Tag Archives: Tractor

LittleJohn says “Hay there, farmer!”

LEGO builder John Snyder says “hay there, farmer!” To which I reply “hay there right back!” Frankly, I know nothing about farming, but I do enjoy a friendly greeting replete with puns so I figured I ought to jump at the chance to feature this John Deere tractor and hay baler. If you’re as a-moo-sed by this as I am, then you should check out -LittleJohn’s other stuff. He’s been building a lot of amazing stuff lately. But before you go, let me try my hand at a farmer joke. Here goes. How did the farmer find his cow? He tractor down. OK, admittedly that could use some work. Sorry, I’m just going to let myself out now.

Hay There Farmer!

She thinks my tractor is...

Big? Powerful? Full of dirt? Whatever she thinks about, what matters is that it gets the job done. Here in Idaho, where I’m from, John Deere tractors like this LEGO build from Jonathan Elliot are essential to making sure the rest of North America has enough french fries to go around.
John Deere Tractor

It’s incredible how much detail is packed into so few bricks. I like the flashing lights on top, essential when using county roads to get from field to field. The variation in tire size is a good touch. Even here in this tiny build, they still look huge! I also appreciate Jonathan’s use of black pieces to make it seem like there’s a lot of metal framing exposed, just like real tractors. Everything in this creation is spot on.

Home, home on the range

Ah, farms. One hundred percent of us humans eat, but in the United States, less than six percent of the population is involved in growing it. Now, I’m not a farmer, but I did enjoy some tomatoes and peppers from my backyard garden this year, so I feel downright rustic as I type this article on a state-of-the-art laptop with high-speed wifi. But having grown up in the upper Midwest, part of America’s Breadbasket, I feel kinship with this rural LEGO scene by John Snyder. Do I own a tractor? No, but I kind of wish I did. Do I keep chickens? No, but my wife has been insisting that we should. Goats, too, though I don’t think city ordinances would allow them. Maybe someday I’ll have a barn and an awesome windmill to draw up water from the well. Mine probably won’t be made of LEGO shields, though.

Western Homestead

Do you like farms and barns and livestock, too? Then check out our TBB farm archives! And don’t forget to look up John Snyder, too, and you’ll see why he’s competing for the title of Iron Builder.

This little tractor has a lot of pull

This microscale LEGO tractor by BrickJonas could possibly be accused of hot-dogging it. Or should I have let that sort of pun skate on by? Either way, there’s some really nice part usage here, and the tricky connection that holds the front end on is also really clever. This much detail in just 25 pieces? It’s exhausting to think about.

Microscale old tractor

If you’re in for the long haul, check out our tractor archives for more!

It ain’t much but it’s a couple of tractors

Designing scaled farming machinery is, in equal measure, fun and challenge. It’s all about sketching a neat chassis, adding just the right amount of grills and pipes to the engine’s exterior, and, of course, building a piece of farming equipment to attache to a tractor. Vladimir Drozd nailed all of these in his splendid designs. It is their clean yet very realistic exteriors that instantly caught my eye. With just a handful of curved slopes, Vladimir managed to create simple models without overloading them with way too complicated building solutions.

Tractor

It’s so easy to spoil a great creation with an unsuitable exterior element, but I applaud the author’s decision to complete the red tractor with a couple of road signs.

Tractor

A few bricks down by the farm

This tranquil LEGO scene from Damian Z. is a great way to highlight the real star, the tractor. The Polish Ursus C330 is a wonderful piece of work with lots of detail despite its small minifigure-scale size. A handful of common clips and other bits stand in for the engine details, while Technic pulley wheels work as the hubs to make tractor-like tires out of larger-scale racing tires.

UrsusC330.09

Burn rubber and scorch earth in a Lamborghini

When you hear the name Lamborghini, high-performance sports cars quickly come to mind. However, there are also Lamborghini tractors. Yvan Bourdeau built a LEGO version of the Centenario which commemorated the 100th birthday of founder Ferruccio Lamborghini. Just like their speedier cousins, you can see these vehicles are built with performance in mind. I mean, just look at that V12 engine! Besides some excellent mechanical details, I especially like the large rear tires, which came in the first Technic set I ever owned, LEGO 8860 Car Chassis. Yvan’s attention to detail is a perfect tribute to the real thing.

LAMBORGHINI CENTENARIO

In space, no one can hear you curdle... milk

Spaceships are gray, tractors are green, but this is the coolest space tractor I’ve ever seen. When it comes to colonizing the universe, it takes more than just guns and gunships. There is work to be done and to get the job done, you need to bring the right tools. This wonderfully detailed harvester by Onkel Ton combines farming equipment with space exploration and the finished product would fit right into your favorite science fiction story.

Mars Dairy Harvester "Locust"

I love the use of stickers from the interior of the Millennium Falcon. One of my favorite techniques used in this industrial vehicle is the use of several stacked wedge plates of varying lengths to create vents along the top and the front of the cab. Also, the multiple wheels on a delicate suspension give the harvester the versatility to conquer rugged terrain.

A pair of super Soviet tractors

The Volgograd Tractor Plant, previously known as the Stalingrad Tractor plant, produced the workhorses for the Soviet era Russian farming industry. Short, snub-nosed and chunky, the DT-75 is an exemplar of sturdy utilitarian design. Builder Jakeof has created two LEGO versions of these unique looking vehicles, a DT-75 and a DT-75M.

DT-75M

Although small, they pack in the detail, especially in the case of the neat tread design and exposed engines. Together they stand as an iconic reminder of Soviet innovation.

DT-75

This tiny tractor tackles any tough task

If you find yourself driving through German farmland, you just might find one these Fendt 500 tractors working the fields. Stefan brings us a faithful looking brick-built version, complete with the iconic green and black livery. He has also gone above and beyond to build a series of implements for the tractor, such as forest blade for the front….

Fendt 500 Vario Polterschild & Forstseilwinde (Forest Blade & Forestry Winch) 01

See all of the great attachments for this tiny tractor

Moving earth with the massive LEGO Technic Cat 7495 [Video]

Combining LEGO Technic and System bricks into a cohesive model can be challenging, but Arjan Oude Kotte is a master LEGO engineer. Arjen brings us this incredibly detailed model of the Caterpillar 7495 Electric Rope Shovel built to minifigure scale. This model of the titanic heavy equipment machine towers over the minifigures and pickup truck in the image below. I love the attention to detail evident in the catwalks, ladders, and upper deck of the model visible from its left profile.

Cat 7495 HF 2018

The model also includes a dizzying array of realistic power functions. An operator can remotely lower and raise the digging arm, close the bottom trap of the shovel, move on its treads, and swing the model side-to-side on its base. Check out the video to see it in action.

Digging deep with a motorized LEGO Technic Bucyrus RH400 Mining Shovel [Video]

Among the largest excavators in the world, the Bucyrus RH400 stands over three-stories-high and can move 9,000 tons of earth in an hour. Sheo. miniaturized this mining giant to a minifigure scale model, complete with Power Functions.

The top deck of this machine shows thoughtful details like railings, water tanks, fire suppression equipment, and even a service crane. The digger arm contains graceful (and functional) curved shapes combining Technic and System brick. The operator cockpit even has space for minifigure operator.

Bucyrus RH400 Mining Shovel Click to see a video of this excavator in action