Started on my Lawn Ranger

[sorekiwi 761]

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

The front tires are Carlisles and came from a little Mom & Pop feedstore on my way to work, but TSC has them for around $15. Rural King has them cheaper but its further to go for me.

https://www.ruralking.com/Store/detail.aspx?ID=29396

I'm actually not sure that these match the OEM tires that came on the tractor in 1963, but they do match the tires that were on mine when I got it.

Here's a link to a thread that has some links to some electrolysis information

http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/index.php?showtopic=732

You can google "electrolysis rust removal" and find a bunch of info too. It works well, its cheap, and its easy - I usually throw something in the bucket when I'm done at night and pull it out in the morning.

[TT-(Moderator) 1,128]

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

Fred, check THIS out on ebay.

They are the closest replacement LR front tires I have seen so far. (tread pattern-wise.)

[sorekiwi 761]

Fred, check THIS out on ebay.

They are the closest replacement LR front tires I have seen so far. (tread pattern-wise.)

Overstock.com doesnt say what brand of tire that is, but it is the same tread pattern as my new Carlisles.

Overstock.com tire:

My Carlisle:

The price is good at Overstock, but I drive right past the feed store where I got mine, so didnt have to pay shipping. I think I paid $11 a piece. TSC wants around $15.

[CasualObserver 3,406]

Hey Mike... any updates on the ranger?

[sorekiwi 761]

Hey Mike... any updates on the ranger?

Not really, I've been busy at work, and I'm in Edmonton right now. (it's downright cold at night up here!), and away visiting my wife and 4 year old daughter in Ohio.

The hoodstand and rear fenders are in primer, and ready for paint - the fenders have been red already, but somehow they suffered an allergic reaction to the etching primer I'd used, so had to be rubbed down again.

Also been trying to sort out an engine (thanks Tickster!). I think it'll actually be an HH60 (cast iron) block, with a lot of the H60 bits and pieces bolted on. I'll try to do a thread documenting the differences between the H60 & HH60 engines so the information is there for anyone in the future. I'll need to screw around a bit as there are no holes for the starter in the iron block, and no provision for the fuel pump (maybe I'll just use a vacuum pulse pump here). Also the crank from the HH is 3/4" diameter, whereas the H crank (and my pulley) is 1". I'll probably use the H crank, but need to investigate this further as the HH crank is drilled with an oil gallery, and the H isnt. I'll have to decide if this is needed.

Also been trying to get my B80 going again (the one that threw the rod out the side). The block has been welded back together but I discovered that the starter had been hit hard enough to break up the magnets inside! There should be another starter sitting on my door step by the time I get home from Canada.

[HorseFixer 2,012]

Your doing a great job Mike! Fantastic Job!

Duke

[Nick 13]

That is some very nice work Mike. B)

[sorekiwi 761]

A couple of days back home, and managed to get a bit more done. Its starting to look like a tractor again.

I'm still on the fence about painting with a gun. (I'm no painter!). I just wonder if its worth the effort, mixing the thinner and hardner, getting the gun set right, trouble getting a not so bulky gun into the tight spots, and all the clean up. Rattle cans just seem so much easier. Its come out OK, sometimes a little more orange peel than I would like. My problem is mainly inexperiance and ignorance, and the fact that I work with fairly talented proffessionals every day. I think the hood will go to one of my friends when the time comes.

One point woth noting - the rear fenders have several seys of holes for mounting them. When I recieved the tractor the fenders were set high, with a huge gap to the [little] rear wheels. I thought it looked a little odd, but decided I just wasnt used to looking at 8 inch rear tires. Now I've mounted the fenders in the lower position which I think looks much better. Probably cant change it now either, as the paint was probably too soft when I bolted them on, so will show some marks if I move them now.

Next job really should be the rear wheels - I've been putting it off. I finally decided I should buy the little Horrible Freight tire mounting machine (which seems to be favorably accepted by many) only to find out that everyone within 100 miles is out of stock (if they are all out of stock the machine must work, huh?). Now I think I'll just break the beads so I can get some paint on the edge of the rim next to the tire, mask off, spray and pop the beads back on again.

Thanks for the encouragement guys, so far I'm happy with the results.

