Vintage Tractor Start-up

[BIGNASTY]

Going to fire up a 41 Massey tractor later today, while having breakfast I thought about asking your ideas of starting a newly rebuilt motor suggestions. Just to let you know that I use lots of assembly lube during rebuild. I also have pre lubed the motor without actually running it & I always put a few squirts of Motor oil in the Cyl and reinstall the spark plugs just before start up. My plan is (has always been) fire it up and run the motor to check for leaks and get things running right first. Run the tractor for about an hour or two keep an eye on things, drive it around with no load on it making sure that the engine RPM varies, climb rolling hills around the property to put somewhat of a load on the motor, again not going to work the tractor hard, and then when satisfied with the way things are, Change the oil/filter to what its going to run on.

Any suggestions that might be a help will be appreciated before I start this tractor that has been a fun project!!


BIG

 

[JLEONARD]

Your plan sounds about right to me. I'd also add another oil change at around 20 hours. If it's diesel, don't be afraid to put a good load on it once it's warmed up good.

 

[GCroyle]

Fire extinguisher and a video camera.:-laf

 

[BIGNASTY]

Thanks Gary!!! I knew that I could count on you for some practical info :-laf

Its not going to catch fire of that im pretty sure. This one I had to replace every line and hose on the thing. Nebraska winters were pretty hard on this one. Rebuilt the Marvel-Schebler Carb that was a piece of Cake its pretty much like the one on my Ford NAA (simplicity at its best)



JLEONARD

I short change the first couple of oil changes on anything new or rebuilt. Its a Continental Gas 123.7 cid or 2L 4 cylinder 81S tractor. Gramps used this one more than he did the newer ones that he had, for some reason he just liked it better.


So off to see if it pop's and WITHOUT A FIRE Gary??? (always the optimist) Need to put it to use around the place clearing a path to a new house build later this year, plowing a Garden for the same house, and next winter they can plow their own Snow With It!!

 

[GCroyle]

BIG,

Just make sure that the float actually shouts off the fuel if it is old school gravity feed tank setup.

B.C. (before clutches) I worked as an equipment tech at a golf course, we had an older Jacobsen tractor fairway mower that had a float stick and it drained the tank into the crankcase and actually gas was dripping off of the front main engine seal.

Fixed float, drained oil, changed and ran it.

Good idea to have a fuel shut off if its a gravity feed.

Gary

 

[BIGNASTY]

The difference in this Marvel-Schebler carb and the one on my Ford NAA is that it has a clear sediment bowl with a shut off valve before the Sediment bowl. All the old equipment that I have has a shut off or I add one.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Gentlemen, Penny here

IT RUNS !!! Oo.


Gail and Zachary * Our Grandson * went out Gail turned the gas on hit the key, it started right up but it smoked badly, he said that was to be expected. Got off looked around, made a few adjustments to make it run smoother, climbed in the Drivers seat. Backed out of the shop went for a short ride to make sure things are as he wanted them. Picked up Zachary They are now driving all over the property with Gail & Zachary taking turns driving the tractor. Gail gets the turns & Zachary 3 years old gets the straightaways.

Gail had us move some other things so he could backup to a plow that came from his Grandfathers farm with this tractor. He has worked on it to get it in working shape. It's much wider with more blades than the one that goes behind the Ford, It has its own wheels. He is just going to use it as weight behind the tractor and not plow, we still have snow on the ground.

He said to make sure that I tell Gary NO FIRE!! HA HA HA

 

[GCroyle]

Penny,

No video? Then it didn't run afterall, just BIG's vivid imagination that it did run!

Still fire extinguishers was a grand suggestion.

Seeing is believing and are the Mule's jealous of this new fangled prime mover?

Gary

 

[BIGNASTY]

No My Mules are just fine Gary. They are TV stars now, They have been used to make a commercial that may or may not be aired on (Probably) local TV. a local Micro Brew used them.

They just needed the Mules NOT ME , I had a talk with the Mules and told them not to worry about me im fine and that they should go out and show the BIG HORSES that pull wagons loaded with Beer what REAL livestock does for a days work. :-laf

I did have a fire extinguisher near Gary, they are never very far from anyplace in the shop.

