Agricat crawler model-F

[jdcrawler]

I'm thinking about 15 years or more ago, I posted a bunch of photos of parts that I had gotten for an Agricat crawler.
Here is the main body for the crawler.
This part is still in storage out at my sons place and it will most likely be a couple of weeks before we can did it out.




Some of the parts for the two rear drive clutches.




Parts for the suspension and front idler wheel supports.




The two front idler wheels.




The tracks.
The top left six track links on the front track are all frozen together so those will have to be freed up.
the rest of the track links all move freely.
There were a lot more photos of other parts but this gives you an idea of what I'm starting out with.




The first thing that I'm going to work on is the engine and that is sitting on a shelf up in the loft.
So, using my new remote operated hoist, I raise my lift cart up to the loft.
It was a lot easier doing this with the remote switch. I was able to stay down on the lower level and keep the cart from hanging up against the side wall as I raised it up.




Then I go up onto the loft and swing the cart inside.




Using the cart, I'm able to easily get the engine off the shelf.




The engine is then lowered down onto my diecart.
The engine is a Wisconsin TJD twin cylinder.




The hoist cable is reeled back up and the gate is closed.

 

[Dougt]

Don't think I've ever seen an Agricat with a twin Wisconsin. Most had a model 23 Briggs.

 

[hamman]

Another nice restoration thread coming I think. Glad to see you are still tinkering Ray. Looking forward to it.

 

[jdcrawler]

Don't think I've ever seen an Agricat with a twin Wisconsin. Most had a model 23 Briggs.

That little 1949 Agricat model-C crawler that I use to have had an 6 HP Wisconsin with a 2-speed transmission on it.
This one is a model-F. I got two of the big cast iron 8 HP Wisconsin engines with it but I want to use this TJD that I've had for awhile on it.

 

[olcowhand]

I like the TJD engine. If meticulous in tuning, it can idle slow enough to sound similar to a John Deere twin loping along.

 

[MNGB]

JD I'm looking forward to following you on this project

 

[jdcrawler]

Ready to start taking it apart.




Most of the shrouding has been removed and it is sprayed down with degreaser.






Much cleaner now.






Pulled the cylinders off to see if it had 3 or 4 rings on the pistons.
Napa had a front crankshaft oil seal but I had to order the rear seal and the piston rings on line so there will be a few days before they show up.

 

[jdcrawler]

Looking on the internet, I had found one company that still listed piston rings for the Wisconsin TJD & THD two cylinder engines so I ordered a set for$63 including shipping.
They sent me an email this morning to let me know that those rings were on back order and that they had no idea of how long it would be before they would be available.

While looking for piston rings some time ago for another old engine, I had come across a company in Grease that specialised in supplying piston rings for rebuilding antique vehicles, tractors and machinery.
Thay have all of their rings listed by outside diameter, and width so you can sort thru their list to get rings that match what you're working with.

So I ordered what I need from them and they will take a few weeks to get here. The rings cost $52 and the shipping cost $47.

Today I got the tracks down from the loft.




I was able to get the master link taken apart on both tracks and lay them out.




Using the torch and some spray lubricant, I went to work on loosening up the links that are frozen up.
The right track is laying out flat now and the left track still has some kinks in it.






Then I worked on the left track to get it to lay out flat.




The tracks are sprayed down with grease remover and I'm ready to take them to the car wash.




They cleaned up good.
While loading them on the trailer, I found some of the links that are laying flat are frozen together that way so I'll have to get them loosened up also.

 

[cjet69]

There you go, laying more track.

 

[olcowhand]

Hastings most likely can get you piston rings.

 

[jdcrawler]

Hastings most likely can get you piston rings.

Already tried them. They no longer make the rings for this engine.

 

[olcowhand]

Already tried them. They no longer make the rings for this engine.

Oh man, hate hearing that. They've always been my "go to" for hard to find rings!

 

[jdcrawler]

Oh man, hate hearing that. They've always been my "go to" for hard to find rings!

Yeah, I know what you mean. They were the only company that had the correct rings for those special 1/8 oversize pistons in my 49 flathead that's in the model-T.

 

[cjet69]

I thought if Hastings didn't have them in stock they would make up a set. Maybe things have changed or became cost prohibitive.

 

[jdcrawler]

I have a flywheel, clutch disk and pressure plate off a Farmall Cub tractor that I'm going to adapt to fit on this Wisconsin TJD engine.




I have removed the starter ring gear off the flywheel and I cut the center out of the big pulley that was on the back of the Wisconsin engine.




