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1977 Economy Tractor Project Thread

46K views 120 replies 15 participants last post by  OIF_COMBAT-VET-05 
#1 · (Edited)


This thread is dedicated to the resurrection, preservation and continuous enhancements of my newly acquired 1977 Economy Tractor. In it you will find in chronological order the beginning of when I first got it to other miscellaneous projects and updates that I will be doing, or, have already done to it. A lot of times you might find my writing style a bit long-winded but I like to document what I'm thinking as I'm going through each project to look back upon to remember each step of the way. Feel free to skim, or, follow along if you enjoy all the details.

My Previous Background With This Tractor:

I bought this tractor in May of 2013 from the family who bought it new. Growing up as a young kid, I used to watch across the chain link fence as they would mow and always thought that it was one of the coolest looking tractors. It was the loudest machine with the mowing deck on, as soon as I'd hear it fire up, I'd go running out to go watch it creep around in 1st gear. It has had an easy life of strictly mowing a 1/4" lot and was used on and off for that job until about 5-6 years ago where it hasn't been ran since. In fact, it was always stored inside their garage until it lost its space to a supercar of all things! I had always figured that if I had asked them about selling it I would get rejected but I realized that if I didn't, I would always wonder. My initial hesitations were turned around as in fact they were, possibly even going to sell it this summer and seemed happy to have the interest!

Inspection Time:



When I went to go inspect its condition, it was really neat seeing it up close again and remembering back. I was happy to find there were no dings or major rust and even all of the decals were still present. What I do remember though was the paint being shinier than it is now, more red in color... we're going to have to do something about that eventually. I was a little bummed however to find this machine is not equipped with a hydraulic lift, I would say the majority of 1614's that I've seen have this setup so I was going into it expecting that it would. At first it didn't bother me, and I will quote myself from another thread: "The bummer is that it does not have the second transmission, or, hydraulics- which in particular was really hoping that it had. Is this a deal breaker? Not even a slim chance!". BUT, after thinking it over more and what my intentions were going to be for it, it did. So much so that I actually took a few days to research my options before I committed to it. I knew above anything else I wanted an Economy Power King after seeing this one in person again, but I knew that I needed that hydraulic setup for a future blade attachment. I asked around on a few forums that have very knowledgeable members on these particular machines regarding the logistics of a conversion, and my concerns of finding the parts and being over my head were immediately put to rest. I learned there aren't a million and half little intricate pieces that make up the hydraulic system and for the most part, they are fairly easy to locate and some can even be bought new as well. The more I thought about it, the more it became obvious and clear that I should choose this particular machine over finding one that I had no history with. What was I thinking finding a whole different machine when I could have this one that I have had a past with? Isn't that alone worth it I asked myself? When I attempted to bring it home, something was seized as both rear wheels would not turn. It took starting it and putting it in to gear momentarily to break whatever was lose, free.

Here is a video bringing it home. FYI, we are tractor friendly of all colors so please refrain from negative comments about the John Deere pulling it if you feel the need to do so. I really don't think that will be a problem here but it sure was at some other places I posted the photos.





Back to Hydraulics

While I was doing research on conversions, a member referred me to someone who was parting out a 1976 1614, all of which had hydraulics. Just for fun to get an idea of what I'd be paying for a whole setup for reference purposes, I sent an email to him to see what he'd have to have for the complete system. After pricing some of the individual parts such as on Ebay that make up the system, I was shocked when he offered me what he did. He was super knowledgeable about these tractors and we talked close to 1/2" on the phone about them and how to do a conversion. So the big surprise here is that I bought a complete, functioning, hydraulic system for my machine and will eventually be doing a conversion! I am pretty darn stoked. What's funny is that even though this machine is a manual lift setup, the belt for a hydraulic pump is already stored in the machine where pump gets mounted!

I do have some other ideas drummed up that I have in mind as well. Some of them you may not like, understand or agree with some of them but the fun is to personalize your machines to your own liking. I partly bought this tractor as a means of a continuous project to tinker on, on the weekends. This means that not everything will be happening all at once so as I go along everything will get covered as the time comes.

