I strongly suggest to try to get the engine running before any major investment into the unit, next would be the function of the hydro, both can be accomplished as it sits awaiting new rubber.
Well, that is easy enough since (as I mentioned in one of my
earlier posts...), the engine does already run! The seller started it right up for me before I bought it. I'm just worried about running it for any length of time without an air cleaner on it. As for the Hydrostatic unit, that doesn't work currently as I'm sure it is low on fluid. I'm hoping maybe if I just fill it up with fluid, it should work. I'm not sure how prone these units are to having the pump fail or anything, but I'd imagine running it low on fluid (or without any fluid in there at all) wouldn't be good for the pump.
One of the other first steps I'm going to take this weekend on it is to replace the oil filter on the Hydrostatic unit, drain any old fluid that remains in there, and fill it up with fresh fluid. Does anyone know what type of fluid I should put into the Hydrostatic unit on this tractor? Does it just run like standard Dextron ATF fluid or do I need a specific type of ATF or even hydraulic oil in there for it to operate properly and prolong the life of the transaxle?
One last potential issue with the rear transaxle is of course the fact that it is low on fluid right now. So, obviously it must have leaked out at some point. You can see in the pictures that the left hand axle housing does seem a bit wet, so I'm wondering if that is where it has been leaking from. The oil filter does seem to be right above that area too though, so I don't know if the filter could be leaking there as well. Are there any end seals in the rear end that might be worn out and causing it to leak fluid? If so, how much of a pain is it to take apart and replace the seals? I might as well do that now while I'm taking things apart and before I fill the rear transaxle up with fresh fluid.
If the pics of the tractor on the trailer chained down are upon arrival home the axle bolster looks no worse for wear and I don't believe you hurt it with your tie down method. If it had to drop and roll off the trailer I suspect with two flat fronts the bolster took the brunt of the shock and was broken at that time, don't beat yourself up to bad because unfortunately the bolster is a bit of a weak link , it could have been cracked in several places and the trip or the unloading finished the job.
That may indeed be what happened. The earlier pictures were taken at a rest area on I-87 South roughly somewhere between Bolton and Lake George in the Adirondacks. So, I would say roughly half-way between where I picked it up and home. So, it wasn't entirely out of the woods yet, but I guess I will say that it survived winching it onto the trailer at least then. I did have some trouble unloading it and I had to pull some tricks moving the bed back and forth to try to push the tractor off of the flatbed to unload it as it didn't want to roll off nicely. I was still very slow and careful with it and when I did get the front of the tractor to drop off, it fell at most MAYBE 4 to 6 inches, so not a significant fall or anything. I figured it should have survived that easily, but then again, there was no cushioning from the flat tires either and the shock was probably transmitted right through the wheel rims to the front axle and cross member. Still, to do enough damage to crack that front support/bolster, I'd imagine the wheel rims would have been bent up or damaged as well and I didn't see that at all. It just seems very weird to me...
Rick Show ( BlackJackJake) one of or site sponsors has a good used 1250 bolster, if you want the heavier version used on the later Large Frames I probably can help you out. The later large frames also incorporated a "L" brace behind the front axle to lessen the side to side torque under use the axle gets, unless it becomes a full Monty resto I strongly suggest installing a pair.
Yes, I am actually working with Diesel1050 right now on trying to procure another bolster/support for this tractor.
I also happened to find one on eBay (here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/272250987268). The only issue with the one on eBay is it doesn't really look exactly the same as the one on my tractor, even though the seller claims that it is from a 1250 parts tractor. I'm betting it is probably off of a later HT model tractor though. I'm not sure what the extra holes are for in the one in the auction and also the three posts that the hood hinge mounts too seem a lot shorter than the ones on my tractor. It may still work, but I'm not 100% sure. I'd rather find one that is identical to the one I have on there now.
So, did the later Large Frames not use a cast iron support and rather a steel reinforced one or something? I was not aware that Bolens added L-shaped support brackets to the front support on the later model Large Frames either. Were these incorporated into the bolster/support as one piece or were these bolted on and can be added or removed to/from the tractor? I'm not sure if I could add these onto my 1250 or not. I'd have to see some pictures of what you are talking about to see the difference.
The plastic gas tank and heat shield are from a later model Large Frame (HT20-23) the 1250 would of had a metal one.
Oh, so the heat shield for the gas tank (that big blue metal plate in the pictures) isn't original to this tractor either and that, along with the plastic gas tank, came off of a later model Large Frame (like an HT series)? I'm sure I can use it for now, but I'm not sure if anyone has an original 1250 metal gas tank that isn't all full of rust, sediment, sludge, and gunk that I could get to eventually replace the one that is in here with if I end up deciding to try to fully restore this tractor some day in the future...?
Here's the air cleaner that would have gone on the Walbro (Take a look at the pictures):
http://bolenspartsan...2d-s14d-tra12d/
Choke cable can be attached using the original style cable
So, do you have this air cleaner assembly available at all or do you just sell the filter element itself? If not, do you have any ideas where I can find one? I'm assuming that this air cleaner sticks out far enough that the hood will close behind the air cleaner housing, right? (Otherwise, it looks too big and like it would interfere with closing the hood all the way.)
Do you have a choke cable available for this? Is there anything else that I would need to make the choke work on this, like a cable mounting bracket and hold-down for the end of the cable so that it will actually move the choke lever?
Thanks!
Edited by MailmAn, July 13, 2016 - 08:38 PM.