Farmall M Full Track Conversion

[redneckdan]

Anyone ever seen a Farmall M done up with full tracks? I've seen the half track conversions before. Wondering someone has done a full.

I have a 1951 M in reasonable shape. I was greasing yesterday and discovered the left front wheel pivot tube is close to failure. Grease was squirting out cracks. The pivot tube had snapped before and been 'repaired'. The circumferential weld had given way along the lower side of the HAZ and the gussets that were installed are failing.

My use for this tractor is brush hogging 2-3x a year and firewood skidding in the winter. My property is mostly tamarack swamp, stays pretty wet half of the year. The ground is fairly uneven though no hills. My concern is if I rebuild the front am I just going to snap it off again when I hit a hummock?

I am thinking I could pull the front end and make a front axle beam that would fit into the mounts for the factory axle. I would run torque tubes back to the rear axle castings. Tracks would be recycled rubber conveyor belting and C5 channel cut and welded into grouser shapes similar to the commercial half tracks that were offered.

 

[300UGUY]

Anyone ever seen a Farmall M done up with full tracks? I've seen the half track conversions before. Wondering someone has done a full.

I have a 1951 M in reasonable shape. I was greasing yesterday and discovered the left front wheel pivot tube is close to failure. Grease was squirting out cracks. The pivot tube had snapped before and been 'repaired'. The circumferential weld had given way along the lower side of the HAZ and the gussets that were installed are failing.

My use for this tractor is brush hogging 2-3x a year and firewood skidding in the winter. My property is mostly tamarack swamp, stays pretty wet half of the year. The ground is fairly uneven though no hills. My concern is if I rebuild the front am I just going to snap it off again when I hit a hummock?

I am thinking I could pull the front end and make a front axle beam that would fit into the mounts for the factory axle. I would run torque tubes back to the rear axle castings. Tracks would be recycled rubber conveyor belting and C5 channel cut and welded into grouser shapes similar to the commercial half tracks that were offered.

I think the weakness would be steering. Full track vehicles have the clutches on both sides, so one side or the other can be powered. Haly tracks leave the steering to the wheels in front.

 

[redneckdan]

From what I have read, the M half track conversions relied some what on the cutting brakes depending on the terrain conditions. A full track conversion would rely totally on the brakes.

 

[TomSeller]

Pictures please. Like that old iron.

 

[bcp]

Or you could use it to power a side-wheel paddle boat.



Bruce

 

[redneckdan]

Could do that, brush hogging and wood skidding would be difficult...

 

[buickanddeere]

There are no known "home conversions " of a tractor to a crawler that top the fit finish and engineering . Of a JD model 60 crawler built by TS.

 

[DJ54]

There are no known "home conversions " of a tractor to a crawler that top the fit finish and engineering . Of a JD model 60 crawler built by TS.

Have you seen his latest..?? JD 60 with functional MFWD. He has it, and the 60 crawler at a local plowing days today, and plowed with both. And I forgot to take my camera...

 

[buickanddeere]

Have you seen his latest..?? JD 60 with functional MFWD. He has it, and the 60 crawler at a local plowing days today, and plowed with both. And I forgot to take my camera...

I have had the honour of driving the crawler and seen the 4WD in it's early stages . All around outstanding.

 

[DJ54]

Found a short video of Tim's 60 crawler. I can't remember if the rear diffy, and undercarriage, is off a a 1010, or 2010 crawler.

https://youtu.be/c7RS5sDRIUg

Talked to a buddy of mine this morning who had Tim do some work on his tractor a couple years ago. He sent him a video of him plowing with the 60 MFWD. I checked Youtube where I got this, and nothing posted there. I'll have to see if he still has it, and will forward it to me.