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917 with HD tiller


mike_sdak

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Hello everyone.

I recently found a 917 with HD tiller. I took delivery yesterday, and found a chance to play with it a bit today. It is an early model hydro tractor with the trans filter located underneath, and electric lift.

The tiller seems to be a beast. I lowered it in the garden, and it pushed the tractor ahead with much more force than my other tractor/tiller. I didn't have much control with the hydro. Even worse in sod. Is this normal? Or is the transmission really worn? The transmission is a little jumpy driving without tilling. It doesn't take much ahead movement of the control stick to get it moving pretty fast, faster than my other 917 for sure. If the tiller has trashed the hydro, I sort of hate to mount it on my other 917 hydro.

The engine smokes quite a bit, but it is a 24301 spec engine, so I gather it is a "series II" and probably not original to the early model tractor. I will check out the breather to see if that is the cause, but I suspect it is a worn ring issue. Anyone rebuild a series II kohler here lately?

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Make sure the bolts the hold the BGB to the frame are tight. Check the side plate bolts also. I'd also check the adjustment and lube the linkage.

I run the HD tiller with the side drive on my 917. Does not really push it, but my garden is been in for years. Maybe taking shallower passes?

I

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Thanks for the thoughts, Greg those are good things to check.

In my already tilled garden, the tiller pushed the tractor forward at a pretty good pace, to where I was having having trouble slowing down to till properly, kind of a surprising lurch forward.

The neutral seems to be adjusted properly. Maybe the fluid is low.

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If you're working with virgin ground so to speak, the first pass will cause lurching. You can run tiller at half engine speed or less to help break up the lumps. My 638 Broadmoor would lift the wheels right off the ground in real hard soil.

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I am about to embark on a KT17 Series II overhaul myself. The engine has a lot of blow by but runs great. I have to have the breather disconnected from the air cleaner or the vacuum created in the air cleaner (and the pressure in the crankcase) will suck all the oil out of the crankcase XX(. On e-bay the gasket kit is $100. And I have not seen any oversize rings or anything, only standard (I hope I just need a honing and new rings).

I am surprised that the tiller would push a 917 around, unless there is some slippage in the drive train, though the weight of the HD tiller would get more bite than the std. tiller.

Check to see if you can push the tractor around without the free wheel buttons pushed. If you can that means the check valves are not working and this may cause the tiller to push the tractor ( unless the tractor wheels are slipping/sliding).

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Firstly, on the topic of KT parts, check out Brian Millers page (garden tractor pulling tips). He advertises KT rods, gaskets,etc in std and oversize. If you need a specific link to the spot on his page, let me know, and I can dig it up

I'll have to check the free-wheeling aspect. It didn't push the tires (skidding), but rather sped the movement up to way faster than I normally till, in this years garden, even.

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Ahh yes, the oil full of gas. Had that happen more than once on my KT17 series one (which was replaced with a briggs single in another 917 a few years ago). I think the inlet needle must stick open on the carb, permitting gravity flow from the tank. I am thinking a fuel shutoff is a good idea on any KT motor.

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I have a fuel shutoff on all my tractors, they have all at some point have had an issue...all temporarily, once in awhile I forget to shut off the valve, but then I check the crankcase before starting and have never had an issue. I guess just having the valve in the gas line keeps Murphy away.

BTW, I checked Brian Miller's site and he has very good pricing on gaskets, rings, pistons etc.

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quote:The engine has a lot of blow by but runs great. I have to have the breather disconnected from the air cleaner or the vacuum created in the air cleaner (and the pressure in the crankcase) will suck all the oil out of the crankcase . On e-bay the gasket kit is $100. And I have not seen any oversize rings or anything, only standard (I hope I just need a honing and new rings).id="quote">
id="quote">

Check the breather assembly itself. If it's a bad breather, you will suck / burn oil. New replacements are about $30 bux and still available and a whooooooooooole lot easier to install than a set of rings. :D

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  • 3 weeks later...

OK,

I fired her up this weekend, and tilled a little. When in neutral, I can push it about an inch, and then it stops. It doesn't seem to have a problem with that.

The transmission seems to be more sensitive than my other 917. You don't have to move the control stick very far to get moving fast, forward or reverse. The neutral is adjusted properly, too.

I tilled more carefully,and it seemed to do a pretty good job. I did notice that the tiller is missing a depth shoe, and the belt alignment isn't very good, but I think I'll start another thread for that.

I still need to check the breather. Man is it ever smoking, though. I hope it is that simple.

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  • 5 months later...

I switched the tiller over to my 917 with briggs 16 single. It tilled very nicely. It didn't have a problem with jumping around at all, which causes me to suspect the transmission on the other 917.

I looked at the transmission on the other tractor. The free-wheel device was pushed down....would that allow the tractor to still operate, but be subject to pushing around by the tiller?

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