Ford 801 Powermaster

I somehow think 5' is the right number. I have 4' and 6' original bush hogs and with the 6' my Jubilee struggles but then I don't have a live PTO.

5' it is. Dad found a great preowned 5' John Deere unit just minutes from his house. 1/4" steel, solid tire, slip clutch - very nice machine.

We replaced the rotten wheel on the one side, and put the Ford to work. It handled the mower very nice, and once it burned out most of the old fuel I brought it into the shop for oil & filters. The old fuel filter was full of rust and crap, and a front wheel bearing was pretty sloppy. The engine oil looked like it only had a few hours on it, but I didn't know if it was 10w or what...so it got replaced with fresh 15w-40. Engine runs more oil pressure now, so I think whatever I drained out was circa 1980 "winter oil".

Front wheel seals were trashed and bearings on one side were pretty rough. Parts ordered, by the weekend it should be ready for a full days work.

Even with a diesel I like 30w non-detergent on this type of engine with MMO, although that is not universally accepted. Again I complain, an MX5 minutes from your house - it's not fair, there is only c rap around here.

I suspect this engine has been running a detergent oil previously, the pickup screen was very clean and I didn't see anything scarey in the oil fill hole. I used a non-synthetic 15w-40 (Delvac)...if any leaks develop I will fix them. I also gave it a strong dose of diesel treatment to help get the crap out of the fuel system.

Rob R. wrote:It has an interesting cold start system. Two Autolite glow plugs in the intake manifold preheat the air to aid combustion.

Make sure those heaters both work for cold starting, and a frost plug heater is a good idea too. Some people have neglected them so they don't work, then give it ether. That will break the skirts off the pistons. Get the biggest battery you can fit in it and really good battery cables, too. That looks like a really nice tractor! Jerry

I'll go further than JJ. You got yourself a great little mowing setup. Save it just for that, prep it well for the winter and enjoy for many years. I wouldn't even try other winter chores with it. When I use a diesel under 10* I cringe as wear multiplies exponentially on those little machines. My favorite trick is to blast a tractor with the 500,000 BTU frostfighter whilst I have coffee. Of course, warm storage is best but I can't do that. Start them up and then go for more coffee as they get to temperature. I hate ether. If possible, save a machine for what it is good for and in this case - summer mowing. A diesel is not a diesel for the first two minutes of running an old fart once told me. Now I am one I am passing that along.

Thanks Jerry. I will check the glow plugs like you suggested. So far I am very impressed with how it starts, at 55 degrees you just bump the starter and it fires right up. This tractor has a heater in the lower radiator hose, but I expect it will spend the winter parked inside. I can't think of any need for the tractor in the winter months.

I hate ether.

No ether for me either, I refuse to use it. I got a good education on that about 15 years ago at our farm...bent crankshaft in a diesel that had seen more than a few ether induced cold starts. After that engine project dad rounded up every ether can on the farm and threw them away. We put block heaters or tank heaters on the spreader and feed tractors, switched to 5w-40 engine oil in the winter, and parked everything else in a shop that stayed at least 50 degrees.

Are the front wheel bearing seals installed with the rubber facing the tractor? When I took it apart the old ones fell on the floor, so I don't know how they were installed...but looking at the new ones that appears to the only way the seal would do any good.

yep

here's the online manual for your 801,type in your local CH dealer and you can get prices also http://partstore.agriculture.newholland.com/us/AG ... c::mr62714
also check out the yesterdays tractor site/forum,it's very helpfull and helpfull people. http://forums.yesterdaystractors.com/viewforum.php?f=15

Rob R. wrote:Are the front wheel bearing seals installed with the rubber facing the tractor? When I took it apart the old ones fell on the floor, so I don't know how they were installed...but looking at the new ones that appears to the only way the seal would do any good.

The aftermarket seals have a sharp lip that goes toward the spindle, away from the wheel, and the OEM seals had a flat-faced seal. You want to put some lube on those surfaces or they will squeal like a stuck hog when you drive the tractor. Jerry

Thanks Jerry. I installed them like you described and put a nice coating of grease on everything. Smooth & quiet.

Rob R. wrote:It has an interesting cold start system. Two Autolite glow plugs in the intake manifold preheat the air to aid combustion.

Very nice machine. I also just bought an old tractor, my first ever farm type tractor. I posted about it here and some of the guys have been very helpful.

Anyway, about those glow plugs, do I understand that they are designed to heat the incoming combustion air directly?

The reason I ask is way back in the day I had semi trucks with 220 & 250 naturally aspirated Cummins. Some of them had glow plugs in the intake for a cold start aid. It worked by activating the glow plugs, wait for them to warm up, then use a hand operated priming pump mounted inside the cab to spray fuel on them. The hot glow plugs would ignite the fuel, the burning fuel did the actual heating. If you did not let the glow plugs get hot enough, the fuel would not ignite and the wet glow plugs would not work until they dried out.

On ether, I know many people hate it. I have used it for 50 years and never damaged an engine. Some of my trucks had a built in ether bomb mounted right on the engine. It automatically dispensed a shot when you pressed the start button if the engine was cold enough. The important thing is how much ether you use. Too much causes major problems, the right amount saves many problems and your starter, alternator and batteries will thank you. Just my opinion of course, not trying to change anyone's mind. I feel everyone should do what works for them.

Steiner tractor has all kinds of old tractor parts, very cool.

The 801 spent a few days next to the coal stove to get thawed out, and now it has a new radiator, fresh antifreeze, and fresh oil in the rear axle. There was enough sludge in the rear axle that we had to keep poking a wire into the drain plug to keep it draining, nasty stuff! I was fooled by the appearance of the oil at the check plug level, otherwise I would have changed it last summer.