MUT: Murray Utility Tractor

REALLY REALLY NICE BUILD!!!

Awesome build! Deserves the MUT name more than my Mutt lol. Really awesome Fab, did you work in a shop before?

Oh, and I'd recommend pulling the transaxle and cleaning out the stock bentonite grease and replacing it with some proper gear oil.

Well, that turned in to a royal cluster-F pretty fast.

Mounting the blower should have been easy.

Nope.

I had to redesign the level raise mechanism since the manual system doesn't lend itself to raising via winch. Then I had to make different upper links in order to keep it level when on the ground and raised (my tractor is obviously a different height than what it was on before). Then I had to make a lift bracket and figure out the right lift point in order for it to raise properly.

I also managed to keep the “quick release” feature, except I had to whack the bucket loader mounts off the frame and design new ones that would accept both the bucket and the blower attachment.

Lastly, I had to cut and extend two braces (6” each) that run from the blower mount back to the pulley cradle. They also have to be proper length to put the wheel “turning bump outs” in the right spot or it would have severely limited turning ability.

But its on, it lifts and lowers and I’m done for the night!

All i need now is a proper sized belt and to work out the PTO arrangement. Then a quick rebuild and paint.

Of course, I need to work out the power chute turn and deflector, but thats easy work. Not dirty, smelly, hard slogging work like the metal fab I’ve been doing up to now.

On ground:

Raised:


On ground:


Phew, I think I’m tired of working on it but it has to get done. Winter in canada sneaks up on you when you’re not looking.

Be prepared or be buried....Lol!

Sounds like a royal pain to mount this, but the pay off will be great when you're blowing snow with it this winter.  I like that brush guard you made protecting the grille.

RichieRichOverdrive wrote:

Awesome build! Deserves the MUT name more than my Mutt lol. Really awesome Fab, did you work in a shop before?

Oh, and I'd recommend pulling the transaxle and cleaning out the stock bentonite grease and replacing it with some proper gear oil.

Nope. Just 53 years of being a gearhead, wanting to do things for myself and a natural gift for machines and metal. All self taught.Well, except for my automotive and aerospace training.

I've built stuff my whole life. Right now I'm working on my 83 Mustang:




Bought it in 83 and have had it ever since. Started life as a base v6 auto hatchback with absolutely no options other than a sunroof. Too much done to it to list...

Mostly finished my 83 Venture now. I swapped a VMax engine and drivetrain in it, as well as a endless list of other alterations. Just working out the jetting and it will be good to go:




Also have my old 85 V45 hanging around:



That's another too much to list one. Haven't ridden it in about 15 years now. Thinking about pulling it apart and putting the engine in this little booger:



I'll be reworking that old girl too. V45 engine, rear mounted, 8 wheel independent suspension. It's skid steer and I'd like to go 8 wheel steering, but I'll have to live with skid steer for a while. Too much to do at once.

And I've go an 89 FJ1200 waiting in the wings. Bought it last year for cheap. Runs and rides, but it's pretty ratty. That will be a restoration with some tasteful modifications that will look like they could be stock.

I’m also a “tool guy” so that helps with my other addictions. I buy tools when I need them to do a job and then I have the tools once I’m done. I’ve still got tools I bought when i was 16. I buy 'em, take care of 'em and keep 'em...



I’ve already been into the 820 to replace a broken reverse chain. Also helicoiled all the case bolts as most had stripped out when I split the case. 25 years of Nova Scotia weather and being left outside isn't kind to steel screwed into aluminum.....

The bentonite was is pretty much pristine shape so I left it alone. Well, I strained it through some fine screen to get any big chunks out from the broken chain, but that's it.

I have a new shifter shaft and ball on order because the detents on mine are worn/rusted away. It was the only thing that was rusted and coincidentally, the only thing that did not have Bentonite covering it. Everything else in the case was pristine, protected by the Bentonite. When the shaft shows up, i plan to pull the 820 apart again, change the shaft, all 4 shift keys (since I'm in there anyways and they are a weak point on the 820) and then I’ll replace the old Bentonite with new Bentonite.

