding "board", in this case a steel plate somewhat larger than the mold. In Fig. 5 the mix is being scraped and troweled into the mold. When full the mold is vibrated by means of a foot-operated take-off drive, and then the excess material is struck off the top with the fence or striker board. Next, the crane is hooked to the mold and the ejector is swung into place. In Fig. 6 the operator bears down on the ejector and simulta-neously presses a foot pedal to raise the mold off the formed blocks. In Fig. 7 the finished blocks are being moved to the curing racks.

Fig. 8 shows the main frame, en-tirely a welded job using 3- and 4-

inch pipe, steel plate, and steel channel. Only general dimensions are given as some of these parts must be sized to fit during the as-sembly of other parts of the machine. With the exception of the motor, which is only a representa-tion, the crosshatched views in Fig. 9 are intended to give a general guide to proportionate sizes of the machine parts and their relative positions. To make the manner of assembly more clear, certain parts have been omitted from these de-tails. No detailed dimensions have been given in Fig. 9 because these will vary somewhat according to the materials and parts which you have or which are available.

Figs. 10 to 15 inclusive show the assembly. From these details you will see first that the main drive from the motor to the mixing chamber is made from a Ford Model-A rear axle and drive shaft, (Fig. 11). One axle housing is re-moved and the open end of the dif-ferential housing is covered with a sheet-metal disk bolted on with a gasket between to prevent leakage of lubricant. A roller-chain drive sprocket is welded or keyed to the axle and a two-step V-pulley is at-tached to the drive shaft. The drive thus formed from this unit is welded to the trailer frame at three points: at the end of the Model-A axle hous-ing where it passes through a hole in

the mixing-drum bracket, and at the differential and the forward end of the drive-shaft housing, where it also is supported on brackets.

The hopper, Fig. 10, and the mix-ing drum are made of heavy sheet metal welded at all joints and rein-forced with steel angles welded on as stiffeners wherever large areas of the metal are subjected to severe strain. The steel mixing blades of the agitator, Fig. 9, the top view, have a clearance of about 3 inches inside the drum.

Figs. 13 and 14 and the two upper views in Fig. 11 detail the crane and ejector arm. The crane is an all-welded assembly of standard rod and pipe sizes and is operated by a pedal which extends underneath the machine. However, the ejector mechanism is a somewhat more in-tricate affair. The ejector plates must raise and lower in the same plane, making two pairs of adjust-able parallel arms necessary. A "helper" spring eases the lift of the assembly and another coil spring swings it to one side. Bearings at both ends of the four arms should fit accurately. Fig. 11 shows the frame which supports the crane and ejec-tor. The hopper is raised for dumping by a hydraulic cylinder, Fig. 11. Ar-rangement of the hydraulic system is shown in Fig. 12 and the drive to

First step is placing the molding "board" on the vibrator arms. Some material from the discharge door of the mixer is on the platform above the mold, which is still supported in the raised position.

both the hydraulic pump and the mixer is detailed in Fig. 15. Raising and lowering of the hopper is controlled by a three-way valve, Figs. 11 and 12. By-passing the hydraulic fluid allows the pump to be operated continuously, thereby simplifying the drive. The vibrator shaft, Fig. 15, is pedal-operated and runs only when the pedal is depressed. One belt from the two-step cone pulley passes around an idler. The pulley driving the vibrator is located be-tween the driving pulley and the id-ler as shown in Fig. 15. When the pedal is depressed the center pulley engages the belt, and "throw" of the off-center weights, Fig. 11, vibrates the mold. The mold must be held rigidly in place for this operation and Fig. 11-A details the quick-acting clamping device especially made for this purpose.

The mold and the ejector, Figs. 2 and 3, are made for three blocks. There are two cores in each com-partment of the mold and note espe-cially that each core is vented (Fig. 2) and tapered slightly so that it will draw easily without breaking the edges of the block. Cores can be cast from a rich cement-sand mixture or they can be made of heavy sheet metal, welded. Where facilities and Next, crane is attached to mold and the

ejector swung into position. Holding the ejector down, operator depresses a pedal, lifting the mold. Then after mov-ing the blocks, the process is repeated.

Here the mold has been lowered and locked, the crane released and ejector swung aside. Operator is filling mold. Af-ter filling and vibrating the mold, the material is struck off flush with the top.

materials are available, they also could be cast from aluminum.

Fig. 16, details A to E inclusive, shows a one-core mold (A and B) which is suitable for certain special types of blocks. Detail C supple-ments Fig. 6 and shows more clear-ly the procedure and placement of the hands in ejecting the block from the mold, while details D and E sug-gest types of elevated tracks or rails for moving blocks away from the machine and to the curing yard, as in Fig. 7. Curing racks of any con-venient size may be assembled from hardwood boards, steel angles, and flanged rollers as in Fig. 16-D. De-tail E suggests one way of providing for easy handling of the blocks from the machine to the curing racks.

General assembly views of a hand-operated machine for making a few blocks at a time are given in Fig. 17. Here most of the work is done by hand, only the vibrator be-ing motor driven. It's easy to build for either a one-, two-, or three-block mold. Proportions of the mix which have been found most satis-factory are 7 parts pea gravel, 12 parts sharp sand, 2 parts silt, and 2-1/2 parts portland cement. The amount of water is determined by experiment as it depends on the dampness of the aggregate. 9 Here's the final step . . . moving blocks

to the curing yard on racks especially designed for the purpose. It usually is best to cure blocks in shade. They should not be handled until cured thoroughly.

IT WON'T take long to figure the needs for this tractor on your farm. That prob-lem will immediately take care of itself when you get the tractor built, for Farm-ette is just chore-boy size and it's faster than any team of horses. So far as its uses are concerned you can take it from there. Power from Farmette's 7-hp. air-cooled engine is taken off the engine crankshaft by flat belt to a 4-speed truck transmission and through this to a cut-down rear axle taken from a 1934 Chevrolet car. Of course, any suitable rear axle can be used, including a light truck axle. Positive clutching action is obtained by an idler pulley running on

the slack side of the flat-belt drive from en-gine to transmission. The idler pulley is ac-tuated by a pedal, the arrangement giving smooth foot-clutch control of the tractor. The pedal works against tension springs attached to the frame and to the idler-pul-ley yoke as in Pig. 3. Provision is made for adjusting the spring tension, which deter-mines the tension on the belt when the clutch is engaged. In Fig. 3 notice also that essentially the same clutching arrange-ment is used in controlling the power take-off. This consists of a short shaft with V-pulley mounted between bearings. The whole assembly is bolted to a hinged brack-et. Movement is controlled by a rod carry-ing a compression spring, one end of which bears against an adjustable collar. The free

Here's Farmette mowing a fence row and making a good job of it, too. One can easily put together a small mower with a 31/2 or 4-ft. cutter bar from stock parts. It's also possible to adapt some small tractor mowers to this type of mounting with very little alteration. A rigid, welded frame is essential for front mounting

" THE ODD-JOB

32

TRACTOR

Small jobs that tie up big tractors at busy times cost money for extra fuel and extra man-hours. That's where a nimble, pint-sized riding tractor like Farmette :omes in. Farmette is narrow enough to slip between rows of standing corn or pass through a footpath gate, and it's ideal for mowing fence rows and plowing snow

end of the rod passes through a hole drilled in a bracket piece as shown. A wire cable, passing through an awning pulley on the bracket, is attached to the adjustable collar. The free end of the cable is hooked to a con-:rol lever near the driver's seat. Moving the lever swings the power take-off assembly inward toward the tractor frame, slacken-ing the V-belt. This whole driving assem-bly and clutch mechanism is shown clearly in the perspective view, Fig. 4. Speed range is from 1 to about 20 miles per hour.

Before cutting the parts it's a good idea to have all the necessary materials at hand, including the engine, such pulleys as are specified, belts, frame members, steel plates and the rear axle, wheel disks and tires. Looking over the cutaway view, Fig. 2, you get a good idea of what is needed. One of the first questions that comes up is the rear-wheel tread. By using "dished" truck-type wheel disks the tread can be varied by simply reversing the wheels and, if you ex-pect to use Farmette as a cultivating trac-tor in narrow-rowed truck crops, this also must be taken into account in figuring the wheel tread. The axle can be any length up to the full tread width but of course the narrower tread is handier in close quarters. Where the axle housing is cut down it will be necessary to turn new axles. This is better than cutting and welding the original axles. With the axle cut down to the tread width you require, weld lengths of angle iron to the axle housing. These form mount-ing brackets for the longitudinal frame members, Fig. 2. The latter should be cut from seasoned oak, 2 ¼” by 3 ¼” in. sectional size. These frame members in the original

tractor are 78 in. long but some variation in length is possible. Don't attach frame mem-bers to the rear-axle brackets until you are sure of the exact location of the axle.

Next, assemble the frame as in Fig. 2 and the down view in Fig. 7. Then assemble the steering gear and front-wheel fork. The complete gear from a 1928 Chevrolet truck, including the wheel, spark and gas control levers, steering-wheel column and the stub shaft, are used. The steering-gear housing is supported on a length of 1 ¼”-in. pipe which screws into a pipe flange welded to the steel plate as indicated. The steering shaft, which is welded to the wheel fork, passes through this column. A ball thrust bearing carries the front end of the frame. One bearing race is welded to the wheel fork, the other to the bottom of the steel plate which forms the lower front cross member of the tractor frame.

Now comes the transmission-to-rear-axle hookup. Block the frame level and clamp the frame side members to the rear-axle brackets. Then the splined shaft pro-jecting from the front end of the transmis-sion is turned down to 1 in. in diameter, and a *4-in. keyway is cut to a length that will take two separate keys, one for each pul-ley. The front end of the shaft is carried on a self-aligning ball-bearing pillow block as in Fig. 4. Put on the 12-in. cast-iron drive pulley first and key in place, then the 4%-in. V- pulley which drives the power take-off. This means a careful job of machining. Locate the transmission between the frame members, blocking it in position if neces-sary, and hook up to the rear axle. Make a careful adjustment for alignment. When

33

you're sure of this, mark the location, of bolt holes for brackets supporting the transmis-sion, the pillow-block bearing at the front of the transmission, and also the bolt holes through the rear-axle brackets and side-frame members. One thing to look out for here is the alignment of the rear axle with the transmission. This is especially impor-tant because the axle is not sprung to the frame in the regular way, hence the trans-mission and drive-shaft housing are rigid when assembled. When you locate holes for bolts through the platform plate, side frames and axle brackets be sure that the

parts fit snugly together so that when these parts are bolted in place there will be no strain or twist on the axle housing. It may be necessary to shim slightly under one or the other of the side frames. Care in weld-ing to make sure that the brackets are ex-actly in line -will generally make shimming unnecessary. After bending the front wheel fork to shape as in Fig. 8, the next step is locating the holes for the wheel spindle. On the original tractor the rear tires are 6.50 by 20 in. and the front tire 4.00 by 8 in., as given in Fig. 2. These sizes stand the tractor level. When you know the tire size

measure and drill holes in the front-wheel fork for the 'wheel spindle. The nut on the spindle should be cotter-pinned as shown. This last step puts the frame on wheels and leaves the engine mounting, hood and grille and other small parts yet to be made and assembled. High-speed air-cooled en-gines of the type used on the original trac-tor generally are self-contained units with fuel tank, air cleaner and other parts either built in or attached directly to the engine itself. In order to get the engine properly positioned over the transmission drive pul-ley it will be necessary, on most engines of

Above and below are views of the simple clutch assembly and power take-off drive. Clutch is pedal operated and is nothing more than an idler pulley which serves the dual pur-pose of belt tightener and clutch. Releasing pressure of the idler allows the flat belt to slip, thus stopping the tractor

this type, to remove the fuel tank and mount it on the dash as in Figs. 2 and 5. But before the fuel tank is placed get the engine in position. Be sure that the pulleys line up properly, then locate and drill holes for the mount-ing bolts. Bolt the engine in place. It may be necessary to provide an ex-tension for the air cleaner as it should be located above the hood as in Fig. 2. The extension should be a tight fit on the original tube so that there are no air leaks between the cleaner and carburetor. The dash, Fig. 2, is cut from ¾”-in. waterproof plywood and is attached to the frame with angle brackets as shown. The steering col-umn is supported in a U-shaped notch cut in the dash. The fuel tank is mounted on the dash as in Fig. 2. Probably you can make use of the original brackets in mounting the tank but it may be necessary to use spacers. These can be cut from % or %-in. pipe to whatever length is re-quired. The fuel tank should be lo-cated at about the same height in re-lation to the engine as it was on the original engine mountings. It also may be necessary to install new cop-per tubing from the tank to the car-buretor. Fig. 8 gives general dimen-sions of the hood frame, which is made of hardwood. The parts are held in place with metal angle brack-

36

ets as shown. Hood and grille are of sheet metal and a clean, neat job of rorming these parts adds much to the appearance of the tractor. Unless, of course, you have facilities for work-ing sheet metal you'll want to take this job to your local tinsmith.

The idler pulley which runs on the drive belt serves the two-fold pur-pose of maintaining the proper ten-sion on the belt and providing the clutching action when starting the tractor under load. Use a pulley fit-ted with oilless bushings. The pul-ley should run on a hollow shaft pro-vided with a pressure grease fitting. The drive belt should be of full-grain leather running with the hair side next to the drive pulleys. To avoid pounding of the idler pulley the lacing should be made carefully so that it will be flat. After the new belt lias been in use a few hours it will be necessary to adjust the idler-pul-ley tension springs to compensate for stretch of the belt. The idler support arms are mounted on a short cross shaft, one end of which is inserted in a hole drilled in the transmission sup-port as in Fig. 2. The other end of the shaft is carried in an angle bracket welded to the pillow-block bearing support as in Fig. 4. Collars hold both shaft and arms in position. Note the belt guide in Fig. 4. Next comes the pulley, or flywheel guard, Fig. 2. This is made from 12-gauge sheet steel, welded, and it is bolted directly to the tractor frame. Be sure the

slot for the power take-off drive belt is large enough to clear the belt. The power take-off assembly as you see it in Figs. 2, 4 and 5 is optional equipment, but of course is essential for driving any mount-ed machine such as the front-mounted mower in Fig. 1. The swinging drawbar enables you to make short turns with pulled equipment, Fig. 6.

