Sadistic engineers at MTD

[ohiofarmer 3,372]

 Well, to start with, this tractor is big and powerful and it is free. My only requirement is to mow a lot with it about three times a year. This could work out because this beastie could live at my farm that takes two hours to mow and is a nice motorcycle ride away. I figure that with 26 horsepower and a 56" cut, it is worthwhile to at least try to get it running. I tried to get a picture off the internet, but could not find much for the MTD [Huskee} 808K

 

 First, the spark coils are blitzed. That is what happens when you hook the hot wire to the ground on the solenoid. The ground wire to the coils melted, but I found two non-briggs coils for 36 bucks. So far so good. While waiting for the coils to arrive, I cleaned the carb. It looks like a bowl seal will do the job. 

 

 The mower was a grimy mess, so I removed an engine killing mouse nest and applied penetrating oil to every fastener I could find. All the sheet metal came off so I could get at things and the mower looked reasonably simple with modular assemblies. Kerosine and a paintbrush followed with Murphy's oil soap and easy rinsing got the thing looking pretty good. this mower has sat in a damp if not wet floor outbuilding for most of its life, and the underside of the deck is pretty rusty as are the pulleys. I just made sense to remove the deck and get it down to the frame and engine. When I noticed how rusty the pulleys were, I figured that they would tear the belts up and a wire wheel and silicone grease would be needed to put them back in shape. the variable drive pulley was removed and the sheave freed up so the variable ratio drive would work. Not even in the same league as a WH tractor with gear or hydro drive, so I wonder how all that engine power could be used to pull anything, So really it is probably just strong enough to pull the tractor itself and the mower deck.

 

 You could tell that the Mower had a recent belt change, but the main belt that drives the transmission from the engine pulley had not. First, I got the electric clutch and mower pulley removed , and the operators manual stated that now I could change the transmission drive pulley located above it. Not a chance If it did not slide off easily, it was not coming off.. The frame is but a single stamping and included in that stamping is ears that point down and surround the drive pulley on three sides  to keep the belt on the pulley. So these sadistic engineers made it impossible to change a drive belt without pulling the engine. I guess in their world, no pulley ever gets dirt or rust in the keyway and they just slide right off...

. The drive pulley was already bent from someone else attempting to pry it off .It was only a fifteen minute job to get out the four engine bolts and manage the engine and drive belt through the frame of the tractor, but i bet that it would be an hour and a half of shop time. That is why these mowers get junked. At least I figured out that the engine had to be pulled to make things happen and it was possible to get at the mounting bolts with a ratchet. I tapped the bent spots on the pulley decent enough to use because the metal was pretty soft

 

 To make it possible for the next belt change, those fixed ears that surround the pulley on three sides will get removed with a cutting wheel and removable angle iron guards will be installed in their place to keep the belt from slipping off the pulley while the machine is idling. I will also add a front bumper of sorts to protect the fragile muffler mounted between the front wheels.The mower looks clean and would pass for a well cared for machine when I am done. Maybe I could trade it for a nice 10 or 12 HP old school Red machine?  I was glad to have a ceiling hoist as putting the front of the tractor straight up in the air made it much easier to work on.

 

 I still think my 43 and 45 year old Horses will easily outlast the MTD, but having a big pasture mower might be OK to use in a pinch and not make me cry is someone steals it.

 

 

Edited September 1, 2016 by ohiofarmer

[953 nut 59,929]

7 hours ago, ohiofarmer said:

sadistic engineers made it impossible to change a drive belt without pulling the engine. I guess in their world, no pulley ever gets dirt or rust in the keyway and they just slide right off.

They don't care about having repairs done; just an efficient assembly line!      Use it until the belt wares out and then buy a new one; planned obsolescence.      

[ohiofarmer 3,372]

Well, at least the tires are Carlisle and a direct fit for my Wheel Horses. The wheels are 4 bolt though... I will let you guys know if I get it running. I am not optimistic that the charging stator will work because of the guy blowing up the previous solenoid and backfeeding the ground with + voltage.. Since the only thing the batteries are needed for is starting,[and also to hold open a fuel stop in the carburetor bowl] I may not use the kill wire but just put an inline fuel stop in the fuel line.

 

 If there is interest, i will let you guys know what happens.

[ohiofarmer 3,372]

Now it runs!

