Tractors You Don't See Everyday

4 Eyed Rat Rod

The cab of the truck is simply slipped over the operator section of the tractor. Of course, some metal-working and tweaking certainly come into play, but you already have the fender hole cut for the rear tire, you just need to make it larger. The hood section and front grill portion of the truck are outfitted and fabricated to complete the front of the tractor. One solid coat of orange paint brings it all together, and two tractor lights pop on the side to give you a four eyed, rat rod, freewheeling beast.

Choo-Choo

Okay, look at this picture and you’ll notice a few things going on here. For starters, yes that is an older gentleman dressed like a train conductor writing his custom made kitty train. Second, it appears as if this kitty train was made from pieces and parts of an old riding lawn mower. The top part was obviously fabricated to look like an old coal burning choo-choo, while the bottom frame of the riding lawn mower remained virtually the same. Finally, it looks as if he tried to outfit a makeshift flywheel to the train as if it was used to crank it at some point or another. This is not something you would typically see on an old coal burning dinosaur like this, so we are assuming he placed it there just for show. You would find these on steam engines for sure though. Wait a minute, hey, that’s it! It’s a steam engine! A pretty entertaining one too that makes for an odd tractor.

Speedster

This tractor is not strange as much as it is amazing. It was developed for one of the scotch distilleries in Scotland, in the Islay region, and is often escorted around as advertisement from time to time. It is truly amazing. It looks like an old riding lawn mower base may have been modified to create the tractor itself. It features a nice formed seat and large steering wheel for ease of handling. Check out the side exhausts though. Those are pretty wicked, as well as all the chrome used to trick the tractor out. It would be fun to ride around on for sure. It looks like it could move at a pretty quick pace too.

British Army Tow-Go

What you see here has been dressed up a bit. It’s standout to look like a World War Two war vehicle to a degree. However, can you guess what’s hiding underneath? If you guessed a 1941 David, Brown then you would be correct. This is a four-cylinder tractor that was primarily used to cut a lot of grass for the British Army. However, there is a bit more going on here than meets the eye. For instance, the rear of the tractor features a tow winch that was handy for pulling stuck vehicles and equipment free. Also, this tractor was used to haul fuel browsers and bomb trailers for heavy bombers in the British Air Force. In fact, over 500 of these tractors were supplied to the grits specifically for the purpose of aircraft handling.

Peg Leg

Here’s one that is a bit odd for obvious reasons. Looking at something like this makes you wonder if these people came from the circus. Maybe so, but a better question is how did they know she would come in so handy? Was this guy feeding her for years on end to keep her at a certain weight just in case his front tire fell off? Perhaps the two met on a dating site, went to dinner and it was love at first bite? I know, that was a bad one. Please forgive me. I didn’t mean to offend, it is pretty comical to see two big heavies and a tractor rolling down the street on three wheels. What’s surprising about the whole affair is that she weighs enough to counterbalance the tractor so it does not tip over. That’s true love right there people. Keep rolling.

Little House

This was the prototype for the first tractor. It resembles the Little House on the Prairie with wheels.

Rat Poison

This tractor could rival any monster truck for sure. Take a good look at the engine. I count about 32 valves total. That’s massive horsepower for a tractor. I don’t know much, but I’m pretty sure they don’t use this one just to cut grass. The exhaust, wires, and massive engine build a completely different story. This one looks like it is used for competition tractor pulls, and also for showing off. If I had to guess, I would bet it is used more for the latter than the former. Aptly named Rat Poison, it would certainly poison anything that gets in its way. In fact, it would just run it right over with no problem. The rear tires provide plenty of traction for screaming down the track, and even though the engine is big, I bet this thing pops one heck of a wheelie when it gets moving. If you’re the driver, good luck. Just hang on and hope for the best. Although, I would wait for the ride to come to a complete stop before removing yourself from the vehicle.

Smogger

This tractor has a creative design style of numerous exhaust pipes. The driver might have to deal with the issue of all the fumes coming from the pipes.