To finish up, there remain the installation of the clutch pedal, brake pedals, linkage and driver's seat, connecting a control lever on the steering column to the throttle and installing a choke control on the dash. Installation of the clutch pedal is very simple, as you can see from Fig. 2. Adjust the brakes so that they apply equally on both rear -wheels. In-stall an implement seat as in Fig. 2. Then fit the drawbar as detailed in Fig. 2 and there you are, ready for work. Two coats of outdoor enamel applied with a spray gun make a fine-appearing job and help to prevent rusting of bare metal. And if you want the maxi-mum in tractive effort the rear tires should be of the cleated-tread type supplied for farm tractors. On some jobs dual tires on the rear wheels and an oversize bal-loon tire on the front wheel make the best combination, especially where light-footedness and easy maneuverability are the first re-quirement. Also, -weight can be added by filling the tires with a nonfreezing solution.

SURPLUS and SALVAGE PROJECTS

Here's What It CostsFor less than $175, including a new en-

gine, you can have Pow'r Pup rolling inyour yard or garden. You can hold costsbelow this figure by doing all the workyourself, or you can buy some of theharder-to-make components listed so thatconstruction becomes primarily an assem-bly job. Your actual cost may thereforerange from below $175 to $350, and yourfinished Pow'r Pup will be comparable tocommercial garden tractors selling at $500to $600.

Suburban TractorWill: mow the lawn—haul leaves—do light grading—bulldoze snow—roll the lawn—plow garden—pull a discor harrow—cultivate crops—pull a seeder—tow a sled

By S. S. MINER

NOT a toy, but a real man-sized tool, thePow'r Pup goes a step beyond the strad-dle-type tractors now in widespread use

and brings to the home workshopper, forhome construction, a rugged, simple, and eco-nomical machine for yard and garden work—and for leisure enjoyment too. Many Searstractor attachments will fit it, and you canbuild it for $175 or less.

Based on used car parts (widely availablein junk yards) and various components fromSears Roebuck Co., it is extremely stable andmaneuverable. With three speeds forwardplus reverse, it will do any job from lighthauling to heavy plowing. The design callsprincipally for cutting, drilling, and weldingoperations. By special arrangement, a sup-

plier has been established for components youmay wish to buy rather than make (seeMaterials List).

The design is flexible enough to permit awide choice of automotive parts: you couldbase a small tractor design on almost anymanual-shift transmission and symmetricalrear end, and many small air-cooled enginesfrom 3 to 10 hp would be suitable. However,any departure from the design given herewill require careful study of the problems in-volved. If you make changes, keep in mindthat the ready-made parts listed will fit onlythe Pow'r Pup as designed.

Your First Step in building the Pow'r Pupis to locate the used drive-train parts fromthe right vintage Ford. These need not bein first class condition when you buy themand probably will not be, but be sure youget, from one source or another, all the essen-

SURPLUS and SALVAGE PROJECTS 121

Craft PrintProject No. 321

TRACTOR STEERING WHEEL ADAPTEDTO STUDE STEERING GEAR

TRACTOR SEATAND SPRING

7.50/15 OR 16KNOBBY REAR TIRES

3 TO 10 UP AIRCOOLED ENGINE

2- STAGE SPEEDREDUCTION & SLIPPINGBELT CLUTCH

THROTTLE

A-FRAME

MOTOR MOUNT

BATTERY SPACEIF NEEDED

LOCKHEED MASTEBBRAKE CYLINDER

33 70 48 FORD REAR ENDAND DRIVE 5HAFT,

'32 TO '38 TRANSMISSIONDRIVE SHAFT AND AXLESSHORTENED

52" WHEELBASE

ROLL PIN

RETAINING COLLAR

'51 TO'53 STUDEBAKERSTEERING COMPONENTS

16X4 FRONTWHEELS

RETAININGCOLLAR

tial parts: a transmission, driveshaft andhousing, universal joint and joint cover, andrear end complete with drums and internalbrake parts. Lay all this loot out on theground somewhere and clean off the outside(it will probably be pretty dirty) with aputty knife and kerosene, or use a commer-cial degreaser.

Before taking the parts into your work-shop drain the rear end and transmission.Then remove the two axle housings from thedifferential housing. In these earlier Fords,the bevel pinion gear at the inner end ofthe axle shaft is forged directly on the endof the axle itself, hence the axle housing mustbe removed from the differential housing, andthe differential carrier must be taken apartin order to withdraw the axles. Disassemble

the rear end, clean up the axles and housingspreparatory to working on them, and unfastenthe backing plates and lay them aside.

First Job is to Cut the spring perch arm(Fig. 2B) off each axle housing. Hack saw itas close as possible to the housing boltingflanges. Then cut a section out of the axlehousing itself close to the bolting flange (Fig.3A) with a hack saw, or in a power cut-offsaw if one is available. The amount to beremoved will depend upon two things: therear wheel tread of the original car, and thetractor tread width desired. Half the differ-ence between these two dimensions is theamount to cut out. Make these cuts at 90°to the centerline of the housing.

Check one of the brake backing plates tosee that it is not bent, then bolt the cut-off

38" TREAD


housing end to it. Support this on blockingand clamp the axle housing in assembled posi-tion with three 1/4-in. rods, hooked at one endand threaded at the other (Fig. 3). Checkwith a carpenter's square and steel tape todetermine parallelism and proper centeringof the backing plate and bell flange. Be sureto align the wheel cylinder opposite one holeof the bell flange so that when assembly iscompleted the wheel cylinders will be at thetop on each side.

An alternate alignment method is to clampthe bell flange of the axle housing to the faceplate of a large lathe and support the cut-offhousing end in aligned position on an arbor.

In either case, once proper alignment hasbeen achieved, weld the two parts together,tack-welding first on opposite sides to avoiddistortion. Shorten both axle housings in thismanner.

There are Three Methods (Fig. 3B) forshortening the axles themselves: 1. Cut themoff to the desired length, retaper and threadthe ends; 2. Cut a section out and butt-weldthe remaining portions together; and 3. Cuta section out, slip a perforated sleeve overthe cut ends, and weld together. For the ama-teur the third method is easiest but has thedisadvantage (with the Ford axle) that theinner shaft bearing and other parts must be


slipped over the axle before the sleeve iswelded on, and they can never be removed.The second method is best for those with thenecessary welding skill but no lathe.

Choose the method best suited to yourskills and tools, then shorten both axles bythe same amount that you shortened thehousings.

Similar problems will be encountered inshortening the driveshaft and torque tube.The front end of the Ford torque tube con-tains a roller bearing race; therefore theportion removed must be back of this, prefer-ably at the rear end of the tube (Fig. 3). Boltthe rear tube-flange to the differential hous-ing and lay the assembly on a flat surface tosecure proper alignment while welding.

Since both ends of the Ford driveshaftare splined, the method chosen for shorten-

ing it will probably be #2 or #3 (above),rather than # 1 , to avoid the problem of re-splining a cut-off end. The sleeve method willbe satisfactory for this shortening operationas it will not interfere with assembly or dis-assembly. Remember to remove the sameamount from the shaft as from the tube.

After the shortening operations are com-pleted, coat all parts with a film of greaseand reassemble. Now, before going furtherwith the reassembly, check the brake drums,shoes, and cylinders—these will probablyneed reconditioning. Worn shoes can be re-lined or replaced (see Materials List), andscored drums can be turned at your localautomotive repair shop. Finish the assemblyof the rear end after overhauling the brakes.

Next Job is the Frame (Fig. 4). If you aregoing to take this part of the job to a com-

MATERIALS LIST— POW'R PUP


mercial welding shop, you will save time andmoney if you get all parts cut to length first.Cut front axle parts at this same time, andhave both welding jobs done in one visit to thewelder. Check the drawings to determine ac-cording to your facilities which holes in thevarious weldments you will drill before weld-ing, and which afterwards. Take pains to getthe frame corners square and the side railsparallel when clamping up, as there will beno way of correcting a crooked frame afterwelding. Note that in the boxed constructionof the front cross member and the front axlethe angle iron flanges are lapped so as tokeep a 2-in. vertical dimension through theseparts.

Before welding on the spindle bushing sup-ports to the axle ends, make the spindle bush-ings (Fig. 4A) and position them in the sup-ports when clamping up, to make it possibleto check the spindle and caster angles.

Bend the Wheel Spindles to a 105° angle(Fig. 4B), first heating them with a weldingtorch to a bright red at the point of bend.Then weld heavy steel washers to the spindleto form the shoulders (Fig. 4B). Weld theaxle pivot pin to the front cross member,spaced from it with a 1/4-in.-thick pad, sothat the axle and front cross member willlie in the same plane. Slip the axle onto thepivot pin and secure the retaining collar witha 1/4-in. bolt (Fig. 4C).

It may be necessary to ream or hone outthe spindle bushings because of distortioncaused by welding. Make the fit of the spindlein the bushings fairly free, then drill and tapZerk fitting holes in the rear sides of thebushings. Install the front wheels and spindlesnow, withr brass thrust washers where shown(Fig. 4A), and fasten the wheel retainingcollars with 3/16-in. roll pins.

Make the motor mount according to Fig. 4Dfor the Sears 5.75 engine—otherwise modifyit to suit whatever engine you have chosen.

Prop the Rear End of the frame up at theproper height (10 in.). Notch the transmis-sion bell with a hacksaw to clear the frameside rails (Fig. 5), then set the transmissionin place. Make two short sleeves (Fig. 5) andsecure them with 3/8-in. bolts (in the oldclutch pivot holes in the transmission) toholes drilled in the tractor frame. These sup-port the front end of the transmission. Itsrear end is supported on two clips (Fig. 4D)and bolted there with 1/2-in bolts.

Bring the rear end and driveshaft intoposition, engage the universal joint, and cen-ter up the differential housing in the frame.Jam four pieces of 1 x 1 x 1/8-in. angle ironunder the tapered axle-housings and weldthem in place. Mark and drill holes for theU-bolts (Fig. 4D), then fasten the whole rearend in solidly. Now you can put on the auto-mobile rear wheels and lug tires, and roll theunit about the shop on its own wheels.

Make a clamping plate (Fig. 3) and securethe Sears tractor spring and seat on the driveshaft housing. Later you can slide this backor forward to get the best position. Heat theshift lever to a cherry red at two places, andbend it to the dog-leg shape shown in Fig. 2.You will have to cut off the end, too, andre-thread it for the shift knob.

Now for the Steering. The mechanismused was taken in its entirety from a 1952Studebaker (any Stude, '51 through '53, hasthe right gear). Be sure to get the steeringknuckle arms, both tie rods, the connectingrod, steering gear box, the end of the inter-mediate arm, and six tie rod ends. Cut theknuckle arms and weld them to collars (Fig.4A) so that the tie rod end centers will be4 in. from the spindle center lines. Cut the tierods in two, and lengthen them to 29 in. by

welding in pieces of 1/2-in. pipe. Cut the con-necting rod and weld in a 6-in. piece of 3/8-in.rod bent to a 10° angle.

Cut the pitman arm in two, lap it, andweld it to a 4-in. radius. Make the equalizingbar of 1/2 x 1-1/2-in. HRS.Weld the cut-off endsof the Stude intermediate steering arm to theequalizer bar, making certain you get thetapered holes big end up (Fig. 4E). Make thesteering gear bracket and fasten it to thetransmission housing in place of the old in-spection plate. Cut the Stude steering columnoff 1-1/2-in. above the steering box, make theadapter to take the Sears steering column,and drill for 3/16-in. roll pins. The adapter willjust fill the space between the steering boxand the A-frame sleeve, a piece of 3/4-in. I.D.tubing welded to two pieces of 1 x 1 x 1/8-in.angle iron (Fig. 6). Assemble the steering

mechanism, adjust the drag link length toproduce a 25° knuckle arm angle (Fig. 4A),and pin the knuckle collars to the spindleswith two 3/16-in. roll pins each. This operationshould be performed with steering wheel cen-tered and front wheels pointed straight ahead.

The Drive Mechanism is a two-stage reduc-tion lowering engine speed (3600 rpm) to 375rpm at the transmission input shaft. The V-belted first stage functions as a clutch; thesecond stage is chain, for high torque. Makethe jackshaft arm (Fig. 5A) out of 1/2 x1-1/2HRS welded to a piece of 2-1/4-in. O.D. x1-3/4in. I.D. steel tubing. Make the jackshaft car-rier out of the same 1/2 x 1-1/2 HRS stock.Turna shoulder on the hub of the 6-in. diameterV-belt pulley to receive the 15 tooth sprocket(which will have to be bored out for thispurpose) and braze the sprocket in place.



Press two flanged bronze bushings in thebore of the pulley, and mount the pulley onthe carrier with a 2-1/4-in. long x 5/8-in diame-ter shoulder screw as the shaft itself. Thenassemble this mechanism, with the chain ad-justed to about 1/2-in. slack.

Make the clutch parts next (Fig. 5B), as-semble them, and bolt the toggle bracket andbracket stay to the transmission housing.

If you are using the Sears engine, you can


position it on the mount according to Figs.2 & 5. With other engines it will be neces-sary to check clearances on all sides of theengine and alignment of the drive pulley withthe jackshaft pulley before drilling themounting holes.

To avoid interference with the grille, makea diagonal extension for the air cleaner (Fig.2) if your engine requires it.

