The rear wheels were called Rotopad. Converted by Rotary Hoes Ltd., later called Howard Rotopad tracks. They are a type of track unit to achieve a Low Ground Pressure for working on soft surfaces. They were designed to replace the wheels on a tractor

thanks MTV for pimping my ride!

Proudly built by the same company that produced your video-camera autofocus!

It is a trench digger, albeit a very old one, that is used to dig long trenches to place drain tile in. The long metal flats on the tracks would give it a level and stable surface to sit on while digging, keeping the trench and tile bed level.

thats way better than what i could home make... good job!

we put "tracks" like that on our center pivot irrigation systems. Keeps them from getting stuck extremely well!

I thought it was from Burning Man, then I read the description. Oh look! Caravans!!

the good ol tractor with walking squares machine - what a smooth ride

I don't know if the builder was paying homage or just came up with this on his own, but this type of system was actually the first manifestation of tracked vehicles, the footed wheel.

It's a half-tracked land-drain plough, for placing clay drainage-tiles. If it's the model I remember as a lad, it's a factory conversion.

Wild Wild West villain machine

This is NOT custom made. Its a pedrail track system. Used to convert a conventional tractor with tires to a track system, which allows them to go through much deeper mud without getting stuck. It works very well for its purpose.

I bet this would kick any wheel's hide in crossing things like heavy brush, interwoven downed trees, deep chuckholes, while providing good weight distribution and flotation in a muddy field. I guess modern tracks do the same thing, but the ingenuity which went into building something like this with all the sprockets and such is something to be admired. I'll bet ALL of this guy's friends told him that it would never work.

wow, that's crazy, awesome how you can make what looks almost like a square wheel, roll smoothly

Thanks for your sane and informative comment amidst all the other bizarre but amusing comments. Looks like I'll have to amend the description! - Haluge

Looking at the length of track on the ground, I think this vehicle would be very stable in wet, soggy ground. In turn, this would mean that the trenching tool would be able to excavate without causing the tractor to slide into the slit trench.

Its an early Howard rotary drainage machine. Made in the UK in Essex. First ones used by warag in the late forties.

what is it used for

I am going to make a wild guess but the tracks are that way to ensure the tractor is sturdy when cutting?

I'll stick to my round wheels.

I'm wondering' what the blade in the back does!

thats cool. it may be big. it may be clunky, it may be slow. but its doing its job, notice the front tires are digging in to the mud and leaveing tracks, while the rear clanker tracks are not realy leaveing any tracks, in fact the leave the front tire tracks. so very steam punk but it works

Is there a name for that odd type of tractor track?

Hi Haluge great vid , I was at this show but missed this strange vehicle do you know the make of it or its entry number thanks Trevor

I can imagine seeing these with 50.cal machine guns on top in a post apocalyptic world!!

That is so bizarre! Just one big drive sprocket/bogie - and yet so resourceful and practical. It looks like some type of kit you can just mount onto an existing tractor, and off you go into your muddy field. Any idea who manufactured it?

thanks MTV for pimping my spine

Reminds me of the scene on the film The Fly when the half fly half man thing is dragging it's mutated awkward self out of the teleporter.

It is a Fordson tractor fitted with Howard trencher and Howard Rotaped tracks. They were commonly used for laying tile drains before the days of large tracked drainers. They arent really like Frank Bottrill's system at all........his wheels had circular rims with 'rails' attached.

So what does it do?

Simple, creative, low cost.

An early Fordson major with rotapeds, amazing!

That is a Fordson Standard N farm tractor that was converted for trenching for dranage pipes.

thats fuckin awesome.. looks like it came out of one of those post apocalyptic games

love it!

tracks and wheels combined?!?! ive never seen that before

what is that????

that shows you how much time farmers have

To bad there the were only a couple hundred of these tractors made, they are really cool and I wish there were more of them around.

The E27N engine is slightly modifided to the Fordson Standard N engine. You can fit electric start to a E27N engine!!

@jack4373 yeah, thats why it has wheels on the front ...

