Ok, BangShifters, help me out here. I’m torn over what to think about this…uh…thing. At first glance this is one of the most cobbled-together creations I’ve laid eyes on in years, looking to be a great use of old barn wood, metal stock and the frame and running gear of a 1974 Chevrolet truck. The Farmall tractor nose and the Kubota front end loader system are just little bits of icing on this cake. If you were to drive this in most major metropolises you’d be pulled over and spending the better part of your afternoon explaining what this Beverly Hillbillies-looking thing is and how it’s street-legal.
But a second look shows some genius to the build. You don’t get much simpler than a Chevrolet 350 and TH400 automatic trans, and parts are cheap and easy to locate. 3/4 ton axles are an excellent upgrade, the low sides to the minimalist bed allow for easy lift-over and ratchet straps could be run over and under easily, and the interior, while spartan, isn’t a punishing affair – just look at that relatively modern bench seat! We wouldn’t recommend running 100 miles an hour without a windshield, though, no matter what the seller says. With functioning lights and systems, you have a plow, a tractor, and a truck, all in one, plus you have something that the Joneses don’t have: the X factor of having a homebuilt truck. Just make sure you have enough Pledge on hand when it’s time to clean the old girl up.
Craigslist Link: Most of a 1974 Chevy with a front-end loader
thank god it’s not 1500.00 or I’d be dragging it home. Bizzare, and yet, kind of cool.
If this was based on brand new components and the wood was replaced by metal it would make the builder millions! Such a cool idea! – its almost like a hot-rodded Unimog!
Whatever you do, don’t sell it as it is the prototype and has to be kept!
Evidently this guy likes to build stuff out of random parts. In the background of one pic you can see a forklift built from what looks to be a truck chassis. Almost looks kinda hotrod-ish with the hub caps etc. Hey if it works, it works. How many people these days can build something from nothing? Just having the M Farmall tin on it makes me a fan!
I’m liking it. Except the seats.
reminds me vaguely of a thing I bought in the 80’s…it was a shortened Austin truck chassis (wheelbase was 2″ shorter than a Mini’s), it had a Holden 6 cyl and a 3 speed manual. the `body’ was a homemade steel hood and fenders that looked a bit Chevy Blitz , definite 40’s vibe, and flat floor back with a bench seat. It had a big canvas ` roof’ and sides too. Best of all, it had been built in the late 60’s so the guy could use it on the roads to tow his boat down to the beach – and he’d never let the rego lapse so it was legal. I paid $350 for it and drove it home with 2 months rego!! On the way home I discovered that enthusiastic clutch dropping could get the front wheels a few inches off the road too! it was crazy, one off and cool. My brother and I drove it on a Bay to Birdwood run and, at Birdwood where they separate the contestants from the general traffic, the controller assumed it was an entrant and waved us in to Birdwood Mill. I parked between a 40’s Rolls and a Packard.. when the judges came through they literally just scratched their heads, had no idea what to make of it!