Increase in horsepower?

farmer123

New User
Hello,
I have a 277ci motor from a massey Harris 444. Is it possible to obtain 65 or so horsepower by working the head/carb and a reground cam? I don't want to stroke the motor or bore it. Keeping it cool in the summer is also a priority. Thanks.
 
Thanks, it's in a farm tractor not a puller so pretty close to stock rpms. How much will adding compression by milling the head affect operating temperature?
 
milling the head wont get it. chambers are huge. you need dome pistons. dont grind the cam, you might lose torque.
 
Massey utilized at one time a CONTINENTAL engine with a weak point (carried engine through and incorporated it into a diesel) if placed into a high torque high HP situation. These engines are now getting to be up in years and operating hours. The engine had one less main bearing journal (3 mains on a 4 cylinder engine) than connecting Rod throughs on their 4 cylinder inline engines. (4 cylinder inline for strength have 5 main journals, 6 cylinder inline have 7 main journals). My experience is from the Massey 88. I know of several of these engines that were lined bored. It's you dollars so the best of luck.
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Didn't the MF 88 have a version of the Continental 277 rated at 60ish HP? Maybe some parts from it would work???
Ben
 
easiest and quickest way to make more horsepower on any engine is to improve it's breathing capabilitys
both intake and exausht
larger carb and bigger exaust piping is only a start smoothing out your passages and bigger valves if possible
putting in a bigger cam stroking and boring without the motor being able to actully breath it all in and out will get you nowhere but poorer
you can also get more hp by playing with your timing curves
 
Getting 65hp at stock rpms with a 277 is not going to be cheap. It will require close to 9:1 compression, a lot of head work, reground cam and a bigger carb. Mine makes 63 @540 on a good day with a Zenith model 62 carb with a 29mm venturi. I cannot speak to running temps as mine is used for pulling and light work (pulling hay and forage wagons from field to barn). Goldsburg on this site probably knows them best. I can assure you that the bottom end of the Continental 277 is plenty strong.
 
(quoted from post at 05:26:04 12/17/14) Thanks, it's in a farm tractor not a puller so pretty close to stock rpms. How much will adding compression by milling the head affect operating temperature?

As a rule of thumb, unless you increase the engine efficiency the heat rejected to the cooling system will increase in proportion to the increase in HP. Therefore, a 10% increase increase in HP results in a 10% (approximatey) increase in heat rejected to the cooling system.

Increasing the engine efficiency means the engine will use less fuel to produce a given HP. Burning less fuel reduces the heat input and therefore the heat rejected to the cooling system. Adding compression is a good way to increase HP since higher compression typically brings with it an increase in efficiency.

Now having said all that: even though you have increased the HP capability of your engine it should only reject more heat to the cooling system if you are actually operating it at the higher power level. In other words, you should not have over heating problems when doing your normal farm work which does not require the added HP.
 
(quoted from post at 18:20:50 12/17/14) Didn't the MF 88 have a version of the Continental 277 rated at 60ish HP? Maybe some parts from it would work???
Ben

You are correct, the nebraska test data shows that the MF 88 diesel was at rated engine speed of 2000 rpm it had 63.31 hp. At 540 pto rpm it was at 1478 engine rpm at 51.86 hp. Compair this to the 444, the engine was rated at 1500 rpm and developed just over 49 hp, right on par with the MF 88. The 44 special is also very close, 1350 rated rpm and almost 49 hp. The 88 get more hp by swinging that extra 500 rpm. Remember horse power is a function of rpm and torque. HP= (torque(ft-lbs)*rpm)/5252.

Up the compression, get the intake/exhaust/carb to flow some more air and an extra 500 rpm's ought to get you close. By the time you do that you could probably buy something in the 80 hp range.

farmer123,
What are you doing that you need to squeze a 444 for 65 hp? Last I checked parts are not getting easier to find for these engines.
 
You will want domed pistons, I had a set made for mine with 9:1 compression. Planing the head provides little gain. There are also rocker arm extensions that provide more valve lift.
 
I bought it from Treadwell Carb Co. in New York. They told me it was for a Leroi industrial engine. The butterfly is .125" bigger than stock and the venturi is a larger casting. Externally it is identical to the stock carb. In fact, mine uses the stock lower half. Right now I am actually running a Zenith Bendix carb with a 1.5625" butterfly. Loses 2 @540 but gains 5 @700 pto rpm. Mark Geisewite
 
I am thinking of upping the HP on my 44 EFI tractor. I am using the stock throttle plate and shaft int he throttle body, it is 39mm or 1.3". I can get rocker arms with higher ratio.
 
Farmer -

I have several customers that have called and wanted the exact scenario that you describe. 65+ HP at stock +20% RPM is achievable with an H277 with the correct cam, correct carb, and some mild head / manifold work. Shaving the head outrageously is not needed. As others have said it is about increasing volumetric efficiency (breathing)dramatically.

Regards,

Goldsburg
Goldsburg Website
 
David -

Everything that applies to a carbureted engine applies to your tractor, as well. Higher ratio rocker arms by themselves will actually produce less power on your engine. There is no one "magic bullet" that would bump your horsepower by 10+ on a near stock engine. You have to consider a "system" approach and improve the entire path that the air has to travel...

Regards,

Goldsburg
 
(quoted from post at 13:18:04 12/19/14) I am thinking of upping the HP on my 44 EFI tractor. I am using the stock throttle plate and shaft int he throttle body, it is 39mm or 1.3". I can get rocker arms with higher ratio.

You got a 44 with EFI? Was this difficult to install?

As far as increasing HP and work then with it, I would consider putting a Perkins 354 or an old Allis Chalmers of the same displacement out of a combine. Then it is a Diesel and is cheap to run (even so gas is very cheap now).
 
So, back in the 70's this is what I did. I had a 44 with MW pistons, 284 cu in. I took the head to a speed shop and they cut the valve seats bigger and installed valves from a 55. Then the "eyebrow" that shrouds the valves was cut back to allow it to breathe better. I cut the intake pipe where it joins the "Y" and welded a larger pipe to it. Fitted a case LA carb to it. 65 hp on shop dyno. It is still torque that rules at the end of the track. The head was designed for economy and torque, not ultimate power.
The proper tires and hitch set-up are more important than raw hp and much cheaper to become competitive. I also took out the rear end plowing!
Good Luck,
Jerry
 

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