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maxwood

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Hello, I thought I was happy with 3 tractors , but when I saw this one I had to go get it 

Triad era sovereign with a small engine warehouse Repower with a 21 HP kawasaki

The paint is faded and the steering is real bad (wandering all over) the front axle appears to be moving ,rocking on the center pivot?

I will check it out more tomorrow

48 inch deck  and their is a noise in the drive line ,Maybe BGB ?

The best part of all is that it has power steering!

Thanks Ken In Mi

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Edited by maxwood
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Nice find. 

47 minutes ago, maxwood said:

the front axle appears to be moving ,rocking on the center pivot?

If the front axle bolt loosens up and stays that way, the hole will waller out. I’ve had to crudely bush one. 

A cracked or missing rear wishbone bushing/fitting can also stress the front axle hole
 

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Hello, I spent some time on it today . I cleaned the loads of grime off it ,and found the fuel line rubbing on the driveshaft

the muffler rubs on the front grill and has melted the decal around the headlights ..

The front axle bolt is loose . 

Thanks Ken in Mi

 

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On 8/23/2021 at 6:10 PM, maxwood said:

and the steering is real bad (wandering all over)

I have found that to be true of any of the power steering Sovereigns I have had.  Supposedly the same setup as the Sunstar.  Not sure why,  but I have never had an issue with a Sunstar, and have never had acceptable performance with the power steering on a Sovereign.  

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Hello, I removed the front axle  and found the bushing had elongated the hole in the axle  and the bolt was worn.

I made a larger bushing and replaced the bolt it seems better know .

Upon further examination I found the cone clutch had some slop, it would rotate on the shaft about a 1\2 inch 

I removed it and the keyway is wallowed out it is supposed to be a 3\16 ths keyway and looks more like a 3\8ths now.

I will probably have to buy a new cone clutch , as the clutch material is thin.

the muffler rubs on the front grill. I might make a custom muffler for it ,like I did for my predator repower.

I wonder what else I will find on this machine 

Thanks Ken in Mi

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9 hours ago, maxwood said:

I wonder what else I will find on this machine

There is ALWAYS some Previous Owners Disease (POD) with everything I acquire! :|

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Hello, Yesterday, I cut a new keyway  on the cone clutch   and was able to slide it on so there is no slop.

I changed the hydro filter with a Napa 1068  and fresh trans oil . The forward and reverse action is nice and smooth,

and the steering is as good as my other power steering sovereign 

When I had the front axle off I noticed that the bolts that hold the tierod  to the spindle was tight ,

not allowing them to pivot. no wonder the steering  jumped around.

so I fixed the front axle bolt wobbling and that helped the steering as well 

A combination of things caused bad steering.

Now to address the muffler  rubbing on the front grill.

Thanks Ken in Mi

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I did a similar repower with 23 hp Kawasaki years ago, liked it except for the muffler supplied by SEW.  While working it pretty hard with snowblower I noticed the muffler glowing red.  I figured too much restriction with small muffler.  I ended up cutting the ends off of supplied muffler, and welding them onto original Triad muffler.  Never had trouble after that.

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Hello, In the photos of the tractor on the trailer ,you can see the heat from the muffler melted part of the side decals . 

it puts out a lot of heat . 

I like the command muffler with the heat shield design.

Here is a link to my first muffler build.

https://simpletractors.com/forums/topic/40081-how-to-build-a-muffler-for-a-briggs-vanguard/#comment-40084

 

 

 

Thanks Ken in Mi

Edited by maxwood
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Looks like a worthwhile venture Ken!  
 

For the past few years I had a coworker who was gaga over PS Sovereigns, so I would point him toward any I stumbled on, and even transported a couple member machines to him.  He leaves one on each of his rental properties for easy mowing access. But, there was a $700 Legacy locally that I convinced him to try (he got it for $500), and so it sounds like his PS Sovereigns may be coming up for sale as Legacy opportunities pop up. They are often half the price of the PS Sovereigns 🤦‍♂️
 

The Sovereign sure has the newer machines beat in the handsome department though. 

Edited by Talntedmrgreen
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Nice find Ken , never had one of them Kaw's so not able to comment on their performance.

One thing I do see however is ya need a larger trailer. I agree with Josh that the Legacy's definately have creature comforts that the Sovereigns don't, however the Sov dtyling has them beat hands down.  As always just my $.02

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Hello, Lloyd I have been looking for a larger trailer  , I would like a 6 x 12 tilt bed  ideally  but have not found one yet.

The small 4 x 6 is a tilt trailer , the same one I used ,when I bought the Bolens HT 20 from you .

It has hauled a bunch of tractors over the years,  but is to small for the Massey GC 1705

I like the sovereigns  they have the cast iron sunstrand  transmissions  .

Thanks Ken in Mi

 

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Edited by maxwood
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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello, Went out bought a new trailer, to tow behind my van.

6 x 12 tilt bed,  3500 lb axle , 

Lloyd said I needed a larger trailer. LOL

Thanks Ken in Mi

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Just be careful moving the Massey on that trailer.

I found out the hard way last year moving my Legacy XL, had a tire blow, and the other one the casing split and showed the cords !  3500 rated with load range D tires, not the usual C rated.

Loader, Three point weight rack with 320 lbs hanging on it was to much.

And the 95° temp did not help much either.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello, I got the sovereign running , I took the hood an seat deck off and painted them.

  Got a new sticker for the hood , and built a muffler that fits better

It has some hydraulic hoses that are leaking  they have rubbed together and wore through the sheathing 

another one  has small bulges  like fluid under the rubber coating.

I get a small 3 inch puddle  when it sits overnight. 

I priced the hoses and it will be about $340 for 6 hoses  from partstree

I will remove the hoses and see how they look  

 do i need to drain the hydro fluid  when I change hoses?

Thanks Ken in Mi

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Thanks for sharing the pics.  Nice job on the muffler. 
 

1 hour ago, maxwood said:

do i need to drain the hydro fluid  when I change hoses?

I wouldn’t think so since the fluid reservoir is under the charge pump where the main hoses connect. It’s going to be messy regardless. 

And as to new hoses, I would think your local hydraulic shop could reproduce them for you at a lower cost. 
 

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On 9/15/2021 at 10:49 AM, Snojetter said:

Lloyd, tell me I need a new truck! 

Hey Kyle ya need a new truck LOL

 

Ken ya get back over this way stop, I have a few items you might be interested in.

Edited by 720nut
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4 hours ago, 720nut said:

Hey Kyle ya need a new truck LOL

Shoot...my wife said no. I guess she outranks you.  Ironically, she is on board with me getting a new trailer! :D

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