Hey Wardner....

I got a chance this morning to look at the Parts Depot site. You can look up parts directly from the site. No prices or ordering, though. That you still have to do through your local dealership. To search, click on the link on their home page that says, "Click Here To Check Inventory Or Place & Order". When the new window opens, click on Visitor Login, select the product line you are searching for, & type away. It does pay to push the cross-referecne button. I've found quite a few parts that cross to a new number & a bunch that cross back to an old number.

I was lost on that site for a good hour or so this morning. I was searching for parts to repair my IH truck. I couldn't believe there were more parts for my truck, up there, than I've ever found for all of my farm machinery. I searched every nut, bolt & spring for the brakes on my truck & came up with about 65% of everything listed in the catalog. I think I might know the reasoning behind this, $209.93 for A (1) brake band. I thought I was gonna have the big one & saw Elizabeth smilin' down upon me! I guess I was reminded why those parts are still sitting there. That & they didn't sell too many of the model of truck I have, to my knowledge. If they did, they melted away around here in a Wisconsin winter or three.

I have to go get a bit of discing done before dinner, so I'm off. If you get a minute, I'd like to see what you've been up to on the Swiss Army W-400.

Take Care,
Mike

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I'm running the PTO to the front.

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This is mid tractor. The drawbar is from a 650. The front Fast Hitch pushes from here.

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PTO passes through crossmember of hitch.

Yep I'm familiar with the Parts Depot protocol. Nice to know they have truck parts. Need kingpins for my '47 KB-5.

Looks great from here! I was wondering how much your turning radius will be reduced with the front FH. Otherwise, it's lookin' good so far. Can't wait to see what it lifts/powers. Is that your F400 holding up the FH?

No steering reduction. When I lift the tractor with the forklift, I can go from lock to lock with no tire rubbing...but it is close. Had to do alot of metal bending to get that result. I made over 30 bends with my wood spliter.

Eventually, the front fast hitch will carry a SS soda fountain that I own. The tractor will be an ice cream making and vending unit. It will be self service. I go back to 1968 selling ice cream novelties with home built trucks. 1932 Ford and 1923 Graham Bros (later became Dodge).

There is a 20 quart antique White Mountain freezer currently on eBay. It's at $1500 now with two days to go. I am passing on that. May be the last one I ever see for sale. It is certainly the first on eBay over the past few years.

The forklift is an 8000 lb Hyster.

I was planning to take the W-400 to a show this Sunday. Don't think I am going to make it. It's supposed to rain anyway. I should be ready for the next show in four weeks. In early spring, I thought the tractor would be ready by the first week in May. I keep adding stuff to it so the work never ends. I need to curb my imagination.

Wardner I was planning on going to the show sun with the I9 but I have the same Idea if its raining we wont be going if we do we will go for the morning and leave around 1-2 maybe we will see you there

A stainless soda fountain, you say? As a representative of the Milwaukee side of my family, I do hope that FH fountain has the malt dispenser & Hamilton Beach mixer attachments. A cold chocolate-cherry malt on a hot day can't be beat with a stick! Oh, & if you can't find Horlick's malt, Carnation will do. :v)

You bend iron with your log splitter? *sigh* Now, why the heck didn't I think of that? LOL!

I do believe I'm going to head into the kitchen & fix me up a malt. If there is anything I can fix & get right the first time, it's a malted.

Prosit!
Mike

Here are some of the bends. The tractor is lifted, wheels locked to the right, steering wheel braced with a 2x4 to prevent spring back, and I can still rotate the tire.



The steel is 1"x 3" hot rolled. These bars needed alot of heat. My wood splitter can only manage 25 tons. 1/2"X 3" is doable without heat.



Not too familiar with malts or malteds. I may have to go to Ice Cream College. There is probably one in Boston. I know of a two week course in Philadelphia. The fountain has all its lids, jars, and pumps. It has its own compressor. It has the NSF sticker so I am legal.

