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Antique Garden Tractor
"I built my little tractor in memory of the 1928 Deere `D' and call it the 5010 Jr. because when I built it in 1960, the 5010 was the biggest tractor of its time, just like the D was in its time," says Harry Zacher, Maddock, N. Dak.
Zacher used a wide assortment of parts to build the tractor. The 15 hp, 2-cylinder engine and the radiator is from a 1936 no. 12-A 6-ft. Deere pull-type combine, with the governor altered to run slow. The rear 16-in. high bar-type grip tires, which Zacher bought new, were designed for a self-propelled swather, and the smaller front tires are off a boat trailer. The front axle (turned so it bows upward) is from a 1935 Chevrolet and the rear axle is from a 1936 Plymouth. Both axles were narrowed up to fit. The hydraulic brakes are from a 1949 Ford car.
"I built it because the 1928 Deere D was the first tractor I ever owned and I wanted to remember it," says Zacher. "In those days people said the `D' stood for the `Daddy of John Deeres'. I paid $90 for it. When I built my scale model in 1960, the Deere 5010 was among the biggest tractors on the market, and there weren't any Deere garden tractors available. I built it mostly to do chores around the yard, but it got so handy that I used it in the field to rake and bale hay, haul bales, herd cows, and drive to town on Sundays. I even built a I -row cultivator for it to use in our garden. Now I use it mostly in parades. When I want to make the tractor smoke like it's pulling hard, I step on the brake and the governor opens up so it pops loud just like the real D did when it was under load. I also use it to store machinery in my quonset building. The front hitch allows me to push machinery into tight places. The engine has plenty of power for any use. It's geared down so low that I can't kill it."
The tractor has two transmissions - a 3-speed transmission in front, removed from a Model A Ford truck, and a 4-speed trans-mission behind it, removed from an Allis-Chalmers C tractor. The front transmission runs in reverse and the rear transmission runs forward. The rear end is from an Allis-Chalmers C tractor. Zacher built the tractor frame from 2 by 3-in. steel tubing. The front drive shaft is from a 1937 Terra Plane Hudson car. The rear drive shaft and universal ioim is from an Army jeep. The flywheel is from a Case K-6 combine, the ;carter from a 1945 Allis-Chalmers WD tractor, and the steering gear and steering wheel from a 1936 Chevrolet`Zacherbought the seat from a tractor supply company. He welded a pair of plow beavertails, removed from a Graham-Hoeme cultivator, onto the sides of the tractor to serve as foot rests. He removed the front wheel weights from a Case tractor and mounted them at the rear of the tractor. He cut a pair of wheel rims in ialf from a :Minneapolis Moline grain drill and welded !hem in front to protect the radiator. He built a drawbar out of a handy-man jack and mounted an A-frame hitch on it which supports a small block and tackle. A 7-ft. long, 100-lb. log chain removed from an old steam engine hangs from the block and tackle, with a sign above that says "Have chain, will pull".
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Harry Zacher and Sons, RR 2, Box 81, Maddock, N. Dak. 58348 (ph 701 438-2454).


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1990 - Volume #14, Issue #3