In a mostly sequential order that is more than likely subject to change, here is what I have planned to do so far:

1. Clean up/degrease entire machine
2. Clean fuel system
3. Replace sparkplug, air filter
4. Install a battery box and new battery
5. Change out all of the fluids; Engine oil, transmission, differential, gear cases, steering box. Grease zerks.
6. Replace front tires with next taller size
7. Space out front and rear wheels 1-1/2"-2"
8. Sharpen blades
9. Repaint front steel lower grill guard
10. Buff out paint- It was shiny!
11. Install rear LED spotlight won from MTF's April 2013 MOM contest
12. Hydraulic conversion
13. Locate and install a rear grader blade on the 3 PT.
14. Have seat recovered
15. Locate and install the optional second transmission feature

The photos seen below were just as I got it, original dirt and everything.















 
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1 11
#2 · (Edited)
Today was the start of working on it, the object was to get it all cleaned up and degreased.

I used a full can of degreaser on it and the majority of it is done including cleaning the deck, however, below the tractor around the gear cases specifically will need more degreasing. I scrubbed the whole top side down. It's now ready for a polish.

I pulled the fuel line off of the inlet of the fuel pump as I wanted to see if fuel was even flowing from the tank. As soon as I began to pull the hose, it crumbled and broke a part in my hand. At this point I knew I had to replace the hoses so I removed the gas tank and pulled off the second fuel line that goes from the fuel pump to the carb. They are hard as a rock and the one leading from the tank to the pump is all broken down inside. I attached a straw to the fuel pump blew the it out and quite a bit of yellow varnish gas squirted out.

While I had the tank off, I took the liberty to polish it as it had lost its shine. I flushed out the inside of it too and also cleaned the fuel screen on the shot off valve, but they both didn't even really even in need. The tank is super clean inside.

Tonight I'm going to order a sparkplug, air filter & pre filter. I've got a marine style battery box on the way and once that comes I'll purchase a battery, fuel line, engine oil, carb cleaner, more degreaser and lots of gear oil. I'm not sure why those metal strap plates where mounted on top of the engine cover as you saw in the first photos of it above, but they're not going back on. I'm guess that it possibly vibrated and they put those on there to cure the noise. If that's case, I'll figure out a way to absorb it.





 
#3 ·
Nice Find

Someone took care of that or stored it inside for a long time.
For a steal tank to look that good after all those years is amazing.
The whole tractor looks amazing.
I use to sell a few of those when they went to the Power King name.
The big sell was all gear drive.
I had a 1617 for about 20 years with the front end loader and rear tiller and snow blade that fit on the loader after you took off the bucket.
They built a state of the art factory way back then and a few years later went under.
Anybody with a steal tank that has rust in it is put rocks in it and shake it to death in hopes to get most of it out of there.
If still some in there you can spray or put some muriatic acid they use to clean brick.
Try and not breath the fumes tho. After that give it a good clean out with water then soap and water or whatever you like.
My clutch went out on mine like 20 years ago....found a old dealer who still had a clutch for it fixed it then sold the whole thing for $1600.
Told them at the time that power king went under and parts were hard to find then......but he wanted it and it look as good as yours did.
They are a great pulling tractor for the day.
Hope you enjoy your brand new tractor.
I have a Kubota BX23 with front end loader and backhoe.
Has Hydro tranny....That old Power King could pull my new BX23 all over the place if you hooked them both together as the hydro only has so much pulling power before it just sits there.....lol
For parts today I guess ebay would be my first place to look hopping a old dealer still had some parts in stock.

Art
 
#4 ·
Hi Art,

Thanks for the reply and kind comments. That's really cool that you used to sell these! I can only imagine what they looked like when new. What year was it when they transitioned over to the Power King name? I think mine was in that transition period because while it says Economy on the sides, there is long decal on the top of the hood that reads Power King. I'm guessing this was similar to the Datsun/Nissan period here in he states back in the '70's.

For parts, there's Ebay like you mentioned and also a really good Yahoo Group for these machines where many of folks have spares or know of a reference that have them. I also found a couple of parts sites too dedicated to these machines which seem to have a good supply of them.

Power King Tractor Replacement Parts and Accessories

Power King, Economy, Jim Dandy parts
 
#5 ·
Never thought about looking for parts online.....well internet was not here back then when I needed the clutch......lol
I bought mine as a demo from my sales person and a few others in the early 80s before they went under in the middle 80s I think.
After that hard to find clutch I new it was time for it to go.

