daugen
Super Star Member
My beloved and trusty Gravely didn't start for the last time. Years and years of problems with points sticking. Even with the
electronic upgrades and better coil, my Kohler just would not start and it was always, always the points sticking. Sometimes a tap on the case with a wooden
rod would do it but otherwise, it meant a service call. I have very bad arthritis and my right arm mobility is down so getting into that tiny area on a Kohler twin where the points case is hidden down in that hole, well, it became a no go for me.
So about a month ago with a dead Gravely in the field outside the barn, I ordered the Vanguard conversion kit. $1750 approx.
Had it shipped to my local Kubota dealer in Washington NC as they were willing to do this kind of work as long as I paid "tractor" labor instead of lawn mower labor. The JD folks said they had no one who still knew how to change points (can you imagine) so I wrote them off a long time back. I got my little tractor back, and it is built well enough to
honestly be called a tiny tractor, and now it had a distinct oomph to it. Stepped right out in third like it hadn't before...so the extra four hp could be felt, though unlikely an operational advantage with only a 50 deck underneath. With the 60 deck, yeah, this hp would help, and I've run both.
Nice engine, starts easily and only likes a little choke. Terrible install of the choke cable, ran it over the muffler, so no wonder it is now so stiff it won't push back in. I have to take it off, shorten the cable (almost like the guy working on it didn't know how to cut the cable...) and reroute it which is not hard. Alternatively, I could reroute the muffler down lower, but in any event the current choke cable is too long. Because Vanguard gives one a nice little finger push spot for the choke operation right on the engine, I just "open the hood" and push the choke off mechanically on the engine. I've defeated the seat switch years ago so I could start the unit off the seat. Am extremely careful during mowing operations accordingly. I like my feet...
I thought the sound would be more Harley like but it's pretty smooth and well muffled. Of course, I always thought that chrome extension added at least one hp.
Someday...I'm going to put real dual exhausts on this thing. Just takes a little welding with some common pipe. I don't need serpentine headers...
But then the sound I bet would be more "thumpy"...but then, who wants a lot of noise when you are mowing. I'd set them up to be quiet.
Now the motorhead in me would like to add little cutouts with a pull knob...or perhaps that's the kid in me...
I now have a bad rattle in the right clutch housing. They did something to it for sure, no such noise prior to install.
Constant light rattling noise, need to take it apart and make sure nothing is coming loose. Turns out they put their oldest but not smartest guy on the job
and well, this is how it went together. Fine, not hard to fix, but the engine runs great. Has a little external oil cooler which is unprotected but at least that makes it easy
to blow off the dirt with an air gun.
The Gravely riding tractors always were overbuilt, and from my short experience with this new engine, can surely
handle a few my hp. I'm required to change the oil at ten hours, then I suppose put it in regular service. I've been running it hard (80% throttle mowing in heavy grass) and then light duty during the first few hours, more the light duty. I doubt this engine was prerun at the factory so I'm sure there's some metal bits floating around in there. Might not even wait the ten hours, and might put in conventional oil for the first change, then synthetic thereafter. Tiny little oil filters but only a couple quarts of oil anyway. Always thought if they would only make the oil pan a quart larger, it would help with cooling and engine life. With oil recycling, using an extra quart for better lubrication seems to be a premium feature to me. Without a temp gauge on an air cooled engine, which of course usually does not exist, all one can do is keep the engine clean and the oil full.
Along with my dual exhausts I'd love to have pyrometers installed in both heads, plus oil temp and pressure gauges.
Might have a few things to get done elsewhere before that...
Except for the choke cable and whatever they did to my right clutch to make it rattle (I've Kroiled the right parts carefully externally to no effect; need to take it apart to figure out what their mechanic did) I'd say this was a great success. Fires right up. noticeable but not substantial power increase and a different but effective muffler solution.