Make the Hood Frame (Fig. 7) of 3/16 x 1-in. HRS and 3/8-in. HRS rod bent and weldedtogether. Cover it with sheet aluminum (seeMaterials List) carefully bent around theframe and secured at the bottom with #10-24rh screws and nuts. Trim the metal farenough from the frame edge so you can formit around the frame members to finish off andsecure it. Make the grille of 1/2-in. expandedmetal, or perforated aluminum sheet, andsecure it in place with #10 rh screws 1/2 in.long, and nuts.

Make a 10-in. diameter ring of 1/4-in. or 3/8-in. steel rod and braze it to the surface of thegrille, centering it laterally and positioningit vertically so as to clear the starting mech-anism of the engine. Then cut out the portionof the grille inside the ring, hammer down thecut edges and cover them with braze wherenecessary. If your grille is aluminum, simplytrim it about 3/4 in. inside the ring and formit back over the ring.

With a 5.75-hp engine, the Pow'r Pup makes lightwork of a heavy job, turning an 8-in.-wide furrow8 in. deep in medium sod with the Sears 6-in. plow.

Place the Hood in position on the tractorand push it backward far enough so thestarter pull rope is freely accessible throughthe grille opening, then mark for, and drilland tap, the hood pivot-bolt holes (Fig. 4D).Then locate and bolt on (or weld) the rearhood support clips (Fig. 4).

Make the brake pedal (Fig. 3), of 1/2 x 1-in.HRS and pivot it to the right side of theframe. Mount a Lockheed (or similar) mas-ter cylinder well back on the frame and makea %-in. diameter brake push rod to connectthe pedal with the cylinder. Connect the mas-ter cylinder by means of regular steel tubebrake line, including a tee fitting, to both rearwheel brake cylinders.

Install a throttle control (see MaterialsList) on the A-frame and connect it to theengine carburetor. Use a similar control forthe choke, if desired.

This Completes the Mechanical Work onthe Pow'r Pup. Now clean up the whole ma-chine and paint it with good quality machineenamel (see Materials List). Before startingthe tractor, service it completely.

The following article will tell how to makeand use the various attachments the Pow'rPup is designed for.


Putting Pow'r Pupto Work

Part 2

Mowing the lawn is not achore—it's fun with Pow'rPup. Castering wheelsmake it possible to pushmost mowers. Separatemower engine is a greatadvantage when workingaround trees and whenbacking up. The mowerkeeps on cutting, regard-

less of tractor speed.

WHEN you have completed the mechan-ical work on Pow'r Pup, as describedin the preceding article, there is one

additional feature, the rear wheel fenders,that should be added. These protect you frombeing jostled against the wheels when ridingon rough or muddy ground.

Make them out of 1/2-in. black iron pipe(Fig. 5A), covered with sheet metal. Aftercutting the pipe to the required lengths, bendthe four long pieces with a plumber's hickeyto the radius shown. File or grind the endsof the transverse pieces to fit between thecurved upright members and weld them inplace.

Make the four 1/4 x2-in. hot rolled steel clipsand bolt them to the bot-tom ends of the fenderframes. Then weld theclips to the brake back-ing plates, positioning thetop pipe of the fenderframe about 1 in. abovethe tire. Cover the frameswith 16 gage black ironsheet, securing it with#10 x 1/2-in. self tappingscrews. Smooth up allrough edges on the fend-ers, then paint them tomatch the tractor.

You Can Use Pow'rPup, with a variety of

plows, mowers, and other gardening tools al-ready on the market, many of which areavailable second hand. For lawnmowing,either pull or push-type reel mowers or ro-tary mowers can be adapted for use. Fig. 1shows a Sears Roebuck 24-in. rotary mowerattached to the front axle of the tractor withthe hitch in Fig. 5C. Several Sears mowerscan be used with this hitch or with slightmodifications of it.

Make this hitch of 2 x 2 x 1/4-in. angle iron,cut, drilled, and welded as shown. Attach theSears mower to it with the 1/4 x 2-in. HRSstrap. The clamping plates (Fig. 5C) permitthe mower to be lined up with either the left

or right wheels of thetractor for cutting alongshrubbery and walls. Thefront end of the Searsmower is supported withtwo castering forks andbrackets (see MaterialsList) bolted to the holesoriginally provided forthe adjustable mowerwheels. The mowerwheels themselves can bemounted in the forks,using 3/8-in. bolts as axles.Lead the mower throttlecontrol back to a conven-ient point on the hood, asseen in Fig. 1.

Rear-Attaching Imple-

SURPLUS and SALVAGE PROJECTS 129

Grading is another heavy job Pow'r Pup revels in. Shown is theSears snow blade, used here for smoothing off recent earth fill.When winter comes, Pow'r Pup really comes into its own, taking

all the strain out of that winter back breaker, snow removal.

130 SURPLUS and SALVAGE PROJECTS

Small-scale farming is well within the scope of Pow'rPup. You can plow over an acre a day, and disk ittoo, doing a first-class job of seedbed preparation.

Thorough disking breaks up the clods so small root-lets can get a start. Note the straightened liftinghandle. Pulling it forward lifts the implement (plow

or disk) when turning at the end of the row.

ments should be hitched to the tractor towbar (Fig. 3). If you wish to use Sears gardentractor implements, make the adapter shownin Fig. 5B, which provides the sloping surfacerequired by the Sears implement hitch. Mountthe adapter on the center of the tow bar formost implements, but toward the right sidefor the plow, so the right wheels of the tractorwill run in the old furrow, while the plow-share cuts a new furrow and throws the dirtdirectly behind the right wheel (Fig. 6).

It will be necessary to straighten the handleof the Sears implement hitch so it will missthe right fender when the handle is swungforward. Do this with a welding torch, orsimply cut off the bent part with a hacksaw.

To use the Sears bulldozer with Pow'r Pup,make the adapter (Fig. 5D) using a piece ofthe Sears 'dozer hitch with a welded-on strap.Bolt this to the implement cljps on the tractorfront axle. Bend the 'dozer operating handleto the right to clear the tractor hood (Fig. 4).

For a Decorative Finishing Touch, addthe Pow'r Pup emblem to the sides of thehood, following the 2-in.-sq. layout in Fig. 2.Reverse the design (except for the name) onthe left side of the hood so the Pup will bepulling forward.

Whatever you use Pow'r Pup for, remem-ber it is a real machine, not a toy. Study Fig.3 to see why it is necessary always to hitchpull-loads below the axle center. Most in-stances of turning tractors over come from ig-noring this simple rule. Pow'r Pup, with itslow-slung weight and spread-out wheelbase,is a very stable tractor, much more so thanthe average straddle-type garden tractor withits high center of gravity. So use care andcommon sense, and you will derive years ofpleasure and service from Pow'r Pup.

Sears Implements

Useable with Pow'r Pup

*24-in. Mower (or similar style) W99A9125N

*6-in. Plow W32F9812N

*30-in. Disc Harrow , W32F9813N

*42-in. Snow Blade W32F9810N

34-in. Drag Harrow W32F9814N

Straddle-Row Cultivator W32F9817N

*Caster fork and bracket (one RH, oneLH req'd) 575PAS26

— from 32F54SIN mower —

Caster wheels and tire (2 req'd) 9936M

*3-point plow hitch W32F9811C(Also, any pull-tool such as carts, seeders,

rollers, etc.)*These implements and parts are seen in the pho-tographs accompanying this article.

TRACTOR SCRAPER

made in farm shop

YOU can make this tractor scraper easily in your farm shop at low cost for mate-rials. It's especially designed for moving loose soil, leveling large areas before plant-ing, light grading, preparing fields for irri-gation—any leveling or filling job where loose dirt, gravel or sand must be moved or leveled quickly at a minimum cost in labor and time. Although shown arranged for two-man operation it can be handled by one man on occasional jobs by fitting a foot-lift mechanism as suggested in Fig. 1, which shows a lift linkage designed for hand or foot operation. With minor changes this linkage can be fitted to most tractors of cultivating height and having side-mounting frames.

Fig. 1 also shows the as-sembly of the scraper body, which consists of a steel scraper blade and two hard-wood boards held in place

with angle-iron "cleats." This construction serves the purpose on most jobs and greatly reduces the weight, thereby making the im-plement easier to handle. Start with the scraper body and assemble it before cut-ting any other parts to size. Place the scraper under the tractor on a concrete floor or other level surface and block it securely at an angle of about 15 deg. as in Fig. 2. Be sure to get the assembled scraper blade centered under the tractor. With the blade thus in working position you can de-termine the exact length of the parts of the lift linkage, Fig. 1, and the dual drawbars, Fig. 4. Dimensions of these parts have been

purposely omitted as these measurements must be taken direct from the tractor on which the scraper is to be mounted. Ordi-narily the lift linkage should be so assem-bled as to give a lift of about 3 in. above the ground when the tractor is on the level, Fig. 2. Of course, a higher lift can be ar-ranged if desired. On some tractors it may be necessary to make the scraper body of a lesser height than indicated in order to allow room for the higher lift. Figs. 3 and 5 show how the drawbars are attached to the scraper and the tractor frame. Use lock washers under all nuts so that parts do not jar loose.

Photo and certain de- * tails courtesy State \ College of Washington

BALED-HAY CART saves heavy lifting

FARMERS, poultrymen and feed dealers who have occasion to transport individual bales of hay or straw will have regular use for this unusual bale cart. It straddles the bale and carries it suspended in a welded frame in a manner similar to a lift truck. The method of loading the bale is pictured in Fig. 1, and construction details and dimensions of the cart are given in Fig. 2. Note that the complete frame is made from 3/4-in. pipe with all joints welded and that it consists of two similar frames, one above the other with pipe spacers welded between. The lower frame has one open end, permitting the cart to straddle the bale when loading. While it is possible to mount bicycle wheels on stub axles as indicated, a stronger straddle-type mounting is shown in the lower left-hand detail. Note that the sharpened metal spurs on the hinged bracket at the front of the frame are welded on at an angle of about 30 deg. so that when the bracket is lowered the spurs will engage the bale and support it in the horizontal position with ample ground clearance when the cart is tilted for transport, as in one of the illustrations at the right.

MARCH 1951 . 215

By MAURICE ORLAREY Technical Art by Peter Trojan

IFTING a heavy bulldozer blademanually is for the birds even

when it's only a fairly small one on agarden tractor. Pulling a lever to raiseand lower the blade can make you arm-weary after only a few hours of gradingor snow pushing. That's why I decidedto do it the easy way and add a hydrau-lic lift so a mere push of a button wouldlift and lower the blade. Now I feel likea big-time heavy-equipment operator!

The first step I took to add this push-button convenience was a trip to thelocal junkyard to pick up the power

unit—a hydraulic system from the con-vertible top of a car. (The one I selectedhappened to be from an Oldsmobile.)For a total cash outlay of $10 I pur-chased:• Motor, pump, reservoir unit.• Cylinder with bottom plate.• Hydraulic hose.• Wiring and dashboard switch forabove motor.

Since at this point I wasn't surewhether one cylinder would provideenough muscle for the job, I alsobought the second cylinder (manufac-

L

BLADE RESTING ON GROUND exposes ½-in. threadedrod. Extended down, it allows room for adjustment174

turers use two per car) for an additional$2. As it turned out, one cylinder was suf-ficient. It will, in fact, effortlessly raise andlower the blade at a touch of the button,even with an average-size male sittingatop the blade.

Recognizing that prices can vary andprobably will, depending upon the num-ber of junkyards in a particular geo-graphical location, a visit to your localjunkyard for a materials price quote be-fore starting the job is a practical ap-proach.

Some changes on the manual liftingunit were necessary so that the cylindercould be fitted in place. First, I had to dis-assemble the lifting lever and linkage thatconnects it to the upper-lift frame. Then,using ¼ x 1¼ x 14¼-in. flat iron, I madea flat brace (Detail F) and fastened it tothe tractor as shown on page 173. Fi-nally, I fastened the cylinder base to theupper and lower braces.

The cylinder that I bought cameequipped with a base plate which wasadaptable to my tractor when bottomarms were added. If this part is missingon the unit that you purchase, you canmake the alternate base plate shown inthe lower left-hand comer on page 173.With this version, the bottom arms can beeliminated since the cylinder-holding U-

POPULAR MECHANICS

CYLINDER BOTTOM ARMS are attached to plate with bolt and to cylinder with shaft, washer and cotter pin

channel provides ample swing-clearance.The motor-pump reservoir unit fits

snugly under the tractor hood (see draw-ing shown above). On my rig it had to bepositioned on the top left side of the en,-gine between the air cleaner, gas tank andleft headlight. To make room, it was nec-essary to move the air-cleaner coverslightly to the right.

Current draw is given at about 35 amps,which is no problem for my 12-v. heavy-duty battery. The "on" time is very shortsince the blade is lifted at a speed ofroughly 2 in. per second. If your bladedoesn't stay up, due to slow leakagethrough the pump, it can be corrected bystiffening the pivot points of the upperand lower frames by inserting spring lockwashers under the bolt heads.

All of the dimensions shown were de-termined by trial-and-error fitting as Ibuilt the lift to suit the tractor (Sears 10-hp XL). For other makes I would recom-mend experimenting with cardboard and/or plywood templates to check for fit andclearance before cutting, shaping andwelding the iron.

Working at a leisurely pace, I com-pleted the setup in my spare time. I'm sopleased with the results that I feel it bor-ders on understatement to say that myeffort was worth every minute. * * *

JUNE 1970 75

POWER UNIT fits neatly under hood on engine'sleft side when air cleaner was moved slightly

WITH THREADED ROD almost vertical, floating armposition indicates that the blade is free to float.

AFTER CUTTING HOSE to unused second cylinder, plug T-fitting with ¼-in.-diameter bolt and 3/8-in. clamp.

