Designing a Corvair Custom Hydraulic Tractor

[CorvairGuy]

Hello Everyone,

I'm new to this Forum. I could use some help, for my latest project, as I know my limitations!!

A little back ground on me first. I'm 50 years young and a retired mechanic with lots of time on my hands.
I collect Corvairs and most anything Corvair; i.e. car, truck, wagon, RV and even a Corvair boat all of which I own. However, I have NO interest in a Corvair Plane.
I like to keep my feet on the ground for now. My head is always in the clouds anyways, with all my ideas - :laughing:

This is where I can use your help:
I have never work with or built anything using hydraulics. Unless you count the time I was a mechanic, working on tanks, in the US Army.

My plan is to build a Corvair Tractor to use around our new farm. (why not, everything else we have is Corvair - LOL)
It can not be a manual as I have bad knees.

My design is to only use the Corvair engine, maybe the differential or some form of Diff (looking for input on a hydraulic diff), and everything will be hydraulic - even how the Diff operates the rear wheels.

1) I want the gas pedal to control how fast it goes. (my neighbors are not that close that I care to walk - )

2) I will also have a way to lock the engine RPMs at 1,500 to 2,200 to run other hydraulic attachments - but I still want the pedal to control my speed of the tractor.

The things I want to build and use the tractor for:

Spring/Summer use:
a) 60" cutting deck - with a single hydraulic motor to pull behind the tractor. (I'll look for such a deck used with the bad gas engine and rebuild the rest to mount the hydraulic motor in place of the gas engine)

b) a dump trailer to move firewood, dirt, and what-not. (Hyd raise only and let the bed bring it back down)

Winter Only:
c) at least a 30" min, 46" max, mounted up front.
(my plan is to remove the gas motor, drive setup and only mount the rest of the front half of a used walk behind with a hydraulic motor right to the main shaft) The entire thing will quick disconnect from the tractor.

At a much later date and for anytime use:
d) I like to build a front bucket the same size as the snowblower to use at any time of the year.


Specs:

110HP Corvair Air-Cooled engine RPMs = HP: (should be more than enough)

RPMs - HP
1,000 = 25

1,500 = 35

2,000 = 50


Corvair Diff comes in the following ratios listed below:

NOT SURE - which would be best. (this project will never see the streets)
I do NOT want to go over 30MPH or 2,500RPMs


3.27:1

3.55:1

3.89:1 (I believe this is the one I will use - If I do use the Corvair diff)


Main Pump, operating @ 2,500RPMs or less, mounted to flywheel of Corvair Engine with couplers

Forward and Reverse control valve to drive tractor

Hyd Storage tank TWO to TWO and Half times the size of GPM

Filter

Cooler - mounted right above the cooling fan for the Corvair air-cooled Engine (will always cool Hyd fluid while engine is running; drawing cool air over Hyd cooler before engine)

Quick disconnects for front and back attachment to tractor

At least a FIVE lever control vavle to operate:

1 - turns the shute from left to right

2 - to adjust how far the snow goes

3 - WINTER operates snowblower hydraulic motor - SUMMER - operates cutting deck hydraulic motor

4 - extra (block off for now)

5 - WINTER raises and lowers the snowblower - SUMMER raises the dump box to empty it


Questions:

What else will I need or did I forget?

Is there a Rear-end out there for a garden tractor that is hydraulic?
(One big enough for a mid-size tractor just a little bigger than garden size - but NOT a full size farm tractor)


Thanks ahead of time..

Sincerely, Tony

 

[yooper1]

I will be watching this thread to see your ideas.

Then when you get building it, I will follow your progress too.

Sounds like a neat project.

Ambitious one to boot

 

[doall]

very ambitious. You will need a lot of flow on that hydralic mower to cut grass cleanly.

 

[mjncad]

Welcome, and we want pictures...lots of pictures.

 

[lhfarm]

Welcome to TBN! Drove a Corvair in high school and part of college. Having a hard time envisioning one morphed into a tractor .

Lots of good hydraulic information and expert advice here. You might do some searching for threads on home build tractors for ideas that might be helpful too.

Keep us posted and do send pictures.

 

[Redneck in training]

Welcome to TBN. You should post additional thread in hydraulics forum.
We need pitures not only of your project but also of your hobby such as Corvairs, your shop etc.

 

[CorvairGuy]

I already have the Corvair engine. I used it for two years in one of our Corvair RVs and I will be taking it out to replace some seals. I'm working on a power plant conversion for that same RV with a larger engine for future use. I already have the donnor vehicle with everything I need.


The pictures below are of a Corvair Pulling Tractor once used for tractor pulls and shows. It is where I came up with the idea of making my own Corvair Tractor. It sold on Ebay this past summer - for way more than it is worth.
The new owner is now trying to sell it, even though he states it runs and works well, he is not haivng much luck finding a new buyer.

I have bad knees and can not have a Manual Tractor, which the one in the pictures is, and this is yet another reason why I want mine to be hydraulic. I want to simply push on the pedal and it goes - just like a car.

Tony
PS - I'll post an R&D thread @ Hydraulics. Hopefully someone on this fourm can help me with sizing up the pump and motor(s), making sure I have a list for everything needed, and help with the layout of the hydraulics.

 

[Craig Clayton]

I built a Power King from a Ford Pinto with a 9HP wisconsin engine. It was successful. I scraped it.I would suggest you pick up an existing tractor and drop the corvair engine up front. Use the existing wheels etc., why bother reinventig gear reductions.
Craig Clayton

 

[J_J]

Do you have any turbocharged Corvairs in your collection? I had a 1964 turbocharged Corvair Spyder.

In looking for a hyd pump, you need to know the pressure and volume of all the pumps that you want to use. Keeping in mind that all the pumps may be used at the same time. You could get by with less if some of the pumps was only used some of the time.

The Power-Trac's use a variable speed hyd pump to power the hyd wheel motors. I have three pumps, one for the steering/lift. one for the PTO, and the VSP.

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

I would find a hydrostatic drive tractor with a bad engine and install the vair engine in it. You are not going to have enough gear reduction trying to use an automotive rear end. Blowing snow requires high RPM's and sloooow speeds. On my tractor in 1st gear at wot I can crawl faster. You could modify the hydrostat controls to be hand operated. good luck.
Bill