LOOOOL :D he's going to lead the revolution :D:D

what is the purpose of this machine ? I see a huge cutting blade, so i presume it's for cutting down tress or something ?

omg i never new somthing so buetiful could be driven by a farmer WOW

but will it blend?

wow, i couldnt help not to luagh at these coments. the "NO THANKS DAD< ILL JUST WALK TO SCHOOL" was EPIC!!

@HardCoreStrategy Wrong-o, some countries were experimenting with tanks as early as the mid-1800's.

It is freakin awesome! i thought it had square wheels at first. I wonder if they effect the turn radius of the tractor.

i dont know about the tracks but i certainly like the 5 foot circular saw on the back, lol

Imagine the sound of that one, at 60 mph on tarmac...

one short ride on that would get you a date with the chiropractor

Jeeeesussss... Im gonna get nightmares now... It was scary as hell!!

postapochalyptic steampunk, after the third boer war Untied kingdom got nuked by steambombs. Some the suvivors would search around for the last remaining fuel in vehicles like these. The saw can also be used to defend the vehicle against road pirates and grubby strert urchins.

that was a 1920 fordson. not sure on the year of the tracks but they are around that period

The main tractor brand is Fordson. Probably about a 1917-1921. I've never seen the wheel or digging parts like this though. Many of those fordson tractors were in England back then.

No, it's not fake or a photoshop, I just saw a similar tractor (without the ditching attachment though) a month ago at a construction machine exhibition in Sweden. Weird thing though, doubt if it's very durable.

@angelforlight1 it's like that to provide flotation in a marsh.

essa é a legitima geringonça!!!

Awesome i want one :D

Looks like something out of burning man!

so thats wat i want for christmas

lol damn that is an old movie man!

This is the teaser trailer of the new show that's going to be on CMT: Pimp my Tractor.

one mans junk another mans treasure

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SON.

That's one jacked up tractor

*klang* *jingle* *screech* *klonck* *killl meeeeee* *klang* slam* *jingle* *screech*

@mark62295 Itis an Australian mega-refinement, by Bottrill, of the original British Boydell Wheel, but this one much more ingenious. For the dummies who don't know wot it's for, it's to prevent bogging a circular wheel in extremely soft ground.

Tht thing is pretty fuckin cool man i wish i cld get plans for somethin like tht

Well said.

@FunAtSundown Agreed, I love it.

LoL looks like he drove that thing straight outa burning man!

Imma do this to my grandma's powerchair!

this is surely the strangest vhicle I've ever seen.. :-O

That is terrifying

QUE INNOVACION..

i thought wheels were supposed to be round not rectangle?

i dont understand why this isnt in a sears closest to me

cant u just feel the horsepower!!!

*Listens to only audio* Run Rebels! The AT-AT is coming!!!! Oh wait... this isn't Starwars... 2 thumbs up. :)

Man!, if that thing don't weird you out , damn!

before they invented the wheel this is the best they had come up with

its like watching a old movie....lol ..!!

Feel sorry for that caravan... He's just sitting there going "WTF?!" waiting as this weird looking metal thing goes past. xD

1 link away from square wheels

looks like a rough ride

that is so sweet

1.2 million views? Why?

Now that's reinventing the wheel rofl

i think that they found that after the Junkyard Wars ended :D

That's exactly how I feel today

The world's first tank! (They mounted a rocket launcher on the front and a .50 cal on the top in later years)

The first tank was tested today by the only member of an organisation called 'The Army'. I feel sorry for this guy as he thinks he is the coolest dude around! (Spoiler: They're laughing at you, not smiling)

It's like the odd child of Steampunk and Davidsfarm: Awesome, but odd.

Hey dad, I'll take the bus today, don't worry about it.

Esse veiculo e bom porque quase nao fas barulho quando esta andando

Yup, 6 seems to be the minimum of links you need for a track lol

I love it, that is awesome. That took some time to think of and get to work as good as it. Sand blast it and put some nice paint on it. Back in the days they didn't have tank treads you could buy. They had to make things that would get the job done. So I don't get what people mean by gettoo???

smeagol?

Now I'm gonna have nightmares of this thing coming for me :(