Home Built Model T Ford Tractor Conversion Smith Form-A-Tractor Staude Make

Description

PLEASE  NOTE :
Thanks to some fraud artist invading someone's account here on eBay and eBay not being able to stop such abuse, I now have the privilege of relisting this unique and very interesting homebuilt early tractor. I am sorry it this has caused you any where near as much frustration as it has caused me. Bob Woodburn      4O6-799-1847     in Bozeman Montana.
This listing is for a very special and very likely totally unique home built Model T Ford tractor conversion. I found this gem in western North Dakota this spring and decided it needed a better home from someone who might appreciate the ingenuity of the very creative and crafty individual that built it. I am guessing that this may have been built around 1930 or so when the country was in such a poor state economically and someone could not afford a tractor.
The major drive components on both sides of the back of this conversion originated from a pair of International Harvester McCormick Deering horse drawn grain binders. Such machines were very popular in the later teens through the mid 1930's or so when tractor powered grain binders replaced the horse drawn ground driven binders. A photo of the front right corner of such a horse drawn grain binder is shown in the last photo of this listing.
The tractive effort of a team of horses pulling such a binder turned the larger drive wheel located under the tying mechanism on the right side of the machine. This steel drive wheel was about 28" inches in diameter by about 10" wide with short angle grousers to give it sufficient traction. A large roller chain sprocket about 20" in diameter was attached to the drive wheel. A link chain transmitted the power to the driven sporcket that was only about 4" in diameter. This system resulted in a speed up ratio of about 1 to 5 or so.
This horse generated power then ran all 6 of the wood rollers that the platform, upper elevator and lower elevator canvas drapers ran on. The platform draper moved the cut grain to the right where it was sandwiched between the upper and lower elevator drapers which moved it up to the table where the grain was accumulated and tied into a bundle about a foot in diameter.
The horse generated power also operated the reel that pushed the grain into the sickle, the sickle that cut the grain and the mechanism and knotter that tied the grain into bundles.
Someone in western North Dakota or eastern Montana likely needed a tractor to replace horse power but likely could not afford one around 1930 or so. By that time most of the horse drawn binders on farms and been upgraded with tractor powered binders. A shaft running back from the PTO (power take off) on the back of the tractor provided all of the power required to run the entire binder. This improvement was dramatic and let the binder travel nearly twice as fast or get almost twice as many acres bound in the same time. A tractor powered binder could work around the clock if conditions permitted and lights were added to the tractor.
Due to the increasing popularity of tractor binders, horse drawn binders were nearly worthless around 1930 or so and could be had for hauling them away. By basically running the binder ground drive system backwards, someone brilliant but financially limited craftsman used a pair of these obsoleted drives to build a very novel Model T Ford tractor conversion. The smaller driven binder sprockets were installed on both ends of a Model T Ford car rear axle assembly and used to drive the chains. The chains then drove the pair of larger binder drive wheels pirated from the pair of obsolete horse drawn binders. The larger binder drive sprockets became tractor driven sprockets while the smaller binder driven sprockets became tractor drive sprockets. The 6th photo of this listing gives a good shot of the wheel, sprockets and large link chain.
Now you should be able to understand where the drive components on this conversion came from and how they became the beating heart of a Model T Ford tractor conversion. Please check the 7th photo of this listing to see the famous IHC logo on the inside of the hub flange on the larger wheel. I am sure the same logo is on both of the chain sprockets but I did not look for them. International Harvester usually put that famous logo on any cast parts on their machinery.
Please check the 8th photo and notice the steel plate platform mounted near the center of the frame rather than a typical seat that one might expect to find there. Please then check the 9th photo that shows how all 3 of the Model T Ford transmission control pedals have the pedal pads cut off and have levers adapted to them. I have to conclude that due to no seat and the lever controls that the operator must have been disabled to some extent. Perhaps they built this rather low and easy to access conversion because that would have been much easier to get on and off of compared to a typical tractor of the early 1930's or so.
For you guys that are not familiar with driving the unconventional 2 speed planetary transmission used on all Model T Fords, I will include a brief description now. The left lever that looks like an emergency brake is that and more. It is also the high speed clutch and must be all of the way ahead whenever one is driving in high gear. When it is half way back, the high speed clutch is in neutral ao the car will set still (at least it is supposed to). When that handle is all of the way back, the car should be setting still and the emergency brakes in both rear wheels should be locked up.
The left pedal is the low speed pedal. If one has the high speed clutch lever in the neutral position and steps all of the way down on the low pedal, the car will move ahead in low gear. The only catch is that there is no catch and one has to hold the low pedal down all of the time one is in low gear. It you let off of the low pedal, the transmission reverts back to neutral.
The center pedal is the reverse pedal.
If one has the high speed clutch lever in the neutral position and steps all of the way down on the reverse pedal, the car will move backwards faster than you normally would like it to. The only catch is that there is no catch and one has to hold the reverse pedal down all of the time one is in reverse gear. It you let off on the reverse pedal, the transmission reverts back to neutral.
The right pedal is the brake pedal and it operates somewhat normally unless you use it too hard or too much. All 3 pedals operate cotton lined bands inside the transmission. Any time a band is used too hard, the cotton lining can burn out which requires that the band be readjusted or worst case have the lining replaced. That requires that the large "hogs head" or transmission cover be removed unless one has the newer "quick change" bands that can be changed out by removing only the trapezoid shaped inspection cover.
Please realize that this ugly looking pile of rust actually has a power shift transmission. One can shift from low to high and back again without grinding any gears due to the design of the planetary transmission. This transmission is actually very similar to the 2 speed automatic transmissions used in the less expensive cars in this country in the 1950's and 1960's. If Henry Ford could have figured out how to shift his pride and joy automatically back in the teens and twenties, he might have had a full blown automatic transmission long before Oldsmobile introduced their famous HydraMatic transmission in the fall of 1939 for their 1940 vehicles.
I have no idea what the rather ugly radiator is from. I suspect the front disc wheels are from a 1920's Chevrolet but they may also be aftermarket accessory wheels from the 1920's. The engine is of 1917 vintage and is stuck. The transmission cover has a blanked off place for a starter but no starter and the smaller pedals and narrower brake band inside the transmission so that makes that cover of 1919 through late 1925 vintage. The frame is from a 1915-1926 Model T and the steering gear is also of similar vintage.
I had some final drive gears for a factory made Model T tractor conversion on here many years ago. They eventually sold to a very serious collector that told me he owned 67 different makes of Model T tractor conversions at that time. I wish I could find his contact information because he should be interested in the strangest and most interesting Model T tractor conversion I have ever seen.
I would doubt that this gem would weigh much over 1,500 pounds or so so it would be very easy to haul on a car trailer. I have friends that may be able to deliver this conversion to you depending on where you live and how soon you need it. I have plenty of free and reasonably secure storage here in central Montana so there is no problem if you buy this and want to pick it up when you visit beautiful Montanan sometime next year.
If you have a few Model T tractor conversions in your collection, I wil guarantee that this conversion will generate more excitement among visitors than any other conversion likely will. I will add more information soon. Thanks a lot, Bob Woodburn in Bozeman Montana USA