4 Wheel Drive Conversion
Printed From: Unofficial Allis
Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
Forum Description: everything about Allis-Chalmers farm equipment
URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=135080
Printed Date: 12 Feb 2025 at 4:09am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: 4 Wheel Drive Conversion
Posted By: MiPlowboy1
Subject: 4 Wheel Drive Conversion
Date Posted: 14 Feb 2017 at 6:32pm
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All, I'm sure it isn't an easy project to tackle but has anyone attempted to add a 4 wheel drive to the front of their WD/WD45 or know of anyone who did or tried? I saw a WD45 today on Craigslist converted to a fork truck and it was well done a looked very cool! So I figured why couldn't you convert one to 4 wheel drive? I hate to spend 20K on a Kubota when I could have some fun or headaches doing a conversion! Just looking for ideas and or someone who did it already. Thanks!
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Replies:
Posted By: DSeries4
Date Posted: 14 Feb 2017 at 8:31pm
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You can spend more than $20,000 trying to put 4 wheel drive on a WD45 (and expecting it to work). The rear end was not designed to drive a front axle. Hydraulic 4wds are either too fast or too slow for the transmission speeds. IF you NEED a 4 wheel drive tractor, buy a Kubota. Yes I have seen a picture where someone put a 4wd axle under a WD45 - it was a show tractor. Expecting it to work as 4 wd tractor on a daily basis, probably not practical or effective. Making a forklift out of a tractor is easy. Putting 4 wheel drive on a tractor which never offered it is hard. ------------- '49 G, '54 WD45, '55 CA, '56 WD45D, '57 WD45, '58 D14, '59 D14, '60 D14, '61 D15D, '66 D15II, '66 D21II, '67 D17IV, '67 D17IVD, '67 190XTD, '73 620, '76 185, '77 175, '84 8030, '85 6080 |
Posted By: DaveKamp
Date Posted: 15 Feb 2017 at 11:57am
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A guy COULD do it... guys have... there's as many ways, as there are guys. I'll play the devil's advocate here, because a man HAS to have a challenge: The front-end is only a small part... pick a front axle... a 1-ton truck axle would work, but a 2-1/2t Rockwell would probably be better, or perhaps a steer-assist axle liberated from a combine, or an axle from a shooting-boom forklift. Next trick, is figuring out how to DRIVE it. If you yank the transmission, make a new case, and set up a hydrostatic pump in it's place, you could mount a hydraulic motor to drive the rear pinion, and another on the front, and solve the rest with plumbing, for a full-hydrostat tractor. You could open up the rearend, cut a window in the side, and fit it with either a drive chain or gears, and build more housing around it. If it were me, I'd probably opt for a steel housing (a wartime WC?) to weld the housing extension to... ...or put an extra housing between transmission and rear pinion, extend the trans/pinion shaft to accept a drive chain or gears, and bring that out to drive a shaft to the front axle. The challenge of getting it working is one thing... but if you've got under-belly implements, now you've got to solve implement clearance challenges... And of course, matching drive ratio of front and rear close enough to not 'fight' eachother. Including a method of disengagement would be good... if it were me, I'd probably make it a 'shiftless' engagement method... but a brake instead of a clutch... something like this concept: Come off the rear axle's drive pinion with a multi-row chain or gear, and drive the RING GEAR of a differential. Take one axleshaft forward to a U-joint and seal (drive front shaft). Take the OTHER axleshaft rearward just far enough to get to a disc brake. When the brake is disengaged, the front axle turns basically freely and independant from rear. When brake is engaged, the differential turns front axle shaft with authority... no clunking in and out of gear, no getting 'jammed' in gear...  (oh, and don't ask me why I've thought it out this far... I've actually thought it out MUCH MUCH MUCH further... ------------- Ten Amendments, Ten Commandments, and one Golden Rule solve most every problem. Citrus hand-cleaner with Pumice does the rest. |
Posted By: cpg
Date Posted: 15 Feb 2017 at 1:10pm
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If you just wanted to have it for show purposes but still have it work I would personally find the numbers for the rear end and pick your axle ratio and front tire sized based on it matching a gear with an input speed of 540 rpm so you could just run a shaft off the easy to access pto shaft that you can shift in and out to your front axle. It would only work in one gear (that you set up the gear ratio to match) and you would have to use the foot clutch to stop but it would be cool to set it up to match like first gear so you could engage the pto box and have 4x4 for things like tractor pull demonstrations. Not that it solves the issue of making a daily use 4x4 that would replace something like a Kubota but it would be a reasonably doable way to make a cool looking play tractor. |
Posted By: Nathan (SD)
Date Posted: 15 Feb 2017 at 3:07pm
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Gibson of Iowa https://www.flickr.com/photos/21169515@N08/5455135087/" rel="nofollow - https://www.flickr.com/photos/21169515@N08/5455135087/ |
Posted By: Dan73
Date Posted: 15 Feb 2017 at 4:45pm
| Shameless don't look the first one has green paint on it still..... |
Posted By: WF owner
Date Posted: 16 Feb 2017 at 5:43am
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One of the mechanics (long ago retired), at the DOT shop where I worked, built an "articulated" WD-45 many years ago. He used a complete rear end from another WD45 (or WD) and it steered, like any other articulated with hydraulic cylinders. He had a contract with our local fair to do the manure removal and used it there like a pay loader. I am quite sure he had a crankshaft mounted hydraulic pump to run the loader. I think he ran the second rear end through the PTO (not 100% sure about that). I know what you are saying about paying for a Kubota, but I'm telling you they are a really nice rig to work with. I have a subcompact Massey-Ferguson (GC2400) and I really don't know how I got along without it. I mow lawn, do snow removal clean up and bring in firewood for the fireplace with it. I bought a set of clamp on forks for it from Amazon (4000 lb. capacity for less than $300) and I use it all the time for moving things around. There were about 3000 reasons I bought the Massey over the Kubota (It was $3000 less) and about 5000 reasons I didn't buy a John Deere (plus I couldn't bear to own another John Deere!). |
Posted By: Dan73
Date Posted: 16 Feb 2017 at 5:50am
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Be careful with those clamp on forks I have a bucket here I need go fix because the PO used clamp on forks. If you don't need the pto you could join the two rear ends at the pto and useing both transmissions you could get all gears but it would be a long tractor. |
Posted By: corbinstein
Date Posted: 16 Feb 2017 at 6:41am
heck just put 2 rear ends under it and skid steer the thing! 
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Posted By: JC-WI
Date Posted: 16 Feb 2017 at 7:02am
     ------------- He who says there is no evil has already deceived himself The truth is the truth, sugar coated or not. Trawler II says, "Remember that." |
Posted By: cpg
Date Posted: 16 Feb 2017 at 7:35am
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I like that first conversion that is pretty clean. Looks like the hand clutch housing was removed and replaced with a WC transmission. |
Posted By: Calvin Schmidt
Date Posted: 16 Feb 2017 at 8:50am
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I have mental plans to build an articulated 4W93 ! Power is a 262 combine engine, and WC rear ends. The front axle is a WC mounted upside down. Rear is standard WC. Drop box chain drive behind transmission to drive front axle. Also have a NP 205 full time transfer case but haven't got serious enough to see if it could be used as the drop box. Straight through to drive rear. Crank mount hydraulic pump. Drivers seat would have to extended over the rear half. Nice and low like a White 4-150
------------- Nothing is impossible if it is properly financed |
Posted By: DiyDave
Date Posted: 16 Feb 2017 at 5:43pm
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Easiest way to do it would be like this... [TUBE]http://youtu.be/6w-ZnkeXI7c[/TUBE]
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