1200 Lives (Previous 1/2 pwr w/ clank

SteveV · May 17, 2001

I...I...didn't know.....the mere possession of a...gulp.....a.....repaired crankshaft.....was such a baaad thing. The five and six foot mower decks the forum members are buying are worth more than this tractor before the break! I enjoy the challenge of the unrepairable! It'll make at least a good portable dolly for those pesky 3pt implements./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

scruffy · May 17, 2001

There are several salvage yards that specialize in tractors on the web. A search would reveal many that you could query for the crankshaft or used rebuildable engine. Maybe a little elbow grease and a few parts would have your 1200 up, running and looking new!

SteveV · May 19, 2001

Just an update to let you guys know I'm not logging armchair hours here. In addition to testing the crank repair, I'm also testing for that elusive break-in-half problem. Things are dry at the corn patch and that's a sprinkler post I'm planting. See attachment. The machine is running better after an hour and a half, the injector pump must have passed an air bubble I missed when bleeding the system. SteveV

Von · Jul 19, 2001

Steve,
How about an update, is your tractor still running with the repaired crank?

SteveV · Jul 19, 2001

Well time has past and so has the faithful friend. The repair loosened up after 3 hrs to a point where the clank sound and the rap in the seat were back. Not wanting to destroy the block or bearings, I just stopped using the machine. A neighbor of mine is looking for a crankshaft for his 1200 rebuild project. In retrospect, I would leave the old slipping clutch in these gear machines; it's protecting a very unreplaceable crankshaft (I had replaced the clutch a couple of months before the break). Investment wise, the machine, blade and the Woods finish rm59 cost $2600. ten years ago. Another possible lesson here is to remember that this was a early generation compact tractor; there weren't all that many imported, and it is not going to be a significant Smithsonian piece. The machine owes me nothing./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif SteveV