# Use a pickup truck as a tractor?



## puttster (Oct 4, 2013)

Was wondering how I could put some farm implements on a 4WD pickup. Just for a couple of acres, don't really want to buy a tractor. Any other suggestions like special tires, ideas for attaching things to the wheels, making a PTO for it, books or articles, etc?

putts


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## MichaelZ (May 21, 2013)

Sounds like a good way to destroy your 4WD pick up. Look around and you can find an old tractor for $2000 or less. See ebay or http://www.tractorhouse.com/list/list.aspx?ETID=1&catid=1111&Manu=ALLIS-CHALMERS&NoSearch=1 Or find some local farmer to loan you a tractor in trade for some of your produce.


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## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

Nah, not if you have the right truck.
I've been using my Toyota 4wd as a part time tractor for years, pulling stumps, and plowing my garden.
No PTO, lol, just a hitch mounted, homemade 4 row, plow with individual height adjustment for hillsides.
I've tore the tool up, but not my truck.:grin:

Last week I took down several large pines, using a hitch mounted winch tied off at least halfway up the tree, far enough away the tree wouldn't hit my truck.
The largest one was 75 ft+.
Just notch it right, reel in, cut a little more, and the trees all fell within a foot of where they were supposed to. Residential neighborhood, with houses and power lines, most of the trees I cleared on that lot were leaning the "wrong" way.
A tractor won't pull a trailer full of wood 75 mph down the interstate after a long day.


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## Ozarks Tom (May 27, 2011)

I built a 3 point hitch for the Bronco, but just for pulling a blade to clear snow off the gravel road. I guess I could put other implements on, but controlling the up/down is hard when you can't see it. It sure is better than freezing my butt off on the tractor though.

It appears I can't upload a picture, I don't have a kid handy, but I can email pictures. If you want to see what I built pm me with your email address.


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## ldc (Oct 11, 2006)

Minor drift: car as tractor; A good while back I sold my 20+yr Honda Civic 2 door to a friend who attached a gang mower to it. Said it was the first time he could listen to tunes with AC! I'd started my garden biz w/that hatchback - threw a mower in the back along with a lot of hand tools. Later had a hitch welded to the back so I could drag more mowers with me.


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

Better you than me doing that. I have 3 trucks, a 1 ton, GMC, a 1/2 ton Ford, and a 1/4 ton Isuzu. I ONLY use them for nearly there rated loads.

That said, Ill load a ton and a 1/2 on the 1 ton, a ton on the 1/2 ton and a 1/2 ton on the 1/4, but that's it.


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## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

Some of only have 1 truck, but it's paid for, and don't have enough to scrape up for a tractor, not yet anyway.
You do what ya gotta do.
My first 1/2 ton Toyota, I used to haul a ton in, just had to keep it below 45 mph, or the front wheels would come off the ground, makes it hard to steer.
When you drive one for 300,000 miles and do your work on it, you learn what it'll do and what it won't.


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## puttster (Oct 4, 2013)

Could you send or post a pic or description of that plow? After plowing, how would a person work up the soil?


Tom

PS here is Ozark Tom's homemade hitch, (hope he don't mind I posted it) I see, the winch raises the tool. . Very clever, thanks, Tom


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## Patchouli (Aug 3, 2011)

farmrbrown said:


> Nah, not if you have the right truck.
> I've been using my Toyota 4wd as a part time tractor for years, pulling stumps, and plowing my garden.
> No PTO, lol, just a hitch mounted, homemade 4 row, plow with individual height adjustment for hillsides.
> I've tore the tool up, but not my truck.:grin:
> ...


What did you use for the plowing?


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## Jennifer L. (May 10, 2002)

I used the truck on a side delivery rake once, hauling hay wagons and trailers but that's as far as I'd go with it. One thing about a truck, it's got skinny tires next to tractor tires, and you'll probably compact the ground more than a tractor would. So under no circumstances use it in wet ground that you could go through with a tractor. You might get through there, but you'd cut ruts.

They really aren't field material.

Having said that, it was common in the 40's to cut up cars and trucks to use in the field. They called them Doodle bugs, or bugs for short. The last one I knew around here died in 1963 or '64. My neighbor, an old, well, wino, drove his to town for groceries. I don't know what his was made from, but it looked like a truck if it had been made as a convertible.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doodlebug_tractor


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## Phil V. (May 31, 2013)

Don't know how to post it; but on youtube it shows the old willys jeep using a 2 bottom pull type plow. Also seen jeeps with a belt pulley out the back belted up to a buzz saw. Ford had a kit to turn the model a's and t's into a variation of a tractor.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Here is the jeep video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i945HeIHvA


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## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

I'll have to get that implement back down here from the neighbor's house and post a pic.
It's getting dark now and I just got back with another load of wood.
Farmrbrown's all tuckered out!

But the physical description is, 1 1/2" - 2" steel square tubing with angle iron points for the furrows.
Very amateurish and primitive for my first attempt, but my plot wasn't too big and it worked for what I needed.

