I am not a professional manual-writer or mechanic, so if (and when) you find things lacking or outright mistakes in this document, email me at ron@flyingbeet.com and I’ll try to answer your questions personally. I’ll also update this manual on-line based on your questions (and suggestions) and in that way we should ultimately end up with a really solid document! If you are reading this in hard copy form, try to check out the webpage version of these instructions to see the latest updated information, clarifications and improvements. The website is www.flyingbeet.com/electricg.

It's recommended that you follow the instructions in this order (and to quickly skim through them) before you start the project. The skill level required to complete this conversion is VERY low, and the payback in gas saved, the "coolness" factor to you customers, and time saved in tune-ups makes it completely worth it!

Quick 2007 Update: Several Dozen of these tractors have been built recently and people seem really happy with them. I have to say even after all these years, I can't imagine farming without them! We put a lot of hours on them and they haven't broken down (see my new note on the parts page) and the batteries still seem fine. Prices have gone up somewhat, but you also "get more" -again see my notes on the parts page.
      1) Parts you need to order
      2) Taking apart your existing tractor and preparing it for the conversion
      3) Parts that need to be machined (Optional step!-For extreme do-it-yourselfers only!)
      4) Actual installation instructions
      5) Our solar panel experiment and learning experiences
      6) Hard-learned experiences caring for batteries
      7) Notes, disclaimers, thoughts and potential concerns
      8) Acknowsledgements and Thank You's

Introduction

The Allis Chalmers "G" Cultivating and Seeding tractor was built in the late 1940's and 50's. It is really an unusual looking tractor, because the engine is in the back, allowing excellent an unobstructed field of vision of the implements, which are mounted on the BELLY of the tractor. Toolbars and implements are easily and quickly changed (especially if you drop the implements onto a dolly which can be rolled in and out).

The tractor doesn't have a 3 point hitch system, and it's PTO is non-standard... This is not a tractor most people are using to plow or disk fields. It's really magic is when it is used for seeding and cultivating.

It's nearest competitor is probably the Farmall "Cub", but... for me, the "G" is far better, simply because you are placed so close to the seeding and weeding implements you are using, allowing you to catch seeding snafu's and get closer in your mechanical cultivation.

Although they haven't made Allis-Chalmers "G" tractors in decades, you can find them for very cheap, often abandoned in back fields, with long-since siezed motors. (We advertised in the local paper to get one and "asked around" for another).

We paid under $1000 for both our "G" tractors. One actually had a running engine which I wasted a lot of time constantly fiddling with before I gave up and converted it to electric. Now, with these instructions, YOU TOO can rebuild an old stinky "G" into an efficient electric tractor that runs on pennies a day for decades longer.

Even if you are sure that you don't know anything about mechanical objects, you CAN do this conversion. Once you have the parts purchased and machined, it will take you a very short day at most to put this together. There are less nuts, bolts and parts to putting this together than there were with the porch-swing kit we just got from Home Depot. Now THAT was a job! Best of all, you'll never have to fiddle with tuning a gasoline engine again!

I've tried to write this as simply and clearly as possible using only plain english. That's partly because *I* don't know the tehcnical terms for mechanical parts either. When I built our first electric tractor, I had NO EXPERIENCE working with electric motors, and only limited exerience working on gasoline engines. That first tractor is well into it's third year now, and still working beautifully on a full-time basis, with NO tune-ups or adjustments necessary (unlike it's earlier gasoline incarnation!)

The tractor you'll be building from these instructions is even more bullet-proof and less-complicated to put together than our first machine. There are fewer machined parts, too, so if something DOES eventually break (we are farmers, after all) it should be even easier to order a bolt on, off-the-shelf replacement.

If you get stuck or confused, please don't hesitate to EMAIL ME (please don't call as it's gotten to be too many people). I'll try to incorporate the better questions and my answers into this website to make it better and easier for future folks to follow.

I often hear from people looking for Allis Chalmers tractors. I *immediately* post any information I have from people who have old "G" tractors to sell here. If you don't see anything, then I don't know anything. (Obviously if you have a tractor to sell, please let me know.)

2 A/C "G" tractors are available for sale from down in Georgia (could be shipped). Email contact info is: sasky@barefoot-soul.com. Neither has an operational engine, which is fine for this purpose. [This link will be removed when the tractors are sold.]