Snoopy11 5,713 #1 Posted April 13, 2021 Howdy! Obviously, I am... new to Wheel Horse Forum. Few of you know me... if you haven't seen my tractor... it is: So, I bought a Tillotson engine from GoPowerSports... and the engine had a catastrophic rod failure after a little use. I have various engines that I can work with, including Troy, Massimo, Tecumseh, Champion, Tillotson stage 1 (once I rebuild it...), and a Tillotson 212R Mark II. After inspection of the Tillotson stage 1... I realize that one of the rod bolts had DEFINITELY come loose, it was not torqued to spec. So... I have bought a new balanced crankshaft and rod assembly from ARC racing. I also bought the Tillotson Mark II engine from EC carburetors. I plan to repair the tillotson stage 1, and keep the Tillotson Mark II engine as my back-up. Obviously, with these engines, I am running high rpms, and after discussing with various engine builders, they all recommend Mobil 1 synthetic 10w 30. I plan to only run the Tillotston stage 1 at around 5,500-5,800 RPM, MAYBE up to 6,000 once it is fully broken-in. At the moment, I am running my Massimo stage 1 engine which is my least favorite in my collection. I wanted to know anybody's thoughts on all of this. Additionally, as a race tractor, are there any gears that anyone knows of that I can install to make the tractor faster? I don't know if this has been done, but I know that if it HAS been done, this is the right place to ask! Thanks!!! Don 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 59,446 #2 Posted April 13, 2021 Looks fun! Typically “gear” changes on these are simply done by changing the engine and transmission pulleys and simply overdriving the trans. @wallfish @Greentored @Ed Kennell it seems have all done it pretty extreme. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snoopy11 5,713 #3 Posted April 13, 2021 (edited) 11 minutes ago, pullstart said: Looks fun! Typically “gear” changes on these are simply done by changing the engine and transmission pulleys and simply overdriving the trans. @wallfish @Greentored @Ed Kennell it seems have all done it pretty extreme. Yes sir. That is what I thought. I guess that transmission can handle my rpms... I did dismantle the trans, clean it up (a little rusty when I first built the tractor). The only thing that I am not sure about is the gear oil. I don't know if I should use something like Lucas gear oil... or just stick with regular... tractor supply stuff. 'undecided' is a good word for me... If I didn't have the big ole plow on the front... I would need wheelie bars for sure... When I had the Tillotson on it, a guy on a zero turn thought he was faster, so I got beside him, he went full throttle, I went about 1/4 throttle and I was staying beside him. I mashed the throttle and the look on the guys face is irreplaceable. Utter shock. My speed was way more than double the zero turn. Only problem is... when you go around a turn... ya don't really want to hit the gas too hard... as it will sling you off... LOL I'm getting the parts for my Tillotson stage 1, and my Mark II engine tomorrow. I have talked to engine builders, but... anybody here got any advice for break-in? Some people say... let it idle, some people say to NEVER let it idle... Obviously using assembly lube is necessary. Other than that, I can't think of anything. Any suggestions are welcome! Regards, Don Edited April 13, 2021 by Snoopy11 Double signature... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 59,446 #4 Posted April 13, 2021 10 minutes ago, Snoopy11 said: I have talked to engine builders, but... anybody here got any advice for break-in? Some people say... let it idle, some people say to NEVER let it idle... @prondzy swears that the best way to break it in is use it as intended. He has tossed a 1 bottom plow behind a fresh rebuild and let ‘er eat. as for trans fluid, some running higher speeds have gone to 10W30 to free up some ponies. Slinging it all over, if it’s got 1-1/2 qts of oil... it’s good enough. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oliver2-44 8,814 #5 Posted April 13, 2021 (edited) In the transmission I would use the 10w30 as pullstart mentioned, but I would add a 1/2 pint of Lucas. Lucas give oil more "sticking" to surfaces. With those gears turning at higher speeds that normal a little sticking help is a good thing. Also beside the pulley swap, to get a little more speed you can increase the size of the rear tires. Edited April 13, 2021 by oliver2-44 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
