Doodlebug tractor
Doodlebug tractors are homemade tractors built in the United States during World War II when new tractors were in short supply. They were usually made from old Ford cars or trucks from the 1920s or 1930s, with parts of the body removed or changed.
Today, doodlebugs are a popular hobby in New England and upstate New York. Several clubs hold summer meet-ups where members test their machines by pulling heavy loads.
Doodlebugs had many names, such as Friday Tractors, Scrambolas, Jitterbugs, Field Crawlers, and Ruxells, but The DoodleBug was the best known. That name also referred to an aftermarket tractor kit sold by David Bradley, known as “The old DB.”
The idea for homemade tractors came from catalog and implement companies in the mid-1920s to mid-1930s. They offered conversion kits to turn a car into a tractor. Companies included New Deal, Peru Plow Co., Thrifty Farmer, Sears Roebuck & Co., Montgomery Ward, Pull Ford, and Johnson Mfg. Co. The kits could be expensive, so farmers found ways to make their own. Magazines like Popular Mechanics and Mechanix Illustrated showed how to build a “Handy Henry” from an old Ford using simple tools. Building a Handy Henry from a Model T could cost about $20 and gave a usable vehicle with rubber tires, a big rear end, and extra gearing.
Doodlebugs were used for plowing, making hay, hauling logs, and pulling stumps. They needed good ground clearance and could handle rough terrain. Most had a hood, a small seat, often a truck bed, and a hitch for towing.
In Sweden, cars converted into tractors became popular with small farmers in the 1930s and stayed common until the 1950s, when small tractors became available. A 1940 Swedish ordinance set rules for changing a car into a motorized farm tool, including a speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour (20 mph). Today, doodlebugs are no longer used for farming in Sweden, but the age limit for ownership has made them a popular hobby for teens in rural areas.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 17:02 (CET).