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Electric tractor
- Thread starter bill177
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Who Replied?2manyrocks
Super Member
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Maybe some more detail will help. I have an old sales brochure that lists the shipping weight of the basic David Bradley tractor with the tires on it and a 1 3/4 gas engine at 238 pounds. The claw tread tires were 6.00 x 16.
42 lb wheel weights were an option for each wheel plus the tires could be filled with liquid ballast. The engines were 1 3/4 hp up to what may have been about 7 or 8 hp in the last years of sales, but most were 2-5 hp machines, I suspect. Most I've seen had Briggs & Stratton engines.
The pulley visible in the photo above the tire that Nat posted is the clutch pulley. Power is transmitted to this clutch pulley and then internally this drives the differential. On the basic models, the speed was adjusted by changing the size of the pulley on the engine. The ground travel speed was advertised as being changable from a top speed of 2.4 mph to 2.1 mph at 3200 rpm by changing the engine pulley. Minimum speed was .7 mph. On some later models, the speed was adjusted by moving a lever that controlled a variable size pulley on the clutch. Also, on some later models, there was a reverse feature and a differential lock.
There was a front mounted 24" inch rotary mower attachment and a 24" reel mower attachment offered. I saw a picture of a wider attachment on another website that appears to be a 3 blade unit, but couldn't find the specs.
The plow, disk, etc. mounted to the rear. The plow had a shipping weight of 58 lbs. The front mounted snow plow had a shipping weight of 53 lbs.
It's not a very wide machine. The tires can be shifted in to 16 1/2 inch on center of the tread to 24 inches on center of the tread. Clearance under the tractor was 11 inches. The claw tread tires were advertised as having a height of 28 inches.
I'm guessing that Nat's model may be the basic model because I didn't see the levers for the variable pulley, the reverse or the cable control for the differential lock.
It shouldn't be too hard to mount an electric motor to the DB just because it's so open and it's belt drive. They also had a ride on cart that connected to a hitch on the drawbar on the rear of the tractor. So you could put the batteries in the cart.
Although I was thinking I'd like to see a Gravely converted to electric power, the DB should be easier to convert.
42 lb wheel weights were an option for each wheel plus the tires could be filled with liquid ballast. The engines were 1 3/4 hp up to what may have been about 7 or 8 hp in the last years of sales, but most were 2-5 hp machines, I suspect. Most I've seen had Briggs & Stratton engines.
The pulley visible in the photo above the tire that Nat posted is the clutch pulley. Power is transmitted to this clutch pulley and then internally this drives the differential. On the basic models, the speed was adjusted by changing the size of the pulley on the engine. The ground travel speed was advertised as being changable from a top speed of 2.4 mph to 2.1 mph at 3200 rpm by changing the engine pulley. Minimum speed was .7 mph. On some later models, the speed was adjusted by moving a lever that controlled a variable size pulley on the clutch. Also, on some later models, there was a reverse feature and a differential lock.
There was a front mounted 24" inch rotary mower attachment and a 24" reel mower attachment offered. I saw a picture of a wider attachment on another website that appears to be a 3 blade unit, but couldn't find the specs.
The plow, disk, etc. mounted to the rear. The plow had a shipping weight of 58 lbs. The front mounted snow plow had a shipping weight of 53 lbs.
It's not a very wide machine. The tires can be shifted in to 16 1/2 inch on center of the tread to 24 inches on center of the tread. Clearance under the tractor was 11 inches. The claw tread tires were advertised as having a height of 28 inches.
I'm guessing that Nat's model may be the basic model because I didn't see the levers for the variable pulley, the reverse or the cable control for the differential lock.
It shouldn't be too hard to mount an electric motor to the DB just because it's so open and it's belt drive. They also had a ride on cart that connected to a hitch on the drawbar on the rear of the tractor. So you could put the batteries in the cart.
Although I was thinking I'd like to see a Gravely converted to electric power, the DB should be easier to convert.
js5020
Platinum Member
I have a Gravely that needs a power source!!!,, and that is why I asked Ian about a rough comparison electric vs IC,,,, I know the original was a 5 hp model, I forget the torque and the max rpm values but can obtain them,,,, once I have a motor size we can see if a sufficient amount of batteries can be placed on the machine.
