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I suppose it's time for a build thread...

3K views 29 replies 4 participants last post by  1project2many 
#1 ·
I've had my tractor since 2008 and it wouldn't be what it is today without help from this forum, so I'm going to link to some of the earlier threads from here and document any progress I may make in this thread.

http://www.mytractorforum.com/18-bolens-forum/53068-new-tractor-=-new-questions.html
Purchased a 1050 with FEL for $500 one weekend as a project. Tractor was sold in unknown condition. I added fuel, connected jumper cables, and it started. We had record snowfall that winter and I put it to work very quickly. And found its weaknesses very quickly as well. That poor machine had been rode hard and put away wet too many times.

http://www.mytractorforum.com/18-bolens-forum/63038-tube-frame-math-1-1=-1-a.html
Found a 1256 on Ebay for $75 a couple of hours away. Spent time moving the bucket and engine from the 1050, built the duallys, rebuilt the steering gear and column, and had myself a hydro tractor with a FEL. About 10 months after that last post we had child #1 then another 20 months later we had child #2. So in the time between then and now I've only made a few small repairs / changes such as replacing the hydro control shaft seal, redesigning the pump mount slightly, and moving the muffler below the engine.

It's been almost 8 years since I put the 1256 together. This year we hope to put a small addition on the house and I'm hoping my lil' tractor will be a big part of that. I plan to make more changes to help make the tractor more usable. First is the spindle upgrade which is nearly complete:
http://www.mytractorforum.com/18-bolens-forum/1101898-not-another-1000-spindle.html
Along with the spindles I need to reinforce the tube frame at the front end.

I also need to fix the bucket geometry. I don't believe the bucket is original to the loader. It's hard to tell what it's from originally as the Johnsen loaders seemd to be different from day to tay, tractor to tractor. With the tilt cylinder retracted the bucket floor isn't even close to level let alone angled back toward the tractor. The bottom inch or two of the bucket sides are pretty rusty so I'm thinking about cutting a Vee in the sides and bending the floor up.

I'm still running the 10 horse Wisconsin from the 1050. It's not very strong so I'm going to replace it. I kept the original TRA-12D from the 1256 but it needs a fair amount of work. I'm going back and forth between a 10hp diesel (I've wanted one since I built the tractor) and a 16-18 horse gas job. Chinese quality control is spotty at best and I don't want to end up with a dead diesel in the middle of a larger project. For the same money as the diesel I have found a new Vanguard 16 and a complete Eliminator 1668 with 16 horse and an Eaton 11. This might be the best bet as the Eaton 10 in the tractor now has always been very noisy. Choices, choices...

I need to come up with a new mounting for the bucket pump. I transferred it to the 1256 in the same position as the original 1050. This puts the pump right inline with they hydro pedal and under the brake pedal. I notched the hydro pedal but the pump really has to move. The brake can't be used and my boots end up hitting the pump.

I hope to replace the hydraulic hoses. The outer rubbers are split everywhere. The supply line from the reservoir is poorly executed. And moving the pump is going to dictate new hoses as well. Lotsa cost there, though, and money is limited.
 

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#2 ·
Neato! Great project! :)

At first glance, I thought it was a large frame. It looks big with the loader in the photos.

It sounds like you've got some great plans for it and I have no doubt that'll be an instrumental help for your upcoming house projects.

Looking forward to following along! :tango_face_smile:
 
#3 ·
I found an engine, but I created more work by doing it. I found a medium frame H16XL on CL with a 16 horse Tecumseh and an Eaton 11. I know this combination as I already have the same tractor for mowing and general yard work. I figured I could use the engine and hydro for the bucket tractor and use the rest of it for parts. Turns out this tractor's in awesome shape, far better overall than the machine I have now. There are a few minor issues such as the seat cover is split, the park brake linkage is wrong, and it has a small mower deck vs the 48" on my other XL so I'll be moving some parts over. The plus side is that last summer I replaced piston and rings and cleaned up the valves in the old XL so it runs like a top, and I've replaced the input shaft seal not too many moons ago. So the easy answer has become even more work.

I got plenty of looks on the way back and even a thumbs up. Pretty neat how a 30 yr old tractor gets respect.

