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Latest update: 2:30pm Monday, May 3rd 2010
Latest update: 5:40pm Wednesday, April 28th 2010
I've decided to call my tractor "The Essex lily", not very witty but it's a tribute to where it's born...
I've re-arranged this article somewhat, from wednesday 31st march 2010 everything new will be posted at the top...
Videos!
This clip is shot when I picked the tractor up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGurQL16jEk
First test drive on the road: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2SIXZhmY-Q
Trying out the hydraulics and the re-designed stop: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pan_9IuR9c
A first test of the newly built thermostart: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9r3wiHJIhQ
Starting him up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nwj3tuhQZv0
Sunday May 2nd 2010
Not sure if you can say I got a lot fixed today or not, it took it's time to cut, check for fit, re-cut and then drill and do all the other invisible stuff on these but now I got the floorboards done, they are made from Aluminium sheet, 5mm thick and will probably serve it's purpose nicely
Tuesday April 27th 2010
Did the second rear wing today and ground down all the paint and primed them up(did a couple of more things aswell but no photos until they're done)
I re-shaped the lower end of the wings because the cab I am going to fit has a brick-looking standoff that mounts between the rear wings and the rear axle, raising them about 5cm.
Saturday May 1st 2010
The discs and Actuators back in place, I swapped left side with right since the left side discs had rusted stuck on the shaft while the right ones were well oiled when I removed them, figured that since the left shaft had a few small pits on the splines it would be wise to fit the better discs there...
Sunday April 25th 2010
Fixed up a new "skeleton" for the rear wings, not original looking but good enough I suppose 
I also got going with assembling some parts on the tractor using new pins...
New pins and the linkages richly smeared with anti-seize compound(not copper or aluminium paste)
The rear end has returned to it's fully operational state by now
Friday April 23rd 2010
Today dad and I picked up "a few" things from sandblasting, and the day was saved coating them with primer 
He's got wings, but can he fly? The side facing the wheels will get a thick coat of asphalt mixed with engine oil once the rest is done, this will make sure that it won't start rusting the minute I start using the tractor again
Wednesday April 21th 2010
Got somewhere with my rear wings today, welded up the holes using parts of my old wings and welded bushes into the oversized holes in my drawbar(a 35mm hole isn't really ideal for a 25mm pin)
I also welded in some "new" material on the drawbar carrier where the holes were worn...
Friday April 30th 2010
A little more assembly done today
Riveting the brake pads to the discs, three down and the fourth in progress
Tuesday April 20th 2010
All the stuff that got removed before the wire brushing is about to get a facial lift...
The tools I used since I don't have one of them press-tools for these rivets
Sunday April 18th 2010
First coat of blue applied...
Thursday April 29th 2010
Got around to a lot of things today, I fixed the leaking O-ring in my diff. lock assembly(Guess what Brian, the diff is hollow so you can drive either shaft out from the other side .
And during the week I picked these up from my "expertise" machinist... The last pins for the top link mount.
Here are the mounts for my cab, it's from a swedish manufacturer named "CETO", looks pretty ok but weren't usually mounted on Supers here in Sweden, pity I think because it's by far the best looking one of the two I know of(my tractor came with a "Klippan" cab, it looks ok but it's a pain to get in or out of and the metalwork is a "thinner" than on the CETO)
This is the view inside the diff from the left side with the right shaft still in place, the nut is situated at the end of the operating rod for the diff. lock.
Friday April 16th 2010
Got the "right" seals this time and now they are mounted, since I bought these from a seal manufacturer they were thinner than the originals and I fitted two on each side...
After driving it out with a rod of brass, visible through the diff assembly is my father's SAAB 900
The brushing and painting goes on... Yes, I cut off the hand brake lever, there's nothing left on the inside and if I want to rebuild it someday I would have had to get a new lever anyway since some smart-o previous owner had wrecked it 
Here they are, bearings seem quite allright, no noticeable grinding noise when spun
Removed all the clutch linkages and the steering drop arm, had to cut off the old steering link, it was in pretty useless shape and was going to be replaced either way
The right shaft disassembled
Got some radiator-grog for my tractor aswell, 25 litres of de-ionized water and 8 litres of etylene antifreeze
And re-assembled with new o-ring and the outermost spring packed with thick grease
And here they are, brake actuator springs for Massey Ferguson 165 with dry brakes, they fit without modification! (Huzzah!)
It helps a bit if you have something like this to read up on while assembling
Back on trac(tor)
Wednesday April 13th 2010
Well, I said that I wouldn't paint the rear end of my tractor but my dad influenced me by saying things like "It'll look like it has scabs if you don't paint it" and then sponsor me with more paint if I actually painted it...
The "scab" part took and today I attacked the rear end with the angle grinder, rotating wire brush and lots of "cleaner", the results are on display in the following pictures.
Looks all shiny, bright and almost like new(Yes, my drawbar has been heavily modified)
The wire brushes used
The result after brushing and cleaning
And a hour or so later, primed up
Tuesday April 27th 2010
Did the second rear wing today and ground down all the paint and primed them up(did a couple of more things aswell but no photos until they're done)
I re-shaped the lower end of the wings because the cab I am going to fit has a brick-looking standoff that mounts between the rear wings and the rear axle, raising them about 5cm.
Saturday April 10th 2010
I got myself a pair of better looking brake housings and some other assorted goodies during the week and here they are in all their splendous glory
A new steering wheel, new radiator cap and new brake linings, the steering wheel feels quite "plastic" compared to the old one but won't cut my hands like the old one did
Sunday April 25th 2010
Fixed up a new "skeleton" for the rear wings, not original looking but good enough I suppose I also got going with assembling some parts on the tractor using new pins...
The brake housings, pre pressure wash with degreaser, wire brush and patience, it's even growing moss on one of them
The older type steering rod and a neato steel pipe to add extra leverage when undoing(or tightening wheel nuts)
Friday April 23rd 2010
Today dad and I picked up "a few" things from sandblasting, and the day was saved coating them with primer
Re-threaded U's for the cab that's going to get installed, looks much better with new nuts and washers don't you think?
Hot water, degreaser and a wire brush can work miracles, this is before the rotating wire brush and paint
Wednesday April 21th 2010
Got somewhere with my rear wings today, welded up the holes using parts of my old wings and welded bushes into the oversized holes in my drawbar(a 35mm hole isn't really ideal for a 25mm pin)
I also welded in some "new" material on the drawbar carrier where the holes were worn...
Somewhat later... In a day or so it's time for the second coat...
Tuesday April 20th 2010
All the stuff that got removed before the wire brushing is about to get a facial lift...
Tuesday April 6th 2010
The plan was to remove the old fenders and get started with the internals of the brake housings but first I just had to hitch up the old Transport Box and take a test drive, my dog just had to come along
Stripping off the rear wings and the old cab supports
Sunday April 18th 2010
First coat of blue applied...
My current right brake housing, the actuator lever support ear broke off during disassembly, found out why after I took a good look at it, someone broke it off earlier and then welded it back(but doing a less than stellar job)
And during the week I picked these up from my "expertise" machinist... The last pins for the top link mount.
And here's the left one after some time spent swearing and sweating together with dad who operated a iron bar lever on the wheel shaft while I tried to lever the inner brake disc off the shaft
Drive shaft housings, these will be scrubbed with a rotating wire brush and either painted or oiled with linseed oil(as will all non-painted metal to inhibit further rust)
Friday April 16th 2010
Got the "right" seals this time and now they are mounted, since I bought these from a seal manufacturer they were thinner than the originals and I fitted two on each side...
The brake components, waiting for degreasing and new brake pads
The brushing and painting goes on... Yes, I cut off the hand brake lever, there's nothing left on the inside and if I want to rebuild it someday I would have had to get a new lever anyway since some smart-o previous owner had wrecked it
I'll have to weld some fresh metal into the "new" old wings, the supports were filled with mud
Removed all the clutch linkages and the steering drop arm, had to cut off the old steering link, it was in pretty useless shape and was going to be replaced either way
This is how I left it Tuesday evening, disassembled while waiting for parts
Got some radiator-grog for my tractor aswell, 25 litres of de-ionized water and 8 litres of etylene antifreeze
And here they are, brake actuator springs for Massey Ferguson 165 with dry brakes, they fit without modification! (Huzzah!)
Friday April 2nd 2010
Today is my dad's birthday so we all went there to celebrate and enjoy ourselves, got a bit bored after dinner when everyone watched TV so I went out and fiddled for a few minutes, this thing is going to be a linkage for the raised pto lever, hack about three fours of it off, weld the small "ear" onto it and then place the actuator on the floorboard next to the lift lever.
Wednesday April 13th 2010
Well, I said that I wouldn't paint the rear end of my tractor but my dad influenced me by saying things like "It'll look like it has scabs if you don't paint it" and then sponsor me with more paint if I actually painted it...
The "scab" part took and today I attacked the rear end with the angle grinder, rotating wire brush and lots of "cleaner", the results are on display in the following pictures.
Thursday April 1st 2010
Went to dad's cousins farm and picked up my pair of less rusted rear wings from a power major, they have a few bulges more than the current ones but they haven't rusted off near the rear axle
The wire brushes used
The result after brushing and cleaning
Wednesday March 31st 2010
Dad picked me up these
And a hour or so later, primed up
And my friend Martin had dropped this package off in my post box
A local firm called Industry Service let me use one of their mills, for as long as it took me to mill the inward facing surface on the inlet manifold flat
Saturday April 10th 2010
I got myself a pair of better looking brake housings and some other assorted goodies during the week and here they are in all their splendous glory
A new steering wheel, new radiator cap and new brake linings, the steering wheel feels quite "plastic" compared to the old one but won't cut my hands like the old one did
This is what it looked like after I drilled the holes and mounted the flange
The brake housings, pre pressure wash with degreaser, wire brush and patience, it's even growing moss on one of them
I also just happened to have another cracked inlet manifold to salvage a less worn throttle plate and shaft which were quickly transplanted into my inlet manifold, the picture of my old throttle plate is the second one here and I think you all can spot the wear quite easily
The older type steering rod and a neato steel pipe to add extra leverage when undoing(or tightening wheel nuts)
This is what the thermostart system looks like on my tractor now...
Re-threaded U's for the cab that's going to get installed, looks much better with new nuts and washers don't you think?
Hot water, degreaser and a wire brush can work miracles, this is before the rotating wire brush and paint
Somewhat later... In a day or so it's time for the second coat...
This part will likely not see any re-arrangement at all, below are everything from where I got the tractor up until March 30nd 2010
Tuesday April 6th 2010
The plan was to remove the old fenders and get started with the internals of the brake housings but first I just had to hitch up the old Transport Box and take a test drive, my dog just had to come along
This is what the old man looked like when I got 'im, on November the 1st 2009
Stripping off the rear wings and the old cab supports
This is not far from home, during the "bring him home" tour(which was 90km and took the best part of the 1st and 2 hours of the 2nd november)
My current right brake housing, the actuator lever support ear broke off during disassembly, found out why after I took a good look at it, someone broke it off earlier and then welded it back(but doing a less than stellar job)
New home, sweet home... In the old barn at my father's farm
And here's the left one after some time spent swearing and sweating together with dad who operated a iron bar lever on the wheel shaft while I tried to lever the inner brake disc off the shaft
Christmas gifts anyone? Since I'm relatively poor my father bought me some goodies(all except the truck starter which I got from dad's cousin)
Ford world series Force exhaust.
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Drive shaft housings, these will be scrubbed with a rotating wire brush and either painted or oiled with linseed oil(as will all non-painted metal to inhibit further rust)
My neighbor works as a laser operator, so after some measuring and drawing in solidworks I ended up sending him drawings of these things, to the right are the parts for an alternator mount, utilizing the alternator found in a Volvo 240
The brake components, waiting for degreasing and new brake pads
This is the 3D-model of my drawbar and upper 3pt lift reinforcement
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I'll have to weld some fresh metal into the "new" old wings, the supports were filled with mud
Amongst all the other things that got stripped off
This is how I left it Tuesday evening, disassembled while waiting for parts
December 8th 2009, a bit naked...
Paint really makes a difference
Friday April 2nd 2010
Today is my dad's birthday so we all went there to celebrate and enjoy ourselves, got a bit bored after dinner when everyone watched TV so I went out and fiddled for a few minutes, this thing is going to be a linkage for the raised pto lever, hack about three fours of it off, weld the small "ear" onto it and then place the actuator on the floorboard next to the lift lever.
This replaced the original Temp/oil/gen clock, the orange indicator is my turn signal indicator.
If all you have are two wrecked front cowls and a MIG-welder, sure you could make one that's acceptable?
Thursday April 1st 2010
Went to dad's cousins farm and picked up my pair of less rusted rear wings from a power major, they have a few bulges more than the current ones but they haven't rusted off near the rear axle
Twisting, bending, welding and forming sheet metal is one of my favorites... The "bulge" is where my turn signal switch will reside.
Painted, "grill'ed" and "lit up", since I would never put a loader on this tractor I placed the headlights wide apart, high up...
Wednesday March 31st 2010
Dad picked me up these
A severe case of "frost bite" perhaps?
