Humanity can be divided into two categories: The “I wish I had” people and the “Let’s get on with it” people. Allen Becker of Boerne, Texas, is one of the resourceful people in the second category. Back in the 1960s, Allen had a good job with a major airline, and he repaired lawnmowers and small engines on the side. Money was still tight. He had several children to support, his wife had major medical issues, and he and his family were building a house. So when the family needed a tractor for gardening and general tasks around the place, Allen felt that his best solution was to make one. The thought of designing and building one was appealing. Fortunately, he possessed a variety of fabricating skills inherited from his parents, plus others he acquired on his own.

Becker family members were collectors. Allen and his father both had a number of sheds filled with “precious stuff,” and there were piles of used items in and around the outbuildings. Allen did not lack for materials to draw upon; he was limited only by his own creativity. He also had an assortment of tools, among them a cutting torch, a grinder, a welder, a drill press, and common hand tools such as wrenches and screwdrivers.

In preparation for the project, Allen dug through piles of items and pulled together two three-speed automobile transmissions. One was from a 1931 Pontiac, and the other from a 1937 Plymouth. He found a differential and rims from a 1940 Ford pickup truck; heavy-duty, three-roller chains and sprockets from an irrigation pump given to Allen by his grandfather; the rear struts from the Ford pickup; the front axle, spindles, wheels and linkage from a Cushman golf cart; a steering wheel from a Model T Ford; a cast-iron seat from a hay rake; a steering gearbox from the Plymouth; two air cylinders from a motorcycle; rims from the Ford pickup; an assortment of scrap-metal pipes, rods, angle irons, plates, flat irons, etc. and buckets of old nuts, bolts and washers.

The differential from the Ford pickup was cut back 12 inches on each side, and the Model T steering wheel was modified by replacing the original circle with a rolled tube measuring a foot in diameter, welded onto the center hub and spokes. Speed reduction was achieved through the V-belts and pulleys connecting the clutch on the engine to the front transmission. This was combined with the speed reduction produced by the three-roller chains and sprockets linking the rear transmission with the differential and resulted in an overall gear reduction of 2:1.

When the two transmissions are shifted into reverse, the result is a creeper gear that moves the tractor at a slow walking speed. Shifting the two transmissions into third gear results in a truly life-threatening top speed of 40mph. The two motorcycle air cylinders cushion the seat. A lift lever and linkage were fabricated from scrap metal to raise and lower the cultivator, the plow, and the front blade.

The Wisconsin engine had been acquired at an earlier time from a rancher who lived in Helotes, Texas. The engine lacked a magneto and Allen purchased it for $2. Later, Allen was given a discarded Wisconsin engine by a different person, and this engine had a working magneto that was compatible with his original engine. Allen’s engine is a Model AH single-cylinder Wisconsin industrial engine with a clutch. It is serial number 36092 and was manufactured in January 1937. The engine is rated at 5.9hp at 1,400rpm, 6.7hp at 1600rpm, 7.4hp at 1,800rpm, 7.7hp at 2,000rpm and 8hp at 2,200rpm. It has a 3-5/8×4-inch bore and stroke and a displacement of 41.3 cubic inches. Stromberg made the carburetor and WICO the magneto. The engine was built between 1936 and 1941. It is an L-head engine with an air vane governor and an outboard magneto. The engine is started with a crank, which slips over the front end of the crankshaft.

Allen built the tractor in his spare time during 1963 and 1964. He also built a push-blade, a plow and a cultivator from scrap metal to be used with the tractor. The tractor has 5.70/5.00-8 front tires that came with the front axle assembly of the golf cart. As constructed, the tractor retained the rear wheels with the 16-inch rims and tires that were on the 1940 Ford pickup. The tractor lacked traction, so Allen added chains to the rear wheels. Short sections of the chain were laid across the tires and attached to nuts welded around the perimeters of the rear rims at regular intervals. For additional traction, short pieces of angle iron were welded to the chains. Eventually, new 7-16 lug-bar tractor tires were purchased from a local Kubota dealership.

Foot pedals were added to the tractor to activate the hydraulic brake cylinders. Allen added valves to the brake system so he could lock in the brake pressure as an emergency/parking brake system.
The tractor turned out to be very useful and, as an added bonus, the Becker children and their friends enjoyed it. It was overbuilt, and its durability has been proven many times over by the ease with which it has pulled heavy loads and handled the plow, blade, and cultivator. FC
Glenn Thompson, professor emeritus from the Wisconsin University System, was born and raised on a farm in South Dakota. In addition to other pursuits at his home in Texas, Glenn rides herd over “an eclectic collection of dead and dying riding mowers and compact tractors.” Email him at uffda@beecreek.net.