M4wd&Fabrications
Projects place => Projects Section => Topic started by: mr.mindless on March 22, 2022, 10:35:32 AM
-
I picked this up for $250 missing a couple parts and not running.
Sarah's dad has had a PILE of old wheelhorse tractors out behind their house forever, and they contain most of the missing parts.
I'm short a seat and some front tires, I hope those rear big bois last. If they aren't tubed, I should probably tube them. If they're tubed they're probably fine.
I have weak spark out of it after swapping on a parts starter/generator and filing the points. I went through a few coils before I filed the points, so hopefully I just have a weak coil on it right now. So I've got about 10 days to get it ship-shape
KoT rules state no gearing changes, must be 2wd, suspension design is open and wheelbase remains within 6" of stock. I've been shopping for a cheap quad frontend to put on to eliminate the horrible front spindle durability that all garden tractors are plagued with and I just found one. This will need some skid plating to protect the hydro drive motor and its supply lines, and some better running boards to keep feet out of the tires, and I need a seat. but it ought to be a gem.
The "only" down side is that it's already a big tire machine and geared as such, so I can't put giant tires on it to speed it up.
-
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220322/195eef1bc2b33a05f77aed1384769ff3.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220322/53ecefd2c13ff4d2823fb854eac093d5.jpg)
-
The Case 444 is supposed to have the same 14hp 312a as my Deere 140 does (several differences, like the Deere has a starter and magneto instead of starter/generator of all the rest), but this is marked as a 12hp. Looks identical otherwise. 2 of those wheelhorse tractors have that same engine.
-
This is awesome. Hunter is very jealous.
-
i had a sweet machine in my middle school years that i swapped the sprockets on it so instead of a 1:3 reduction it was a 3:1 that powered the 4speed trans axle.
thing would legit do like 35mph in 3th gear but shifting was a little hard being non synchro (at the time i knew nothing what that ment lol)
in the end i donated it to my uncles scrap pile after apparently a zip screw made its way into one of the valves effectivly halving its HP and killing one of the cylinders.
was good times, plowed a few winters with chains on it with a homemade plow
-
Gotta make it go before i get into this, but looks promising. There’s a hydro cooler behind the grille, that could be a challenge for shock mounting and it might need to move. Springs may be a little stiff too, surprised me a bit. Chassis was a Warrior 350. Front drum brakes were a bit of a surprise. I’ll probably ignore those? But I could potentially hook all to the brake pedal if I wanted to have serious stopping power from 9mph.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220323/1c6e35b78f7dabf33016cc4648354860.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220323/f445a53e9ef03dd378449998850a21ed.jpg)
-
oh lord
-
Had the wrong plug installed. Gapped so wide it wouldn’t spark.
Cataloged all my coils though. Only one not reasonably close to expected spec and none completely garbage.
With this tractor count I sure do have a lot of coils now though.
Successfully replumbed fuel, ram a few laps around. Blown front tires stayed on which means it’s got almost no front weight. That atv suspension might be a wasted effort. _IF_ I didn’t see front spindle showing behind the tires already. Those quad hubs are going on with the beam or with ifs.
Reasonably fast in high gear. Didn’t make a shifter to go low yet.
-
Trans out, diff welded, back in.
The differential case wouldn’t take any heat, it just ran away from the bead immediately. The side and spider gears welded to each other real nicely though. 33” tires and 12hp won’t hurt it I’m sure.
Front axle is out, need to pull the hydro resi and cooler out, and I think this is going to lay out nicely.
Everything still clears fine on the a-arms _if_ the upper shock mounts need to move outboard.
Steering should be easy, push/pull just needs an arm off the Yamaha column. That’s the one area that’ll be a bit tight.
Have some good mounting points for a rear bumper. Not sure what I’ll do in front.
Will be disappointed when the rear tires shred and ruin my day. Not sure if disappointed enough to shell out 300-400 bucks for new.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220327/bfadf8c0885af273abdb88016dc10c30.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220327/4da4a6696e59dc8072178a1608a33587.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220327/ba633d0069404a529d3c33215398e455.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220327/83f470e0587376a97b6bf4ef43b079a5.jpg)
-
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220327/f96cf8c9f37806e1fdab110a2718f409.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220327/f524c5577da72ff5afad29f7f4b2ba2a.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220327/63e16b6969ddbb49869b0abd0ca1a85e.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220327/0c694d5650395c53b3a1f75286061df1.jpg)
I’m thinking due to difficulty of supporting the shock mount around the cooling fan, the mounts are going to go outboard. Remaining bottom frame is going to be angled up to brace to the factory frame. Going to have to hack the remaining axle support more than a bit to get steering through, unless I just go over it with a bent link
-
i have 4 or 5 kid size fox air shocks and a rack steering from like mini baha car
-
Almost made it steer backwards like a dumbass. Realized my mistake without having to undo anything.
