[engineguy63]

Just wondering, I have a walk behind simplicity tractor....If I remember its a model W, The briggs engine is gone and tires are shot. Was wondering if anybody has taken one of these walk behinds and created a homemade ride on tractor??? Post pics to get me started if you could Thanks E

 

[boyscout862]

A friend of mine tried it with a David Bradley 2 wheeler over 50 years ago. He used the DB as the rear end and made up a front end and frame for it. He said that the transmission case cracked within just a few uses. I never saw it and he only mentioned it when I got my Simplicity Chor Trac. Those machines really aren't designed to have weight on them. If you want to make it into a ride-on, get a sulky. Good Luck, Rick

 

[petrj6]

exactly what I was thinking, use the tractor to pull a sulky. got to be carefull with those as they aren't designed for lots of weight and the added weight gives traction which in turn allows it to tear itself apart. most walk behinds will lose traction before they break.

Pete

 

[LilysDad]

The first Wheel Horse tractors were exactly that. Take a look at the Ride-on Sr. and the Ride-on Jr. Notice the engine back between the drivers legs; that's a hold over from the two wheel days.

 

[Gtractor]

http://www.antiquetractors.com/cgi-bin/photo_pic.cgi?pic=http;//www.ytmag.com/gallery/br98_25.jpg&firstrec=1&lastrec=15&Parameter=little%20smitty&mode=All&what=gphotos

Here is a picture of .... well, I don't know what it is or was. Might have been factory???

Anyhow. Pretty simple design that looks like a converted walk behind. I bookmarked that pic 10 years ago because I always wanted to build something like you described. There were several walk behinds that were converted to riders by their own factories in this manor.

Be interesting to see what you come up with. Good Luck!!

:thumbs:

 

[KennyP]

My Gravely 450 Commercial uses the two-wheeler rear axle.

 

[jdcrawler]

The Bolens Ridemaster tractors are basically a walk behind unit with a sulky permanently attached.

The Viking tractor that I got from Jerome was also a two wheel walk behind that some one had converted to a rider.

My 1937 Shaw Du-All tractor started out as a two wheel walk behind tractor.