HOMEMADE TRACTOR START

[cranker]

Well i have lurked here long enough with out posting anything so here it goes. I have always wanted to make a small tractor with a fel so after reading alot on here i have started.
So far it encludes the following stuff.

2.3 l Ford from 88 ranger
C4 from 81 mustang
9in rearend from an 79 ford f150 narrowed (5.14 gears and a spool)
5 gallon fuel cell
The rest was made in house.

Hope the pics work and please be gentle...

 

[cranker]

Here is a close up of the header that i made for it.

Here is a close up of the spindle that i made for it. They are made from 2 1 1/4 trailer spndles that i welded to 1 3/4 x 1/4 wall dom tubing and then drilled a 1 1/4 hole through the tubing and then welded the other spindle in vertically. For the Spindles to attact to the axle i used 2 !in wide pieces of 2 1/2 in x 1/4 wall dom tubing to 2 in x 1/4 inch wall tubing this allowed me to put the tappered bearing it them and then tighten them up so the whole assembly turns on the bearings and then i just used 4 bolt trailer hubs for the wheels.

 

[DRL]

Very nice, I really like the spindles.
Keep the pixs coming.
DRL

 

[tnhomestead]

Wow wish I could do something like that!!!! Keep da pics coming!

 

[cranker]

Thanks for the kind words i will keep adding pics with the updates...


crank

 

[dave1949]

Any idea how fast it will go in 1st gear @ 2500 rpm?

Looks great, keep the updates coming.

Dave.

 

[cranker]

Thanks dave, i believe it will be around 12 to mph. I know its high but i got the gears cheap and figured i would start there. I wanted something in the 6's but figured i would work on those after its drivable and hopefully i can find a racer looking to get rid of some cheap...

 

[Thomas]

Welcome to TBN.

Somethings tells me your no strangers when it comes to wrenching.

Yes,do keep us updated.

 

[J_J]

What kind of hydraulics have you envisioned? A fan belt driven 12 v clutch operated hydraulic pump would work.

 

[cranker]

J.J, sounds like we think alike...

Thomas, i have spun a wrech or two in my time. I am a auto parst warehouse manager for the past 17yrs thats why i used so many car parts on it. makes research time a little eaisier when you spen 10 hrs a day in a warehouse with over 3 million dollars in inventory.. lol

 

[Diamondpilot]

Nice work.

I would look at putting in a transfer case from a 4 wheel drive truck. This will allow you to run it in 4 low and keep the speed low enough while keeping the engine in the power band.

Chris

 

[PANHAPP]

Maybe a chain drive reduction 4 or 5 to 1?

 

[Travelover]

Back in the day it was common to put two (manual) transmissions in series to get the overall gear reduction cheaply.

 

[Mace Canute]

C4 ratios are 2.46:1, 1.46:1 and 1:1. In low gear your overall ratio will be 12.644:1 and that will give you an approximate ground speed of 13.2 MPH with 28" tall tires @ 2000 RPM without considering torque converter slippage. If TC slippage is on the order of 5%, your ground speed will be approximately 12.5 MPH. Idling along at 1000 RPM will still have you moving at a good 6 MPH, probably much too fast for most of your needs.
If you could find a T-18 or T-18A four speed transmission, which have 6.32:1, 3.09:1, 1.69:1, and 1.00:1 ratios in first, second, third and fourth, you could get a ground speed of about 2 1/5 MPH in first @ 1000 RPM. Going from a 5.14:1 to a 7:1 differential ratio with a 6.32:1 first gear will give you a ground speed of about 1 7/8 MPH @ 1000 RPM. The C-4 with 5.14:1 gears and a chain drive 3:1 reduction will give you about 2 MPH in low @ 1000 RPM and a 4:1 reduction will give a good 1.5 MPH @ 1000 RPM.

As others have mentioned, you will probably need a second transmission or a chain drive reduction to get a decent enough ground speed.

Nice looking work!

 

[cranker]

Thanks guys for all of the info. I did originally have a 4sp in it from a pinto but i deceided to go with the auto for ease of fab. no clutch pedal or linkage. I think it is from a 76 pinto but not sure. maybe i will put that back in. i have already remade the tranny mount once whats one more time.

 

[dave1949]

Another thought to throw in here, if you could luck into a transmission with the PTO option from a 1 - 1.5 ton truck, that could be useful for a hydraulic pump power source maybe. Or to power something else.

Dave.

 

[cranker]

Dave you guys are killing me with all of these ideas!!! I already have a bunch of stuff running through my little brain now there is another.....lol

Thanks Crank

 

[nickwarchol]

Nice job on the headers. I've always wanted to practice building a set, that looks like a great application to learn on.

Have you thought about wheelie bars yet?

 

[dave1949]

Dave you guys are killing me with all of these ideas!!! I already have a bunch of stuff running through my little brain now there is another.....lol

Thanks Crank

I should be thanking you, hanging around on TBN is a lot more fun than painting doors - which is what I am supposed to be doing
Dave.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I'm surprised no one has commented on your hood yet. It looks nice. In my opinion, the hardest thing about making a home-made tractor is making it actually look like a tractor. So far you're doing great.

You're going to need different tires, but I'm guessing that was already in the plan.