Ford Explorer Powered By Combine Engine

2007 - Volume #31, Issue #3, Page #35

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Micah Hege of Richland Center, Wis., has had a lot of fun with his unique 1995 4-WD Ford Explorer which he re-powered with a combine engine.
    The engine he used came out of a 1975 Deere 3300 which he used to run on his dad's farm.
    "I now work as a logger, and I acquired the combine from my Dad by trading a pile of logs for it," Hege says. "The 4-cyl. non-turbo, 219-cu. in., 3.5-liter, Deere engine was rated at 70 hp and still ran well. It had about 3,100 hours on it when I started the project in the spring of '06. Adapting everything to fit took a lot of time."
    He added a turbo charger from a log skidder and figures the engine now has around 90 hp.
    Hege also converted the Ford Explorer's original automatic transmission to a manual 5-speed transmission out of a Ford Ranger. As a result, he had to design a 3/4-in. steel adapter plate to hook up to the combine engine. This took many hours of fabricating.
    "I had the original Deere flywheel machined down so as to remove the equivalent amount of weight that the Ford gas engine flywheel added," he explains. "Then I had an adapter piece made so I could bolt the Ford flywheel onto the Deere flywheel."
    With the manual transmission being lighter than the automatic transmission, and the Deere diesel engine being heavier than the original gas engine, the conversion still added a significant amount of weight onto this vehicle, according to Hege. He weighed everything before and after, to learn that the vehicle gained around 350 lbs.
    "I've been driving it ever since, and have put on over 7,000 miles," he says. "So far, so good. It's the type of vehicle that I'll probably never be done working on because there are always little things that I want to modify. I love mechanical work and fabricating. My dad dairy farmed and when I was working with my dad, we always had Deere equipment. For some reason, I just always had this drive to re-power a truck with a Deere engine. I wanted to see what fuel economy I could get with a diesel powered engine."
    So far, Hege says his average fuel economy is 23 mpg for local driving. He thinks he could improve that if he lowered his engine rpm's by putting a higher gear ratio into the rear end.
    "The current rear end gearing ratio is 3.55. At 60 mph, my engine's running at 2,000 rpm's. My top speed with this thing is 78 mph," he says. "My total expense to this point is about $3,500, which is what I'd expect to pay for that vehicle with a gas engine. If for no other reason, the time I put into this project has been worth it for the novelty of having a Deere engine - like the looks and the comments I get. It sounds like a tractor coming down Main Street."
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Micah Hege, 24332 County Hwy. D, Richland Center, Wis. 53581 (ph 608 604-3492).

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Ford Explorer Powered By Combine Engine COMBINES Miscellaneous Micah Hege of Richland Center Wis has had a lot of fun with his unique 1995 4-WD Ford Explorer which he re-powered with a combine engine The engine he used came out of a 1975 Deere 3300 which he used to run on his dad s farm I now work as a logger and I acquired the combine from my Dad by trading a pile of logs for it Hege says The 4-cyl non-turbo 219-cu in 3 5-liter Deere engine was rated at 70 hp and still ran well It had about 3 100 hours on it when I started the project in the spring of 06 Adapting everything to fit took a lot of time He added a turbo charger from a log skidder and figures the engine now has around 90 hp Hege also converted the Ford Explorer s original automatic transmission to a manual 5-speed transmission out of a Ford Ranger As a result he had to design a 3/4-in steel adapter plate to hook up to the combine engine This took many hours of fabricating I had the original Deere flywheel machined down so as to remove the equivalent amount of weight that the Ford gas engine flywheel added he explains Then I had an adapter piece made so I could bolt the Ford flywheel onto the Deere flywheel With the manual transmission being lighter than the automatic transmission and the Deere diesel engine being heavier than the original gas engine the conversion still added a significant amount of weight onto this vehicle according to Hege He weighed everything before and after to learn that the vehicle gained around 350 lbs I ve been driving it ever since and have put on over 7 000 miles he says So far so good It s the type of vehicle that I ll probably never be done working on because there are always little things that I want to modify I love mechanical work and fabricating My dad dairy farmed and when I was working with my dad we always had Deere equipment For some reason I just always had this drive to re-power a truck with a Deere engine I wanted to see what fuel economy I could get with a diesel powered engine So far Hege says his average fuel economy is 23 mpg for local driving He thinks he could improve that if he lowered his engine rpm s by putting a higher gear ratio into the rear end The current rear end gearing ratio is 3 55 At 60 mph my engine s running at 2 000 rpm s My top speed with this thing is 78 mph he says My total expense to this point is about $3 500 which is what I d expect to pay for that vehicle with a gas engine If for no other reason the time I put into this project has been worth it for the novelty of having a Deere engine - like the looks and the comments I get It sounds like a tractor coming down Main Street Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Micah Hege 24332 County Hwy D Richland Center Wis 53581 ph 608 604-3492

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