Plug, made from

¼"-20 x ¾" screw.T-fitting

Switch, up to raise blade,down to lower blade.

Black Wireto neg. (+)

Yellow wire,switch to pos. ( + )

Green wire to switch

ELECTRICAL AND HOSE CONNECTIONS

Red wire to switch 3 /8 " hose clamp

Hydraulic hose

Cylinder

3/8 dia. Tap ½ -13 (through)

1-1/8"

1-¼"

D E T A I L A

H Y D R A U L I C L I F T

Floating arms See det.

See detail A

See detail B

Z-brace1/2" - 13 threaded rod.9" long

3½"

1-1/2"

5/8"1-1/4"

3/8 dia.

15/16"

D E T A I L B

11/16"1-1/2"

3/16"

D E T A I L C

3/8" dia. To front

1 - ¼"

1 - 1/8"2-3/8"

3/8"

See detail F

Bottom arm

Cylinder

See detail ED E T A I L D

See detail D

7-5/16"

3/4" steel pipe1/2" dia. hole

Pipe pivotsaround nutsboth ends.

3 - 21/32"

70°

3/16" dia. 1/4" deep(To hold nut when tighteningbolt) 7/8"

D E T A I LE

1" dia. 13/16" dia.

Tap 7/16"-141-1/8"

1/4"1/2" dia.

Cylinder base plate

Alternatecyl inder base plate

1-1/2"

3/8 dia.

1 - 15/16"

1-1/2"

J U N E 1 9 7 0

5 - 5 /8"

3/4"

1/4" dia.

7"

75°

Z-brace1/4" flat steel

1"

Holelocationto suitcylinder

1-1/4"

1-1/4"

6-5/8"

3/8" dia.

3/4"

3/4"DETAIL F 1-1/4"

1/2"

1- 1/16"

173

2 - 15/32"5/8"

3/8" - dia.

2"

3 - 3/4"2-1 /4"

LIMESTONE SPREADERSaves, Time and MaterialHERE'S a practical and

inexpensive spreaderfor handl ing any finely-ground fertilizing materialsuch as rock or lime phos-phate, limestone, etc. It ismade almost en t i re ly ofwood, only a few pieces offlat iron, rods and bolts be-ing required. It will operatesatisfactorily at speeds up to10 m.p.h. Fig. 1 shows thespreader in use on a truck,but it operates equally wellon a rubber - t i red tractortrailer or an ordinary farmwagon. About all tha t isnecessary to adapt it is tochange the length of thehangers and perhaps the"knocker" or agitator arm.On a farm wagon, the knocker-arm contacts on the wheel can beclamped to the spokes.

The hopper, Fig. 3, is 12 ft. longoverall and is divided into fourcompartments. The compartmentsadd to the strength of the assem-bly and also make it easier to keepa uniform amount of material inthe hopper. However, the hoppercan be made somewhat longer orshorter, and wider at the top anddeeper if desired. In any case theinside width at the bottom shouldbe 2-1/2 in. The ends of the lower

57

boards are notched to take a 2 by 4-in.block as shown. Be sure the partitionpieces are all the same size, and before as-sembling paint all joining edges with an oilpaint. Use screws in assembling. Theyhold much better than nails. Plane theedge of each of the bottom boards flushwith the partition pieces so that the bottomof the hopper is square across. Parts shownin Figs. 2 and 5 can be made by a black-smith or a welder. Two each of parts A inFig. 2 are required, but only one each of

parts B, and one eyebolt and rod asshown in Fig. 5. This latter part is

assembled at the center of the hopper.Parts A and B of Fig. 2 are shown in posi-tion in Figs. 6 and 7.

The agitator consists of two lengths of2 by 4-in. stock assembled with bolts as inFig. 6. The lower stiffener is tapered fromthe center toward the ends. Although notessential, the tapers cut down the weightsomewhat without weakening the piece.Note, in Fig. 6, the position of the centerpivot, which is detailed in Fig. 5. The exactposition of the agitator arm is not given asthis has to be determined by measurementstaken directly from the truck, trailer orwagon on which the spreader is to be used,Once the location is determined the armis bolted in place as shown in Fig. 4. It's sgood idea to use waterproof glue in alljoints of the hopper and agitator.

Fig. 8 suggests cne way of fitting aknocker disk to a rubber-tired wheel. Ofcourse, the construction of the wheel willdetermine how the knocker disk is to beattached. On some types of disk wheels itis not necessary to drill holes for the knock-er pins as there are equally-spaced open-ings near the rim. The knocker pins arelengths of 1/2-in. iron rod threaded fromone end to such distance that they will passthrough the disks and project about 6 in.as indicated. Be sure to cut an opening inthe outer wood disk for the valve stem. Asimilar arrangement can be made for useon wood-wheeled farm wagons, using larg-er diameter wood disks.

The hcpper is supported on hangers as inFigs. 9 and 11. Length of the hanger isnot given as this has to be determined by

58

measurement of the wagon or truck. On awagon or tractor trailer the hangers aresimply hooked over the endgate, and on atruck they usually can be hooked to thebed. Ordinarily, the bottom of the hoppershould be about 24 in. from the ground andin most cases two braces will be requiredto hold the hopper level as at A in Fig. 9.Nearly all users fit the hopper with a can-vas dust shield as in Fig. 1. This preventsloss of the fine material. The completedspreader should be given two coats of oilpaint to prevent warping and shrinking.

To determine the setting for a givenamount of fertilizer spread per acre, firstdraw the agitator snugly against the bot-tom of the hopper by turning down the nutson the three eyebolts as in Fig. 4. Thenrelease the nuts a given number of turnsuntil the agitator moves freely withoutbinding when actuated by the knocker as-sembly. This will give a check setting.Then fill the hopper with a known quantityof fertilizer and drive across the field untilthe spreader is empty. Measure the dis-tance traveled in feet. Then multiply the-width of the hopper by the distance trav-eled and divide by 43,560. As an example,assume that 300 lbs. of material in the 12-ft.hopper cover a strip 1820 ft. long; 1820 ft.multiplied by 12 ft. equals 21,840 sq. ft.;

Constructional details on limestone spreaderprinted by courtesy of the Agricultural Experi-ment Station, College of Agriculture, Universityof Illinois; Englert Engineering Co., Nashville,Tenn.; and Ruhm Phosphate and Chemical Co.,Mt. Pleasant, Tenn.

21,840 divided by 43,560 equals .501, or ap-proximately one half acre covered. Moreor less can be spread by adjusting theagitator. When you have the spreader ad-justed for the amount or amounts desired,make index marks at the ends and centerof the hopper as in Fig. 10. The marks thenwill enable you quickly to set the agitatorto spread any given amount. Always ad-just the center pivot whenever you changethe setting of the end pivots.

A powerful midget, it shows what youcan do with junk-yard bargains, ahacksaw, and a welding outfit.

PS photos by W. W . Morris

SOON after Paul E. Matous completed his$50 tractor, a friend's automobile got

stuck in the mud."As a gag, he yelled to me to come and

pull him out," says Matous, a building con-tractor at Orangeburg, N. Y. "He thoughtI couldn't possibly move the car."

Matous was doubtful too. After all, atractor with a 7-hp. engine is no road-build-ing giant. Another car already had failedto budge the stuck car, even with the

It weighs 450 lbs. One man can easily tip itover. But don't let that fool you about itsstability. The builder reports it never "rears up."

MAY 1950 209

Individual brakes make short turns possible.Axle is hooked in notched frame, but U bolts, asin drawing at bottom of page, would be better.

Front-wheel assembly pivots on a boiler-plate"fifth wheel." A ¾" rod through the 2" pipe tiesassembly to boiler-plate engine mount.

help of a couple of well-muscled pushers.As Matous hooked on, the pushers winkedat each other. But the little tractor buckleddown and dragged the car free.

Matous then turned to the others. "Youguys certainly can push," he grinned.

"Push!" one of them said. "We weren'tpushing! We were riding!"

Matous is a shrewd bargainer, as well asa good craftsman. Otherwise, he couldn'thave kept the cost of his doodlebug so low.He paid only $35 for a surplus engine-asingle-cylinder, air-cooled, four-cycle Briggs& Stratton. A Ford transmission, Ford steer-ing gear, pre-war Austin rear end, and otherparts came from a junk yard.

In assembling these, Matous workedmostly with a hacksaw and welding outfit.No machining was required.

The Matous tractor doesn't compare inlooks with some of the commercial jobs, butits builder offers to bet it will easily out-perform at least two famous makes. Onthat score, Matous argues with some author-ity. His main job several years ago con-sisted of repairing agricultural tractors.

Matous is proud of the tractor's stability.By experimenting, he produced a nice bal-ance between traction and power. For easymaneuvering, the wheelbase was kept short.But so far Matous has not found a situationthat will cause the front wheels to leave theground.

Good weight distribution explains this.The engine rests as far forward on the frame

as he could get it. This shoves the balancepoint ahead, but there is no loss of traction.The operator's weight helps here. For somejobs, Matous adds about 100 lb. by fillingthe rear tires with water.

Sprockets, countershaft, and chains carrythe drive to the Model-A transmission.Speeds are about 10 m.p.h. in high, 4 m.p.h.in second, and 1½ m.p.h. in low.

A brake-equalizer hanger from a FordV-8 provided a readymade countershaftbearing. The shaft itself is a 9" length of7/8" rod, tapped ¼" deep for setscrews thatsecure the sprockets. Each of the two bear-ing points was drilled and tapped for agrease fitting. Bolted through slots to itsangle-iron mount, the countershaft hangercan be moved to adjust chain tension.

When Matous set out to build the tractor,he intended to cut down a Ford rear end.But he decided to forego this job on finding

that an available Austin unit had the 44"tread he wanted. He installed this withconsiderable misgivings. But despite itslightness it has stood up well.

Buick wheels at the rear take 7.00 by 15mud-grip tires. Inflated to less than 10 lb.,these put a large area of rubber on theground. For some jobs, Matous puts ontire chains.

The front tires are 4.00 by 8 (the wheel-barrow type), standing 16" high. These rollon a 1" axle, bent 10° for the proper cam-ber. Welded to the center of the axle is alength of 2" pipe, welded and braced at theupper end to a 10" disk of ¼" boiler plate.In operation, this disk bears against a sheetof ¼" boiler plate that ties together the frontend of the channel-iron frame. A ¾" thread-ed rod, running down through the 2" pipe,holds the wheel assembly to the frameboiler plate. At the lower end, this rod is

MAY 1950 211

Homemade bulldozer attachment hangs onrear axle of tractor. As the sketch shows, Matous

made generous use of junked auto parts whenbuilding bulldozer as well as the tractor itself.

bent toward the rear to clear the axle. Anut on its end provides adjustment.

The steering assembly came from a FordV-8. After shortening the shaft to 24",Matous reversed and centered the steeringarm. Then he attached the drag link toanother steering arm welded to the disk.

For the frame, Matous welded togetherbed-spring angles in channel form. The en-gine is bolted to the boiler plate that brack-ets the front end of the frame. For easystarting, the engine is located with the start-ing pulley overhanging the plate. The trac-tor has no bumper, but one could easily beadded, as suggested in the drawing.

At the present time, the lights draw juicedirectly from a 6-volt battery. The head-lamps are back-up lights fitted with 32-can-dlepower bulbs. Future plans for the tractorinclude installation of a generator high upunder the rear part of the hood. This part

is flat, and for a reason: it makes a conveni-ent spot to lay tools or the gas-can cap.

A remote control for varying the tensionof the governor spring from the driver's seatis another proposed improvement. A thirdis a conveniently located toggle switch tostop the engine by shorting out the magneto.

About the time Matous built the tractorhe also bought a tract of rolling woodland.On this tract, which he refers to as hisprivate Aberdeen proving ground, Matoushas made the tractor a real workhorse.Among other jobs, he has used it to snakeheavy logs, drag a heavily loaded trailer,and level off the ground with a homemadebulldozer blade.

He hasn't yet gotten around to setting itto the routine small-farm and garden chores—plowing, cultivating, mowing, and thelike—but he feels confident the machine willtake all these jobs in good stride. END

A shear pin protects power train. Universaljoint was kept only to make assembly easier.Since rear is unsprung, it could be omitted.

A brake-equalizer hanger from a Ford V-8supports the countershaft. Drive-chain tensionis adjusted by moving the hanger in and out.

Sprockets and chains carry drive from engineto transmission. Sketch shows power train andclutch linkage from viewpoint directly above.

Clutch linkage is simple. When you press thepedal, a transverse bar pivots forward. Shortarm depresses the button, disengaging clutch.

How to Build

a Midget Tractor

You can look forward to those yard chores this coming spring with a motorized helper that takes over all the heavy work.

By Howard G. McEntee ITH a baby tractor in the garage, Dad will be lucky to get to the chores before

Junior beats him to it. This husky little power wagon lets you do the hard work sit-ting down, and makes fun of it to boot.

It has plenty of pep to drag a heavy lawn roller, pull a gang mower up slopes, draw a spiker or leaf sweeper, or hustle along a heavily loaded garden, cart. What's more, if you want to run a power saw, small concrete mixer or water pump where there is no electricity, you can drive the tractor to the spot and take power off the engine.

The midget has enough getup to spin its wheels on a dry road, and upshifts on the run to attain respectable speeds. It is not meant for heavy work like plowing, deep cultivating or snow removal, which re-quire a heavier frame, cleated tires and a greater engine-to-wheels reduction ratio.

If built entirely of new parts, the trac-tor will cost about $150, a bargain in view of what it can do. Still, careful shopping and junk-box scavenging may cut that figure by a worthwhile margin.

How the drive works. A l 1/2-hp., four-cycle engine, bought at a sale for $40, de-livers all the torque that the tractor can

MARCH 1954 133

W

use. This power plant has magneto ignition, an air cleaner and a governor-controlled throttle. The hand throttle used by the driver merely changes the governor setting, so that engine speed remains constant at any load, an advantage on most jobs.

