Jack McCabe had his hand-built tractor at the 2011 Half Century of Progress Show earlier this year in Rantoul, Ill. This innovative machine was constructed in 1966 by Jack, who lives in North Lewisburg and farms in Plain City, Ohio.

Over the years, Jack said his four-wheel-drive has been called by many names. The first name was simply Old Yeller. Next came The Big Green Machine, when Jack painted it pea green – and today it is simply called Black Jack.

“I built the tractor in 1966 when I was farming 1,000 acres with a 720 John Deere. I decided to build my own,” he said. Jack shared that Black Jack was built around the time Steiger came out with a four-wheel-drive tractor, so he decided to build his own version.

How does one go about building a four-wheel-drive tractor? Very carefully, and with a lot of parts. “I found an aircraft tow tractor frame in a junkyard. Then, I found a 1959 Diamond T semi with over one million miles on it, for parts.”

Jack also found the 220-hp Cummins engine just right for his new venture. “I think this was the first time a Cummins engine was used in a tractor,” he added.

Later, Jack repowered and upgraded in the mid-1980s with a Cummins 855 250-hp engine. He observed that Cummins once asked him way back when if he ever thought agriculture would have any use for these engines – talk about being ahead of his time!

Jack used the axles from military loaders that were used to build airstrips in the Philippines: “I found them at an army surplus junkyard in Toledo.

“I found my cab off a Westinghouse Letourneau Earth Mover they were going to cut up,” Jack added. He arrived just in time, because “they already had the saw, ready to cut.”

Black Jack is air-conditioned and heated, using the system from a 1959 Ford automobile. The steering wheel is a tilt-telescoping wheel out of an Olds Toronado.

“As far as I know, this was the first telescoping tilt wheel in a farm tractor,” Jack explained.

Electric hydraulics was added in 1970 and the air brakes came off of a military loader.

“This was my wife, Sharon’s, tractor for 17 to 18 years,” he pointed out. “It has a lot of horsepower and is easy to operate and nice to work ground with. My wife loved it; it is a smooth ride. The cab is all mounted on rubber.

“I was only six years out of high school when I did this. I have built stuff all my life. The last thing I built was a trailer for this. I started building it two years ago.”

Jack still farms and uses the tractor, as well. “The fun thing about this tractor,” he emphasized, “is that it is mine, and only mine.”

Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication.