Homemade Little Red Tractor

SnowStorm34 · Aug 25, 2016

I'm a newbie to tractors and machinery in general, but I have a tractor my Grandfather built around 40 years ago. I've had this tractor for a while, but only recently became interested in how it works and doing some maintenance.

I've made a few posts on this forum asking questions and a few people asked to know more about this tractor in my last post. Here is the best rundown I can produce.

[b:5199dc40b7]Power Unit:[/b:5199dc40b7] Continental IY69. Likely out of a International 50-T hay baler.
[b:5199dc40b7]Transmission/rear axle:[/b:5199dc40b7] From a Morris airport luggage tug.
[b:5199dc40b7]Front Axle:[/b:5199dc40b7] I've been told it "looks International", but I don't know for sure.
[b:5199dc40b7]Front Wheels:[/b:5199dc40b7] From a 60s Mini.
[b:5199dc40b7]Steering:[/b:5199dc40b7] Wheel and gearbox from an early 60s Ford pickup.
[b:5199dc40b7]Master Cylinder:[/b:5199dc40b7] '62 Galaxie.
[b:5199dc40b7]Frame/Fenders[/b:5199dc40b7] Homemade.
[b:5199dc40b7]Rear Wheels:[/b:5199dc40b7] Maddawg tires, hub caps from a '56 Chrysler New Yorker. Not sure what the hubs are from- they actually fit on backwards.

Here are some photos of it. Underneath each pic I've included a link to a high resolution version in case there is something you'd like to zoom in on.

High Res Image

Janicholson · Aug 25, 2016

Cute as a bunny. Very nice. Jim

J.Wondergem · Aug 25, 2016

A lot of thought went into that little bugger. Thanks for the picture.

Goose · Aug 25, 2016

Neat rig!

I'd say the hood, at least the back part, came from an H or M Farmall.

JMOR · Aug 25, 2016

(quoted from post at 19:12:34 08/25/16) Neat rig!

I'd say the hood, at least the back part, came from an H or M Farmall.

greed, and it is very nice!

larry@stinescorner · Aug 25, 2016

Like it!nice!!

Brendon-KS · Aug 25, 2016

The IH power unit with the Continental Y69 engine came with that hood and it was patterned after their tractors of that era. Makes for a neat looking little tractor!

FLOLDFORD · Aug 25, 2016

That is about the slickest homemade tractor I have seen. Took me awhile to notice the chain drive steering gear. Your grandfather put a lot of time and effort into that
project

SweetFeet · Aug 25, 2016

It's really great... adorable, actually.

You should never part with it.

Dave O'Brien · Aug 25, 2016

Nice machine! "Neato!!!" was my first thought.

Den N Ms · Aug 25, 2016

SnowStorm34,Did you get the brakes all fixed? You have it lookin good!

RAW in · Aug 25, 2016

Very nice tractor. Looks like it would be fun to run.

Bryce Frazier · Aug 25, 2016

Looks like the hood and grill is off of a A / B / C tractor. BUT, if it was a power plant off of a IH baler. It would have had that sheet metal on it already. Bryce

ETxJohn · Aug 25, 2016

BEAUTIFUL!!!

SnowStorm34 · Aug 25, 2016

Thanks everyone for the kind responses!

The IH power unit with the Continental Y69 engine came with that hood and it was patterned after their tractors of that era. Makes for a neat looking little tractor!

Thanks, yes this is correct. I used to think that the nose/hood were from a Super A with a modified grille, but I've found images of the power unit and they are an exact match.

That is about the slickest homemade tractor I have seen. Took me awhile to notice the chain drive steering gear. Your grandfather put a lot of time and effort into that
project

Thanks! Yes, he certainly put a lot of effort into making this tractor. His hobby was fixing broken machinery, so this was only one of several things he made/rebuilt.

SnowStorm34,Did you get the brakes all fixed? You have it lookin good!

I did!

They work, though I feel like they could have more stopping power. I've tinkered with the brake adjustments- I'm just happy they are actually functioning now.

SnowStorm34 · Aug 25, 2016

Also one small edit: for the transmission/rear axle, I meant to say [i:3f3962cfb8]Mercury[/i:3f3962cfb8] rather than Morris.

greenmech · Aug 25, 2016

Nice work on that one! Ron Mn

Duner Wi · Aug 26, 2016

Your steering scheme is absolutely brilliant.
First time I saw chain drive steer was early 60s on a C modified race car.
I need to study the front axle a little more.

Blackhole49 · Aug 26, 2016

Outstanding!

4wdtom · Aug 26, 2016

What speeds and how many gears does it have? I would guess it has a lot of power for it's size too.
How much does it weigh? A really nice job, I agree, don't ever let it go.

jeffcat · Aug 26, 2016

Some little machines like that look even better with a pair of "period" headlites. Just a thought, look at the ones on a Cub or some type of IH tractor. They are about 5 inches across. It is very cute and looks as if you couldn't kill it with a baseball bat. Great looker.

dr sportster · Aug 26, 2016

That is sweet !

SnowStorm34 · Aug 26, 2016

Thanks again everyone for the nice comments

Some little machines like that look even better with a pair of "period" headlites. Just a thought, look at the ones on a Cub or some type of IH tractor. They are about 5 inches across. It is very cute and looks as if you couldn't kill it with a baseball bat. Great looker.

Thanks for the suggestion! I have considered doing this- having lights would be nice. Though lately I've felt more inclined to just restore and maintain it as my Grandfather left it.

What speeds and how many gears does it have? I would guess it has a lot of power for it's size too.
How much does it weigh? A really nice job, I agree, don't ever let it go.

I estimate it weighs 3/4 ton. I haven't taken it to a proper weigh scale, but there is a math trick involving the area of the tires making contact with the ground and their PSI. Using that trick I got 1600 lbs, which seems about right.

It has 3 forward gears and reverse. I'm not entirely sure how fast each is. Usually I cruise around in second gear at half throttle, which I know is 5mph. Based on that, I would [i:82698792a9]guess[/i:82698792a9] first is 2mph and third is around 10mph.

I have an app on my phone that shows speed based on GPS. I'll be running my tractor tomorrow, so I'll get more accurate numbers then.

Homemade Little Red Tractor

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