3D Printing Offers New Hope for Obsolete Parts

It’s not often that a collector runs across an extremely rare tractor. However, unless it can be restored to running condition, it’s little more than a museum piece. On the other hand, if it’s really that rare, any replacement parts that are needed are likely unavailable or nearly impossible to find. That has all changed, though, thanks to new technology and 3D printing.

As Alex Fuselier, with Aumann Auctions, related, “Historically, the only way you could make an obsolete part was to go to a pattern maker, who would typically make a wooden foundry pattern. You would then take that to a foundry where they would use it to cast the part out of cast iron, or whatever material is needed. Today, we’ve shortened that process by 3D printing the pattern.

“In effect, what used to take a pattern maker days to accomplish can now be done in a matter of hours with a 3D printer,” he continued. “The process basically involves scanning the part with a scanner, loading that information into a computer, and using slicer software to slice the scan into layers that are applied by the printer. This step also allows you to select the thickness of layers, density, and quality,” he added, noting that one of the best slicer programs is called Cura and is available free from Ultimaker, a company that also markets 3D printers.

Once the part is printed, it serves as a pattern that can be sent to a foundry to cast the final part. However, as with any new technology, the industry is changing rapidly. While most printers still create the printed object out of some type of polymer, there are already commercial printers on the market that can print items out of stainless steel, nylon, carbon fiber, or metal-infused plastic. Of course, those printers are much more expensive, and the part may not have the strength needed in a tractor application.

Fuselier also uses a table-top bed scanner on which he can place an item and scan all sides without moving the part. Once the part is scanned and saved in a CAD file, it can be printed as many times as he likes.

Fuselier isn’t the only tractor restorer who has embraced 3D printing to recreate unavailable parts. K.R. Hough, who owns Traction Engineering, a full-service tractor restoration company in Pendelton, Indiana, has adopted 3D printing to reproduce a number of parts for the rare tractors he has restored. Hough even utilized 3D printing to reproduce an entire tractor.

The Sky is the Limit

Starting with an engine block, pistons, the head, part of the original radiator, and the tractor seat, Hough recreated a Best Model 30 orchard tractor, often called the Humpback, for a collector of pre-1925 tractors built in his home state of California. Today, it’s only the second one of its kind in existence. The other is in the California Agricultural Museum.

Hough started by having the tractor scanned by a company in California. He then built a new frame from water-jet-cut steel, duplicated the sheet metal, machined certain parts with CNC equipment, and created other parts with the help of 3D printing. Like Fuselier, he printed several of those parts in plastic and then sent them to a foundry for casting. Other parts used even newer technology, which employed 3D printing to produce a sand mold, eliminating one whole step in the casting process.

“That’s the most accurate process, but it’s also one of the most expensive,” he said. “One thing that helped was that the tractor was nearly symmetrical from left to right. So, we only had to scan about a third of the second side. Plus, all the links in the tracks are identical, so one mold covers them all.”

Does it Fit Your Application?

Unfortunately, the cost of having a part cast with the aid of 3D printing is still high and hard to justify unless it is for a rare or high-end tractor, just as it has been for parts duplicated with a wooden pattern. The good news is, it is already cheaper than creating a wooden pattern.

“I’ve made parts that cost anywhere from $50 to $4,000,” Hough said. “You have $25 each way to send the pattern to the foundry, so there’s $50 right there. Add the cost of scanning, casting, and finishing, and it would be hard to make a single part for less than $200 unless you have the economy of scale and need several identical parts.”

However, Hough hopes that price will come down as the technology involved in printing steel parts advances and becomes less expensive. Right now, neither he nor Fuselier are printing metal parts directly.

In the meantime, it only takes an internet search to find a company to make a part pattern that you can take to a foundry. You’ll just have to find an identical part that can be scanned or provide a broken part that can be restored to its original condition with the aid of a computer program.

“If I’m duplicating a gear that has missing teeth, I don’t want to duplicate the worn teeth on the rest of the gear,” Hough explained. “So, I start with the best thing available.”

What if You Want to Try it?

“I got into 3D printing because I had purchased a rare older tractor that needed some parts that were unavailable,” Fuselier continued. “If you look at 3D printers, it’s kind of hard to sift through all the information. One of the things to look for is print size, which determines how large of a part you can print,” he added, noting that his model has a single filament and a heated bed and can only use some form of polymer.

Some of the most common brands of 3D printers in use by hobbyists are Prusa, Flashforge, Elegoo, and Bambu Lab, to name a few. And many are under $500. The bigger issue, of course, is learning what you need and how to use the equipment. To that end, there is plenty of help, as well. For starters, there are several how-to videos on YouTube, including one titled “Complete Beginner’s Guide to 3D Printing.” Similar titles include: “Getting into Resin 3D Printing” and “Beginner’s Guide to 3D Printing in 2025 — Everything You Need to Know.”

There are several hands-on courses available nationwide, including some from local colleges. Missouri State University–West Plains, for example, recently offered a hands-on course titled, “Basics of 3D Printing,” for a fee of $75. Hough and Fuselier joined together to give a presentation on 3D printing at the Powers Tractor School, conducted by Aumann Auctions each year in April.

Obviously, 3D printing isn’t for everyone who enjoys restoring vintage tractors. But it offers cost savings and a new option for anyone working on a rare model for which parts are unavailable from any other source. Perhaps one day, the technology will make 3D printing cost-effective for an even broader audience.