On the winch/tree pulling, that was when I was taking down large ones, I usually pull stumps with a chain and the truck.
The winch allows me to stand and watch everything with fine touch control, rather than snatching and pulling while being "trapped" behind the wheel.
I'm pretty good at getting trees to fall where I want, but I'm always wary of what could go wrong, and like to be prepared to run, with or without chainsaw......:runforhills:

*I should note that I'm *not* recommending using a truck for a tractor as a great idea, worthy of a genius award, lol.
Rather the question was asked, "Can you, have you?" , and as fate would have it, "Yes, I have."
When I run across a good deal at the same time that I can spare the money, I sure would like to have a small farm tractor, so my Toyota can enjoy retirement in her old age.
Until then, we'll just keep pugging along.


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## puttster (Oct 4, 2013)

Phil V. said:


> Don't know how to post it; but on youtube it shows the old willys jeep using a 2 bottom pull type plow. Also seen jeeps with a belt pulley out the back belted up to a buzz saw. Ford had a kit to turn the model a's and t's into a variation of a tractor.


I was wondering if there was a DIY way to mill logs. Couldn't find anything on the internet comparable to this video on how to split wood using a Ford F-150  [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuHV0BlvjMc[/ame]


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

I always wanted to put a moldboard plow on the hitch of my Ford 150 so that I could plow up a long row of potatos, but I am afraid of damaging my truck.

Does anybody have thoughts on this?


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## Ozarks Tom (May 27, 2011)

Puttster, re the picture in post #8, that's not farmerbrown's hitch.


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## COWS (Dec 23, 2012)

The Jeep became famous during World War II. After the war, the Willys company started making jeeps and one of their ventures was to make farm attachments for it. They made 3ph, a belt pulley, and a power take off for the Jeeps. They never became very popular, but I knew at least one local that had one.

COWS


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

Yes Terri Youll tear up your truck. That's IF its a standard. IF its an automatic, its guaranteed.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

FarmboyBill said:


> Yes Terri Youll tear up your truck. That's IF its a standard. IF its an automatic, its guaranteed.


Thanks, this is good to know.


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

I doubt if a pk would pull a 14in plow. Im positive it wouldn't in the dry hard dirt at the time to take up taters. Youd have to add alotta weight to the bed for traction. That weight and the pull of the plow would do in your trans.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

Yes, in the past trucks and 4WD vehicles have been used as trucks, but you notice that they were a passing fad. If it was worthwhile to do it, it would still be standard practice.
If you have the time and money to beef up add pto etc, you have the time and money to get a real tractor that will do what you want.


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

http://www.farmjeep.com/implements.html

http://www.cj3a.info/cj3a/farmjeep/fj.html


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## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

OK, let's see if this works......
As I said originally, this isn't to replace a full size John Deere, this won't put in a 100 acre field of corn, this isn't meant to be used on hard, virgin prairie.....this is an IFD, an improvised farming device, to be used by the low tech and low income among us when the only alternative at hand is your lower back, lol.
You can see where the third leg snapped off when I caught it on a large root and it dug in. I was in granny low 4WD and it just politely went "snap" and I kept going.
No harm, no foul, just a little rewelding.

The 2nd pic is my mobile winch, it'll fit in either my truck or my wife's Jeep, or even in the bed of the truck, chained at the tie downs.
I run the cable to an extra marine battery, and jumper that, to the truck when I need extra boost.
It's just a way to make one tool, versatile.


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## Phil V. (May 31, 2013)

www.pantherpros.com www.woodlandmills.ca Hope these help puttster. There are several variations on the chainsaw mill.


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## Rustaholic (Dec 1, 2007)

puttster said:


> I was wondering if there was a DIY way to mill logs. Couldn't find anything on the internet comparable to this video on how to split wood using a Ford F-150  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuHV0BlvjMc


That is the smallest wimpy unicorn wood splitter I have seen.
Mine is a real monster compared to that one.
It is a lot sharper too. It still has it's screw on cap to protect people from getting cut just bumping it when it is not running.

Back to the original topic. My old 1965 CJ-5 had no trouble at all pulling my old Oliver triple 12" bottom trailer plow. My 1939 Allis Chalmers B would only pull two if I set it to 4" or less deep. With the Jeep I would sink all three as deep as they would go and it would do a wonderful job idling in second gear low range. It only had a little 134 CID F-head 4 cylinder engine.


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## reubenT (Feb 28, 2012)

road vehicles have a lot more HP than tractors for the weight, the strength of the drive train will determine how long one will last in low speed pulling service. The jeep with 134 is probably around 60-70 HP. A tractor with that HP will be a whole lot heavier. 

I used a CJ for making hay once, got hay wrapped around the driveshafts and damaged the pinion seals. I put the front half of an old 70's buick on the back half of a john deer tractor, worked OK but the big V8 ate too much gas. Automatic transmission coupled to the tractor flywheel which was mounted on a subaru front wheel bearing. At least it got my ploughing done. I finally put the original tractor front back on and put an old subaru engine on it, using 2-1 belt drive to the flywheel. Used it that way for a number of years until the PTO gave out and the gear shifting got completely unmanageable. replaced it with a ford 3000 last year. (then pulled the engine off the JD and put it back in a 4x4 subaru wagon) Now I'm fixin to swap the ford for a good flatbed gooseneck. go on the road for awhile makin cash and replace the ford by spring with whatever I can find. In the mean time I'll fix up my neighbors old IH 414 that's been waiting for repairs and use it for awhile. needs a clutch jpb and tires worked on. 