Peerless called for it when they built it and its protected it for the last 26 years. That's a pretty good track record so I’m putting the same stuff back in. And i already have a 32 oz bottle sitting on the shelf.

Didnt get anything done on the MUT today.

Built this instead:





Will make an awesome halloween lawn ornament! All I have to do is work out the pivot base. I think I’m just going to use a lazy susan bearing...

Cool toys. I got 2 jeeps, 2 cutlass's, a mini bike and a small tank (just a little smaller then your Argo) to play with. I got an old Honda motorcycle but I suck with anything on 2 wheels. I don't even ride my mini bike. Nice Mustang, looks quick.

So, I have the motors mounted to turn the snow thrower chute and tilt the deflector.





I ran them through thier travel with an external battery. Runs smooth and clean.

The joystick control is essentially two spst switches though. So I need a relay network to reverse the motors.

Worked up a quick diagram:



(You may notice those limit switches are in the wrong place, they should be in the V+ legs)

and started to wire it up:



But I’m 3 relays short in my parts bins. I’ll pick up the 3 other relays tomorrow when I run in to town and finish it up this weekend.

Probably pick up the belt tomorrow too.

Than its just work out the PTO engagement and wait for snow to fly.

Might make a cab for it too. Undecided on that one. If I do, it will be something easily removable once winter is over.

I like the relay idea for reversing the polarity to the motor.  I vote for a simple lightweight cab.

You build so much great stuff on that, adding motors to turn the chute,.... GREAT!

That's a AWESOME MURRAY!

Crazy_Carl wrote:

I like the relay idea for reversing the polarity to the motor.  I vote for a simple lightweight cab.

I’m actually thinking I might just buy 3 or 4 sheets of poly and make a clear cab that bolts to the floorboards and the ROPS. Probably a solid plastic roof and opening doors.

I’ve got lots of very light square tube (old sun shelter) that would work well for a lightweight frame.

Toss in a 12v heater to blow over the front “windscreen” and it might work nicely for winter. Design it so I can pull a couple pins and pull it all off come spring...

Yep, wiring diagram is wrong. Wired it up and snaps the fuse as soon as I make the switch. Turns out I’ve got 30 and 87a reversed.

D’oh!

whoops we've all been there

what are the 3 or 4 sheets of poly exactly?  like plexiglass?

Crazy_Carl wrote:

whoops we've all been there

what are the 3 or 4 sheets of poly exactly?  like plexiglass?

Sorry, aviation background kicked in there. Poly = polycarbonate.

Iow: plexi/lexan.

Well, snow thrower wiring is done. I’m good at wiring, but man is it soooo tedious. Its not so bad when I’m wiring a car or aircraft because there’s  a wiring diagram already worked out for you. But designing it as you go just slows me right down. I’m glad that parts is done!

Pics of the finished wiring to/on the thrower:





I whipped up a quick and dirty sheet metal box to throw over the chute rotation motor. Its just a door power window motor so it needs a little protection. The chute deflector motor is sealed as it is, but I’ll likely add a sheet metal box to that one as well for added protection and a slightly more finished look.

Here’s a few pics of the battery/wiring compartment:





I’ve got 3 fused circuits left in the fuse panel which is more than enough to cover the lighting I have planned for the tractor. Two forward work lights, yellow collider light, some dash lighting, “dome” lighting and work/utility lighting. Its all going to be led so draw will be as minimal as possible. I don’t need a lot of watts in the lights, so I can keep the amperage draw nice and low.

You can see the snow thrower relay array on the left under the winch solenoid pack. I wanted to keep all the relays/solenoids in the same area.

You can see I still have to split loom the starter pos and neg cables (protects against chaffing). I want to go right out to the starter with the loom, so I’m waiting until the next time I have the bodywork off to do a continuous run of loom.