Glad you can still find parts for them.

Art
 
#6 ·
Austen,
I must say that this tractor is EXCEPTIONALLY clean and unabused. There does not appear to be a dent on it! It sure is nice to start out with a good clean machine, and I see that you are already gung-ho about adding all of the factory bells and whistles to it! After seeing how nice your Jacobsens came out, I would not be shocked if this tractor looked better than it did new when you are done with it!

Keep up the good work and pictures,

Chris
 
#7 ·
Austen,
I must say that this tractor is EXCEPTIONALLY clean and unabused. There does not appear to be a dent on it! It sure is nice to start out with a good clean machine, and I see that you are already gung-ho about adding all of the factory bells and whistles to it! After seeing how nice your Jacobsens came out, I would not be shocked if this tractor looked better than it did new when you are done with it!

Keep up the good work and pictures,

Chris
Thanks for the kind and encouraging words, Chris!


I'm certainly going to do the best that I can on it.
 
#8 ·
I new A guy close to me that use to sell them also......he bought one for himself and left it in the crate till he died about 20 years ago.....somebody got a great deal out of that one.
Never did know what happen to it cause his wife was still alive after he passed. My saleman told me about it....he tried to buy it off of her after he passed as he was his saleperson as he was mine.
She would not let it go......am sure she is gone by now as I have been buy the place like 10 years ago and the place does not look the same. He sold outa his house and shop like I did.
I bet he had a lot of new parts for them when he passed.
Mine was the 1617 Power King with the 4 speed tranny....I think I still have a hyd. pump for it as I wanted a spare...it may be in the shop yet or I gave it away with the tractor.
At one time you could buy it from Northern hyd.....now called tool and equipment.
I don't think power king made it themselves
My four speed was a power King case but with peerless gears inside the case made by....peerless gear was owned by tech. at the time.
They had a plant near me which I worked at for a few months in the summer.......long gone by at least 30 years here.
Proabaly made in China now.....lol

Art
 
#9 ·
Mine had the KT Twin cly. kohler engine in it which did give me a few problems...why I really don't care for the twin cly. kohler engine myself....fixed more than a few of those....the best was there single cyl. all cast iron engine.
I seen by yours the fines on the engine are still orange.....like it was hardly ever used....unless someone painted the engine.

Art
 
#11 ·
Neat story about the original being in a crate! That would've definitely have been worth some money to the right person.

Yeah, the folks on the Economy/PK/Jim Dandy Yahoo Group were mentioning something about how the pump and maybe some other hydraulic parts could be bought from Northern Tool. That will be a good thing to keep in mind if the need ever rose.

Yup, original paint. It's had a pretty easy life other than the past few years sitting outside under a cover.

Your 1617 sounded like a nice machine, would love to see it! Regarding posting pictures, you can do it a couple of different ways.

1. When making a reply here, click on "Go Advanced" and then on the next screen where all the icons are above the box click on the paperclip. From there you can find the photos and upload them directly to the post itself here.

2. You can use a hosting site such as Photobucket and upload them, then, copy the IMG code into your post here. I wouldn't worry about the image being too large so much as the site normally will automatically reduce the size making it where you have to click on the photo to bring it to its full size.

If you have any questions about how to post them, feel free to send me a PM.
 
#13 ·
It worked! :cool:

Clean looking machine, that loader would be handy for sure.
 
#14 ·
I never had the mower for it cause I did not want it......With the tiller you ground up the dirt tan haul it were you wanted with the loader...I think I had about 1200 hours on that machine......have 600 hours on my Kubota bx23 with loader and backhoe.
They did make a backhoe for my power king.....but was really a add on and not very good unit for the price back the. The rear tires are the way I sold it.....very deep tread.
 

Attachments

#15 ·
Very nice! You obviously took excellent care of it.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Memorial Day Weekend 2013 Update:

Seized Here, Seized There, Seized Everywhere!!

The title alone may give you a glimpse into what was one of the biggest things that I encountered along the way in this update, but there was quite a bit of success here too as you will find.

I spent quite a bit of time with the tractor over Memorial day weekend and got quite a bit done. The main objective in this update was to get the get the tractor running and operational again.

