Eastern PA shop addition

[Hellpig]

My old MF cut fairly well, but the 60" belly mower was a bit small for my field. With that being said, the new setup with the hydro trans sure makes it easy. Do have issues with your KingKutter?

Bought it 20 years ago, new, and use it like a bush hog at times, so doesn't owe me anything.

Smoke a spindle AND an idler yesterday.
Of course, shredded the belt too.

Bought a 3 pack of spindles year and a half ago off eBay. Installed one then, all good.
Needed another last month, opened box, was never drilled for mounting holes!

Contacted seller: Too bad, outside 60 days!
But it was never drilled!
Too bad, so sad...

 

[tweidman]

I have always liked tractors and vintage tractors. When I lived in Maryland, I only had 3 acres and could not really justify the big machine I have now. However, my 3 acres in MD was a perfect for garden tractors, so I started collecting Massey Fergusion garden tractors and I restored a 1969 MF-12. Which took me way too long because of the ridiculous level of detail I went to with this machine, but I did use it after I got done with it and it plowed my drive, tilled my garden and moved firewood like a champ.

Then I discovered that Massey built a super garden tractor for two or three years in the late 70's and I just had to have one to restore.
At the time (2008), I could not afford to spend that much money on a project, so I shopped around for the cheapest MF1855a I could find. I also discovered that the same machine was marketed as a Snapper 1855a. So, I was on the hunt for either machine. I finally found one, but it was missing and engine and what I thought were a few other parts. As it turns out, it was missing a lot of parts. The missing engine issue was also not an easily solved problem. I tried stuffing large, water-cooled Kohler in there, but that proved to put up a fight at every turn. As the project became more and more frustrating, it got put on the back burner. Then, after the move to PA I had more projects than I could even handle. Fast forward to a couple of years ago, when the project list started to dwindle, I pushed the quickly reassembled machine (for the move to PA) into my shop. I was hoping that this would be the rebirth of this project.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Nice. Good luck. I picked up an 85 wheel horse 312-8 a few years ago that's still doing a great job of mowing and pulling stuff around.

 

[tweidman]

I did some digging, and I found a picture from the seller of the machine I picked up way back when.

 

[tweidman]

A couple of the things that were missing from the tractor were the upper and lower dash. Unlike some of the other parts, like the gas tank, I could not find decent replacements for the dash. The upper and lower dash were made from plastic and almost all of these tractors had an issue with cracked or broken dash parts. I decided to fabricate the parts from steel and eliminate the broken dash issues that all of these tractors seem to have.

 

[tweidman]

I did a ton of other work on this tractor, including getting the radiator fit up with an electric fan. Building custom headers with baffles and tons of other little things. As I said before, fitting the engine and all of its accessory components was the task that kept this project from moving forward.
Last year while browsing FB marketplace I stumbled across another 1855 with a newer Onan performer 20hp, which replaced the original Onan 18hp. It was fairly close by and the price was right (less than the cost of the engine) and the engine ran great. I mainly needed the engine, but I figured there may be a few missing pieces that I did not know were missing from my other machine, since I never had it completely assembled and running. So, I hooked up my trailer and grabbed it up. We drove it on the trailer with a tire that was leaking air badly and a borrowed battery, but it did drive on perfectly fine. My project finally had new life, as I could just bolt this new and correct engine in it and fire it up. I started working on the new to me 1855 by removing the deck and vacuum system off it so that it would be easier to work on and move around. I swapped out the wheels, as my existing tires were old and leaky but at least they would hold air for weeks, not minutes. She is rough, but the engine was in great shape. I'm not sure what to do with the rest of the machine after I steal the engine out of it? 

 

[tweidman]

Now that I have my engine problems sorted. Time to tear it apart and get everything ready for sand blasting and powder coating.

You can see in the above picture, I wasted my time welding cast iron to repair the 3 pt tab, then I realized I could find a used axle tube on ebay from a JD for really cheap. I guess I will never find out if my weld will hold up.

