Bolens 1050 tecumseh repower

I got stalled on other projects this weekend so I decided to revisit my Bolens 1050. Now this is a long story but I will start from the beginning. I found this Bolens 1050 in absolutely horrible condition at the top of my property. About a year and a half ago I dragged it down to the house with my step dad's quad and tore into it. The original motor is a Wisconsin tr10d (which I believe was only used in 1966 before changing to the tra10d) The motor was beyond saving. I repowered it with a Tecumseh 11hp formula generator motor. This tractor (like most Bolens GTs) has a disk clutch on a drive shaft. Mine was very seized and broken so I attempted to make a belt clutch but because uf the shallow pulleys and short belt in never really worked that well.
Heres a pic of the tractor when I started working on it.


Heres a pic from a couple months ago but this is the condition it is in now.



I am going to be redoing this build in the hopes of having a good utility tractor and to bring a cool old tractor back from the dead. Now this is a side project that I definitely won't finish any time soon but I'm working on it so wy not start a thread.

I don't have a pic of mine but this is what the drive shaft/clutch looks like but mine is alot more rusty and broken. I plan on using the shaft but removing the cast iron double pulley and clutching mechanism and replacing it with a 5in mower deck pulley welded to the shaft and try to make a better belt clutch.

Very nice tube frame Bolens you have there! I always really liked those tractors, they're very stout all around.

Being a 1050, does yours have the dual range transaxle?

AllisKidD21 wrote:

Very nice tube frame Bolens you have there! I always really liked those tractors, they're very stout all around.

Being a 1050, does yours have the dual range transaxle?

Yes it does have a dual range and and all though moister got in the case and some off the inside of the case rusted the gears are still in all right shape.
The brake linkage is mangled and and the shaft brake designed to make shifting fast and easy sadly is completely missing.

My Dad has one very similar to that. He bought it when i was like 1 year old ! And i'm 51 now. I have a pic of me sitting on it When i was around 4 or so. It has the Wisconsin engine on it. I rebuilt that engine when i was around 19 years old, had it board out new piston new valve guides and the whole works. then he screwed around about getting it back together and lost the governor arm, rod and spring i finally got those parts rounded up for him a couple years later and it has never been finished it's at the back of his shed with the steering locked up. I'm planning on digging it out and restoring it for him if i can ever find the time ! i've got more projects than you can shake a stick at.

I started stripping down the Bolens this morning.





I removed the drive shaft and took off the cast iron double pulley and was able to get a 5in mower deck pulley on there with a couple spacers and welded it all up.




Heres the adapter I had made last year to make the motor fit and jack it up a couple inches to give my clutch more room to work.



As some of you may no most Bolens GTs have a knob on the left wheel hub that you turn right to make it turn posi. The way it works is it basically a taper lock if you know what that is. The mechanism was damaged and so when locked it was one wheel drive and when unlocked it would drive at all. Basically I removed a washer and rammed the nut in with my impact so know its just locked all the time.

diddie wrote:

My Dad has one very similar to that. He bought it when i was like 1 year old ! And i'm 51 now. I have a pic of me sitting on it When i was around 4 or so. It has the Wisconsin engine on it. I rebuilt that engine when i was around 19 years old, had it board out new piston new valve guides and the whole works. then he screwed around about getting it back together and lost the governor arm, rod and spring i finally got those parts rounded up for him a couple years later and it has never been finished it's at the back of his shed with the steering locked up. I'm planning on digging it out and restoring it for him if i can ever find the time ! i've got more projects than you can shake a stick at.

You should! You just can't kill a Bolens. This one ahat it the woods for 30 or 40 years and it's still salvageable. Bolens steering is badass! It has way less play then either of my Craftsmans. The steering shaft seizes up but I freed mine up in a few minutes.

Yeah I think that adjustable differential thing started with the 800 series tractor, not positive on that though. Pretty cool anyways, kinda like the adjustable diff my B-110 has!

AllisKidD21 wrote:

Yeah I think that adjustable differential thing started with the 800 series tractor, not positive on that though. Pretty cool anyways, kinda like the adjustable diff my B-110 has!

Yes I think the 800s have the same trans for the most part not sure about the 600s tho.