A used engine of similar type will cut your cost considerably, but be sure to check the engine base and make any

changes in the chassis mounts necessary. The heart of the drive system, and the

solution to the knotty problem of a differ-ential (to allow the rear wheels to turn at different speeds on curves) is an automatic double centrifugal clutch. This drives two separate countershafts, from each of which a chain runs to one rear wheel.

Each belt sheave on the clutch has one fixed flange or cone, and one movable one controlled by internal weights. When the engine is idling, the movable flanges are held back from the fixed ones and the belts are not gripped. As the throttle is ad-vanced, centrifugal force causes the weights to pinch the flanges on the belts. As engine speed rises further, the flanges squeeze still closer and push the belt outward to a larger diameter, in effect changing the size of the drive pulleys. A pair of spring-tensioned idlers keeps the belts taut at all pulley positions.

The clutch thus provides automatic up or down shifting to suit the load, giving

LONG MEMBERS of chassis are notched, bent and welded at rear corners. Front and lower rear crosspieces are full 13" width, overlap sidepieces to form closed corners. Top rear 184 POPULAR SCIENCE

crosspiece is shorter, fitting inside the 110° corners. Rear motor mount is narrowed for part of its length to clear belts. To make slots, drill several holes and file between.

the tractor the equivalent ot a transmission. On turns, the inside wheel tends to turn, more slowly and therefore down-shifts, while the outer one speeds up and goes into "high."

There are no brakes, but the large engine-to-wheel ratio supplies ample engine brak-ing to hold the tractor even on a hill. No reverse is needed; it is possible to back up by pushing with both feet. For close ma-neuvering, you can easily swing the machine by lifting the front end.

Start with the frame. This is of angle iron and can be riveted, bolted or welded together. Welding saves so much drilling, extra brackets and fussy joining that it is worth what it costs to have it done if you're not equipped to do it yourself. All the welding on the tractor shown came to $9. A welded frame will stay tight despite the shocks and torsion that it has to take in actual use.

If you do have welding done, cut and fit all parts with care and clamp them in

DIAGONAL BRACES are welded inside chassis

members. One flange of these (and of the center countershaft mount) is notched at bot-tom end to clear bottom crosspiece and axle.

position insofar as possible before taking them to the welder. The less time he needs to spend on these preliminaries the less his work is liable to cost you.

Drill as many holes as you can before assembly. Where holes must line up (like the ones for the rear axle), poke a rod or piece of shafting through when clamping up the parts.

The steering gear, fork shaft and hood are supported by two square-cornered . frames, each made of a single length of 1" angle by notching and welding at the corners.

Fitting the wheels. You will have to take apart the big wheels to mount the drive sprockets. As the tires bulge when the four bolts are loosened, disassembly will be easier if you first run a long bolt

TIRES AND WHEELS are aircraft surplus. Air pressure of 10 or 15 lb. in tubes keeps wheels from slipping inside the casings. Each wheel consists of a pair of aluminum-alloy hubs, with ball bearings for 5/8" shaft, held together by four long bolts. Rear wheels are 14 1/2" in diameter. A 1/2" bolt serves as axle to hold 10" front wheel in the steering fork.

MARCH 1954 |B5

It Hauls a Cart through the bearings and tigliten a nut on it.

The wheel hubs have a concentric shoul-der, and if you have a lathe the sprockets can be bored to a close fit on this to make them run true. Any well-equipped garage or machine shop can do this for you.

You can avoid machining by filing or saw-ing the sprocket to an oversize fit on the shoulder and drilling the bolt holes over-size. Mount the sprocket with spacers cut from 1/4" pipe, long enough to set the teeth out at least 5/8" from the tire. You'll have to replace the original wheel bolts with longer ones. Leave the nuts a bit loose. Set the wheel rotating on a 5/8" shaft. Then shift the sprocket about on the bolts, with taps of a soft hammer, until it runs perfectly true, and tighten the nuts securely. Take the time to do a good job, for an off-center sprocket will make the chain run noisily and wear rapidly.

The axle should be shouldered and threaded in a lathe. After it has been welded into the frame, slip a shaft collar on each end. Slide the wheels up against the collars and put enough washers between the wheels and nut to take all slack out of the bearings. Then back off each nut one notch and cotter-pin it. It is a good idea to pack the bearings with grease beforehand and put rings of heavy felt between them and the collars or washers to keep out dirt.

The steering fork. The single front wheel is mounted in a fork bent cold from 3/8"-by-2" iron. A second similarly bent piece is welded inside to reinforce it. Both pieces are drilled 1/2" for the 3/4" fork shaft, which is 'shouldered to fit and welded both above and below.

At the top, the shaft turns in a hole in the front hood frame. Below, it runs in a ball bearing recessed into a 1/2" plate (I used two 1/4" thicknesses of dural). In mounting the wheel, pull up the axle nut until the bearings have neither slack nor bind.

Two bevel gears from an Easy washing-machine wringer connect the steering-wheel shaft to the fork. These gears have 15 and 25 teeth, or a ratio of less than 1 to 2. This makes steering quite sensitive, and you may prefer gears that give a larger

DRIVE SPROCKETS are mounted on rear wheels with 1/4"-by-6" bolts. Spacers cut from 1/4" pipe are slipped on the bolts first; they should be long enough to set sprocket 5/8" out from side of inflated tire. The distance from sprocket face to frame should be at least 7/8 ",. Ends of axle must. be squarely shouldered and threaded to provide for adjustment of ball bearings. To fac i l i t a t e assembly, clamp hubs with a bolt through the bearings.

OVERSIZE HOLE, a free fit for 3/4," fork shaft, is drilled near flange cor-ner of front frame cross-piece. A 1/2" thick plate to house the ball bearing is bolted under this. The fork is bent up of 1/8 " flat stock, with an extra piece welded inside the top leg. Shaft is turned or filed to a 1/2" shoul-der where it enters the fork hole. Footrest hang-ers are welded inside the long chassis members..

7/8” hole inN CROSS MEMBER

SEPARATE COUNTERSHAFTS turn in ball-bearing pillow blocks. For long shaft on right side, these are mounted on center support and frame brace. For the short countershaft on left side, both blocks are mounted on a steel plate bolted to the left-hand frame brace. All bolt holes are slotted to provide for taking

up chain at least one link length. Inner races of the bearings have protruding hubs with setscrews to lock shafts against end move-ment. File flats on shafts to give screws a good grip. Chain sprockets are secured with No. 0 taper pins, left one hub out to keep chain near frame despite bearing overhang.

HOOD FRAMES are built up from 1" angle, notched and welded at corners. Front flange of forward frame is long enough to overlap the chassis crosspiece; other flange is notched to rest on top. Diagonal brace helps resist twist. Metal between saw cuts on top of dash frame is bent up to clear steering shaft. The

gears are held with taper pins. A spacer in front of the smaller gear maintains correct tooth mesh. Steering wheel was made by cut-ting alternate spokes out of a 10" pulley; use a cast-iron, not a die-cast pulley, for this. A piece of rubber tubing in the groove is wrapped with plastic tape to finish the rim.

ratio; 1 to 4 would be quite fast enough. Mounting the countershafts. These run in ball-bearing pillow blocks, which are easy to align and come sealed and lubricated for life. Slotted mounting holes in the chassis members allow for adjusting chain tension.

The eight-tooth sprockets come only with a 1/2" hole, so if 5/8"

countershafts are used they will have to be shouldered in a lathe to fit. An alternative is to use 1/2" counter-shafts, bearings and pulleys.

Align countershaft sprockets carefully with the wheel sprock-ets. If these are well centered, the chains

need little slack. But they should not be tight. With the top of the chain taut, the bottom should have 3/4" up-and-down slack.

Installing the engine. Slotted holes in the frame mounts allow for tensioning of the V belts. Align the 8" countershaft pulleys with the fixed cones of the clutch. Adjust the engine fore and aft so that the belts climb just to the outside of the fixed flanges when the sliding ones are at their closest.

The idlers pivot on a shaft that runs across the frame below one engine mount. They are pulled upward against the outside of the belts by long springs attached to the dash frame. The rollers are ball bearings and must be about 7s" wide to keep the belts from sliding off when they shift side-wise because of the clutch action. You will find that the tension of the idler springs affects the ratio shift; if the clutch goes into "high" as soon as the engine speeds up slightly, idler tension should be increased.

With the engine idling, the belts should be slack, so the idler brackets are fitted with stop screws. Adjust these so that the rollers put no tension on the belt when the clutch cones are wide open.

The gas tank was removed from the en-gine and mounted under the hood of the tractor shown. A new lever was made for the governor spring, with a downward ex-

SPRING-TENSIONED IDLERS keep belts taut as automatic clinch shifts. Stops limit idler movement to let belts so slack as engine runs slow. Idler shaft, centered below front of rear motor mount, enters 1/2 " hole in right of frame. Left end shown is shouldered for 3/8" hole and threaded for a nut. To use en-gine for sawing wood and the like, centrifu-gal clutch must be pulled off shaft. Running it with belts off may cause internal damage. 188 POPULAR SCIENCE

FRONT-WHEEL TURN must be limited because centrifugal clutch cannot stop inner wheel dead. Stop is a l"-by-3" piece of flat iron bolted to fork shaft, which is tapped for the bolt. Swing of 45° each way gives good ma-neuverability. Exhaust pipe is clamped to frame with a U boll. Sheet-metal front is screwed to shaped wooden blocks bolted to crosspieces. Block on top, made from a two-by-four, is also shaped for 2" radius of hood.

tension having a hole for the throttle cable. The dashboard throttle is one made for power mowers and is connected to the gov-ernor lever. An auto-choke cable was cut short for the choke control, and a steel wire run to the stop lever on the engine.

The seat. A comfortable motorcycle saddle provides springing and soaks up a lot of engine vibration. It is mounted on a 3' length of 5/8" steel rod welded to the cross-piece of the dash frame and to the top rear member of the chassis. The saddle can be adjusted fore and aft on this.

Building the body. A panel of com-position board is bolted to the rear of the chassis. The deck and sidepieces are bent from one piece of light sheet iron. A long slot in the back will let you worry this piece

around and under the tractor's seat bar. Pieces of wood rounded to shape are

formers for the sheet-metal radiator and hood. I bent the hood metal over a rolling pin to a 2" radius, and rolled the straight edges over a piece of 1/8" iron wire.

Clean all metal parts well; then apply metal primer and two coats of enamel. END

DASH FRAME also has shaped block bolted to it. Dashboard is 3/16" composition board. Deck and sides under the saddle bar are one piece of sheet metal, with narrow flange bent down at rear end to overlap rear panel, and a similar flange at front to slip under the dash-board. Chain guards must be strong enough not to bend and foul chains if stepped on. Make them of angle iron and mount with short brackets cut from the same stock.

LIST OF MATERIALS SOURCES from which many of the parts speci-

fied were obtained are noted below. Where source is not given, parts can be bought from local suppliers or .mail-order houses. ANGLE IRON: 11' of 1/8" x 1 1/2' x 1

1/2"; 15' of 1/8" x 1" x 1". STRAP IKON: 10' of Vs" x 1"; 4' of Vs" x 2";

2 1/2' of 3/16" x 2". COLD-ROLLED STEEL ROD: 3' of V" dia.;

6' of 5/8" dia.; 18 1/2" of 3/4" dia. PIPE: 10" of 1/4"; 13" of 1/2; 3" of 3/4" i.d.

tubing; two '1/2" elbows {one 90°, one 45°).

WHEELS: Two 14 1/2" channel-trend tires with tubes, wheels and bearings for 5/8" axle. One 10" cliannel-tread tire with tube, wheel and bearings for 1/2" shaft. (Midget Motors Sup-ply, Athens, Ohio.)

ENGINE: Lauson RSC 1 1/2 hp,, four-cycle en-gine with governor, air cleaner, gas tank.

CLUTCH: Dual centrifugal clutch for 5/8" shaft and 1/2 V belts. (V-Plcx Clutch Division, Hagerstown, Ind.)

PULLEYS: Two 8" dia. for 5/8" shaft and 1/2" V belts. One 10" dia., cast iron, for 1/2" shaft.

DRIVE: Two 1/2" V belts, 56" long. Three 5/8" .shaft collars. Three ]/' shaft collars. 7' of No. 41 roller chain and two connectors*. Two 8-tooth sprockets. Diamond B-308*. Two 50-tooth sprockets, Diamond A-350*. ( "11. M. Barwise, 75 Varick St., NYC.)

BEARINGS: Four hall-bearing pillow blocks for 5/8" shaft No. 6-500-6. (Master Mechanic Mfg. Co., Burlington, Wis.) One unground flanged ball bearing for 3/4" shaft, 1 3/4" o.d., Nice No. 5891. Two high-speed, double-row ball bearings 7/8" wide, Norma DF5. (Co-lumbo Trading Co., 383 Canal St., NYC.) .

MISCELLANEOUS: Power-mower throttle, auto choke- cable, stop wire; bevel gears, 1:2 ratio or larger; heavy-duty motorcycle saddle (Midget Motors .Supply); 1/2" x 2" x 3" fork-bearing plate (dural or steel); 2 sq. ft. 3/16" hard composition board; 7 sq. ft. 24-ga. sheet iron; two 1/4" x 7 1/2" idler springs; eight V," x 6" bolts and nuts: 25" of 7/8" o.d. conduit; 4' of 2-by-4 wood; two crutch tips; nuts, bolts, lock washers, wood screws, taper pins, cotter pins. 33" rubber tubing, tape, metal primer and auto enamel.

