Allis Chalmers 610 re-power

[Johndeere3720]

In July, I came across a deal and sure enough took it. It included an Allis Chalmers 610 and two Simplicity Broadmoor lawn tractors as well as some boxes of parts and a 36" MMM and a 30" belt driven rotary tiller. Being the tractor fanatic that I am I hauled them home and all of the sudden had a small junk yard behind the barn. So since my first tractor actually was an Allis Chalmers 716 or something like that I picked the AC 610 to be first up to a rebuild/re-power. Originally, I planned to rebuild it, I had 3 lawn tractors, I should be able to get 1-2 in working condition with all the parts plus one of the broadmoor's being dedicated as a parts mower. So my project began.......

 

[Johndeere3720]

With the original plan to rebuild an engine, I took to that path. To test the engines, I ended up picking up a new battery.

Total so far:

$40

I also picked up a couple new battery cables

Total so far:

$40 battery
$20 cables
$60 Total

My engines failed the compression test, in fact they all had bad rings.

So I decided to start with the engine from my parts mower. Took it all apart and once I got to getting the engine honed out, I could not locate anyone locally with a hone small enough to get this 8 hp engine back in good order for new rings and such. So I now was at the point of sinking a lot more into these engines than I felt comfortable with. So what did I do? I got a used 15 hp Briggs and Stratton engine for $120.

Total so far:
$40 battery
$20 cables
$120 engine
$180 Total

 

[Johndeere3720]

Today I finally got to installing my new used (well, it has 5 hours on it ) engine into my AC610. I first made sure everything would align properly, then I took two pulley's off one of my 8 hp engines and matched them up to the 15 hp engine. Once that was done, I set it on the frame and bolted it down. When I removed the tecumseh engine from the 610, i had to pull the clutch pedal pivot out so today i had to reinstall it. It is not a fun thing to put back on. Once this was done I hooked up the throttle cable and made sure everything worked smoothly. Now I was at a point where I could not go further without assistance. So my grandpa and i tried what we could to get the electrical working. We have no idea what to do. So now that i was at a stopping point at 2 pm, I decided to make the hood fit. Since the 15 hp engine is about 3-4" longer I had to cut part of the grille out plus grind some of the hood to allow the air filter to rest under the hood without any serious rubbing issues. Next I removed the oil dip-stick and replaced it with a shorter one from one of my 8 hp engines so i would have one less modification to do to the hood. I also greased all of the pivot points, one had not been greased in years and was locked up from rust. Luckily i got it freed up without anything breaking. :thumbsup: So far it is doing good, minus the electrical.

 

[mmurphy]

Looking good.Do you have the deck also? That old girl looks heavier built then my 416H.

 

[Johndeere3720]

Looking good.Do you have the deck also? That old girl looks heavier built then my 416H.

Thanks! I do have a deck as well as a 30" tiller. It is pretty heavy built, but they are actually pretty light. I think they weigh about 300 lbs with a MMM installed, this one will be more with the bigger engine. :thumbsup:

 

[CompactTractorFan]

Nice job so far! :thumbsup:

 

[Johndeere3720]

Thanks Kyle! I still have no clue on the electrical system. :confused2:

 

[CompactTractorFan]

Thanks Kyle! I still have no clue on the electrical system. :confused2:

Sorry, can't help you there...

 

[Johndeere3720]

Here is what I got so far. I do have the green hooked up to the blue and an orange hooked to the red. The orange is running from terminal A/G on the ignition switch.

 

[Johndeere3720]

Today we took the 610 out of the shop to see if she would run. Turned the key and it just clicked. The fuel solenoid wasnt engaging so we took it off and it was stuck off. In doing this the gasket for the carb bowl came off and shrunk, so we had to go pick up a new one :mur: ($3.50). Went back and also found out I got the wrong battery as it didnt have the power to start the 15 hp engine. :mur: It was an 18P vs/ a 30. We did get it started by jumping it but I don't want that to be an every day thing. So we go down to the hardware store to return the new battery that was too small and they wouldn't take it,:mur: they would give me $5 as a core charge for a brand new $40 battery so i kept it and still got the 30P for $55. They said because the warranty had already started and was marked on the battery they would not take it back. :mur: So we finally got back and started it up. Ran really rough. Since we don't have a muffler for it yet that thing ran LOUD. :laughing: So we took the carb off and used the air compressor to clean it out. Stuck it back on there, made a few adjustments and it runs great! :thumbsup: Now that it runs, the next item of business is the transmission. I put it into gear and the gears all worked backwards! I had 1 forward and 3 reverse. :mur::laughing: So we looked underneath and the belt was twisted.:mur::laughing: But we got it on right and the gears worked okay. The brakes didnt work very well, neither did the clutch. Then it wouldn't go into gear, it just ground the gears. So we pulled it back and tried to adjust the brakes and clutch. Now the brakes only work in neutral and the clutch is working a little better although we haven't tested it. after all this we called it a day. Hopefully we can get it working right tomorrow. :thumbsup:

Total so far:

Gasket $3.50
New 30P battery $55
other battery $40
engine $120
battery cables $20
Total: $238.50

 

[Johndeere3720]

Well today we made more progress. Got the wiring finished and zip-tied down, got a muffler on it, got the brakes to work. The cluch is no good yet it shifts into 1st and 2nd without grinding. 3rd and reverse are a little grinding but not too bad. This is a very dangerous lawn tractor, easy to roll over, very dangerous. My grandpa says forget the attachments, get rid of it before i get hurt on it. He is right, it is okay driving in a straight line but turning, it is a totally different animal.

 

[Johndeere3720]

In effort to sell and make this lawn tractor safer, I hooked up the 36" mower deck and the small tiller. The deck leaves a great cut, the tiller tills great too. I put in a seat, not the prettiest seat but it is functional. I also made it so you can lock either or both the tiller and mower in the up position. This allows you to leave either attach on the tractor and use the other so you can mow with the tiller on or till with the mower on. :thumbsup: The mower does make it a bit safer since you cant drag your feet on the ground.