Many of these parts have not been removed before and since some of the previous owners let this sit out in the weather, it was difficult to get apart.

Below is a tool a rarely use, but when you need it, you NEED it. I am not sure how I would get these wheel hubs off if I did not have this tool?

 

[tweidman]

I got it all stripped down and boxed up and the drove it down to my powder coater. He quoted me a price for the major pieces. It seemed reasonable enough. So, I just brought him everything, that could be coated. I was hoping the price would not be insane, but he is a brother of a friend and has always come through with very reasonable prices.

 

[tweidman]

After waiting for most of the summer I finally got the call that my parts were ready for pick up. I hooked up the trailer and headed out to pick up 5 pallets full of freshly powder coated parts.

 

[tweidman]

Slowly coming together.




She is a roller again.

 

[tweidman]

It's been a while since I posted an update. I have been slowly plugging away for anyone who is interested...
Dash tower installed.


Hydro control installed and the linkage hooked up and adjusted. The parking brake also works off of this linkage, so I had to complete that assembly and adjust.

I got the mid point hydraluic lift installed and started on the rear PTO. All the bearing pressed in without any drama. I also installed the orbital valve for the steering.

Now I need to source some hydraulic parts so that I can plumb the hydraulic steering. I have never made hard lines before, this should to be interesting. Assembly is slowing down significantly now that I need to start making parts and working with all the fiddly stuff. If I can get the steering to work, that will be a major accomplishment. This tractor has not been able to be steered since I ripped the manual steering assembly off years ago. All that manual stuff has been trashed, so there is no turning back at this point.

 

[Finallygotit]

Bending hard lines is not a big deal. I actually used the outside of a socket wrench to make my bends on the brake lines on my Cobra. I tried using a tube bender but personally found doing it by hand produced better results.

 

[tweidman]

Bending hard lines is not a big deal. I actually used the outside of a socket wrench to make my bends on the brake lines on my Cobra. I tried using a tube bender but personally found doing it by hand produced better results.

These are 3/8 hydraulic lines which will require a 37 degree flare for the JIC fittings. I have not picked up the tubing yet, but I have to assume they are much heavier than a brake line? I have made a few brake lines before, but I am not sure how much that experience will help me?

 

[Finallygotit]

Ah, yeah 3/8" lines are a bit heavier than the brake lines I bent. I'm sure you figure it out.

 

[tweidman]

I forgot to mention that I also installed the mid-point lift cylinder. In this pic you can see the bracket that I made for the orbital.

I pressed in the bearings for the rear PTO and got the PTO engagement lever installed.

Finished up the PTO installation and started on the 3 point installation. I repaired the 3 point lift cylinder that I took from the doner machine and got that painted and installed as well. The original lift cylinder had a badly pitted rod, and I am fairly sure it would be leaking badly.
I think the mounting pin came out of one end of the doner cylinder tore the cylinder end. I was able to tweak it back into shape, weld the tear and then re-enforce that area.

 

[tweidman]

Since I was on hold with the hydraulics, I figured I could tackle the wiring. I test fitted the dash panels to see where the wires had to be run.

I also installed the engine to see where the other end of some of the wires needed to go. That is when the problems started to reveal themselves. I never test fitted this exact engine and it turns out Onan switched the starter location to the opposite side of the block on these newer models. You can see in the picture the cut out in the frame for starter clearance, which is no longer needed in that location.
Which means that I need to hack into my freshly coated frame make one on the other side. Not ideal!

I also discovered that the wiring from the other tractor that I was going to use as a diagram for wiring some of the harness, was a total mess and did not seem to be correct. Therefore, I had to trace the wires back to the engine and see exactly where they went. This proved to be more difficult than I expected, because the wires are colored on the tractor side of things, but every wire is white on the engine side. Who thought this was a good idea? After cleaning the wires up and under close inspection I did notice that the white wires do have labels on them, a letter and number code. Since the wires are feed into a loom, you would not be able to tell where they go without the labels or a bunch more work. I would have thought that I could have made significant progress on the new harness build, but in the end, all I did was trace wires and start taking notes.

 

[tweidman]

Not only did I need to take the engine back out, but I had to remove the tins in order to trace the wires. I am fairly sure I know how to wire this thing. I also found that there is a oil pressure safety switch on this engine that was not used to shut the engine down in case of low oil pressure. I will be including that in the new harness, along with a warning light, so that I know why it shut off. You can't really tell from the above picture, but I did get the frame notched for the starter and touched up the paint/coating. I did not come out too badly and will be largely hidden by the engine.

I also tried to move forward with the new hydraulic lines but realized that I really needed to hook up all of the existing lines in order to know where the new lines can the routed. I was able to get all of the existing lines cleaned and routed before it was time to call it a day.
I just need to clean up the filter mount and get that plumbed in. I ordered some 90-degree elbows, as I could tell this should help a lot with the routing.

 

[Finallygotit]

Wow! Talk about scope creep.

 

[tweidman]

Wow! Talk about scope creep.

The beginning of this project was steadily in the right direction. Now it seems like two steps forward one step back.

 

[tweidman]

Not much progress to show this past weekend. Now that I finally have all of the material and tools to create my hydraulic hard lines, I decided to tackle plumbing in the orbitrol/steering valve. There was a bit of a learning curve bending and flaring these lines. I spent several hours making and then tweaking the three lines that go between the pump, valve block and return. I thought I was on a roll and finally started to get the hang of it. Then I went to move onto the two lines that go to the steering cylinder. It was then that I realized the huge mistake I had made.
While looking at the routing to the front of the machine, I realized that the driveshaft was not at its normal height when it is attached to the engine. When I raised it up, bam, it hit the elbows on the bottom of the orbitrol. How did this happen, and now what was I going to do?
I am not sure if I created the issue when I mocked up the location with the old engine, which may have been lower. Or, if I never had the driveshaft in its proper location. In any case, I mocked this up about 10 years ago. Now to try and solve the problem. I removed everything and started over. The steering can only be moved about one-inch higher, which meant redrilling and remounting the orbitrol mounting bracket. Once I had it relocated.... now to see if the hydraulic lines, I spent all that time making were either trash, or could be saved. After a couple more hours rerouting and tweaking the lines, I was able to save the lines. Then I realized that where I T'd in my return, would be bypassing the filter. What else can go wrong? I fixed that and called it a night. I need to order more tubing in order to finish so it was a good place to wrap up a frustrating day in the shop. See my new shiny lines, I hope they don't leak....

 

[Finallygotit]

You remind me of me when I was building my Cobra. I called myself the Re-do King. At times I thought the speed gods were having a lot of fun at my expense.

You will get through this.

 

[tweidman]

Happy 2024 to anyone following along. With the Holidays and waiting on parts, it has been a few weeks since I had time to work on this project. In order to move forward on this project, I needed to create a bulkhead to allow the hard lines to switch to hoses which lead to the steering cylinder. Trying to figure out where to mount this bracket and what it would look like took some thought. I started with some CAD, cardboard aided design. I scrounged up some super heavy 4" angle iron and came up with this....


Then I could get back to bending tubing. This is what the bracket looks like mounted up and plumbed in.

and a view from above... I am happy with the way it came out and it doesn't interfere with any other parts on the machine.

Next, was to bend up the final two lines that go to the front auxiliary remotes. The tubing I am using comes in 6-foot lengths and I had one full piece and one that had about a foot cut off. I decided to start with the longest run with the 6-foot line. I'm glad I waited until the end to make this one because it took all of my previous experience to get this one right. When I was finished bending and routing, I only had about an inch to cut off. This means that I would not be able to make the other line with the 5-foot piece I had left. Time to order more tubing, this will make the third order. Here is the end result for the one line.