Ifs is full welded except a couple braces and, importantly, shock mounts.
Back to work tomorrow. Probably be nearly finished by end of Tuesday? Taking TWF off, just working Mon & Thurs.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220328/682579aaf520fff6ebcf0691d0731796.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220328/193d3fcaac4ec9cee595463024e3ec0c.jpg)
-
Repackaging hydro tank and cooler around shock mounts and steering was a worse challenge than expected. Hydro moved way back after removing fan and pto from engine. Going to count on engine cooling air to be enough extra air draw through the cooler. Maybe a mistake for an endurance race? Maybe fine. Have to move it up an inch or two as well to clear the IFS steering linkage from tractor box input. Makes shock mounting extremely easy being able to run straight across in front of everything though. Should be done in a couple more hours.
I thought long and hard about rear tires today. Pattern is 6 on 6, wheels are 16s.
Not enough meat on the axle flange to go to a 6.5” pattern. I do have some steel 17x7 wheels that are useless to me, but no good material to build spacer+adaptors for them to run spare 37x12.5 Toyos.
I decided I’m not willing to cut up the stock tractor wheels to use the Case centers with the steel 17” wheels. I think I’m going to hold to that. If i happen to think of some other way to recenter those 17s and have the time to do it I’ll seriously think about it though. If I can re mount the fenders to clear them plus not kill myself with the tires. I do have a fair bit of material to build similar fenders, larger.
Much larger rear tires does screw up IFS angles a bunch.
-
Now I want to make it faster!
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220330/62a54796cc9550bec219816ae79036ce.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220330/f992544c8ac2b76320da8f0f016c075e.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220330/27a261833aa3d98576bbd0394902b00c.jpg)
That exhaust definitely gets a little warm back by the dash. Easiest mounting for big dumb muffler off the backhoe. Needs a brace on that.
No bumpers and have not splashed any paint. Not sure either will actually happen?
Solid 15 min around the yard doing dumb stuff, it’s pretty great.
-
nice! lots of completion since my visit! looks great
no to paint!
-
I had a poopy first race. I flopped it during my third lap, and it quit a lap later. Couldn’t re fire. Reason completely unknown. It wasn’t hydro locked, maybe the neutral safety got wet? It fixed itself after sitting while I played course worker.
Will thought it was badass and it got a lot of film time beforehand. I mentioned that I thought it was a power issue and that I could have used that battery sponsorship. He said that he could too, it wasn’t there….
So a few hours later after 35 laps were done, and I fired up and loaded, an announcement was made of a second race! Mike Catrini got that Optima sponsorship, and was like 4 hours late. So we ran another 14 laps of which his insane link suspension solid front axle wheelhorse did I think 3 laps. And I took second. I had a small choke issue for a couple laps, it ran great after i turned that all the way off again. the hydraulics were getting hot by about lap 10 or 12 and i had to use low a lot more. With a better resi and cooler this unit could make use of a dumb motor and really be dumb. Needs bumper and need to load the front tires. Wheelie machines, all.
No injuries among the crowd. About 1/3 of the trimmers survived.
This should make a sweet pit runner with a more normal exhaust, though that’s not really needed anywhere…
Pics on fb
-
Mike’s machine. Steering is not good… I don’t know what took it out just that they were working on it for most of the race. Rears are 30” Utv Boggers on 15s.
Front is a double triangulated solid axle with Blaster hubs. Steering is all jacked up and has criminal geometry. Really looks good sitting still though!
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220403/1e9ad1570cf690e30f206d5f7495ce37.jpg)
-
Nice work!
-
Intended mods in the future:
NSS bypass or override
Voltmeter and GEN warning light
Big automotive battery all the way up front
Load the front tires
Put a fan back on the hydro cooler
Adjust carb for better bill climb power if possible
Delete choke lever or somehow make it harder to accidentally part choke it
Better high/low shifter that I can reach and can be abused for power shifting
Maybe a foot travel control so I can shift high/low while feathering travel control with my foot
Front tire cutting brakes
I guess there’s some bypass relief that can be tightened to push more through the motor and let the engine bog. A mower puller who was there used to pull with a 444 eventually broke the rear axle after much abuse.