[DMESS 24]

That little Ranger is looking great IMO. Don't be ashamed of your painting method, it looks real nice. It's obvious you are taking your time and I'm sure it will turn out super when it's all finished. B)

[CasualObserver 3,406]

I've never tried the mini tire changer from HF, but I have the larger one and it works well for 12 inch rims. For my smaller stuff, I have a 3/4" hole drilled in the end of my workbench, and use a foot long piece of 3/4" threaded rod and some large washers and nuts. Bolt the rim to the bench and use tire spoons... works just fine.

[linen beige 14]

Coming back together REAL nice! I would leave the fenders mounted low. They do look better against the smaller wheels, and this way they won't get scratched by the seat. If you don't already have a paint gun, you may consider buying a "touch up" gun. They are smaller, give more precise control, and are perfectly suited for painting something this size.

If you are really worried about orange peel, you could spray the final coats with an airbrush. It's a lot more time consuming, but gives a finish like wet glass. You don't get orange peel from an airbrush unless you do it on purpose. They also use less paint.

[stevinator 1]

That's gonna look great when your done. B)

[kpinnc 10,767]

Mike,

Just by looking at the work you've already done, I would say you'd have no problems learning to use a gun. But, I have to admit your work looks very nice doing it the way you're doing it now.

Keep the pics coming!

Kevin

[WheelHorse_of_course 99]

Mike,

I like the fenders down and I agree with Linenbeige that this way they won't get hit by the seat.

I go to say, it is looking NICE

Cheers

[Duff 206]

Your tractor sure is looking nice, Mike! Great job!

Duff B)

[combatmp29r 27]

Lookin good Mike. Nothin at all wrong with a rattle can job B)

[sorekiwi 761]

I've been all over the country trying to earn a dollar lately, but have managed to get a few things done. I'm at the stage where things seem to take forever - early on you could do a few hours work and have something to show for it, now it seems I get held up on every little detail.

However I did get the rear wheels cleaned up and painted, I didnt want to remove the tires, as I thought it would destroy them, so I just broke the beads, pushed them back from the rim, masked them and painted (rattle can).

The rear wheels on this tractor slide right onto the axles (no hubs), and the hole in the rim in filled with a little chrome plug. These were severely ugly, but a few minutes on the buffing wheel and they came up like new.

I had to make a new actuating link for the clutch (the one from the pedal to the arm). Thanks TT for the pictures and measurements

Also happy that the rubber hand grip for the deck lifting arm was in good shape, and came off undamaged (this style of grip is NLA).

I have reluctantly started to work on the hood. It was rusted out down the bottom (as is usual on Roundhoods), and someone had tried to remove it without unbolting it first so there is one region in the top that needs some serious shrinking. I've got it a lot closer, but there's more to be done. I'm no body man, so I'm sure I'll have questions (you listening Kelly?).

Here's the new piece welded in the bottom:

You can see the pitting that I hope will be handled with a skim of filler. Thats not going to be much fun on the grille though.

I'm out of town for another week now (been home for 2 days this time!) so there wont be too much progress for a while.

for the advice and pointers, guys

[sorekiwi 761]

Just by looking at the work you've already done, I would say you'd have no problems learning to use a gun. But, I have to admit your work looks very nice doing it the way you're doing it now.

Thanks Kevin.

The only parts painted with the gun so far are the hoodstand, rear toolbox, fenders and the quick attach for the plow, everything else is rattle can.

I'm not confident enough with the gun to do the hood yet, but maybe by the time I get some more practice on the seat and gas tank I'll give it a go.

Part of the attraction of the rattlecan is that its so easy to finish a part, paint it and put it on the tractor, instead of waiting until you get a batch of stuff ready so its worthwhile breaking out the gun - I've got way too many bits lying around as it is!

[sorekiwi 761]

This frikkin' hood is driving me crazy! Somedays I think I'm getting it a bit closer, some days I seem to just ferk it up worse.

Someone had tried to take it off without removing the thumbscrews, and the top was all bent and stretched a couple of inches in front of the cut-out for the fuel tank. It wouldnt hammer flat again as it was stretched enough to just "pop" up and down. My first attempts at shrinking it went quite well, I was using a propane torch, heating a spot and rapidly cooling with a wet rag.

When I ran out of propane I switched to oxy-acetylene and preceded to undo all the good work I'd managed with the propane. I thought it might be better than propane as it heats the spot much faster, with greater control of the size and location of the spot, but in reality I found I was just creating a series of high spots. Heating followed by hammering the spot, then the rapid cool seemed to work sort of OK, and now I'm not real happy with it, but I can live with it,

Any advise from the expert bodymen?

[linen beige 14]

These flat panels are a real challenge, especially when they dont give you a place to chase the high spots to! One thing a lot of us seem to forget is that every time metal bends beyond it's elastic limit it work hardens at the site of the bend. This also happens to some degree at the edge of each heated shrink circle. The hard spots make metal move in strange ways and can cause buckles away from the site that look like high spots.

I would start by taking the hood off so you dont damage any other work and anneal the whole hood. Heat it to at least 1600 degrees and let it cool slowly. An oxy/acetylene torch works well, just dont blow holes in it! That should eliminate all the hard spots and release most of the tension they are causing.

The next step may sound counterproductive, but was taught to me in auto body school and works when done right. The panel needs to be stretched uniformly. This can be done with a hammer and dolly IF you're REAL good and know what you are doing. The easier way is to use an english wheel with a flat lower anvil/wheel to squeeze out the thick parts of the panel (If both wheels are the same diameter it works perfect, but you likely won't find that set up.). English wheels aint cheap, but can be built relatively easily. Once you play with one a little you'll be looking for things to shape.

The trick is MULTIPLE passes with just enough tension on the wheels to roll out the thick spots without moving the thinner metal. If your lower wheel is much smaller than your top wheel it will impart a crown to the panel, but this can be dealt with later. Wider wheels also bring up the low spots and take down the high spots.

Once you are satisfied that the panel is of uniform thickness, you may want to anneal it one more time, depending upon how much hardening the wheel added (If the panel "rings" when you flick it with a fingernail it needs to be annealed.). Now the panel may be shrunk back into it's original shape. This can be done with a shrinking hammer or dolly, or it can be done with heating/rapid cooling. The trick here is to do the shrinking in a precise pattern so that the panel shrinks uniformly. This shinking sounds a little daunting, but is actually not that hard to do. think torque sequence for head bolts, but work from the outside in.

[stevinator 1]

I can't wait to see that when it's done.I saw a 63 lawn ranger at a show and really liked it.If I do another tractor I am going to weld up a tractor stand like yours,I like welding projects too. :banghead:

[Teddy da Bear 11]

(been home for 2 days this time!) so there wont be too much progress for a while. thankyousign.gif for the advice and pointers, guys

Psssssttttt......step away from the tractor.......take a break and spend some time with the wife and daughter...... You all will benifit. Even the horse will benifit! :banghead:

[sorekiwi 761]

Psssssttttt......step away from the tractor.......take a break and spend some time with the wife and daughter......� You all will benifit.� Even the horse will benifit!�

Thanks for the advice, Mike!

Actually I'm a batchelor when I'm in Indiana, my wife and daughter are living in Ohio (long ugly story you dont want to get into, believe me). If my house here ever sells I'll move back there too.

So the tractors are a good distraction when I'm home. Not that there isnt more important things to be doing than scrubbing rust off a 45 year old tractor (like laundry, vacuuming, cleaning the toilet.....)

And I do have days where I would be further along if I hadnt gone near the tractor. :banghead:

[Duff 206]

Not that there isnt more important things to be doing than scrubbing rust off a 45 year old tractor (like laundry, vacuuming, cleaning the toilet.....)

Nah, Mike, sounds to me like you've got your priorities right where they belong. Tractors ROCK , and the other stuff can wait (but if my wife ever reads this post I will be a DEAD MAN!)

Duff :banghead:

[sorekiwi 761]

About 2 months since a progress report. I have been working on it, but havent actually achieved had anything to show for it until now.

Not sure what I think about the paint. The tank turned out awesome, except for the bug stuck on the top. The hoods not too bad, except for a run on the front (not visible in the photo) and a couple of places where the pitting is still slightly visible. The belt gaurd is OK, a little bit of orange peel, but that might buff out when the paint gets harder.

Next job is to buff up that steering wheel. Its in good condition but pretty dirty. A little more to do on the motor and I'll be able to sit that in the hole. I'll try to get some thumbscrews made in the next day or so to hold the hood on.

Finally seems like I'm getting somewhere...