Turn an old truck into a tractor????

[mustninty]

Alright so this is what I'm thinking about trying to do, I just wanted to know if anybody else out there has tried this and if so if you had any advice. Basically I an old 89 ford ranger that is no longer street leagal that runs very strong and I have 6 acres of grass to cut and can't afford a new tractor. I was thinking about buying one or two pull behind lawn mowers, and using the ranger to pull them. But my main worry is the stock tires digging into the ground, does anybody know if I can swap tractor rims/tires onto the truck? Any other ideas would be appriciated. Thanks

 

[KentT]

Try using a 12" garden tractor wheel. Their bolt pattern is 5x4.5 which is the same as your small Ford, I think. If they'll clear the brake drums, I think they'd work. You can get 26x12x12 ag tires that will fit them...

 

[Soundguy]

Long time ago you could get a kit to convert a T or an A to a tractor for field use.. so yeah.. it's been done.

soundguy

 

[patrick_g]

One guy bought several walk behind push it yourself not self propelled lawn mowers and set then in two rows, staggered so the cuts overlapped. They were mounted on a frame made from Hollywood bed frames and had gage wheels on the frame. The deal is he starts up the menagerie and drives around in his little rice burner pickup. I don't recall how many of the cheap used mowers he had in that lashup but it must have been at least 6-8. Worked for him. He had to shim the wheel attachments on some of the mowers as the cut height adjustments were not exactly alike and it left stripes at first.

After he fiddled with it for a while it worked just fine. He said he had a never ending supply of replacement mowers available from the thrifty adds and auctions. Seems used "push it yourself" mowers don't command much of a resale price.

It was not quiet and it probably would not pass a smog test in California but it cut a wide swath at a walking speed. He pulled it behind his CUT. He talked about mounting it on his FEL so he could steer it more precisely but I didn't see that configuration.

Purely Rube Goldberg in appearance but worked fine. I would think it would be less fuel efficient than other options but with used mowers so darned cheap I guess it is OK.

Pat

 

[Soundguy]

Rube would be proud!

soundguy

 

[patrick_g]

I don't know how long his contraption held together but it worked behind his little rice burner and behind a CUT. I'm sure it would have worked behind a 4 wheeler if you could go slow enough. I would have liked to have seen it mounted on the FEL. I guess if you wanted to get fancy you could use only mowers with bagging attachments.

I have seen cars cut away and used as pickups why not use a little truck as a tractor, especially if you have 4x4 with a low range.

Pat

 

[BHD]

page of tractor plans,
Vintage Tractor Plans
plans for the model T to tractor,
http://www.vintageprojects.com/tractors/Model T 2.pdf

the biggest change was to put a low geared truck rear end on it,,, I know some also used a heavy 4 speed transmission and put it behind the original and used it for the extra gearing, http://www.vintageprojects.com/tractors/model-a-tractor.pdf and then into a truck differential, 1 1/2 ton and up for the rear differential,

home page,
Vintage Projects and Building Plans

 

[lhfarm]

I'd turn it into a tractor by selling it for as much as you can get and investing in an old tractor, or if you get lucky a jeep. The problem with the truck is the rear end. You will be amazed how hard it is to go really slow, down to tractor speeds. You didn't say if you are mowing yard or pasture and my suggestion will depend on knowing that.

I mowed 5 acres of lawn for 20 years with an old Cub Lo-Boy. I still plow my drive with it, but it has been retired to mowing the barn yard and trails. The other option would be an older lawn tractor.

If you can find an old Willys with a PTO, it is a great pasture mowing machine. These are getting much harder to find and PTOs can go for as much as the jeep. But I think everyone should own a jeep.

Good luck!

 

[patrick_g]

My 1943 Ford JEEP had 5.38 diffs and with the xfer case in low range you could get that little 4 banger up into a usrful RPM range and barely make a SLOW walking speed. I know lots of them were used for tractors after the war (WW II) but I don't know how they lasted.

What the OP has is not likely to bring much in a sale (likely not enough to get a working tractor) and his trying to use it for additional tasks is just good thinking. I have a 1989 4x4 Dakota that is slowly but inexorably sliding down the slope toward non highway use. I hope to reverse the trend and sell it before I have a junker on my hands which I have no real need for.

Pat

 

[bondo]

I have a 1978 scout II that I use on the farm on a regular basis. Never take it out of 4X4 low range and use it to pull the manure spreader, hay rake, and anything else that I can hook behind it. No PTO on it, but I do know they made them with it. My first scout was just the front fenders and hood on the seat, nothing else but frame and motor/trans. They keep running and engine/drive train is bullet proof. I was going to go the route and get 16" AG tires for it but just keep getting used snow tires, as I also use it to plow snow.

