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

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Sunil Chandel: Sunil has been blogging about autos, consumer gadgets and home improvement ideas for last couple of years. When he is not writing, you can find him riding his Royal Enfield motorcycle, listening to music and showing off his football skills.