Articulated 4-WD Loader Tractor Powered By Engine

Articulated 4-WD Loader Tractor Powered By Engine TRACTORS Skid Steer Loaders 21-5-2 "It works great for moving snow or digging holes and is light enough to go across wet lawns without even leaving a mark," says Bob Burk, Hutchinson, Kan., about the small articulated 4-WD tractor he built. The tractor is totally hydraulic-powered and can be equipped with either a 4-ft. wide bucket or a posthole auger. It's powered by a 40 hp Volkswagen air-cooled engine and rides on a pair of rear axles taken from two Chevy cars. Burk cut the axles down to 3 ft. wide and positioned them so that they face each other, then bolted a hydraulic motor to the input shafts on each one. The engine direct-drives a hydraulic pump that operates the motors. The articulation joint was formed by using a pair of front spindles off a Chevy car. Each spindle is welded to a steel plate, with one spindle horizontal and the other vertical. One spindle is bolted to each half of the tractor. The spindles are connected to each other by a pair of steel pins. "It works similar to the articulation joint on a Versatile tractor," notes Burk. The rig rides on 15 in. car wheels. He used an old truck frame and scrap iron to build a frame that supports the loader arms, which are made from 2 by 3-in. steel tubing. A pair of 6-ton hydraulic cylinders raise or lower the arms and a 12-in. long, 6-in. wide cylinder tilts the bucket. The bucket pins to the loader arms while the auger attaches to a separate framework and is operated by its own hydraulic motor. Power steering is provided by the steering gear, hoses, and fittings off a Chevrolet car. "My wife calls it my salvage yard special. A lot of people look at it and try to figure out what it is," says Burk. "It operates much like a big articulated 4-WD tractor. It works good in deep snow because all four wheels pull and because it articulates. I can turn the wheels up to 90 degrees so that all four wheels take a different track, allowing me to drive out. If I do get stuck I can drop the bucket to the ground and use it as lever-age while backing up. I can raise the bucket 10 ft. in the air. "My son gave me the steering wheel which was designed for hot rod cars and is only 12 in. in diamteter. With power steering I don't need a big steering wheel. I move a lever left to go forward and right to go back-ward. The rig starts and stops so smooth I can block all four wheels with 2 by 4's and drive up on them and stop. "The post hole auger can be reversed which is handy when it gets stopped by roots or other obstacles. I use a two-way valve to control the auger motor, which telescopes within itself and can go as deep as 8 ft. It's not heavy enough to dig into hard ground. "The 6-ton cylinders that operate the loader arms are longer than necessary, but I was able to buy them cheap. The cylinder that controls the bucket was was off a dump truck. My biggest expense was $175 for the forward-reverse valve. The pump that I used is dual hydraulic, cast aluminum. It's really two pumps in one. I use the 8 gpm pump to drive the motors on the axles and the 12 gpm pump to operate the auger." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bob Burk, 106 N. Mayfield Road, Hutchinson, Kan. 67501 (ph 316 663-1845).

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