Powermax 9020 Repower and Clean up

[ACT816]

Hey guys, just wanted to share a few pics of my '78 Powermax 9020. It came with the Onan CCKB and ran pretty well. At some point the point and carb all went out of sync at the same time and I went through the typical stuff to get it running correctly again. However, a few weeks ago in the cold snap it just wasn't happy and I had enough. I have a friend at Radix Auto Body in Oconomowoc, Wi and he agreed to help with the engine swap. Long story but my garage is filled with other stuff right now. Anyhow, I ordered the GX-630 Honda repower kit from Repower Specialists Ltd. and it came with the brackets and stuff to make it more or less a bolt-in.

This is what the tractor looked like just at the start with the hood off. It is in good mechanical condition, just looks like it's been used without a lot of care. Dave

[ACT816]

Here's a shot with the engine out.

[ACT816]

This is what happens when you have friends with a shop....

[ACT816]

Here's what one of my friends called "Happiness in a box"

[ACT816]

And, here is what it looks like....

[ACT816]

[ACT816]

Decals are on the way as well. I ordered a set from Vintage Reproductions.

Dave

[Talntedmrgreen]

Nice work! Looks like you flew through that, and did a good job. Can't wait to hear your reviews on the repower. Did you get a chance to use it at all with the Onan, to compare?

Thanks for sharing...

[Brettw]

That looks sweet. And a good repower to boot.dOddOd

[720nut]

dOddOdnice

[ACT816]

Thanks for the feedback.

I have had the tractor for a few years, so yes, I have a good comparison. It came with the 5' deck and 52" snow blower. I've since picked up a 4' tiller, which I love, even after rebuilding the gearbox, and the blade.

I hate the blade btw. I need to make a different mount and add some controls. It doesn't mount level to the ground so if you change the blade angle it digs in on one side. If anyone has any pictures of their setup I'd be happy to look and hear what you are doing.

I will also see how the tires work with the deck. I ordered the current Carlisle Round Shoulder tires but they don't look anywhere as rounded as what came off. I know these need the round shouldered tires to clear the deck on turning.

Dave

[Chris727]

Nice job^

[phillobbezoo]

Looks great, I'm very curious how you like that motor and if you have any cooling issues, but like I said very nice

[Mike_H]

Looks Great!

[720nut]

Dave, I have a blade and no issues, uses same mount as sno-blower and sits level no matter what direction I have it facing. At time unable to post pics now

I like your repower but does it run hot without the engine sheiding that the Onan had? Mine did if I didn't have all the sheilding in place, Just wondering

[Ronald Hribar]

I know the folks at Radix well

They have done some great classic cars too

[ACT816]

Lloyd,

I'll let you know how it runs, temperature-wise. It's too cool out now to tell. I was talking with Doug at the shop and kicking around how to get a temp gauge installed and not have it be horrible looking.

I did have a talk with the gentleman at Repower Specialists and the GX-630 has an upgraded fan from the previous version of the Honda offering specifically because of heating issues.

Do you still have the Onan that runs hot without the shielding or a different engine?

And yes, the guys at Radix do a nice job with all sorts of vehicles from "regular" cars, classics, hot rods, motorcycles, you name it. I worked there when Doug first moved into his building back in '88 and have my '66 Charger down there now as well. But that's another story...

Dave

[ACT816]

So, took another look at the setup. I think I'm going to run it as-is for a bit to get a feel for the temperature of things. I may make a foam insert between the back of the engine and front of the tranny cooler fins. I'm guessing when someone says it runs hot, they are getting the hot light to come on the dash, which is actually the trans temp indicator. If that's the case then it would make sense the gap between the cooler and engine would need to be filled to get good airflow pulled past the cooler and not from around the front of it.

Dave

[Ronald Hribar]

Why not having another red light for motor?

[720nut]

Dave, yes I still have Onan's in both 620 and 720 trying hard to keep them original. I get a chance going to install oil and trans gauges just to keep an eye on things. Believe there's room for two gauges on dash panel.

As for the blade if you have same mount as sno-blower I don't see why there should be a problem,wish I could post a picture but I can't.

[ACT816]

Ron,

Honestly, I can't stand the lights. I would prefer to have a gauge that shows the state of things so you can take action before you have an issue. My dad called these idiot lights back in the day and I found a couple of reasons for that name over time.

For the initial running I'll probably grab my point and shoot temperature gauge (I fly RC Planes...it's something you can find at the hobby shops locally) to monitor the conditions.

Since I haven't been able to really run it yet I have no idea how much different it is from the old CCKB and the temp stuff won't come into play until I get the deck or tiller on it in Spring so I have some time to play around.

Dave

[ACT816]

Lloyd,

Thanks for the reply. I picked up the blade from someone else and it's not the same mount as the blower. The blower has the splined shaft for the square shaft of the blower and by the way, I want to play with this too. The hydraulic cylinder is not on center so it lifts slightly differently from left to right.

Since the blade has the same setup - basically, it has that issue, in addition to it not being level when the tractor is level. So when the blade is moved left/right, it travels along an arc. Hopefully that makes sense. Once Spring hits and I can mess around I'll start a thread for it and see if it helps anyone else out as well. I've found a couple of other cylinders that I might try to add a left/right and tilt operation to adjust. I'm just not sure yet how involved it will get...

Dave

[yukon]

great job dave thanks for sharing.

[720nut]

Dave I took a couple pictures of mine but you'll have to wait till ai get computer fixed so I can post. If it's a Allis or Simplicity you'll need the mount it's the same as your blower only doesn't have the drive for blower.

[ACT816]

Lloyd,

Thanks, and yes, that's what I have.

There are two issues with the mount.

1. The cylinder for lift is off-center, so it lifts the right side more than the left.

2. The fore-aft positioning isn't level. I may be able to play around with this but as it gets mounted, it's not. This goes back to my previous comment about the blade moving in an arc.

I'd be interested to see if anyone else has the same issue or not.

Dave