Here's a thread with the old tractor back in 2011. It's not as nice looking now.
http://www.mytractorforum.com/18-bolens-forum/186751-medium-frame-bagger-chute.html
 

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#4 · (Edited)
I spent some time this weekend looking at how to best approach the bucket. The bucket does not look like a Johnson Workhorse bucket, especially not a bucket for a single cylinder model 10. At first I thought the bucket simply didn't tilt back enough but after a little thought I realized the problem is that there just isn't enough rotation. Changing the bucket position at ground level will prevent dumping with the boom up. So I set about determining the correct distance from pivot at the bottom of the bucket to the tilt linkage attachment point. After looking at specifications for commercial equipment it looks like a total bucket rotation of near 100 degrees is typical with something near 35-40 degrees back from horizontal and 60-65 degrees forward from horizontal for the dump. After some measurements and calculations I realized the present attachment point is about 5" too high. I also realized the bucket is "dual wall" and the inside of the bucket is a separate piece from the exterior skin. It is constructed of 1/8" to 1/4" steel so this must be a fairly heavy part. So now I need to determine a plan to move ahead.

I think the easiest and lowest cost method is to repair the sides then improve the geometry. I can skin the damaged area with 1/16" steel which I currently own. Then I will move the pivot point closer to the tilt linkage attachment by raising them, effectively lowering the bucket for a given frame position. This is similar to many other Johnson buckets and it will change the angle of the tilt cylinder closer to original at the same time. At some point in the future I might be able to build a new bucket with dual cylinders but right now I'm trying not to let this part of the project snowball. The attached pictures show my bucket (on red loader) and what I believe is an original single cylinder bucket (grey frame).
 

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#5 ·
It turns out that I went back and forth with ideas before settling on a solution. I had prices on dual cylinders and hoses in hand when I realized that every other single piston Workhorse in my photo library showed the frame attached near the center or top of the bucket, not the bottom. So I moved the attachment points up, about 3.5" from the top of the bucket, and I added an attachment point for the dump piston to the top of the bucket. I had worked on about 100 deg total rotation but I probably need slightly more. Dumping the bucket when the boom is halfway raised does not provide a steep enough angle for all the dirt to fall out without shaking the bucket. But the bucket can scrape earth and angle back to raise dirt without a problem. So I'm happy.

I'll get photos in the next day or two. The real fun was breaking out my Grandfather's welder which hasn't been used for years before he passed away in 2012 and re-learning how to arc weld. I plugged my welder into the circuit I use for the lathe and air compressor and I managed to trip the 30A breaker a few times along the way. I guess I'll be installing a dedicated circuit for the welder.

At this point the bucket geometry is much improved but I still need to change the engine, the Eaton unit, and move the hydraulic pump.
 
#6 ·
The weather hasn't been too cooperative so I've only had a short amount of seat time. The new axle is working well but the 4" tires were leaving ruts so today I exchanged them with 18x8.50-8's. I also swapped out the tie rod for a longer one that I fabricated. And I spent some time to paint the axle and new front wheels. It was too dark to get pictures so I'll have to get some later.

I've been trying to locate dimensions for the TRA10 or TRA12 engines and the OH160 that I hope to use so I can determine how much work is involved in the engine swap. I believe the crank on the Tecumseh is smaller than the Wisconsin crank but after that I have no idea. Anyone have any links that might help?
 
#7 ·
As promised, some pictures. The tractor with the new front tires along with the new attachment points for the bucket.

I spent about an hour working with the tractor last night. With the new axle and the larger tires it's much easier to steer. It's also much easier for rough ground to provide "counter-steer." The bucket is working well, too. I can scoop and lift dirt like a real tractor should (previously the bucket would not rotate back far enough).

Unfortunately there's just not enough power with the 10 horse Wisconsin. And the Eaton 10 in this rig has always screamed in pain whenever I press the go pedal. As much as I don't want to start another large project I'm going to have swap the engine. So today I'll be installing a new voltage regulator in the medium frame that I bought this year then moving my 48" mower deck over so I can strip the engine and Eaton 11 from the "old" medium frame.
 

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#8 ·
Back from the dead...

Well Time has passed as Time tends to when you're not watching closely. Over the winter I completed stripping the XL parts tractor and now that the weather's warming I'm in the process of installing the OH160 engine. Essentially I am building a 1656 tractor. I have spent the morning looking at 1556 pictures to see how much Bolens changed from the 1256 that I started with. I'm hoping to find more details on the hood scoop as this doesn't seem to be an item most people take pictures of. The starter solenoid will need to be moved and I have to combine the harness from the donor tractor and this one as I'm not using the starter/generator from the 1256. I would love to put an automotive alternator on this but I there probably isn't enough need to go through the extra work. With LED lights available everywhere I'm probably better off removing the old incandescent lights to free up charging current for the battery. I will need to work out exhaust configuration as well. The medium frame engine has a bolt on flange with a small stub pipe that the muffler connects to. The 1556 exhaust is made of pipe and is threaded into the head. I am not looking forward to removing the flange from this engine because the bolt heads are rusted to the point of being round and the threads look rough as well. I'm thinking about buying weld-els and making a pipe that can be removed in sections. Small pieces of weldable stainless steel pipe are available for reasonable money.

