Old garden tractor

[bigdee]

I have a chance to buy a Allis Chalmers 314 early 70's tractor to restore. Been looking for a John Deere 110 but have given up. I like the heavy look of the AC (Simplicity). 14hp Kohler, manual lift, gear transmission. Deck is in rough shape and missing the tensioner pully. Tractor is solid but has surface rust but that is any easy fix. At +800 lbs this thing looks heavy duty. Any one familiar with these tractors?

 

[Scott Danforth]

the JD 110 is re-labeled yard man, the allis 314 is a better unit, however its between 45 and 47 years old. where the JD was probably newer

search ebay and CL for parts. the 14hp Kohler will run forever if maintained. however many motors from Briggs, Kohler, Kawasaki, Subaru, LCT and Honda will drop in its place.

I would have kept an eye out for a 316 or 318 JD with the Onan engine as those things are bullet proof

 

[Bob_VT]

The old AC was a good machine however, with the amount of times it was resold as a company I doubt that the deck parts are available. Go with a "real" John Deere but......then again a good used one is more $$$ then a new lawn tractor The JD will handle more attachments but if cutting the grass is the goal consider your options

 

[dingbat]

If you're restoring the tractor for show, go for it. Otherwise I'd look for something a little more modern with parts that are readability available.

I have three "working" tractors. A Cub 682. A IH 234 and a New Holland TC25D. I spend a considerable amount of time and effort keeping them operational each season as it is. Looking for parts is fast becoming a nightmare.....

Dealer support for the Cub is almost non-existent.Fortunately, Cub has a pretty large following and a lot of parts are being reproduced. Still others are almost impossible to find.

Dealer support for the IH 234 is good. For some reason, blades for a 60" Woods belly mower are hard to come by.

Dealer support for the New Holland is excellent. Unfortunately, being the workhorse the cost of maintenance is high. $100 a season in hydraulic, fuel and oil filters alone.

 

[bigdee]

the JD 110 is re-labeled yard man, the allis 314 is a better unit, however its between 45 and 47 years old. where the JD was probably newer

search ebay and CL for parts. the 14hp Kohler will run forever if maintained. however many motors from Briggs, Kohler, Kawasaki, Subaru, LCT and Honda will drop in its place.

I would have kept an eye out for a 316 or 318 JD with the Onan engine as those things are bullet proof

Thanks scott. I cleaned the carburetor and put in fresh gas and to my surprise it fired up! NO smoke,no knocks,runs great. Except for rust everthing looks good. No play in tie rods,steering. All controls are tight and function. Only problem I found was shifter will not go into 2nd or reverse gear. The shuttle acts like the forks in the tranny are not aligned....so I may have to tear into it. Paint job and new seat will make it look new again.

 

[dwco5051]

Thanks scott. I cleaned the carburetor and put in fresh gas and to my surprise it fired up! NO smoke,no knocks,runs great. Except for rust everthing looks good. No play in tie rods,steering. All controls are tight and function. Only problem I found was shifter will not go into 2nd or reverse gear. The shuttle acts like the forks in the tranny are not aligned....so I may have to tear into it. Paint job and new seat will make it look new again.

It is too late to warn you, you were hooked the minute you heard the engine run. Next you will find a parts tractor on craigs list for $50 and buy it, then another at a garage sale. It is like a bad rash, it just keeps spreading. Take it from a person that can hardly get around in his shop because it is full of tube frame Bolens tractors in various states of repair.

Good luck, you have got the "tractor fever"

 

[bigdee]

It is too late to warn you, you were hooked the minute you heard the engine run. Next you will find a parts tractor on craigs list for $50 and buy it, then another at a garage sale. It is like a bad rash, it just keeps spreading. Take it from a person that can hardly get around in his shop because it is full of tube frame Bolens tractors in various states of repair.

Good luck, you have got the "tractor fever"

Ha,ha Yup got the fever. I was hooked before I heard motor run. Just have to figure out shift fork now....need reverse!

 

[bigdee]

The shuttle acts like the forks in the tranny are not aligned....so I may have to tear into it. Paint job and new seat will make it look new again.

I was able to fix without tearing into transmission. I removed the 1/2 fill plug and probed around inside the case until I could snag the 2nd/reverse shift fork and pull it to the center of shuttle. Cleaned 50 years of rust from inside fuel tank, made some adjustments to the vari-drive, re-wired,replaced ignition switch and regulator. Also found a new carburetor (chinese for only $17) Ready for paint. This thing is meant for pulling, even in 3rd top speed is only 5.7 mph. Next is mower deck repair/restoration.

 

[bigdee]

Before and after

 

[BWR1953]

Looks good! :eagerness: