Started on my Lawn Ranger

[sorekiwi 761]

Well, I needed another project like I need a hole in the head, but the 63 Lawn Ranger was so ugly that I had to do something with it.... :banghead:



First of all, ever since I drained the water out of the gearbox (and freed it up so it would roll) it's insisted on dripping 90 wt oil all over my garage floor. That pi$$ed me off enough to decide to put some axle seals in it. Well, I might as well pull it apart and have a look while I'm at it.... OK, the gearbox is done.





So now I'm cleaning up a few bits and pieces, there is stuff spread from one end of the shop to the other, and I think "well, I should do the frame, and then as I get some of the small bits done I can bolt them back on the tractor instead of having to find some where to store them" :banghead:

So I strip down the frame and take it to the sandblaster dude. After a week the sandblaster dude pi$$es me off, so I pick it up and clean it up myself (he wanted too much money anyway!). The battery box is pretty sad, and there's a couple of extra holes drilled in the frame.





I ummed and aahed a bit for a while about patching the battery box, but in the end I cut the one off the 753 I'd bought from "Rustyoldjunk" a while back. It turned out OK except the last weld (thats supposed to be the best one right?) when the air compressor kicked in mid-weld and blew the fuse!

A couple of plugs in the extra holes, and the frame looks passable now. Actually there's a few spots of heavy pitting, so there'll be a skim cat of bondo going on in places.







Now I need to try and remember how to paint...

To be continued....

[kj4kicks 151]

You've got a nice start on it Mike. Looks pretty good so far ! :whistle:

[WheelHorse_of_course 99]

MIke.

looking good :whistle:

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,345]

Mike,

Looks like you got a good start on it. Look likes a good project. Looking good. :whistle:

[perry 82]

good start on it. lookin foward to the progress pics .

my little 64 ranger is packed away in the shed. who knows if ill ever get around to it LOL .

[Teddy da Bear 11]

With all the trouble and peeing going on....

He should name that tractor "Oil and Water"..

[sorekiwi 761]

Hey Teddy da bear!

I see you have the same tractor. What does your Right Hand footrest look like? Mine just has a "stub" about 1 1/2 inches long on the right side. The parts list for this model shows a tube that looks like it should slip over this stub?

Here's a picture

Do you have this part on yours? If so, any chance of a picture/measurements?

[Stigian 1,234]

Nice work Mike, keep them pictures coming :WRS:

[Teddy da Bear 11]

Yes, I believe I do. It is the footrest support tube.

But I thought I had footrests on each side.

Wow....you ask difficult questions (measuring & pictures).

It is buried in the back of my barn....so I will try to get

in there and see if I can measure it and photograph it

later today.

[sorekiwi 761]

Wow....you ask difficult questions (measuring & pictures).

It is buried in the back of my barn....so I will try to get

in there and see if I can measure it and photograph it

later today.

You da Bear!!!

[Teddy da Bear 11]

Ok.....here goes some pics.

The support tube sticks out 12 inches on each side. The right side has a bend in it that allows the deck engagement bracket to clear.

I had my right side foot rest off for some reason. So I showed the location by holding it up with my hand.

Attached Image (Click thumbnail to expand)

[Teddy da Bear 11]

The right side.

Bad news...if you only have 1 1/2 inches left.....you are missing a considerable amount of support tube. (which is actually a solid round bar).

The good news... The right and left foot rests are identical and therefor interchangeable.

Attached Image (Click thumbnail to expand)

[HorseFixer 2,012]

Nice Tractor SoreKiwi I have a couple Lawn Rangers Myself, a 66 with electric start and and a 68 with a pull. Looks like your doing a great job so far! If the rest of that tractor turns out like that Rear End Ill give you a "10"

Cheers Duke

[sorekiwi 761]

Bad news...if you only have 1 1/2 inches left.....you are missing a considerable amount of support tube. (which is actually a solid round bar).

Thanks for your help Mike.

At first I thought someone had just cut off the end of the footrest on the right hand side, but after closer inspection I dont think so. There's no saw marks on it, and the end is dead square (as if it was parted off in a lathe). I think its origional.

Also looking at your picture of the right side, I think my "stub" is still straight at the point that yours starts to bend (if you'll excuse the expression!!)

Looking at the parts drawings it looks like yours has a 1964 style frame? The drawing of the 63 model looks like it does have a stub with a tube over it (part 32 in the bottom part of this picture).

All a mystery, but thats part of the fun, right??

Thanks everyone for the encouragement!

[Teddy da Bear 11]

My dad did have another lawn ranger at one time when I was little.

I remember seeing parts of the carcass out back of our garage.

Maybe he did a little "combining".....hmmmmmm

[sorekiwi 761]

Got a little more done in the last week. I've been busy at work, but I sometimes have a sleeping problem which finds me screwing around in my garage at indecent hours of the night...