Once ya get going on it, old tractors aren't hard to find and not too expensive. My experience tells me it's better to get the tool made for the job, saves a lot of time on the long run, fixing stuff that breaks because it's being used in ways it wern't made to be used. I used an old WWII military truck for a log skidder for several years, powered by a 350 chevy V8, kept breaking it and fixing it, finally broke too bad to be worth fixing. decided a tractor was much better.


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## puttster (Oct 4, 2013)

Rusta, did your plow have wheels? 

More generally, how do you keep a plow (or a disc set, etc for that matter) to stay in the earth? I googled it and can't really figure it out.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

Interesting. We've been talking about using our old CJ8 to make a doodlebug, and we've also tossed around the idea of using the old F250.

Biggest problem Nick has is figuring out the PTO. Depending on the tranny, you can still get PTOs for an Allis or Borg-Warner and such. He says it's way expensive, but possible. Issue is how to get the PTO shaft from the drive on the tranny past all the carp the mfg hung all over the underside of the truck and still wind up with a PTO shaft dead center in the back of the truck.

On the Jeep, the exhaust and gas tank would have to come out. On the 250? Ugh. 

Better off saving up your ducats and getting a tractor.


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## Gray Wolf (Jan 25, 2013)

Gears are the problem. Many years ago, we cut most of the body off a 50's car and put another transmission behind the stock one - a three speed in back of a three speed - to keep the engine speed up. Automatics would a different stall speed and more cooling and then would still have too high of gearing.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Gray Wolf said:


> Gears are the problem. Many years ago, we cut most of the body off a 50's car and put another transmission behind the stock one - a three speed in back of a three speed - to keep the engine speed up. Automatics would a different stall speed and more cooling and then would still have too high of gearing.


Unless the PU you are going to use has the older Standard 4 to 5 speed manual tranny. With first gear so low that you get half way across the intersection and you Have to shift because of the motor rpm's getting too high.
 I have such a tranny in my '89 GMC PU. 
That old granny gear is very low indeed, and very well could be used nicely in such situations as pulling a small plow behind because the engine would be "Revved Up" for the job. LOL


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## Rustaholic (Dec 1, 2007)

puttster said:


> Rusta, did your plow have wheels?
> 
> More generally, how do you keep a plow (or a disc set, etc for that matter) to stay in the earth? I googled it and can't really figure it out.


That is what a trailer plow is. Mine is an older version of this one that I found online.
View attachment 17805

The lever sticking up on the left is the trip lever.
I could reach mine from the tractor but when on the Jeep I tied a rope to it.
Someones comment about it tearing up the Jeep is totally nonsense.
I would not use the Jeep like that at my mother's house but in my sandy loam it is no strain at all.


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## plowhand (Aug 14, 2005)

I've raked hay with my 2000 GMC 3500...it was just as good as pulling my old rake as my tractor...plus it had air....nice in a hot field away from home!


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## Ozarks Tom (May 27, 2011)

puttster said:


> Rusta, did your plow have wheels?
> 
> More generally, how do you keep a plow (or a disc set, etc for that matter) to stay in the earth? I googled it and can't really figure it out.


Similar to the old IH Cub plow, a spring loaded rod holds the plow down. Or, instead of the push down method, a spring loaded chain could be used to pull the plow down.


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## Al Von (Aug 9, 2012)

puttster said:


> I was wondering if there was a DIY way to mill logs. Couldn't find anything on the internet comparable to this video on how to split wood using a Ford F-150  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuHV0BlvjMc


OSHA approved! lol


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## a'ightthen (Mar 17, 2012)

Just for fun ... here is a dodge sporting a [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EByMcmA9lGo"]2 row plow[/ame] .....


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## SugarCrkRanch (Jan 5, 2013)

puttster said:


> I was wondering if there was a DIY way to mill logs. Couldn't find anything on the internet comparable to this video on how to split wood using a Ford F-150  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuHV0BlvjMc


Check this Homemade Bandsaw mill out..... Pretty Cool ! ! ! http://www.blinkx.com/burl?v=7fmZ-z...r7WAyzZ1b_px-8ZtsKf17ljMHyVtTEwTqV9wtsh0emlvt


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## SugarCrkRanch (Jan 5, 2013)

I was also going to suggest the old horse pull equipment. It can still be found around here and really cheap. Cycle Bar mowers , Plows, disc, rakes .Ect. it would work.


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## SugarCrkRanch (Jan 5, 2013)

I also met a guy the other day, He used his truck to run a belt driven corn grinder. He backed the rear tire up to the belt pulley jacked up his truck, used a come along to draw tension on it. started the truck, put in granny gear at idle and ground whole ears of corn into feed. It worked.


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