1045 Village Green Drive, South Baldwin, Florida 32234
In the August 1998 GEM, Billy Reynolds of Granbury,
Texas, told us about making a John Deere D Model out of a garden
tractor. The article really intrigued me, as I have always wanted a
Rumely OilPull, but never had the money for one. The more I thought
about the article, the more I thought I could make a Rumely
model.
I had an old Wheel Horse with a hydrostatic rear end and a motor
from an old Sears roto-tiller. My son Larry, said, ‘Dad, you
have got to have steel wheels!’ For my Christmas present he
made the rear wheels out of 22′ bud wheels. While Larry was
making the rear wheels, I had steel rolled and made the front
wheels.
The flywheel is an 18′ line belt pulley in which I had to
have a sleeve made and pressed into it. The radiator was made by a
sheet metal shop using my drawing. I designed and made the rest of
the sheet metal parts. Also, the steering linkage had to be
rearranged to make the sheet metal fit and for things to work
correctly.
After the model was all painted, I took the radiator to a sign
shop and had ‘OilPull’ painted on the sides.
I am a member of the North Florida Antique Engine Association.
We have shown the model at local shows and it has drawn a lot of
attention.
I would like to thank Larry Corwin for the rear wheels and Ray
Farnesi of Lake City, Florida, for doing the work on the flywheel.
Both Larry and Ray did a great job!