After searching around for all my painting stuff, and replacing the fittings I'd stloen off the water trap, I discovered that there was enough moisture in both of my air hoses that seemed to be impossible to get rid of. After wasting way too much time on that, I finally said screw it and sprayed the frame with some etching primer in a rattlecan. A few days later on went 3 coats of Valspar "Restoration Series", again in a rattlecan. I think it turned out OK, I think the paint goes on pretty nice, but it really does stay soft for a long time.

Also started to bolt on some of the small parts that were lying around the garage (like the transmission!). This tractor was really rusty, and the motor, gearbox and steering were all locked up when I got it, but as it has come apart things really arent in bad shape.

The gearbox was actually really good inside. I had a set of bearings ready to put in, but didnt end up using them. I just cleaned everything up, fitted new seals and put it back together.

The front axle and spindles werent worn hardly at all, just a polish up on the moving parts, coat of paint and reassemble.

The steering shaft between the "fan" gear and the drop link was heavily pitted and worn at both ends, so I made a new one of those. Actually I couldnt find a piece of 3/4 bar anywhere, so I recycled the steering shaft I had replaced on my RJ58 a while ago (thats why its already red in the photo). Simple enough piece, just a straight shaft with a hole in each end.

Seem to be spending a lot of time right now waiting for paint to dry. Next step is probably the wheels.

One interesting thing about this tractor is that it doesnt have hubs. The wheels are keyed directly onto the axles. Are all the lawn rangers like this?

[Duff 206]

Seem to be spending a lot of time right now waiting for paint to dry.

Boy, Mike, you have my sympathy on the paint drying thing. I rattle canned my 312-8 with Rustoleum (complete frame-off like you are doing) and although the paint job came out pretty darned respectable, parts of it are still a little soft even after a few weeks of drying time. Oh well, I don't have a spray rig, so I guess it's a small price to pay.....

Your tractor looks like it's coming along really good! Nice work!

Deereman

(and I thought I was the only weird-o who wanders around in his shop in the middle of the night..... )

[Raider 2]

Valspar by the quart cures slowly too. I've got a lot of Raider parts drying in the garage right now. Next batch of parts I spray I think I'll get some hardener and see if it helps.

[sorekiwi 761]

Valspar by the quart cures slowly too. I've got a lot of Raider parts drying in the garage right now. Next batch of parts I spray I think I'll get some hardener and see if it helps.

One of the reasons I was going to spray it with a gun was so I could add hardener. With all these small parts it is much more conveniant to use rattle cans.

Another point worth mentioning is that I painted the gearbox with the cheaper Valspar (green can). Later I found a spot that I'd missed so touched up that side with the "Restoration Series" (white can). The color match was good, but the white can produced a lot more gloss. I ended up putting another coat from the white can on everything that had been painted with the green can.

[sorekiwi 761]

An update...

Not too much time in the last week or so (damn work getting in the way of what I really want to do...), but have managed to finish up a few details.

Here's how she looks today

The front wheels came out OK in the end, surprisingly as they (like everything else) were fairly heavily pitted. I actually had to cut the old tires off the rims as they were well stuck on the rims. A trip to the bead blaster, a few days in an electrolysis bucket, a couple of thick coats of primer and a couple of top coats.

Not sure about the ends of the splindles being red, its a bit much, especially since the wheels are so small. The tires are new Carlisles, the tread pattern is exactly the same as the tires that came on it.

Another small project was replacing the shaft on the clutch linkage. It was heavily rusted and worn where it pivots in the frame . The shaft itself is just a length of 3/8 mild steel, welded to the arm that moves the tensioner pulley. The other end has a 1/8 hole for a roll pin.

Next job is to make a new linkage to go from the clutch pedal back to the pivot.

Overall I'm happy with how stuff is turning out. A few of the parts are showing a bit more of the pitting than I would like, but so far I've been working on bits that wont really show once its all together. I'm going to leave the hood till last!

Before and after shots:

[CasualObserver 3,406]

Mike, that's looking awesome! Thanks for the update.

[kpinnc 10,745]

Looks like a first class job on the restoration Mike!

I think it looks great!

Kevin

[BairleaFarm 339]

Great Job. Keep the pictures comming as you get more done. They help me dream of how shiney my rust bucket may be some day.

[TT-(Moderator) 1,127]

Looking goooooooood, Mike!

One of these days I'm going to have to try re-doing a tractor that was already a whole tractor -- instead of a bunch of parts from the TT pile. :whistle:

[FreddieFarmall 1]

Hello All:

I'm curious where you got those tires that match the original tread pattern for the Lawn Ranger. Also, what is the electrolosis tank you have the wheel in for and what sort of chemicals/voltage are you using?

Still coming down of the 'show high'!

Fred