And my friend Martin had dropped this package off in my post box
Dis-assembly of the hydraulic system... part of it, getting the flow control valve, spring and the "plug" out using a piece of wire loom through one of the bores inside.
A local firm called Industry Service let me use one of their mills, for as long as it took me to mill the inward facing surface on the inlet manifold flat
The original spindles looked like this, no wonder it steered wherever it saw fit...
This is what it looked like after I drilled the holes and mounted the flange
Dad bought me this, the "universal fits all majors hydraulics kit", it lacked a few parts but those weren't that hard to get(and I got lots of O-rings leftover that actually came to use a little here and there)
I also just happened to have another cracked inlet manifold to salvage a less worn throttle plate and shaft which were quickly transplanted into my inlet manifold, the picture of my old throttle plate is the second one here and I think you all can spot the wear quite easily
The hydraulic pump with new seals, waiting to be re-assembled
This is what the thermostart system looks like on my tractor now...
Drilled and tapped a 3/8 pipe thread for my return pipe
Assembled and painted stuff
Raised PTO in place
The pump and the plumbing is back where it belongs
This part will likely not see any re-arrangement at all, below are everything from where I got the tractor up until March 30nd 2010
If you don't have a gasket set, you make them
This is what the old man looked like when I got 'im, on November the 1st 2009
Re-assembly of better looking parts
This is not far from home, during the "bring him home" tour(which was 90km and took the best part of the 1st and 2 hours of the 2nd november)
"New" old spindles, in much better condition and picked from a power major that had led a much better life(with an owner that knew to maintain his machinery properly)
New home, sweet home... In the old barn at my father's farm
I got myself the proper SPE4A75S model pump and gave it a little love
Christmas gifts anyone? Since I'm relatively poor my father bought me some goodies(all except the truck starter which I got from dad's cousin)
Ford world series Force exhaust.
?width=300&height=400
Proper hydraulics, at last...
My neighbor works as a laser operator, so after some measuring and drawing in solidworks I ended up sending him drawings of these things, to the right are the parts for an alternator mount, utilizing the alternator found in a Volvo 240
And with good tools the work is a breeze
This is the 3D-model of my drawbar and upper 3pt lift reinforcement
?width=676&height=400
Changing the pedal shaft seals since they weren't weeping but rather "bleeding", no obvious play in the bushings tho
Amongst all the other things that got stripped off
Changed the PTO seal before filling the rear up with oil
December 8th 2009, a bit naked...
The original seat had seen it's share of action and I had another seat in mind and constructed this
Paint really makes a difference
The parts for it
This replaced the original Temp/oil/gen clock, the orange indicator is my turn signal indicator.
Welded up and testing the fit out
If all you have are two wrecked front cowls and a MIG-welder, sure you could make one that's acceptable?
Regardless of how battered and bruised this seat looks, it's very comfortable and also has electrical heater elements in both the seat and the back rest
Twisting, bending, welding and forming sheet metal is one of my favorites... The "bulge" is where my turn signal switch will reside.
Quite some possibilities... and it came off an old golf-course lawn-mower, got it for free, me like lots :D
Painted, "grill'ed" and "lit up", since I would never put a loader on this tractor I placed the headlights wide apart, high up...
Drawings of new knobs for the valve chest(for those that wonder what "hitta på en bra radie här" means, in english it would be something similar to "figure out a good radius here")
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?width=720&height=417
A severe case of "frost bite" perhaps?
And about a week later, machined by one of dad's old work mates
Dis-assembly of the hydraulic system... part of it, getting the flow control valve, spring and the "plug" out using a piece of wire loom through one of the bores inside.
Sometimes buying these connectors can be a royal pain, if you find one that fits the cable you can be sure the screw-hole is abnormally large and the head of your screw will fall through it, that's why I made my own ones from brass and soldered the cables to it
The original spindles looked like this, no wonder it steered wherever it saw fit...
