Tractor Repower?

Lanse

Well-known Member
Soo... For those who've done it, or seen it done...

How "involved" is the process or re-powering an old tractor with, say, a V6 or V8 engine from a "newer" (10-20yrs old) truck?

I'd guess a person would have to remove the old engine, and build a new "frame" to attach the tractor's front end, etc too, if its a frame-rail-less tractor... Might that be easier than cramming a V8 between frame rails designed for a straight four cylinder?

I'm mostly curious about how one would join the engine/clutch to the transmission... I'd *guess* that'd be the hardest part..

Any thoughts on such things? Thanks, guys...
 
If I were to choose a tractor to repower, I would choose a rail frame design. Even if the new engine wouldn't fit between the rails, it would be easier to cut and modify the existing rails, or even replace them completely. At least there would be factory mounts at each end to work with.

Adapting the engine to the transmission will be difficult. Designing an adapter plate will require many hours of careful comparison and taking difficult measurements in order to get the center of the crankshaft to align exactly with the input shaft.

Another consideration is will the flywheel clear the inside of the bell housing and how will the starter mount.

How will the length of the input shaft compare with the end of the crankshaft and what pilot bearing/bushing will work?

Will the original tractor clutch disc work with any combination of pressure plate that will fit the engine flywheel?

Can the release bearing be modified to work with the pressure plate? Distance?

Those are the most difficult things that come to mind.

Other considerations:

What kind of clearance will be needed under the hood? Most likely the fuel tank will need to be relocated.

If this is going to be used for any kind of real tractor work, a governor will need to be added.

Finally, be careful with the engine selection. Again, what is this going to be used for, show, work, pulling? Some engines make lots of horsepower and little torque. A major consideration if used for work. But then, put a monster engine in a 30hp tractor, something is going to break!
 
BTDT....855 Cummins into a Case 2470. It can be VERY involved. There are some, but very few, bolt-ins. Some split bell housings work to adapt to a different engine. All the things Steve said, plus more. I had a machinist make the adapter plate, since he had done one before. You need specs from both ends- engine and transmission. Adapter plate needs to be heat treated after drilling all the holes, so it won"t crack at the holes. I had to add a governor, switch to a front sump oil pan, machine the crankshaft butt to accept the Case flywheel, extend the frame, re-do intake and exhaust, make many other changes. I had pages of notes and contacts for parts. You also have to consider variation in engine operating speeds.

For a simple conversion, just find an old Farmall Regular or Oliver with the open connection between the engine and transmission.
 
Lanse:

Not tractors but trucks; First was a MACK 10-wheeler with a 13-speed RoadRanger trans. with air-splitter & Eaton 2-speed tandem dual drivers - removed blown Mack engine and replaced with a CAT-3306. Absolutely the SWEETEST combination you'd ever want to drive. This was my (Surface) work-truck (Service Truck) when I worked in the Mines in Death Valley, Calif. .

Second was a 1980 Toyota mini-pickup (personal veh.) that I shoe-horned a Buick V-6 into. Two biggest problems I had with this were Motor Mounts (Buick mounts wouldn't work, so had to FABRICATE new mounts); and trying to match engine to standard trans. (SAE to METRIC) - WHAT A NIGHTMARE! Finally ended up using the Buick Auto-trans. and installing a Quicksilver Shifter, adding the Transfer Case (4x4) to the Auto-trans., and fabricating a new Driveshaft. Also had to fabricate new cross-member for the Trans/Transfer Case & a new Skid Plate to protect everything.

Doc :>)
 
Still a little different.
At the Florida Fly Wheelers Show are two tractors, Allis Chalmers WC and a John Deere B, I think, that two friends, neighbors, have swapped halves/front and rear, and drive them in the parade.

Dusty
 
A guy in my club put a 390 or 345 IH V-8 in a M . lot of TIME spent making it look factory installed. They said it wasn't that bad to put in just a pain to put engine in and out for measurements. Used factory frame rails to. There is video on you tube under v-8 M at Hudson Mills Tractor show.
 
If it's a toy, it would be pretty easy and probably has been done already. If you want to make it work, it will be very involved. Different engines function better in different RPM ranges and torque curves vary greatly also. The gearing of the tractor transmission and its ability to handle power output (not to mention the clutch).

A local guy built a tractor with a GM 327 engine which was clocked at an honest 70 MPH. Tractor tires, especially the rears are not designed for that. He used it to pull grain wagons to the elevator and terrorize the locals on backroads at the same time. You probably don't even want to think about three grain carts behind a tractor on a narrow road with stock brakes...

How the guy died of old age is still a mystery.
 
Lance, The way most were done years ago were in tractors that had a shaft connection from clutch to transmishion. In the conversion the complete engine clutch and tranny were used. The tranney was kept in because the car-truck engine was a high speed engine compaired to the orignal tractor engine. So for that the car tranney was kept in either low or intermediate to give the car engine the speed it needed to make the power at the orignal tractor tranney at the tractor speeds, just acted as a reduction gear. A lot of F-20 & F-30 Farmals were converted for field work with any of the following Ford flat head V9, Chrysler 6 or 8 cylinder plus some others. The Ford powered F-20 went from a 2 plow tractor to a 3 plow tractor. The F-30 went from a 3 plow to a 5 plow tractor. Friend still has both the F-20 and F-30 that were repowered and he used to farm with. But you use the orignal car clutch and tranny to make them work. Then it is just a mater of mating the output shaft of the car tranny to the input shaft of the tractor tranny. You leave out that extra tranny and the tractor would be traviling in low gear as fast as normal high was. Newer tractors with a high speed engine would not be as noticeable but for an engine of a speed of 900 RPM changed to an engine of 2,500 RPM it would be nerve wracking without the reduction gearing.
 
I had a neighbor that did that too. Was mostly a bolt in conversion. He used a v8 from a 915 ih combine.
 
Hello Lance,

It has been done! Here is one example,


Guido.
a171980.jpg
 
That could be a fun project, remember to get the gearing so that you will be in the torque curve. Most newer engines run at a lot higher RPM than the older ones.
 

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