Ironically this thread came up while I was doing some Google searching for some information to help me track down an old hot rodded tractor that was used on the farm I currently own. It was a Cockshutt model 50 that was equipped with a 331 hemi - apparently it would keep up with a John Deere 4020 doing field work with identical tillage equipment. The story is that hemi was in 2 other tractors prior to finally ending up in the Cockshutt - it started out in a Farmall F-20 then transitioned to an Allis Chalmers WD45.
So glad a tractor thread was posted. So much history with them and they were loved as much or more than any rod. I've built quite a few rods and wound up with a '51 Ferguson (not Massey, heaven forbid!) from a friend who passed. Ferguson taught Ford how to build a tractor, they fell out and he went on his own for a few years building his version. I worked mine over in my city home garage, had to finally close my garage door so I could work without folks stopping by to look-never had that with a rod. 30 hp motor never touched, just tuned and an alternator added. Will pull down a house. Wish I hadn't repainted it, but I didn't fix the dents, they were really earned. I love this thing, smallest bolt on it is 11/16, so simple and will outlive me and maybe my grandkids. Restomod? HA. Sorry Foose and the others, you have a hell of a long way to go.
The small farm town I live in seems to be overflowing with vintage tractors. The town park has a pulling track and several vintage tractor pulling events.There's even a dyno shop just for tractors. My neighbor has about 10 old JD's and Olivers. Several have modified engines running on race gas. The Ford N's make poor pullers. There were designed with 3 points hitches and not dragging impliments...
Home made tractors and hotrods technically evolved from a common ancestor, one for speed and the other for torque. My roadster was apparently once a tractor during the war. Sent from my CPH1931 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I have one of those old Ford 8N, 6 cyl Funk Conversions with the flathead 6 from the pickup. 22hp to 95- if that ain't a hot rod, what is lol. One of those with a Sherman step-up transmission would be scary fast
The Jalopy Journal