Bondoｩ

 

[davo727]

I say why not, if you can make use of it give it a try. I think I will end up using an old 3/4 or 1 ton 4/4 for some kind of utility vehicle . Here is a pic of one I like that I found on Machine Builders Network Lot of good info on building things from scratch like backhoes and modifying things.

 

[tree farmer]

Way back in the late 60's, the local IH dealer here had a new Scout 1/2 cab that he had fitted with a 3ph and pto. He used it to mow hay as well as most other tractor duties on his farm. Looked kinda funny parked in town with a disc hangin' on the back. I wish they still made them...Dan.

 

[plowking]

There is a homemade tractor club, in New England. The vehicles are called doodlebugs. They were vehicles made during or after the war by farmers to maintain their farms due to shortage of tractors due to the war. Doodlebugs were flatheads or model t's or half pickup,whatever worked,they had big truck or tractor rears,double transmissions,flatheads. The local fairs have doodlebugs doing sled pulls. You can get into the hobby for not a lot of money. Rules keep the vehicles from getting too elaborate and too expensive. plowking

 

[bubba28352]

I'm doing the same thing to a 90 Dakota 4x4, I'm removing the bed, shorting the frame not quite to the axel. between e-bay. tractor supply, and northern-tool you can buy a three point hitch, pto pump, and controls for around $500. you will have to have the hose's made up, and make some brackets for the pump. With the 4x4 I have several "lows" to choose from. I'm going to "jack it up" to the height I will reinforce the shock brackets and replace the shocks with "struts" so it won't bottom out, I'm also adding a "boom" and winch in the bed. I've been studying on this for a while now, looking things up etc, it's very doable' and easier to buy and add on the right pump and pto than it is to "invent" one and cheaper in the long run, since yours is a two wheel drive, I suggest welding up the spyder gears, or purchase a Detroit locker.
As, far as tires, get some old military tires and go tall as you can, or just add snow chains, I've run many a boggy swamp with chains on my tires. towing mowers works well it you stagger just right. Good luck

 

[bcp]

Doodlebug tractor photos

Bruce

 

[herringchoker]

I built one when I was a kid going to school (almost 50 years ago). The frame was from a 1950 Chev sedan, the power train was from a Morris Oxford (4 cylinder, 4 speed), and the front axle was an inverted I-beam from a Morris Ten. I wanted my father to spring for a 3-ton truck rear end, but he never did. The rear axle was upside down so the spring rests would easily bolt to the frame (no welder then), hence 1 speed forward and 4 reverse. All the tires were bald, so father found a couple of larger size snow tires, cut the beads out of them and mounted them over the bald tires on the drive axle. That worked pretty well except when dirt got in between the 2 tires...then the inner tire could spin inside the outer tire. It worked well pulling a (horse drawn) mower, dump rake and trailer. I called it the Hoyt-Clagwell. Wish I had a picture of it.

 

[ishiboo]

I built one when I was a kid going to school (almost 50 years ago). The frame was from a 1950 Chev sedan, the power train was from a Morris Oxford (4 cylinder, 4 speed), and the front axle was an inverted I-beam from a Morris Ten. I wanted my father to spring for a 3-ton truck rear end, but he never did. The rear axle was upside down so the spring rests would easily bolt to the frame (no welder then), hence 1 speed forward and 4 reverse. All the tires were bald, so father found a couple of larger size snow tires, cut the beads out of them and mounted them over the bald tires on the drive axle. That worked pretty well except when dirt got in between the 2 tires...then the inner tire could spin inside the outer tire. It worked well pulling a (horse drawn) mower, dump rake and trailer. I called it the Hoyt-Clagwell. Wish I had a picture of it.

This is on Craigslist right now:

Blazer loader

 

[deerseeker001]

I knew of at least two that were in the area years ago.

Doodlebug tractor photos

Bruce

 

[CalG]

I've been familiar with the term "skip jack" in the New England north woods.

An beat down 4X4 with a repalcement engine /transmission feeding into the original transmission and transfer case.

Add big tires, and there you have it.

Don't have any photos though. wish I did. The support/adaptor plate joining two transmissions can get quite creative ;-)

 

[aczlan]

I've been familiar with the term "skip jack" in the New England north woods.

An beat down 4X4 with a repalcement engine /transmission feeding into the original transmission and transfer case.

Add big tires, and there you have it.

Don't have any photos though. wish I did. The support/adaptor plate joining two transmissions can get quite creative ;-)

I have seen where they take the engine and transmission from a FWD car (older Honda 1.5L and 1.6L engines are popular) and hook its driveshafts to the axles from a 4x4 or AWD vehicle. Instant 3 or 4 to 1 gear reduction.
Search for "transaxle buggy" to find some.

Aaron Z