Anyone have a Quadractor or ever here of one, or who made it or where I can find info on it. It was built around 1969 the one I saw and the man who has it would like some info on it.

-- Jim Tanner (mrtanner98@yahoo.com), February 28, 2001

Answers

Yes, I own a Quad,and I wish they still made them. Mine works well and is a pretty unique piece of equiptment. If you have any specific questions I would be glad to try and answer them for you. Good Luck and 73's Arnold

-- Arnold (ajkc2fli@localnet.com), February 28, 2001.

I have a quadractor runs good ,I dont know how old it is,how it operates,where to find parts,etc.thanks Keith

-- keithhartsell (keithhartsell@hotmail.com), May 22, 2001.

Quadractors haven't been made since 1982. There have been efforts to bring a new generation (well developed)to production/market but never funded.

You need a good relationship with a machine shop or a spare Quadractor (there were only 400 made)to keep one running.

-- Barry Rossinoff (barry@hereandnow.com), June 01, 2001.

I had one when I was living in Sullivan, ME in 1996, neat little rig. The one I had was orange and had the original factory snowplow and maintenance manual. Seems to me the serial number was something like 82003 or something. Anyone know of any online pictures of these things? I sold mine and assume it is still around Hancock/Washington county Maine.

Bob

-- Bob Gallagher (rokon@worldnet.att.net), July 22, 2001.

I have one with a set of broken sprial bevel gears. Not a standard gear either. It is a neat rig. It was built in North Troy Vermont by William Spencer, an inventor. At some point there rights were sold to Marrieta (truck trailer manufacturer) and it was going to be manufactured in China. Unfortunately it did not materialize. It was written up in a couple of inventor's magazines, Mass. Farm Bulletin, and couple of manufacturing and science magazines. Mine was built in the mid to late 1970s.

-- henry waterschoot (jfwaterschoo@earthlink.com), August 24, 2001.

I have wanted a “grasshopper and coffee table” Quadractor for years. I want it to haul granite boulders and logs to my log cabin vacation home, for a building project. I am interested in its claim to 4-wheel steering, hyper-maneuverability and 31” clearance. Plus its ability to carry a log twice its 900lb weight with an under-the-chassis hitch and winch arrangement. But most interesting is its claim to “torque-sensitive knee action” in each wheel. As I understand it that means each wheel adapts separately to its own footing, first of all by flexing 12” up or down in a vertical drive shaft and steering assembly, and secondly over a 30º “knee action” arc by virute of a large bull gear fixed to each wheel hub with a smaller pinion "knee" (4:1 reduction) running up or down it as the tractor moves along in order to absorb resistence from let’s say a boulder, by retreating to a more optimum angle of thrust. Corner posts house this unique setup, each one welded to a flexible steel and plywood frame, which itself apparently twists in response to uneven ground. Like some other island owners I know, I could really use that kind of terrain-sensitive traction on my own 50-acre Maine island’s fragile rock and forest covering. Since I already get all my cabin’s electrical power from the Sun a simple conversion of the “rubber-band-machine” transmission to high-torque electric motive power also intrigues me. I spoke to Spencer’s widow in the Eighties and she was embittered by the whole startup venture experience so she moved back to Canada from North Troy Vt. She put me on to a Montreal promoter but I didn’t follow it up at the time because I was running my own startup company in Boston. I will scan a diagrammatic picture of the Quadractor if anyone is interested.

-- John Bliss (jbliss@simplemachines.com), September 07, 2001.

I bought a Quadractor in 1980 from "Finest Kind chainsaws" in Skowhegan, Me. It makes a great skidder. It hauls a good size load of wood and turns on a dime. It will actually pivot around on any wheel. Mine sat for about five years and I just got it going again. When I first got it, I hauled over 20,000 board feet of logs for a house I was building. Now I just use it to haul out firewood. I heard somewhere that the patent was sold to a "Raven Equipment" company in Virginia and a number of the tractors were made there; also, that there was a warehouse full of them that could be bought for about $1800 each and you had to go pick it up.

-- johnny tell (drjohnnyt@yahoo.com), November 06, 2001.

I own an 82 Quadractor that was used extensively by my Uncle through the eighties and nineties to harvest a 50 acre woodlot in Eastern NY. After getting my hands on it, I gave it some sorely needed maintenance and repair and I now regularly use it for plowing and light clearing duties. It also has a Class I hitch for pulling implements such as a York rake, etc.. For anyone who is interested, I also have a second Quadractor (1980) that I use for parts as well as the orinal owner's/shop manuals. If you are in need of any of these hard to find original parts or literature, please contact me. I have a second plow and Class I three point hitch but the hitch is not complete. I also have copies of some of the articles written about the Quadractor and its history when the machine was on the market. The Quadractor is a great worker conceived by a real eccentric individual. Unfortunately, he took his patents with him.

-- Todd Westhuis (twesthuis@earthlink.net), November 12, 2001.

I don't have any answers to contribute (sorry). I used to live next door to a Quadractor dealer and I thought they were a very well designed light duty machine. I myself would like to get my hands on one. If anyone knows of one 4 sale or where I could get some good info on one I would appreciate it. Thanks

-- Dave Aldous` (Aldous_DL@hotmail.com`), February 06, 2002.

My friend and I are replacing the belts on the quadractor that he purchased the 2nd week of feb. 2002. We have found alot of different types of information on it and are alway's lookin for more.if you have any just e-mail me. And i will reply with any information that I have. I understand that the "ravens quadractor is the realitivly new version. It has lights and electric start no horn and is red with about 31" of ground clearance. the tailgate is missing, and we have a 3 point hitch. If any one has a tail gate,snow plow, or a turn plow i would like to have some picture's so that we can make these options. any questions......just ask!

-- chad (badchadstang@aol.com), February 23, 2002.

I recently bought a Quadractor, and there is not much information out there on the web. If anyone has any information or pics I would love to see them or hear what you have to say. I have copys of the original owners manual, and a article from Mother Earth news. If anyone would like a copy i would be glad to e-mail it to you. Also if anyone has any parts or attachments for sale I would be interested. You can email me or reach me @ 304-965-5931

-- Scott Baldwin (Scotthasa@aol.com), March 13, 2002.

I am in the process of buying a Quadractor and have decided to start a list of all the Quadractors I can find. I understand that 330 units were built, and the last three digits in the serial number is the order in which they were built. I have heard that 001 is owned by a woman in Newport, Vt and it is not for sale. Thanks, Dave

-- Dave Peterson (Skipjaz@aol.com), March 27, 2002.

I HAVE JUST PURCHASED A QUADRACTOR AT AN AUCTION AND IT IS FOR SALE. I PURCHASED IT THINKING IT WAS AN AGRICULTURAL TRACTOR AND AFTER READING THIS COLUMN I BELIEVE THIS MACHINE IS MORE AT HOME IN THE WOODS. THE MACHINE I HAVE APPEARS TO BE IN LIKE NEW CONDITION. THE TIRES STILL HAVE THE TITS AND THERE ARE NO DENTS,OR DINGS,HOWEVER SOME EXPECTED RUST AND COROSION. ANYONE INTERESTED IN THIS MACHINE? CALL BARNEY AT 740-642-3848

-- hayman k. barnitz (barnitzhk@horizonview.net), April 21, 2002.