Anyone ever see a mass produced tractor with floating, i.e. spring, suspension, by that I mean springs which suspend the tractor. I have looked at this, and cant see why it would not work. A tractor plows in a straight line pull, no vertical load. The torsion lift, the upward lift of the front of the tractor is no different than that of a car or pu truck, as the front of the tires turn downward. A semi tractor is not much different, except like some pu's with bed mounted hitches, its which is on top of the axle or a little in front of it. The reason I am pursuing this is that I have degenerative disease in by back, and do not want to make it any worse by riding a tractor with solid suspension bumping and jarring my back.
- Thread starter dwragon
- Start date
There are some bigger tractors that have gas strut suspended cabs and independent front suspension. Most have suspended can as an option. We have the cheaper version on our NewHolland with springs and shocks holding up the cab,I would not recommend that type,it seems to make it even worse in my opinion as the cab seems to rock and move twice as much as the engine bonnet but people that have the gas charged system and front suspension say they don't feel any movement or bouncing in the cab whatsoever.
Jaden
Member
- Location
- Eastern Nebraska
With the tremendous torque that tractors need to provide, I think a spring suspension on the driveline would experience "windup" like drag racers do. Much more practical to cushion the cab.
Fritz Maurer
Well-known Member
Belarus had it for years.
You are correct. So do modern day diesel locomotives and all train cars do too. On a steam loco they can't take as much twisting like a diesel can. You ever see when the shackle busts to all heck on crummy track. Need to drop the driver set down to get them out sometimes.
As to why they are not common for tractors to have a full suspension... Front suspension is very common on todays tractors, even the big articulated tractors are starting to have it. But the suspensions are usually computer controlled hydraulic to be able to not start hopping. If you think about the rear of a tractor, there are many more loads involved than simple tillage draft. What happens with 3pt implements? How about a front fold corn planter? In the field, there is very little weight on the hitch, when in transport, you can come close to overloading the rear of the tractor.
With the amount of traction involved on a hard pull, by the time you dampened a suspension enough to stop power hop, you wouldn't have much suspension left. On semi trucks, the heavy haul go to suspension was a Hendrickson for years. A hendrickson suspension is basically no suspension. There are walking beams for the axles, and really heavy springs that don't give all that much.
I would suggest if you want to improve the ride of any tractor, figure out your rear axle weight for the common jobs you do. You can then set the air pressure in the tires accordingly, this will make a big difference in the ride. I bet your tires are overinflated most of the time now.
With the amount of traction involved on a hard pull, by the time you dampened a suspension enough to stop power hop, you wouldn't have much suspension left. On semi trucks, the heavy haul go to suspension was a Hendrickson for years. A hendrickson suspension is basically no suspension. There are walking beams for the axles, and really heavy springs that don't give all that much.
I would suggest if you want to improve the ride of any tractor, figure out your rear axle weight for the common jobs you do. You can then set the air pressure in the tires accordingly, this will make a big difference in the ride. I bet your tires are overinflated most of the time now.
oliver power
Member
HEY, I was going to mention Belarus...... :<).
Adirondack case guy
Well-known Member
There is plenty of vertical loading on the rear of a tractor. A draft control system transfers weight from the rear mounted implement and the front of the tractor to the rear axles of the tractor, to improve traction. The rear axle is the fulcrum point. A suspension ( thus movable fulcrum point) would neutralize the draft sensing of the 3pt hitch system and depth control would be impossible. Even squatty tires negatively affect a draft control system. It might work on drawbar pulled imps., but not with heavy draft 3pt equipment.
Loren
Loren
Thanks all for your replies. I am truthful in what I am seeking, so I will say why I need it in adition to my back. I lost my license over a speed trap ticket, when I was not speeding, and I refused to pay the ticket, but in most states, you dont have to have a drivers license to drive a tractor. I figured it all up, and what I was spending on tags, insurance and gas, was about $4000.00 a year. As I have land I can claim as a farm, so I can still write it all off.
