November Tractor of the Month- Custom Workers !!

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,351]

This month should be fun! This month we are featuring Custom Workers-ALL years. Post them up and give us a description of the work that went into customizing your tractor. I am looking forward to this one!

I posted my 1988 520HC that I fabricated a 3 point hitch with a friend (who did most of the design). This tractor has turned into my very best worker for sure. It is on mower duty now a days. This machine will NOT be included in this month's contest just here to start us off.

[JimmyJam 542]

That is so cool Steve!!! Great job!!!

[squonk 41,379]

I originally got Marvin as a beater / back up mower. Was ugly enough. Had a bad Hydro and rusty. It ran sweet and was a blast to drive until the trans got hot.

 

 

I figured it would be all right to run the blower.

 

 

 

i used it to help stain my fence also:

 

 

Then Vinyl Guy convinced me to go custom.  Had to get new sheet metal and a trans at the show.

 

Rebuilt it in July:

 

 

 

Took him to the Steam Pageant:

 

 

Martin will be fitted with a Generac Jenny or the tall chute. Also Has a clevis hitch installed to pull the 10 " Moldboard and a slot hitch for the 8"

 

 

 

 

Edited November 15, 2013 by squonk

[953 nut 55,855]

  I submit for your consideration my "Hot Rod 953. The origional transmission was locked up and I replaced it with a 6 speed.  The Harley muffler makes it sound Kool and the flipper hubcaps just needed to be there.  

 

It has a 48 inch deck and has pulled a trailer around lots of tractor shows.

 

[Hodge71 664]

Well for your humble consideration is my 1973 18 Auto again. It wasn't good enough last month but maybe I will get lucky this time around. I got her in 2011 and it took 8 months to redo her from top to bottom except for the engine. When I bought her in 2011 she was a basket case as you can see. They hydro pump and motor was run out of oil and burned up, car tires on the back, front ones didn't hold air, a seat that a beaver had attacked at some point, no 3 point hitch and a wiring harness that looked like a 4 year old made it, the plow frame was bent and so was the moldboard like it hit something solid at about 10 MPH. But I didn't give up....I tore it pretty much down to the frame, purchased 3 hydro pumps and a motor and Made 1 good of each out of a bunch of parts. Cleaned the tranny completely after finding silicone clogging the intake screen, stripped everything to bare metal and rewelded all the broken parts, fixed all the dents and dings this poor thing got in its previously rough life and started from scratch rebuilding things the way I would have done it if I was Wheel Horse 1973. I added LED lights on both front and rear of the fenders and the headlights. I did a bunch of work for a member on here and scored me a bent up and rusted 3 point which I straightened and redid after soaking it for 2 weeks in tranny fluid and acetone to loosen all the rusted parts. Repainted everything and got a seat that was close to what was offered in 73 on it. I made turning brakes from a bunch of pieces that I got along with some ingenuity and custom fab work from my Dad and myself, 29-9.50x15 Titan R-3 sneakers in the back and a set of 18-9.50x8 turf tires up front. I remade the entire wiring harness and added a multi-fuse block. It was a labor of love from the start because I have wanted an 18 auto from the time I was old enough to read the 1973 sales brochure my Dad got with his 12 Auto. I decided at that point I was going to have an "Estate Tractor" someday. I also re-engineered the 60 inch mower deck from a 520 and installed it on the 18 Auto. Fabbing a carriage and hanger system from a bunch of parts from a 48"  belly deck from a 1977 D-200 and leftover 520 deck carriage parts. It is the best mower I have ever seen but due to the high hours on the engine I have to mow pretty slow for it to not bog down. The grass looks amazing though when its done. She plows snow like an animal and I think it will only get better once I get a newer 20 horse to rebuild. I heard that these engines were conservatively rated. The 18 was close to 26 horsepower and the 20 was closer to 29.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The whole thread can be followed here 

Edited November 5, 2013 by hodge71

[953 nut 55,855]

   Come on, there must be more!   

[Don1977 604]

Here is my C-120/180. 18 HP Briggs Vanguard, 3500# 5 lug wheels and spindles. Custom front bumper and copy of 2" receiver hitch. I repainted it a couple years ago has original decals. The front axle pivot has been rebuilt. I also rebuilt the rear hubs by borring them out and press fitting new sleeves and keying them. I bought the tractor new in 1977.

Edited November 6, 2013 by Don1977

[C-101plowerpower 1,605]

well, lets put mine up again.

i inherited my c-101 from grandpa, it was a hard worker then, but always taken care off, the engine has been replaced once because the original kohler locked up somehow

the tranny has also been rebuilt once i think since it has parts from at least 4 different transmissions

 

currently it is in pieces for a complete rebuilt to become a beautiful worker

 

Koen

[Dieselcowboy 210]

Can't seem to upload pics tonight will try tomorrow to enter the contest.

