Posted 6/19/2015 09:30 (#4635330 - in reply to #4635295) Subject: RE: Honey Bee Tractor (pics)
Nunn CO
Haha small world, thats me sitting in the tractor with the Versatile hat and my dad facing it in the blue checkered shirt (Pic 2). I thought it was a pretty amazing piece of work. A lot of features way ahead of its time.
Posted 6/19/2015 10:30 (#4635403 - in reply to #4635295) Subject: RE: Honey Bee Tractor (pics)
Manitoba
Ive always thought they looked really cool. 2wd tractor on steroids. Looks like fantastic farmer/engineers. But looks like an awesome soil compacter especially with those tires. They probably had the soil and climate to get away with that.
Posted 6/19/2015 12:38 (#4635561 - in reply to #4635295) Subject: RE: Honey Bee Tractor (pics)
Alton, Ia
Cool. Thanks for sharing.
The thing I always wonder about for these special, high HP tractors, (this, Big Bud, etc.) is where did they get the implements? Who was making one or two BIG discs, chisels,
field cultivators, etc.
Posted 6/19/2015 23:38 (#4636541 - in reply to #4635652) Subject: RE: Honey Bee Tractor (pics)
Roseglen, North Dakota
Interesting sidenote. The Honey family and Friggstad family were friends (neighbors I believe). Both families are blessed with mechanical minds/ability and very humble about it. Still a few 80' Friggstads out there. We sold a 62' to a guy from Rapid City who was going to make it into a 80'
Posted 6/19/2015 14:01 (#4635677 - in reply to #4635561) Subject: RE: Honey Bee Tractor (pics)
There were quite a few companies making big equipment for high horsepower tractors: Friggstad, Krause, Big G, Wil-Rich, and Morris, just to name a few. Pretty much any of the short-line tillage companies offered something big. You may have had to special order it, but it was there.
Posted 6/19/2015 14:39 (#4635714 - in reply to #4635677) Subject: RE: Honey Bee Tractor (pics)
Eastern North Carolina
How much disk or chisel would a Caterpillar D8 or D9 pull back in the day, they were around long before the big rubber tire 5,6,7,900 horsepower tractors. What was a D9 rated at, 420 at the flywheel, wonder what it would do with a 80' chisel plow? My guess is, Pull it!
Posted 6/19/2015 21:45 (#4636361 - in reply to #4635714) Subject: RE: Honey Bee Tractor (pics)
Sunburst Montana
In my area talking chisels and crawlers from the 50s, D6s were good for around 22-24ft, D7s about 35-37ft, D8s around 50-60ft. Don't know of anybody around here that farmed with D9s but there were probably some. I have seen pics of them pulling 100ft plows. There is still one farm around here that farms with AC crawlers. I can't remember the model number but they have 160 hp from the big AC/buda engine and pull 60ft. Funny part is it takes a 400hp minimum 4x4 rubber tractor to pull the same size plow. Course these guys only plow 3 1/2 mph with the crawlers.
Posted 6/20/2015 12:28 (#4637133 - in reply to #4636361) Subject: RE: Honey Bee Tractor (pics)
My great grandpa farmed with a D4 Cat back in the 40's. Not as big as the D8, but a big tractor for that time. Mom has a picture with him and his sons plowing and standing by their tractors. Great grandpa is by his D4 and the others are standing by their 2 cylinder John Deeres.
Posted 6/19/2015 15:08 (#4635751 - in reply to #4635692) Subject: RE: Honey Bee Tractor (pics)
Germany
The sign says earthmover tires, my guess is they are way too stiff and do not flex as they should. The tread is not good, too. But they were available back then... today´s wide 42" would do the job better.
Posted 6/19/2015 15:57 (#4635809 - in reply to #4635295) Subject: RE: Honey Bee Tractor (pics)
Mifflintown, PA
Thanks for sharing. Neat to see it fixed up.
I saw both 3-4 years ago when I was up that way. This sat outside the plant in Frontier and the other was in the farm yard. Regret not taking more time to look them over, unsure if I'll ever get back up to that part of the world.
Honey Bee Tractor (pics)