MARCH 1954

ALTHOUGH this little tractor may be a midget in size, it's a giant in performance. With plenty of power to do all the light hauling and towing jobs around the home or farm, it takes all the hard work out of these chores. In fact, you're going to have a problem trying to reserve that right for yourself. There's something fascinating about the little tractor at work, and everybody wants to get into the act. In addition to its usefulness for lawn and yard work, it could be employed in small plants, warehouses or airports for light towing jobs.

John F. Mills, automotive technician of Marietta, Georgia, designed and built

By Manley Mills

the original machine at a total cost of less than $150. This included a number of items that were bought new, such as the 2 1/2 hp Briggs & Stra.tton engine, tires, countershaft bearings, pulleys and some of the raw metal stock. Naturally, this figure can be reduced by using second-hand materials on a larger scale.

Although frequently mistaken for a factory-built machine, the tractor is built, entirely from materials that are cheaply and easily obtainable in most localities. Construction follows con-ventional practice and requires only hand tools for the greater part of the job. If you aren't equipped or qualified to do certain phases of the work, like the welding, you can have those things done at your local machine shop or garage.

In a test to determine its drawbar capacity, the tractor was hitched to a full-size automobile on a level asphalt street. It was a hot day, and the asphalt had just enough stickiness to prevent

The 36-in. high tractor has a speed of 8 mph. weighs 190 lbs; 2]/2 hp engine provides power.

Pronounced camber of front wheels reduces deflecting ac-tion caused by small stones.

Rear view shows the Cushman chain and drive sprockets at-tached to the two countershafts.

No need to burden yourself with heavy work when you can build this multi-purpose tractor for under $150.

V4 PLYWOOD DASH 20 GAUGE HOOD 16 1/4* X 20"

GAS CONTROL LEVER MOUNTS ON HOOD FRAME2 MOTOR PULLEY

1/8 X 1 STRAPS FOR GRILL AND SIDE CLEATS

CHOKE CABLE RIG KILLS SPARK PLUG

BRIGGS STRATTON GAS ENGINE 2 1/2 H.R

1"X 1" ANGLE IRON ENGINE HOOD FRAME

WHEEL AND POST (SEE DETAILS)

PILLOW ' IDLERBLOCK AND ARM ASSEM BRACKETS (SEE DETAIL-)

FUEL PUMP COVERS AS CAPS COUNTERSHAF

T (SEE DETAIL) 1/4VX 1 STOCK FOR DRAW BAR

wheel-spin, so no trouble was experi-enced in starting and pulling the load. With its present gearing the tractor has a maximum speed of about 8 miles an hour; it weighs 190 pounds. A greater reduction, which might be desirable for certain jobs, can be had by changing the sizes of the countershaft pulleys.

The rear wheels have an overall diam-eter of 16 inches, will turn at 21 rpm. The ratio between the engine and for-ward countershaft is 5:1 (2 in. and 10 in. pulleys); rear countershaft to wheels is 4.5:1 (standard Cushman sprockets). With countershaft pulleys of equal size for front and rear, the total gear ratio is 22.5:1, which means that at an engine speed of 3800 rpm, the road speed is 8 miles an hour. With 3 in. pulleys on the forward countershaft and 5 in. ones on the rear, or sprocket shafts, the ratio is 37.35:1, which at maximum rpm would give a speed of a little under 5 miles an hour.

Dimensions not specified in the plans are left to your own judgment. Some may have to be altered to suit materials you may have available. Generally speaking, however, it's best to stick to the basic dimensions given.

Construction starts with the frame. Angle iron could be used in place of tubing for the side rails if it happens to be more easily obtainable, but the tubu-lar type is better looking and stronger. The original rear wheel struts were spare-wheel brackets from a 1931 Cadil-lac. They needed practically no re-work other than welding them together to form an assembly something like a Cessna-type airplane, landing gear. Since these parts are not too plentiful, an alternate method of construction is illus-trated in the plans. But, if you're lucky enough to find a pair of these brackets, a lot of your work is already done for you.

The problem of a differential was solved in a simple but effective manner, without the use of gears, by driving the wheels through independent belt-driven countershafts controlled by a pedal-operated idler. Thus, the power to either wheel can be disengaged without affecting the other. When a sharp turn is made, the inside wheel is disengaged

The two belts ride on four 4-in. dia. pul-leys. Note clutch spring attached to frame.

Engine drive belt and pulleys are covered by metal guard, located on left-hand side.

Detail below shows foot rest and clutch pedal; both are covered by rubber hose.

IDLER ARM PULLEYS(4) ASSEMBLY

(DISENGAGED POSITION)

BALL BEARING PILLOW BLOCK SKF OR

SIMILAR

to prevent slippage, and all the power goes to the outside wheel. Relative to this operation, an odd fact was dis-covered during test runs of the tractor. Only in the sharpest turns do the clutches have to be manually operated. During normal maneuvering the action is automatic; the belt on the inside of a curve will slacken visibly, then tighten up again when you straighten out. Man-ual operation of the clutches is a natural, almost instinctive action, and has its parallel in the handling of a big tractor when you apply the individual brakes to facilitate turning. As illustrated in the plans, the device that locks the transmission in neutral, necessary for starting the engine, operates only when you depress both pedals simultaneously. To make a smooth start just hold the clutch pedals down while you release the lock with the lever, then hold the lever up until power is engaged by eas-ing back on the pedals.

Simple wooden jigs can be impro vised to hold parts in position for welding. [Continued on page 190]

Mechanix Illustrated

STUDEBAKER CONNECTING BOD LARGE END AS CLAMP

CUSHMAN GEARSECTION THROUGH COUNTERSHAFT

LOCK NUTS

SLIDE FIT RADIUS RODS

3/4 X 24 PIPE FOOT REST

CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY A-A SECTIDN

Midget Tractor [Continued from page 150]

Correct alignment is most important in the installation of the countershafts and other parts of the transmission system, both for the sake of smooth operation and preven-tion of excessive wear to the belts, chains and sprockets.

The cable-operated steering gear is ade-quate, yet simple, easy to adjust, and per-mits the steering post to be installed at a convenient angle, rather than horizontally along the top of the engine as on most small tractors. A wheel from an outboard mo-torboat steering gear or a similar wheel of suitable diameter can be used if you don't care to build one up yourself. Shortly after the photographs were taken, the steering ratio was increased by removing the pulley on the steering post and winding the cable on the shaft itself, adding circular flanges to retain the cable. This change is covered in the plans. With the original arrange-ment, it was felt that the response was a little too quick for comfortable handling.

The countershafts, as well as the engine, can be shifted to regulate belt or chain tension by providing elongated mounting holes. The rear countershafts can be moved back and forth along the side rails, clamped in position, and radius rods ad-justed accordingly.

In setting up the drive system, you should start with the chains and work for-ward. Adjust them so that a slight pres-sure will show about 1/2 in. of slack at a point midway the front and rear sprockets. Because the slack in the countershaft belts will be taken up by the spring-loaded idler rollers, the setting of the front countershaft isn't so critical as long as the slack isn't excessive. You'll be just about right if you'll locate this shaft as specified in the plans. Finally, locate the engine so that the primary belt will "give" about 1/2 in. at its midpoint.

If the tractor is to be used under ex0 tremely dusty conditions, the chains will give longer service if they are enclosed in sheet metal guards. With reasonable care there is little danger of getting your cloth-ing caught in the chains and sprockets. However, abbreviated guards might be in-stalled over the countershaft sprockets.

In the original design no brakes are

provided since the engine compression acts very effectively. But, it is a fairly easy matter to rig brakes, either on the rear wheels or on the rear countershafts, and operate them from the same pedals that work the clutches. With such an arrange-ment, de-clutching and braking could be performed in one operation.

For a better riding comfort, if you're going to drive for long periods, a spring mount for the seat should be incorporated. However, the simple rigid mount as illus-trated is comfortable enough for average use. The standard fuel tank supplied with small engines of the type we're using holds enough fuel for more than two hours, but there's room under the hood for a larger tank if you want to increase the range of operation.

The pronounced camber of the front wheels, as shown in the photos, is to mini-mize the deflecting action of small stones and irregularities of the ground. A single fork-mouthed front wheel could be in-stalled. Using two wheels gives a better ride over the soft spots, due to greater ground contact area.

The name-plate, made from commercial Decal letters, adds a professional touch. Put a coat of clear varnish over the letters for protection against peeling. On the right-hand rear vertical member of the hood frame is the hand throttle control for regulating the governor to the desired op-erating speed. A commercial product, this item is easy to install. On the left-hand side opposite the throttle is a kill-switch for stopping the engine. It was made from an automobile manual choke control and pulls a piece of spring steel against the spark plug, shorting it out.

The rope-starter pulley is situated so that the engine can be started from the driver's seat. Rope-type starters with an automatic return are now available for most • engines. With one of these gadgets, you don't have to wind up the rope for a start, or have to be careful not to loose it.

Finally, a few words of caution. Don't let the small size of this machine fool you into treating it as a toy. For the sake of safety, handle it with exactly the same respect and caution you give a big tractor. •

190 April, 19S6

FEEJEE

An All-Purpose Dump Truck

Feejee—Built by Don W. Street, a California poultry rancher, takes its name from a contraction of the words Feed and Jeep.

Comparative size of truck is shown by man in seat. Half-body is used for hauling sacked grain and items not in bulk

ANDY around the poultry farm, the dairy barn, in the

feedlot and in industrial plants, this capable midget dump truck has the capacity for half-ton loads, weighs 600 lbs. empty and has a tread width of only 31 in. A 3-hp. air-cooled engine drives through two standard automobile trans-missions hooked up in tandem, thus giving a wide variation in gear ratios for the heavy pulls. A power-driven hydraulic lift, sep-arate foot brakes on the rear wheels and a foot accelerator com-bine to give a degree of control equal to that of any standard dump truck. The narrow width lets the midget through small gates and feed-bunk alleys and its ability to turn in its own length gets it around square corners and into and out of narrow driveways with a full load.

Some departures from the de-sign as detailed are possible. A 3 or 5-hp. engine equipped with in-tegral clutch will save building the spring-loaded clutch arrangement shown. Where the going is fairly level and there are no steep grades to negotiate regularly, a 3-hp. en-gine driving through a single transmission will give satisfactory performance. Two types of side panels are fitted to the platform to provide three body types: a half box, a flat bed and a deep double

With the sides removed the flat bed can be used to haul bulky

articles such as baled hay, lumber or large crates

With box-body half a ton of feed or fertilizer can be hauled. Hydraulic cylinders hoist the body to the dumping position

H

box, with, endgates, for small grains, ensi-lage or ground feeds. Side panels are made of white pine or waterproof plywood and fitted with hardwood cleats and stakes spaced to fit openings in the platform. Both cleats and stakes are riveted to the panels for extra strength. Endgates are of the same construction, and wagon-box, rods cut down to the proper length are provided to hold the endgates in place.

Only general dimensions are given for the frame, Fig. 1. Parts of a Model T Ford frame are used, as will be noted. However,

you can use steel channels for the frame side members and save welding on stiff-eners, which are called for in Fig. 1. In building the chassis frame it is necessary to adapt it to the parts and equipment you have available or at hand. The frame should be long enough to accommodate engine, clutch, two transmissions, hydraulic pump and the rear axle. If you use the same equipment as on the original vehicle, the frame dimensions will correspond closely to those given in Fig. 1. Assembly of the driving parts is illus-

trated in the perspective view in Fig. 3. Main-frame channels are cut and welded to form the "kick-up" forward por-tion. Stiffeners of flat steel are welded along the b o t t o m of the straight section to give additional rigidity. A steel floor plate is welded to the front end, with a round opening to receive the steering-post bearing. Seat frame is built up of 1/8 by 1 1/2 by 1 1/2-in. angle iron with all joints welded. This should be dimensioned to accommodate the cushions you will use.

Supports for engine, transmissions, etc., are located where required, and a shaft carrying the lower eye bearings of the hy-draulic cylinders is supported by bearings welded to the side frames as shown. Place the transmissions, engine and other parts in position and from this trial set-up de-termine the location of supporting mem-bers on the frame. Don't weld frame cross-members in place until you make this trial assembly. Using an engine with an inte-

gral clutch, Fig. 3, A, will change the rela-tive positions of these parts. Provide for a tow hook at the rear end of the frame and install guides for brake cables on each side. The cables should be located after brake pedals are installed. Holes are drilled in the extreme rear ends of the channel members to receive the bolts on which the dump body hinges.

Relative locations of the parts, when using a spring-loaded clutch, Fig. 3, D, can be worked out on the partially completed frame. Generally, it's best to begin by bolt-

ing the rear axle in position and then work back to the engine. The angle of the drive shaft is determined by the height of the crank-shaft above the center of the rear axle, Fig. 2. With the frame blocked up, the axle is bolted directly to the frame, under the channels and at the ends of the stiffeners as shown. U-bolts made from 3/8-in. round rods will serve to hold the axle in place. In the original job a Willys rear-axle assembly is used and the tread is narrowed to 31 in. by cutting out a 12-in. section of the housing and 11 1/2 in. of the live axles on each side as in Fig. 3, detail F. The ends of the axles then are turned in a lathe as shown in the detail and welded, as is the housing. A coupling to connect with the rear transmission—in this case a Buick transmission— is made as shown. Any similar coupling will be satisfactory if a different make of transmission is used. In order that the tops of the transmissions will clear the bottom of the body, it is necessary to mount them at an angle as in Fig. 3, C. The second transmission, taken from a Gra-ham car, was originally fitted with an emergency brake, the drum of which is utilized to drive the hydraulic pump through a friction pulley, Fig. 3, detail G. Next comes the clutch assembly, shown in Fig. 3, details D and E. On the original job this was made especially for the purpose. The driving disk is faced with clutch facing and is fitted with an oil-

impregnated bearing in which the drive shaft turns when the clutch is disengaged. The clutch throw-out arm is fitted with rollers which bear against a flange on the driven disk. Foot pedals may be practically any standard automobile clutch or foot-brake type and are linked up as shown in Fig. 3. Gearshift levers are mounted on a frame crossmember as indicated. Link bars are bent to clear the body. The brake shaft is fitted with a ratchet foot-operated lock, Fig. 3, B. A gear- type hydraul ic pump is mounted on the frame as indicated. The leather-faced pulley on the pump shaft contacts the emergency brake drum, and is thrown into and out of contact by a hand lever with a ratchet. The ratchet lever and bell-crank linkage which controls the pump is shown in position in Fig. 3. Fluid is drawn from the hy-draulic storage tank and de-livered to two hydraulic cyl-inders through flexible tubing.

