Downeaster's Tractor Overhaul Thread.

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Bridgeport 3 phase Vertical Mill for sale. Haven’t used it for a few years. Worked fine before taken apart. Very heavy, buyer responsible for moving and hauling. $700 or make offer.
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Just tweaking your nose DE ;)
Things even got a powered X axis.

Since this is a Tractor thread.
New (to me) zero turn got a bit of gggGaryizing today
Quick on off Hitch
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and seat suspension
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Points if you can guess the XS650 connection.
 
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The Shibaura/John Deere Frankentractor project is looking promising. I got the dead Yanmar out (and have already recovered 30% of the cost of the hulk by selling parts off it) and it's shaft drive to the transaxle which also includes the pump for the service hydraulics. That simplifies a couple of things right there.

Assuming that the Shibaura engine rotates in the standard CCW at the flywheel end, that means it will have to be mounted ass-end to like the Yanmar was, and I'll have to figure a way to hook the driveshaft to the nose of the crank. I kept the pully with the mounting bosses off the Yanmar. I'll keep the original radiator as well as it has an auxiliary cooler for the transaxle built in. That may require a little creative plumbing.

Next step is to de-mung the 455 chassis. There is 30+ years worth of caked on grease, oil and dust EVERYWHERE!

Last time I tried to use Gunk degreaser for that sort of project, it was immediately apparent the the EPA Tree Huggers had emasculated it like they do everything. Didn't work worth a damn.

I've heard about using oven cleaner and have had some success with it on smaller projects. I'd like to find something I can soak the crud with and then blast it off with a pressure washer. Putty knives and wire brushes are to be avoided if at all possible. Too much like work.

Any suggestions as to ways to clean this thing greatly appreciated.
 
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I like this stuff. Best to get rid of the easy stuff that comes off with a putty knife first.
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Assuming that the Shibaura engine rotates in the standard CCW at the flywheel end, that means it will have to be mounted ass-end to like the Yanmar was, and I'll have to figure a way to hook the driveshaft to the nose of the crank.

...why not flip the rad around as per normal and just go with it. That way, you'd have one speed forward (slow) and four or five speeds reverse....

....sort of like a WW-II Italian tank. :rolleyes:
 
...sort of like a WW-II Italian tank. :rolleyes:

Dammit, Pete, I just snorted pepperoni pizza through my nose. That BURNS! :laughing::laughing::laughing:

Hasta go bass ackwards to get the rotation on the driveshaft right. Hydrostatic transaxle so gearing/trans/clutch isn't an issue. Can't move the radiator anyway without MAJOR plumbing of hard lines for the trans cooler.

Lotsa room and nice flat, straight frame rails to work with, so fabbing up the mounts shouldn't be too demanding.
 
Mineral spirits or plain ole kerosene in squirt bottle is still the best degreaser I know of.
Those 455 bits and parts are big bux, You can pay for the whole project out of the left overs.
most parts swap to 445 and 425 as well. I sold off about 700 worth of parts from a 425 with a rod through the block. And I was a hero to the buyers.........
working steering column, hydraulic control is gold.
keep us in the loop :thumbsup:
 
Good to know, gggGary. I'm only selling off the engine and related parts. Everything else I'm keeping.

Part of the deal with the PO was that I'd put the 60" deck and the sweeper on C-List for him. Know anybody that'd be interested? The sweeper comes with a new set of brushes still in the box.

The Shibaura, OTOH, will donate the engine and everything else from it will go on the block.

I'd like to find some plastic for the JD but used stuff that's serviceable is rare as hen's teeth and new stuff is worth solid GOLD hens, teeth and all.
 
Life and making a bit of Toy Fund Cash has gotten in the way, but a little progress has been made.

A combination of dollar store oven cleaner and Dawn Platinum liberally applied, let to soak and then blasted off with my cold-water pressure washer has gotten the bulk of the grease off things. What little remains will be relabeled as "corrosion preventative".

The engine is out of the Shibaura and some precision measurements with the Mark One Eye-crometer indicate that it will fit with a little fussing. A suitable piece of steel to make modifications to the engine mounts has been obtained.

The simplest way to attach the driveshaft to the transmission was to piggyback the Yanmar crank pulley to the Shibaura crank pulley. A longer 12mm-1.75 bolt and an adapter/spacer turned up on my rickety old lathe seems to have worked. Won't know for sure until I try to run it, but the direction of rotation will tend to tighten the bolt so I'm hopeful. Might have to sandwich some sort of friction-enhancing surface between the two pulleys.

In the finance department, I sold the attachments in less than 24 hours on C-list which makes me think I may have under-priced them a bit. No matter, owner is happy with the results and I won't have to mess with them. Still have some engine bits to sell, may see if I can talk the guy that bought the attachments into buying the engine at a bargain price just to get it the heck out of my barn.
 
BTW, It Is Good To Have Friends...

I needed a piece of 3/16 or 1/4 by 3 flat stock to modify the engine mounts. Nothing in my jun...uh..."inactive inventory" pile, was resigned to driving 60 miles to the nearest retail steel supplier and paying exorbitant prices for a cut-off.

Needed to run by the bank (see the "make some money for the Toy Fund comment above) and decided I'd stop by the local Big Time Contractor's shop. The owner was somewhere between "acquaintance" and "friend" but passed unexpectedly from a massive aneurysm 2-3 years ago. The guy that runs the place for his widow is a little closer to "friend" on the scale. He happened to be in the shop and I told him what I needed. We walked over to the steel rack and I found a perfect piece. I needed a minimum of 24 inches and there was a 28 inch cutoff on the pile.

"What do I owe ya?"

"More trouble to do the paperwork than it's worth. Remember it the next time you need something."
 
Life has gotten in the way, probably be the first of the week before I get back to it.

Been on a neatness mission (not even close to Mailman Standards, but neater than usual for us) as we have a showing this evening.

Tomorrow will be spent replacing the gutters and fascia board on the front of the garage. Gutter has been leaking and I've been meaning to fix it for 2-3 years. Unfortunately, the 30 year old pine behind it has rotted from the wet leaves and such so it all needs to come off and be replaced. That may well extend into Sunday, weather permitting.

Care to guess what 100 feet of 1x6 pre-primed pine (enough for front and back) and 50' of Plasmo gutter and assorted fittings (front only) set me back?
 
Life has gotten in the way, probably be the first of the week before I get back to it.

Been on a neatness mission (not even close to Mailman Standards, but neater than usual for us) as we have a showing this evening.

Tomorrow will be spent replacing the gutters and fascia board on the front of the garage. Gutter has been leaking and I've been meaning to fix it for 2-3 years. Unfortunately, the 30 year old pine behind it has rotted from the wet leaves and such so it all needs to come off and be replaced. That may well extend into Sunday, weather permitting.

Care to guess what 100 feet of 1x6 pre-primed pine (enough for front and back) and 50' of Plasmo gutter and assorted fittings (front only) set me back?

I don't know but the costs of building materials hereabouts have gone crazy in the last few months - a spruce 2x4 x 8 ft. is now around $10 (up from about $2.50 in normal times).
 
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