Loader Tractors Built Out Of Old Combines

Loader tractors built out of combines COMBINES Conversions 17-2-2 "We thought your readers might be inter¡ested in how we turned a pair of old com¡bines into state-of-the-art loader tractors since we originally read about the idea in earlier issues of FARM SHOW," says William Leiser, Grand Island, Neb. Each machine cost about $4,000 to put together, including the initial purchase of the combines (not including labor or the loader on the Deere, which he already had). Here's how he built them: Deere Loader - "We bought a 1966 Deere 95 hydro and stripped off the grain cleaning components, lowering the cab and engine down to just above the chassis. We had to rebuild the hydrostatic drive. We fitted it with a Deere 158 loader that mounts on the drive axle. It has a217 cu. in. engine, a 20 gal. per min. pump, and a 30-gal. reservoir._ It has served us well for the past two years." IH Loader - "We started with a 1976 International 715 Hydro combine with a 301 diesel. It could also be fitted with a Deere 158 loader but, since it did not have a pump and reservoir for the loader, we fitted it with a double bale forkpowered by the combine header lift cylinders. "Both loaders drive and handle very well. They turn sharp and are ideal for handling bales. The weight of the bale is over the drive wheels. The engines counterbalance the bale weight." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bill Leiser, 4425 No. Engleman Rd., Grand Is-land, Neb. 68803 (ph 308 381-2888).

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