Jump to content

Unofficial Home of Old Simplicity & Allis-Chalmers Garden Tractors

B112 Shuttle Build


HubbardRA

Recommended Posts

As Dan mentioned in another forum, I am currently building a B112 Shuttle tractor. This really is a group project although the other club members who participated probably did not know they were even contributing to this project. I first got hold of the sheetmetal from a B112 with no tranny and no engine. This was given to me by Andy Lehoskay (albj93). Many of the small parts were missing and several I have already fabricated. I have spent several days working on it and didn't really take many pictures in the beginning. I also used a set of fenders from a later model tractor that matched the hitch on the shuttle tranny and also latched onto the bar on the top plate of the B112 frame. These fenders were given to me by Elon Hertzfeld (ehertzfeld) and brought to me by Thomas Johnson (firefoxz1) at Spring Fling a couple years ago. The B112 double pivot fenders did not directly fit this setup, so I used these newer ones that did. Here is what it looked like after I bolted the shuttle transmission, that was given to me by Scott Meyer (OrangeMetalGuy), to the B112 frame.


Before I bolted the tranny to the chassis, I changed the BGB since the one that came on the tranny had a very loose bearing in the input shaft. I used a BGB that I pulled from a AC410 that I picked up on a trip with John Hollyfield (johnmonkey) several years ago. This BGB had a long shaft like one with a cone clutch, but had a small thread on the end. I will come back to this BGB shaft and discuss more about it later. Anyway, after bolting the tranny to the frame, I found out that the gearshift and the clutch/brake rod bolted up directly. I also hooked up the shift lever, but it was too long and needed to be modified. The following is a picture of these rods hooked up showing how they fit through the B112 frame.


As I said above, the shift rod, that I got with the shuttle tranny, was too long to hook up to the varidrive lever that I wanted to use for the shuttle shifter. I bolted the shuttle shift quadrant to the dash, instead of the varidrive quadrant. It worked out good since both the varidrive lever and the original shuttle lever had bump formed into the back side of the lever to match up with a notch and act as a neutral detent. Also, on both levers, these bumps sat at the same radius from the center of the pivot on the shift lever. How convenient. I put both the tranny and the shift lever in the neutral position and took a measurement of the rod. I ended up cutting 3 1/4 inches out of the rod to make it the necessary length. This rod ended up being made from tubing. I use a piece of solid rod that fit tightly inside the tubing to reinforce the cut area, then welded the pieces together. The following picture shows the fitted rod and the red arrow shows where the cut and weld were made. I was surprised that this rod did no require any additional bending to fit properly.


After setting this shift lever up and the quadrant, it became obvious that the knob on the lever was too close to the dash when in the forward position as shown in the following picture.


Rather than to move the shift lever and quadrant more to the rear, which would not look as good and may also interfere with the driver's leg, I chose to modify the shift lever. I made a small curved piece from a piece of flatbar that was the same thickness as the lever. I welded this piece to the top of the lever, after removing the original threaded rod for the shift knob. I then welded the threaded end of a bolt to the top of the new piece to attach the knob. This modified shift lever is shown in the picture below.


Other than the shuttle tranny, this tractor will have some other interesting features when it is finished. Also, don't get discouraged about the rusty metal. It will be fully painted before it is finished. I have already painted the hood and grill. More painting to do, but I need warmer weather. More to come!!!!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Rod, Nice fab-job on the handle. That ought to clear nicely and I agree it would be better where you have and not some other place. I also like the blue ghost in the first pic!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rick, I assume you are talking about my AC 716H. That paint job came about because I just ran down to the Dollar Store and grabbed a couple cans of cheap black paint and painted it all black just to get rid of the rust. My wife said it looked too plain and I needed to spice it up some. I didn't have any orange paint at the time so I grabbed a can of teal spray paint from another project and some tape. When she came out and saw it she couldn't believe I did that to one of my tractors. Since then I have been meaning to give it an orange paint job but just haven't gotten around to it yet. It is on the list of things to do. But, as you may guess, painting is one of my least favorite things to do. John, You know how most of my tractors come about. They are usually built from piles of discarded parts. That BGB from the 410 was there and just seemed like a prime candidate for this tractor since it was an oddball as this tractor was going to be.:D Just wait till you see your dual wheel spacers on it. Oops, guess I just let one of the cats out of the bag.;)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, since this tractor already had some yellow and some orange parts on it, I figured that maybe it could use another color, so I added some blue.


