Stovebolt.com Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop Modern day doodlebug tractor?

Jerry,
I've read a bunch of your posts and you definitely have the skills. I say go for it! We will all want to see pictures though.
Les

Decisions- - - - -decisions! I've got enough projects in mind to take me well past the century mark- - - -just gotta convince the old body to hang in there! Hotrodding and gunsmithing- - - - -when did I ever find time to work for a living?
Jerry

Darn, Jerry,
If I'd known you 40 years ago I could have put you onto a deal of a life time. My best friend has been in the unclaimed freight business most of his life and got a call to clean out the Heritage Arms manufacturing facility somewhere in the Denton Dr/Harry Hines area of Dallas. I went with him to help and since time was running out we only loaded what his small fork lift could handle. Left all the mills, lathes, and specialty machines to be hauled off by scrap dealers. I don't know the correct terminology but there were machines to bore gun barrels, ones to push (or draw) the rifling buttons through the barrels, stamping machines, you name it. We loaded pallet boxes of cylinders, hammers, barrels, frames, etc., which he then sold to various people as these didn't require any kind of licenses. I know nothing about the quality of Heritage Arms guns but it was a shame about the machines.

Heritage was a pretty low-bucks operation that produced fair-quality guns- - - -serviceable, but not fancy or collectible. The machinery, as I'm sure you know, is just as good or bad as the folks operating it and the quality control inspectors checking their work. My son-in-law started out at the new Remington plant in Huntsville Alabama as a machine operator, running a deep-hole drill and a CNC Bridgeport mill, and worked his way up to a tool room machinist's position in less than a year. He's light years better than me at programming CNC machinery, but I've still got him edged out at building one-off custom guns from scratch, especially muzzle loaders and super-accurate bolt actions. My son and grandson are both coming along well as custom gun builders and maintenance machinists and welders, plus being pretty good engine builders.
Jerry

Just had a better idea- - - -I remembered I've got a few Mercruiser 4-cylinder inboard/outboard engines stashed away, the same basic engine that was used in the 4-cylinder Chevy II back in the early 1960's. They have the same bellhousing bolt pattern as a small block V8, and/or a 230/250/292 6 cylinder.

That would simplify the installation of the basic engine/transmission assembly, maybe a Turbo 350? Then I could add a short 3-speed like one of the torque tube transmissions I've got sitting around, and couple that up to the 2-speed rear axle. Gears galore!
Jerry

now your talkin

Doodlebugs are very Handy, I use mine around the Salvage yard all the time to move stuff around. This is Junior my 33 Chevy Originally built by a farmer in South West, Missouri about 1953 and was used to cut hay up into the 70’s when the old motor spun a bearing and it was replaced with a tractor and moved to the fence row. Recovered and saved from the scrappers by the Sparta Possum Lodge and brought back up to a usable state. Junior has Two Four speed transmissions and a Two Speed Rear End which gives it a combination of 34 forward gears and 8 in reverse. The lowest combined ratio of these configurations if achieved by having both transmissions in reverse and the rear end in low range this gives the final drive a 372:1 ratio.
Here's pics of John driving it a couple years ago at the reunion. https://goo.gl/photos/j2ShHi4ZuTtoxpsR7 https://goo.gl/photos/6XvrwXXCA5zCN4c29

I started a group a few years ago for doodlebugs on Facebook take a look if your interested.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/DBTractor/

Mongo

Every house should have one ! I have fond memories of driving your one Mongo

How are the two transmissions linked up?
Jeffrey

Here's some pics of the second Transmission hookup.
https://goo.gl/photos/1ZMCP6ApVKVVV26d9

Doodlebugs... Chicks dig em.. https://goo.gl/photos/RciAMfLuEtipQ2Wp7

Pulling an old bush and tree out at the house... https://goo.gl/photos/bpVoQx9TrxHvPiJy5

Mongo