|
Turns over, but hasn't been ran in 10 years.
History of the Homemade "Jeep" Tractors
In 1947, W.C. (Willie) Westaby and his son Marlo of Alexander, IA., were in the custom baling business. They were pulling the balers with a WC Allis Chalmers but felt that the tractor was too slow on the road when moving from farm to farm.
The baler had its own engine, so they only needed the tractor to pull it.
The decision was made to build a tractor that better suited their needs, and they started planning and gathering parts. A 1934 Chevrolet truck was purchased. They used the 6-cylinder engine, the 4-speed transmission, the rear end, and the front section of the frame. A second transmission was installed directly behind the first transmission with only a u-joint connecting them. The second transmission was needed to be able to travel slow enough in the field. The rear end was installed and connected to the second transmission with another u-joint. They needed an older car's front axle, since the older cars back then did not have front brakes. The rear wheels each had individual brake controls. The engine hood, radiator, and gas tank were from a WC Allis tractor and modified to fit the chassis.
The tractors were nicknamed "Jeeps." When both transmissions were in 1st gear and the engine idled down, it would move so slow that you almost needed to set stakes to see if it was moving. The Jeeps had about any speed you needed from very slow up to "we don't know how fast they will go, but we have gone 60 mph, and that's not full throttle!"
Willie and Marlo built 4 of these tractors, and only 2 of them remain in existence.
|
Get Shipping Quotes