Better hyd oil or cooler or resi. Was either cooked or aerated after some hard run time
Roll hoop
Bumpers
Lights
Fix hood hinges
Reasonable exhaust? Heat shield?
Big 20hp v-twin
-
Rumor: more use at Field & Forest soon?
-
I suddenly understand how people accidentally 25 garden tractors. I want this so very badly for spares and for the 16hp twin.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/515826569982505/
There’s a Grizzly 600 that fell off a trailer to do McPherson ifs with 25” tires for a decent price too. With a spare 600cc single leftover in the mix….
-
Step away from the marketplace. I repeat, step away from the marketplace.
-
I just read through 2 pages of full fledged winga dinga and I love it.
-
Whoops! ;)
Grabbed this 16hp unit from Chadley just now. His new place is pretty nice for him. Half acre lumber yard in progress!
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220415/20e75d9112c1c52a6586533c02cf6f6a.jpg)
I kinda want to just put big tires on it with better front spindles and rock it, see how it compares. Or maybe try for a simpler McPherson strut front end and build a second. But with 25s and 37s instead of 21s and 31s
-
Extremely successful shakedown. Mowed about 2 acres after installing a battery and fixing a fuel leak.
Keeping an eye out for a Polaris with mcphearson strut front. Or could just put good hubs and 10-12” front wheels. Want to put 37s shared with buggy on the back.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220415/4f3987f6009380a5febf4f140a1df6d6.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220415/f4ed3ee0cd3f1cfba9eb054317f6fbae.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220415/d350771ddbbfc1493d580e41512baac6.jpg)
-
That’s a sweet unit to cut up
-
Looked for my ram dually front hub spacers and could not find them. Pretty sure they’ll work perfectly to adapt to 17” racelines with 37s. I think I’m can put a 6” pattern into the wheel mounter surface and then mount the wheel to what’s supposed to be the hub side either with conical seat bolts or drill and put studs there.
Smike, any recollection of whether I traded those away sometime?
-
thinking hard, i honestly have zero recollection of you have a set of dually spacers.
i remember me at one point considering a dually conversion on my 01' but that never happened.
-
Last time I remember handling them for sure was about that long ago, seeing if dually wheels could be spares on the wedge for some reason or something.
-
Need to pull a couple more things from both Case tractors (implement lift parts) and probably get more things on eBay if I do these again.
Have learned a few things.
Can just about pay for a cheap tractor with a good PTO and rear tires. Front axles will probably get scrapped.
Delivering the trencher Friday too.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220420/578b28bb86f49e5306484febf7ac317e.jpg)
-
Picked up 2 junk quads for IFS parts and a third tractor. Has a 16hp Kohler single.
Missed a missing PTO on it, and I wired it enough to start it and it sounds like it needs a rebuild. Disappointing.
-
Adjusting timing helped (set points) but it’s not perfect… shoved to back of shop for now. May just be parts.
-
https://fb.watch/cF2vgqf0bU/
-
if that is that, how'd he lose his race at the 1minute mark?? what's in the OTHER tractor?
-
all parts to put the 16hp Kohler together right are in. fuel pump, head gasket, starter solenoid. I _think_ some of the gaskets in that head gasket kit will help me fix a leak in the 12hp Kohler on the already-built tractor too.
Got a how-to on adjusting the bypass in the travel control valve so that I should put more power to the ground, too.
I haven't quite figured out how I want to do foot travel control yet but it sure does have me thinking about a small plasma table instead of continuing to hand-cut parts.
-
you've went too far
-
You’re probably correct.
The k341 16hp single does have some pretty loose bearings. I was able to feel crank to rod through the fuel pump hole.
If hard parts are less than a couple hundred I might consider a rebuild but meh. I’ll leave that one for later.
-
WTF
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/402716728476663/
-
WTF
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/402716728476663/
YoU'rE jUsT a HaTeR
-
That’s a sweet ride!
-
Here is uour next KOT tractor... Honda. 11 hp, 4 wheel drive, 4 wheel steer https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/517761306817468/?ref=facebook_story_share
-
Thats a sweet machine
-
Here is uour next KOT tractor... Honda. 11 hp, 4 wheel drive, 4 wheel steer https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/517761306817468/?ref=facebook_story_share
Wow, that is neat! Great shape too.
-
that's pretty wild!