I also made a new ground stud for the battery chassis neg cable. OEM was a self tapping screw into the steel deck, which is a poor arrangement electrically. This stud is coated with dielectric grease to protect against corrosion, lock washered and double nutted to bare chassis steel. Now I can remove the upper nut to disconnect the grounds without disturbing the stud grounding.

I decided to add a third stick to the controls:





The front stick runs the winch to raise lower the thrower (like it does for the plow/bucket) and the rear stick runs the thrower chute left/right/up/down. The stick in the middle will run a rear 3 point hitch when I get it made.

I can rest my palm on the chute control stick and reach the winch raise/lower front stick nicely to give me full control of the thrower assembly when running.

The two switches arm/disarm the winch and thrower power. They’re lighted red when on so I don’t accidentally grab or hit one of the sticks and move sonething when I don't have either the bucket or thrower installed, like when I only have the mower deck on. Also, I know if I see a “red switch” when leaving the tractor, I have to turn it off before leaving.

Last thing to do is work out the manual PTO engagement and the thrower is ready to go. I have a few small adjustements and dents to bump out, but thats about it. I’ll use it as is this winter and blow it apart next summer to clean it up and give it fresh paint.

I really like that idea of the seperate switch to arm the joysticks to prevent you from accidentally hitting it.  I thought about doing that for my winch switch on ol red but the switch sits well out of the way.

Crazy_Carl wrote:

I really like that idea of the seperate switch to arm the joysticks to prevent you from accidentally hitting it.  I thought about doing that for my winch switch on ol red but the switch sits well out of the way.

I have winch switches on the front and rear of the tractor as well as the joysticks. Since the winch has enough power to bend steel and break bones/slice flesh, I wanted a way to be sure it was off when I wanted it off.

Just my personal preference. It’s a “safety thing” for me since the wife might also be using the tractor sometimes.

GOOD JOB!

Well, worked out the pto today. Had several ideas but I ended up going simple and making a pulley, cable and spring arrangement.

Fired it up and it all works perfectly!

Ready for snow, although I’d be fine if it never got here....lol!

I have a few pieces left on the thrower to straighten and align as well as give it a good cleaning and greasing, but otherwise: done.

Paint will come next summer when the thrower is idle.

Next up os dash lighting, marker lighting, work lighting and some yellow flashing work lights.

New drive belt today. Big difference in clutch action and engagement. I hadn't realized how bad the old belt actually was (IE: stretched). Replaced several belt keepers. Some were missing, some were chewed up and some I had to cut off to get the new belt on.

Added some warning leds to the dash and did a bit of work straightening out the snow thrower.

Then I ordered tail lights, amber flashers and 27w led work lights.





Gotta be clearly visible when snow blowing the driveway at 3 am.....

Quick vid of the snowthrower:



Rotate is fast enough, but more importantly it's powerful. There's no stalling that sucker!

The chute deflector is fast, which is what you want if the wind changes on you. Wind changes and blows it back at you, you angle down and kill the snow feed the wind is grabbing. With a chute deflector this fast, it's even quicker than killing the PTO to keep you from getting covered in snow.

I only gave it a tiny lift with the winch because it shakes the whole tractor and knocked the phone over the few other times I tried to record.

Ready for snow, although I'd be perfectly happy if we didn't get any at all!

LOL!

Nice LED light choices.  That stuff can be found for so cheap these days it's a no brainer to put it on a tractor.

I'm really impressed and super jelly that you can adjust the chute from the seat.   Is your garage kinda heated?  I wonder how snow and ice will affect it.

Crazy_Carl wrote:

Nice LED light choices.  That stuff can be found for so cheap these days it's a no brainer to put it on a tractor.

I'm really impressed and super jelly that you can adjust the chute from the seat.   Is your garage kinda heated?  I wonder how snow and ice will affect it.

Yep. I think I've got just under 50 bucks Cdn in all of those lights. LED is the perfect choice for a little Briggs 18 hp with it's paltry amperage output. With all the added electrical demands I'm putting on it, I really need to get a one wire 55 amp alternator on this tractor soon. I just have to figure out how to do it without it looking like a totally hacked up piece of @$$.....

