In response to a letter to the editor (Farm Collector,
February 2005, page 6) from Tony Friga: Your pictures and
description of a homemade tractor nearly blew my mind. I said,
“Hey, that’s my tractor!” Then I wondered about the odds of this
being the tractor I assembled in about 1933 from parts of a Model T
and a Baby Overland car.
I used a Model T frame, front axle assembly and steering, and
the wooden spoke wheels as shown in your picture. I used the Baby
Overland engine and transmission. If this is the same tractor,
someone else adapted and mounted the mower on it. Also, the wheels
I put on the rear were car wheels without tires or rims. I made
cleats of 1-inch angle iron and bolted them to the wheels.
Everything was bolted together, no welds.
I believe I used the Baby Overland radiator and shell, and a
steel farm equipment seat. I would sure like to hear from you if
anything I have mentioned shows up in your tractor. The odds are
astronomical, anyway. What would be the likelihood of this being
the one I assembled 72 years ago in Albuquerque?
– Charlie Hobson
1116 Western Meadows N.W.
Albuquerque, NM 87114