This is complicated IMO by the hydraulic pump location. The bucket and pump came from a 1050 which, as a gear drive tractor, had a fixed RH footrest. When I transferred the bucket to the hydrostatic tractor I put the pump in the same spot and notched the pedal for clearance. It's really not the best solution. My foot can hit the pump, the bracket is not very secure, and the pedal will contact the discharge fitting if the pump is adjusted far enough out. It looks like the only good place to move this pump is to the passenger side of the engine which requires making new mounting brackets.

I've got the fenders off now and there's plenty of unused parts being removed. The accessory lift cylinder, valve, and hoses are out. The cooling fan shield is out in prep for the hydro upgrade and if I can keep any momentum I will remove the driveshaft and hydro today.
 
#9 ·
I'm confused. Correct me if I am wrong, but are you moving the Tec. engine and Eaton 11 hydro from an H16XL medium frame to a 1256 tube frame? If so, won't spin direction be backwards? Paul
 
#10 · (Edited)
Yes, the plan is to move both the engine and hydro. I looked at installing the engine backward so the front of the crank would drive the hydro like the XL series, but quickly realized I'm better off with the engine front facing tractor front. So I have to take the charge pump off the hydro and flip the port plate over to allow clockwise rotation.

This could prove interesting.
 
#11 ·
I was under the impression you had to flip the plate and replace a couple parts. Read up on it once because the HT23 also used an Eaton 11, but of the opposite rotation. Hope it works out and you are able to mate it up with that tube frame rear end. I would also expect trouble there.

Wouldn't it be a lot easier to move the FEL over to the working XL?
 
#12 ·
Hope it works out and you are able to mate it up with that tube frame rear end. I would also expect trouble there.
Thank you. I have inspiration. User Cakes has done the same swap. There are plenty of questions and discussions to read as he researched and planned the swap over several years. http://www.mytractorforum.com/18-bolens-forum/186196-eaton-11-a.html#post1688650


Wouldn't it be a lot easier to move the FEL over to the working XL?
It might have been at one time. But the tube frame has been modified and improved again and again to work well with the bucket. Duplicating the spindles and strength of the forged axle for the XL would take building a completely new front end. And it's nice to leave the XL dedicated to working as my mower, towing the lawn-vac up and down the hills that I call a yard.
 
#14 ·
I have moved the Eaton 11 swap to the 1256 although there are still a few steps to go. The process of changing direction of rotation for the input shaft is not difficult. The manual is very helpful.

The Eaton 11 awaiting disassembly. The control linkage is the same as the control linkage on the Eaton 10 that was removed. Bottom fitting on the charge pump connects to rear axle to dray hydraulic fluid on medium frame models and I have added a connection to the rear of the 1256 to do the same.
 

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#16 ·
The manual shows the carrier with a very distinct shape favoring one edge. The difference is not as apparent once the pump is opened but it is easy enough to match up with the manual. The pictorial diagram in the last post shows retaining rings #12 on either side of the carrier. Due to high operating hours the round wire ring had been beaten into the carrier and the shaft some which required extra work for removal. After lifting the shaft and pressing the carrier down the ring could be removed but I had to file the shaft slightly before the carrier could be lifted off. It may be possible to note some of the damage in one of the photos below.
 

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#17 ·
Removing the carrier leaves the round alignment key exposed. Be careful not to lose it! The key must be installed after the pump plate. The carrier is reinstalled and the rollers placed back into the pump. The blue goo is "transgel" which is assembly lube that melts at low temperature. Vaseline would also work.
 

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#18 ·
Next is the output gear. The gears are different between the tube frame and medium frame tractors. The gear from the medium frame has a different tootk count, different taper, and is retained with a bolt. After the gear is unbolted it can be slid off. The gear on the Eaton 10 is retained with a retaining ring but can be removed easily enough. Luckily there is a groove for a retaining ring on the eaton 11. Watch for shims under the gears. I removed the shims from the Eaton 10 along with the gear and transferred everything to the 11.
 

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#20 ·
I don't get much time for this project but yesterday I'd finally arrived at a point where I can start the tractor and test the hydro. Instead of seeing the wheels move, I found the same issues as in this thread. The outlet connection from the charge pump has suction and there is no fluid flow. After checking the oil level and even adding a bit for good measure, I disassembled the charge pump to see if I could figure out what was up.

