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Allis Chalmers 716-6


jfmolter

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Hi all,

I'm a new member and this is my first post. So I picked up this AC 716 with 6-speed transmission from a guy about a month ago and then i bought a 46 inch snow plow from another guy.

I haven't seen much on this particular model on here. My guess is the manual transmission ones aren't that popular.

After playing around with this critter i find it is quit hard to lift the blade with the manual lift lever.

I was wondering if anyone here has had any experience with electric linear actuators for lifting the deck and blade.

Seems to me it would a lot of trouble, not to mention the expense to put hydraulics on this tractor if an electric actuator would work.

Thanks for any insight you guys can give. this is my first garden tractor and I can see where this hobby can get very addictive pretty fast.

Thanks,

John

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I have this exact same setup, only it is a 710 AC tractor. These can be set up very easily with an electric lift kit that mounts to the underside of the tractor and attaches to the rock shaft. They are available frequently on E-bay, but go quickly for some high asking prices.https://www.ebay.com/itm/Simplicity-Allis-Chalmers-Electric-Power-Lift-Kit-3400-7116-712-Tractor/143200581892?hash=item21576b7904:g:NHEAAOSwrPZcpVOR

I have used the electric lift snowplowing 2 or 3 days a week for several years and it is great! The lift will operate all the front and rear attachments (provided you have the rear lift kit installed).

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If you get one of these kits on line, I would recommend taking it apart and re-lubing the gears. The one I bought was pretty dried up, but still in good condition. Be sure you get one with the mounting bracket included. It would be hard to fabricate because there is very little clearance under the tractor.

I am currently reworking a Simplicity 7016 six-speed (same machine with a Briggs engine and different name tags). They are popular and there is a lot of info about them on this website - manuals, photos, how-to's and very helpful folks. It's great!

Looks like a very nice tractor you have there. Congratulations and welcome.

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Welcome to the site.

I'm running an electric lift on my 7016H and it's definitely a big improvement over the manual lift.  Compared to the hydraulic lifts on the newer 7100 (900 Allis) series it's a little slower.  You can install the 7100 hydraulic lift into a 7000 (700 Allis) series tractor, but it's a custom install.  Most of us go with the electric lift.  

Looks like you can buy thedroidman's electric lift system shown in the link above for $175 via our site's classified ad section:

 https://simpletractors.com/classifieds/item/953-electric-lifts-from-3400-series/

If I remember correctly, the stock rockshaft has the electric lift arm already on it.  Here's a couple  poor pics of the underside of a 7018 with the electric lift installed:

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Note the arm on the rockshaft that the lift bolts to.  If your tractor doesn't have the arm, you'll have to get a rockshaft that does.

 

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30 minutes ago, PhanDad said:

Note the arm on the rockshaft that the lift bolts to.  If your tractor doesn't have the arm, you'll have to get a rockshaft that does.

Both my tractors with manual lifts had the electric lift arms on the rockshaft. I'm pretty sure it is a stock arrangement. The electric lift was offered as an option on all these tractors.

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Thanks all for the replies, ya i'm sure that my rock shaft has the mount on it, I just didn't know what it was for.

 I saw thedroidman's add and sent him a message asking if it would fit my 716. He is only about 50 or 60 miles away from me.

one other question does anyone know where I can get a service manual for this machine.

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I have an electric lift on my 910 6 speed and it makes a big difference compared to the manual lift. Like others said, it’s not as fast as the hydraulic lift. I am using a manual lift on my 914 shuttle with a 36” tiller and it’s awful. I want to convert that one to electric lift as well.

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If I remember correctly the bracket is to attach the bottom end of the actuator with out it you have nothing to anchor the lift. Then yes it attaches to the rock shaft. 

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AC710

I see in your picture that you have the lifting rod and the turning rod for your plow.

Are they OEM or home made?

Would it be possible to get a picture of the two rods as i don't have these and am going to try to fabricate them.

also what is the purpose of the spring on the lift rod.

any close up pictures of the rods would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance for any help on this.

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37 minutes ago, jfmolter said:

I see in your picture that you have the lifting rod and the turning rod for your plow.

See this post for dimensions of the control rod:

https://simpletractors.com/forums/topic/42323-46-plow-angle-control-rod-bracket-pics-info/

The post also shows how to make the swivel joint out a 1/2" drive universal joint.  

I don't know if there's a drawing of the lift rod on the site.  Maybe someone does.

 

48 minutes ago, jfmolter said:

also what is the purpose of the spring on the lift rod.

