Tearing into the old W4

   / Tearing into the old W4 #1  

Marveltone

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Messages
1,485
Location
Somewhere north of Roseau, MN
Tractor
Fordson Major Diesel, McCormick Deering W4, Ford 1510, John Deere L111
The time has come to start pulling stuff off our 1946 McCormick W4, in an effort to get it back into running condition. We know the clutch needs to come out, seeing as it's stuck. We pulled off the hood, nose cone, gas tank, and various connecting rods to get at the top cover. We took great care to clean the surrounding area, so as not to knock any contaminates into the flywheel/clutch cavity. When we got the cover off, this is what we found.


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We filled a 6 gallon shop vac with mouse droppings and bedding. As suspected, the clutch is shot, so we'll be ordering a clutch kit.

Next victim: Water pump!

Joe

Sent from my XT907 using TractorByNet
 
   / Tearing into the old W4 #2  
Ah, yes...rodentii farmallensis. :laughing: BTDT. Don't know what it is about clutches that fascinate mice so, but I guarantee there is nothing on the planet more corrosive than mouse urine.
 
   / Tearing into the old W4 #3  
Good thing you were so careful while disassembling :D

Bought a 66 Jeep J3000 Gladiator pick-up off a farmer about 15 years ago. Pulled it home, went through everything brakes, fluids, new tires (except the bell housing). Finally satisfied the truck was road worthy and after a few around town trips I headed out on the highway. Just as I got to ~50-55 MPH there was a tremendous bang and the whole truck shook violently. In the mirror I could see something spreading across the road behind me as I pulled into the shoulder, all the time wondering how I was going to get the beast home, knowing with certainty this was a major mechanical problem. Got out and walked back to view the debris field hoping it would give me a clue as to what went so horribly wrong. Yep, mouse bedding everywhere. Went and climbed back in the cab, pulled the shifter into first gear and eased out the clutch and everything worked as it should.
 
   / Tearing into the old W4
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Ah, yes...rodentii farmallensis. :laughing: BTDT. Don't know what it is about clutches that fascinate mice so, but I guarantee there is nothing on the planet more corrosive than mouse urine.

You've got that right! One of the clutch springs is completely shot. The housing around it is completely corroded away. The disks are also shot. Good thing clutch kits are readily available.

Today, we pulled off the water pump. No surprises, as we already knew it was shot, and got a replacement over the winter on fleabay. W're disassembling everything critical and making our parts list. Aside from the clutch, water pump, broken seat spring, new belts and a couple gauges, everything else is mostly cosmetic. We're really only interested in getting her into working condition, not building a parade tractor.

Joe
 
   / Tearing into the old W4 #5  
I wouldn't mind finding a W4. Grew up on my Dad's farm driving a Super W6 and a John Deere B.
 
   / Tearing into the old W4
  • Thread Starter
#6  
I wouldn't mind finding a W4. Grew up on my Dad's farm driving a Super W6 and a John Deere B.
This one was a bit of a surprise. My wife's father passed away before we met (we've been married 23 years) so I never knew him. He was a country preacher and farmer who never had the money to upgrade equipment, so he used old, converted horse drawn equipment, as well as a few newer pieces he bought after serving in WW2. Seeing as the W4 is a '46, I'm guessing it was a new post-war purchase. After my Mother-in-Law passed away (three years ago), we inherited the farm. Well, some of the equipment is still here in various states of decline, while others have been sold to collectors and scrap men.

Apparently, my wife's foster brother down the road had quietly tucked away one of the tractors (the W4) in the back of his shop. Last year, he informed us of its existence and told us it was ours. It's been sitting in that shop for 30 years and now it's back on the farm it started on.

I'd like to have it running by the end of the summer.

Joe
 
   / Tearing into the old W4 #7  
Good luck! We had a couple WD-9s and an ID-9. Also M, H, 300, 450 etc. Also had a few Olivers.
 
 
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