I probably should go back and put a wrench on the main attachment bolts just to make sure they are still tight after running it a few hours. Actually everything should be checked over.
electronic upgrades and better coil, my Kohler just would not start and it was always, always the points sticking. Sometimes a tap on the case with a wooden
rod would do it but otherwise, it meant a service call. I have very bad arthritis and my right arm mobility is down so getting into that tiny area on a Kohler twin where the points case is hidden down in that hole, well, it became a no go for me.
So about a month ago with a dead Gravely in the field outside the barn, I ordered the Vanguard conversion kit. $1750 approx.
Had it shipped to my local Kubota dealer in Washington NC as they were willing to do this kind of work as long as I paid "tractor" labor instead of lawn mower labor. The JD folks said they had no one who still knew how to change points (can you imagine) so I wrote them off a long time back. I got my little tractor back, and it is built well enough to
honestly be called a tiny tractor, and now it had a distinct oomph to it. Stepped right out in third like it hadn't before...so the extra four hp could be felt, though unlikely an operational advantage with only a 50 deck underneath. With the 60 deck, yeah, this hp would help, and I've run both.
Nice engine, starts easily and only likes a little choke. Terrible install of the choke cable, ran it over the muffler, so no wonder it is now so stiff it won't push back in. I have to take it off, shorten the cable (almost like the guy working on it didn't know how to cut the cable...) and reroute it which is not hard. Alternatively, I could reroute the muffler down lower, but in any event the current choke cable is too long. Because Vanguard gives one a nice little finger push spot for the choke operation right on the engine, I just "open the hood" and push the choke off mechanically on the engine. I've defeated the seat switch years ago so I could start the unit off the seat. Am extremely careful during mowing operations accordingly. I like my feet...
I thought the sound would be more Harley like but it's pretty smooth and well muffled. Of course, I always thought that chrome extension added at least one hp.
Someday...I'm going to put real dual exhausts on this thing. Just takes a little welding with some common pipe. I don't need serpentine headers...
But then the sound I bet would be more "thumpy"...but then, who wants a lot of noise when you are mowing. I'd set them up to be quiet.
Now the motorhead in me would like to add little cutouts with a pull knob...or perhaps that's the kid in me...
I now have a bad rattle in the right clutch housing. They did something to it for sure, no such noise prior to install.
Constant light rattling noise, need to take it apart and make sure nothing is coming loose. Turns out they put their oldest but not smartest guy on the job
and well, this is how it went together. Fine, not hard to fix, but the engine runs great. Has a little external oil cooler which is unprotected but at least that makes it easy
to blow off the dirt with an air gun.
The Gravely riding tractors always were overbuilt, and from my short experience with this new engine, can surely
handle a few my hp. I'm required to change the oil at ten hours, then I suppose put it in regular service. I've been running it hard (80% throttle mowing in heavy grass) and then light duty during the first few hours, more the light duty. I doubt this engine was prerun at the factory so I'm sure there's some metal bits floating around in there. Might not even wait the ten hours, and might put in conventional oil for the first change, then synthetic thereafter. Tiny little oil filters but only a couple quarts of oil anyway. Always thought if they would only make the oil pan a quart larger, it would help with cooling and engine life. With oil recycling, using an extra quart for better lubrication seems to be a premium feature to me. Without a temp gauge on an air cooled engine, which of course usually does not exist, all one can do is keep the engine clean and the oil full.
Along with my dual exhausts I'd love to have pyrometers installed in both heads, plus oil temp and pressure gauges.
Might have a few things to get done elsewhere before that...
Except for the choke cable and whatever they did to my right clutch to make it rattle (I've Kroiled the right parts carefully externally to no effect; need to take it apart to figure out what their mechanic did) I'd say this was a great success. Fires right up. noticeable but not substantial power increase and a different but effective muffler solution.
I probably should go back and put a wrench on the main attachment bolts just to make sure they are still tight after running it a few hours. Actually everything should be checked over.