My plans are to build a tractor out of commonly available parts, no specific brand, but leaning toward a Chevy 250 straight six with a 4 or 5 speed standard, using an rv front and rear disk brake suspension from an old rv demobilized as a guest house at my place, and it has air bag suspension with 411 gears. All truck frames were serialized beginning in 1958, so to get around accusations of an unlicensed vehicle, I will have to use an existing farm tractor frame (the most ideal), custom build a frame or order a new frame from somewhere. Thinking about that, I dont know if rv frames are stamped, I will have to find out if the frame I have is stamped. I may simply section the frames to omit the stamping, after all, I will not be removing or adding numbers, just frame pieces.
I am seriously looking at the same rear suspension used on Chevy trucks from 60 to 72, as the trailing arm/coil suspension, basically a fixed/floating fourlink, simply because it ends at the rear axle, however, this suspension was only used on the half ton to my knowledge. I drove one for ten years, and never had a single problem with it, and I know that I hauled over 1 1/4 ton of crumbled drywall in the shortbed on a single trip to the local land fill. They charged by the pound, using a calibrated scale like the "Cat" scales.
Whatever I use to build it with, the tractor will be either blue or green, because red attracts the cops too much. I already have an aluminum cab, that I stopped and picked up off the side of the road years ago. Knew there was a reason I never scrapped it.
I will look through here and see what I can find to help me build my dual use tractor, as to my others, I have 2 JD 400 diesel backhoe, 2 IH 3414 one gas, one diesel, and 3515, and a case 350, and 310 crawler, and a 175 IH/dresser. I have looked here before to get answers to problems, but never had the time to say thanks to all for their helpful postings. I will keep yall posted on the build, but I am slow.
My plans are to build a tractor out of commonly available parts, no specific brand, but leaning toward a Chevy 250 straight six with a 4 or 5 speed standard, using an rv front and rear disk brake suspension from an old rv demobilized as a guest house at my place, and it has air bag suspension with 411 gears. All truck frames were serialized beginning in 1958, so to get around accusations of an unlicensed vehicle, I will have to use an existing farm tractor frame (the most ideal), custom build a frame or order a new frame from somewhere. Thinking about that, I dont know if rv frames are stamped, I will have to find out if the frame I have is stamped. I may simply section the frames to omit the stamping, after all, I will not be removing or adding numbers, just frame pieces.
I am seriously looking at the same rear suspension used on Chevy trucks from 60 to 72, as the trailing arm/coil suspension, basically a fixed/floating fourlink, simply because it ends at the rear axle, however, this suspension was only used on the half ton to my knowledge. I drove one for ten years, and never had a single problem with it, and I know that I hauled over 1 1/4 ton of crumbled drywall in the shortbed on a single trip to the local land fill. They charged by the pound, using a calibrated scale like the "Cat" scales.
Whatever I use to build it with, the tractor will be either blue or green, because red attracts the cops too much. I already have an aluminum cab, that I stopped and picked up off the side of the road years ago. Knew there was a reason I never scrapped it.
I will look through here and see what I can find to help me build my dual use tractor, as to my others, I have 2 JD 400 diesel backhoe, 2 IH 3414 one gas, one diesel, and 3515, and a case 350, and 310 crawler, and a 175 IH/dresser. I have looked here before to get answers to problems, but never had the time to say thanks to all for their helpful postings. I will keep yall posted on the build, but I am slow.
ptfarmer
Well-known Member
- Location
- San Antonio, Tx
A Massey Ferguson 65 diesel with a truck cab on the front with front suspension. This could be refined, and built better in a lot of ways, but its a decent concept. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6Zqg1OqfFY
K Effective
Well-known Member
As has been stated here several times before, look into your state laws on vehicles with SMV signs on the back- speed limits apply, often as low as 25 mph max for a farm vehicle. Unless titled and registered, you may build something limited in top speed so low you get even more tickets.
Is it too late to pay the stupid fine and get your license back? Sure seems way easier and cheaper than designing and building your own trucktor.
Is it too late to pay the stupid fine and get your license back? Sure seems way easier and cheaper than designing and building your own trucktor.