Narrow tread and single-wheel steering permits use in close quarters

Independent brakes on rear wheels are operated by separate pedals which can be locked to hold truck on a grade

FEEJEE-AN ALL-PURPOSE

THE upper ends of the hydraulic-cylinder plungers are mounted as in Fig. 4, B, and the platform is pivoted at the rear end of the truck frame in the manner shown. For a high lift of the truck body, the hydraulic lift units are lengthened by removing the upper head and plunger guide and substituting a longer cylinder of seamless steel tubing and longer bolts. Dimensions of the steel platform or bed are given in Fig. 4, details C and D. All parts which comprise the platform are welded together, as strength and rigidity

are necessary in this unit. The overall size as detailed was found to be the most prac-tical for all ordinary purposes and, due to the low center of gravity, there is little danger of tipping even with comparatively high, bulky loads. When you have heavy parts or materials to load you'll appreciate the low platform. The full-box and half-box body were referred to in the first in-stallment of this story, and dimensions were suggested for these parts. Of course, either or both of the boxes can be altered to suit any special requirements.

The next step is the mounting of the rear-wheel disks on the brake drums of the rear axle. Refer to Part I, Fig. 3, detail F, which shows how the wheel disks are welded to

DUMP TRUCK the brake drums. As you can see from Fig. 4, the wheels are 4 by 8 by 16 in. in size and are fitted with 4-ply pneumatic tires. Two-ply tires in the same size will not be satis-factory for the purpose except perhaps for very light loads. Although it is possible to bolt the 8-in. wheel disks to the original axle-wheel flanges by means of spacers, this method is not as satisfactory as weld-ing the disks to the drums. As a rule, wheel disks of the type used consist of two halves held together with bolts and, as these will be inaccessible after the disks are welded to the drums, it's a good idea to weld the bolt heads beforehand to prevent them from loosening or turning. Care must be taken when welding the disks in place to

As you see here, the truck has a comfortable spring cushioned seat mounted on an angle-iron frame

assure true-running wheels. Even a slight wobble will result in undue wear on the tires. The drums should be cleaned thor-oughly before reassembling and, if neces-sary, the brake shoes should be relined.

Another welding job calling for the same care and precision is the assembly of the front-wheel fork, bearing and steering post. Details of this assembly are shown at E and F in Fig. 4. The front wheel is the same size as the rear wheels, but of course the hub and bearings are retained. The wheel fork is made from 1 1/8-in. seamless steel tubing bent to the shape indicated. The ends are flattened before bending and are drilled to take a steel shaft having both ends shouldered and threaded for nuts and lock washers. This work can be done in a lathe. When mounting the wheel in the fork it may be necessary to use spacers at both ends of the hub. Short lengths cut from ordinary iron pipe will do, but the spacers must be a close fit on the shaft and the length must be such that the hub of the wheel has about 1/16 in. end play when the assembly is complete. The hub should be provided with a pressure grease fitting. A steering-post bearing, Fig. 4, E, is adapted from a Ford front-wheel hub and the steering shaft is made up from a length of the live axle which was removed from the rear-axle assembly when cutting it down to a narrower tread. One end of this shaft is drilled and tapped to screw over the threaded end of the spindle, to which it is

■ ■ ■ ' : - ■ ■ 55

FORK CANTED 114"

making the assembly the wheel fork is welded to the end of the spindle and when making this weld care must be taken to cant the fork back 1 1/2 in. at the lower end. This arrangement gives the wheel the proper caster for stability and ease of steering. Before assembling the steering column completely, ream the outer end of the hub cap to a close fit over the steering shaft to keep out dirt and grit. Provide a pressure grease fitting for convenient lubrication of the bearing. When as-sembled in the t ruck frame it's important that the wheel, fork and steering column stand on a perpendicular center line as in detail F, Fig. 4. If the wheel is off-center or the column cants in relation to the frame, the truck will not steer properly. As the final step in the construction you have the seat frame, Fig. 4, and perhaps a few minor ad-justments of pedals and control levers to assure that everything is in working order. The seat can be just about any-

thing that suits you individually so

long as it is safely constructed and serves the purpose. By fitting cushions from an ordinary auto seat in the angle-iron seat frame you finish up with something like that shown in several of the photos. And finally, although the truck will run just as well without painting, a coat of outdoor enamel will add to its appearance and keep off the rust.

pinned as indicated. The opposite end of the shaft is machined and threaded to take a 16 or 18-in.-dia. steering wheel. Usually a steering wheel of this type is keyed to the steering shaft with a semicircular or "half-moon" key. This work can be done in your local machine shop. The wheel-mounting flange is bolted to the floor plate of the truck frame when assembly is made. In

When fitted with the full-box body the truck will handle loose grain, ensilage, ground feeds or any small, loose parts of either metal or weed

For a higher body lift the original hydraulic cylinders are easily lengthened with seamless steel tubing of the same diameter and longer stay bolts

Assembled from junk parts, this post-hole auger makes easy work of a tiresome job

RIVEN from the tractor power takeoff through a V-

belt, this post-hole auger has the advantage of an easily controlled hand feed which makes it possible to dig holes in fence rows where roots, stones and other obstructions sometimes cause delay and breakage. The necessary angle drive is made by adapting an old Dodge differential, but any of the older automobile differentials having square holes for the axles can be used. Of course, complete di-mensions cannot be given in the detail drawing, nor can the ar-rangement be followed closely when mounting the auger on the various makes of tractors. Hence the details shown at the right are only suggestions on how to make the assembly of the various parts. In this case the square drive shaft was taken from a rod weeder, but any square steel shaft of good qual-ity material can be used. The top end of the shaft is carried in a single ball bearing and fitting this prop-erly likely will require some alter-ation, such as turning down the end of the shaft to fit the inner ball race. On a tractor of a different make than that shown it will be neces-sary to alter the horizontal drive-shaft support so that it will fit the tractor transmission housing. It also will be necessary to change the braces to the tractor drawbar. The details show one way of making these adjustable for length. Other methods of accomplishing this can be used when necessary. The com-bine header lift makes a handy ar-rangement for lowering and raising the auger and controlling the rate of feed. Although one man can operate the auger there is less dan-ger of breakage where there are two operators, one to drive the trac-tor, the other to handle the digger.

Photo and certain constructional details courtesy of State College at Washington

63

POST-HOLE AUGERDriven By Tractor

D

is SIMPLE-

POWERED with a single-cylinder motorcycle engine or any motor of 2 or 3 hp., this tractor is ideal for the small truck garden. Built as shown, it is essentially a cultivator, but other units can readily be added to meet existing conditions.

Start by making the wooden frame, as shown in Fig. 2, fitting the axle to the underside by means of two bearings or spring-shackle brackets drilled to a neat fit. The axle itself is a standard Ford rear axle, welded to measure 25 1/4 in. long, as shown in Fig. 5. You will need a Ford flywheel gear, which is to be riveted to a disk of 1/4-in. boiler plate, inserting the rivets through the original ring-gear holes, as in Fig. 6. The plate, in turn, is bolted to a Ford rear wheel, again locating the fastenings to match the original holes, as in Fig. 7. The wheel rims should be of the demount-able type, each being fitted with eight metal cleats welded into place equidistantly around the circumference, as in Fig. 4. Fig. 8 pictures the first step of the as-

sembly. The two wheels, minus the brake drums, are fitted and keyed to the Ford axle as in the original, 1-in. pipe sec-tions, 1 in. long, being used for spreaders, as in-dicated in the photo-graph. The next thing is the countershaft. This is turned from a Ford drive-shaft, to the dimensions given in Fig. 11. The end of the shaft, which is to take the Ford bendix gear, must be turned just a trifle oversize, so that the gear can be heated

Ford parts and a motorcycle en-gine are used in making this sim-ple garden tractor; the manner of fitting the axle and wheels to the frame is shown above

GARDEN TRACTO

thing solid. Fig. 12 shows the completed countershaft being bolted to the frame. This must be done carefully, so that the bendix gear will mesh perfectly with the ring gear on the wheel. Test before going further by pushing the partly finished tractor backward and forward across the floor.

The cultivator selected is a five-tooth ar-rangement, intended principally for work between rows. The general details of the construction are given in Figs. 15, 16 and 17. The control arms, which regulate the depth of the cut, must be slightly curved, as in Fig. 13, in order to slide freely. The teeth are simply spring ends, cut to fit and turned over at right angles to allow bolting, as in Fig. 14. In fastening, locate the holes

and shrunk on. Because of the greater speed of the countershaft, it is advisable to fit grease cups on the bearings. A suit-able size can be obtained from the Ford driveshaft and tapped into place. The countershaft pulley is made up according to Fig. 10, using a Ford rear hub and a Ford brake drum. Bore the hub so that it will fit tightly over the countershaft and tap for a setscrew in order to make every-

forward so that each hoe will have a tend-ency to drag straight back when the trac-tor is in use. One important point here: You will notice that the cultivator is sup-ported by two strap-iron arms at the rear and by a V-shaped hanger at the front. Be sure that these are parallel, as can be seen in Fig. 18. Otherwise, either the front or rear steels will dig in at various depths. Now we come to the motor. You can get fairly good results from a 3/4-hp. mo-tor although one of 2 or 3 hp. is prefer-

able. The motor shown here is a single-cylinder motorcycle engine, capable of developing 3 hp. and a peak speed of about 3,500 r.p.m. Thus, running at half speed, this outfit would develop a good trac-tor speed of 2 1/2 miles per hour, the gearing being as shown in Fig. 19, and based on a 2 1/4-in. pulley at the motor end. Inasmuch as a motorcycle engine will be the choice of the average builder, a detail on how the pulley is adapt-ed is given in Figs. 20 and 21. The original sprocket is removed and a 1-in. length of 1 1/2-in. pipe nip-ple is brazed into place. This is turned into a length of 1 1/2-in. pipe coupling, which, with the flanges shown in Fig. 20, make the actual pulley. The V-groove on the heavier flange makes the take-off to the air-circulating fan. In mounting the completed pulley, the original shaft key and nut are used as before, as shown in Fig. 21. Fig. 22 details how the

motor is mounted. Various en-gines will differ here, but in any case the metal support brackets should offer no difficulties. As there is no clutch on this tractor, it is evident that control must be through an idler pulley, which,

when released, will let the motor run with-out transferring the energy to the ■wheels. This part of the unit is made from a Ford fan pulley, as shown in Fig. 24, and the mounting is by means of the original Ford fan bracket, as shown in Fig. 25. The con-trol rod runs back to an L-shaped lever,

made from automobile gas-control fittings, and then up the plow handle to another lever taken from an automo-bile emergency brake. In use, a spring holds the idler clear, motive power being obtained by depressing the control le-ver so that the idler is forced

MATERIAL LIST

16. 1/8-in. Pipe Nipple 17. Two 1/8 in. Locknuts 18. 5ft.,11/2by2-in.,Oak 19. One Fan Pulley

(Ford) with Bracket

20. Small Electric Fan 21. Small V-Pulley 22. Two Gas Control

Levers (from any car)

23. 5ft.,3/16-in.Rod 24. Emergency

Brake Handle (from any car)

25. Two Plow Handles 26. One Bendix Gear (Ford) 27. Motor, Motor Mount, Fasten

ings and Small Items to Com plete Assembly

against the belt. Notice, in Fig. 27, that the circulating fan is sim-ply a small electric fan coupled with a small V-pulley. The whole unit is held with a suitable brack-et from No. 16-gauge metal stock clamped to the top of the cylin-der, as in Fig. 26. Starting is done by inserting the crank between the spokes of the wneei to engage the pin inside the motor pulley, as shown in Fig. 28. The gas and oil supply is carried in a small tank mounted with flat-iron stock, as

shown in Fig. 29. This can be made from gal-vanized stock to fit, or any small tank can be adapted for the purpose. Don't forget the paint. Of course, it doesn't make the thing run any better,

but it does stamp your work as well done.

In constructing this garden tractor, it is advisable to follow the instructions in all details, us-ing the various parts that have been recommended. Where these are not available, other similar parts may have to be substituted and, in this case, it may be neces-sary to deviate from the exact mounting arrangement shown.

1. 10 ft., 1 3/8 by 3-in. Wh. Oak,for frame

2. One Axle (Ford rear) 3 Four Spring-Shackle Brackets4. Two Wheels (Ford rear) 5. 7 ft., 1-in. Angle Iron 6. 1/4-in. Boiler Plate, 15 En.