prondzy 3,867 #6 Posted April 14, 2021 Letter rip, if somethings gonna break so it right away, better than rings that don't say and cause you to burn oil Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wallfish 15,870 #7 Posted April 14, 2021 Speed can be increased by pulley sizes and or the addition of a jackshaft with pulleys . If you make the trans pulley too small it will tend to slip 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greentored 3,186 #8 Posted April 14, 2021 Those round hood Horses are REAL light in the front end, especially with an aluminum engine. If you plan to remove the plow and have some fun, I'd highly recommend some form of wheelie bar, they will come up accidentally and effortlessly haha. Pulley swaps and taller tires are how to speed it up. These trannys seem to do just fine at high rpms, but I feel sorry for the speeds some guys spin them at. My round hood ran 28mph and never hurt the trans. The new machine runs about 18 and seems much happier- the 15-20mph range seems to be a safe speed where they will last for a very very long time. Ive run motor oil, lucas, gear oil, atf, etc... some of these high speed guys run the same, and even 140w to quiet them down a bit. Heck, some guys fill em with kerosene or diesel fuel to flush the crud out and cruise them around for hours, and it works! I dont think these trannys are picky- as long as the oil is clean, betting youd be fine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Tuul Crib 7,332 #9 Posted April 14, 2021 Sure does run quiet!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snoopy11 5,713 #10 Posted April 14, 2021 4 hours ago, Greentored said: Those round hood Horses are REAL light in the front end, especially with an aluminum engine. If you plan to remove the plow and have some fun, I'd highly recommend some form of wheelie bar, they will come up accidentally and effortlessly haha. Pulley swaps and taller tires are how to speed it up. These trannys seem to do just fine at high rpms, but I feel sorry for the speeds some guys spin them at. My round hood ran 28mph and never hurt the trans. The new machine runs about 18 and seems much happier- the 15-20mph range seems to be a safe speed where they will last for a very very long time. Ive run motor oil, lucas, gear oil, atf, etc... some of these high speed guys run the same, and even 140w to quiet them down a bit. Heck, some guys fill em with kerosene or diesel fuel to flush the crud out and cruise them around for hours, and it works! I dont think these trannys are picky- as long as the oil is clean, betting youd be fine. Yes sir! With my TIllotson, I can do an... extended length wheelies. I also like your signature... "I said no to wheel horses but they didn't listen." --Same here... I don't know what MPH my tractor will run... but I do know it is fast. Believe it or not, I ran Hydraulic fluid after I overhauled the transmission. I was told by an old mechanic that hydraulic fluid deposits a protective film on the metal surfaces, specifically those which have been cleaned. Obviously... not a good idea to run hydro fluid for a long time... but temporarily to clean any left particles out and give this "coating" ...it seemed to work fine. The old mechanic I know told me that hydro fluid is thermally stable, meaning no matter what rpm, it will not change viscosity. I don't know if any of you guys have heard any of this, but it is what I was told... 16 hours ago, prondzy said: Letter rip, if somethings gonna break so it right away, better than rings that don't say and cause you to burn oil Yes sir, will do. I should be getting my engine goodies here any minute... will start the rebuilding process of my Tilly stage 1. My... hope is that nothing breaks... 15 hours ago, wallfish said: Speed can be increased by pulley sizes and or the addition of a jackshaft with pulleys . If you make the trans pulley too small it will tend to slip Wallfish, please excuse my ignorance... but what do you mean by pulley sizes... bigger or smaller? And... must these be fabricated... or can they be purchased anywhere? Thanks everyone for your replies! You guys are awesome! Don 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wallfish 15,870 #11 Posted April 14, 2021 5 hours ago, Snoopy11 said: Wallfish, please excuse my ignorance... but what do you mean by pulley sizes... bigger or smaller? And... must these be fabricated... or can they be purchased anywhere? Pulleys, bearings, shaft, belts etc etc etc can be purchased here. https://www.surpluscenter.com/ A larger diameter V belt pulley on the engine with a smaller diameter pulley on the trans input will increase the speed. To keep pulleys within a reasonable diameter to work with and fit on the tractor, a jackshaft in between can be used to adjust pulley sizes and increase speed. Something like this. The fixed idler helps keep the belt from slipping on a smaller trans pulley by holding more belt surface to the pulley groove. There are lots of calculators online you can use to work out diameter of pulleys and RPM I don't know what spindles and tie rods you have on your tractor but if you do speed it up make sure the front end parts are up to par. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