The cast center of the pulley is turned down to make it concentric with the bore and a step is machined onto it on one end.




A 3/4 inch thick ring is then bored out to fit onto the center piece.




The two pieces are pressed together and then welded and the outside diameter of the ring is turned down to fit into the back of the flywheel.

 

[jdcrawler]

The hole is drilled and reamed in the flywheel hub and the locating dowel pin is pressed into it.
Then the four mounting bolt holes are drilled and tapped into it.



The transmission that I'm going to use is this transmission that came on that tractor frame that I put the Ford model-A engine in.




This transmission had a V-belt pulley welded onto the clutch disk center.
The spline on the Farmall clutch disk is much smaller than the spline on the pulley.




I have the pulley set up on the lathe so the spline is on center.
Then I turned down a part of the outside diameter so I can later turn it around and clamp onto this end on the lathe.




I have cut the center out of the pulley and punched the rivets out of the center of the clutch disk and removed it.




The center from the pulley is clamped up on the lathe and the end is machined to fit into the clutch disk.




The mounting holes are drilled and tapped for 10-24 allen bolts.
It's not likely that I will ever have to replace this clutch disc but if I did have to, all I would have to do is pop the rivets out of the new disk and put the old center into the new clutch disk.




The Farmall Cub clutch disk now fits onto the transmission.

 

[jdcrawler]

This is the position where the clutch disc will ride on the input shaft of the transmission.




As you can see here, the center of the Farmall flywheel is countersunk well below the surface that the clutch disk rides on.




I have machined out a spacer that has a bushing in it for the end of the transmission input shaft to ride in.




The end of this spacer fits into the center hole in the flywheel to keep in concentric with the flywheel.
The mounting bolts go all the way thru and are screwed into the hub on the back side of the flywheel.




This brings the face of the spacer up close to the clutch disc.




The end of the input shaft will now fit into the bushing to keep it centered.




Turning the flywheel over, you can see the flat end of the spacer at the end of the bore in the hub.
This will allow the flywheel to slide onto the crankshaft until the end of the crankshaft comes up against this surface of the spacer.
The flywheel then can go no farther onto the crankshaft even with the force of the clutch pressure plate arms being pushed in.




The flywheel slips onto the end of the crankshaft a little ways but it is a tight enough fit that I will have to use a hammer and a block of wood to tap the flywheel all the way on.

 

[jdcrawler]

I have to make my own bellhousing for this engine. The front mounting plate for the bellhousing is cut out of 3/16 inch thick steel. This plate will bolt onto the back of the engine and I have cut a 4 inch diameter hole in it for locating it on the rear bearing cover.




The mounting holes on the rear bearing cover are drilled thru the steel plate.





The bearing cover is mounted back on the engine and the steel plate is bolted on to make sure that all the holes line up correctly.
A wide notch is cut into the bottom of the steel plate so it can be removed without having to pull the flywheel off.




Two pieces of 3/4 inch angle iron are made up and bolted to the sides of the plate.





The rest of the angle iron form is welded up. This will be the front mounting edge of the bellhousing.





The front plate for the bellhousing is primed and bolted onto the back of the engine. The angle iron form is then bolted onto it.




How it looks from the side.






The flywheel is now fastened onto the end of the crankshaft.

 

[jdcrawler]

The clutch disc and pressure plate are mounted onto the flywheel.




The mounting plate for the transmission is machined out of 3/16 inch thick steel plate and it is bolted onto the front of the transmission.




The transmission is then lined up with the engine and blocked up in place.




The two sides for the bellhousing are clamped in place and ready to be tack welded.




The front half of the top of the bellhousing is bent to fit the shape of the angle iron mounting bracket and it is welded in place.




The front of the bellhousing is pocket welded to the angle iron mounting bracket so it can be unbolted from the face plate that is bolted to the back of the engine.
The two side panels will be pocket welded later after the bellhousing has been removed from the engine.




I have made the bellhousing as small as I could and still have good clearance around the flywheel.

 

[jdcrawler]

I have had this old dump box trailer sitting out behind my son's garage since 2014. It was all overgrown with weeds and vines and I finally dug it out and hauled it home.




It has a hand operated winch with a cable to tilt it up.




Inside it was the frame for the Agricat crawler that I'm working on.




The fenders and the side plates were also inside the trailer.




Back in 1983, I had built a dolly that my model-T frame sat on so I could move it around while I was working on it.




I haven't seen that dolly for years and I was surprised to find that it was inside that trailer also.
I can't see me ever needing it for a car frame again so I have shortened it up some.




The crawler frame fits on it nicely.