The attached picture shows the charge pump cover from the CCW rotating Eaton 11 (LH side) and the cover from the CW rotating Eaton 10 that I removed. If you look the pump bores are off center creating an eccentric for the pump. Notice the offset doesn't match. What this means is that the pump cover has to match the pump rotation.

I'm currently in the process of drilling and tapping the cover from the CW rotating 10 to accept a 1/2" NPT fitting to connect the pump inlet to the intake line from the transaxle. Hopefully I'll have the fitting I need by Tuesday to test this out.
 

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#21 ·
Switching the pump cover was indeed the secret. The pump began pushing fluid during cranking and drive pedal causes the tractor to move.

So, in summary, when switching the direction of rotation for an Eaton or 11:

1) ensure the pump rotor faces the correct direction per pictures above.
2) Ensure the pump cover is appropriate for the direction of rotation.

Pretty simple if you can get the cover!
 
#23 · (Edited)
The throttle cable for the OH160 I'm installing originally was routed from the front of the engine and connected to the vertical arm of the governor. The 1556, H14, and G14 cable is routed down through the exhaust heat shield and they use a different throttle arm.

I am looking for the pieces indicated by the arrows in the photos. Any help sourcing these would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 

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#24 ·
I always thought the input rotation was determined by the pump pintle, and never considered a rotation change because of it. I don't have a parts list to confirm. There are a number of things that have to be setup for correct operation. The charge pump port plate has to be flipped and the pump pintle has to have correct alignment; see below:

Instead of changing the rotation; move the pump rotor assembly from one trans to the other. The most common type of failure is contamination making grooves in the soft bearing/porting area of the pump rotor. The pintle is hardened steel and is rarely damaged.
 

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#25 · (Edited)
I always thought the input rotation was determined by the pump pintle, and never considered a rotation change because of it. I don't have a parts list to confirm. There are a number of things that have to be setup for correct operation. The charge pump port plate has to be flipped and the pump pintle has to have correct alignment; see below:
I noted that I have a pump plate rather than a port plate. The pump plate has no grooves or ports like the port plate. The pump pintle may have to be changed but the drive wheels operate in either direction based on the position of the control lever. What is the advantage of having the porting slot aligned correctly, or what is the consequence of having it out of alignment? I scoured the 'net for videos or books showing operation of the hydro so I could determine what is likely to happen if the pintle was not changed. My hunch is that it will affect maximum output speed in forward and reverse.

Instead of changing the rotation; move the pump rotor assembly from one trans to the other. The most common type of failure is contamination making grooves in the soft bearing/porting area of the pump rotor. The pintle is hardened steel and is rarely damaged.
Is this possible between the Eaton 10 that I've removed and the 11 which I'm installing? I'm happy to take this back out and finish the job but I don't want to disassemble the two transmissions only to find the parts are not the same.
 
#26 · (Edited)
After trying several different configurations for the original belt driven hydraulic pump I gave up. On the RH side of the tractor it's going to be in the way of the hydrostatic drive pedal. On the LH side I would have had to route lines around or under the tractor. I wasn't too happy with those ideas. I was considering moving it to the front od the tractor which would require a new pulley, but after inspecting the current pulley and the pump shaft I realized that I just didn't want to do it that way. I installed a new hydraulic pump directly driven off the crank. The OH160 in the Eliminator tractor drives the Hydrostatic transmission from the front of the crank, so I just used this adapter to install a coupler to drive the pump.

Based on a number of suggestions and some detective work to determine what the original pump's flow and volume are, I picked up a Nortrac 4 gph gear pump from Northern Tool. The pump is a four port bi-directional model but it comes with a minimum amount of instructions. I learned the hard way that there are some very specific conditions that must be met. Not only must the correct fittings be used (see attached pdf file), the pump has to be installed with the fat" "belly" down. But it works fine now.

I also determined that my worries about using a pipe thread fitting in the hydrostatic charge pump cover could cause the cover to crack were justified. I am going to bring the cover into work to try and braze the fitting in and seal the crack at the same time.
 

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#27 ·
One of the problems I've always faced is getting the hood open when the bucket is down. I decided to split the grille from the hood and move the hinge from the bottom of the grille to the top of the hood. It's not pretty but it's functional. I still haven't installed the "hood bulge" for the OH engine but at this time the braces for the grille hold the hood up anyway. This leaves a gap at the dash which may help cooling.
 

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