As you can see, I have added a set of Homelite runningboards. I would like to thank Bill Engle (PhanDad) for selling these runningboards to me. The right side one bolted on very nicely. You can even see that the mounting plate for the support chain of my sicklebar mower fit directly through a hole that was already in the runningboard. This tractor is going to be dedicated to the sicklebar mower when completed, and the mower is being modified to work on this tractor. Unfortunately the left side did not work out so well. First thing is that I needed to cut a slot to allow the steering arm to come through it. Since I have never seen one of these homelites, I am not sure how they did the steering on them. I still need to do some more modifying of the left runningboard because of an interference with the belt-type center PTO, and may also need more cutting around the steering arm. Just have to wait a couple days till it warms up enough to work on it again. As you may have noticed, it is sitting outside. No room in my garage right now. Hope to remedy that soon.


Link to comment
Share on other sites

For some odd reason, I think those Homey running boards are awesome!! On my 2110, I only use rear mounted attachments. Now I ask... I know there were long and short wheelbase square hood tractors. Mine is of the short wheelbase variety. Would those fit??
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Long wheelbase or short wheelbase doesn't make any difference since the increased length is in the side plates - the front frame is identical. Interesting that Rod posted this now. I just picked up another set of Homelite running boards (less the rubber mat part). I'm thinking of putting them on my "HB-110". I was aware of the steering issue with the left running board based on GregB's post when he installed the Homelite running board on his A/C loader tractor. I don't remember his post mentioning a PTO issue; maybe because he doesn't have the PTO installed. So Rod, I'm waiting to find out what mods you have to do to fix the PTO issue.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The loader tractor is a dedicated loader tractor with rear implements so no PTO on the tractor. Did have to clearance the rear of the boards for the sub-frame though. And maybe some of the thanks for your running boards go to me also }:) As I unloaded them on Bill before I realized I would need them. Had to buy another parts Homey to get the set I mounted :D
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bill, If you used a cone clutch PTO there probably would be no problem. I am using the older style belt clutch PTO because I am going to have an older style -210 sicklebar mower on this tractor. The first thing I noticed when I installed the PTO is that the belt was too long. After doing some checking and also measuring my 61 Wards, I found out that by mounting the old style PTO on the newer sideplates, for a cone clutch PTO, the distance between the BGB shaft and the pivot shaft shaft of the PTO was an inch less on this hybrid setup, the idler pulley would hit the BGB pulley when the clutch was engaged. I put a smaller idler on the setup to cure this problem. When I tried to install the runningboard on the left side, it hit the idler on the PTO. To fix this problem, I will need to notch out the corner of the runningboard. I will have to remove enough to allow full motion of the PTO, and also allow room for the rod that goes between the PTO engagement lever, and idler pulley mount. I have not done the material removal yet, but will post pictures when I get that done. I am also planning to make a cover for the idler pulley after the cut is made. This is in the rear inside corner, so it should not be detrimental to normal foot placement when using the tractor. The rework should not remove more than about 3/4 inch of space at the very rear of the runningboard, in the corner. I will post pictures when I do this modification. Greg, I do indeed thank you for those runningboards. That is one set of traveling runningboards. You let Bill have them, then he sent them to me. Dave Hutchins (D-17_Dave) wanted a set on the tractor that he was building, but could not find a set that he thought he had. I traded these runningboards to him for his project, so I shipped them to him in NC. While mine were in route, he found his, so he shipped mine back to me. That means they have traveled from PA, to VA, to NC, and back to VA. One question that I would like to ask you is how is the Homelite steering made, if it doesn't have the outside drag link? Is it made similar to the steering on an AC 300 or 400 series tractor?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bill, I took a picture of the area that I have marked for removal on the runningboard. As I mentioned before, I will remove the required amount of material to give the needed clearance, then fabricate a cover for the PTO idler pulley to prevent any danger of getting a pants leg tangled up in the spinning mechanism. The area to the left of the picture under the frame is primarily for clearance to allow the rod to go through, and the area to the right side at the rear of the runningboard is for clearance for the idler pulley. Also you will notice that the rod for the parking brake that was on the shuttle tranny fits directly through the hole in the runningboard without any modifications.


Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kinda hard to get a pic on the cold ground in the dark, but here is one Rod. the running board starts just to the right of the steering rod, the darker line Looks to me like they just used a much shorter arm to keep it tucked up under the frame.


Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rod, Never have seen a 300 or 400 but Dan's picture sort of tells the story. I decided it was easier to cut a slot, than get deep into the steering linkage. Took me way to long to get to this point, I wanted done. I had the loader first(probably 15 years), from a home built tractor, then found Simple Tractors and Allis. It's been all downhill from then :D:D:D
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rod, wondering if you used a cone clutch to drive the old pto shaft you wouldn't need to cut out the runnin board. But if you cut it out if you cut all 3 sides square you can invert the cut out and weld it back in as a cover.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:
Originally posted by HubbardRA
No quite as technical as your short wheelbase hydro project, Sam.
True, but I'm betting you are having way less headaches than I am:D Had to dump the idea of a solid rear lift shaft on mine. Just not enough room. Going back to the cable method. Even that needs modified though since I have the PTO lever setup inside the frame like on the 900 series. One headache after anothersm00.. I am going to do what Dave suggested to you , make a old style PTO shaft run off the cone clutch. I'm building mine also to run the sickle mower, but I want the cone PTO to do it from.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dave, I can just use one of the belt shields from the older PTOs that were mounted on the rod. That will make a good cover and I will cut it down so that it doesn't stick out any more than necessary. If all else fails, I have the sheetmetal and can design my own cover. Not even worrying about the cover right now. Sam, I have the cone clutch, but wanted to do this one with a belt clutch. This tractor is not all just bolting things together. Very few parts have fitted together without some modification of some sort. This tractor still has more unique items that I will talk about later. Quite a few more parts to fabricate or modify. I am not going into every small detail of every part that I had to work on, just the big items. After all I am building the tractor that has at least three strikes against it. Running boards on a Foot Dragger, Shuttle tranny, and last but not least I am probably going to use a Kohler engine. In fact I will probably use a K301 engine from a Cub Cadet and show everyone how to use one of those.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Rod, this looks like an awesome project! I love the mish-mash of parts from all over, very creative indeed. You might have to call this one "Frank"(enstein) or "Hodge"(Podge) when it's all done!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mike, All my tractors are sort of Frankenstein tractors since they have been put together from more than one. My AC 716H was put together from two tractors. My 61 Wards has parts from three tractors. My AC 713S has parts from at least six tractors. This one will end up with parts from four or five tractors. My 7125H has been modified to take the larger engine and also has parts from three tractors. I put my son's 64 Landlord together with parts from three tractors. I did not count the wheels and tires in these totals, since they have been moved around so much that I don't remember where most of them came from. Guess you could call my group the "Resurrection Collection", since they have all been reborn from non-working tractors and mostly cast-off parts.:) Building them is "fun", using them is "work", but a lot less work than not having them.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Well, I haven't been able to work on the tractor this week because my wife had her knee replaced on Monday, and it is not going as well as the one last year in her other leg. I was at the hospital most of the day on Monday thru Wednesday. I have had to stay pretty close to help here since she came home on Thursday. I did a couple more things before she went in. I still have not finished the left runningboard, but will get back to that as soon as she is moving around a little better on her own. I did get outside to take a few pictures of what I had already done. I have been building a cable lift for my sicklebar mower. The lever lift cannot be used because the handle mount will interfere with the runningboard. Here it is with the sicklebar completely down on the ground. It has clearance.


I thought it was going to be usable in that way, but now I plan to cut that piece off along the black line on the part. The following picture shows that it doesn't take much angle of lift to the piece to hit the runningboard.


In order to eliminate the lever lift and remove the metal that is interfering, I needed to convert to cable lift. I had the picture that Dutch had posted of how to convert, but I did not have the parts, and had to make my own, without having any dimensions. I just guessed from the pictures and will alter the parts later if needed. Here is a picture of the cable mount on the sicklebar. You will see that the mount where the piece of plastic clothesline is tied needs to be bent forward to line up with the edge of the pulley. Hot wrench will take care of that. Also the plastic clothesline is being used to simulate the cable while I aligned the pulley mounted on the frame. I only have the one bolt through the piece. Still need to remove the rear bolt that comes up from the bottom that you can see through the hole in the mount, and then replace it with a long bolt from the top with a spacer between the mount and the sicklebar, and a nut on the bottom.


I also made and welded on the spring mount that attaches to the sicklebar hitch.


As was partially shown in the earlier pictures, I fabricated the pulley mount for the frame. I used a piece of flatbar, bent it to fit tightly to the frame, then bolted it on. I made the rear mount for the pulley (which is from a garage door) and used the clothesline to align it with the lift lever arm and the sicklebar cable mount. After welding that piece, I installed the upper pulley mount and also welded it. As you can see from the pictures, these parts are being custom fitted to work with this tractor. They will probably need modifications when I get everything together and start using it with the cable lift. I do plan on cutting and fitting my own cable also. Plenty of clearance to just use the u-bolt type cable clamps.


Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rod; clamps for cable are called "Crosby Clips" and remember to never "saddle a dead horse". Put u part of clamp over the cut or "dead" end of cable and put saddle on the "live" or pulling portion so you don't crush the important part of the cable. Dave.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Dave, I didn't know what those clamps were called. I always mounted the clamps the way you said. Just seemed like the right way to do it. All the cables that I ever used at work before I retired had the crimp, ferrule type ends. Just never made enough of them at home to spring for the crimping tool.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...