135 replies to this topic

[hammerdwn20]

My neighbors are next to useless. Nobody talks to each other around here. Its sad.
I didnt think of calling it anything besides a bolens 1250?

Made a little progress today. I didnt feel to motivated. drilled a few holes. im going to wait for my rubber isolators before i drill the botom holes and add the gussets


working on ideas for the radiator mount. not sure how im going to do that yet. I wonder if i should do the driveshaft first?

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[Boss 448]

It's just my opinion, but I think all of that creative genesis and fabricating talent deserves its' own name. You know, a unique name for a unique machine.

Just curious, do you have any idea how much heavier the new engine will be than the original?

Looking forward to your updates!

JN

[hammerdwn20]

ill have plenty of time to come up with a name. this is going to be a very long project.
As far as engine weight i have no idea. It cant be that heavy. ive been putting it in and out of the frame by hand.

[hammerdwn20]

my engine mounts came in the mail yesterday. they are neoprene and rated at 90lbs a piece

sitting in the frame

one side engine mount almost completed. i need to weld on the two gussets and some nuts for the mounting bolts. im going to bend a piece of steel to protect the oil pan. it will also be bolted to the bottom of this mount on either side of the engine

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[NUTNDUN]

Awesome handywork. I love seeing everyone's builds and it gives me motivation and something to shoot for.

[Bolens 1000]

Your making good progress

[Boss 448]

this is going to be a very long project

It appears to me that you are making good progress. It's very interesting to watch these projects come together. Clearly your talents and the equipment/shop that you have at your disposal are far superior to anything I have so I must admit to a certain degree of jealousy at the same time I watch you (and a number of other talented individuals with threads on this forum) work your magic.

I really want to attempt my own diesel re-power project one day but I can't duplicate the degree of craftsmanship exhibited by some of you. Any project I undertake will need to be much closer to a 'bolt-in' job so I will need to select both the engine and the host tractor very carefully. I think limiting my plans to an air-cooled engine and a hydraulic drive system (Case/Ingersoll) will be my best bet. I believe that there is far more flexibility to locating, mounting, and plumbing a hydraulic drive than there is fabricating a mechanical drive connection.

Keep up the good work!

JN

[hammerdwn20]

im only working in half of a standard one car garage.(im still living with my parents) its far from being a shop. my equipment is harbor freight for now with my limit space, budget and electrical service. I have a drill press, bandsaw and 2 angle grinders for most of my work. you could do it all with a 110 welder, angle grinder and a drill. it just takes a little longer

[fordmustang1984]

Hey, sounds like my shop, only i have 220v power for welders, no band saw, and no air compressor. For the limited tools, this build looks amazing. Keep up the good work!

[Boss 448]

I have a drill press, bandsaw and 2 angle grinders for most of my work

That is encouraging. I have good hand tools but not anything for metal working at this point. Perhaps my bigger challenge is time. My wife and I own a business in town that occupies almost all of our time. With the bad economy we have dedicated ourselves to keeping our employees working (we employ a number of special needs people) and that has resulted in very long hours and frequently going without pay checks for ourselves (another obstacle to engaging in projects at this time).

I am fortunate that I purchased a diesel 4 x 4 compact tractor and accompanying 3 pt implements several years ago when money was not so tight so I am equipped to do most larger jobs around our 40 acre place. Still, there just is not enough discretionary time and/or money to engage in some of the projects I'd like to undertake. That makes threads like yours here that much more interesting to me since you are doing what I'd like to do.

I am constantly watching ads for the opportunity to 'steal a deal' on an appropriate diesel engine and a host tractor. Like most other things I do I'm sure an irresistible deal will come along eventually and I will take the leap. When I do your documented project and others like it here will be an invaluable source of ideas and answers.

I'm still leaning towards using an air cooled engine due to the (I think) greater simplicity of installation. It does appear that the availability of reasonably priced small water cooled diesel engines is greater than that of air cooled models. What drove your selection of engine? I would like to get your input as well as that of others - see http://gardentractor...er-cooled-4921/ .

With the costs of fuel increasing daily I think the practicality of a diesel powered garden tractor will continue to make more sense. Every time I fill all of the gas cans I use to keep the garden tractor fueled I compare it to the one five gallon diesel fuel can I need for my compact tractor. The amount of work I get from a gallon of diesel in the compact tractor beats the snot out of the work I get from my Onan gas powered Ingersoll 448.

Keep up the good work on your conversion. I bet your parents are proud of you even if you're making a mess of their garage. Do your parents roll up their sleeves and help out? My parents were never mechanically inclined. Nor were they very supportive when they came home one evening while I was still living at home to find I had spread newspapers over the entire den floor and had the transmission to my '66 GTO apart and spread all over. Somehow they didn't appreciate the finer details of how to replace the synchro rings in a Muncie close ratio 4 spd transmission - idiots! :rofl2:

JN

[hammerdwn20]

I already had my engine sittign in the garage so thats why im using it. I think air vs water cooled will depend on the machine your repowering. If your going with a 12hp or less in your repower i would go air cooled. 13hp or more water cooled. its just easier to find these engines configured this way.
My father and i fight about garage space constantly! MY stepmother complains about the tractor stuff in the yard. as long i i keep the stuff out of sight shes ok with i though. I was flipping commercial lawn mowers for a while and it would get pretty crazy here.
if i didnt buy a brand new truck(07dodge 2500 cummins 6 speed) when i did i probably would have had a house by now. hopefully only a another year or two

[Boss 448]

Sounds to me like you've got your act together. Have patience and the house will happen. With the handy skills you obviously possess you should be able to find a good bargain on a solid house that needs a lot of attention and really have something nice when you are done. In fact, I don't recommend that you purchase a house in totally great condition since I doubt you would leave it alone any way - you won't be happy until you tear it half apart and put it together your way. Nothing wrong with that!

It also sounds like a big part of your house hunting will include something with a nice pole barn or shop to accommodate all of your projects. Be sure you find a place in a neighborhood with rules and neighbors that won't hassle you about your backyard projects. Some places frown on people with enough ambition and smarts to work on their own equipment. I'd hate to see you get in that position.

Good observations on the air vs water cooled engine debate. I agree that over 10 - 13 HP the air cooled diesels start to get very large (much larger than comparable water cooled engines even if you take into account a radiator). Another issue is that the larger air cooled engines are almost all of a vertical cylinder design that makes them excessively tall for trying to squeeze under a GT hood. There are some really nice 2 cylinder Hatz diesel engines in the 20 HP range that look like they would work really well if they weren't so large. Also, they tend to be very expensive.

I don't know of any good sources for used small diesel engines around here but it appears that the best candidates are coming out of refrigeration units, generators and compressors. I am keeping my eyes peeled for an irresistible bargain. It just might happen, who knows?

JN

[hammerdwn20]

everything is so ridiculously expensive here. with property taxes in the 8-20000 range i will need to move closer to PA or NY. Houses that need to be knocked down go for 300000 and then they build a mansion on less than a half acre.
My parents make fun of me saying ill be looking at the garage/barn first then the house.

I bought one of my diesel engines from a guy on ebay who imports them from japan. 900$ for a low hour water cooled kubota shipped to me. engine runs like new. very happy with it and would buy from him again.

[mjodrey]

I do like watching projects like this,you are making progress.

[hammerdwn20]

I got the engine bolted in today. im pleased with how it sits.



I also made this stub shaft for the pto. i still need to clean it up some but it fits. i had the pulley clamped to the mounting plate with the shaft through the middle to keep it straight as possible.

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