Utility Tractor Built Out Of Combine

Utility Tractor Built Out Of Combine COMBINES Conversions 20-3-40 "I wanted a good-looking machine that I could use for many different jobs," says Leavenworth, Kan., machinist Wayne Kirby about the rebuilt Deere combine he uses to mow grass, blow snow, and haul loads. Kirby started with a Deere 55 combine. It had previously been fitted with final drives and wheels off a Deere 95 combine and had an overhauled 304 cu. in. 6-cyl. engine with only 300 hours on it. He stripped the combine down to the axles, engine and cab. He built a new frame out of 6-in. channel iron, shortening the combine's wheel-base by 14 in. He moved the cab back 41 in. and down 26 in. He redid linkages to the 4-speed trans-mission, shortening them from 6 ft. to 20 in. and relocating levers from the right rear to the right front of the cab. He mounted the engine directly above the rear axle, to hold down the back of the machine when equipment is mounted on the front lift arms. Kirby built three attachments to fit the combine, including a 12-ft. fourblade rotary mower, a 7-ft. twin screw snow blower, and a fork lift that lift up to 12 1/2 ft. high, powered by the machine's live pto shaft. Kirby built the pto out of the rear end of a Chevy 3/4-ton pickup. It mounts length-wise underneath the machine and is belt-driven off the engine. A hydraulic cylinder is used to engage the pto by tightening the belt. The mower, snow blower, and fork lift attach to the 3-pt. hitch Kirby built on front. The hydraulic pump that originally raised the combine header raises the 3 pt. lift arms, while a separate hydraulic cylinder controls the top link. Kirby shortened the combine's original fuel tank 10 in. and mounted it be-hind the cab. He also fashioned new tin work for the rear of the machine. Out-of-pocket expenses were about $1,200. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Wayne Kirby, 23193 227th, Leavenworth, Kan. 66048 (ph 913 727-6028).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.