VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION General Discussions My Doodlebugs

I was told it would be OK to share this non-chevy collection, here. I hope you enjoy it enough to not send me packing...

I have a small 'collection' of Doodlebugs. In my vocabulary, that is a home-made tractor.

During tough times, farmers would have trouble buying/replacing farm tractors, due to depression, war, and other issues. They would take a car or truck, shorten the frame, and add a truck rearend. That gives it more power (rear gear ratio) and shorter, so will turn sharper. The issue was getting more power from the car, to work on the farm. Usually, most of the body has also been removed.

Since these are home-made, virtually every one is distinct, different. Part of the question is always 'why did he do that'?


One of the benefits of showing these is when I take them to a show, I will be visited by someone, who walks right by the restored John Deeres, Massey, etc, to come lean on my machine, and talke about how he helped his Dad build one, when he was 9 years old. You can see him reliving those memories, as he shares them with me.

Also, I should warn you, I prefer to leave them in their 'working' clothes.

The first that I will post is a Model A truck engine/trans (4-sp) with a Model T rearend (worm drive). I call this one a Grove tractor, because the builder narrowed both the front and rear axle.

[img:left]http://postimg.org/image/60q9by5hn/[/img]


I also have a Model A, car, that has been converted. It has a 3-sp transmission. To provide gear reduction, for more power, it has 2 rear-ends. The first is the original Model A, rotated 90 degrees, with the lower axle bolted in place of the drive shaft of the second rear-end. The provides 2 sets of gear reduction. The original builder of this machine must have done this before, because he added a grease pump, to pump lube from the lower pumpkin to the upper, as it doesn't hold lube.

Its turn in the shop has not come up, yet. Doesn't run. It also has a belt powered winch, to operate the front blade.

http://postimg.org/image/ljnp92dsb/

Notice the rear wheel. The wheel you see, is not bolted on. Appears it has a second wheel welded to the rim, that is mounted onto the tractor. This is just one of the questions that came with this machine....

I'll add more, if there is interest...
Rusty

Rusty
like them doodlebugs! necessity is the mother! lets have a stump pulling contest! I want one! post more!
Ken

Like the guys at the show, this brings back memories to me too. My dad built one too with a Whippet and it had cast iron mower wheels. They called it the autotrac. I never saw it in action as they retired it before I was born. In the family lore, there is an anecdote about him having a close call during a Sunday afternoon demonstration when it reared nearly straight up and came down on him. My memories of it are that it was parked nose to nose with my Coupe behind the equipment shed for years and we played on it too. When I went back to get my car, it was no longer there. Perhaps it is in someone's collection.

Have to say very cool indeed...

Ingenuity at its finest, do what you need to do to get what you need done !!

I agree, very cool!

Here are some pics of '28 Chevy tractors:

http://www.antiquetractors.com/contents/tpic4771.htm

http://www.smokstak.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74480

Cheers, Dean

want that green one

Here's a '29 doodlebug for sale in Northern California. Only $300:

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/4762120362.html

Cheers, Dean

lol, that is also on eBay at the moment...

1929 Chevrolet Mystery car

nice doodlebug

nice lady doodlebug for Dean

1927 doodlebug for all

These are terrific pictures. I think my favorite is the Chevy with the 'roller' front end.

I have one that is based on a Walk-behind garden tractor, from 1938, a Shaw DuAll. Someone in the past had extended the frame and added a narrowed Model T front axle and a seat out back. When the seat is occupied, it is very light in the front end, so to play with it, I needed to add something 'appropriate'. My neighbor came up with an old dynamite box, from the 30's. It runs and has participated in several parades.

http://s25.postimg.org/624sj3wpb/IMG_20140908_163728.jpg

This is a Graham Brothers truck, from the mid 20's. It had a Dodge Brothers engine/3-sp transmission and a second 3-sp transmission. It runs, but is not allowed out of the yard since it has no brakes!

http://s25.postimg.org/b37l6qerz/Graham_Bros.jpg

I have a couple more that are pretty much the normal basic, but have held my favorite for last.

This is based on a 1924 Packard. It has the original engine/trans/rearend, as well as honeycomb radiator/shell/motometer. It starts and runs terrific. Has been outfitted with a kit from the late 30's, that includes tracks. It gets a lot of attention whenever I take it out.

http://s25.postimg.org/7z1inondb/Packard_Shure_Conversion.jpg

After all of these, one of the doodlebugs that I dragged home was based on a 1928 Chevy. I had noticed it has brakes on all corners and thought surely I can do something more than a tractor... I replaced the ruckstal rear-end with that of a '22 Overland, replaced the Model T cowl with that of a '28 Chevy (of course) and it is now licensed and insured. I love chasing around the neighborhood with it. When I get home, my face hurts... from grinning...



http://s25.postimg.org/iquhp1dfz/IMG_20140907_101755.jpg

Rusty
great collection, must be lots of fun keeping them all running, some Packard guy probably wants that half track. Hope you got a pole barn for that stuff!

Thanks for pics
Ken

Rusty

Got guys still at it. On internet a bit ago, a fella had taken the orig eng out of a 66 Oliver and installed a 16 HP air cooled single cyl eng in its place. Easier swap with the drive shaft set up from eng to clutch/tranny in the Olivers. Had a centrifugal clutch on eng and than roller chain to drive shaft. Showed him raking hay and mowing with it. Really neat set up.

Jim.

Nice doodlebugs . . .

xhttp://s1382.photobucket.com/user/classiccarnut1/media/DoodleBug001_zps1b32b5fc.jpg.html


Purchased last month

Well, obviously I can not figure out how to post a photo

Cordman

https://vccachat.org/ubbthreads.php/topics/322437/post_image_._org#Post322437

try that

I love those machines. The first looks terrific. Far too clean, though. The guy with the Puller.. Hope he has springs in that seat! I have a lot of respect for the fellow that made that model.

The Steamer looks like a kick. I love to see it operating.

A couple of years ago, I had a steam rig that had been used to chase around the guys neighborhood, 15 years ago. He had used an old boat steam engine, homemade boiler, and a chassis based on an old cushman 4-wheeler. It was a pretty interesting machine, but I didn't have the courage to lite the boiler... Traded it before I got too hooked on it.

Rusty

The Antique Truck Club of America's show in Barrington NH every August always has a large and interesting collection of Doodlebugs and hit-'n-miss engines. Here's a 2nd life Chevy doodlebug.

Yeah No TWO are the Same !!

Ken,

That 2nd photo of the chained up rig. Never saw a chain that could dwarf tires like that. Perhaps a model instead of real thing??

Jim.

someone with big imagination, poor mans doodlebug!