The weekend before last I wasn't able to do much to it as I was still waiting for some things to arrive but it was then that a minor setback took place due to something so innocent, changing the sparkplug. Boy did that turn out to be a bit of a surprise.

The first seizure:
You know that feeling when you apply pressure to a tight bolt and somehow automatically know it's going to turn into a small project to remove? I mean like for a really seized bolt? Anyway, when I put a socket onto the plug it immediately did not feel right, it was tight, but I had that sudden realization that this was not just going to be an average plug change. In fear of breaking it I didn't want to go any further so I sprayed penetrating fluid all around it a few times and let it sit. After giving it a second try I put a bit more pressure into it and the next thing I knew... CRATCH!! UN-B-E-L-I-ABLE. After having a mini heart attack and realizing that, yes, these things can happen and it could be fixed with some creativity and carefulness, I knew there could be some broken bits that may have found themselves in the combustion chamber so I pulled the head. I probably did near ten heat and penetrating fluid cycles but I simply could not get the darn broken sparkplug sleeve to even budge with the extractor. The next step was to drill it out but I didn't want to risk damaging the threads or even the head itself in the process so I took it to a shop to have it professionally done. Before they took a drill to it, they decided to give it a few heat and penetrating fluid cycles of there own but that method turned out unsuccessful for them as well so they had to resort to drilling it after all. My belief is that it was the original spark plug that had never been removed, and, you can darn well bet that I used anti-seize on the new sparkplug threads. I'm was just really happy that I did not wait to change it out as one of the very last minute steps attempting to start it or it would have been even more disappointing if you see what I mean!



I'm always a firm believer in that when setbacks occur like this, you take advantage of the situation to improve upon other things that only can only be done at the given point. In this case it was to de-carbon the head, which there really wasn't that much of but good to do nonetheless. I thought about replacing the head gasket while I was at it, but it was in excellent shape and did not need it. Otherwise I definitely would have.

Below are some descriptions with photos of the latest :



Perhaps the messiest oil change I've ever done! New oil drain pipe to the rescue:
There was no way on this planet that I was going to do another oil change without an actual oil drain pipe! The single recessed drain bolt and no place for the oil to go but everywhere imaginable and now way to catch it was not going to cut it. A catch can was pretty much useless. Never doing that again.



Also, something I want to upgrade in the future is to install a pull style dipstick like the one pictured below. The stock dipstick on it now has a nut on which requires you to put a wrench on the box nut every time you want to check the oil. Too inconvenient, sorry.




Battery Box:
I like the idea of having the battery covered so I purchased a marine style battery box. My hope was that I could still run a regular 24 series car battery on it but that size battery box was simply too tall to fit underneath the seat, I even bought it since it was cheap enough just to confirm it. Because it would not fit, it meant locating the most powerful lawn and garden battery that I could find. This brings up another issue however. Because this tractor has automotive style round clamp on style terminals, it prevented them from not being able to attach to a L&G battery because of the slot style terminals. After some thinking, I realized that I could fit round side mount terminals in the slots as you see below through the holes with a nut on the back. It required opening up the terminal holes a bit to fit the larger studs on the side mount terminals. I did not drill the holes but used a file instead to not potentially break the lead studs. I was happy to find this setup works like a champ!






There was some surface rust on the battery platform and rather than painting it which I had considered, I clear coated over it instead in an effort to keep the original appearance and remaining paint alone. I also hard mounted the battery box with screws vs. using the strap as the primary source for hold down. Photos of it mounted to the machine will come soon as explained later.

Fuel System:
I went through the entire fuel system and cleaned out the carburetor, fuel pump, flushed the tank and replaced the fuel lines. Being that I'm a slow worker with this type of thing took some time and honestly was a nice step to check off the list. A good amount of yellowy varnish fuel was in both and the main jet was partially clogged.

Ignition System:
Also went through the ignition system. The points checked out good, but I cleaned up the surfaces. I also installed a new condenser that I had a spare of in the garage. The coil is good and produces a hot spark.

