ARKY51
New member
With a tractor more than 35 years old, you are sure to find that some parts are simply no longer available.
However, with less than 4 years experience in a "Jobber" Machine Shop, and a Brother who is an expert welder, I have managed to fabricate a good number of replacements for myself.
The first was a Battery Platform to replace a rusted-away original ...made from the under-guard of a wrecked SUV. I used a 4-1/2" Hand Grinder with a 1/8" cutoff wheel to get the basic material, and proceeded to work it down to the needed measurements and bolt it onto the frame of the tractor. Accurate measurements for bolt placement appeared a little sticky, but it turned out I hadn't lost my layout vision. lol
NAPA had the hold-down hardware at a very affordable price.
Another was an Anti-Sway bar for the 3-point mounting of my $100 Box Blade; finished to full radii both ends with the old faithful grinder fitted with a 1/4" thick wheel, ...and a good file.
Salvaging usable Ball Joints for bent Tie Rods that were too long anyway was another success, with the help of Brother Joe; who, by the way, privately operates a heavy Scale Repair and Certification company in North Florida and several Caribbean Islands.
Try it (if you haven't already) with a clear vision of what the finished product ought to be, and you just might surprise yourself.
Arky51
However, with less than 4 years experience in a "Jobber" Machine Shop, and a Brother who is an expert welder, I have managed to fabricate a good number of replacements for myself.
The first was a Battery Platform to replace a rusted-away original ...made from the under-guard of a wrecked SUV. I used a 4-1/2" Hand Grinder with a 1/8" cutoff wheel to get the basic material, and proceeded to work it down to the needed measurements and bolt it onto the frame of the tractor. Accurate measurements for bolt placement appeared a little sticky, but it turned out I hadn't lost my layout vision. lol
NAPA had the hold-down hardware at a very affordable price.
Another was an Anti-Sway bar for the 3-point mounting of my $100 Box Blade; finished to full radii both ends with the old faithful grinder fitted with a 1/4" thick wheel, ...and a good file.
Salvaging usable Ball Joints for bent Tie Rods that were too long anyway was another success, with the help of Brother Joe; who, by the way, privately operates a heavy Scale Repair and Certification company in North Florida and several Caribbean Islands.
Try it (if you haven't already) with a clear vision of what the finished product ought to be, and you just might surprise yourself.
Arky51
