So I thought I would change the oil in my TO-30, which I am just this year having time to work on after buying it a couple years ago. I have put maybe 2 hours on it, in total. Anyway, I ran the tractor for a bit to warm up the oil (probably didn't need to because it was 102F outside), pulled her under a tree for shade and got the oil and new filter out, and a bucket for the old.
I crawled under and could see right away that the old plug was pretty worn, like it had one too many wrenchings. I managed to get a crescent wrench on it, but it wouldn't budge. So, out came the pipe wrench...still wouldn't budge. I noticed what looked like a copper washer beneath the plug bolt. I kept trying, but could never get the plug to budge. I tried penetrating oil, but that didn't work either.
So, it looks like I will have to drop the entire pan (full of oil) to get it off the tractor and then get the pan onto a bench where I can maybe get enough torque on it to get the plug out. It must be cross-threaded. I can't imagine how a plug, which is sitting in oil, is seized up. Maybe someone put threadlock on it to stop a leak before they sold it to me, I don't know.
I do want to make sure I've got the right replacement parts for it. In the Steiner catalog, I see parts ABC539 and 540, which are the plug and copper washer, and MFS154, the gasket. The gasket is clearly marked for TO-30, but the plug and washer are not. Are these correct for TO-30? Thanks.
I crawled under and could see right away that the old plug was pretty worn, like it had one too many wrenchings. I managed to get a crescent wrench on it, but it wouldn't budge. So, out came the pipe wrench...still wouldn't budge. I noticed what looked like a copper washer beneath the plug bolt. I kept trying, but could never get the plug to budge. I tried penetrating oil, but that didn't work either.
So, it looks like I will have to drop the entire pan (full of oil) to get it off the tractor and then get the pan onto a bench where I can maybe get enough torque on it to get the plug out. It must be cross-threaded. I can't imagine how a plug, which is sitting in oil, is seized up. Maybe someone put threadlock on it to stop a leak before they sold it to me, I don't know.
I do want to make sure I've got the right replacement parts for it. In the Steiner catalog, I see parts ABC539 and 540, which are the plug and copper washer, and MFS154, the gasket. The gasket is clearly marked for TO-30, but the plug and washer are not. Are these correct for TO-30? Thanks.