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My jd 317 and the big plans for it

27K views 106 replies 30 participants last post by  TRACTORMANDAN 
#1 · (Edited)
Well at the beginning of this last summer i was wanting to get a riding lawn and garden tractor with a mower deck so i could mow the grass in my big yard when i get it planted. So i was looking online at a local classifieds site and came across this tractor in a neighboring city for $200. I went to look at it and didn't know much about what it really was while i was looking at it and brought it home with me. The guy i bought it from said it had a bad starter and did not try to fix it and went out and bought a new lawn tractor, and parked the 317 in the weeds. The gentleman said sometimes the starter would grind when he started it and it gradually got worse to where it wouldn't start at all and thats when it was parked. I got it home and unloaded it and looked it over checking evreything out on it, everything looked ok on it. It took me a while while a was checking it out cause the were enough wasp nests on it they could have picked it up and flew it away with them if they would have wanted to. So after all the dead waps i hooked the jumper cables to it and it canked for about a minute and fired right up, and the starter never grinding noises, the tractor had sat for about a year and a half before i bought it too. So all that was wrong was the battery, i bought a battery and crimped new cable ends on and i have not had a seconds trouble with it. I plan to build a sleeve hitch for it along with a rear scraper blade and a custom built 3 bottom plow. and after that i'll repaint it and work it over. I have put new front v61's tires on the front and i had some atv tires in storage i mounted on some rear rims plow the dirt work next spring.
 

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#29 ·
Where are you going to get 6" or 8" plows? I dont know that I have ever seen them that small. Just curious
 
#30 ·
Yeah, I'm wondering too. Where do you get a 6" or 8" moldboard at? I've seen guys take field cultivator shovels and cut off one wing and that seems to work somewhat but I've scoured the internet and don't see anything under a 10" moldboard.
 
#32 ·
I know you cant find 6 or 8 inch moldboards anywhere. That's why i'll be making them myself, The whole entire plow will be built by me, I cant tell you details yet on how i'm doing build them but i'll have pictures posted when i have the moldboards built, wich will hopefully be by the end of this week.:greendr:
 
#33 ·
Well earlier this afternoon i did the rough cut out of the three moldboards and tomorrow i'll clean the rust off and shap'em up a bit so they are all even, and if i can find all my spare parts that are hiding from me somewhere by the end of the week i'll have a plow. That means you guys would get pictures too.:fing32:
 
#34 ·
I hope that you took PLENTY of pics because I know that a few of us are very interested in this project...........had thought about a multiple disc bottom plow a while back but couldnt find or figure out where to get the plows.
 
#35 ·
I am taking pics as i build the plow, i only have the starting pieces of the mold boards cut out and i'll take pictures as i make progress on the plow. The whole reason that i'm building this plow is so i can have the plow that i want for this tractor and it will cost a whole lot less that $500 dollars and that is the price for just a 1 bottom plow. I thought about building a minature switchway plow for this tractor but switchways pull hard so i wanted to see how this plow goes and if it pulls easy then maybe i'll try building a switchway and see how it would do, since my tractor has hydraulics then a switchway would raise up and down with the one valve and the plow would change angles with the other valve. just an idea if it is capable of pulling it.
 
#38 ·
Yes you will need one. I am building the plow because i new it would be alot faster than a rototiller. i have a small disc also, so once it is plowed i can run the disc over the ground to break it up more if it needs to be.
 
#39 ·
I have decided to build a adapter for the plow that goes on the sleeve hitch and what this adapter will do is make the plow stay sitting horizontal while raised up and down. It makes the sleeve hitch implements lift like a three point, i am making it so the front moldboard will have enough ground clearance, and not drag over everything. i'll have pictures of the adapter up tomorrow evening. After the adapter is made then i'll start the clean up of the moldboards and start fabbing the plow frame.
 
#40 ·
Custom 3 bottom moldboard plow preorder sheet

1) nick4030

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good job danny, im sure you'll have a few people at your door to purchase one. (i have seen the moldboards, they turned out great) :fing32:
 
#41 ·
Good luck tractormandan, I am the original owner of a 1976 317 but Series II. I just put second set of shoes on it and it is a great tractor snow blower worked overtime this winter 70" snow even blew a 22" storm.
Bought it when I saw 317s dragging people in hay wagons up unbelieveable grades at a home show, I told my wife that was the one for me- no regrets
 
#42 ·
Nick..............you can add me to that list..........I going tomorrow to get a 400 JD and have been thinking about a multiple plow just because of the COOL factor...but I dont have the "farm tech" expertise that Dan does to be able to build something like that.
 
#43 ·
Well tonight i got my adapter built and put on the sleeve hitch. This adapter makes it so whatever implement thats hooked up stay sitting preety much horizontal, and i made this mainly for the 3 bottom plow so the front mold board will have some decent ground clearance. The plow will also start to dig in at the same time and lift out of the dirt at the same time now rather than the front being moldboard going in first and out last.



This is raised up

And this is just a picture of the tractor.




:fing32:
 
#44 ·
And I forgot to mention that tomorrow afternoon the fabrication of the plow starts. I'll get the moldboards all built and then build the frame and attach the moldboard units to the frame, and there will be a adjustable depth wheel on the back of the plow frame also.
 
#46 ·
Well earlier today i was at the shop for a bit to do some things and while i was there i did some work on the moldboards and have one about complete. the other two still have to be put together. I have the parts cut out and they just need to be welded up. I thought i would post some pics of what the plows will look like.





here are bigger pics.
 
#47 ·
I finally got the bigger pics to work. I have been taking all the pictures with my phone and just finally figured out how to make them big on the forum. so it will be much better for you guys.
:fing32:
 
#48 ·
Well since i have the bigger pictures working, I thought that i would put up some of the small hitch and adapter pictures up bigger so you guys could see them better.



:fing32:
I hope these are better.
 
#49 ·
Awesome, thanks for these good pictures as they are just the right size to show all the details!
 
#50 ·
well i was able to makesome progress over a couple days. i was able to weld up the other moldboards and put the main frame and hitch together. I have some pretty good pictures of the whats done on the plow. As i moved the tractor from one section of the shop to the another i drug the plow through some snow and is threw the snow great, i cant wait to take it through dirt. Keep in mind the pictures only show whats done so far, there is still alot left to do on it.







This one is after i had it in the snow.

:fing32:
I hope everyone likes these pics and I am looking forward to hearing everyone's comments, questions, rude remarks; just whatever you guys are thinking about the plow so far.:fing32:
 
#52 ·
I will be posting video's of the plow when it is done. I have several areas that i'll plow up with it. So there should be a few video's. I'll also be building a box scraper when i'm done building the plow.
:fing32:
 
#53 ·
Is there anyone still watching this thread, I am iterested on your thoughts about this project.
 
#60 ·
Is there anyone still watching this thread, I am interested on your thoughts about this project.
I`m following along, as usual I`m just lurking tho.
Keep up the good work and this a very interesting thread! :thanku:
 
#54 ·
im watching.... people probably think the 317 wont pull it. if not, we'll add some weight, port and polish, titanium valves and springs, mill the deck surface slightly and turn up the fuel!.....lol
 
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