One of the things I really love about some of the stuff we post is that it shows the ingenuity sand skill of the garage tinkerer. Whether it is a hot rod or something as awesome as this miniature John Deere 9630 tractor, the near boundless creative process of the human mind is on full display. In the case of this guy, rather than a fast car, he wanted a near pocket sized versionn of one of the mightiest models that John Deere has ever produced, the 9630. A real 9630 is a 500hp beast with eight massive tires that weighs in at nearly 25 tons. It can pull small planets back into orbit. To give you an idea, used models of this machine sell for nearly $300,000.
So what’s a guy to do that wants one but lives in suburbia? Make your own! The basis of this tractor is actually another type of tractor, a Steiner. Steiner tractors are awesome in their own right and I have plenty of experience on them. Small but powerful they pack engines that start around 30hp, are articulated, and can be found working at all kinds of golf courses and municipalities across the country. They have a hydro drive and can get lots of work done.
So knowing what the guts of this creation are, you can appreciate the final product. The builder had to make all the sheet metal parts, the dual wheel/tire setup, the cab setup, and every detail you see, even the blade. If you are thinking that it is a weird looking snow blade, you’d be right. This one is modeled after a silage blade that would normally be worn on a 9630 when performing those duties at the farm. Being that Steiners have hydraulic lifting capability up front, this was a matter of making the blade from scratch and fitting it to the existing attachment points.
As you will see, this tractor is no slouch. The thing is working in really deep snow and just pushing it like a boss. In terms of “man toys” this ranks right up there with the coolest that I have ever seen. I could have used it yesterday during the most recent “white dump” here in Massachusetts.
