Parked in the R&D shop, only a few feet from where it was originally built, the tractor was in the early stages of teardown in December.
Photo: Scott Garvey
Workers continue the teardown process.
Photo: Scott Garvey
Big Roy’s engine is located in the rear, with the fuel tank in front of the cab.
Photo: Scott Garvey
By mid-January only the cab is left to remove before the inside of the chassis can be cleaned and repainted, which will allow the refurbished driveline components — some of which required special fabrication — to be reinstalled.
Photo: Scott Garvey
The cab interior was relatively Spartan.
Photo: Scott Garvey
An 80-foot cultivator was built by Friggstad to create a load for the tractor during field trials.
Photo: Scott Garvey
The tractor rode on suspension that used a walking beam with coil springs above each axle.
Photo: Scott Garvey
Behind the grille was a 2,082-litre fuel tank, which had to be kept at least half full during field trials to balance the tractor and maximize traction. Letting it run low put too much strain on the rear axles.
Photo: Scott Garvey
The Cummins diesel will be removed for an inspection by Cummins technicians to ensure it’s in top-notch condition.
Photo: Scott Garvey
As you’d expect, completely restoring a tractor on the scale of “Big Roy” is no small job. Versatile’s crew working on it will expend a few thousand man hours of work to get the job done.