I did off with the broken pipes and replaced them with hard and reinforced rubber hoses instead
Dad bought me this, the "universal fits all majors hydraulics kit", it lacked a few parts but those weren't that hard to get(and I got lots of O-rings leftover that actually came to use a little here and there)
3D-model of the trailer outlet bracket
The hydraulic pump with new seals, waiting to be re-assembled
Laser-cut, bent, welded up and painted
Drilled and tapped a 3/8 pipe thread for my return pipe
Part of the electrical system's innards
Assembled and painted stuff
Upper connection for my engine heater
Raised PTO in place
And the lower one
The pump and the plumbing is back where it belongs
A sensible start button, turn the key on and the button lights up, press it to start the engine and once the alternator starts charging it will dim indicating "Do not press me"
If you don't have a gasket set, you make them
The view from the seat
Re-assembly of better looking parts
Paint and a bit of sanding later
"New" old spindles, in much better condition and picked from a power major that had led a much better life(with an owner that knew to maintain his machinery properly)
The circlips didn't want to stay put and the throttle shaft moved up and down rather than increasing or decreasing the engine speed, so I fixed that up with split pins instead, now it won't budge
I got myself the proper SPE4A75S model pump and gave it a little love
Also took the time to fix my leaking return line up, one of the brass banjos was entirely loose and all were leaking, number four injector was also leaking between the "foot"(lower that is bolted to the head) and the "head"(upper hexagon bit) part, so while having all of the pipes and connectors off anyway I torqued it down and it seems to have worked just fine
Proper hydraulics, at last...
Reinforcements to withstand forest (ab)use
And with good tools the work is a breeze
CNC-machined bolts for the upper part of the 3pt lift...
Changing the pedal shaft seals since they weren't weeping but rather "bleeding", no obvious play in the bushings tho
The heart of the electrical system completed, relays and everything is fused off
Changed the PTO seal before filling the rear up with oil
Corrected what I regarded a design flaw in the stop control, now it is firm and exact rather than "flimsy"
The original seat had seen it's share of action and I had another seat in mind and constructed this
After being taken for a little trip I shot this photo outside, engine idling, my dog badly wanted to ride with me
The parts for it
Hard-to-melt-candy, we took a good look of the original stabilizer chains and dad and I ordered these instead
Welded up and testing the fit out
Well, steering wheel knob and a "flamethrower", I am equipping my major with thermostart
Regardless of how battered and bruised this seat looks, it's very comfortable and also has electrical heater elements in both the seat and the back rest
The rear end is beginning to look like something
Quite some possibilities... and it came off an old golf-course lawn-mower, got it for free, me like lots :D
A small handmade fuel valve instead of the outlet bleed screw on the filter(previous owner had wrecked the threads anyway), the outlet from this one will be used to fill up the heater tank if necessary
Drawings of new knobs for the valve chest(for those that wonder what "hitta på en bra radie här" means, in english it would be something similar to "figure out a good radius here")
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?width=720&height=417
And here's the heater tank as well, two pipes at the top; one from the valve on the filter and one from the fuel return, pipe on the side goes to fuel tank and the long pipe going out the bottom goes to the heater plug
And about a week later, machined by one of dad's old work mates
Sometimes buying these connectors can be a royal pain, if you find one that fits the cable you can be sure the screw-hole is abnormally large and the head of your screw will fall through it, that's why I made my own ones from brass and soldered the cables to it
I did off with the broken pipes and replaced them with hard and reinforced rubber hoses instead
3D-model of the trailer outlet bracket
Laser-cut, bent, welded up and painted
Part of the electrical system's innards
Upper connection for my engine heater
And the lower one
A sensible start button, turn the key on and the button lights up, press it to start the engine and once the alternator starts charging it will dim indicating "Do not press me"
The view from the seat
Paint and a bit of sanding later
The circlips didn't want to stay put and the throttle shaft moved up and down rather than increasing or decreasing the engine speed, so I fixed that up with split pins instead, now it won't budge
Also took the time to fix my leaking return line up, one of the brass banjos was entirely loose and all were leaking, number four injector was also leaking between the "foot"(lower that is bolted to the head) and the "head"(upper hexagon bit) part, so while having all of the pipes and connectors off anyway I torqued it down and it seems to have worked just fine
Reinforcements to withstand forest (ab)use
CNC-machined bolts for the upper part of the 3pt lift...
The heart of the electrical system completed, relays and everything is fused off
Corrected what I regarded a design flaw in the stop control, now it is firm and exact rather than "flimsy"
After being taken for a little trip I shot this photo outside, engine idling, my dog badly wanted to ride with me
Hard-to-melt-candy, we took a good look of the original stabilizer chains and dad and I ordered these instead
Well, steering wheel knob and a "flamethrower", I am equipping my major with thermostart
The rear end is beginning to look like something
A small handmade fuel valve instead of the outlet bleed screw on the filter(previous owner had wrecked the threads anyway), the outlet from this one will be used to fill up the heater tank if necessary
And here's the heater tank as well, two pipes at the top; one from the valve on the filter and one from the fuel return, pipe on the side goes to fuel tank and the long pipe going out the bottom goes to the heater plug