Help with Gravely 1975 walk behind tractor

You've got a Kohler powered machine, engine looks like a K181, but I can't tell which variant of 52x the tractor is.

If you look at https://www.gravelymanuals.com/pdf/500_Ser_Convert_Op_Man_0277.pdf and compare to the machine, you'll be able to tell a little more.

The thing with the missing lines is the fuel pump. It may be that it stopped working, and somebody just converted it to gravity feed. Again, can't tell without more pictures of the whole unit.

Re pulling a plow, maybe. You really probably want a heavier machine for that, but depending on how deep you go, and what kind of soil/sod, you may be fine. I recommend you look for a rotary plow as well. Those things work great, IMHO much better than a fixed plow.

Keep those cards and letters coming, and :wwp:

Thank you. The link given is not opening. Not sure if it works only in usa, or is just broken. So, the guy who is selling it, said he thinks same. He thinks is for the fuel pump, but was not sure either. So, if it was converted, there is nothing to worry about, right? As I have tested it for few mins and it was running fine.
Finding a rotary plow here in Europe, is almost immposible. And importing one from usa will cost me more than what i would pay for the machine. Engine is Kohler 12HP, not sure about the exact model.
So, it will be OK plowing with a regular non-powered plow attached to the rear?

BTW how does it work as I am finding it quite heavy to lift and run with it, as in order to operate I have to lift the rear end and it feels quite heavy. Or when a plow or other attachment attached to rear it lift it up and is easy to operate?

This(click here to open picture) here is the only picture I have of the whole unit. There is a hose/pipe coming from the fuel tank going in the engine. You can see part of the hose between the exhaust and the air filter.

Here is a video of a Gravely rotary plow in use. "Geared wheels" were used on older tractors to reduce ground speed, and increase torque as their transmissions were geared higher. The tractor which you are buying would not need geared wheels as it is geared low enough in low range. These rotary plows are also used by owners of newer tractors.

Ok, it's not a 500 series. That looks like a commercial-12, converted to use a QH adapter. The exhaust is pretty cool.

That's better from the POV of being heavy enough. But as you note, with no attachment on the front, it's *extremely* tail-heavy.

The gravely walkers were all intended to have some kind of attachment in front, in part because that's where the PTO is, in part for balance. For reference, my comm12 with a rotary plow or MA106 deck on the nose is still too tail-heavy, and needs an extra counterweight to keep the nose down.

If you're going to set up some kind of aft-mounted plow, I strongly advise you to put together some kind of a weight for the nose. 200lbs of cast iron would be about right You'll have to play with it a bit to get the balance you want. But the good news is that with all that weight on the wheels, and that big torquey 12hp, you should be able to pull your plow just fine.

Do look for a rotary plow though. They were quite popular, it doesn't seem impossible to find one you wouldn't have to import.

Thank you. Do I have to attach the counter-weight in front, with the four bolts, just where the front attachement has to be? BTW what does PTO mean? And also, are those machines reliable, as replacements parts will be difficult to find in my region. Will be keeping an eye for a rotary plow though, if I decide to buy it. And also, if I do buy it, will you be able to help with giving advice where to put oil and what kind of oil to put as I have seen 3 or 4 places all around the tractor, where oil has to be added.:tango_face_surprise

Everybody here loves giving advice, no worries about that

I recommend you try some more to download stuff off the gravelymanuals site. It should work anywhere. You'll find a trove of good information there.

If I were fabbing a counterweight for that machine, I'd remove the QH adapter, so that you're left with the older-style 4-bolt mounting. Then make a plate to bolt on there, or start with one of the pre-made blockoff plates. Weld on some sort of heavy brackets or something on which you can hang weights.

PTO == Power Take Off

For oil, on that machine you have engine oil, which I believe is 2 quarts. There will be a full mark on the oil dipstick, just fill to that. You also have transmission oil; the filler is toward the front of the trans, right behind the battery box. 5 quarts.

Thanks for that. Will consider removing the adapter then.
BTW if fuel is being fed to engine using gravity feed, is there anything I should worry about? Also, I will check the pump again tomorrow, when I got to seller, but if openings are depressed with finger and compression feels, is there anything to worry about or I can go ahead and buy it.

I don't have direct experience letting a comm12 gravity feed, but I would think it would work ok. The bottom of the tank is a bit higher than the carb inlet, so you should be ok, at least as long as the fuel line is relatively clear.

If you have trouble with it, for instance rough running due to fuel starvation, rebuild kits for the pump are available.

Like someone mentioned, putting weight on the front is going to be very important if you want to pull a plow in the rear. If you just put the plow on the rear, I do not see it working very well at all. You will break your back trying to lift the machine up and walk with it at the same time. I also would not like having the plow in the back and having to avoid tripping over it why trying to control the machine.

I am sure you are going to have to adapt/fabricate something to mount that plow you wanted to use. Why not adapt/fabricate something to mount it to the front of the machine? And add some weight to it also to weigh down the front.

What you want is the front to dig in too much, so you have to push down on the handlebars to bring it up and control it. When you push down on the handle bars, that puts weight on the traction tires and helps keep it from spinning on the ground and gives it traction. You will have to mess with it a little bit to get it balanced out between digging in too much and not digging in enough.

On further thought, the thing you want may be a gravely toolholder
https://www.mytractorforum.com/24-gravely/159117-gravely-cultivator-tool-holder.html

You'd still have to fab something to mount that plow blade, but it's got the guide wheels to control how deep you go, and gives you a handy place to put the extra weight. You'll still need that, as the comm12 is rather more tail-heavy than what that thing was designed for, but starting with one of those should be a lot less work than building a mount for weights, and also figuring out a rear mount for the plow blade.

Thanks for advices guys. Will have to figure it out, but at the moment, I wont be able to work on the tractor for some time. Meanwhile, I discovered something that troubles me. there is an oil leakage at the bottom, between the wheels. Is it a gasket, or something else causing it. Will have to inspect it more carefully as soon as I get the time.

BTW all those Kohler engines run on petrol/gasoline, right?

mybabybook said:

there is an oil leakage at the bottom, between the wheels. Is it a gasket, or something else causing it.

Click to expand...

Most likely a leak at the oil drain, which is also the lower left bolt which holds the axle housing on. Also could be a leaky axle housing gasket.

It's very easy to install a new washer at the oil drain. It's not terribly hard to replace an axle housing gasket, though it will require some disassembly and horsing around. +1 on a careful inspection.

BTW all those Kohler engines run on petrol/gasoline, right?

Click to expand...

Yes.