Roy Tallon Pulling With His IH560 - July 1976

Ertl CaseIH MX240 and John Deere 8310

This method starts out identical to last month.  Begin by removing the decals and rear axle.   Continue by drilling out the rivets to split the tractor, and take off any other add-on parts like exhaust stack, fuel tank, cab top, interior, steering wheel, etc.  With the tractor disassembled as much as possible, you are ready to get our the rotary tool and begin cutting.  Like last month, begin by cutting off the cab.  Try to cut it as close the the fenders as you can, but be careful not to damage the fenders in the process.  If necessary, leave a little bit of the cab post there and come back with a sanding or grinding bit to finish the job. 

Here is where we start doing things a little different.  Unlike last month where we cut the undesired features off of the tractor frame, this month we will be cutting the parts we want to keep off to use on our own scratchbuilt frame.  The main parts we want to keep are the hood and fenders.  On most tractors, there is a well defined line at the bottom of the hood , so just cut along that line.  The front can be a little tricky.  If you are wanting to keep the front weights, leave the front part of the hood and grill as well.  If you want to go with custom front weights, cut the bottom of the front of the hood and grill flush with the rest of the hood.   For the rear fenders, cut just in front of the fenders and just below the cab floor.  Once you have the fenders off, you may want to cut down the floor to make them narrower.  How narrow you want to make them will depend on what seat you are going to use.  I mentioned last month that a good source of front wheels for pullers was the Racing Champions sprint car.  Those cars are also a good source for puller seats. There are many other toy cars that make good seat donors that are readily available in stores.

Custom Parts - RC/Ertl Sprint Car One of the best finds I have come across for custom parts is the RC/Ertl Sprint Car.  These were released a year or so ago as part of the Motorsports series.  I don't think they were very good sellers given the number I have found on clearance, but hopefully they will re-issue them in some form again since they are starting to get harder to find.  Although I have paid a little as $0.99 for some, they are worth much more than that in parts.  Here are just a few uses I have found for various parts of these cars.   Front tires and wheels - Great for pulling tractors. Seat - Also great for pulling tractors. Rear wheels - Can be fitted with 16.9-24 tires for 4WD pulling trucks. Front Push Bar - Can be cut off and used as steps on pickups.

  
Once you get everything cut out that you want to keep, you can start rejoining the two halves of the hood and fenders together.  The hood should be relatively easy to glue back together.  The fenders may be slightly more difficult.  If you have trouble, you may want to cut a thin piece of metal, plastic or wood to reinforce the floor and give the joint some strength.  Once the glue has cured, you can fill in the seams and rivet holes with automotive body filler.  Depending on the tractor, you may also want to fill in all or part of the engine compartment.  This is not necessary if you plan on adding side shields later on.  Once the body filler has hardened completely, sand it all smooth.  If you have not done so already, also sand the fenders smooth to remove any trace of the cab.

Next up you will need to fabricate your frame.  There is no right or wrong way to do this, so long as you are happy with the results.  I will show you one how I do mine, and you can make adjustments as necessary to suit your project.  For my frames I use several different shapes and sizes of brass stock.  For a list and sketch of the materials, see the parts diagram.  Cut the brass to the required lengths and deburr any rough edges.  Once you have all the pieces ready, go ahead and assemble your frame.  For this you can use solder or glue, whichever you prefer.  The exact location of some of the components, like the front axle for instance, will vary depending on what kind of tractor you are doing, so test fit with the hood and fenders in place before final assembly.   If necessary, do any final trimming or grinding on the hood and fenders to make sure they fit properly.  Once the frame is assembled, you may want to fill in some of the holes in the rear end with body filler.  Sand the body filler smooth when it is fully dry.  

All of the major parts are now done and you are ready for some finishing touches.  No puller would be complete without a nice set of wheels and tires.  You can get a set of  30.5R32 “double cut pulling” rear tires with aluminum rims from most toy part suppliers.  Use steel or brass rod for a rear axle.  You can also find some good tires on monster trucks in the toy section of Wal-Mart.  For the front wheels, there are also a wide variety of sources available at most stores.   Just keep in mind that plastic wheels that slide over the ends of the axles will be easier to use with your front axle tube than the Hotwheels kind that spin freely on through axles.   You will also likely want one or two exhaust pipes.  For these I drill a 3/32” hole and cut a section of 1/16” aluminum tubing for the pipe.  If you want to add a set of engine side shields, now is the time to make those as well.  Use a thin sheet of aluminum or the side of a pop can to make your shields.  Cut them to fit as desired.   If you want to add a roll cage, check last month's issue to see how I made my own, or you can buy them from the toy parts store when you get your rear wheels.  

Unless you are trying to recreate a particular puller, you have much more freedom with the paint job than you typically do with custom stock tractors.  Feel free to use some creativity as you come up with your own paint scheme.  If you plan on painting your rollcage and side shields to match the rest of your tractor, go ahead and glue them on prior to painting.  Otherwise, leave them off for the time being and paint them separate.  I recommend painting the hood, fenders and frame prior to final assembly, especially if they are not all the same color.  

Once all your paint has dried, you are ready for final assembly.  Install your seat and steering wheel.  Your steering wheel will most likely have a hole in the mounting tab that was used to hold it in place between the two casings.  Cut a section of the tab out to make the hole into a slot and you can snap the steering wheel into place with the two sections already joined.  Before you glue your fenders in place, make sure they will clear your tires.  As you get ready to glue on your hood, make sure the steering wheel is positioned correctly relative to the seat.  Install your side shields and rollcage if you have not already.  Add your smoke stacks, tires and decals to finish it off.  

TTT July 2003 Page 4

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