[Dieselcowboy 210]

Up for consideration is my 1977 C160 auto. When I came to me it did not run and had a broken piston. Sat outside at previous owners house because of the engine problem. Now it is my main worker. Runs like a champ. I use it for snow removal, generator, home made mid blade, loader, tilling, plowing, and just plain lugging power. If it needs a hole drilled I thoughtfully do it. If it takes duals it gets them. JD front axle is for the 1" spindles for the loader.  My custom weight bracket is in the first pic.   Whatever it takes to save all the other horses some pain. Here is a couple pics.

Edited November 11, 2013 by Dieselcowboy

[wheeledhorseman 574]

Last month I entered a 'D-200', this month ..... a 1974 A-800! So let me introduce 'Tiny Tim' the smallest of my workers.

Pictured here at the second WH Roundup in the UK this summer alongside my C-120 Auto gives an idea of its small size.

 

The tractor was acquired as a non-runner and had seen better days but had been in regular use till it stopped running.

 

 

Guys over here thought I was mad wanting to restore one of these, a resto that became a light custom job as I'll explain. To my mind two things were aesthetically wrong with the tractor: the size of steering wheel and fender pan, which on the Euro model assembled in Belgium  was the standard pan used on the C series. Apart from looking bad, the seat which was not adjustable and the depth of the three spoke steering wheel made for a pretty awkward and uncomfortable position for an average sized guy to operate it.

 

 

Restoring the tractor was the easy part, the pan and driving postion more challenging.

 

 

The standard C series pan was way out of proportion to the tractor being both too long and too wide and created an unsightly slot or should I say gaping hole that was not even central for the gear shift. Difficult to say why WH decided on this for the Euro model. Initial thoughts were to cut and shut it but it would have required many cuts in both axes all with awkward curves to deal with.

 

 

Decided to go for mixed model / era approach and use the pan I'd salvaged from a 210-4. It involved a lot of careful cutting, particularly for the gear shift gate, adapting the seat mounting from the 210, and devising a way of fixing the whole assembly to the A-800.

 

 

Don't know why but a 210 fender pan has lots of holes for things that were not fitted - more than is usually the case so me being me I welded over some of them to reduce the number to an 'authentic level as there always seem to be some.

 

 

Together with a new seat and 'soft touch' steering wheel salvaged from a B-165 the new arrangement provided a much more viable driving position and looked in proportion to the tractor.

 

 

I didn't remember to take a photo of it with the red & white WH decal on the back but I think the outcome was worth the effort. It's great fun to drive - a little tractor with attitude that likes pulling a cart or the roller as well as cutting grass. Given its size I was surprised to discover that WH actually made a snow blade for these. I've added fabbing one based on the drawings to my to do list as that would be the icing on the cake. If any of you have an A-800 with blade please let me know as I'll probably need some of the critical dimensions from it.

 

Andy

[TravelinJavelin 620]

boy the horses on this page look awesome i really like the c-120 mod and repaint of the white hood and red!

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,351]

We still need 3 more entries.....

[kaiser 100]

that a-800 is so cool. i like little cars/trucks/tractors.

[sorekiwi 761]

All of mine are workers, and most have a few "non-correct" parts to make them custom.  But the Ranger is the most custom:

 

 

 

Its my usual "go-to" tractor for just about anything except mowing, the pull start Kohler never has a flat battery, its easy to get on and off, you can pick up sticks etc without leaving the seat, and it does everything I ever ask of it!

Edited November 14, 2013 by sorekiwi

[Stigian 1,234]

I guess my GT-14+2 is my custom worker now my 312-8 has been put on light grass cutting duties.

 

I guess the custom parts are the 16hp Kohler magnum engine and the roll bar.

 

As well as being used for carting stuff about on a trailer, it get's used as a filming vehicle and this winter it will be on snow plowing duties

 

 

 

 

 

(Edited to add a couple more photo's)

Edited November 15, 2013 by Stigian

[smoreau 658]

I have a 417A with a custom V blade that is my favorite worker.

 

 

 

 

And a video of it in operation

[smoreau 658]

I forgot to ad a link to the build of the V-blade. So this is how it was put together and how it was plumed.

[953 nut 55,855]

Any more out there? There must be a few more customs!

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,351]

Okay we now have 10 entries and the voting will begin soon....

[Wheel Horse Kid 105]

Looks like some great entrys for this month!

[octfst 378]

This I s my 867 worker with home made wrecker

 

 

[AMC RULES 37,134]

  Perfect for takin' out the trash.   

[wallfish 17,083]

This little rig was built from spare parts to cruise around at the tractor/engine shows. Powered by a Kohler M8. Lots of fun to drive. 

Technically not a "worker" but it worked to ride me around instead of walking

[timo4352 147]

Hard to pick just one...