# Some farmer made 4WD tractors



## Coondle (Aug 28, 2013)

On a recent trip through Western Australia's South Eastern Wheat-belt I came across this display of farmer built 4WD tractors from the late 60's through the 1970's. The area concerned was being settled for the first time and comprises sand plain country vegetated with low shrubby heath. The farmers were clearing virgin bushland usually with very limited budgets and ld decrepit machinery as all they could buy. Conditions were primitive and facilities few. The hamlet (and that is generous) comprises a school, possibly only 1 teacher for 7 year-span of pupils, a sports club, a general store and a couple of houses. The nearest town are about 40 miles away and not much bigger in any event.

The sandy nature of the land caused traction and flotation issues with the 2wd tractors of the time and being development farms there was almost universal shortage of funds. Older tractors available at the time were generally below 100 hp. The farmers responded the only way they knew how, innovate and adapt.

The learning curve for these farmers began by one of them watching an Aveling Barford grader at work on the sand plain. The grader was all wheel drive, unusual at the time, it was also unusual in that it had all wheel steer and no steering wheel but a tiller. He bought one the next year and used it as his tractor but it was too cumbersome, despite all wheel steer the

wheelbase was too long for manoeuvrability. The seeds were sown for an all wheel drive tractor.









This one was christened "BIGFOOT" because it was bigger than anything else in the district. Made from a truck chassis, a 600 cu inch Leyland Truck motor and transfer case from a Mack truck, a toyota Lite Stout pickup truck cab was the house on top. As seen here it has been further modified with a 3 chamber exhaust, 30 inch duals changed for 26 inch singles and a second radiator put in the front to assist cooling. Built about 1978









"Big Bertha" again Leyland 600ci motor, mack transfer case, toyota pickup cab and a volvo fuel tank. Circa1976, cost $3500.









Built about 2 years later by the same farmer as Big Bertha and christened "No 2", may mean something else than the second in line. The chassis is 12 inch channel and the builder claims the chassis took about 2 hours to make. Cut slots, bent it with the front end loader and welded it together. Cost $6.800, a 680 cu inch leyland truck motor, mack transfer case, 10 speed spicer gearbox and Nissan pickup cab.









Based on a burnt out Timberjack log skidder with a Cummins 855/250 motor and a 13 seed road ranger gearbox, ex army Mack Tank Transporter transfer case with dropbox, and a Ford 7000 cab made to tilt backward so as to access the gearbox. Cost about $3900.









"Jack", based on a timber jack, Volvo 200 hp motor Mack dropbox and Volvo gearbox, Bedford truck cab. Chassis was lengthened to take the motor and later lengthened to reduce the angle of the drive shaft. Cost $8,000.









This is called "Ar53-end Charlie" and made up of 2 Chamberlain tractors made in West Australia before being bought by John Deere. These tractors date from the 1950's and at the time an oil additive company REDEX sponsored several annual around Australia car rallies. Roads were primitive and many miles were unsealed and very many river crossings without bridges. One of these Chamberlain tractors followed te field to rescue bogged or damaged cars. It was nicknamed "Tail-End Charlie". The world was different then and one competitor became known as "Gelignite Jack" because as his signature departure from a checkpoint was to drop a half stick of gelignite out of his car. Jail would await now, not popular noteriety.

Very many versions of this tandem tractors, some removed all steered wheels and were articulated, some drove from te back and some as this one from the front unit.

Fantastic that the community, small as it is has preserved the examples of farmers solving the triple problems of low finances and need for more traction and horsepower.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

You guys down under have waaaay too much time on your hands! I love the creativeness--do you all come up with these ideas on a walkabout?

Ralph


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## Coondle (Aug 28, 2013)

rjmoses said:


> You guys down under have waaaay too much time on your hands! I love the creativeness--do you all come up with these ideas on a walkabout?
> 
> Ralph


There are a lot of others that have been made around the country, but this is the biggest collection of home made tractors that I have seen in one place.

We had a small manufacturer that built tractors in the articulated 4WD type with 8 and 10 cylinder Mercedes Benz motors of up to 515 hp. That business is tough with wildly fluctuating seasons and the poor guy went under during a drought. They were called "Phillips Acremaster", and after the first plunge in business it was renamed "Phoenix Acremaster" because it had risen from the ashes. Well regarded machines although quite old now.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

I like that fence around the display in the last pic.....never seen that type of fence fabric


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

somedevildawg said:


> I like that fence around the display in the last pic.....never seen that type of fence fabric


Didn't notice it at first, but I like it also....it would keep out varmints pretty good. Everyone but rats and Mr. No Shoulders...but he could keep the rats at bay.

Regards, Mike


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## SVFHAY (Dec 5, 2008)

The one with the pickup cab & visor is a cool look. I like the idea of dropping a half stick to mark your departure time though I might need a longer fuse these days.


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

If I ever return to Australia I ll have to make sure to get to the west coast. That's some interesting stuff y'all have out there.


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## Coondle (Aug 28, 2013)

somedevildawg said:


> I like that fence around the display in the last pic.....never seen that type of fence fabric


This is a fence panel about 4 feet high made of galvanised steel rods. When it first hit the market about 25 or so years ago, some farmers saw it as the ideal panel fencing to make sheep yards.

If you look at the bottom of the second last picture there is a closer look at the top roll of a panel.

That top roll caused sheep farmers to soon stop using the panels as sheep yards or add a folded sheet metal top.

When a sheepdog jumps a panel fence like that while working in the yards, the dog will kick off the top to the other side. A slight misplacement of the dog's paws resulted in broken feet/legs or just ripped the paw off. Not a good outcome for a dog let alone a valuable working dog.


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## Hay diddle diddle (Nov 17, 2017)

Meanwhile....Back east this was built up the road from me






They are now the only Austraiian manufacturer of centre pivot irrigators.


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

Coondle said:


> This is a fence panel about 4 feet high made of galvanised steel rods. When it first hit the market about 25 or so years ago, some farmers saw it as the ideal panel fencing to make sheep yards.
> 
> If you look at the bottom of the second last picture there is a closer look at the top roll of a panel.
> 
> ...


I thought that kinda looked like a rolled-over livestock panel... neat but I can see your point with the dogs.

Later!  OL J R


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