Questions bout 40s/50s MW 2 wheel garden tractor

[FarmboyBill]

Gots lots of questions. Does anyone have any experience with one?

[fordson major]

i have a couple, one simplicity and the other a mystery! also have a single wheeled one that needs an engine but in good shape!

[FarmboyBill]

#1 The plow on it has a crank adjustment. What is it for? I would think if it went to deep you would raise it up, and if it went to shallow you would bear down on the handles. It dosent have a depth wheel,so whaddia u think? #2How do I clean the wire mesh on the air filter cleaner.? #3What wgt does the engine take? #4Do I screw the fill/check plug all the way in and take it out to check the oil, or just set it in and take it out to check the oil. #5What wgt oil for the trans? #6What is the big hand knob/wheel riseing up from the frame between the engine and trans? #7What is the R hand handle up by the handles do? #9Can I get an ops manual? #10 What is the 2 3in pulleys with a small belt attached do. There is a knob at the controls that you pull, and it has a spring to bring it back down on the mounted one of the V belt pulleys which are belted together. The other just raises around 10ins and lowers with 2 flat straps of metal seperateing and holding them. #11How much air in tires? #12The 2 big knob controls are marked R & L> Is this for assembly only? #13What is the 3/8th rod comeing out of the gear case and going to the R axle housing for, and whats the spring going around the outer right axle for? #14Whats I & L on the engine dipstick mean? #15 It has on the plate mounted on the engine these words, (actually the only words big enough for me to read with a mag glass. MID _ WT _ 16773 Serial 16618812. Also has > SOLD ON TRACTOR. 4.8hp - 3000, and finally WMC _ ABN _ 62908. #16 How old is it, do u think?

[uncle Will in In.]

BILL <> You can do like any red blooded country boy would do and get the booger fired up. Once it takes off with you galloping along behind it, the answers to most of your questions will just come to you by the time you get it stopped. Hold it under 80 on the tight6 turns. UNK

[Just Cliff]

I had a david Bradley. Then like most stuff...I built my own two wheel tractor. I made it out of a Bolens 1050. Has 10 hp engine and off-road truck tires. Its a beast. I wish I could find small tractor tires for it. I would much rather have those.

[Wis Bang]

We had a Simplicity FB from the mid 50's w/ a 7.5 hp clinton & a 'quick hitch'. It had a variety of attachments. Allis Chalmers made both Simplicity & Montgomery Ward.

The engine was mounted on top of an upside down 'U' shaped plate that was the front attachment quick hitch. There was two froward facing slots in the forward edges of the sides and similar cuts back about 6" facing down.

The snowplow, 36" sickle bar, rotary mower & counter weight had a flatstock frame w/ two bolts connected on one side by a flat strap & two big wingnuts on the opposite side. This frame fit inside the mount & by tipping the front of the attachment up you could slide the back bolt under until the front bolt went into the forward facing slots w/ the strap & wing nut on the outside [someone had to hold down on the handle bars or you wedged 'em under the pickup bumper] once the front bolt was seated, loweringthe front of the implement would push the back bolt up into the downward facing slots. Thghtening the wingnuts secured the item. It was alot quicker than typing about it. w/ the mowers or snowplow affixed the implement would balance the machine w/ the handlebars at the right height.

the engine had a pulley that could drive three vee belts w/ the outer one being a smaller diameter. the transaxle had a gearshift that reached back almost to the handlebars & a cross bar between then held handles that clutched the tractor and implements w/ rods. the handle(s) stuck up and pulling the one back would tighten an idler against the drive belt to start the transaxle moving. It was spring loaded [at the idler] and would lock back flat. A gentle rap upwards would make it snap up and out of gear.

The transaxle had a neutral detent Reverse to one side and 3 different speed to the other. The handlebars attached to the back of the transaxle and had a mount for a sulky, plow, or tiler. The front mounted counterweight was a solid three inch rod w/ a quick hitch frame and it counter balenced the plow. Ours had a trailing steel wheel and a crank to adjust the depth so you could work w/ the handle bars in a comfortable position and took only a small amount of upwards pressure to pull the plow up out of the ground so you could turn around and plow back in the other direction. It would have been alot harder to control the depth w/ the handle bars.

We had the wheel weights and tire chains for snow plowing & we would put the weights on when plowing a garden too.

The axle ends had a 'T' shape inside a round hub that the drive wheels mounted to. a 'dog' hooked to the axle inside the hub would engauge against teeth cast inside the hub allowing a differential action for turning and would also freewheel downhill. When you completed the turn you would se the inside of the free wheel [outer wheel in the turn] turn around until the dog caught the hub. As soon as both hubs were locked again, off you went.

We used this machine mowing weedlots w/ the sickle bar head, when dad bought the business it came w/ three of them and the snowplow and garden plow. I saw another w/ a rotary front mower and sulky.

The sickle bars were uniquely designed and worked very well. The hitch portion was connected to a 1" solid rod the width of the blade W/ 2 vertical rods going down to two cast feet. One was covered w/ a tube that had a flat arm w/ a hole at the end to drive the blade. The drive pulley & idler ran a shaft that had an excentric on the other end connected to the driver tube converting the pulley's rotational motion into the back and forth motion the blade required. The blade had a threaded hole on top that sat under the hole in the drive bar. a bolt w/ a bushing went down thru the drive bar into the blade. A pair of small rods went from the front of the cast feet around to a flat bar sticking forward from the top pipe and would bring the weeds in a little and the blade would slice thru. The rods would hold the just cut weeds [still upright leaning against the weeds waiting to be cut as the cut stems slid back across the sicklebar until the wheels pulled them clear as you mowed. The drive bar had a rod that pushed in that side while a steel flag bolted to the last blade tooth did the same on the other end.

As long as everything stayed together it worked great. as soon as something went amis the cut got messy. We always carried a spare head so we could finish w/ out havingg to repair it in the field.

Dad would mow while I trimmed the edges and 'weird' spots w/ sickle and sythe as well as walk back the cut looking for the latest part that vibrated off the machine.

I used to plow the sidewalks for our whole block and we plowed the neighbors gardens too.

[Windy in Kansas]

Originally Posted by Just Cliff

I wish I could find small tractor tires for it. I would much rather have those.

Take a look at salvage combines to see if powered rear axle wheels would be about the right size for small tractor tires. Also if you have center pivot irrigation rigs the tires and wheels on those sometimes have the lugs but would be larger in diameter.

Uncle Will, good to see you posting again.

[Stephen in SOKY]

These folks might be of help: http://www.earthtoolsbcs.com/ I'm working on adapting several of their attachments for use on my AC G model.