7. Ring Gear (Ford) 8. One Roar Hub (Ford) 9. One 8-in. Brake Drum (Ford)

10. One Driveshaft (Ford) 11. Three Spring Leaves (1

1/2ln, wide)

12. Strap Stock for Cultivator 13. 25 in.. 1-in.T-Stock 14. 11/2-in. Pipe Coupling 15 11/2 in Pipe Nipple

SNOWPLOWS

BLOWERClears Feed Lotsand Lanes

By Paul Andre

Head-on view of snow-blow-er shows clearly how augerwith rods welded to bladeis positioned to "condition"all snow that is forcedinto impeller of blower

Forward end of auxiliary drive shaft is fitted with auniversal joint that couples it to a system of chains andsprockets that drive blower impeller and a short jackshaft

Jackshaft it geared at right angles to shaftthat drives auger by means of sprockets andchain. Changing sprockets varies auger speed

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SNOWsides of the scoop. The snow scoop is fabri-cated from sheet steel, angles and flats, andis bolted to the blower housing. The com-plete snow-blower unit is bolted to thehydraulic loader, from which the scoop hasbeen removed. For added rigidity, bracesare bolted to the blower housing and tosteel plates on the loader arms. The bracesare lengths of pipe flattened on the end anddrilled for bolts. By using the hydraulicsystem of the loader, the operator can ad-just the snow scoop to any desired height.This latter is a practical feature when snowis being removed from an irregular sur-face or from an area that might containrocks or other objects that could damagethe auger blade or the impeller of theblower. In operation, the tractor is drivenforward, shoving the scoop into the snow,so that it is forced into the auger. Shortlengths of steel rod welded to the augerblade break up chunks of frozen snow andpieces of ice before they can enter theblower. After being "preconditioned" bythe auger, the snow is forced into the w h i r l -ing impeller of the blower by the continu-ing forward movement of the tractor, andthe "center feeding" effect of the augerblade. The impeller pulverizes the snowcompletely and it is blown about 40 ft. toone side of the tractor.

Power to rotate the blower and auger isprovided by the power take-off of thetractor. Sprockets and chain are used todeliver the power from the take-off at therear of the tractor to a drive shaft mountedalongside the tractor. A universal joint atthe forward end of the drive shaft—neces-sary to allow for the up-and-down adjust-ments of the blower assembly—connects toa system of sprockets and chains mountedon the blower housing. This system rotatesthe blower and a short shaft at one side ofthe housing. The latter shaft is geared toanother shaft positioned at right angles.Sprockets and chain transfer power fromthis shaft to that of the auger blade. A l lshaft bearings are greased frequently tooffset the rust problem that results whenthe snow packs around the bearings andmelts. A suggested modification that an-other builder might use would be to pro-vide a swivel action for the blower spout.This would permit blowing the snow to theopposite side in a situation where snowhad to be cleared from alongside a building,and deep snow prevented driving in fromthe other direction. This also would per-mit allowing for wind direction. * * *

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Power for snow-blower is routed from power take-offat rear of tractor by chain and sprockets through adrive shaft located along one tide of the tractor.

EEP SNOWDRIFTS on the feed lot oron any of the farm lanes no longer

present a problem to Myron Hanson ofBenton County, Iowa, since he bui l t thissnow-blower unit for his tractor. Cost ofconstructing the unit was low, as he utilizeddiscarded farm machinery for the maincomponents, and al l welding and work wasdone in the farm workshop. No specialtools, not found in the average farm shop,were required for the construction. Theblower mechanism itself is the fan andhousing of a unit originally used to blowhay and silage into the barn and silo. Posi-tioned just in front of the blower, insidethe snow scoop, is an auger of the typeused in combines. It rotates in bearingsbolted to brackets that are welded to the

D

Garden Tractorhas 4-cylinder power, differential,dual transmission, starter, variabletread and hand-controlled brakes

UILT from a few pieces of pipe,pipe fittings and. old auto parts,

Including the engine, this powerfulgarden tractor handles all the larg-er garden-tractor implements suchas a 10 or 12-in. turning plow, 5 or 6-ft. disk harrow, any of the largercultivators, mowing machines, etc.,with plenty of power left over forthe hard pulls. Because of its extraweight and compact-unit construc-tion it's easy to handle even on theheaviest jobs. Stability and balanceplus a close throttle control make iteasy to steer and prevent whippingof the handles so common thelighter garden tractors. Controlsare located on the handle bars with-in easy reach of the operator. Aheavy perforated steel grille pro-tects the radiator core from damagein case you bump into something,Handles and frame are one unit,built up from pipe and fittings. Pow-er is taken off the front end of theengine crankshaft by roller chain toa Harley-Davidson motorcyc letransmission which contains an"over-center" clutch controlled bya lever on the handle bars. Fromthis transmission, power is taken byroller chain to a second transmis-sion, the latter from a Ford Model-A or 1931 Dodge automobile. Thissecond transmission is bolted di-rectly to a cut-down Ford Model-Trear axle as you see in Fig. 1. The"worm's eye" view in Fig. 1 gives aclear idea of the compact, efficientdrive. Sounds like a cranky job toassemble, but it happens that theseparts fit together with the minimumof alteration. In the process thedrive pinion of the rear axle is"transplanted" to the transmissionand then the two parts are "tele-scoped" together. A study of theexploded view in Fig. 2 will giveyou an idea of how these variousparts are assembled. No dimensionsare given on any of the parts exceptthe size of pipe used for the frame.

12

The "worm's eye" view below shows the drive. Transmissionit bolted directly to The differential hauling of a Ford Model-Trear axle. Brakes and hubs are from a Ford Modal-A axle

B

This whole job is of such a nature that size of the partsmust be determined as you go along. Much, depends onwhat you will use the tractor for, what engine you use,whether 1931 Willys auto engine, as was used on the orig-inal, or the popular Willys Jeep engine, now so readilyavailable. Due to variations in the mounting brackets onthe Jeep engine alterations must be made from the originalplan of assembly. This is not at all difficult, but will makematerial differences in the dimensions of certain parts.

The first thing to determine is the distance, measuredboth lengthwise and across the width, of the engine mount-ing brackets. Distance across the width of the Willys autoengine used in the original tractor was cut down to ap-proximately 16 in This done, you remove the clutch as-sembly and the clutch housing. Then make a sling fromlight chain and fit the chains with hooks attached to theengine in such a way that when it is raised with a tackleblock the engine will hang level. Now you're ready for therest of the job.

It's a good idea to get all the necessary material at handbefore you begin work. For the handle bars you need twopieces of 1¼-in. pipe of the grade known to the trade as"extra heavy," also one piece approximately 15 in. long for

semble the transmission, machinea taper on the transmission shaft,also cut a thread and drill the shafttransversely for a castle nut andcotter pin. Then, to reassemble,first make a paper template of theform of the Model-T propeller-shaft mounting boss and from thisscribe four evenly spaced holes onthe driven end of the transmissioncase , keeping in mind that thetransmission is turned 90 degreesas in the lower detail, Fig. 2, andalso in Fig. 1. Discard the retainerring for the end ball bearing andalso the 1/8-in. spacer where themain shaft te lescopes into thedriveshaft. This allows the endbearing to seat flush with the endof the case. Make a washer of thinsheet metal to hold the bearing inplace. Drill .328" clearance holesin the transmission case. Reas-semble the main shaft and bolt thetransmission case directly to thedifferential housing, using 5/16-in.studs, tightening nuts from insidethe case. Check clearance of thepinion. It may be necessary toshim between the two parts. Thencut off the end-plate flange and

weld on a 1¼ by l½-in. pipe coupling,shown separately in Fig. 2. Cut off thetransmission lever to about 8 in. long andweld on a ball-joint fitting taken from aModel-T tie rod. Later a suitable ball endis welded to the lower end of the gearshiftlever which extends to the handle bars.

Assemble the frame and handle-bar unit,making a 30-degree bend in the long lengthsof pipe, the bond 24 in. from the end onboth pieces. Bolt the engine supports inplace with 5/16-in. U-bolts. Block up the axleand frame assemblies in their relative posi-tions under the suspended engine. Lowerthe engine into position and clamp or oth-erwise hold the parts in place. With thesetup at this stage you can easily determinethe location of the first transmission whichbolts to one of the engine supports as in thecenter detail, Fig. 2. Also the location ofthe bearing support A, the amount of thebend in the engine support B and the loca-tion of the bracket pieces C to which thebearing support A is welded. This bearingtakes the power takeoff shaft and is op-tional equipment. Also the position of theaxle brackets shown in the center detail,and the bearing bracket which supports thebearing D. Mark the locations of all theseparts. Support pieces are welded to the en-gine brackets and the other parts are eitherwelded or bolted in place as shown.

Use 16-gauge sheet metal for the hoodand instrument panel and also the fuel

the front member. Over-all width of theframe when assembled is 17 in. In addition,two 90-dcgree elbows, two 45-degree el-bows, two 6-in. nipples and two caps arerequired. Then for the engine supports yourequire three pieces of flat steel 3/8 by 4 by20 in. and one piece 3/8 by 4 by 22 in. long.These dimensions make considerable al-lowance. In addition several pieces of an-gle iron are needed for bearing supports,axle brackets, etc.

Next, you work on the axle assembly,shown in the lower detail, Fig. 2. Tread ofthe original tractor with the furrow wheelreversed was 34 in. However, the treadwidth depends on the work to be done withthe tractor. If, for example, you plan to cul-tivate multiple rows of such garden truck

crops as carrots or onions, then the treadwidth with the wheels "in" must be plannedaccordingly. Either way, cut up two axleassemblies to make one. You'll require oneFord Model-T rear axle complete and oneFord Model-A axle. Then, with the treadwidth required in mind, cut up the axlehousings and reassemble the parts asshown in the lower view, Fig. 2. Machineseparate axle shafts. This is a job for thelocal machine shop, unless, of course, youhave equipment. The Model-T drive pinionand bearing are removed from the differen-tial assembly and the pinion is mounted on.the transmission as in the lower detail, Fig.2. To do this it will be necessary to disas-

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The second transmis-sion and the axle as-semble info one unitwhich is D-bolted tothe frame in such aposition that there isjust enough weightat the rear to tip fhetractor back on thehandles when it's inthe level position.

Right and left brak-ing and differentialaction are essentialto easy operation ofa "walking" tractor.This composite axlehas all three features.The brakes are suffi-ciently powerful tolock either wheel atfull load and arefinger-tip controlledfrom the handle grips

which is welded tothe standing supportsof the frame unit.The latter includesthe first transmissionas shown. Standingsupports are U-boltedto the main frame.This manner of assem-bling permits easyremoval of the pow-er unit if necessary.

The power plant com-plete—conventional4-cylinder auto en-gine with starter,lights if you wantthem, and the usualcomplement of radi-ator, heavy protec-tive grille, fuel tank,instrument panel andhood—all assembledinto one self-con-tained unit. . .

FAN BLADESCUT DOWN TOCLEAR HOOD

HOODIGNITION SWITCH

CHOKE

CONTROL

STARTERGEAR

HOUSING

STARTER

SWITCH

1931 WILLYS ENGINEOR JEEP ENGINE

9-TOOTHSPROCKET

FUEL TANK

GRILLE(GRAVEL SCREEN)

ANGLE-IRON BRACKETSWELDED TO ENGINE

SUPPORTGUIDE FORGEARSHIFT

LEVER

FRAME1¼" IRON

PIPEHANDLE GRIPS

2 REQ'D

BATTERY

HANDLETO ADJUST

PLOW CLEVIS

MOTORCYCLETRANSMISSION

1½" x 1½"ANGLE-IRONBRACKET2 REQ'D

BEARINGBRACKET

SEPARATE SHAFTMACHINED TO FIT

2 REQ'DFORD MODEL-TDIFFERENTIAL

WELDED

TAPERED

WELDEDCASTLENUT

FORD MODEL-AREAR HUB, 2 REQ'D

SPLIT BEARING

SPLINED ADAPTER

22-TOOTH SPROCKET

1½" x 1½ PIPECOUPLING

1931 DODGEOR FORD MODEL-A

TRANSMISSION

ASSEMBLY5/16" U-BOLT

2 REQ'D.

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WELDED

MANUALSPARK

AMMETER-OIL PRESSUREGUAGE

and attach the controls, ignitionswitch, oil-pressure gauge andammeter, and wire to the bat-tery. Increase the engine oilpressure to the maximum. Fitthe c a r b u r e t o r with an aircleaner. Fuel feed to the car-buretor is by vacuum tank, al-though of course a fuel pumpcan be fitted. Note in detail B,Fig. 2, the sleeve welded to theengine support. This serves as abearing for the lower end of theclutch lever, which is a ½-in.rod with a short length of gear-shift lever welded on at an an-gle as you see in Fig. 3. A shortarm welded to the clutch lever

at the lower end connects to the clutchthrow-out arm on the motorcycle trans-mission-clutch assembly by means of ashort link bent from a piece of ¼-in. steelrod. Weld in a cross member about 8 in be-low the handle grips to serve as a stiffener,Fig. 3. Balance of the detail in Fig. 3 ismore or less optional and must be arrangedto suit the implements you will use. A rub-ber-tired caster wheel is fitted at the centerof the implement-control bar to carry theweight of certain other implements andserve as a rest when the tractor is standingidle. Use Ford wheels on the Model-Ahubs. Other wheels can be used but likelyit will be necessary to lengthen the studs.

tank, which is welded to the panel as indi-cated. The starter-gear housing is a domedcover from a discarded gasoline pump, andis welded over the hole cut in the panel. Inmost cases the fan blades must be cut downto clear the hood. Radiator used on the orig-inal tractor was taken from a 1931 Willysautomobile and cut down in width. Havethis done by a service shop. It's also neces-sary in most cases to straighten the tophose connection. Do this by cutting diag-onally and then soldering together to makea straight connection.

Finish the assembly by fitting sprocketsas indicated and hooking up the drivechains. Bolt the grille and hood in place

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REAR VIEW

LEFT SIDE

BRAKE LEVER

CLUTCH LEVER

THROTTLE

FRICTIONTAPEWELDED

SHIFT LEVER(2ndTRANSMISSION)

BRAKE LEVER(R.R. BRAKE-SHOEWEDGE) 3 REQ'D

FORD MODEL-ABRAKE CABLE

2 REQ'D

WELDED

IMPLEMENTCONTROL BAR

TRACTOR CONTROLS

WELDED

IMPLEMENTLIFT UNIT

WELDED

Vintage Farm Impliment Plans 1950s

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