Stoutest rear axle

[Roy Suomi]

I'm going to mount a forklift mast to the rear of a farm tractor..What would be a good candidate to do this to?? Gotta be cheap , plentiful and stout enough to handle loading dozer tracks onto trucks / trailers..I realize I'll have to counterweight the front of the tractor so we're not doin' wheelies when picking up tracks..

 

[Anonymous-0]

I think a lot of the Massey forklifts used the same rear end as the farm tractors with a couple extra braces for the mast. A 65, 165, 175 etc.. Could also check what holds up on pulling tractors. Dave

 

[RodinNS]

Ford 5000, and go forward from there. The 4000 is pretty stout too but you'll need more weight on the steering axle....
From what I've seen, Ford's of that vintage and onwards had some of the heaviest axles ever built in that power class.

Rod

 

[RobMD]

I'd think it'd be cheaper + easier to find an old forklift?

 

[Janicholson]

A neighbor of mine when I lived in Northern Ohio (Merle Grimm)
Ran a Massey 44 axle in all wt classes with about 5000 HP. (2-502 inch big block Chevys, one with a 8-71 blower, and one with two turbos. Tractor was called Sassy Massey. I vote for that axle. JimN

 

[JMS MN]

Roy wants to know about weight (lift and carry) capacity- to load heavy stuff. Certainly not the same issue as torque and tractor pulling.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I think they'd be related. Tractor pulling puts a lot of weight on the axle and is a real torture test on it. Dave

 

[JDknut]

IH 706 and 806 were built "hell for stout". IH was smarting from the 560 debacle so when they engineered the follow-on for the 560, they did it right for a change and made them extra heavy.

 

[Anonymous-0]

A JD 5020 is STOUT. Cheap too. Probably a bit too bulky though.

 

[TractormanNC]

No one has mentioned this yet but something to think about. A friend of mine has done just this to a Ford tractor. He now has only one speed forward (reverse) and four speeds in backwards (the four normal forward gears). You might think about getting a Farmall H or M (maybe others) and flipping the ring gear over. This would give you five speeds for your "new" forward direction.

 

[dhermesc]

"I'd think it'd be cheaper + easier to find an old forklift?"


Agreed

 

[Mike M]

In that case old Cockshutt rear ends used to be the choice for pullers.

I'm in agreement with the others. should be able to find a forklift allready set up reasonable.

 

[Bill(Wis)]

WC and WD Allis are good candidates for that. Many have been done up that way. Even done at the factory for a while (I think). JMS/.MN has at least one like that although he didn't mention it in his post below.

 

[JoshuaGA]

Two pieces of advice. #1. Check load ration on the tires. If one goes oh $#!^!!! #2. Don't weigh a tractor to the ground and then lift something. If the transmission castings are weak, and they break, to say the least you will own a tractor that can be in two places at once. I secont the recomendation for a proper forklift. Good used $5000-$10000 #5000 to #10000 capacity Offroad forklifts can be had around her if you look.

JoshuaGA