Joined
·
2 Posts
Using a 1969 JD 110 for tractor pulling. Variator robs power. Has anyone out there ever taken the variator completely off and just run longer belt from engine to transmission? Thanks for any help
Bypass Variator
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
Joined
·
24 Posts
Yes it can be done, but sometimes you have problems with the belt not releasing. Seems you have to get the belt from JD to work. I am going to try it and just change the pulley on the motor. Seems to be a problem with the angle on the pulleys on the JD so by changing the motor pulley should help. All my pullers are the 200 series and so far I have just centered the center of the variator and just a spot welt to hold it. I have never taken one off and apart to see if you could just install spacers to center it and if the speed needed to change just move the spacers from one side to the other, if that makes sence.
Joined
·
113 Posts
If any of you pullers come across a Craftsman variator being discarded, I would be interested. I have a GTV16, 917.253725 which is apparently a total oddball design.
Joined
·
459 Posts
I have pulled with my 212 and had no issue with the variator but I was also about mid pack as far as distance pulled. Are you wanting a ratio reduction as provided by the variator or just a direct drive to the transmission? The 208 did not have a variator, in its place was a solid two groove reduction pulley. But if you wanted a direct ratio you could replace the variator with say a 4" two groove idler pulley. In any case I don't think you want to run a single long belt from engine to transaxle, it would be very difficult to control whipping unless you made a belt guard to control movement.
Joined
·
24 Posts
We have had several JD pullers replace the variator with a single belt and claim they seem to have a couple of horses added. Any time you have a belt go around a pulley you have a power loss, so be eliminating the variator you remove that loss. Not much different than a Wheel Horse, they only have one belt.
Joined
·
24 Posts
Just built a hurry up build on a 112 for my grand daughter, got the tractor in a bunch of 5 gal bucket and milk crates. 2 weeks later we pulled it, cut out over 120 lbs. of useless parts including the variator and went with the single belt. We had trouble with the belt not releasing with the JD pulley, looking through the parts we found a belt guard. This thing bolts to the block and extends forward of the pulley about 1", it acts like a belt guide on the top and bottom of the pulley to keep the belt from coming off the pulley and when the clutch is released it lets the belt move forward to release it from the pulley. It is a JD factory part, basicially a piece of 1" 1 1/4" flat bar bent in a "U" shape with some brackets to mount it to the block. All the head scratcin and thought trying to reengineering to solve a problem and JD already had the part.
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