The moment of truth!
Starting her for the first time required me to prime the system. After doing so, it started right up and ran incredibly smooth at a very low idle that it was set at when it first lit off. I can't stress on the smoothness enough as it was almost like starting a brand new engine out of the box or something, not even a slight miss here or there and just purred like an antique car. I am LOVING this big bore engine the more and more that I run it. It has the coolest deep burble from the exhaust when you decelerate, I remember that unique trait when I was kid. It almost sounds like a 1960's muscle car on decel. To help clean out the engine I will be performing another upcoming oil change very soon.

Driving it for the first time!
This was really exciting, I'll describe the feeling of driving it the best that I can. The clutch pedal is somewhat heavy and has an early release to it. Let it out with an easy foot the tractor begins moving in such a subtle respect in first gear that you almost don't even realize you've began moving until after the fact. The ride is surprisingly very smooth as the front end articulates a lot more than you'd expect but when you're on a hard surface you feel the subtle bumpty bump of the AG's going around. The biggest thing is how completely SOLID and heavy everything feels. It literally feels as though you're operating a small vintage farm tractor in every respect. You sit up high and very straight, the steering does not have any play but is easy to turn. The brake pedals take a fair amount of force to push, it may be that the linkages need to be lubricated or simply how they are. In third gear the tractor really flies, it almost feels like you're a car cruising down the road with the rpm's up.

I can see why the family installed the metal straps over the engine cover, there are various rattles that come and go from various places in the low rpm's. I installed some additional washers for the engine cover as it was suggested to me by another owner before I reinstalled it, but I think most of the rattles comes from the hood. It doesn't really bother me as it kind of goes along with the character of the whole machine only really happens when the engine is down near an idle any way.

Seizure # 2:
Before I had any thoughts of engaging the belly mower, I made sure to spray down all of the pulleys on the mowing deck etc. I should have taken this next observation as a sign that something was wrong here, but didn't. When I tried to spin the deck pulleys by hand I couldn't and figured that it probably just required a lot more force than I could exert. When I engaged the front PTO the rpm's fell and I could start to smell burnt rubber, nothing was turning. I realized the problem and it was that the spindles were indeed frozen. I got them freed up but the two idler pulleys are completely seized, in bad shape and have to be replaced. After I had broken the main deck spindle pulleys free, the deck now engages as it should through the PTO. I located a set of OEM idlers that I have already ordered from one of the Economy/PK parts sites. Apparently these idlers were superseded by an upgraded to a more durable version so maybe these originals were not the best.


Seized idler pulleys.

Other miscellaneous things I've discovered

I've spent quite a bit of time with this tractor over the three day weekend and because of it have come across some other things that need attention and made some other observations.

The first thing being is that the part of the wiring going from the headlight switch to the headlights is not only gone but frayed and cut off in one location. It appears as though it may have even got wrapped up in the front PTO pulley at some point which was the cause for the fray. The fellow who I've been in touch with regarding the new idlers is researching to availability of a new wiring 'harness' that goes from the switch to the lights. If not, then I'll rewire it myself.

The drain and inspection plugs for the bull gear cases are seized. To reduce the risk of rounding them off with a box wrench, I ordered a special socket that is designed for these square drain plugs that should make them easier to remove. Before I drove it I did the steering box fluid, but still need to do the transmission and rear end fluid as well.

I have more degreasing and cleaning to do below the tractor. The next step of the project will be devoted to simply finishing the job of degreasing the entire machine.

The seat is getting more and more torn each time I sit on it. It looks like a seat recovering will need to happen sooner than expected.

There is one very small rust hole right in front of the brake pedals. In the future when I begin the hydraulic conversion, I'm going to remove the top trans tunnel/flooboard assembly and take it to a body shop to have them cut it out and re-weld new metal in this area. This will be the perfect time to do it because having it off will assist in the routing of the hydraulic lines.
Over all it was a very successful weekend. I feel like I got a ton done to it, learned quite a bit more about it and best of all was able to enjoy using it. I am very excited and thrilled to have it.

Next weekend I promise I will have more photos of the tractor itself of the new additions. It was getting pretty rainy near the end of the weekend and ended up getting busy with other things.

