He Turns Old Parts Into Useful, Fun Vehicles

He Turns Old Parts Into Useful, Fun Vehicles MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 31-2-26 Kerry Tamke is a tool-and-die worker by day who uses his skills during his free time to create vehicles for work and play. He recently built a 4-WD utility vehicle that comes in handy for chores on his Arcadia, Wis., farm. He calls his articulated creation a Pugster, after the Pug utility vehicle he drove when he was younger. He started with two rear axles from Ford Ranger pickups and added an engine and CV joints from a 1980 Dodge Colt. The power steering, hydraulic cylinders and hydraulic pump came from a Massey Ferguson combine. "The 4-cyl. engine came with a 4-speed manual transaxle transmission with a high-low shift, giving it eight speeds forward and two in reverse," Tamke says. The gears and the design take him anywhere he wants to go from 1 to 30 mph. The Pugster makes sharp turns in tight spaces, and has good traction in snow, mud and sand. Tamke uses it mostly for hauling firewood. The 6 by 6-ft. dump box holds about 3/4 of a cord. He also hauls hay and dirt. It comes in handy for hunting, too. By bolting a ladder on front, Tamke even devised a mobile system to move from tree to tree to pick apples. He took about a year to build the Pugster in his free time. He had 80 percent of the parts for the vehicle and spent about $2,000 for new tires and steel for the dump box. He built another unique vehicle, combining a Heald minibike frame with an antique "hit & miss" Deere 1.5 hp model E. The little motorcycle tops out at 6 mph and even has a sidecar. "My wife needed a place to ride," Tamke laughs. The couple rides the cycle at antique engine shows. "It gets a lot of attention and compliments." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Kerry Tamke, Arcadia, Wis. (rusty_iron @hotmail.com).

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