Po boy's 4-wheeler

[kenny chaos]

Here's a project I just finished. I can't get to the woods anymore on foot and lots of times it's too wet for my big old tractor. I been wantin' something to get me out there and back and this is what I came up with.
I paid $150 for two old bolens garden tractors and the pick-up truck pulling tires. I paid another $100 for the old B&S;single lung 16hp motor. Add new points, condensor and four longer belts, I have about $350 into it.
These old engines start easy when they're right. The carb was a little too much work but you'll notice there's no battery or charging system. Wrap the rope around the front pulley, give it half a hearty tug, and she's a chuggin'.
It is double belt drive to the driveshaft and double belt drive for the pto (front & rear).
It's got a high and low gear, six forward, two reverse and a locking differential. That all equates to some serious pulling power for such a small, cheap, system.
I like it a lot and wanted to share the idea with others.
Ken

 

[stop drop & roll]

That thing is pretty cool! I bet you had a blast building it and alot of satisfaction using it for the first time. Pat yourself on the back, good job

 

[fossil]

Whaddya gonna call it? Rick

 

[kenny chaos]

That thing is pretty cool! I bet you had a blast building it and alot of satisfaction using it for the first time. Pat yourself on the back, good job

Thanks for the kind words. It really isn't much fun in the shop this time of year, no heat. I'd rather be stirring up trouble on the computer. :coolsmile:
It is fun to drive and it'll do more than I'll ever need it to.
Thanks again-
Ken

 

[kenny chaos]

Whaddya gonna call it? Rick

I know this woman who is always happy pulling more than her own weight, Melba.
I'll also use it to move around the wood processor so it'll be: Melba and the Angry Beaver.

 

[savageactor7]

Pretty cool Kenny ...I think if you could rig up front low pressure duels that would stay right up on top of the snow too.

 

[kenny chaos]

Pretty cool Kenny ...I think if you could rig up front low pressure duels that would stay right up on top of the snow too.

Mediocre minds think alike. :lol:
I got an old three wheeler the kids left me and the only things good on it any more are the back wheels and rims. Those will eventually go on the front. I have a 48" plow for the front but that'll need to be extended some.
There's a rototiller for the back and I just passed on a Bercomac snowblower on e-bay that was a little farther than I wanted to travel. It went for $66! I"ll hate myself a long time for passing on that.
I'm going to try and retrieve an old pto drive hay elevator some guy HAD to have and now never uses. I'll run it with Melba when doing firewood.
I'd love to build a vertical logsplitter on the back with a waist high table and run the pump off the pto but I already have too much stuff to warrant that.
Lots of ideas but as I said, it'll basically just get my butt around the farm a little easier.
Making this stuff is a creative outlet for me and more fun than having to use it.
Thanks for looking-
Ken

 

[moondoggy]

its like "mini tractor pull'n time"!
thats cool man, nice build.

melba isnt bad,
how about
"little runt"

 

[kenny chaos]

how about
"little runt"

Already taken. :red:

 

[sinnian]

Looks comfy :shut:

Cool rig

 

[Shari]

A rear stabilizer and a roll bar would make it look like something we had - give it that "Tim The Toolman" touch! My Dad & Grandpa made something like this years age for Grandpa to get into the woods for his minnow traps up at the lake. They had a blast with their creation! Have fun with yours!

Shari

 

[mjbrown]

looks REAL nice ken, good build .. reminds me of my dad and i when i was younger. always building stuff like this

now i am into the golf carts thing,putting a snoplw on it and saving for a 18 hp b&s;. i did the lift myself and the rims and tires are off a polaris 4 wheeler.

folks around town laugh like heck when i ride her to the store 1/2 mile up the road. with the big tires i get about 20 mph.

mike

 

[kenny chaos]

looks REAL nice ken, good build .. reminds me of my dad and i when i was younger. always building stuff like this

now i am into the golf carts thing,putting a snoplw on it and saving for a 18 hp b&s;. i did the lift myself and the rims and tires are off a polaris 4 wheeler.

folks around town laugh like heck when i ride her to the store 1/2 mile up the road. with the big tires i get about 20 mph.

mike

There's an outfit that refits carts with 16hp Kawasaki, water cooled, industrial engines. I saw them on youtube. Pretty awesome.
I picked that same engine for my firewood processor. They are really good.

