1959 David Bradley Suburban restore/mod

[matthewmdn]

figured out the old garden tractor i have is a david bradley.
i tried the free wheels and tires i got from/my neighbor and they are perfect!
unfortunately i cant do a full restore because the frame was cut up and re-worked to incorporate a 4 speed tranny.

my plan is to put a hydraulic motor in/place of the tranniy to drive the rear axle. The hydraulics should be cleaner than a bunch of belts and jackshafts and i want to build a small loader for it anyway.

generally i will update and clean up what has already been modified beyond repair, and I will preserv as much of the original look and mounting points for attachments. i dont have any attachments yet, but now that i know the wheels are a go, I am motiivated to resurect it.

pictures to follow

 

[DJ54]

We love pictures..!!

 

[matthewmdn]

New wheel test fit:



4 speed tranny to be replaced with hydraulic motor:

 

[DJ54]

I like that 4 spd..!! But the hydraulic motor would be a lot handier as a shuttle shift, if you're putting loader on.

 

[matthewmdn]

The four speed is cool, but there would be a mess of belts and no reverse. I am hoping to maybe sell it for more parts money once I can figure out what it is. I am always tempted to hold on to it for some future project, but we all know how that goes.

The issue I have now is trying to figure out the right pump+motor combo. I started a spreadsheet to calculate MPH from Engine speed, which I will post for review once I get all the variables in. It looks like I don't need much torque from the motor but possibly higher rpm as the rear end in this tractor is close to a 30:1 ratio. From looking at the pictures of the originals the rear end was driven at close to 1:1 via a belt down the side of the frame. I can easily move the tractor by hand turning the input pulley on the rear end.

 

[matthewmdn]

Just realized I may have put this in the wrong forum. Should this be in build yourself?

 

[matthewmdn]

This is the engine I am hoping to make work. I need to pull the gas tank off the top to make it fit under the hood. It came off a big mean shredder that wouldn't quit so I am hoping it is strong enough. The original motor is in pieces in the shed. It was a little 5hp stock. I am thinking that the way I have it sitting will fit well under the hood and orient the hydraulic pump neatly.

 

[GLyford]

Don't sweat the forum, it fits several places, and here is as good as any. Looks like a fun project.

Surplus center has some hydraulics calculations that might help with sizing the pump and drive motor.
Surplus Center

 

[matthewmdn]

Surplus center has some hydraulics calculations that might help with sizing the pump and drive motor.
Surplus Center

Awesome! I've been on surplus center, looking at options, but didn't realize they had calculators. Thanks for the tip!