Mudfly

Aren’t all 3 of those sites West of the Mississippi? They were the last time I checked.

Unfortunate that companies are not supporting their products anymore. I suspect there will only be more of this moving forward. A good machine shop should be able to replicate most items other than the major castings. Proper heat treatment could be a problem.

Both have other grades listed. I think they are ISO 8.8 or 10.8 now, but back then I'm not sure they were that high of a grade. Looks like you found what you were looking for so it doesn't matter. A new bolt vs something 40 years old..... just saying I wouldn't necessarily trust the old bolts either as they have millions of cycles on them. Chance are they are fine and I would definitely run them. That engine spins at 2500 rpm or less. Its not turning 6000+.

Could always try McMaster Carr or Fastenal. I didn't see 2.875" length in McMaster, but they has 2.75" and 3" in grade 8. Take a 3" and grind an 1/8" off of it?

I think this build is really interesting and have enjoyed reading it, but I don’t think your statement above will ever apply. If someone buys it from you they will know what they have and how to work on it. Or have more money than they know what to do with and will have 2-3 full time mechanics. once you get tired of it, send some pics and a description to Jay Leno and or Tim Allen. Never know they both have some different stuff in their collections.

Please send some my way! ? Good luck with your endeavor. The search for more horsepower is a great way to find the true meaning of endless! Just for asking what class do you want to run in? Other on here are way more versed than I on this, but need to know the basic rules to point you in the correct direction.

You want to do what now? Run hydraulic pressure from a tractor to the injectors so that you can attempt to break the pistons free? just pull the head before you break something or kill yourself.

Very nice. Couldn't quite see that in the pictures. I may have to make a poor man's copy of that someday.

How difficult is that tractor to get on? Assuming you would step on the bucket when on the ground and then climb up to the seat. Or do you climb up from the back by the engine and walk forward to the operators platform? I think this would be a relatively cheap way to make an awesome round bale mover. I think you can get a 300, 350, 400, 450 in decent shape with a loader for $2500 or less and then maybe a winter of work.

We put a horseshoe drawbar on ours (like the H and M would have), along with the fixed, trapezoid drawbar. Not only did it extend the hitch pin back about 10 to 12 inches to keep our rake off the tires in a sharp turn, it also makes a great step. i don’t have a picture handy but it’s all IH parts.

Same internals for the most part as the MD and WD counterparts. I think the block is slightly different. Last I heard it was $1000 per hole for an overhaul. So that’s $4000 into the engine and you haven’t touched the head yet. Head might be another $1000 if you can find a good one. $5000 in and you now have it running but unknown condition of anything from the clutch thru the finals and to the undercarriage. Also you have an unknown in the diesel fuel system. You can do what you want but if it was me, I’d buy something running and buy that one as a parts machine IF the undercarriage is good.

Diesels are expensive to overhaul (sleeves, pistons, bearings, HEAD) and undercarriage can be expensive and hard to find. if the engine is loose, head not cracked, AND the under carriage is usable you have a reasonable chance. Otherwise it is going to get exponentially more expensive.

I believe that all row crop mechanical TAs are interchangeable. Mta, 300, 400, etc up thru the 656, but I am not an expert. @Ed Leaman I know you have done a lot with TAs. Any work with mechanical reversers in lieu of the TA to help this guy out?

I believe the reversers were more common on 504 and 544s. Maybe the utility versions. maybe call an aftermarket T/a company and see if they have a reverser option. Hy-capacity maybe? Ed Lehman also seems to be a good source of information on this type of stuff. Maybe he knows.

MSP? Good luck with your travels.

It was shaking ALOT down here. My family faired ok. I didn’t see any bad damage when I was out today. I think some bridges on the Glenn Hyway are out and a few other issues. Overall not too bad. For anyone that actually had major damage or was injured, I feel bad, but i think it could have been much worse.

Did they ever decide what caused the failure? Parts? Machine work? only curious so that myself and others can learn from it.

Sell the MTA to someone and buy a non running straight M and probably pocket $500 to pay for parts.

Just for asking, what is your plan for the shifting on this tractor. Are you going to upgrade to the 56 style shifting as many people do or stay with the 06 style?