massey harris 22 low power

A DeWitt

New User
i have a massey 22 that's low on power, i checked the compression and its 85-90 psi at almost full throttle. i'm not sure if this is low or normal. the tractor starts great and runs smooth with good oil psi. any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Check the gas flow from the tank to the carburetor. Use a clean container and catch the gas. Should have a full stream of gas. If that looks ok remove the tube fitting where your gas line connects at the carb. Look for a screen behind that tube fitting that may be plugged with crud. If that isn't plugged your carburetor probably needs a good cleaning by soaking in carburetor cleaner and use air pressure to blow the jets. Make sure your float is set high enough. Hal
 
Getting good flow of fuel to the carb, I had the card apart and it was much cleaner then I expected. Maybe the carb needs to be set up or possibly the timing is off?? The plugs don"t look the greatest but I can"t see them being bad enough to cause the power loss it has. Any ideas? Thanks, Alex.
 
They only made approx 31 belt HP and 23 drawbar HP at a screaming 1500rpm. Even factory fresh they don't feel like a 4020.
 
Wow, really????? I had no idea. I am very aware of what the factory hp numbers are and I also know the this tractor is not running 100%. Simply trying to figure out where the power loss is coming from, but thanks for comparing it to a 4020. That helps a lot.
 
(quoted from post at 13:32:14 07/13/12) Wow, really????? I had no idea. I am very aware of what the factory hp numbers are and I also know the this tractor is not running 100%. Simply trying to figure out where the power loss is coming from, but thanks for comparing it to a 4020. That helps a lot.

You have not published the HP and as a dyno has not been used to calculate HP. There is room for error when measuring via the seat of your pants.
If the tires are balasted and with fuel and driver she is hauling 2+ ton around so it can't feel as perky. As a newer 4000 lb tractor with 60HP.
Relax I wasn't slamming your tractor.
 
Your right, basically the only things I'm going by is that when
the tractor is in 4th gear on the road it runs out of power on
even the slightest hill and can't make it without downshifting to
3rd. In addition to that at the local antique tractor pulls in
spring it couldn't move the sled more then 7' without almost
stalling from lack of power. It was the only tractor there that
had that issue, it was only in the 3,000 lbs class since it has no
ballast or weights.
 
Probably setting the valve lash then doing a compression check would be a place to start
The classic lift one plug wire at a time , to find a weak cylinder(s) would be another.
Iirc those 22"s had a very fast road gear ?
Wouldn"t be the first time an engine mysteriously low on power due to a worn cam. A re- grind is the answer there as all used cams are worn to some degree.
 
They list the road gear speed at 13-14 mph which isn't much but it's a huge jump from the 4-5 mph top speed in 3rd. I haven't checked the valves yet but I did do a comp test, all the cyl's were around 30-35psi at idle and 80-90 psi at 75% throttle not sure if that's good or not so good though.
 

Since you don't mention any missing or rough running or hard starting, fuel starvation or poor spark are not likely culprits. If I were you I would get a vacuum gauge and do some trouble shooting with it. You can also try richening your carb high speed adjustment, and going through your governor adjustment according to the owner's manual.
 

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