Electric tractor project

[woodsmith]

I am working on an Electric Toyota MR2 project but to learn more about how EV's work I started a second little project.
I've nowhere to drive it and no land to need to use it on but it will be both fun and good for shows.

So in some sort of chronological order of making the (very) brief tale starts here:

I was gifted one of these.

Made one of these to match.

Added one of these.

Mock up.

Remade one of these.

Got these gifted from an EV friend in the States.

Turned these...

Into these.

Made one of these

To fit like this.

And like this.

To give this.

Then found these.

And made these.

And these.

And we have this.

Then it grew some bigger rubber!:thumbsup:

Had to do this.

So that this could happen.


And this.


A quick chassis upgrade.

Made these.

To get this.

And then made this.

Got one of these.

And was gifted four of these.

Made some more of this.

Pulls little wheelies with 12v!


Proper test.


It moves so it needs these.

Made this.

For here.

Then this bit.

Because straight roads are boring.

As are flat ones.

Looks a little like this now.

But Optimas live like this.

How about a big 12" motor?:laughing: Nah, that can go in my MR2 EV.

Just added a seat mounting.

Underseat controller=budget seat heating!

This whole project has been made from gifts, dirt cheap Ebay finds and raiding the scrap metal yard on the way to work.

There is a full write up here. Woody's Tractor Project - DIY Electric Car Forums

I've not driven it yet, no seat (the plastic one is temporary) or controls fitted. And it is on a basement workshop so no space to go anywhere until it is rebuilt outside. Then I will try and get someone to video it.

I am planning on using a fiddle brake system on it. Right foot throttle and service brakes, left foot steering brakes. I have to get the seat sorted before I can work out the ergonomics of the controls. I might continue to use the slider pot (in the vid) for a throttle as it works and is there.

The plan is to make it work and clothe it in a wooden body and seat to show off my cabinet making skills.

 

[rmully]

Looks like a really fun project...keep us posted on your progress.

 

[woodsmith]

Thanks, I will do that.

I spent a lot of time lurking on here reading the threads on conversions and DIY stuff as I was building but thought it was high time I registered.

I am currently concentrating on my MR2 as, due to a favour from an engineering technician at a college, he produced a motor coupler that wasn't centred or true.:confused2:

I am having to remake everything again but I am going to do it myself.

 

[Johndeere3720]

Looks like a really fun project. Are you going to make a hood for it? when you rebuild it outside, what will you use it for?

 

[woodsmith]

Looks like a really fun project. Are you going to make a hood for it? when you rebuild it outside, what will you use it for?

I am going to make all the bodywork from wood to show of my cabinet making skills. I have some American cherry left over from a previous project and also a pile of English cherry logs.

The plan is to make a cherry wood hood and front grille something along the lines of the Napier Railton.

I am looking for a set of lights to fit in the front cowl to start off the shape, probably a set of airdam foglights, the projector lamp type. The rear wheel arches will have rectangular spot lights to the front and round red and white lights to the rear from a Land Rover Defender.

I haven't thought as far as what I would use it for as my rear garden is the size of a postage stamp and my front drive way is only 50' long!:confused2:

I do live on a private road and get on well with my neighbours. I cut a 40' tree down for one a little while ago and still need to fetch back the logs. It should be good for that.
I also do a lot of building work for various neigbours and the tractor with a small trailer would save using the car or walking back and forth with heavy tools and materials.
It can also drag my big trailer around collecting building rubble before I hitch up the car to take it to the tip.

 

[woodsmith]

Well it has been a while and I have been busy on other projects but recently got back on to the important one of the tractor.:thumbsup:

I relocated the controller and started making the wiring loom for the high voltage control circuits. I have put in a temporary dash board to sort out locations and cables and to start real testing for the control circuits, throttle and battery monitoring.

Here is video tour of the work so far.


Of course I couldn't resist having a ride, even though the tractor is in a small basement workshop. So I shot a video for my friend, Jim, who inspired me with his electric pulling tractor.


I was being really careful with the throttle pot in my hand. It is more then capable of chirping those big 34" tyres and climbing an 8" vertical step in front of both tyres from a stand still. I have already broken the leg off the table behind it by inadvertantly pushing into it when I forgot to switch to forward from reverse.

 

[mjncad]

Now that's cool, a Morgan inspired wood bodied electric tractor. How about adding some Meccano and Legos to boot. I saw James May's 'Toy Stories' building a full size house and a bridge in Liverpool from these toys.

Looking forward to more pictures and videos.

 

[jayste]

Great project! I'm looking forward to more. :thumbsup: Totally from scratch and scrap....I like it!

 

[woodsmith]

Cheers guys, this project is a lot of fun to do.

Today I got the parking brake sorted out by using a bit of lateral thinking. I was trying to get a V belt to work on the pulley but I decided to have a lock bolt on the holes in the pulley centre instead.

I used a bit of springy flat bar with a bolt in it that locates on the holes and then fixed the bar to one of the transmission bolts. I then made a push pull shaft with a ramp on it to engage/disengage the bolt. A simple lever will move the shaft back and forth without the need for a ratchet or any other complex mechanisms.

Brake on:

Brake off:

I also started sorting out a gear lever linkage to connect to the gear knob that was under the seat.
I made use of a couple of holes on the side of the transmission case to mount a bracket and then made a crank to work the selector.

the fork is a loose fit on the selector but trapped between the washers and the nut. The other end will have a push pull shaft to a lever.

I've not made the levers for either the parking brake or the gear shift as I am thinking of making them from wood. also I need to have the seat position finalised before I can be sure that the levers will be accessible and not in the way.

 

[czechsonofagun]

Riveting picture story, great job. Keep them coming