Frankly my Deere, I don't give a John! (Tractor Trike. MBBO Class 2)

Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum

Help Support Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Nov 17, 2012
Messages
21,660
Reaction score
19,024
Location
Broken Hill, Australia
Sorry for the late start on my build, I had some design issues I couldn't work out for a while and then just when I sorted them and started work we had a big storm take out our internet for a week or so...

This is the pic I posted back in the MBBO ideas thread before it started:
84101_73a29b7dd3bc96ee93755816c2072edc.jpg


The basic idea was a tractor bike, using that narrowed Austin K series truck grill cut down as the grill, some sort of steering wheel, that 4x6" mini bike wheel at the front and a 240/50/16 Metzler tire on the back.

I couldn't get it to look right in my head and mock-ups though, so I didn't start building or start a thread for it.

That all changed about a week ago when Kel Hahnel decided he was going to swap out the rear wheels on the build from MBBO#05 for more conventional and easier rolling wheels...

I started thinking about those rear wheels on the back of a tractor TRIKE and suddenly the plan clicked...
Made a deal with Kel to get those wheels back and started work on another "locker" diff set up.

Here are the wheels:
IMG_20181128_172047739.jpg


If you followed my build in MBBO#05 the rest will all make sense.
Started with 2 three piece bottom brackets cut from donor frames:
IMG_20181128_162444724.jpg


Cut in half and sleeved ready for welding:
IMG_20181128_164851673.jpg


Welded and added extended axles and freewheel/disc mounts:
IMG_20181128_171919205.jpg


Went through my stash and found some discs and a pair of mirrored calipers I forgot I had:
IMG_20181128_173634574.jpg
IMG_20181128_173639206.jpg


And that is where I am up to currently.

Basic plan is a rough and ready look, like a tractor that has been used and abused for 50 years, rough welded repairs, no paint left, exposed chains...

Hoping to build the whole thing without spending too much, my hobby budget is mostly being saved for painting my Datsun rally car project when I finish the custom flares.

I will need to find two matching freewheels and chains, but hopefully the rest can be found in my stash of parts and left overs from old projects.
 
Only at ratrodbikes would a tractor trike be considered a muscle bike. lol

Looking forward to following along!
Pullin' wheelies instead of stumps. o_O
:21: Perfect!
Can't wait to see what you do with this. Love that grill.
Looking forward to see how this turns out
Thanks Guys!
Your builds are what brought me too this forum, cant wait too see how this turns out!
Wow! I take that as a huge compliment!
Glad to have you around and building with us! :thumbsup:

No progress to show today, I did pick up two 16T BMX freewheels and 2 chains along with some fresh bearings, but didn't bother getting a photo, as we all know what they look like.

Worked out some measurements and some frame design cues though, so good progress was made even if there is nothing to really show for it!
 
By Luke, you've done it again! And I really hope you keep it in the 'being used and in the field for 50 yrs ' look. In Rust We Trust.
"From rust we have come, and to rust we shall return."~ OJ
 
By Luke, you've done it again! And I really hope you keep it in the 'being used and in the field for 50 yrs ' look. In Rust We Trust.
"From rust we have come, and to rust we shall return."~ OJ
Oh yes, rusty and well used is the look I am going for!
Also hopefully helped by using as many found and second hand pieces as I can.
 
Episode 2: "I need to eat more beans."

Headed out today hoping to get a lot done, even have a rolling differential by the end of the day.

Started out building one of the axle supports:
IMG_20181201_150032918.jpg


As I was finishing the second last weld on it, I ran out of gas in the MIG bottle. :envy:
Won't be able to get more gas until Monday.
I could have broken out the TIG, but I am not yet fully back up to speed on it, and it requires a patience I just didn't have today.

Decided just to keep cutting and preparing things to weld next time.

Cut out all the pieces for the other axle support:
IMG_20181201_150757215.jpg


Moved on to the front forks, I was hoping to just cut the legs off a cheap suspension fork and slide the cut down minibike fork legs inside them, as you can see, that was not going to happen:
IMG_20181201_152339879.jpg


So instead the suspension fork legs got cut out and I will fit the fork top between the minibike legs and weld it on, once it is solid I will remove the wheel, cut down the excess and fill the holes:
IMG_20181201_153342685.jpg
IMG_20181201_153347087.jpg


Next I cut a headtube of a cheap Huffy 20" kids bike to extend for the headtube, didn't get pics, but you know what they look like.

Decided I had one more thing left in me before I had better call it a day, so I started work on the steering wheel.

Started with the top section off a home gas bottle I trimmed up to be an extra reserve tank for my compressor:
IMG_20181201_155529390.jpg


Cut down:
IMG_20181201_155943081.jpg


That will be the underside of the wheel. Hopefully it is big enough to allow for decent steering, it is only about 10" across, but being a trike it should hopefully be OK, if not, I will find something else.

Hoping it will be OK though, as the size should suit the rest of the build.

.
 
Loving it! Giving me inspiration to get back to doing something with my David Bradley hood.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Loving it! Giving me inspiration to get back to doing something with my David Bradley hood.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I live in the town where they built David Bradleys...

Carl.
 
Very creative ingenuity :thumbsup:
Thank you!
I live in the town where they built David Bradleys...

Carl.
Cool!

Nothing much to report, I got a gas refill, but health has been rough since, hoping to get some good progress on the front and rear soon so I can start figuring what joins them.

I did get a pic of how the "differential" will line up on one of the mounts, realised I never explained why one axle is longer than the other and the whole thing seems offset to one side:

IMG_20181205_193301566.jpg


It is because the drive chains will be centered on the trike, but I need room on the square taper mounts to allow the disc brakes to fit beside the freewheels, so the mounts are offset to allow the chains to be centered meaning one axle is longer than the other.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top