A little tractor I built when I was 14

[Frank Surber]

This is a small tractor that I built when I was 14 I had been working at the blacksmith shop for about 4 years and decided I needed a small tractor around the farm

The tractor has an old lambretta scooter engine I had cut off the right angle drive for the rear wheel at the back of the transmission then made a short shaft to connect the trans to a 4 speed transmission off of a 12 HP Western Auto rider mower then put 2 sprockets in the rear transmission back to the axle where I mounted 2 sprockets as idlers with a dog clutch between them this gave me 3 x 4 x 2 for a total of 24 forward speeds and 6 reverse top speed was around 20 MPH which could easily keep up with the larger Molines and big John Deers' we had
the small trailer you see in the front I made for my dad's riding lawn mower I even made a 1" ball hitch for it by using an old truck tie rod end

 

[V1Rotate]

Very cool

 

[creekbend]

:thumbsup: Thanks for posting.

 

[EE_Bota]

That was mighty good experience to have at an early age. Great!

 

[Frank Surber]

What is a shame is this is the only picture that I have of it or the trailer
I made a pair of steel wheels for it out of old Mack truck rims and welded angle iron lugs on them we used it several times to pull start the big tractors especially the John Deere H

 

[MIKE R]

Very cool. Thanks for posting.

 

[Bob77064]

Good job.

 

[magicheater]

Thank you for sharing that Frank! I and others also, will look forward to seeing other things you have built. Welcome aboard! What tractor do you have now?

 

[JD 4520]

Perhaps you should apply for the CEO position at John Deere... Nice work!

 

[LJH]

That's a danged cool project for any age, all the more impressive that you were only 14! So, what did you end up doing for a living? Still building stuff?

 

[Frank Surber]

That's a danged cool project for any age, all the more impressive that you were only 14! So, what did you end up doing for a living? Still building stuff?

Well you might say still building things. not sure just where to start though.
The tractor was no my first DIY project I guess my first project was a hand forged dog bowl for the grand son of the Blacksmith I was apprenticing under I was about 12 when I made it but sadly like most things I made in the early 60s there were either no pictures taken or have long since been lost of destroyed.
Any way just before the tractor I build a Texas sized mini bike it turned out to be about the size of a Chushman scooter but not near as fun to ride so it didn't stay around long I traded it for a go-cart. No Idea what happened to the frame of that thing except that the engine the front wheels and the pair of 14 inch car rims for the back wheels with G78 tires these are the ones that wound up on the tractor
View attachment 291101
I did not build the cart I just modified the heck out of it. Originally the front wheels were on the back powered by a 4 hp Clinton gear reduction engine a cable operated clutch that you had to press to hold down to make it go. The engine met its death at my young foot so the engine from the lambretta and the homemade rear wheels evolved with the back tired being moved to the front
I was lots of fun but not of much use hence the evolution of the tractor

 

[Huffmang]

Great job!!!!