 

[bsruther]

That thing looks pretty good Ken. Are you sure you're not from Kentucky? That thing would fit right in down here.
Did you put a hitch or hook on the back yet? I bet the twin belts give you a good solid pull.
I know a guy that used to modify lawn tractors until he got hurt real bad on one (twin engines, big tree). Make sure the steering linkage is strong.

Here's a pic of my cart. It's a workhorse. It's surprising what they can do. I use it to tow my splitter and haul all of my wood to stack.

 

[bsruther]

Here's one that he built years ago.

 

[kenny chaos]

I love the golf carts. They're so easy to slide in and out of and they really are tough and have decent suspensions. There's a guy near me that sells a lot of carts but never at quite a good enough price for me.
If you want to see a funny video, someone should tape me getting on and off Melba. I've never found a comfortable way so every time is different.
Here's an embarrassing moment but please, let's keep it between us; I was towing my cart behind my little riding mower last year out behind the woods.
I thought the right tire on the cart might be flat so I took a right hand turn at the same time leaning way out to my right and looking back to get a glimpse of the tire on the cart. You ever try too hard to do something? I could almost see it but not quite. I leaned out as far as I could and got my big ole bulky body over its center of gravity and before I could do anything about it, my left leg came up and over the mower, just as nice as could be, and I was rolling on the ground. I stood up in total disbelief. "I just fell off a lawnmower? On flat ground?"
I know, some of you are going to worry if the lawnmower got hurt. It's okay and no, the wheel wasn't flat.
Life is full of surprises and that was a real dandy.
Thanks for the pictures-
Ken

 

[savageactor7]

Yeah golf carts are sweet with an easy in/out... we have an old Yamaha G1 with chains on the rear wheels and a tow hitch for light duty applications. Probably my favorite conveyance...easy to fall out of them too Kenny.

Woodford has a sweet performance tractor.

 

[bsruther]

I love the golf carts. They're so easy to slide in and out of and they really are tough and have decent suspensions. There's a guy near me that sells a lot of carts but never at quite a good enough price for me.
If you want to see a funny video, someone should tape me getting on and off Melba. I've never found a comfortable way so every time is different.
Here's an embarrassing moment but please, let's keep it between us; I was towing my cart behind my little riding mower last year out behind the woods.
I thought the right tire on the cart might be flat so I took a right hand turn at the same time leaning way out to my right and looking back to get a glimpse of the tire on the cart. You ever try too hard to do something? I could almost see it but not quite. I leaned out as far as I could and got my big ole bulky body over its center of gravity and before I could do anything about it, my left leg came up and over the mower, just as nice as could be, and I was rolling on the ground. I stood up in total disbelief. "I just fell off a lawnmower? On flat ground?"
I know, some of you are going to worry if the lawnmower got hurt. It's okay and no, the wheel wasn't flat.
Life is full of surprises and that was a real dandy.
Thanks for the pictures-
Ken

Well don't fall off that one, you'd get tire tracks all accross your back.

 

[mobetter]

Gotta love them old Bolens.

I have 2 that I inherited from my Dad. Here is one of them, it has a cheap Chinese built Honda ripoff 13 horse that is a real stump puller. Probably not in the same league as that long strokin' Briggs though. I put a varible pulley on it for snow plowing duties, it's about 7.5" diameter on full squeeze. It will run about 17 mph with that big sheeve. Thats fast enough to roll the snow off the blade! I also use it for tilling and wood haulin' duties, even bush hog with it a couple times a year around the woods. I love them old bolens, I think the old man gets a kick looking down from heaven seeing me still beating the crap out of it. I don't think they make a tougher little tractor, it has withstood my abuse on and off for over 40 years!

 

[mobetter]

Here's my other one bush hoggin' the back fence row. I think I will give this one to my older Brother, it is all original and complete. (except for that luxury seat upgrade)