The spring allows for "float" and down-pressure.  The older tractors (manual lift) used a solid rod and the manual lift handle would move back and forth as the blade followed the contour of the ground.  Without some "float" the blade will either lift off the surface (grade falling away) or lift the front wheels off the ground (grade rising).  If you're still using a manual lift on a newer tractor, a solid lift rod will work.  

But if you're using an electric lift or the newer hydraulic lifts, there isn't any "float" in the lift mechanism (original FDT hydraulic lifts had a "float" position, new ones don't).  So the lift rods were fitted with a spring to provide the "float".  The spring can also apply down-pressure to the blade, but doing so tends to lighten the front tire load and steering can become difficult, especially when pushing snow.  

  

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35 minutes ago, irvtoms said:

there is an electric lift ram and motor on milwaukee craigslist

for $90. no brackets though

 

https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/grd/d/fredonia-simplicity-electric-lift-new/6862551723.html

The attaching pins are 90 degrees from what's needed for the "Sovereign" large frame tractor:

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Maybe the tube can be rotated 90 degrees; I don't know.

  

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2 hours ago, jfmolter said:

AC710

I see in your picture that you have the lifting rod and the turning rod for your plow.

Are they OEM or home made?

The turning rod is OEM, the lifting rod I fabricated from a length of 1/2" all-thread, some nuts and a spring from the hardware store and a bracket sawed off a piece of exercise equipment. The OEM rod is simpler, but this works just fine. See the pics below. One photo also shows the bracket for the turning rod mounted to the frame.

I have a different take on the purpose of the spring. It acts as a shock absorber for the linkage and is essential for preventing damage to the tractor parts. The PO of my 7016 had replaced the spring on the OEM rod with a chunk of pipe, making it rigid. It had beat the c__p out of the rod, bent the rockshaft lever, tore the ratchet and lever assembly to pieces, wore out the rod ends and egged-out the holes. So I would suggest any fabrication include the spring

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5 hours ago, AC710 said:

the lifting rod I fabricated from a length of 1/2" all-thread,

Actually it is 5/8" all-thread. 1/2" would be a little light. 

The OEM lifting rod is 9/16" rod that tapers to 1/2" where it bends to the rockshaft lever and held in with a cotter pin. In this photo you can see the sliding sleeve arrangement and the two locking collars they used. The spring is missing. The bent top end is nearly worn through on this one.

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Here are a couple more pics. The lifting rod is 34" from the end to the bend at the top. That should be the right length for the 46-inch plow and your 716. The sliding sleeve is just a piece of pipe with a bent 1/2" rod welded to it and a hole for a cotter pin. This fits into the hole in the blade lifting arm. You can see the taper in the bent end, and there is also a hole for a cotter pin. This one is almost worn through. You should be able to find a couple of springs at your local ace hardware.

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Thank for all the pictures and help, i've got some 1/2 in rod and a cheap universal joint from HF for the turning rod.

i'll probably get heavier rod and try to copy that OEM lifting rod, looks pretty simple to make with the locking collars.

all I've got for a welder is a little 70 amp buzz box but it works ok as long as i don't get in a hurry.

thanks again for all the helpful tips and info. this has more than paid for my first years dues 

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1 hour ago, jfmolter said:

Thank for all the pictures and help, i've got some 1/2 in rod and a cheap universal joint from HF for the turning rod.

i'll probably get heavier rod and try to copy that OEM lifting rod, looks pretty simple to make with the locking collars.

all I've got for a welder is a little 70 amp buzz box but it works ok as long as i don't get in a hurry.

thanks again for all the helpful tips and info. this has more than paid for my first years dues 

Welcome to the club. ..best money you'll ever spend....heck in your case it's already paid for itself. dOd

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1 hour ago, AC710 said:

The bike chain makes steering possible when plowing snow. It works great as long as the chain is very tight

Ok....Don't know why I never heard or seen  that one before. I can just see that falling off and getting sucked into the blower .:J

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1 hour ago, fishnwiz said:

I can just see that falling off and getting sucked into the blower .:J

When I install them, I take the air out of the tire and slip them on (actually horse them on with a pry bar), then reinflate. You can see in the pic that the tires are flattened in the center - they're that tight. They never come off. I have been using them for nearly 10 years.

Of course they work better if the blade floats - no down pressure that lifts the front end. They will mark up your pavement, but no more than regular chains do. I sidecast snow for 100', then turn to make a pile at the street. I can easily maintain a straight path even with a big berm.

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