Batmobile

Have you ever wondered what Batman would drive if he was a farmer? Well, check out this tractor. This is probably pretty close. It was built in the great country of the Netherlands and actually makes it seem like you could expect to see the dark knight piloting the cab inside. True, the original Batmobile designed for the movie is actually street legal, but we can’t say quite the same for this tractor. It could run over just about anything on the street, with its massive dual front wheels, eerily similar to the Batmobile itself. In fact, it kind of makes you wonder if that man could be real. Perhaps who he is in the movies has just been something created to distract us this whole time. Maybe he’s lying low in the Netherlands as a farmer, living his everyday life unbeknownst to those around him. You think they would notice that big tractor, but maybe people in the Netherlands just don’t pay attention to that sort of thing. Who knows? Either way, this is one pretty strange, albeit phenomenal, tractor.

Heavy Metal

What to make of this contraption here? This is the brainchild of Elie P. Aghnides. This invention of his was supposed to outperform present-day tanks and tractors, as well as other sorts of ‘heavy going vehicles’ as he put it. It’s a 5 ton vehicle, named The Rhino, and operates much like you see in the picture. It uses six-foot tilted hemisphere like wheels to navigate snow, farmland, sand, swamps and other various terrain. As odd as it is, it is pretty impressive. They can travel the roadways at passenger car speed and when it settles into the water, it is steered by a clever Hydro jet nozzle. As for the power, don’t expect too much. All of the horsepower is generated by Ford engine that produces about 110 horses. The inventor is a bit delusional though. He proclaimed that his invention was the greatest advance since the wheel and 1000 years. There are several of us who would disagree, as well as almost the entire Internet. It is odd though, and therefore it makes our list.

Farmer's Hearse

Here’s an odd way to get yourself to a funeral. I’m sure there’s a story behind this. Not too many people would request their body be strapped to a rolling desk cart, powered by a power horse vintage tractor. However, this guy evidently did. Maybe he was a farmer living off the land and decided it would be fitting to have one last stroll down his neighborhood street. That’s understandable, and you can’t fault him for that. However, I would not be caught dead driving that tractor. I know – that’s horrible timing, please forgive me. Even more so, I would not be the guy in the kilt bag-piping my way down the road to carry this fellow to his final resting place. In other words, the best part of this picture is the tractor itself. Vintage, solid and one amazing piece of machinery, it’s pulling double duty in this instance.

3-in-1

Here’s a tractor you don’t see everyday. This ol’ gal must have some serious pulling power. Three tractors in one.

Triktor

You are looking at possibly the worlds first and only tractor trike. That’s right, I said tractor trike. Unfortunately, you also have to look at the passengers on it too. Kudos to the guy who built it though. It is a pretty amazing piece of machinery with completely chromed out exhaust that stick out the side and point skyward. The tires could use a little help though, but I guess you do what you can with what you got when you build something like this. At least he was able to put in a good pair of motorcycle handlebars to use, as well as the ‘store manager’ decal on the front. The John Deere base provides plenty of power, and if I were that lady up top, I would be looking for the nearest seat belt. She might want to hang on tight if he gives that thing the throttle one really good time. Otherwise, she might fly off the back! 

Dragon Fire

Here's Dragon Fire in case you need to plow 40 acres in 1 minute flat. This looks to be about 95% engine. A beast indeed.

Plain Jane

This tractor has a unique style of using a pipe as the driver seat along with the interesting back wheels.

Country Limo

You’ve heard of a stretch limo, here’s a stretch tractor. This bad boy looks to have two engines instead of one. Let’s just hope the field is pretty flat.

Steaming Deere

Here’s another picture similar to the one we saw earlier of a guy riding a tiny tractor made to look like a train. However, if you look close, you can probably spot one important detail. This tractor is entirely steam powered. Evidently, there are entire groups and communities of steam powered mini tractor enthusiasts. They gather together at certain cultural festivals and various events to show off their latest toy. I imagine there must be some sort of satisfaction out of creating a steam driven train mini tractor, I’m just not sure what it is. Steam power was very popular until the late 1800s in the US, until gasoline took over and we moved in that direction. However, some people are just not ready to make that leap yet. They much prefer riding on a makeshift ottoman tethered to the back of their tiny steam train tractor. It’s strange, yes, but hey, to each his own, right?

