«Previous    Next»
Remote-Controlled Toy “Deere 5050”
Fifteen-year-old Burnell Leid of Thorp, Wis., wanted a remote-controlled toy tractor but couldn’t justify the cost, so he made his own, modeling it after a “Deere 5050” previously featured in FARM SHOW (Vol. 22, No. 6). The full-size 5050 was built by Jon Kinzenbaw and was actually a repowered 1960’s Deere 5020.
  Using the actuator motors from a car defrost flap control and a 12-volt DeWalt cordless drill battery, Leid built a wooden prototype. After fine tuning the design, he rebuilt the tractor using mostly 4-in. steel tubing. The tractor weighs 13 lbs. 10 oz. and can travel at 2 mph at full speed.
  “It has plenty of power and weight to pull any scale implement hooked behind it,” says Burnell. “I chose the Kinze-built Deere 5050 because I like how it looks. The control box is a watertight electrical box purchased at a local hardware store. It has 2 buttons - one for steering and one for forward and reverse. The only tools I used were a saw and welder.”
  The tractor contains a 12-volt DeWalt battery inside the cab and a steering motor under the hood. The body and cab roof are made from 4-in. steel plate and hinged for access to the battery and motor. The exhaust muffler and air intake were fashioned from long bolts and are located on the right side of the tractor. The front wheels and axle are off an Ertl toy, and Burnell already had the rear wheels. “I might add lights to the tractor,” he says.  
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Burnell Leid, N12574 County Road M, Thorp, Wis. 54771 (ph 715 669-3799; Harold@leiddiesel.net).


  Click here to download page story appeared in.



  Click here to read entire issue




To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.
Order the Issue Containing This Story
2019 - Volume #43, Issue #2