Install Alternator on Antique Tractor

After fighting a low battery almost every time I went to start my Power King I decided to see what it would take to install an alternator on the tractor.  I found a used Delco alternator and started figuring out how to rig it to the tractor.  At first I had a link belt on the alternator, but after a year it started coming apart.  On this tractor it is neccessary to pull the engine and cluch in order to install a belt on the middle pulleys.  The middle cluch pulley assembly has (3) pulleys to use for different equipment.  One of my pulleys is used to drive the hydraulic pump.  I am using the other for the alternator leaving the other for what every else I may need to drive in the future. 






My Dad had tried installing one in the past and had already built a bracket that was almost in the right location.  I searched the Internet to find instructions on how to install an alternator on an antique tractor and did not come up with much. So I figured it out my self.  My alternator is a self exciting alternator, which means that I have to get the engine RPM's up pretty high before it begins creating a charge to the system.  After you excite it on start up you can throttle down and the alternator will continue to work.  As I begin re-wiring the tractor, I will detail how and why I hooked it up.  I will try to make some videos demonstrating how the charging system works.

This is an updated wiring diagram of how I hooked up my electrical system to work with the Delco Alternator.  I went to my local Radio Shack store and got a few Rectifying Diodes that worked great.

Paint details soon

I have had several people wonding how I painted this tractor.  To be completly honest I had no idea how to do paint until this project.  I went to my local Pivco and they walked me through what I needed for the project.  The guys there were amazing.  They told me step by step what to do. 

I am getting ready to start painting my seat and a few parts such as my 3 point hitch and snow plow.  I will make sure that I detail every step of the process for the blog.

I bought new decals for my Power King at  http://www.serviceproparts.com/contents/en-us/d4371.html

Service PRO was really easy to buy from. Their web site was clear and professional. 

The quality of the decals are amazing.  They are a heavy duty.  They look better than what came from factory.  I can't wait to put them on.

Installing new choke cable and fabricating bracket

Ever since I can remember the choke cable on this tractor did not work. It was no big deal to me. All we had to do was; un latch the hood, open it a little, and then prop it open with the air filter cover. Then we had “easy” access to the choke lever.  After you got it started you would simply lower the hood and re-latch it on both sides. 

Well, after doing this for 25 years I decided that it would be nice to fix it properly.  The problem was I had no idea how the original choke cable was laid out and frankly, it must have not been done very well because it did not last long.  So this is what I came up with to fix the choke cable.

First of all I was very fortunate to have a good friend, Chuck, who is as big of a pack rat as me.  (He also drives a train, which is a very cool thing to say you do for a living.) He gave me a choke cable that he just happened to have laying around.  I cut it to length after I got it to where I thought it looked good. 


After I had it all hooked up I realized that there was nothing to fasten it to.  Nothing even close to where I needed to mount it. I busted out a scrap piece of 1/8” thick steel plate that I had laying in my scrap steel box and started laying out a bracket.  I used my Dewalt portable metal cutting band saw and my 19 volt Craftsman chordless drill and this is what I came up with. 
 

I put it on last night to test it out.  I still need to remove it and paint it before it becomes permanent. 

It works great! I can’t wait to start it up for the first time using my new choke cable. 





You may have noticed that I installed my freshly painted PTO.  I do not think it is on all of the way but I did not have a long enough jack bolt to take it back off.  That will be something I will look at again this weekend.

Cleaning up the old PTO

It has been a while since I have been able to work on my Power King. Last night Rocco, my Wire Hair / Lab mix, helped me get the front PTO cleaned up.






One of the interesting features of this antique tractor is the fact that you had the ability to hook up many unique attachments to it and turn them on and off with a flip of a switch located on the tractor's dash.

The PTO on this model is an Electromagnetic Clutch assembly. When you flip the switch on the dash it completes a circuit to allow voltage to the Clutch. This voltage energizes the coils within the clutch assembly. As the magnets pull together they create fiction between the rotor of the clutch, which is keyed and bolted to the engine drive shaft, and the clutch stator which is tethered to the tractor frame. When the magnets engage, they allow the pulley to begin to spin at the same speed as the engine RPM. When the switch is turned off, it opens the circuit and an internal spring forces the clutch surfaces apart then pulleys will no longer spin.


My PTO clutch needed a little TLC. Warren, a friend of mine from Young Life, and I spent some time with some sandpaper cleaning all of the visible surfaces. I took it apart and cleaned out the dust and dead bugs (and the ones that were still alive too). After we got it looking smooth and clean we applied some beautiful Rust-oleum gloss black paint. I plan on picking up a new key this afternoon and putting it all back on the tractor tonight.