K Effective
Well-known Member
The $4K you quote is a false number- any vehicle you design and build will require fuel, probably even more than the one you used as an example, so throw fuel cost out. Now you are only saving registration costs and insurance.
Are you willing to risk everything you own to operate an un-insured vehicle on the road? What happens if someone hits you and you have no insurance?
Man, I could go on and on, and did, but deleted it all. Just keep us informed on how you do- what ideas you used and how it came together. And let us know when and where you'll be out on the roads so we can decide how close to get...
Are you willing to risk everything you own to operate an un-insured vehicle on the road? What happens if someone hits you and you have no insurance?
Man, I could go on and on, and did, but deleted it all. Just keep us informed on how you do- what ideas you used and how it came together. And let us know when and where you'll be out on the roads so we can decide how close to get...
buickanddeere
Well-known Member
As previously stated the speed will be off road vehicle/equipment of husbandry farm equipment is limited to 25mph and a SMV.
Some license disqualifications ALSO prohibit the operation of any motor vehicle on a public road , even when no license is required for that machine. Impaired Driving conviction/DUI comes to mind.
Right or wrong the State has you by the tender bits and can squeeze if you annoy a Bureaucrat .
I checked with the DMV, highway patrol ectra. no speed limits on interstate highway, just have to travel between 45 and 65 mph, same with state highways. no insurance needed, farm tractors are exempt, if you hit one, you are automatically at fault for not paying attention. Everything I have, most people would think was junk anyway, and they cant get my land, Rust is my favorite color, so letem sue me. I always run 60 mph, while everyone else is passing me at 90 in Texas. I wont pay the fine, I was not speeding, period, like I said, I run 60, they claimed I was doing 82. Building the tractor wont cost me that much, I already have almost everything I need. Found out this morning that the RV frame is not stamped. I have the title to the RV anyway, I will simply turn it into the state as immobilized, like a trailer house. Will have to shorten the frame, but everything else looks like it will fall in place. Walking around today and found the radiator I will be using, from a 58 Chevy truck, tombstone pattern, rounded at the corners. It will make forming the hood over the Chevy six easier. Looking at some old tractors, and old hot rod pictures, they seem to have some similarities.
ptfarmer
Well-known Member
- Location
- San Antonio, Tx
BarnyardEngineering
Well-known Member
- Location
- Rochester, NY
Depends on the tractor, but any mounted or semi-mounted plow, which are still very common in Europe and the UK, has a heck of a vertical load.
Draft control would be impossible with a rear suspension, or at the very least the suspension would have to be so stiff that you may as well rigid mount the axle anyway.[/quote]
These are my CHEVROLET TRACTOR NOTES
Frame disperportionality equalization
To overlap the frame, allowing the insallation of larger tires, the following must occure. The frame of a mid seventies Chevrolet one ton dually is seven and a half inches. The normally used tire on the same dually is 32 inches. My research has revealed that the use of a 22.5rim with 40 inch semi trailer tire is required, which I already have. An adapter is the easiest solution to bolt the semi trailer rim to the hub of the one ton dually. 22.5 Semi Wheel 8 To 10 Lug Dually Adapter is commercially available at 200 each, a little steep for my BA budget. What I intend to do it to do is to take the bud rims, which are dangerous, and cut the centers out of them, then weld them in to the semi rim opening, not fancy, but functional. As to engines, I have looked over my cars, and have no less that six available for engine donors.
Frame disperportionality equalization
To overlap the frame, allowing the insallation of larger tires, the following must occure. The frame of a mid seventies Chevrolet one ton dually is seven and a half inches. The normally used tire on the same dually is 32 inches. My research has revealed that the use of a 22.5rim with 40 inch semi trailer tire is required, which I already have. An adapter is the easiest solution to bolt the semi trailer rim to the hub of the one ton dually. 22.5 Semi Wheel 8 To 10 Lug Dually Adapter is commercially available at 200 each, a little steep for my BA budget. What I intend to do it to do is to take the bud rims, which are dangerous, and cut the centers out of them, then weld them in to the semi rim opening, not fancy, but functional. As to engines, I have looked over my cars, and have no less that six available for engine donors.
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