One-of-a-Kind Cub Crawler

Have you ever seen a Farmall Cub bulldozer?

Neither had I – until my Dad made one!

Like the AAA Farmall and the H-TA, this bulldozer is one of those tractors that Farmall never made (but we wish they would have). My Dad, Dan Gingell, has long been a fan of the Farmall Cub, and he’s the sort of guy who takes ‘it can’t be done’ as a personal challenge. Here’s how he managed to put tracks on the iconic Farmall Cub tractor.

He started with a Oliver O-46 undercarriage. This small bulldozer’s Hercules engine was missing, as was the sheet metal. Inspiration struck for his next project – and he made the purchase that day. His custom-mounted trailer winch sure came in handy!

Back home, Dad pulled his Cub power unit out of the corner of the garage and got to work. The motor fit into the original motor mounts very well, but the biggest challenge was the clutch. The power unit came with a Rockford clutch (it originally drove a belt drive), and Dad knew it would be a challenge to make it work with the Oliver undercarriage. However, when he disassembled the Rockford clutch and the Oliver drive shaft, he found that the splines were an exact match! After cutting down the shafts to fit, the connection was complete.

He also had to rebuild the steering clutches and bands and give everything a coat of Farmall Red paint.

Dad sold the bulldozer to a collector. Today, the bulldozer lives just down the road from Disneyland, in Anaheim, California.

Dad is looking for a new ‘it can’t be done!’ to overrule. Any ideas for his next project? Share them in the comments below.