Thanks for reading.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Austen, when ever you begin working on a new project and come across a stuck bolt or fitting, you need to first think:
1) Do I have the CORRECT tool to remove the plug, fitting, bolt etc?
2) After exerting a little bit of energy and the bolt is deemed "seized" spray the bolt liberally with PBlaster or similar preferred penetrating oil. REMEMBER the parts did not seize up overnight. What you need to do is heat the surrounding area with an Acetylene torch (a propane torch will not suffice) until it is really hot, some parts will become red hot if they are thin, (always be sure fuel and or oil is not present in the area you are heating), when hot, spray the bolt/part with PBlaster and let cool. You need to cycle this procedure and sometimes need to let a part sit in solvent for weeks to free up.
3) Once the part is removed ALWAYS run a tap down the hole and clean up any errata which might have caused the seizure to begin with. Where necessary, install helicoils or speedi-sleeves.
4) ALWAYS torque the new part in at the manufacturers specific torque rating. If a torque value is not suggested, go by a generic size/thread/grade of bolt chart to see what an ideal torque rating should be. A good torque wrench is also key, a Harbor Freight or Craftsman will not be very accurate. Pick up a used Mac or Snap On on ebay for cheap, and have it calibrated at a dealer, if you do not have one already.
5) After all of this, be sure that you have an Induction Heater, PBlaster, and a good grade set of Taps and Extractors on Hand at all times. You are just getting into the hobby, TRUST ME you will make use of them more times than you would think.



On another note, if you have the cylinder head off of your K321 still, it would be a good idea to lap and adjust the valves and check the cylinder deck and head for flatness!

Chris
 
#19 · (Edited)
Hey Chris,

Thanks for the info but did you read my post?

After exerting a little bit of energy and the bolt is deemed "seized" spray the bolt liberally with PBlaster or similar preferred penetrating oil. REMEMBER the parts did not seize up overnight. What you need to do is heat the surrounding area with an Acetylene torch (a propane torch will not suffice) until it is really hot, some parts will become red hot if they are thin,
....In fear of breaking it I didn't want to go any further so I sprayed penetrating fluid all around it a few times and let it sit.
You need to cycle this procedure
...I probably did near ten heat and penetrating fluid cycles
...I took it to a shop to have it professionally done. Before they took a drill to it, they decided to give it a few heat and penetrating fluid cycles of there own but that method turned out unsuccessful for them as well
You are just getting into the hobby
Really?! Thanks, I appreciate that.
 
#22 ·
Hey Chris,

Thanks for the info but did you read my post?

Really?! Thanks, I appreciate that.
Austen, I did read you post and noted that you were trying to free up the part in a weekends time. I know from working on my own machines that sometimes you need to step back from the project, let the penetrating oil do its work and spend enough time researching the best way to solve a problem. Freeing up a stuck part can take days, weeks or months of heating, cooling and lubricating. Without patience, methodology and tools, the result will never be as good. I am sorry if explaining my method of freeing up parts was condescending, I had no intention of doing so. You and I are still young and aspiring hobbyists, it would be a mistake to think that we are professionals at this point in time. We have a lot to learn, and learning from each other and each others mistakes is a part of the process,

Chris
 
#20 ·
Very nice Austen, sounds like a productive weekend in deed. Nothing like hearing an engine fire up that has been asleep for years. I look forward to seeing the videos of you driving down the street with a big grin on your face like a kid at Christmas riding his new bike for the first time. ;)
 
#21 · (Edited)
Thanks Bruce, hearing an engine fire up the first time in a long while is definitely one of life's greatest treasures for a gear head.

I will definitely be posting a video or two of it in the near future.
 
#23 · (Edited)
6/2/2013 Update:



Here are some photos corresponding to last week's update taken this weekend after I cut the lawn with it. I will be posting more videos of it, but here is a walk-around teaser of it.

Not too much new since last week but the new idler pulleys for the deck came in. As nice as they are, I'm actually going to be exchanging one of them so that I can have a matching pair. The rivets are not facing the same direction and when it comes to somebody (me) who agonizes over small aesthetic details like this, it makes all the difference. Having said that, I was still able to cut the lawn a bit with it sans the idlers. The blades are actually not too dull and was impressed with the cut, it really does well for this job. I think you could hear it a mile away though with the deck on, lol.

I was also able to finish degreasing the rest of the top portion of the machine. I think that I'm going to finish doing the bottom side once I pull the trans tunnel/floorboards/seat assembly off when I do the hydraulic conversion later this year and have a small rust hole fixed.

Anyway, the short term is:

-Paint the front "bumper" (rusty piece in front of the grill)
-Fabrication of custom wheel adapters
-Install new, slightly taller, front tires: 4.80-12
-Rewire the headlights

Long term:
-Hydraulic conversion
-Make new hydraulic lines
-Repair rust hole on floorboard
-Install rear work light
-Breakerless ignition install
-Seat recover
-Powdercoat wheel rims & front bumper

Regarding the wheels adapters, the reason that I've chosen to go this route versus simply reversing the rim directions is because I don't want the wheels stuck out that far when they are installed in that manner. I spun all four around this weekend and while the front looks good, I don't like how the rears are not covered at all underneath the fenders, it just doesn't look right to me that way. I also prefer the look (...remember, this is Mr. Aesthetics) to have the insides of the rims facing out than vice versa. This option will allow for custom front and rear offsets to give the tractor a slightly more aggressive stance while still keeping the rears somewhat tucked under the fenders. Motorsport Tech who's a sponsor on one of the tractor forums is the company who will be doing the work.




Battery box addition.



Oil drain pipe addition.

 
#24 ·
Fun to see and hear the ol' gal running Austen. You and I have talked about how these old engines just seem to have a soul and are just waiting for someone to bring them to life again. It might sound strange to others, but you and I know she appreciates the attention you're giving her.
 
#26 · (Edited)
6/15/2013



New Idler Pulleys:
As you may recall from my last update I returned one of the idler pulleys that I bought for the deck in exchange for a matching one. It came in this week so now the belts are a lot more happy having some actual tension on them.




Front Bumper Paint:
The front bumper, as it was called, had nothing in terms of paint aside from surface rust. I got it taken care of, repainted and clear coated. Someday it'll be powdercoated at the time that I have the rims done, but this'll work for now.





Implement Adjustment Lever Failure:

While mowing today, the nut that holds the spring on the adjustment lever vibrated off which resulted in a nice "zoing!" and a startling boom of the deck falling down suddenly. Nice. There's actually supposed to a knob button that sits on top of the spring assembly but its missing. I threw a lock nut on there to prevent that from happening again and called it a day. Pretty soon the manual lift setup is going to be replaced anyway.



PTO Safety Chain Fix:
The PTO safety chain had always rubbed the steering arm and made an annoying screeching noise so I zip tied it out of the way for now. For a more permanent solution, I'll have to either shorten this one or buy a shorter chain.

New tires:
I ordered new front tires, 4.80 x 12's, and they came in this week as well. They ended up not turning out to be as tall as I had hoped. They were a good 1/2" shorter compared to the the stock 4.00's un-inflated, so inflated, they would have ended up being nearly the same size which would've defeated my intentions for taller tires. I sent them back in exchange for a set of 5.30 x 12's which are not only a good 1 1/2"-1 3/4" taller, but a bit wider as well. Check out the Photoshop illustration below of how they should look compared to the stock 4.00's. I think it's going to look awesome. I also held off on ordering the spacers yet as I need to see how these tires are going to fit to perfect those measurements. But the next time you see it, it'll have both on.

Belly Mower Mounts:
In order to run these taller tires, the deck is going to need to be spaced back a couple of inches.

What's interesting are the different ways the deck can actually be attached. Yes, I said ways. In fact, before I purchased the tires I wanted to make sure there was going to be a belt available in the size that I would need after I spaced it back so I asked the PK experts what length stock one was. They explained that it actually all depends upon the way the deck is setup and currently mounted and thus couldn't get an exact answer. I thought that was kind of interesting. Performing this job shouldn't be too hard as there are already mounting holes spaced a couple of inches back and the chain hanger has extra links in it to compensate. At this time I will also replace a lot of the deck hanger hardware on the mule drive. It has a lot of mismatched fasteners that are driving me nuts!




Here is a video of it action. Don't worry, I do get out of first gear, lol. Watching it in action shows me that from now it'll have to be in at least 2nd gear as watching it on the screen in 1st gear isn't the same effect as when you're driving it in that gear. As always, don't forget to hit the HD.
 
#28 ·
Thanks Bruce,

Fortunately yes on the spring.

And I agree about the gear, the video almost puts you to sleep.
 
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