Over the years, many of us have came across home made tractors from the depression. Many old timers call them doodle bugs. In this area, it was also common to strip down an old truck, flip the rear end and and put a farmhand hay stacker on. Anyway, I thought it might be fun to start a thread sharing pictures.
I have a couple, but not Ford and I am looking at buying a late 30s Ford pickup that was shortened up and made into a hay mower.

Here's one I found made from a 20s Chevy, pretty well made.


Here's another one I found made from a 20s Dodge. Pretty cool.

 

ttps://www.google.com/search?q=doodlebug+tractor&sa=X&biw=2279&bih=1205& tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ved=0ahUKEwiz-t-FzfvRAhXIlFQKHfaMBs4Q7AkIJg



https://www.flickr.com/search/?text=doodlebug%20ford

 

Great links Tacoma, thanks. These things were a little before my time but I've ran across many setting on farms over the years, most made from Model As. I do know where there is a cut down Model A made into a hay bucker but I didn't get a picture of it.

 

Those old farmers were pretty clever at using whatever they could find.
Note the top pic, the front axle has been flipped over to gain clearance......the lower one uses a model T rear end(or similar) for a steering box.

I have a reversed '51 Ford truck with a Farmhand loader on it, use it every summer to pick up hay. Probably one of the last still in use....

 

About 10 years ago when I was collecting parts for my pickup project, I bought a '42 Ford ton and a half truck that was converted into a hay bucker. The truck controls were turned around so that you could drive in reverse and the rear axle was turned upside down so that there were 4 speeds in reverse and one forward. It gave up an EAB flathead and some of the front end parts. It appeared to have been a school bus originally.

It was a lot like this only it had the full doghouse over the engine. None of the farmhand parts though.

 

I saw a couple of those at a junk store in Montana a few years back. It took me a while to figure out what was up with all the engineering but the owner explained it to me. Quite ingenious. I guess Mc Guyver didn't invent making something oughta junk in the 80's, huh? Cool thread! There's a model A doodlebug out at the Madan's place on Orcas. If it ever stops snowing I might get a picture.

 

This has been sitting in the next small city, for years:

 

Cool!! that's what I'm talking about WQ!
And Tacoma, my dad built a hay bucker from a 53 IH 3/4 ton when I was a kid, much like that but also still had all the fenders and hood. I ran it when I was 8 or 9 and brought hay into the stacker, it was more fun that anything I could think of at the time, my hotrod!

 

Ha! That was back when work was fun. You were a big kid; you must be good sized now. When I pushed in the clutch at that age I was looking between the the bottom of the steering wheel and the horn button.
I spent time later on at the other end of that operation; I became good at tying in the bales in the stack so that it didn't fall down. And also so that they could be hauled down the road on a truck.

 

Started learning to drive when I was 3 and by the time I was 6 I could take the pickup to the field by myself and drive the little VAC Case tractor. The summer I was 8, my dad was gone working on the minuteman missiles and my 9 year old sister and I did all the summer-fallowing. I don't have memories that go back to when I didn't know how to drive.

 

Model T Ford Forum: Show Us Your T Doodlebug or Conversion Tractor!!