wisconsin v4

Harryaroo

Member
I've got an old wisconsin v4 engine that has been sitting for a long time. My son and I are working on getting it running. Assuming we can get it working, any suggestions as to good applications for this engine. I think this one was used on a potato harvester in the past and I know they used them on balers but I was thinking of maybe making a jitterbug out of it. Suggestions?
 
Depending on the output shaft, you can find a used skid loader cheap that uses that engine like a 610 Bobcat.
 
The motor would be a good welder motor, maybe a generator. Some people want to be really different, and put different motors I motorcycle frames. When Dad farmed the New Holland bailer he used had a wisconsin v4. cylinder. If yours has a hand crank, make sure the motor shaft is lubed where the crank attaches .One time the crank didn't release and it spun as the motor started. I thought the thing was going to shake apart. Stan
 
they were used on all different makes of swathers also. even on welders, and generators. the bigger one was the VH4D . they were more for constant rpm. spark plugs always like to seize in the threads.
 
They will power almost anything their howsepower can handle. A buggie should work. I like the idea of putting it in a motorcycle frame too!!
 
In my younger days of the 1960's, I sprayed literally thousands of acres with a V4 Wisconsin powered Hahn High Boy sprayer. That engine was reliable and trouble free. High Boy sprayer was a tall high clearance three wheel design that was inherently unstable and I overturned mine several times over the years and miraculously neither the high boy or I suffered any serious injury. Lol btw the wisconsin motors don't run well when turned on their side!!
 
I built this 40 yrs. ago, used VF-4 but now has VH4D. Clutch reduction 3 to 1 in oil, Chev 1 ton rear and 4 speed, individual Hyd. turn brakes, 4x4 chev power steering and separate 22 gal. front pump for front and rear hydraulics. Has forks, bucket and plow and disk for gardens. Gets used a lot in woods because of size. Grandkids like it too.
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How many valves are stuck?

HOPEFULLY, you can get them loose without pulling the heads and adding broken-off headbolts to the workorder!
 
Probably the most universal gas engine ever built . I've seen 'em on balers, welders, drill rigs, water pumps, concrete saws. If it fits it works.
 
I used my corn stalk chopper recently that has a 2-cylinder Wisconsin, had to squirt some oil in the cylinders to get it to start, then it fires right up. And I did oil it when parked last, but I only use it once a year, really mows walking trails nice.
 
Back in the early 1950s we had a New Holland forage harvester with a Wisconsin V-4 on it. When we were finished chopping corn we would change the crankcase oil and pull the plugs and squirt oil in the cylinders and crank the engine over a few times otherwise the next fall one of the valves would be sticking.

JimB
 
Most reduction clutches had the shaft turning Counter Engine Wise, I had to change from reduction gears to chain to get CW, they made both ways. If yours is clutch only just use a reduction behind clutch. My reduction is 3 to 1 and my 1 ton rear end is 5.13 to 1 and makes the tractor speed about right, top speed on mine about 14 MPH and low gear just creeps.
 
This seems like an exciting project-- my kids are enthused too-- I haven't done anything this involved before but I am a farmer so am somewhat of a shadetree mechanic-- You never wrote anything up about the tractor you built, did you?
 
We used one of that model on a parade toy project. Ours was also stuck, but got it loose using the 50% ATF,50% acetone formula. Ours also had many stick valves, we did not want to remove the heads, as in it's former life, the engine was on a highway dept salt spreader truck, so was so salt corroded we suspected every head bolt would twist off if we had to remove the heads. We used a hardened steel rod with a short "L" bend on the end to tap the stuck valves shut through the sparkplug holes. use the cam to open the valve, then turn the crank one turn and tap the valve back down. Took about 2 hours to get them all free.

We had two partial parts tractors, McCormic Deering 22-36. We had enough parts to make a complete 22-36 chassis with rear fenders on steel wheels, but no sheet metal, and most important, not nearly enough parts to make a stock engine. What engine did we have that could be fitted to that tractor ? looked like the best bet was that little Wisconsin. Would be fun to do an air cooled tractor and no need to make that 80 year old tractor radiator hold water.

We used whatever was at hand in the scrap pile to make the conversion, a beater shaft from an Oliver combine, Versatile windrower belt pullies,a clutch and flywheel assy from a 50's Ford car. My brother hand fabricated all the sheet metal, a fuel tank, hood and side curtains. We enjoy running the tractor in parades and even use it for light work around the farm. It cost us nearly nothing as most of it was parts out of our own scrap pile.
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Didn't write anything up. I have had a lot of people tell me I need to take it to a few tractor shows but never have. I also have a 6ft. SnowWay blade for the loader. The hydraulics have float on loader and on the rear. Rear tires 15.5 wide. Mainly use the JD to plow snow with as it has 8ft blade.
 
Friend has one on the street sweeper on the 1 ton truck he sweeps several mall parking lots with.
 
(quoted from post at 08:35:38 10/22/17) How many valves are stuck?

HOPEFULLY, you can get them loose without pulling the heads and adding broken-off headbolts to the workorder!

That is what I always think of when I see anything about a Wisconsin engine. We had several old Case pull type combines when I was a kid that had those engines. Dad was always messing with them trying to get them going....usually with a punch working thru the sparkplug hole tapping on valves. You didn't dare kill it hot as it would not start until it cooled down...
 
" You didn't dare kill it hot as it would not start until it cooled down... " One night on this site, the conversation got around to talking about V4 Wisconsin engines and the fact that they would flood, fill the engine with boiling gas fumes due to the carb being on top of that hot little engine and right under the red hot exhaust manifold. this would boil any gas in the carb and hopelessly flood the hand cranked engine. We had that same problem with the little air cooled Wisconsin in the 22-36 pictured below. During the hard hot starting Wisconsin thread on this site, one fellow said their used to be a concoction of several products including Marvel Mystery oil to mix with the gas to raise the fuels boiling point and relieve the hot flooding.
Another fellow chimed in with the modern equivalent of that mix. He said mix a good 50/1 2 cycle oil at 1/2 strength, 100/1 in the Wisconsin's gas tank. We got a chance to try out that mixture last fall at the local threshing show parade. Mixed Sthil 50/1 oil at 100/1 and ran the hour long parade in 80 degree weather. After the parade we shut it down to let everything heat soak for 5 minuites or so. The tractor hood was burn you hand hot, and engine so heat soaked that it normally would be impossible to start. The engine spun maybe 2 turns and idled to life without even a puff of black smoke. Ha, had we only known that 50 years ago when we had one on a Case combine. ;-)
 

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