Well, I'm kinda speachless. You must find a cannister of malted milk & find out what all the fuss is about. If you can't find malted milk powder, find some Whoppers malted milk balls, throw about a heaped cup in a blender 3/4 full of vanilla ice cream & add about 1/2 cup of milk. You may need more milk to help your blender a bit. The malts I make are thicker than a slurry tank in January & mix about as well if you don't have a strong blender. Blend at low or medium until the "whirlpool" forms on the surface & turn it up to high for about 2 to 3 minutes, maybe a little longer if it's real thick. The run time on high is to aerate the mix. Even the thickest of malts & shakes must be aerated. My current malted creation is English toffee-coffee-carmel. It's almost perfected to the point of not stopping for brain-freeze & my sweet tooth 'bout died. I'd like to mail you some, but I can't keep it from running out of the envelope. ;v)

The 4 jerk fountan is a beaut! I can't wait to see it all fitted up to the S.A. W-400. Is the foutain fairly light or will you have to add power steering? The FH framing, weight box & other accoutrements must add a bit of weight too, I'd wager. I suppose you could balance it out with a wet bar on the other end of the tractor, for the adults. I know, I shouldn't be giving you more ideas. Sorry!

The iron bending log splitter is a great idea. Are those dies of some kind, on the ram? The wedge is curious too. It reminds me of the replaceable "edge" on the bucket of a loader or snowplow. Is the splitter run off of a tractor or it's own power unit? Looks like a good sturdy setup.

Well, I'm off to make a batch of brain freeze & go to bed. I have to fine tune my sickle bar, in the morning, so I can cut hay here when I have a dry window.

Mike

OK, I am sold. I will have to try some malted frozen confections. I usually go with the quick and easy Ben and Jerry's pint.

Don't know the weight of the soda fountain. I have only handled it with the forklift. I imagine it could weigh 1500 lbs when full of product.

Power steering is in my plans. The Standard Treads use a drag link that is fitted with a hydraulic cylinder and integral spool valve. When the pitman arm moves, the appropriate internal port is opened and extends or retracts the piston. I have this IH system on both my 650 and 660 although they do not interchange. I have been looking for the W400-W450 system. I will probably buy an aftermarket unit. I have seen them priced at $350 and $500. I wonder if they will have enough push/pull to do the job. It is low priority at the moment. The units look easy to attach to any drag link type steering.

As for the wet bar, no thanks. That's a whole basket full of complications I can do without. But the LP tractor fuel could run a grill but that is years away. It would also mean I would be saddled with a payroll. Yuck.

I built a fast hitch for the back end of the tractor. It currently has a large military winch hanging off the back. That will come off and be replaced with something like a hot water tank heated by the engine through a heat exchanger. I have several SS tanks and heat exchangers.

Yes, the tractor will be heavy. It already has a 10 KW generator and a 15 HP air compressor running off the belt pulley. The front hitch parts probably add around 750 lbs.

The log splitter dies are just 2"x 3" chunks of steel cut from the legs of a pallet stacker. The wedge is a spring leaf from a heavy truck. It is way too sharp for a "top die". I insert a piece of 1/4" steel between the wedge and the work. It lasts about 15 bends before it is sheared and replaced.

With all of those accessories, I don't imagine the W400 gets much of a chance to sit still. It wouldn't around here in the least. I think the rice paddles might make for a rough ride on hard ground. The winch is a nice touch. Is that a Buller coupler (red) sticking out from underneath the rig? Yeah, a wet bar would be a pain to keep up, with the licensing & taxes & such. Wouldn't pay come payday. The winch makes a good enough attachment, as well as the log splitter for us tall guys. If you don't mind, I'd like to borrow your iron bending idea. Man, would that be handy. Is that a post pounder next to it in the last pic? Good stuff!

Mike

I haven't run the W-400 since last winter. Not even fired it up. That may change this week

I probably confused you with the picture of the of the 650 with the wood splitter and BFH. I've used the hammer to break up cast iron and concrete. Not sure that it would drive fence posts. It would work well on tent pegs.

Sure, use the press brake concept. Please send the $0.25 royalty per bend to my favorite charity: BS on the Farm. (Bending Steel on the Farm)

I drilled an extra set of holes in the traction aid mounting plate to fit row crop wheels. 18.4 x 30 tires have the same diameter as 13.6 x 38. They will come off the W-400 and go on the F-400 or SMTA. The winch is temporary too. I have a few stumps I want to pull.

Not sure what a Buller coupler is. The red thing is a bottle jack.