Time to get the TO35 running...

[Jstpssng]

I've mentioned this tractor before... it was my father's and when he passed away I told my mother that if I could only have one thing of his, it would be that tractor. It needed a few things so I bought a new water pump, hoses, carburetor, fuel shutoff and a few other things... it's been so long that I will have to check the box they came in to see what else. In 2020 I replaced the fuel petcock, line and carburetor, shut the valve off, dumped 3 gallons of non-ethanol gas in the tank- And watched it run through the new petcock, down the new fuel line, into the new carburetor... out the new carburetor again and onto the ground. I walked away from it in disgust, that fall my brother and I pushed it into the barn and it didn't move again until a week ago. Last Saturday we brought it out of the barn and pushed it into my father's workshop, where I can work on it and easily drag it outside when I'm working on the fuel system. Next weekend I plan to go down and change the water pump... later this month I will work on getting it running and hope to bring it home by July 4. Other things it will need are oil change, plug wires... I'm sure there will be other things but that's all basic maintenance. Right now I just want to get it running. One thing I liked about it was that it has not been converted to 12 V. I don't want to change that but am considering alternatives.

This is partly thinking out loud and partly a lead up to a question... how do I adjust the carburetor float? I assume that's what is wrong. I was a bit POed about that... had I wanted to take a carb apart I would have rebuilt the old unit rather than shelling out almost 2 bills for a new part.

Thank you.

 

[tacticalturnip]

I recall you mentioning your father's old Ford, it's great to see you're getting back into it!

 

[stevem5215]

If the new carb was from China take it back off and rebuild the original. It'll work far better than the chinese junk. Refrain as much as possible with chinese parts. They are of low quality and will be DOA out of the box at times.

 

[5030]

Sounds to me like the float level is set too high.

 

[mike0000]

I agree with 5030, I’d check the float, sounds like it’s not shutting off the fuel as it should. I can’t advise you on that particular carb. I sure someone more familiar will offer advise.

Mike

 

[DJ54]

Most times I'm puzzled why someone insists on rebuilding a carb, whether the poster, or commenter mentions it. When in reality it may just need a good cleaning, or float readjusted. Only one, an MT John Deere out of the entire 30+ tractors I've collected in the past 40 years needed new throttle shaft bushings and was sucking air. On my one Farmall Super C the main fuel adjusting needle needed replacing because the PO smooshed the end distorting it, running it in too far. Floats on more than several had to be readjusted back in the early 70's when they brought out unleaded fuel, and again when they brought out ethanol laced fuel changing the specific gravity of fuel and caused the float to ride a little deeper in the bowl causing them to flood.

There are some exceptions to the neoprene float needle where ethanol destroyed them, or possibly water and/or sediment in there doing similar damage like clogging the discharge nozzle.

I'm no pro by any means, and these carbs are pretty easy to work on. Disassemble on a clean work area, clean all ports & passages with spray carb. cleaner, and a shot of low pressure air. Remove the discharge nozzle and check the tiny cross drilled holes and make sure they are clean. Just spraying carb. cleaner through the end won't do it. But a single wire from a wire brush, or strand of automotive type wire will make a great cleaner. Hold it up to a good bright light to see through them. Then flush with carb cleaner to remove and sediment that may remain. Just be sure when you put it back together to get the float and hinge pin centered when you put it back together so the float doesn't get hung up on the side of the bowl. You may need to do some tweaking on the float if it is in working order, again due to the difference in specific gravity of the fuel. Last but not least most had a fine mesh screen filter where the fuel line attaches to the carb. It will be a brass 90º elbow. Remove it, and there "should" be a mesh filter on the end when you pull it out. Back flush with carb cleaner, and you're good to go, unless it is damaged.

With today's phones, it's so simple to take a picture along the way for reference in reassembly. And yeah, I still do that a lot on assemblies with numerous parts I've never worked on before.

If you didn't toss the old one, sounds like a good rainy day project in between trips.

 

[super55]

Your old carb was probably fine and was most likely just sticking or the little neoprene gasket on the float valve was deteriorated.

Also on these old gravity fed fuel delivery systems its pretty common for them to leak if they are not running. My oliver super 55 I have been in the carb a bunch of times and eventually replaced the float valve and it still leaked if I let it sit for more then 5 minutes or so not running. For me its just a lot easier to turn the shut off valve then to keep going down that rabbit hole.

As for the alternatives on the 6v system. Going from 6v to 12v is really easy and will give you a lot more cranking speed for starting. It's pretty much just installing a Delco style alternator and changing to a 12v coil and maybe some bulbs if they are 6v. Everything I have that was originally 6v I upgraded to 12v just out of convenience and more reliable starting but if you are intent on keeping the tractor as original as possible then then staying with the 6v should suffice. For me 6v systems always seemed like a hope and a prayer it would start.

 

[Jerry/MT]

I've mentioned this tractor before... it was my father's and when he passed away I told my mother that if I could only have one thing of his, it would be that tractor. It needed a few things so I bought a new water pump, hoses, carburetor, fuel shutoff and a few other things... it's been so long that I will have to check the box they came in to see what else. In 2020 I replaced the fuel petcock, line and carburetor, shut the valve off, dumped 3 gallons of non-ethanol gas in the tank- And watched it run through the new petcock, down the new fuel line, into the new carburetor... out the new carburetor again and onto the ground. I walked away from it in disgust, that fall my brother and I pushed it into the barn and it didn't move again until a week ago. Last Saturday we brought it out of the barn and pushed it into my father's workshop, where I can work on it and easily drag it outside when I'm working on the fuel system. Next weekend I plan to go down and change the water pump... later this month I will work on getting it running and hope to bring it home by July 4. Other things it will need are oil change, plug wires... I'm sure there will be other things but that's all basic maintenance. Right now I just want to get it running. One thing I liked about it was that it has not been converted to 12 V. I don't want to change that but am considering alternatives.

This is partly thinking out loud and partly a lead up to a question... how do I adjust the carburetor float? I assume that's what is wrong. I was a bit POed about that... had I wanted to take a carb apart I would have rebuilt the old unit rather than shelling out almost 2 bills for a new part.

Thank you.

The carb is probably an old Marvel-Schebler and are probably one of the easiest carbs to rebuild. I hope you haven't thrown it away. Remove it from the manifold, take it apart, soak it in carb cleaner for a day or two, blow out all the passages and then make sure they are clear and flowing. Buy a rebuild kit and put it all back together with new idle needle and a new power jet needle. The float setting IIRC is 0.25" so use a 1/4 inch drill to make the setting. The power jet needs to be set no less than one full turn out from full close. The idle mixture setting IIRC is 7/8 turn out from full close. It controls the Idle AIR not the fuel so closing it enriches the idle mixture.

You might invest in a reprint service manual for your TO-35 if you are going to seriously work on it. they are available on ebay, etc or just google Ferguson TO-35 service manual.

 

[Jstpssng]

Thank you, everyone! You have given me some good insight. I did NOT throw out the old carb... that's in the box of parts. Or maybe it's in a coffee can next to the box, it's been a few years but everything is setting on the workbench where I left it. One thing I didn't know was how to adjust the float. I will use the suggestion above on the new one, for now.
This weekend will be to change the water pump, if I can't do that I have no business owning anything built prior to 2010 2022. I
hadn't gotten as far as thinking about a shop manual but that's a good idea. I would be very surprised if there was NOT one in one of the various piles of books and manuals my father had accumulated.

Hopefully things will go as planned this weekend.

 

[Jstpssng]

Ir seems like everytime that I go south there are always too many things to do. Yesterdsy I finally pulled the radiator and changed the water pump. It took me longer to get one stupid cotter pin out than to drain the fluid, take off the cowl, pull the radiator and swap out the old part for the new. I had planned on just getting it running enough to load it onto a trailer and bring it home but it doesn't make sense to put the old radiator back on. I had forgotten how easy

these old machines are to work on; also how virgin steel bolts didn't rust in place the way that recycled metal does.