Since I had to order more tubing, I had time to test fit the engine again, since I never did check the clearance from the drive shaft after I moved the orbitrol/steering valve up. I held my breath on this test fit... I knew I should have checked earlier, but then again, there wasn't any other option but to keep it where it currently is located. Luckily, I have about a half inch of clearance, which should be just enough to not cause any issues.

 

[tweidman]

I picked up the hydraulic line I needed to finish the tractors hydraulics, but we had a bunch of snow this past weekend and was distracted and did not get anything done in the shop. The dogs were definitely enjoying the snow and my wife was especially happy that we had snow on her birthday.
My wife and I are also discussing installing shed dormers on the back side of the house. The upstairs of this house was never finished, and we need a new roof sometime soon, so this is one of those now or never moments. My grandfather really left the roof line low in the upstairs, so we are thinking about starting the dormer above the existing ridge beam and installing some short windows facing the front.
I'm not sure how much this might affect cost or if engineering might be required to pass code, but I think it would be a really cool feature.
If anyone has been around this type of dormer design, chime in....

 

[DennisK59]

You could get carried away with dormers on a long layout like that. ! single on the left, 1 single left and a 2 lite to the right of the chimney, then 2 singles to the far right.

 

[tweidman]

You could get carried away with dormers on a long layout like that. ! single on the left, 1 single left and a 2 lite to the right of the chimney, then 2 singles to the far right.

Keep in mind, the dormers will all be on the back side of the house. There is only a second floor on the left side of the house. One shed dormer would be located on the far left and that is the section that really needs the added height, that area will be a bedroom. The other shed dormer would be to the right of the chimney on the main livable section of the house, that area will be a large bathroom. There is a hallway that connects the two and storage area in the middle. That ceiling will be rather low, around 7 feet, but I think we can deal with that. This will make the upstairs a single suite that my wife wants us to move into. I think I would prefer to not have to go upstairs for our bedroom, since we do not spend any time in the bedroom, except to sleep. I think it makes the most sense to make it the guest room, with its own bath.

 

[tweidman]

I made my final hydraulic hard line a couple weeks ago, then I had to take everything apart, clean everything up and refit everything and tighten all the connection. Finger crossed, that I don't have any leaks. Here is a picture of the front remotes hooked up.

The next step is to get the engine installed and wired. Then I can turn the hydraulic pump to see if my hydraulic steering works and the rest of my hydraulic valves. I had the tins off the engine to trace the wires, so I thought it would just be a matter if cleaning the tins up and dropping the engine back in the frame. But then I remembered that I wanted to hook up some sensors to monitor engine oil pressure and temperature. This required stripping the engine further down. In the process I found that the condenser was bad, with the wire broken and no way to reconnect it. This is how I left the engine, while I order a tee fitting......

The other reason I have not made much progress with the tractor, is that my wife and I have been doing some long hikes on the Appalachian trail the last several weekends. Here are a few of the high lights.

 

[tweidman]

I thought I could get far enough along to fire up the engine and test the hydraulics this weekend, but when you are trying to build things at a high level, nothing goes quickly. I started out by getting my engine sensors plumbed in and wired so that I could start putting the tins back on. That went fairly smoothly, and everything fit under the tins.

Next, I decided to work on something that would let me see more of the finished project. I installed the gauges and switches to the dash and fitted that on the tractor to see what the finished product would look like.

I also completed another rocky hike with my wife and the dogs. Every weekend we have been adding another mile to our hikes. This weekend was a bit over seven miles of this crazy terrain.

After the hike I thought that I could get the tractor to a point where I could start it. I mounted the engine back in the frame, got a ground strap bolted up. I ended up removing the engine again when I realized that the oil drain was partially blocked by the engine mounting plate. I used a hole saw to clearance the plate then remounted it. I also made fuel lines and added a filter. Then I had to search for the tank. I found it, but the petcock was frozen, I tried to break it loose, but ended up just breaking it. The clean up of the tank mounting hardware and finding and cleaning up the petcock took way too long. I started to run the battery cables and drained the hydraulic fluid and then my wife came in the shop to let me know dinner would be soon. This is how I left it.

