Neat-O garden tractor score!

Check this little bugger out, a 1934 Vaughan Flex-Trac! This one was converted to a ride on with hand controls, and has a modern Honda 16 Horse! It runs and turns and works as it should, can be equiped with all sorts of accessories or customized to suit any need! What's amazing ( Besides how cool and useful these are) is their super small footprint, basically the same size as a regular ride on mower, it will actually fit through a standard doorway! Weighs around 1000 pounds, and has serious tractive effort, while having several gears for traversing at speed.




A little history on these, besides being designed for Home Garden use, they were used in numbers by thee CCC of the 1930's to establish, build and maintain all the hiking trails in the National Parks, as well as the big trails like the Appalachians and the Pacific Crest Trails due to their extremely small footprint and large tractive effort, they were fitted with a bull blade and drag rake, which made them super handy for building and maintaining the trails!

I scored this locally for $800 and dragged it home to start working on it! The Honda needs a major overhaul, so I did the right thing and yanked it and have a replacement Harbor Freight Predator 22 Horse V-Twin to bolt right on ( has the same Honda Pattern) to install. I am dissembling the whole thing to service and inspect and make any repairs of modifications needed, including a major track over haul and replace ALL the track pads with wider ones and more aggressive cleats, this is because I need it to run on soft soil with out sinking and I also need it to hold on side slopes with out sliding! Everything works as intended, but needs a bunch of mods! Will be installing a full Hydro setup for both front and rear implements, a 12 volt DC generator to run electrical needs, duel batteries to back the electrical loads with Amp/Watt capacity, and the most obvious Bull Blade with Root/Rock rake and a drag blade with reversible rake, and a much larger Sno-Blade! Will also install a larger winch under the seat, something in the 6000 pound range, this little bugger should be an amazing little garden/yard tool for us, and the Wife is super excited to try it out and see how it runs in the gardens!

 

This little Tractor should solve our ever increasing challenges, things No other piece of equipment could, While we have several other pieces of equipment to prep and maintain the acreage, not ONE can really handle the work, it's ether WAY over kill ( I.E the D-4 Cat) or the way under powered, over worked Boilens Tractor, to the very capable and powerful Cushman Trackster, NONE can really do what we need, and all the other pieces we have tried, so were really hoping this will solve that issue! With the above listed mods, Plus a few others were considering, we may finally have the "Final" solution in hand! I was reminded we really need a deep digging ripper bar, which should be pretty easy to add, especially with the duel 4 circuit Hydros I'm adding! Right hand to run the rear accessories, and eft hand to run the front, all I need to figure out is how to drive the Pump while also driving the generator, I'm thinking of pulling the rope start off the Predator and rigging up a cogged belt drive which should be pretty easy to set up and run!

I also picked up a well used TORO Roto-Tiller that needs a major overhaul, including it's Honda engine, I'm thinking with a 4 point drag bar, this little bugger should have no problem with dragging the Tiller, which would be a MAJOR bonus, as that would save me about a week and a half's work twice a season, which is one of the biggest challenges we have! With the Hydros, Running a Roto-Tiller should be super easy, and being self powered, shouldn't even load the little Vaughen at all!

Off to the Steel yard, got a YUGE list of needed metal to load on the CNC Plasma Table and start cutting!
Wife wants fenders and defined foot rests, should be pretty easy to do, just need to come up with a good design and get to work!
I also tracked down all the bearings and seals locally, their all a common size and therefor, easy to source! Even the track pins are a common size, so that's a easy visit to the local IHC dealer!

 

Yanks a Honda installs a HF? Have you no shame in your game? Other than that nice score!!!

 

Awesome score. I love reviving old machines. I have an old Wheel Horse tractor. It came with a snow plow. But I scrounged some local junk yards. And now I have a mold board plow, disc and harrow for it. I wish I could find a sickle bar for it, since it has a side pulley pto. But they seem to be made of unobtainium. Probably went to the recycle yard long ago. I also have a Heald Hauler side by side with a dump bed that my pop and I dug out of a barn and rehabbed it. It's over 40 years old.

 

Nice find --looks like something out of Mad Max

 

Hell, these HF engines ARE basically Honda's only Better, their what the Honda's SHOULD cost, just as reliable and sure starting, and, they can be souped up if you wanted a hell of a lot easier then the Honda's ever could! Bonus is they interchange with Honda so you can source parts super easy, just don't mention HF when asking for them! I have been swapping HF Predators into everything I can, be it Briggs or Honda, or Wisconsin or most others, and the results speak for themselves, Predators really are the best option! Price a Briggs Vanguard or Honda some time and you'll see what I mean!

 

My TroyBilt tillers Horse from the mid 70's and my Pony from the mid 80's the engines bit the dust replaced with HF Predator direct bolt up. Have had them for 2 years now --start first or second pull --can't beat the price --yea Honda knock off

 

So you boys like HF engines? Personally I have never had to deal with one.

 

Sears 12 hp Garden Tractor
With many attachments , 10" plow ,42" Dozer blade
30" disc Harrow ,34" Harrow ,Self powerd rototiller
10 CF dump trailer .
Manual gear , 8 forward speeds between hi & low
Two in reverse . Electric Start .
Have manual and parts sheets.

 

wow, i have one of those tractors myself Mr. Sloth, a bit rougher in shape than yours, but the nose and snow plow are the same, mine doesn't include the tiller though, be nice to have that too. really nice sir!

 

Man I need one of those spiffy machines where I can plow ,blow, till and cut my grass/sneaux at the same time.
I wonder if that sneaux blower will pluck a duck?

 

Just make sure you hit the brake before you jump off or it might run you over lol.

 

Now this came to me when my Neighbour passed and he willed me his mechanical stuff & car. His kin would break his stuff and not care.
So I repaired the leaks and tires , serviced it and used it last year.
Im selling it because I have 4 tractors , up to 75 Hp and 3 point stuff.

Sloth

 

picked mine up cheap, have original engine (locked up) someone installed a 9 hp honda to replace the 18 hp briggs twin, needs tires, some other minor work. it did have one other accessory, and that is a grader blade that mounts under where the mower deck would mount normally. i will be fixing it up this summer. just curious whatcha askin for yours?

 

tractor with 8 attachments, weighted wheels and chains
2500.00 Cdn so about 300 USD.
S

 

i would love to take you up on it, to me it's a great deal, but it's to far to travel and pick up. i'm in Virginia, sounds to me like you're in Canada, it's a bit far, even for a good deal as that. local or short distance is OK, wish i could but oh well.

 

P.S. i wish you luck selling, it shouldn't take much to sell i'd think.

 

Next trip down to Arlington WA is on the Motorbike and trailer , (lots of good friends there ) Will be loaded on the trips both ways .

49.372/-124.554- in Canada
If I knew the new owner was a Tech , he would get a great deal , It,s a small acreage farm unit, My rototiller is 6 feet wide with side step , the farm beside me has a 30 foot wide one . (Live in Farming Country , with bears and Cougars ,[ two legged ones as well]).
Sloth

 

When my Dad died ,, i did an inventory of the old collectible yard/lawn/garden tractors he had accumulated that were on his fix'em up to do list . Sears , Allis Chalmers , Ferguson, Case, Simplicity , Bolens , International ,, I think in all , he had about 30 plus tractors . To bad my family was a bunch of greedy dumbf'ks .

I'd be all over that deal If I was closer Sloth ,,

 

I have a couple of Arien rototillers to use in the garden, unfortunately no farm tractors here, at least not yet. i live in farm country as well, the property behind me, the fella there runs beef cattle. have 2 & 4 legged problems here as well.