Videos are for PEOPLE that come up to Seeley to see us, http://www.mapquest.com/us/mt/seeley-lake

We can sit you down and view hours of what we do around here and in the hills out back with FAMILY. We have come to thinking that we don't need to have our lives spread all over YouTube or internet. All that we have videoed from our hunting to our Bora Bora-Cairns Australia-Hawaii vacation is of a personal nature. Nothing to be ashamed of but I shot some of the videos and I know that I DONT want Penny & her Sisters BUTTS in skimpy Bikinis all over for the world to view, those are for me on Cold Nights, it makes me all warm again just to watch them.

The tractor fire-up was something special to me, I didn't know it when Penny was running the video but she had also found a few pictures of a little boy in BIG MAC Bib overalls with his Grandpa's Union Pacific Railroad hat on (just like his Gramps wore) Out next to a tractor in Nebraska getting ready to do a days work with HIS Grandpa, I don't imagine that seeing a grown man beller is on a list of videos that you or anyone else here would want to see ( a Pretty Powerful Moment for me ) I hope that SOMEDAY when im in the Ground that My Grandson Zachary will pull up a chair pop the top on a cold one and watch Him and His Gramps take a ride on some old tractor.

We can save you a front row seat and have a cooler full of drinks and some munchies when you show up to spend some time here and be a part of our videos!!


BIG & Family

 

[BIGNASTY]

Just a note on the tractor fire up. Must have put more oil down the cylinders than I thought, it smoked pretty bad :-laf

NO LEAKS!!! Then, but when we went out to fire it up to pull a hay wagon to feed the cattle I found a little running down the side of the block where I put the fitting in for a better than OEM oil pressure gauge, a 1/4 turn of a 7/16's wrench and that was taken care of


Don't know XXXX about computer cars, trucks, tractors but I can work on the old stuff

BIG

 

[GCroyle]

BIG,

There is definitely a mystique to old engines, they just sound different and special. I've enjoyed listening to many at festivals. The closest thing I have to an old engine is my 10hp Kohler K241AS in a 1964 Cub Cadet 100. Just a real tough little lawn tractor. But that flat head always ready to run. Kohler is pretty neat for just a 1 lunger. Built in '64 engine has never been out of the frame, it has had several head gaskets and maybe two replacement heads, wore out a carb throttle plate shaft, PTO clutch a few years ago, still on original single side friction clutch, yup, diff has never been worked on 'cept for gear lube and the rear Goodyear turf tires have never been off of the axles. So it has a spot forever in my garage.

Old American Made Iron Rules.

Gary

 

[VolsFan]

Gcroyle, not to hijack the thread, but I too am an avid collector of IH cubs/implements and Kohler engines when I get the luxury to be home to work on them! In the stable now I have the k241 in a 102 with all the bells and whistles. K301 in a 124 and Kohler series II in a 782 cast iron rear.
Truely amazing machines. Very gratifying to now my lawn w a tractor that's 20 yrs older than me and still does a great job!
Bignasty, congrats on getting the Massey fired up!

 

[BIGNASTY]

VolsFan

Thanks Pard!!

Its been a fun project, again today My Grandson and I went out checked the tractor over and I let him turn the key (big thing for a 3 year old) he spent the rest of the day proud as hell that he started the tractor when He and Gramps went to feed the cows.


I never knew that there was such a big following of Garden Tractors until they appeared on a TV show that I watch "Classic Tractors" Lots of the Major companies built them. Most it seems used power plants from other companies but still put their name and reputation on the line.

 

[GCroyle]

VolsFan,

The're nothing like the power of a big old Massey but I do enjoy firing it up and working it.

BIG, they actually take this early Cub Cadet and some use them to make mini pulling tractors. They pull on blacktop even.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Zachary and I go to the tractor pulls when they come around & some of the Diesel truck pulls, He loves Tractors. I have been looking around for an older John Deere Garden Tractor to rebuild for him, not so much as a work tool but more as a Powered Go Cart so to speak. His toy tractors are all John Deere Green as his JD hat that he has on most of the time.

He's only 3 so I have time but it wont be long before he's wanting to drive it by himself. Today He, I & a friend went out to feed the cattle he is already wanting to check things out before starting it up. Our friend was driving with Zachary's help while I was rolling off round bales of hay, all the while Zac checking to see if I was ok to move on.

Lots of these small garden tractors in peoples yards with weeds as high or higher than they are so we should be able to find something that's worth the time to work on. The JD dealer where I got my Z turn mower has lots of Vintage JD tractors.

 

[TJJEEPER]

No pictures of the rebuilt tractor?