Both dan and I had been mulling over the clutch mistakes at the weekend. So we were raring to go this evening!
The first plan was to get the tractor back together- after struggling with it so long on the weekend- with fresh bodies and minds we had it wobbled back together in about 20 mins. The main problem we have, is that we don't have a nice flat surface to work on. So the trick seems to be jack the engine up slightly higher, then wobble in each side a mm at a time. Very soon we had the bolts in and had the engine and tractor body tight together- all good.
We got the clutch pedal adjusted by loosening the pedal, then turning the square bolt that is connected to the spring loaded thrust plate. Then adjusting the pedal so it is a quarter inch off the top bumper. Once done, the clutch pedal had a nice feel to it.
**We still have to test that this is all working before we construct any more- if any one has any clear test, please advise!
Dan said he would like a photo with the tractor. We are over a 1000 views on the blog, so he wants to be propelled to global internet stardom! To be fair, without Dan, there is no way I could be progressing as I am! No amount of money can buy the benefits of experience and friendly contacts! He did pull a rather camp pose when the camera was on him though! :)
Once the tractor was back together, the idea is to clean up and prime the front axle. The whole front end is badly corroded and oiled up with dirt. I don't want to replace the whole front end, as this can be done easily once the tractor is in good working order. So the plan is to grind out the rust and start cleaning up the components. I have noticed, especially with our rather wet summer, that exposed metal corrodes quickly. In line with my grind and prime plan, I cleaned up the front end and the primed the steering rods.
I have a 25 m power cord now and an electric grinder- which has a strange vibration which makes it difficult to hold but it cuts through the rust and dirt very quickly! To get this off, there a number of large bolts round the metal 'dish' part under the front of the engine. These had very little corrosion on them, so easy to get off. We moved the jack to the front of the engine to ensure the tractor wont tip forward- nice and stable.
A key point here- is that when you are buying power tools- get the good ones. Makita are awesome, so are DeWalt etc- as it isn't just about power etc The Makita has no vibration and is a pleasure to work with- the cheaper one vibrates and feels like it is out of control most of the time- it also kicks quite badly- whereas the Makita seems to handle it much smoother and safer!
I am not so sure about the dish design- it was just full of rubbish!
This is quite good, as it has exposed a lot of the front end, enabling me to spend some time grinding and cleaning back before priming. The front is in quite a good condition surprisingly- so I think it will clean up nicely. There is quite a lot of alumnium parts on the tractor, which I am still trying to work out why there is no 'bubbling' where the alu meets the steel. On my old land rover- especially around the window frame, there was a lot of bubbled corrosion. I go to work with the grinder cleaning it all up. There is no rushing this though, and am focusing on a small part at a time.
In the meantime, at the back of the tractor!
When I got the tractor, the PTO was working fine, however when we took the PTO cover off for the first time, there was a lot of milky oil came out. It looked like the PTO seal was badly corroded. The seal was perished. by removing the 8 bolts on the back of the tractor, the PTO shaft pulls straight out. The shaft was in great condition- obviously as it seems like it is submerged in oil in the back section of the tractor.
To replace the seal, the whole PTO section needs to be taken apart. This involves removing two circlips and tapping the shaft out of the rear housing. Once complete we knocked off the old seal- taking care to protect the bearings. Once removed, the PTO needs to be re-built and the last thing to go on it the seal and the small outside circlip. We have all this back together- however the seal needs a little more tapping.
As always, we dont have the correct tool. When the manual says we need a special tool, I ask Dan two questions:
-How big a piece of wood do we need?
-Which hammer should be use?
It always seems to work!!! Thankfully we are working in a log shed, and have a big box of hammers. Lots of 'special' tools!
As you can see below, the new PTO seal is going on nicely- just a little bit more tapping required.
While Dan was tapping and 'playing' with the PTO, I cracked on with the priming of the steering rods.
One awesome deal I got this morning, from Axminister Tools- was a 36 pack of paint brushes for 11 pounds! What a great deal, makes using and disposing of the brushed much easier. Axminster in High Wycombe is an awesome tool shop. When ever I go to Screwfix, they never have what I want in stock and the people who work there are just 'operators. Axminster- so far, have had everything I have needed and always have skilled, experienced people to help out!
http://www.axminster.co.uk/
BE CAREFUL in Axminster though- when you go in to innocently have a look around- expect to come out with bags of stuff and an empty bank account!
I grinded back and primed up the rods, and also copper greased the ball joints as well as copper greasing the tractor areas where these connect. I need to grind and prim the pedals that retain these ball joints to the tractor- I will do this later in the week using the battery grinder as it is so much more precise.
Whilst I had the paint out, I finished the rear left axle. Cleaned it up and primed it nicely. I have lots of parts to do before they go back on before the spraying. I am getting much more confident with the grind and prime technique. Despite being a little tractor- there is so much to do! One good thing is that I got a quote for sandblast and painting the rear two wheels for around £400- so now I think I will be able to do this myself...
By now, we had been working on the tractor from say 6pm-9pm. 3 hours is a good stretch, I think after that you need to be careful you dont get tired and pissed off- especially on a week night. So we decided to test the clutch..
So good news and maybe not good news. We ran a number of tests- although i'm not sure about the results.
The plan was to turn the engine using a spanned and turning the front crankshaft. The good news was that when we engage the PTO, the PTO turns with the engine. Does this mean the clutch is working? I think YES... As it means the engine is connected through to the 'drive' shaft?
However..
When we put the tractor in gear, and turn the engine- the rear wheels don't turn? I'm not sure that the tractor is actually going into gear, or not sure whether the wheels should turn.. They don't. As the PTO is turning it must be connecting through- so the wheel issue, is not worrying my TOO much at the moment.
At the last minute I decided to have a bash at getting the seat off. This had been stuck on since I got the tractor- stuck solid. The trick is getting a socket on to the bolt! There is no space to get the socket on and the nut was ruined. I pushed a socket on and just tapped it and tapped it on to the nut with a small hammer. Once it was on solid, I got the socket lever on and put on our super leverage- 5 foot scaffold pole on the socket wrench! Moved easy! Got the seat off- awesome, again it means getting to the tractor for cleaning it up is so much easier.
Of all 'physics'- leverage is my favorite! :)
As usual, at the end of the day I was filthy! Kasha took some photo's, which if suitable- I will post up. Dan manages to stay clean, I end up filthy. I guess he takes all the easy jobs! To fix this problem, I have decided to start wearing my tractor overalls. Nerdy i know- but practical! I got some nice Deere ones!
So it has been a great day- lots of problems fixed and good progress on the base priming coat. i just hope that the clutch is working as it should - and I need to work out how to be 100% confident in this, as I would find it difficult to put it all back together and then have to take it all apart again!
Next, is grinding and priming back- with a view to getting the front end back on reconnecting the streering. We also have to rebuild the brakes and get the brake drums back on, and there is obviously loads and loads and loads and loads more.
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