Early Tractor Conversion

RedMF40 · Aug 24, 2023

I grabbed this from the Model T forum. Looks super-easy, wonder why everyone didn't do it?

(the above was meant to be tongue-in-cheek. There doesn't look like anything's easy about this conversion)

Gerrit

This post was edited by RedMF40 on 08/24/2023 at 02:23 pm.

showcrop · Aug 24, 2023

There have been many posts here about these over the years. I have gotten the impression that they were reasonably popular.

RedMF40 · Aug 24, 2023

(quoted from post at 04:53:58 08/24/23)

There have been many posts here about these over the years. I have gotten the impression that they were reasonably popular.

Yes, I see them mentioned from time to time. What struck me about this was the instructions. You needed to source parts from three different vehicles, with heavy modifications to just about everything. Maybe after 200 hours of labor and searching for parts someone could fab up their $50 tractor. Time was valued differently back then.
Gerrit

warbaby · Aug 24, 2023

It seems any farm that was around during The Depression up until 1960 or so usually has a similar ''Doodlebug'' stashed away somewhere on the
property.

A lot of companies offered ready made conversion kits you could buy too. All you had to supply was your time and a second-hand, 5.oo Model
''T''!

BarnyardEngineering · Aug 24, 2023

Not only was time valued differently, very few farms had even basic fabrication equipment such as torches and welders. Most had a "monkey wrench" and a claw hammer, along with whatever basic tools came with the tractor or machine they owned.

timcasbolt · Aug 24, 2023

(Putting on my 80 year old hat) I'd be very skeptical of that. Sounds like a lot of screwing around when you still have to milk twice a day and get everything else done.

Tgrasher · Aug 24, 2023

Not unlike a lot of other adds of the time
that promoted wonderful results from this
or that product. Remember reading black and
white adds in the back of magazines that
advertised various gizmos, X-ray glasses,
karate from a book, gas mileage fixes, etc.
Of course these were much later, I'm not as
old as the tractor conversion add.

DoubleO7 · Aug 24, 2023

(reply to post at 08:43:41 08/24/23)

Even at $50, many farmers that might have desired one studied the pictures in those ads and then cobbled up something similar.

For less.

teddy52food · Aug 24, 2023

I remember when I was a little boy, grandpa had one & ran over the sprinkling can &
made grandma mad!

Bill(Wis) · Aug 24, 2023

But almost all had a blacksmith shop in town where virtually anything could be made. Our blacksmith was a guy named George Johnson and he had many apprentices working
with/for him over the years. We took a lot of the horse drawn equipment into his shop where he would make the necessary modifications to be tractor drawn. The last time I saw old George was about 30 years ago. He was about 95 years old and living in a nursing home. When my Dad and I walked in to pay him a visit he stood right up and shook our hands and we had a great visit. He still had hands as strong as vice grips. There was another great Blacksmith in the next town over. As an example, he made a tool bar for my uncle's tractor and attached two 2 row corn planters to it enabling my uncle to get his corn planted faster. One was a McCormick Deering planter and the other was a John Deere. (;>))

cdmn · Aug 24, 2023

I had one exactly like this. It is now in the museum at Foreman, North Dakota.
Mine was supposedly built to drag logs out of the woods.
The rear axle was a worm-drive from a Model TT truck. There was a Chevy transmission
between the Ford and the driveshaft. Slowed it way down, and increased pull.
In my case, both axles were narrowed up to get between trees easier.
I found that it was pretty easy to overheat the engine. Maybe in wintertime, when logging
was done, it worked okay.
I know that there were very few farm shops, (no electricity until late '30s) but every town had a
blacksmith shop and they'd do some pretty amazing things. Thousands of cars and trucks converted
to wagon running gears, for example.
Overhead shafting with flatbelt tools, driven by a hit-and-miss engine or a large electric motor
when that became possible.

Moonlite37 · Aug 24, 2023

Somewhat primitive and little better than mules. Fitted with a worn out engine, no governor, no oil or air cleaner. No implements made for them. Long turning radius, prone to overheat.

Also farmers prided themselves with good horses and mules..along with nice harness They were respected in the community. Good farmers wore good clean work cothes

paul · Aug 24, 2023

That does look like a complicated one.

Seen some where the drive train of the car was bolted down to a kit tractor frame, some adaptor parts, a gear
reduction, and away you go....

Paul

Leroy · Aug 26, 2023

Always several at the Findlay, Ohio show in August each year.

Early Tractor Conversion

RedMF40

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showcrop

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RedMF40

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warbaby

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BarnyardEngineering

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timcasbolt

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Tgrasher

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DoubleO7

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teddy52food

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Bill(Wis)

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cdmn

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Moonlite37

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paul

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Leroy

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