23 replies to this topic

[KennyP]

If it was already smoking before this, then you probably didn't get gas in there. Check the oil level. If it is where it's supposed to be, then I would suspect rings. If it is way over full, it probably has gas in it. And the combustion chamber may have a bunch in it.

[pigsitter]

Well.....it sounds like the fuel in the oil theory has been pretty well eliminated! Guess we'll have to wait til you can run it for an extended length of time to find out for sure just what is causing ernie to smoke

Edited by pigsitter, September 30, 2012 - 10:47 AM.

[littletractorguy]

Well, Ernie looks like he’s the front-runner for snow pushing this winter… I got the fuel leak issues resolved by putting a newer style shutoff valve on him, I put a set of lights,



wheel weights and chains on him,

and ran him around a bit last weekend to get the feel of him… The only big problem is the lack of neutral start switch… REALLY scary when you forget… Particularly since my boot heels hook the shifter when I get on or off him… So, thanks to some advice from a fellow Deere owner, I learned that you could sub in a fairly common, $8.00 NAPA switch (SW179) for the $89 original neutral start switch from Deere… Plus, I got a spare bracket off of Cranky (saving myself $60 on the bracket) AND the wiring harness off Cranky (saving another $18)… So here it is, the neutral start switch for Ernie…
Here’s the SW179, a bit bigger than the stock one

So I needed to enlarge the mount hole a bit in the bracket

Then I figured out where the switch went from open to closed using my meter…

Marked it with a little dot of ink for when I mounted the switch…

Made some pigtails with crimp-on spade connectors for hooking into the wiring harness, because there’s not enough room to fit the connectors on the switch when its mounted,

Soldered the other ends into rings so they wouldn’t come out of the screw connectors easily,

Hooked them up,

Mounted the switch

Adjusted the mount so the switch closes when the detent hits it in the neutral spot…

Next step, finding some time to pull the wheel weights off Ernie, drop the transaxle, and mount this bad boy…

[KennyP]

Looks like a neat switch setup.

[Trav1s]

Great idea on the neutral safety switch. I am going to follow your lead and replace it on my RF 110. Where did you get the front lights?

[johndeereelfman]

LTG,

When you drop the tranny, remove the shift lever, and turn it so the shifter is pointed down. This will help to keep your pant leg cuff from catching. You'll have to adjust the plastic shift quadrant as well, so that you can still shift into 3rd and 4th gears. I have done this with the round fender that I use as a worker, and believe me, it makes getting on and off the tractor so much easier.

Edited by johndeereelfman, October 31, 2012 - 04:52 PM.

[UncleWillie]

I thought the DragonFly had a neutral safety switch until I turned the key to see if the lights were working and it started and ran over my foot. Fortunately I wear steel toed boots all the time so it was just a bit of excitement saving my pop up canopy but now I know. I might have to use your switch idea.

[littletractorguy]

Looks like a neat switch setup.

Thankx Kenny... I can't really take a huge amount of credit for it, a friend of mine who deals in JD parts first put me onto it, and passed me on the one that I installed in the '67 112... I was just lucky enough that NAPA here was able to get one of those switches in without having to order it from away...

Great idea on the neutral safety switch. I am going to follow your lead and replace it on my RF 110. Where did you get the front lights?

Those were actually the cheapest, smallest utility/spotlights available from our local Princess Auto (roughly equivalent to Harbour Freight in the States).... $3.99 a shot, 3" diameter, 55W halogen... Weird part is, I could NOT find them on the online catalog, they were only in the store!

LTG,

When you drop the tranny, remove the shift lever, and turn it so the shifter is pointed down. This will help to keep your pant leg cuff from catching. You'll have to adjust the plastic shift quadrant as well, so that you can still shift into 3rd and 4th gears. I have done this with the round fender that I use as a worker, and believe me, it makes getting on and off the tractor so much easier.

So, just pop off the whole shift lever mount, pop the ball out of where it goes through the housing and flip it over? Wild! Maybe I'll try that with Bror first, just to get some practice before I go and pull the wheel weights.... So does that make it sit further FORWARD then? Oh, I spose I can look at the shifter mount from Bror's old transaxle, which is sitting in pieces in the garage!

I thought the DragonFly had a neutral safety switch until I turned the key to see if the lights were working and it started and ran over my foot. Fortunately I wear steel toed boots all the time so it was just a bit of excitement saving my pop up canopy but now I know. I might have to use your switch idea.

Ya, a moment's inattention in the garage, I turned the key after getting off, WITHOUT checking to see if it was in neutral, and Ernie took off and just about crushed my bike... Good thing he was in 1st and not 4th, with the throttle at idle... I was able to grab the shifter and brute-force it into neutral...

[johndeereelfman]

So, just pop off the whole shift lever mount, pop the ball out of where it goes through the housing and flip it over? Wild! Maybe I'll try that with Bror first, just to get some practice before I go and pull the wheel weights.... So does that make it sit further FORWARD then? Oh, I spose I can look at the shifter mount from Bror's old transaxle, which is sitting in pieces in the garage!

Yes, just pop off and flip it around. Yes, it will sit further forward, because you are now laying the shift lever more down rather than it being straight up. I actually did this by mistake when I had my first tractor apart, and didn't realize what I did until everything was put back together, and guys at a local show were commending me for turning the shifter down. They all thought it was a good idea, and didn't understand why John Deere didn't do it this way to begin with. Of course I just played along and made it sound like I did it intensionally. Looks kind of odd though when I have it sitting next to the other tractors!