Eco Friendly

This unique tractor is a hybrid Eco friendly machine. It’s lightweight and is opening the wave for eco-friendly tractors.

Courting Tractor

No, your eyes aren’t going bad. This is actually a tractor. It’s not an old antique car. It’s a vintage tractor, and they were actually quite difficult to sell in their day. The reason was simple: most farmers weren’t keen on a covered cab tractor. In fact, they called them sissy cabs and dealers had a hard time selling him. They were so difficult to sell, that most of the time the dealer would remove the cab in order to get the tractor to move off the lot. However, today they are a thing of pure vintage beauty. Plus, they actually could serve a purpose. You could pick up your date and take her anywhere you wanted around town at a cool, breezy 20 mph. That might not be too fast but it is the perfect speed to enjoy watching the world pass by, and watching all of those heads turn too.

Lamborghini

This 1960 Lamborghini 5C Cingolato was a great tractor produced by Lamborghini. Yes, they made vehicles other than luxury cars.

Auger Drive

This tractor may look odd, and for good reason. You see those big things on the side that look like big tanks? Well, those are actually the tires. Made by the Fordson company in Michigan, this beast is what is known as a screw driven tractor. They were used in the 1920s for towing sleds full of aviation fuel, oil, gas and radio equipment. All in an effort to support the first attempt by Wilkins-Eilson’s of a trans polar aviation flight from North America to Europe. The tractors they used were similar to this, built by the snow motor company but were largely unsuccessful. It seems that all of that turning through the snow by the screw driven wheels really didn’t accomplish much, and made for slow travel. Aren’t you glad that we have regular tires for our tractors today after seeing this monstrosity? Yeah, I thought so too.

Triceratops

This strange tractor shows what happens when artists get bored in London. This is a three-time Triceratops painted army green and made by artist Alex ‘Wreckage’ Wright. He hails from the counter filter pop performance group Waste Company. A clip was uploaded in 2011 of the Triceratops in action. Groups like the one Alex is a part of, takes their sculptures and displays them at events like the Burning Man Festival and other culturally rich events. Where do you get that kind of free time, right? I mean, hey, we would love that sort of time off from our jobs to make a large dinosaur out of a tractor. We would do it for no reason. Speaking of, we don’t know why he created his either, but then again, does it matter? It’s pretty ingenious and actually works so for that we have to give him a tip of our hat.

Spider

This tractor pictures brought to us by the fine people of Russia. You have to admit, they are a creative nation. This tractor looks like some giant spider like bug, crossed with one of those robot characters from that Disney movie, Wall-e. It looks very cartoonish in fact. For that, we give the creator kudos. We’re not sure how functional it is, though it does have enough hydraulics to apparently make it move up and down and function in form. That front wheel is obviously there just for looks, because make no mistake about it, this tractor ain’t rolling nowhere. It prefers to crawl, and when it does you better move out of the way. Those bucket feet can be rather harsh if they step on your toes. Better yet, my vote is to leave this tractor in Russia and just look at the picture. Putting this thing in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade would just be too dangerous.

John-John

This tractor is actually a work of art if you can believe that. It hails from the contemporary art museum in Miami. This was part of their outdoor exhibition called The Yard @ Casalin. The name of the exhibit is simply John John. Of course, two John Deere tractors were used to make them, and artistically it is supposed to represent a fusion collision of the past and modern-day present. But yet, look closer. These two tractors they both look like they are blasts from the past, so we’re not really sure what the artist was thinking. It’s not like you can smash two 1936 John deer tractor together and call one the past and one the present. It does not work that way. But hey, it does make for a neat sculpture and a cool photo op for the crowd. For that, we give this one a thumbs up.

