Iron Buffalo, 2 Wheel Tractor, Walking Tractor

**tsbrownie** · Mar 7, 2019, 05:06 AM

Thought you might find this interesting. This is an "Iron Buffalo" farm implement videoed in Thailand. It is also called a Two Wheel Tractor or a Walking Tractor. It is powered by a 1 cylinder diesel (see below for details).

Kubtoa EA series
15.5 kW
6.9 HP
0.3 Liter
3000 rpm max
17.7 N*m max torque
12 v, 3.5 A
Bore 77, 3.03 (mm, inch)
Stroke 70, 2.76 (mm, inch)
Normally aspirated
Oil 1.3 liters
Dry weight 54, 119 (kg, lbs)

From Wikipedia
The unique long-handled "Thai" type two-wheel tractor was developed in the late 1950s by M.R. Debriddhi Devakul (M.R. stands for Mom Rajawong, meaning that his great-grandfather was the King of Thailand, and that he could be properly addressed as "Prince"), head of the Engineering Division of the Thai Rice Department, of the Thai Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. As the early 2WTs did not have steering clutches, longer handles were provided for turning and controlling the tractor more easily in fields. Initially the engines were taken from kerosene engine powered irrigation pumps, but as the popularity of the tractor became obvious (known as the "Iron Buffalo"), three Japanese firms set up diesel engine factories in Thailand with agreements to progressively increase local content. Later, steering clutches were provided on many companies' models. The tractor gear box and chassis are made by many local industries (Samakkee Lohakij Ltd., Agri-Mechanics Co Ltd., Ayutthaya Tractor Factory, Cosmonoki Thai International Co. Ltd., C.R. Tractor Co Ltd, Inter Kankaset Co. Ltd, Jakpetch Tractor Co. Ltd., Jor Charoenchai Tractor, Kor Rungruang, Muileng Industry Ltd., Samakkee Lohakij Ltd., Siam Kubota Industry Co. Ltd., etc.). Initially, factories copied from one another, and competing for sales to the point that the tractor's chassis without engine has become very inexpensive, about one third to one half the cost of the engine. The "Thai tractor" eventually evolved into a more general standard "NC" type models with three gears forward, one reverse, and steering clutches. Attachments that are available are moldboard and disc plows, spiked tooth harrows, trailed-type (non-powered) rotary puddlers (lateral drums with protruding paddles), various types of levelers and simple trailers (usually without brakes or lights). Recently (2010), a new NC Plus model offered by Siam Kubota comes with a [[power take off]] (PTO) that can drive a rotary tiller and other attachments. Additionally many farmers use V-belts to connect the stationary tractor engine to power centrifugal pumps and axial flow pumps, rice threshers, maize shellers etc. Recently inexpensive Chinese-made NC models have come on the international market but attempts by Siam Kubota and others to keep them out of Thailand, Cambodia and elsewhere due to claims of copyright infringement. Through the 1980s and 1990s, more than 50,000 tractors were reportedly being produced and sold each year[15] and by 2006 more than 70,000 were being produced and even more imported so that estimates of 2WT population is between 1.7 - 2.0 million 2WTs in Thailand.

**TinkeringEngineer** · Mar 7, 2019, 09:54 PM

Similar ones in Nepal are called mechanical cow. Some of those even have headlights and multiple gear transmissions. Hand crank start with compression release lever to allow spinning the engine up with the hand crank and then releasing the lever allowing momentum to carry thru for a diesel cycle start. Fairly tricky to start and do both by yourself, the hand crank has a cam to push off the crankshaft as it speeds faster than the hand crank is turning.
Great video, this design is simpler to build than the multispeed transmission versions.