Half tracks into home-made dozer

[tree grower]

I have the trans and final drive assembly of a Ford 1700. It is in good shape, so hate to scrap it. I have located a set of half tracks which appear to be the size used on 8N, 600,800, 801 series Ford tractors. My fertile imagination envisions adding frame rails from the rear fender mounts forward to accommodate a front axle and engine mounts. Picture a Toyota 22R engine (smaller if possible) and 20" truck tires to carry the half tracks. Steering would be by using the original tractor brakes. This home-made dozer would carry a PTO powered winch or pull a forestry trailer for firewood cutting. Any thoughts about feasibility, fatal design flaws, etc??

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I have the trans and final drive assembly of a Ford 1700. It is in good shape, so hate to scrap it. I have located a set of half tracks which appear to be the size used on 8N, 600,800, 801 series Ford tractors. My fertile imagination envisions adding frame rails from the rear fender mounts forward to accommodate a front axle and engine mounts. Picture a Toyota 22R engine (smaller if possible) and 20" truck tires to carry the half tracks. Steering would be by using the original tractor brakes. This home-made dozer would carry a PTO powered winch or pull a forestry trailer for firewood cutting. Any thoughts about feasibility, fatal design flaws, etc??

Sounds like something I have planned, except my plan is on a much smaller scale.

There are challenges with this design, not the least of which is the longevity of the brakes if used for steering. But, that shouldn't stop you. I assume you don't plan on using the homemade dozer all day every day.

Tracked vehicles fascinate me. I hope to see you make some mistakes on this build so that I can learn from them.

 

[MikeD74T]

Treegrower, If you use truck tires as idlers at the front you might consider something with disk brakes. Use them for steering, cheaper & easier to maintain than drum brakes. Something from a one ton truck should be oversized enough for long service life in your application. You would have to keep the tracks quite tight for this to work unless you also used the tractor brakes to stop the drivetrain. MikeD74T

 

[oldnslo]

Would the rear end ring and bull gears stand up the constant locking of the brakes to steer? Stop one wheel the other goes twice as fast.

Is there any way to make this more like the half track military vehicles where they still retain the front wheels and some steering can be done that way?

Just some thoughts from some one who has had to replace ring and bull gears on a tractor with no diff lock and lots of mud..

Roy

 

[tree grower]

These are the things I need to be warned about. The military half track configuration is essentially the same as the old tractor set-up with front wheel steering. Would the rear gears survive better if the steering was by front discs as suggested by Mike? You realize, of course , that what I really want is a 1/3 scale Rottne forwarder at 1/20 the price. Let me know if you see one for sale.

 

[Renze]

Just some thoughts from some one who has had to replace ring and bull gears on a tractor with no diff lock and lots of mud..

If there is no difflock and one wheel keeps spinning, its the spider gears that get a lot of abuse, the ring and pinion are loaded more when there was a difflock.
What kind of tractor are we talking about ?

 

[tree grower]

This is a Ford 1700, 1978 vintage (+/-), 23 HP. Was originally a 4WD, but I needed the front end for my daily driver, and it came with no engine. It does have a diff lock. With the risks of damaging the rearend, I might be as well off to put a regular non-power I-beam front axle under it, and use the half tracks as originally intended