Samson

This tractor might look odd, but look again. It’s manufactured by Samson, and is one of their Sieve-Grip models. It features a low slung chassis and three very large steel wheels. In the early 1900s, you could purchase this tractor with a few different engine sizes. There was a 6–12 hp single cylinder engine, 18–25 hp GMC engine, and a 12–25 hp engine as well. What you see pictured here is a 12–25, one of the more powerful tractors. The Samson company enjoyed a marginally successful run between 1914 and 1917 when it was purchased by none other than GM, under the current CEO leadership of the famous William C. Durant. GM hoped to enter the farming market and use Samson tractors as their product to do so. Thus, these particular tractors are hard to come by and usually look quite strange if you are not familiar with the antique or vintage tractor game. At any rate, they are amazing pieces of equipment, and this one looks to have been lovingly restored and in good working order. Kudos to a fine tractor that presents well.

Siberian Snowplow

So what do you do if you live in Russia and your winters are colder then most human beings can physically handle? Answer: You build this thing. Take a look at this odd tractor. Outfitted with tank treads and produced for no other reason other than just because you can, this tractor is a thing of odd beauty. It looks pretty fierce too. The owner simply outfitted the modified small earth mover with some sheet-metal and airbrush paint. The detailing is phenomenal and it really looks like this wolf is ready to jump out into the frozen portions of Siberia and do some hunting of its own. Thankfully, it’s just used for show and various advertising gigs around the great country of Russia. It’s always a fan favorite and easy to spot. I mean let’s be honest, it’s not everyday that you see a tractor that looks like a wolf. I think even a blind man could spot this one. Kudos on the custom build.

High-Rider

You can own this tractor for yourself. The cool fact is that it’s lifted.

Go Kart Lawn Tractor Hot Rod Thing-A-Ma-Jing

So you have an old riding lawn mower lying around and a few extra miscellaneous parts that you need something to do with. Why not turn them into this. Check out this go cart, lawn tractor, racing hot rod thing-a-ma-jig. I would call it by its proper name, but I don’t know what that is. I do know that we like it, and that the owner pays attention to the little things like safety. Take a close look and you’ll see a fire extinguisher cleverly mounted on the side just in case this beast catches fire. I really doubt that would happen. What I don’t doubt is that it is a blast to drive. What could be finer than zipping up and down your yard in this four-wheeled wonder. I bet it goes faster than we think as well. Surely the blower up top is not just for show, right? Well, think what you will my friends. I prefer to live in the world where what I see is sometimes presented as reality. Plus, I’m a guy and I love hot rod type stuff anyway. This one gets a thumbs up for me.

???

This tractor looks like it might have come from the Civil War era, but no this was just finished with a matte pewter paint.

Big Bud

Take a look at this tractor. It’s called Big Bud and for good reason. It’s the worlds largest farm tractor measuring 27 feet long, 14 feet tall, and 20 feet wide. It was built in 1977 by Ron Harmon and his Northern Manufacturing Company crew. The tractor was actually commissioned by the Rossi brothers to be used on their cotton farm in California. The main purpose of Big Bud? Deep ripping. It did that for 11 years before he moved on to greener pastures in Florida. Today, it is still regarded as one of the worlds largest tractors. You can’t argue with that either. Weighing in at 50 tons, outfitted with custom tires shipped from Canada, it is a sight to behold. It is as big as Montana and large enough to get any job done. Big Bud will be ripping up fields for generations to come.

Forest Walking Machine

This odd tractor is made by the company known as Plustech. To us, it looks like some weird robot villain from a sci-fi apocalypse movie. To the folks at Plustech though, it is known as the walking forest machine. The goal was simple. They wanted to develop a working product that had the best chance of stability while providing minimal impact to the terrain. In other words, this monstrosity is an attempt to create a tractor that is environmentally friendly and leaves a footprint that is the smallest possible on the environment. The nerve center of this great beast is a computer system that controls every walking function, including direction of movement, height, gait, travel speed and ground clearance. To further optimize its operation, a separate system is used to regulate the engine and machine loader. All of these are designed for ease-of-use with the operator in mind. What does he drive it with? A single joystick. That’s pretty amazing stuff right there.

