1957 Ford 860. This is my workhorse for all the heavy chores around the place. Here it is shown with the Woods Cadet 72 mower - a heavy duty brush cutter that weighs about 850 pounds. There are wheel weights on the inside of the front wheels that keep the front end of the tractor on the ground when I lift the mower! Because the Ford 860 has a "live" PTO, I can get the mower up to speed before moving into the material to be cut.


The Ford 860 ready for winter with canvas weather cab, "duo-grip" tire chains, and 7' rear blade. The Ford has been converted to 12 volt electrical system with a GM single wire alternator. This helps with starting in very cold weather and keeping the lights bright when working on the road at night. Inside the weather cab it is quite warm because hot air from the engine radiator is blown back at the operator. The only problem comes when working during a freezing rain!


Unicorn wood splitter. Here it is shown mounted on the Ford 860. While it appears to be dangerous, it is very safe to use and very simple in operation. Because the Ford has a rear exhaust, when I use the splitter, I attach an old down spout to deflect the exhaust away from me and to the front.



One of my neighbors took this picture of me clearing snow with the Ford 860 before I got the weather cab. That was a long cold winter!


This shows the platform lift mounted on the 3-point lift. The tractor is posed in late summer next to the beginning of the wetlands, and much of this area is too wet to mow in the Spring.

(Click here to return to the tractors page.)