Ever think about building your own tractor? Most farmers haven’t, but that could eventually change as word spreads about LifeTrac, an open source tractor that can be built for $4,000 in materials.

LifeTrac (shown above) is the prototype machine from Open Source Ecology, a project started by Marcin Jakubowski in 2003. Jakubowski earned a PhD in fusion physics but felt that his work was not meaningful, so he started a small farm in Missouri. As he tells it, he spent a lot of money his first few years on equipment and repairs. He realized there was a need for simple, inexpensive, durable farm equipment that farmers could build themselves. So he created a Wiki, where people could collaborate online to design such equipment.

Jakubowski identified 40 essential machines for modern society, and invited others to help him create plans for them. He calls it the Global Village Construction Set, and hopes to have blueprints for everything needed to start a self-sustaining village, including a car, wind turbines, brick maker, cement mixer, and other do-it-yourself industrial machines.
Open Source Ecology has built three prototypes of the LifeTrac tractor at Jakubowski’s farm, Factor e Farm, in rural Missouri. It has a 3-point hitch, power takeoff, and high-flow hydraulic takeoff. These features make the LifeTrac capable of using any agricultural implements.

To learn more about the project, visit http://openfarmtech.org.