The tractor has brought with it some more good fortune (sic), in the form of many learning opportunities for me. The first involved learning how to change a PTO belt. Not terribly difficult, but having never changed a belt on any vehicle, it was new to me. Frustration of working in tight quarters aside, this was actually quite fun. I subsequently learned how to troubleshoot hydraulics well enough to know that the PTO couples to the hydraulic pump by way of a chain coupler (which I'd never heard of) and finally a sheer pin. Said sheer pin is not the way the system was designed (the manual shows a slot in the edge of the input shaft and the coupler, into which a metal key is supposed to go), but using 16 penny nails to manufacture replacements is nice and cheap, so I don't think I'll go back to the designed approach.
Speaking of the design, finding an owner's manual on this thing has proved to be a royal PITA. The previous owner painted the front end loader John Deere green, and in the process painted right over the label, so I didn't even know the manufacturer's name until I came across this video on YouTube. Armed with the knowledge that the loader was made by Brantly, I set out to find manuals. A little while later, I found this PDF.
According to the PDF, and assuming I've found the correct manual, which may or may not be accurate, I now believe the loader is a Brantly model 420A. The hydraulic pump appears to be an H25AA2B, by Parker. Parker appears to be "Parker Hannifin China" these days - not sure if it was a Chinese-manufactured pump back in 1976 (when John Deere made the 400) or not...
The pump has a slight leak that I need to fix. This is another learning opportunity for me, since I've never rebuilt a hydraulic pump. Based on the Brantly manual, it looks fairly straightforward; disassemble, replace gaskets and O-rings, reassemble, and Bob's Yer Uncle. First I need to find replacement gaskets and O-rings, and decide if I want to take that on or simply replace the pump - finding a 2500 PSI, 500-4000 RPM, clockwise pump with 1" input, 0.5" output shouldn't be a huge hassle, and it looks like pumps are in the $200 range. I might buy a new pump and then rebuild this one at my leisure, perhaps to use in building a backhoe. We'll see.
Useful links/info on the tractor and the Brantly:
- John Deere 400 Lawn Tractor
- Engine: Onan P220G (I Think - the model number and serial number are worn off the label and barely legible. Why the label isn't stamped is beyond me. Did they think their ink wouldn't suffer the ravages of time?)
- Brantly
- Brantly Manual
- H25AA2B Page on Parker's website
- Specs from their site
DESCRIPTION ATTRIBUTE VALUE PRODUCT TYPE HYDRAULIC PUMP GEAR, FIXED DISPLACEMENT TYPE H25 PRESSURE RATING UP TO 2500 PSI SPEED FROM 500 RPM TO 4000 RPM BODY MATERIAL ALUMINUM SEAL MATERIAL BUNA-N INLET SIZE/CONNECTION 1" O.D. TUBE - REAR OUTLET SIZE/CONNECTION PRIMARY - 0.50 O.D.TUBE -BOTTOM / SECONDARY - 0.62 O.D. TUBE - SIDE SHAFT SIZE 0.75 DIAMETER KEYED SHAFT TYPE code A TEMPERATURE RATING FROM -40§ F TO 185§ F ROTATION CW MOUNTING FLANGE code A - SAE 2-BOLT A TRADE/BRAND NAME ALUMINUM HOUSINGS SLEEVE BEARINGS - These fields were empty on their site: DISPLACEMENT, MEDIA, SEAL TYPE, CONFIGURATION, CONTROL, ADDITIONAL DETAIL
