Riding Mower Converted To Tracked “Sap Hauler”
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Thanks to a good supply of salvaged materials and strong mechanical skills, Gene Cunningham turned his 20-year-old Toro Z zero-turn riding mower into a tracked “sap hauler” machine. He says it comes in handy for a variety of jobs. Also, as a disabled vet with limited walking ability, he likes being able to get up close to everything.
“It’ll go anywhere a 4-wheeler will go, but has much better flotation. I’ve driven it in snow 4 to 5 ft. deep,” says Cunningham, a retired engineer who runs a small hay and livestock operation and also produces maple syrup from about 200 taps. “I use it to pull a small trailer with a 65-gal. tank full of sap. I use 5-gal. buckets to fill the tank in the woods and then drive home, pull up beside a collecting station, and pump the sap out.
“I built it mostly from salvaged materials. I already had the mower, and a friend gave the tracks to me. I spent a total of less than $2,000 to build both the machine and trailer.”
He lengthened the machine’s frame 2 ft., cutting the mower’s front axle off and replacing it with a boat trailer axle. He also moved the rear axle back, then mounted ATV wheels all the way around. The 6-in. pneumatic wheels off an old hay tedder serve as bogey wheels, and the 13-in. wide tracks are off an Argo tracked amphibious vehicle.
The support pipes from a trampoline were used to build a rollbar, and he built an access platform on front from square tubing and an old radiator screen. A pair of fiberglass sideboards, salvaged from a camping trailer, help keep mud and snow off the driver.
The mower’s engine was worn out so Cunningham replaced it with the 18 hp. engine off a home generator, also building a sheet metal hood for it.
He also used Argo tracks and ATV wheels and axles to build the trailer, adding a frame made from angle iron and square tubing off an old side delivery hay rake.
“I’m well satisfied with how it turned out,” says Cunningham. “I had been using an expensive commercial tracked machine, but it broke down frequently and I spent a lot of money trying to fix it. I tried using a snowmobile with a trailer to haul sap, but having to drive on bare ground at times was hard on the machine.
“It turns on a dime, like a skid loader. If I have to turn very tight the tracks sometimes will slip on the drive wheels, but it’s not a big problem. Also, the machine could use more power when climbing steep hills.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gene Cunningham, 497 Horseback Rd., Carmel, Maine 04419 (ph 207 852-6749; valleybrookfarms@outlook.com).
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Riding Mower Converted To Tracked “Sap Hauler” FARM HOME Lawn Mowers 31h 38 Thanks to a good supply of salvaged materials and strong mechanical skills Gene Cunningham turned his 20-year-old Toro Z zero-turn riding mower into a tracked “sap hauler” machine He says it comes in handy for a variety of jobs Also as a disabled vet with limited walking ability he likes being able to get up close to everything “It’ll go anywhere a 4-wheeler will go but has much better flotation I’ve driven it in snow 4 to 5 ft deep ” says Cunningham a retired engineer who runs a small hay and livestock operation and also produces maple syrup from about 200 taps “I use it to pull a small trailer with a 65-gal tank full of sap I use 5-gal buckets to fill the tank in the woods and then drive home pull up beside a collecting station and pump the sap out “I built it mostly from salvaged materials I already had the mower and a friend gave the tracks to me I spent a total of less than $2 000 to build both the machine and trailer ” He lengthened the machine’s frame 2 ft cutting the mower’s front axle off and replacing it with a boat trailer axle He also moved the rear axle back then mounted ATV wheels all the way around The 6-in pneumatic wheels off an old hay tedder serve as bogey wheels and the 13-in wide tracks are off an Argo tracked amphibious vehicle The support pipes from a trampoline were used to build a rollbar and he built an access platform on front from square tubing and an old radiator screen A pair of fiberglass sideboards salvaged from a camping trailer help keep mud and snow off the driver The mower’s engine was worn out so Cunningham replaced it with the 18 hp engine off a home generator also building a sheet metal hood for it He also used Argo tracks and ATV wheels and axles to build the trailer adding a frame made from angle iron and square tubing off an old side delivery hay rake “I’m well satisfied with how it turned out ” says Cunningham “I had been using an expensive commercial tracked machine but it broke down frequently and I spent a lot of money trying to fix it I tried using a snowmobile with a trailer to haul sap but having to drive on bare ground at times was hard on the machine “It turns on a dime like a skid loader If I have to turn very tight the tracks sometimes will slip on the drive wheels but it’s not a big problem Also the machine could use more power when climbing steep hills ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Gene Cunningham 497 Horseback Rd Carmel Maine 04419 ph 207 852-6749; valleybrookfarms@outlook com
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