13 DIY Ideas for Your Farm Tractors and Equipment

These ideas and inventions from farmers will help fix or improve issues with repair and maintenance on tractors, sprayers, implements, and combines. These ideas were originally featured in All Around the Farm.

1. Tractor-Splitting Stand

I wanted an easier way to split a tractor for clutch installs. I replaced the bent material on a mobile home axle with 4x4x⅜-inch tubing. I welded a ⅜-inch plate onto the axle to support a 4-ton crank jack. The foot of the jack is bolted to the plate supports. Next, I cut 3x3x1/4-inch tubing to the length desired, bolting it to the top of the jack stand. Lastly, I created a box from ⅜-inch steel to bolt to the newly cut tubing and to the frame of the tractor. Using four belts is important to prevent the assembly from shifting in use. I have used this on a John Deere 4440 and an IH 1486 with great success. -Joe Dewitt, Dearing, Georgia

2. Quick and Easy PTO Puller

Nothing gets more frustrating than pulling a PTO shaft from a tractor. A job that is supposed to be quick and easy can sometimes get very difficult. I solved this problem by using a slide hammer and a reinforced exhaust clamp. I have used the puller almost weekly for the past year, and I do not know how I went so long without it. -Kevin McDonald, Sandy Hook, Virginia

3. Collapsible Step

The bottom step of our loader tractor kept getting bent. We tried to rebuild it with an iron design, but it also got bent. Next, we tried using four pieces of log chain, but whenever we would step on the lower step, it would move in the opposite direction, and our shins constantly got the brunt of the hit. For our final solution, we took pieces of a roller chain and bolted it to both steps. The step flexes front to back when hitting an obstacle, but remains firm when getting in and out of the tractor. –Brian Kaslon, Ashton, Nebraska

4. Handy Hitch Assistant

I have always had difficulty hitching up equipment that has clevis hitches that drop down. To make the process easier, I drilled a hole in each end of a light piece of angle iron, about 10 inches long. In the holes, I attached two very strong magnets. When preparing to hook up my tractor, I set the hitch at the angle needed and drop the magnets in place. Now I can back up the tractor while eliminating a big challenge. -Dale Hansen, Wakefield, Nebraska

5. Hydraulic Hitch Jack

When hitching an implement to your tractor, it is difficult to get the holes aligned to drop your hitch pin. Getting in and out of the tractor multiple times to get a double plate hitch mount at the right height for the tractor drawbar adds to the frustration. Using a hydraulic jack, you can stay in the tractor and make those adjustments. Weld a 6×6-inch plate to the shaft end of the ram on an 8-inch hydraulic cylinder. On the other end, weld a 2.5-inch piece of box tubing. Weld to your implement a smaller piece of box tubing to fit inside the 2.5-inch. Slide the jack tube over the implement tube and drill a hole through both tubes to allow for a locking pin. Plumb the hydraulics and you are ready to go. -Neil McCleary, Elkton, Maryland

6. Three-Point Assorted Ball Hitch

We made a three-point hitch mount from a repurposed John Deere 400 rotary hoe frame for an assorted ball hitch. We use it to move heavy-tongued items. It is quick and easy to attach. We welded a 2 1/2-inch receiver to the frame. It is adjustable, reversible, and removable, as well as adaptable to clevis- or hammer-strap-tongued equipment. We also mounted a bracket to the frame, which allows storage of an assortment of hitch pins. Last, we mounted a ball up high to aid in moving fifth-wheel trailers. -Gary Kruger, Herman, Nebraska

7. Hitch-Pin Puller

My wife needed an easier way to pull the hitch pin out of the front wagon on a pair of full wagons. I cut the handle off a hitch pin and welded a 3/8-inch eyebolt ring back onto the hitch pin. I then fastened a chain with a hook onto the center arm of the tractor’s quick hitch. She can now use the three-point control switch to raise or lower the pin. Remember to unhook the pin when not in use. -Mike Brown, Sibley, Illinois

8. Top Auger Addition

I have a 6-ton manure spreader, and often the heavier, large clumps pass over the top of the beater. After seeing newer spreaders on the market, I decided to add a top auger to my unit to solve this problem. With 1/4-inch scrap steel from my shop, I built two trapezoidal frames to house bearings, which hold the top auger. I then welded 5-inch pieces of 1/4-inch flat steel onto the auger flighting at 90° intervals to help thrash the larger manure clumps. Last, I added an idler sprocket plate, sprockets, and a chain to drive my new top auger from the bottom auger. -Dan Hilmer, Columbus, Nebraska

9. 2-Inch Nipple Remover

Close nipples can be a challenge to remove. Using a pipe wrench on the threads for removal will often result in throwing the nipple away. On my sprayer I have 2-inch close nipples that can be costly to replace. I found that a stud remover tool works perfectly in this situation. -Todd Miller, Mount Auburn, Illinois

10. Handy Front-End Sprayer Boom

I removed the sprayer boom from my three-point sprayer. After making a simple bracket as a quick attach, I mounted it to the bale spear on my frontend loader. I now have a sprayer boom that is more visible in front of me and makes it much easier to adjust the height. -Verlyn Jons, Saint Charles, South Dakota

11. Magnetic Labeling Strips

If you ever have issues with loading chemicals into the wrong tank, or perhaps you are not sure about the last load placed in a sprayer rig, here is a solution: magnetic labels. Using a marker, write the name of the chemical and apply your label to the appropriate tank. This method is quick, reliable, and easy to change if necessary. -Nate Thompson, Falls City, Nebraska

12. Built-in Whiteboard in Combine

I keep a dry-erase marker in my combine and tractors. Using the window like a whiteboard, I can keep track of service intervals, load counts, or any other information that is needed. Obviously, changes and cleaning are simple. -Eric Turnquist, Murdock, Minnesota

13. Fire Defense Grain Cart

Every year, I hear about combine fires during harvest, so I decided to create a solution for this potential problem. I mounted a water tank and small pump on our grain cart. I was prepared when we had a combine fire. With the modified grain cart, the fire was out before the fire department arrived. -Dale Torgerson, Kindred, North Dakota

Share Your Ideas

Successful Farming magazine invites you to share ideas with our readers. 

Enter idea(s), with a daytime phone number, email address, and complete mailing address using this link  or mail to: Successful Farming Magazine, All Around The Farm, 1716 Locust Street/LS257, Des Moines, IA 50309-3023

Submissions should be precise. Include a sketch or photograph when needed. If your idea is used in print, we pay $400 for the Idea of the Month, $200 for ideas that appear with drawings, and $100 for unillustrated ideas. All material submitted becomes the property of Meredith Operations Corporation. If your idea is used, you give Meredith Operations Corporation the right to use it in any manner.