Don1977 604 #1 Posted March 31, 2009 I have made a few changes over the years. First I changed engines after the second overhaul gave up. B&S Vanguard 16 HP I put on in 1991. The muffler if you can call it that is 2 pieces 3/4" conduit and a section of 2" tail pipe. I got tired of hammering the tie rod back, and got these from Irvan - Smith a local race car supplier. They are 1/2" I turned the rod down and made bushings to 3/8" for the ends. The front wheels gave up and I put 3500 lbs spindle and hubs on with 6 ply tires. The rear tires are 23 10.5's. Here is a shot of the dash with a few extras. You didn't see the battery It usually is on the back but I have the lift hitch on it now and I can't have both. It starts very easy just turn it over a couple of time with the crank rope the set the choke turn on the switch make sure it's out of gear and it starts on the first or second pull. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Suburban 550 28 #3 Posted March 31, 2009 Great job. Nice tractor. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pfrederi 17,147 #4 Posted March 31, 2009 Heavy Duty front end!!! Saw an electric PTO switch on the dash... What does it control? Does the vanguard have some sort of thrust bearing on the crank to take the lateral loading form the manual PTO? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TJ 171 #5 Posted March 31, 2009 Nice work. Looks like it will go 30+ more years. :omg: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Operator 7 #6 Posted March 31, 2009 I really like those front hubs Randy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Don1977 604 #7 Posted March 31, 2009 The electric PTO was a kill switch untill I change the switch and rewired it. Had a switch from Lowes that would not kill the engine. The way we put we put the spindles on we drilled the center 3/4" then cross drilled them between the bearings the welded through the holes and the back side. If I was doing it again I would leave the new spindles longer and have the top milled 3/4" to slide up under the king pin. I cut these to stop against the king pin. The Vandguard has ball bearing on both side of the crank. Havn't had a problem with that and it's been on there 18 years. If you install one put a solid plate under the engine. I broke the corner off that engine and had to weld it back. I have a 3/8" plate under it now with 1/2" by 2" spacers under that to get the PTO line up where it was before. I bored the drive pulley and bushed it back to 1" and turned a sleeve to get the PTO to fit. Had to change springs because the shaft length was different. The threaded center on the motor shaft was smaller also. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kpinnc 10,740 #8 Posted April 1, 2009 The Vandguard has ball bearing on both side of the crank. Havn't had a problem with that and it's been on there 18 years. Glad to hear it... Here's my Vanguard re-power: Personally, this is one of my favorite tractors. The Vanguard is smooth, quiet, and seems to have plenty of power. I'm not willing to trade all my K-series Kohlers mind you, but I do like this engine. Very nice looking machine you have there Don! Looks like you've put a great deal of thought and work into it. Kevin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