 

I put the aftermarket coils in and there was no spark. Then I looked closer at the old coils and there is a cylinder side and a top side

 

 Anyway, after about 50 bucks it should start and run once I put the oil in...

[ohiofarmer 3,372]

 Now we are getting close. It does start and run, but we have to use jumper wires to defeat some of the more stupid safety switches. The stator IS putting out 14 volts or so, but i have to locate the return [charging] wire to the battery and connect it. I just hope that the flywheel does not have to be pulled to find the wire....that could be hiding underneath

 

 I have no intention of hooking kill wires to the new coils because the fuel bowl gas supply shuts off with a solenoid and starves off after a few seconds of the key shutting off, That feature is designed to prevent afterfire. The key does not crank the machine, but the switch that prevents using the starter without the forward/reverse lever is probably the problem. Since the brake lever has to be depressed as well, that is just overkill.

 

 The tins on the engine have impossible fasteners on the bottom , but i have an idea on how to fix that. You gotta make them fit correctly for proper air flow to cool the thing.

 

 I must say that the big Briggs is smooth and quiet as this mower was probably close to top of the line for a MTD. If it all works out, I will have a well gone through unit for $75 or less.

 

 If you don't know it by now, i enjoy making something out of nothing. I do this kind of thing with garage find vintage Honda motorcycles as well

[elcamino/wheelhorse 9,362]

@ohiofarmer It sounds like you have had too much fun with the MTD beast , could get a picture of the beast ?

[ohiofarmer 3,372]

On 9/22/2016 at 4:55 PM, elcamino/wheelhorse said:

@ohiofarmer It sounds like you have had too much fun with the MTD beast , could get a picture of the beast ?

  I would get some pictures, but right now, my camera is AWOL.. Anyway, the tractor now starts and runs with its own key. I still need to mount that huge tub of sheet metal that is fenders to footrests. I cleaned it up with tire shine to make the plastic inserts and paint look better. Once the electric clutch is mounted and the deck receives one more coat of Agri-Guard the old girl will be ready to mow. The owner and i came to an agreement in that since the labor to repair this thing correctly as I did would be so high that the mower is now mine. in exchange, i will mow his little camping lot in the woods a few times a year [the Raider 10 is the perfect size for it]

 My plans for the mower is to keep it at my farm so I do not have to haul my Horse up there every week, just ride the motorcycle. It takes two hours to mow with a 42" deck. Hopefully a 54" deck will take at least a half hour off that project.

 

 On edit. The fenders, seat and all that are now mounted, and with just one safety working, all you have to do is press the brake to start the machine. i like that, because it is just like the clutch safety switch on the Raider10. It also shuts down with the key because with the key off, the solenoid on the carburetor shuts off the fuel flow and it starves it pretty quickly. There is really no point in also grounding the magnetos to the Ign, switch.. You have to be pretty happy when one comes in on budget

Edited September 25, 2016 by ohiofarmer

[ohiofarmer 3,372]

 Now it is "finished" in that now the thing will start and mow. It mows better than expected because the deck has a full length roller that helps a lot to keep it from scalping. This is probably the most heavy duty deck that MTD makes, so that is a big plus for this machine. There were plenty of other issues. The electric clutch had tight bearings and was not fully seated on the engine drive shaft. I took it apart and used Freeze-off to loosen the bearings up, but it took an hour of constant filing to get the key properly fitted to the engine shaft. More butchering by previous repair by other unknown people. A new clutch from MTD is more than $350.00 Aftermarket clutches with replaceable bearings are about $175.00 I am ordering a new bottom bearing for the clutch to have just in case. The present bearing is staked in place by these wonderful people at MTD. Replacing it would require grinding out the stakes and lots of time and patience.

 

The machine shakes a lot compared to the elegance of a WH, but it did smooth out some once the old mower belt got some use. Fuel use is approaching twice the amount of fuel for the same acreage mowed. I also need to use hearing protection with the overall noise level of tractor+mower.

 

 The hood cage needs a bit of welding at the tab ears, and the hood itself had some dents and creases that hammered out 90% It looks like I could use a bit of body filler and then paint the affected area flat black to accent the hood and draw attention away from the repaired area.

 

 Since the mower will look good and has the appeal of covering a lot of ground, i should probably just sell it off [maybe $800.00] and use the money for a really nice Wheel horse or possibly do an Onan-to Kohler swap on the 520 I already have

 

 

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