Raggedy Ann

This was a fun addition to a festival with the tractor being designed in the style of Raggedy Ann.

Baldwin

You may remember earlier when we talked about Big Bud and how he is one of the largest tractors on earth. Well, this is his bigger cousin. Instead of 2 massive tires, Baldwin here features three. It’s made to pull a massive harvester, allowing the farmer to make light work of whatever he needs to do in the field. Big Bud was made in Montana and used in the US, but Baldwin here hails from Northern New South Wales. This one was probably built in the year 1986 and has the number 26 on its serial number, indicating it was the 26th machine like this made. Who knew there were so many of these large, massive tractors roaming around the earth? I didn’t, that’s for sure. However, now that I know I just might look them up the next time I need something done in my yard. Hey, can you blame me? It would certainly turn my neighbors heads, that’s for sure.

Toon Town Tractor

This tractor was given the name the Toon Town Tractor. It has a similar style to the car driven in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Grandpamobile

This right here is what happens when you are bored. Well, it’s what happens when you’re bored and have a very small engine that you would like to make you sad. Obviously, good things can come from little pieces of lawn equipment like tillers, edgers and the like. This appears to be a tiny edger or killer motor that has been modified into a freewheeling grandpa mobile. Not that that’s a bad thing mind you. If I were a grandpa, I certainly wouldn’t mind putting around places on my own fabricated vehicle. It would show those young whippersnappers what it was like and I could tell them stories of how I used to walk uphill in the snow to school in my day. Now, I live differently. Now I get to maneuver around from point A to point B on my handy little scooter that I made myself. Man, it kind of makes me wish this guy was my grandpa so we can build something like that. Giving this to your grandson beats a stick of gum any day, right?

Avery Steam Powered Tractor

This is a pretty strange looking beast. It almost looks like some sort of bizarro hotdog cart if you didn’t know any better. However, it’s not. It’s an old steam driven tractor, used for show and a little bit of pomp and circumstance as well. The basic premise was to try and make a tractor that looks like an old Avery steam driven version. True, they didn’t come with umbrella canopies on top, that were primarily used to farm land and actually looks like giant trains. They were a sight to behold and filled the air with black smoke. This individual here has a cool burner, attached to a tractor base with his large red Avery tank for show. Maybe he will get to his destination in time, who knows? At least the crowd is watching and they seem entertained. At these events, that’s what it is all about anyway. He might want to clean his umbrella though, it’s looking a bit dirty.

Tucker Snow Cat

This Tucker Snow Cat was spotted on the Summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire.

New Holland Hay Baler

This tractor looks odd, and for good reason. It’s really two types of tractors and one. This is an antique New Holland Hay Baler. It runs with two separate engines, one to power the tractor and the other to operate the hay baler. In its day, it was considered to be a technological revolution of sorts. Farmers could replace two pieces of equipment with one. However, it’s not the sort of thing that you would use for daily farming. The weight of the tractor due to the extra machinery made its use for plowing, irrigating and harvesting impractical. It was great at bailing hay, but beyond that there were very few applications. However, if you see one today you are looking at a two piece tractor legend and something that an enthusiast has undoubtedly restored. Snap a pic if you can, you don’t see these very often.

Space Invader

Here’s another modified tractor turned drag strip racer. Check it out: This is the Space Invader. Again, we have three hefty exhausts upfront that shoot more than their fair share of flames from the top. However, there is a caveat if you pay close attention. Look towards the front of the tractor and you will see two batteries seated in the frame cage. They don’t look that secure, and I’m not sure I would trust my powerful tractor to keep them in there once moving down the track. I’m sure they have a way to secure them so they don’t fly away, but a cover would be nice to keep them well protected. You don’t want anything happening to those things or your tractor won’t start again. Beyond that though, this thing is basically a piece of eye candy waiting to win a trophy or two. I’m sure watching it zoom down the strip, and driving it would be a blast.