horrible homemade tractor start

[farm boy00]

Ok so i have seen this on craigslist lately and wonder what you guys think. Do you think the steering would work or not??

Case hydraulic drive transaxles, failed 4X4 articulated project

Case hydraulic drive transaxles, failed 4X4 articulated project

I didn't build this!!! Bought it sight unseen, should have seen sight of it before making the offer. This is someones attempt to build a 4 wheel drive articulated (bends in the middle for steering) garden tractor. Yep, somebody was a good welder and [...]

 

[Creamer]

Does it have one drive in the front and one in the rear? If so, how do you synchronize the speeds to keep both front and rear pulling at the same speed? Is the hinge point where the rear wheels would follow the front wheels around a a turn? If not then you have to have a method of adjusting the speeds while turning.

I am assuming the final drives have a side to side differential gearing system in them. How is the steering supposed to work?

 

[square1]

I think it's going to cost you a minimum of two bills to find out. That two people have already abandoned it brings to mind an old adage about a fool and their money.

 

[Chopperhed]

I'd give him a hundred for it, just for the transaxles. the rest is junk.

 

[farm boy00]

I have no intentions I buying it. I just wanted to here your thoughts

 

[Chopperhed]

If you were wanting to build one, I'd go a different route.

As was mentioned before the problem is synchronizing the differential, that means they have to be identical, with a lot of complicated linkage to make it work.

If I was to do it, since I already have a small frame steer articulated tractor. Its only 2wd but its neat anyway.

I'd build one like the old case full size 4x4s with the crab steering etc. 1 central hydro trans to 2 old front differentials out of a 80 Nissan 4x4. The were fully flanged, designed similar to the 9" ford, and were only about 18" wide flange to flange.

For a frame steering 4x4,the easiest and probably most expensive, is narrowed differentials and hydraulic motors. The cheaper harder way is a lot more work but cooler in the end. it would involve a driveshaft from a central hydr or gear transaxle. The driveshaft would have to have a u-joint exactly at the pivot point. Look at how they did it on the big ones.

 

[BHD]

most likely one pressure line and Tee it to the two differentials they would balance them selves out.

or if the differentials are identical, and all ratios are the same one could most likely pressure one and take the return line out of the one and run to the second one, (they would both be getting the same GPM and pressure, one would have to make sure they both were shifted together,

 

[Mendonsy]

I actually have one of the old Case Hydrive tractors that still runs fine. I suspect that thing could be made to work but it will cost a lot to do it. The missing pieces of the hydraulic drive will be a bit expensive and of course there is an engine required too.

 

[MossRoad]

I think its the wrong approach, that being two transaxles. There's no good way to synchronize them as they have internal pumps that drive the axles. They should have used one axle (not a transaxle) at each end. Then they could have driven those two axles with two hydraulic motors powered by one variable volume pump. OR they could have driven both axles with one motor and driveshafts. OR, they could have put one wheel motor at each corner driven by one variable volume pump like my machine ( My articulated machine has one wheel motor at each corner. The left front and right rear are in series. The right front and left rear are in series. That makes two circuits. Then those two circuits are connected in parallel and driven by one variable volume pump. ). Many, many ways to do it, but I just don't see transaxles at each end being the better way to do it.