My Dad's Home-Built Tractor

[Urbish]

I've been scanning some family photos that I found while cleaning out after my dad passed away. I found photos of the home-built tractor he made in the early 1990's. The engine is a Continental that came off of a portable welder. The frame, front axle, front wheels, and bead-board top were custom made. The rear axle was out of a 1940's Chevrolet. The rear wheels were off of a Farmall F-12/14 with custom centers welded in to fit the Chevrolet hubs.

He put a bunch of time and effort into it, but lost interest shortly after these photos were taken. About 10 years ago he called a scrap guy to come haul it away. I was, of course, devastated. But that's how he rolled. I can't recall a single project like this that he ever did finish.

[ctltmp]

That is very cool, and a lot of work went into it. At least you could preserve the pictures. Thanks for sharing.

[Donegal Cub]

WOW!!! Talk about about necessity being the mother of invention. Your dad must have been a pretty smart engineer. Thanks for sharing.

[ricky racer]

Wow!! It looks like it was so close to being done.... What a bummer.

[Gary Dotson]

I wonder if it really got scrapped? Pretty cool!

[Urbish]

I wonder if it really got scrapped? Pretty cool!

Hard to say. That scrap guy made off with a cool little Clark railroad car forklift, and two running/driving late 1940's Chevrolet trucks in the same haul... any of which I would have gladly taken home myself had I known they were available.

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

I like the pictures and the tractor itself, and completely understand the devastated part. My grandfather had an f12 that he had owned when my dad was a boy, and Dad learned to drive a tractor on that F12. I had told Grandpa several times I wanted that tractor if he ever decided to sell it. I had been to his farm a few times and hadn't seen it around, but didn't pay any attention, since Grandpa frequently loaned it to neighbors. Finally one day I asked about it. A scrap dealer had come by and Grandpa had sold it along with several horse drawn implements, many of which had been setup to pull be hind the F12. I was in my mid 20s at the time, and I went home and nearly cried. I still get upset when I think about it, and I am just a couple months shy of 72 now.

On a much brighter note, thanks to a bunch of people on this forum I have my dad's 1941 Farmall H he bought used in 47, and farmed with for over 45 years. It sets in my shed and gets started every 2 or 3 months, and gets driven the 5 miles into town once a year for the Moses Austin (founder of Potosi, Mo.) Days parade.

[phildidit]

That is a really cool looking tractor. I love it!