D-17 custom built rough terrain forklift 1984

This is the one and only picture I have of this very special ( and still being used) one-and-only D-17 custom forklift. As a new dealership in 1982 and needing a rough-terrain forklift and not being able to afford to buy a factory made one.....this is what I and my crew came up with by spring of 1984. It is unique and has been an extremely successful build.  The platform was a 1958 D-17 gas chassis that had a bad engine. I overhauled it and converted to full flow oiling. The center main bearing had spun in the block at one time and the block had been brazed up in that area. I went a step further and roll pinned the front side of the upper thrust bearing surface so it could never spin again. It apparently has worked for 40+ years.  The Power Director clutch and all the PTO/intermediate gears and shafts were all removed. The differential was flipped over to provide proper direction for the now 4-speed only transmission. New brake linings were installed.  Lift arm housing, lift ram and rear PTO shaft eliminated and a cover plate was made to cover the rear housing hole. The live hydraulic pump was a warranty dual pump from a 1979 M2/L2 hydro combine (remember I was the AC company service rep, so I came onto the pump that only needed a shaft seal to repair). The internal high-pressure hydraulic pump was removed and a series 4 sump added for more oil capacity. Under the intermediate gears area, I installed a sump/suction manifold from a 180/190 tractor to provide suction to one of the pumps and the series 4 sump provided a suction hose for the other dual pump section. The control deck was the whole platform to a salvage 190/190XT complete with console control and all the hydraulic valves under the platform. The steering and clutch/brake pedals were also utilized. The platform base was shortened at the rear by eliminating the rear mount fuel tank. Fenders were from a 170-180. When you sat in the seat, it was just like operating a 190/200 tractor, including the perfectly located throttle lever. The seat was even made to slide back and forth 4 inches to accommodate different drivers. The forklift frame was 6 inch channel from the bell housing to the counterweight with 1/2" spacer plates in-between the channels and tractors side frames to allow an engine/clutch repair by removing the counter weight and sliding the engine with side frames away from the bell housing. From the bell housing rearward 8 inch flat iron 3/4" thick was used to go under the rear axles (loader U-bolts to connect to the axles) and extend out far enough to mount the forklift mast to this frame structure. The mast was a low profile 3-stage (perfect for our use) that would go 20 feet high if needed. Lift capacity of 5,000 lbs. Forks were more than 48 inches long I think maybe 54 to 60 inches long. We even had an 8 inch side shift built into the mounting area which was a very nice feature !!! If you notice the drive wheels had gussets welded to the wheel centers to the rim rails to add strength. The steer tires were custom made wheels with 3/8" thick wheel centers and  9.5L x 15 tires. The counter weight weighed at least 1,000 lbs and we later had racking to hang suitcase weights on the tail to be able to lift 6-30 corn heads in the down flat position. All-in-all we really never broke anything. It worked as designed. It was clearly a one-of.  It weighed 10K. We had some extremely important build help with the mast framework from a local business who was capable of doing so. He rationalized helping us out because occasionally he needed to use the machine and we always gladly accommodated him. Thanks to all who helped on this huge build 40+ years ago. I shudder to think what it would cost to do this again in todays finances.

Edited by DrAllis - 30 Aug 2026 at 5:13pm

Yup. Hydrostatic power steering using the OEM steering gear and hydraulic cylinder from the D-17 combined with the 190 steering orbitrol. One pump section did the steering and the other did the lift/tilt/side shift. The narrow front was by design. We used this rig all the time in the shop and narrow was goooood.

Edited by DrAllis - 28 Aug 2026 at 8:49pm

Couple of years ago I had thoughts of taking a worn out 190 and spinning the platform around to make a forklift with a 3 pt mast we use. But when I mentioned the idea to my son, he looked at me as if I had gone nuts. That is a very interesting unit. 6-30 corn head ain't light. Did it stay with dealership or is it still owned locally?
Leon B Mo

Edited by Les Kerf - 29 Aug 2026 at 8:49am

Neat machine. Good old american ingenuity

I remember it at nearly 10K. We had made a 1 inch thick by prob 24 inch tall plate for the forks to hang on and was wide enough to cover 1/2 of each drive tire (60 inches) for protection and a wide stance for the forks if needed. That piece was I imagine 500 lbs by itself. Power steering was eazzzy. Just ran two hoses from the 190 orbitrol down to the D-17 steering cylinder and eliminate the worm gear on the left side.  EDIT:  just checked with AI. That carriage fork plate weighed 408 lbs.

Edited by DrAllis - 29 Aug 2026 at 6:23pm