SPYDERLK
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- JD2010, Kubota3450,2550, Mahindra 7520 w FEL w Skid Steer QC w/Tilt Tatch, & BH, BX1500
These dreams are not near ready for prime time. You will not be able to get any reasonable amount of work done on battery power. The only way you seem to get anywhere near competitive work from batteries is where you are rolling around on level surfaces and perhaps lifting little weights up and down. This is very little work compared to moving the weight of the machine up an incline. If you want to do light duty work, get a golf cart. If you need to move loads around in the cruel real world you will have to have an extension cord or an engine.
larry
larry
jperry507
Bronze Member
Hey guys,
Seems like this thread is headed in a lot of different directions... Could be called "the haters vs the dreamers". Perhaps we could start a new thread of our own (possibly here or in the two wheeler forum).
Put me in the list of people that would like to make an electric david bradley.
If I remember correctly the pulley on the transmission spins 32.5 times to turn the wheels one complete revolution.
~ Jimdawg
Seems like this thread is headed in a lot of different directions... Could be called "the haters vs the dreamers". Perhaps we could start a new thread of our own (possibly here or in the two wheeler forum).
Put me in the list of people that would like to make an electric david bradley.
If I remember correctly the pulley on the transmission spins 32.5 times to turn the wheels one complete revolution.
~ Jimdawg
2manyrocks
Super Member
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- Jul 28, 2007
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- 9,472
The easiest and cheapest thing would be another Briggs on the David Bradley. But I can visuallize a DC gear motor and some batteries running it, too.
Now that I have thought about it more, the batteries could be mounted to the front near the engine and mounted to a rear cradle suspended between the handlebars.
Or for what matter, if somebody has an ac gearmotor laying around, you could run it off an extension cord, but only so far as the cord would reach.
It wouldn't be at all as complicated as connecting to the gear drive on a Gravely.
Now that I have thought about it more, the batteries could be mounted to the front near the engine and mounted to a rear cradle suspended between the handlebars.
Or for what matter, if somebody has an ac gearmotor laying around, you could run it off an extension cord, but only so far as the cord would reach.
It wouldn't be at all as complicated as connecting to the gear drive on a Gravely.
My grandpaw built an electric lawn mower using an old maytag wringer washer motor to power it, he built the deck out of wood. I don't remember what he used for the blades or the wheels but I remember his extension cord was two seperate wires ,no outer jacket and where he joined wires together they were just twisted together with no tape on them[back when friction tape was the common tape to use if you used tape]. I know that sounds unsafe in a lot of peoples minds, but that was a long time ago, 55 years or so ago, but really it was real safe because he told us to be careful not to touch his wires and we was taught to do what we were told , not what we wanted to do. His lawn mower worked fine but occasionally the wires would get together and fire would fly, and us kids would laugh. My grandpaw was a cut up we sure had fun growing up around him and his brothers, they were all the time tinkering around with something, and that is why I understand why people would want to build an electric tractor, just for the fun of it.2manyrocks said:The easiest and cheapest thing would be another Briggs on the David Bradley. But I can visuallize a DC gear motor and some batteries running it, too.
Now that I have thought about it more, the batteries could be mounted to the front near the engine and mounted to a rear cradle suspended between the handlebars.
Or for what matter, if somebody has an ac gearmotor laying around, you could run it off an extension cord, but only so far as the cord would reach.
It wouldn't be at all as complicated as connecting to the gear drive on a Gravely.
Wayne County Hose
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- Massey Ferguson model 85, Allis-Chalmers WD-45
SPYDERLK said:These dreams are not near ready for prime time. You will not be able to get any reasonable amount of work done on battery power. The only way you seem to get anywhere near competitive work from batteries is where you are rolling around on level surfaces and perhaps lifting little weights up and down. This is very little work compared to moving the weight of the machine up an incline. If you want to do light duty work, get a golf cart. If you need to move loads around in the cruel real world you will have to have an extension cord or an engine.
larry
Sorry to inform you, but prime time has passed you by. In the industrial world, electric forklifts far out produce their IC powered brothers. Just take a look at this manufacturer. Crown Forklift | Electric Forklift | Crown Equipment. Electric forklifts move far more goods than their IC counterparts. I guarantee that every morsel of food you but from the store was move far more by Electric trucks than IC ones.
