# My Homemade Garden Tractor



## 98Murray

I thought you guys would enjoy seein some pics of my most prized possesion. No I didnt make it and no it does not run yet. I plan on fixng it in April or May. I purchased this tractor for only $50

Tractor's history
This tractor was made in the mid 1990's by a man who lived in north Texas. He was a very good welder and made many alluminum boats. When his old riding mower broke down he decided to buy a new one that he could use for mowing his lawn, working in his garden, and moving trailers. He looked at John Deere, Kubota, Cub Cadet, and even Sears but he could not find a garden tractor that met his requirments so he decided to make one. He got to work and started buying materials. He started making it in December 1993 an finished it in July 1994. He used the tractor almost daily for mowing, working in the garden, and moving trailers. He used the tractor up until he passed away in 2003. When he passed his property and equipment was auctioned off. The auctoneer was a good freind of the creator of the tractor and when it came up in the auction he bought it. He used the tractor for a couple years and then it was parked in the barn out back. The tractor sat in the exact same same spot until October 2012 when I purchased the tractor and brought it home. I have not done much to the tractor but I plan on fixing it and using it for mowing and gardening. The creator made afew attachments for the tractor including a modified Brinly 12 inch plow ad a homemade disc cultivator. These attachments have been lost over the years.

Tractor's spec
Waukesha 23 horsepower 4 cylinder gas engine
Borg Warner T83 3 speed transmission with 2 shifters (3 forward speeds one reverse)
Narowed Chysler rear axle from the 1950's
Has 12 volt electrical system
5 gallon gas tank
Waukesha radiator
Water temp guage
Oil pressure guage
Amp guage
Hydraulic brakes
5.70/5.00 front tire size
9.5-16 rear tire size
38 inch mower deck from 1970's Sears/Roper GT
Has electric start with genorator
Tractor is about 80 inches long, 46 inches wide, and about 4 feet tall at the top of the steering wheel (highest point) measurements taken with mower deck attached


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## jhngardner367

Now THAT is American ingenuity,at it's best ! Great unit,and great pics!


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## BelarusBulldog

Looks like a cross between a Jeep, an airport tug, and a lawn tractor, I LIKE IT! Too bad the impliments were lost, seems like the builder was very crafty. Thanks for the pictures. Bye


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## Thomas

Darn sharp looking..thumbs up.


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## Country Boy

That is an awesome tractor. Keep us updated on its status! I'd love to see that old beast working!


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## 98Murray

Got the tractor running, heres more info.

I emailed a magneto repair company a few days ago and asked how much it would cost to rebuild my magneto. I got an email yesterday from them and they said to rebuild that magneto would cost about $250 so I thanked them for replying with a quote and went outside to see if I could fix it myself. Took apart the magneto last night and looked at a damaged gear inside the magneto. The gear is missing a tooth but seems to work just fine so I put the magneto back together and put a good battery on it. 

Now before I go any further with the description I must mention that the first time I attempted to start it I used the orignal battery which was no good so I had to jump start it. When I started it the first time the motor turned over very slow but at the time I just thought it was supposed to be that slow so I thought the magneto was faulty because I wasent getting spark.

Ok back to the description. I hooked up a nearly new 420 amp lawn and garden tractor battery on the tractor and attempted to start it. I noticed the motor spun over much faster so I got a little carb cleaner and sprayed in the carb and the motor busted off. When I get some gas I will try and get it running.


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## jhngardner367

Let us know how it does,and post more pics !!


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## kitz

That is really cool


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## Argee

What a great find. Sounds like he built it to last a lifetime....his for sure, but also others who may own it. It's a one of a kind!


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## pogobill

Looks like a fun rig!


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## kau

Nice project! Can you post some under the hood closeup shots?


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## wjjones

That is a really nice little tractor it will be great to see it back in action.


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## Cublover

That thing is WAY cool! (and well preserved). 
Do 'right by it and the creator'! Use it a lot and keep it dry!


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## JoeKP

Wow. That thing looks great. Even for its age. I was always thinking of building my own.


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## 98Murray

Got some horrible news. Due to a bunch of legal trouble with the previous owner I no longer have the homemade tractor. The PO came by today and picked it up


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## Argee

That's a bummer! You could always build your own.


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## dangeroustoys56

Usually when i buy a tractor, i ask for some sort of receipt - with both names on it , price paid and 'as is' and date- with one copy for each person - that way theres no disputing anything.


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## 546cowboy

That reminds me of on that Wheel Horse experimented with. As you can tell I think this when they were owned by AMC.


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## pogobill

JeepTrac? Now that's a nifty looking tractor!


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## jhngardner367

They looked ok,but they had some problems,and when AMC sold out,they were discontinued. Not too many around.


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## Tex

*Texas Justice*

Wow that looks great! 

I would recommend painting it and getting vinyl decals with the builders name and putting them on it, including cutting width and horsepower decals. Perhaps even fabricating some kind of badge and insignia commemorating the original builder and attributing to him his own motor company.

Of course you would have to do some research on the original builder a bit more I suppose. But you do have access to his friend who auctioned it off. Interviews with him could yield plenty. 

But hey it could make a great book!

Yes you could write a book about this man, and his tractor design! In this book you could include in it detailed schematics of this mans work thus selling story and design to interested builders.

I would buy it, and most people on this site would as well. You would have a great story about a man and his USA invented and designed tractor with building instructions.

It's not really that hard to write a book. Seriously give it some thought.:usa:


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