Help with Leader D Tractor PLEASE!

I looked at a Leader D this weekend and found the following things. I cannot find any information on these would like some help if anyone here knows anything about them.
The motor started immediately with no problem but the owner could have already started it before I got there and had it warmed up some. But, the motor was not warm to the touch and the oil was not warm because I checked.

The motor ran strong but had a steady gas leak at the carb.

The right wheel was rusted through in several places and not, in my opinion, repairable. The left was OK.

There was an old original Ford N brush guard welded to the front but not to the body so that I will be able to use a cutoff wheel to remove it. Front wheels were OK. All tires will eventually need replaced.

The PTO worked steady in power up and power down mode but the knob was missing and the lettering on the Patent Plate was almost gone.

The oil was dark but free from any sign of water.

The original gauges were missing and someone has installed a plastic gauge kit over the original holes so the new gauges would fit but the serial number cannot be seen. The oil gauge did not work.

When I tried activating the PTO it acted like the clutch wasn’t fully depressed and then finally engaged like it would if you were speed shifting a car and meshing the gears by feel.

When driving it the transmission felt like the clutch was not fully engaging and not properly aligned. I had to move my foot up and down and let the RPM of the motor change before it would shift into gear. The owner saw my hesitancy and said "just to shove it into gear". He said that is what you have to do with these old tractors. I don’t do that with mine!

Also, when I tried to ease the clutch out the tractor jerked in all gears and didn’t take off smoothly as I would have expected. Would that possible be a sign of a wet clutch?

My next major question also relates to the transmission. How do you check the transmission fluid? Second, how would you add fluid to it? I found the inspection plate on the right side. Please remember that I’m used to the Ford N tractors but I looked every place I could think off and neither of us could find a place to check the fluid level.

Third, another person mentioned checking the transmission gears for broken teeth. But, I've been unable to contact them and I've tried since Saturday. How would I do that? Do I have to pull the shifter and top cover?

All in all I was impressed but I am concerned about the transmission. It is the one area of a car, truck, or tractor that I’ve never yet worked on.

I'm interested in this tractor to restore and the price seems close at $1350 but I was hoping to get some input from someone who knows something about the Leader D before making a commitment. I want to be sure that the parts will be available (transmission gears or clutch for instance) if I need to repair those items.
Gene

The rim can be replaced but you may have to reuse your center. Miller tire will have the rim. You will need to pull the trans cover to inspect the gears , even better , drain it in a clean bucket and see whats in the bottom, then you can pour it back in afterward. The drain and level plugs are usually 1/2 or 3/4 square head pipe plugs, but they could be recessed head too. It sounds like the clutch is oily , any oil stains under the bell housing ??

Hi, I have one of those things. They're a neat little tractor.

The engine is a Hercules IXB-5. Obtaining parts may be problematic unless you can find another engine for parts. That engine was used on several tractors of that era. Carburetor kits should be available...look for the carburetor manufacturer and type, not for a kit for a Leader tractor.

I heard somewhere the transmission was based on a '40s era Chevy truck transmission. It's a pretty good bet that its from one of the major automotive or transmission manufacturers of that era, but I've never tried to find parts for mine so can't confirm the actual source.

I'm travelling right now, but when I get home I'll try to remember to go look at the location of the transmission plugs. I did add oil to mine once, so I know I found them, but I don't remember the location off the top of my head.

Definitely sounds like you have a clutch problem beyond a simple adjustment. If its just the lining saturated with oil, you can have the disc relined and clean everything else. You'd also want to fix the source of oil, probably the rear main seal on the engine. If it's a pressure plate problem, getting it fixed may be a little more difficult. I'd suspect the clutch also came from one of the major manufacturers, but don't know who.

I've seen two styles of wheel, one with a dished center and one with a flat plate center. Mine has one of each, and someone apparently modified a flat plat rim to make it fit the dished center. They should be more or less standard 24 inch four tab rims. Making a new flat plate center would be relatively easy if you have basic metal working tools.

If you plan to use the PTO, be aware that it runs at engine speed, not at 540 RPM like other tractors of that era. Also, they were one of the first tractors with live hydraulics and down pressure on the three point hitch.

Watch the battery state of charge also. They used a cutout relay, not a voltage regulator, and have no means of controlling charge rate without tinkering with the generator. They're 6 volt, but don't remember off the top of my head if its positive or negative ground. One of these days I may replace the cutout relay with a real voltage regulator.

Hope this helps. Where are you located?

Keith

Thanks for the information. Do you have any sort on shop manual that you've been able to find for your D? It sounds like I'll have to split the tractor to fix it. I'm in Indiana. Gene

Thanks for your information. Would you happen to have a shop manual on the D? I'd be hesitant to pull the cover until I bought it without having a gasket to replace the old one with. Also, I have no idea how the shifter is connected through the cover but guess it may be similar to the 8N I have.
My main concern is the transmission and clutch situation. Wheels and tires are usually pretty easy and this one looks like one I've seen on either an old MF or Farmall. I don't remember which. Since it is parked on gravel I can't really say if there are any leaks because it gets moved around.
I'd hate to spend that much money and not be able to find the parts to fix it. Gene

I've never seen a manual. You might try watching e-bay, I know odd stuff pops up there once in a while.

Keith