Ford LGT Crawler Conversion

[Chopperhed]

I started this a while back, and have been puttering around with it as time and finances allow.

Its a 76 Ford LGT 165 that's been repowered with a 13hp Clone.
There wasn't a whole lot left of the original tractor except a frame and sheetmetal. When I got it the engine was missing, the rubber was shot, grill and battery cover were missing, and someone had torched out the centers of some truck rims to mount 15" tires on it.
The repower was pretty simple all things considered. The crawler conversion is taking a bit more work.

Check out my youtube channel for more info on the build

https://www.youtube.com/user/chopperhedduck/videos

The tractor as purchased.



Up on the table for the repower.



Repowered with the clone engine



Tracks are built, and working on the under carriage



Steering brakes are a combination of Lincoln calipers with Dodge avenger rotors and pads.



Building the push frame.

 

[davesl708]

great project

 

[farm boy00]

How did you figure on making the correct spacing on the drive sprocket so your chain would line up and how deep. I also subscribed to you. Good luck on your awesome build

 

[Chopperhed]

Initially I used 3ds max to figure the pitch radius, then I had a guy at work confirm it in autocad. Any decent machinist should know the math do do it, but not me.

 

[pappy60]

Nice project... like how you made the treads... subscribed also...

 

[Xfaxman]

Very interesting. :thumbsup:

I couldn't tell from watching the video, are there any track rollers on it?

 

[Chopperhed]

Very interesting. :thumbsup:

I couldn't tell from watching the video, are there any track rollers on it?[/QUOTE}

No this design doesn't allow for rollers due to the costs and fab time. Proper rollers would have added several hundred dollars in cost, just for the bearings alone., not to mention machine time..

The rollers are built into the track. The rails are a piece of 4" c channel with piece of 3/4" square bar bolted to the underside. The square bar is a replaceable wear part, as are the track rollers(probably a bad term). The "Track rollers" are 1" pieces of 3/5 x 5/8 DOM tubing. Simple and easy to reproduce. They are used as the spacers between the side plates on the track( consider the side plates on a bicycle chain. Same thing)The track pins are 3/8" grade 8 bolts with the full shank in contact with the side plates
There is a an auto lube system in the works for the rails. it will operate off of a lever beside the hydraulics controls(Yet to purchase) a few strokes every once in a while will serve to lube the rails.

 

[grayw0lf]

That's pretty awesome! You have a nice shop of tools & clearly know how to use them!

 

[Chopperhed]

I've been building my shop ever since I started out in life. I've always had a place with a garage, and the will to work in it.
I don't have a lot of extra cash so I have to make do. I scrounge what I can. grab scrap when possible, and try to keep the expenses down.
Now that I've owned my place for over a decade stuff is starting to pile up. I've got parts and stuff I'll probably never use, but can't get rid of it on principal. Somehow, when I clean up the extraneous junk, I always find a use for something after it's gone.

But I keep at it.


Should have some pics up of the ripper bar in the next few days. need a bit more steel and some welding rod to finish it up.

 

[mikefromnh]

Nice!

When I saw that drive sprocket I figured cnc. Never would have guessed an angle grinder.