Posted by Bonehead on March 18, 1998 at 14:06:58:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Russ' Homebuilt Tractor posted by Indian Guy on March 18, 1998 at 06:46:11:
: : : Serious Topic... I have given some thought to building a tractor for funnin' around the place. My first inclination was to find an old Ford 1 1/2 ton truck and get the rearend for the project. The axle would have to be narrowed for the application so I found someone with a lathe that could cut the axles and Friction weld them back. Of course first I'd have to note the housing flange to axle flange measurement so when the rear housing was welded it would match up. I was going to use 16 inch truck tires instead of the 20's on the original and get grunt and reduction that way, and of course the wheels would have to be redrilled or the axle done. A 4 popper would be the power unit and a Model T would give up its front end with the frame being built of either channel or square tubing. I'm sure Erson or Iskenderian would be happy to grind a cam the would put all the power in the first 2000 RPM and an MSD ignition would be plenty of spark. I would use a Ford Tranny of course. This project sounds like it's for someone with plenty of time and welding rod on hand, but wh't the hey What else are you going to do with your time? Officiate basketball games at $40 each? Maybe a Ford 9 inch would be a better rear end. You can buy them already narrowed and set up with any ratio to 5.31:1 if you want. Hook up the brakes with one cylinder to each wheel and you have your stearing brakes too. These are just my thoughts. Have fun, Me
: : What is friction welding? Why not just v-block the axle and stick weld it back together. That's more than accurate enough. Seen it done many times.
: Friction welding in this case would be holding one part still and turning the other in to it. The parts heat and fuse from friction. I considered stick welding, but think the lumps would tear seals and stuff. I think I've seen an accessory hydralic pump in the northern catalog that just bolts to the side like a generator. That would work. How would one hook up a cat 0 three point on something like this? Any thoughts? Me
Iwould avoid the friction welding, this process is for production use, where conditions are repeatable and samples are available for testing. I would opt for TIG weld the joint and then MIG two split sleeves covering the weld.
I'm not sure what a cat 0 three point is, so I can't comment.
If you get beyond the thinking stage and opt to go with a hydraulic drive system. I can get one of our suppliers to provide us with some expertise.
Bonehead