So close, but I guess I will have to wait until next weekend. Finger crossed it starts and nothing major is wrong. I'm not worried about the engine, but the steering system has never been tested and neither has the transaxle.

 

[Finallygotit]

Making very good progress.

 

[tweidman]

Making very good progress.

Thanks. These last few weeks have been so tedious. If the steering works correctly when I finally get this thing going, I will be super excited and relieved.

 

[tweidman]

Last weekend I plugged in the old harness that I had stripped out of the parts machine. Hooked up the battery and gave it a go. She started right up and everything worked. The steering works, the lifts cylinders cycle, no leaks at any of my lines or new fittings. I tried operating the trans axle and she works well, strong with no weird noises. I couldn't believe my luck; my smile could not get much bigger.
I let it runs for a little while, then I spotted some fluid. The valve block that I had apart to add the third spool started to leak. I checked the fittings and they all seemed to be tight. The bolts that hold the block together needed to be replaced with longer bolts to accommodate the third spool. I could not find grade 8 bolts and I was afraid to tighten them anymore, and I suspect that is where my leak is coming from.
Now to switch gears and build my wiring harness. I decided to add a connection at the dash, so that if I need to get in there, I can disconnect the wires and remove the dash, if I need to get in there for anything. I ordered some deutsch connectors for the job, but then realized I need a special crimping tool for that job. This where I left it....

Since I stalled out there, I decided to tackle mounting the relay/fuse block. There were very few options that allowed access, so I ended up fabricating a mount and putting it next to the battery. I modified the wiring inside the block to meet my needs and removed one of the wires that went to the 5 pin relays, as I would not need that wire.

I tested some of my circuits with some clip leads to the battery. Everything seems to be correct, so far. Once I get my new crimpers, I can make some more progress.
If anyone is still awake and knows this answer, can I hook the wire coming from the rectifier/regulator to the accessory terminal to my new key switch without causing any issues. My old switch has a rectifier terminal, and the new switch I bought, does not.

 

[Finallygotit]

Great work! Glad it all is working as planned.....well except for the leak which I'm sure you will rectify.

Speaking of rectifiers, sorry can't help you there.

 

[tweidman]

Great work! Glad it all is working as planned.....well except for the leak which I'm sure you will rectify.

Speaking of rectifiers, sorry can't help you there.

Thanks Dan. I sure hope I can fix the leak. I found and ordered some fine thread grade 8 bolts to replace the ones that are in there now. Fingers crossed those will allow it to seal up.
It's amazing to me, with all the **** on the interwebs, I can't find a straight answer on the charge wire coming from the rectifier.
I think it only goes through the switch to keep it from drawing the battery down, but then why does it have a separate terminal on the key switch?

 

[Finallygotit]

I have to ask so please don't be offended but did you check to make sure the new bolts aren't bottoming out?

 

[tweidman]

I have to ask so please don't be offended but did you check to make sure the new bolts aren't bottoming out?

That is a good thought. They are through bolts, that have nuts on the other side. I am fairly sure I not running out of threads for the nuts, but I will double check when I install the new grade 8 bolts.

 

[tweidman]

I was able to get a few more hours in on my MF1855 project. The grade 8 bolts came in the mail, and I was able to install them without taking anything apart. I did not want to take it out in the rain, so that hydraulic valve block fix remains untested.
My deutcsh crimpers also arrived and I was able to get most of my connectors completed. I initially tried to create a 12 pin connector but I was unable to lock the pins in place. I wasted a lot of time screwing around with it before I finally gave up. I ended up using three 4 pin connectors. this will allow me to disconnect separate harnesses, which could come in handy.
Here is the back side of the dash finished.

