Agricat Garden Crawler

I got the Agricat about 5-years ago and it ( and the Lindeman ) are mainly just for show now. I do get them out and play a little once in a while but I don't work either one very much at all. As far as how rare it is .. I have seen about 7 Agricats over the last 8-years ( this being one of those) Most were the Model-F ( about a foot longer than this ) and a couple were the model-C like this.

These were made back in the 40's and 50's by Joost Manufacturing Company - Berkely, California.

They were sold by Earl H. Pence & Co. - San Leandro, California.

There were about a dozen companies that made small crawlers like this back then and most of them stopped building them when the rubber tired skidsteer/bobcat came out.

The most common little crawler is the Struck Minnie Crawler. They were advertised in Popular Mechanics and Popular Science as a kit that you put together.

Struck still builds a small steel track crawler today.

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Working on my 1949 Agricat model-C crawler.

I was really lucky when I found this because it still had all the manuals and paperwork with it.

It also had some letters from the original owner ordering some parts and responce from the company.

The engine is very worn out.

Both front rollers need bushings.

Bushings in the left final drive and side plate are worn. ( the right final drive is still tight, so I'm going to leave that side alone )

The track chains are OK.

Transmission and drive chain are OK.

I already rebuilt the steering clutches two years ago.

Both track idlers are OK.

This is what it looked like when I bought it.

To start this .. you had to lift a metal panel that covered the starter pulley ( under the lift arm for the front blade ).

Then you had to run the starter rope down between the blade lift arm and the engine and wrap the belt around the pulley.

Once you have it wrapped, then you have to stand in front of the blade and lean over it to pull the starter rope.

My old back muscles were not going to take much of that.

So before I started the restoration, I added an electric starter/generator.

This is making the shroud to cover the pulleys and V-belt

The panel that holds the starter switch and amp gauge.

Disassembling the Agricat.

Undercarriage parts.

I bought bushing with a standard outside diameter and a smaller inside diameter.

I've reamed the parts out to accept the standard outside diameter of the bushings. Then I machined the inside of the bushings to

fit the shaft diameter.

Reaming front roller for new bushing.

Machining new bushing.

Final drive cover back on.

Stripping old paint off parts.

Painting the crawler.

Transmission, chain drive, rear axle and steering clutches.

Most of this will be covered by sheet metal.

Tracks are reassembled and the interior and drive train are painted.

The holes in the fenders are for mounting rubber pads that fit on the foot rest, up the front of the fender

and on top of the front half of the fender.

The engine is torn down and new parts have been ordered.

Finished .. 1949 Agricat garden crawler.

6 HP Wisconsin AEH engine with electric start.

2 speed forward and 1 reverse.

Dozer blade and garden plow are raised and lowered manually.

Tool box relocated to the back in between the rear lift brackets.

Here it is being used a little last spring to clean up the side of the road where the county snow plow had scarfed it up.

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