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Home-Built "Cat" Utility Vehicles
"My hobby is working with metal and hydraulics," says Don Schams, Bella Vista, Ark., who has built five small "go anyplace" vehicles with dump boxes on back.
  "I'm retired now but I was in construction and used mostly Caterpillar equipment so I gained a lot of experience working with hydraulic power. All five vehicles I've built are totally hydraulic with no belts, pulleys or gears on any of them."
  The largest vehicle he built was powered by an 80 hp Ford engine with 4-WD, articulated steering, and an oscillating axle. Since then he's built four smaller units ranging from 10 to 20 hp.
  A 10 hp model, powered by a Briggs & Stratton engine, has rear wheel drive. A 16 hp unit is modeled after a large earthmover. Another 16-hp model has 4-WD with articulated steering and an oscillating axle. And a larger model, with a 20 hp Honda engine, has 2-WD.
  All models have TRW hydraulic wheel motors, Sundstrand hydrostatic transmissions, power steering, and hydraulic dump boxes.
  "They come in handy for hauling all kinds of heavy loads. I build each one from scratch, without using any blueprints, and I try to make each one a little different," says Schams. "They probably cost as much or more to build as comparable commercial models, but I enjoy building them."
  Scham doesn't sell the machines he builds. He gave one to his daughter and son-in-law, who use it in their vineyard, and has given others away to friends and family members. He spends about $5,000 on each model.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Don Schams, 14870 Ridge Road, Bella Vista, Ark. 72715 (ph 479 855-3825).


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2004 - Volume #28, Issue #6