Here is below dash on the tractor where the dash will connect.

I also get the key wired, I used a connector for this as well because the key will be connected to the lower dash panel. This will allow me to remove the lower dash without all the wires still attached.

I also accidentally wired the backlights for the gauges to accessory power, instead of the light switch. I'm not sure if I want to fix that or leave it that way?

I also found another tractor, the same model as this on marketplace. It super cheap and could be just a parts machine but I am tempted to go get it. I do need a good hood. All of my machines have damaged hoods. I do have one body worked hood that I spent a bunch of time messing with, that might be ready for paint. It's the only missing piece for this tractor.
BTW, I have three of these tractors now. The one I am currently working on, one that runs and works but needs to be painted and a few small things repaired, and one, wore out, parts machine with no engine. I may have a tractor addiction?

 

[Finallygotit]

I may have a tractor addiction?

Ya think?!?!?!

 

[tweidman]

The MF1655 I found on Marketplace for cheap last week sold before I could go get it. I guess that is just as well.
I spent a few hours in the shop taping up wiring and routing wiring for the electric PTO and the lights.
I wanted to install connectors at the PTO and lights so that they can be disconnected to remove the PTO or the hood/grille assembly, where the lights are located, but I ran out of connectors. Ordered those, but they won't be in until Wednesday.
The next day, I decided to tackle the exhaust. The current muffler is a side exit, but that would fire directly into the side of the hood. The stock exhaust fires forward through the hood. I never liked that design. I wanted to make it go into a pipe and direct it below the tractor.
I welded up the old opening (I won't even show a picture of those **** welds, so embarrassing), and then drilled a new hole and welded on the outlet. Here is the new pipe mounted up and directing the exhaust down, with a turn out at the bottom. It came out fairly nice. I have some heat wrap somewhere around here that I need to find to wrap the pipe.
After that, I had to fire it up to see how it sounds and check to make sure everything works in the dash.
The tach worked, and somehow stayed programmed from a year ago, to read the correct rpm. Everything lights up as it should, the gauges worked, except for the oil pressure gauge. I think I know the problem, the stud to mount the sensor wire was loose when I got it, and I think it spun the wire off of it internally. I ordered another gauge, and I will return this one, once I confirm.
Here is the dash all with all the lights on. Not too shabby.

One more update, while it was running, I was able to see if my valve block stopped leaking. It didn't, so I tightened the new bolts holding the block together even tighter and it seemed to help a lot. I'm still not sure it it's fixed, time will tell.

 

[Finallygotit]

If the leak does not stop after tightening, Lucas makes a pretty good stop leak for hydraulic systems.

Stop Leak

 

[tweidman]

If the leak does not stop after tightening, Lucas makes a pretty good stop leak for hydraulic systems.

Stop Leak

Thanks for the suggestion and the link. I doubt the stop leak would do much, because there are no seals between the segments of the block.
It might be a good thing to add in any case, to help with the age of the pump seals and the control valves seals.

 

[tweidman]

The weather was fairly nice this past weekend, so I did not spend any time in the shop. One of the outdoor projects I wanted to tackle was to make a log table. Bucking logs on the ground and then having to pick them up off the ground to split them is not my favorite task, and as I age, becomes harder on my back. This table should: keep some of my logs off the ground, make them a great height to buck, and will allow me to practically roll them onto the splitter. I stuck a couple logs up on the table to try it out. The log behind is already bucked and ready to split. I will add another support post in the middle. Just those two logs weigh almost 2k lbs, based on my tractor getting light in the rear picking them up together.

Last night I was able to switch the wiring for my oil pressure warning light and install the new oil pressure gauge on the tractor project. It still won't read pressure; I am sure it is because the engine does not produce enough pressure for the range of the gauge. I'm not sure what else I can do about the reading?
It is supposed to rain Saturday, which should provide me with some more shop time.