Man builds a solar powered tractor at home

Homemade solar powered tractor

As the world is turning towards green energy, solar powered cars can be seen around on a regular basis. But what we don’t see often is a solar powered tractor. So here’s one for you.Terry, an Arkansas based man who is also referred as “MacGyver” has built a solar tractor to work in his farm. The idea came to him about a year ago when he and his wife were making plans to move to a 30 acre farm in Arkansas.

The tractor is based on a used Ford 1950 8n which he got for $200. After lots of welding, chopping, internet shopping and hours of hard work, the solar tractor was finally completed. The total cost in building the tractor was about $4,100.

Homemade solar powered tractor

A battery stand capable of holding twelve 250-amp deep-cycle batteries is welded on the surface of the DC drive motor. The tractor is equipped with three 240-watt Solar panels and a Morningstar Solar MPPT 45 amp charge controller.

Painted in green color, the solar powered tractor can be fully charged with 8-10 hours of sunlight. The eight batteries can keep it running for about two hours.  The tractor has a top speed of about 20 mph.

Via: Motherearthnews/Energymatters