Garage is in floor heat.

We built the house on a slab foundation and the garage is attached. Because we went with in floor radiant heat (utility gives you half rate electricity if you have a "storage device", which a heated slab qualifies as) and the garage is part of the slab, we had to run the lines in the floor in the garage as well.

I keep the garage at about 15c (approx 63f). Very nice to have a warm floor to lay on when working on stuff!

Not much sense having a Murray Utility Tractor without a Dump Utility Trailer.

So begins the construction of the DUT to go with the MUT.

I bought this several months ago:



Decent shape for 100 bucks. Little 4x4 bolt together cheapy. Rotted wood decking and a couple bent frame pieces where it looked like someone had hooked it on something.

I’ve been using it “as is” since I bought it to drag rock, gravel and soil around the yard. But that was getting old trying to dump it where I needed to so I tore it apart today to started building a dump bed:



I ripped the rotted wood off, fixed the things that needed to be fixed and squared it all up.

Then I moved the axle forward as it was installed with the 60% rule for on road use (tongue weight to eliminate sway at speed). But that’s  too much tongue weight for me in what is essentially a yard cart that will never go much over 5 mph. So I moved it to the center point, making it much easier to move by hand when/if loaded.

Then a plethora of bed frames gave up their lives to start making the dump bed.

The bottom frame and rear hinges are done. The cross pieces are just laying there while doing mock up for the bed flooring supports.

Bed floor and sides are going to be 5/8 exterior grade plywood. Metal would have been nice, but that wouod add quite a lot of expense and its only going to get beatto crap quickly. Wood is strong enough, relatively inexpensive and easily replaced once beat to death.

It will lift about 48” to dump so it dumps as cleanly as possible:



More than 48” and the lifting arm would just be too tall. Obviously, I’m planning for it to be a a hand crank winch lift. Didnt make sense to spend the money to make it electric or hydraulic lift.

Tomorrow its finish the bed and attach the winch/lift arm. If I’m lucky, I’ll get it done early enough to put the bucket on the MUT and go get a couple loads of dirt for the beds in the yard.

Oh yeah.  This is a great addition to MUT.  I'm interested to see how you use that winch to make it dump. How do you plan on lowering the bed?  That looks like a boat style winch not designed to lower things.  They do make winched in that style with a mechanical load brake designed for lowering things safely.

Crazy_Carl wrote:

Oh yeah.  This is a great addition to MUT.  I'm interested to see how you use that winch to make it dump. How do you plan on lowering the bed?  That looks like a boat style winch not designed to lower things.  They do make winched in that style with a mechanical load brake designed for lowering things safely.

The hand crank ratchets in both directions. So it ratchets to lift and you can choose freewheel or ratchet to lower. You just have to make sure you get a “two way winch” when you buy it.

Basically, theres a “pole” with a pulley at the top that you run the cable up and over and then down to the front of the dump bed. As you winch “in”, it lifts the front of the bed. The bottom of the pole is allowed to pivot so it can follow the arc of the bed as it raises.

Like this:



I think I’m also going to remove the axle springs and weld it right to the frame. That will drop the trailer about 4”. Then I will spoon my old 23” turf savers on some old atv rims and pop them on the trailer. It will mean a net drop of 2” on the trailer, but it will mean a 10” sidewall on the bed instead of 8”. I need to be cognizant of the bed wall height because the loader bucket only goes so high and one of the uses for this trailer will be to load soil and move it around the lot. The wide turfs will also be a lot gentler on the lawn and soft soil we have.

Only thing is I will have to take the trailer rims and machine out the center on the lathe, then graft them on to the ATV rims as all the ones I have here are larger bolt spacing than the trailer 4x4”. Not a problem to do, just time and a PITA.

I’m going to change the name from “DUT” to “MUTS”: Murray Utility Trailer System.

So it’s MUT n’ MUTS!

Lol!