WH1055 0 #1 Posted October 1, 2009 Meet this tractor, she was my intro to all things tractors.... I found a Montgomery Ward, well, the frame and engine of a lil ride on in the woods. It had an orange Briggs, 5 hp (Idk what it is about those Briggs 5hp's I love so much, so crude, horrible fuel economy, and rough idle) and it was the first motor I ever took all apart and rebuilt without my fathers help (i was 13 at the time). Well, it needed a fuel tank, after i soon discovered the pin holes in the original. So somehow in the woods behind a very old shop I was exploring at the time, i saw this thing, buried after sitting there for years. It had an old 4hp briggs with the head removed and what not. The gas tank (perfect...oddly enough) swapped and thats all that mattered. I pushed it with 4 locked tires across a highway, and dragged it home a quarter mile through virgin woods with my Dad's cub cadet...If he could have only seen me, He would have surely killed me. Besides, not only did I need the tank, but something to bolt my motor to see if she ran after all the work I did! The original tranny was completely rotted out on the inside, totally seized. The actual pulley and the shaft had rotted internally to nothing from sitting in water all those years. I loved how goofy it was, and I desperately though of a way to make it drive. I saw an old Cub Cadet ride on in a wheeling pit, and went to go see what it had for a tranny. Surely enough, a Peerless, maybe it could work..... Some custom mounting holes and a beautifully re-engineered belt clutch and some funny pulley ratio's later......my Briggs was driving my aptly named, BATTLE TRACTOR I, or BT I for short... Here are some of the pics I have on hand... I will put more up when I find them... Also I will post some of BT II, a simplicity broadmore 727 I still have to this day... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stress Test Pullin 0 #2 Posted October 2, 2009 amen lol just enough character to count, nice man :scratchead: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bell 11 #3 Posted October 2, 2009 Do me a favor and post a better pic of the rear tires for Kelly and I.... :scratchead: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kelly 1,029 #4 Posted October 2, 2009 Yes I seen them also Jon, but kinda look like 6" rims I've seen a few sets that size. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bell 11 #5 Posted October 2, 2009 Yep, I think you're right... they do look like 6"ers... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WH1055 0 #6 Posted October 2, 2009 Yes, they were probably only 6- 8 inch tires. I have a few more pics but for some reason my computer wont let me upload them, have to try on another.... It was fast enough to jump that 66' mustang hood pictured, oh, and reverse never worked, had to push it back out manually. These pictures were also taken in 2003 latest and my camera at the time was totally awful, explaining the quality. They were pretty cool tires though, very very cracked but held air no problem... I scrapped this one only because my father gave me the ultimatum, one of them the sears or the simplicity must go to make room for the Wheel Horse....obvious choice... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sawhorse 0 #7 Posted October 3, 2009 Your pictures take me back to the old "swamp machine" days. We took the tires off the rims and welded rebar to the outside of the rims for extra swamp traction. :scratchead: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
~ETC~ 0 #8 Posted December 28, 2009 Your pictures take me back to the old "swamp machine" days. We took the tires off the rims and welded rebar to the outside of the rims for extra swamp traction. wait what?!?!? like welded the rebarb acrost the rim beads to make a crude steel paddle wheel? thats awesome.....thank you for this great idea.... i have tons of rims n rebarb......just no tires :thumbs: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites