Ferguson TO 30

[Baranx4]

I just picked up a Ferguson TO-30 that"s been sitting in a garage for 15 yrs. It was to good of a deal to pass on. Planning on getting it running this winter. The owner doesn"t know anything about it as it was his father in law who used it and ran it. Presently I don"t even know if it"s been converted to 12v yet. My first plan is to drain all of the fluids and hand turn over the engine after soaking the cylinders.
It looks like a good project for my son and me as he is 8. Any tips would be helpful. It comes with a two bottom walking plow and a sickle bar mower. Will post more on the mower in the future as I have never seen one like it before. looks like it is a two piece mower. The attachments were outside so they will need some work. Looks like I will be contacting farmingwithjunk for info. Already have hit ferg sites and yesterday site.

 

[Jerry/MT]

I have a '54 TO-30 and I post here and on Yesterday's Tractors' Harry Ferguson Forum. I'd be glad to help you get this machine running again.
One problem you need to be aware of on these older machines that have sat a long time is the valves stick and the push rodss can be bent. You might want to remove the valve cover and pour some ATF on the valve stems before you turn the engine. After a few days, hand turn and see if the vlaves are moving. The push rods can be hard to find.

 

[Baranx4]

I have a '54 TO-30 and I post here and on Yesterday's Tractors' Harry Ferguson Forum. I'd be glad to help you get this machine running again.
One problem you need to be aware of on these older machines that have sat a long time is the valves stick and the push rodss can be bent. You might want to remove the valve cover and pour some ATF on the valve stems before you turn the engine. After a few days, hand turn and see if the vlaves are moving. The push rods can be hard to find.

Already thought of that, was going to coat them with pb blaster or a mix with kerosene and then tap them with a mallet. That's what I've done before. Does atf work better?

Thanks for the offer of help as these old engines are before my time. Last time I set points I used a match box for the gap. When researching info on the 30, I saw a video on youtube where they put together a to 20 in ten minutes.

 

[Jerry/MT]

ATF is just one of many possible ways to loosen stuck valves. Brake cleaner, acetone, and other solvents will all work. I like it because it's not as bad of a contaminant if you use a lot of it and it runs down into the oil. It's not as fast working as the solvents however.