2055 White resto modding “White Lightning”

I’ve been working on this tractor since april 2020. I’ve got around $500 in the old girl when all the little things add up now, and if I get the rest of everything done it’ll be closer to $700. There’s only one hose going to the charge pump so I should be able to replace it if I can match it up. I think it’s air because there’s air pressure building up in the reservoir, and when I look at the dipstick the bubbles rise and pop. I’m no expert and I’ll have to change the fluid anyway if I do the line so should fix the issue. Just hope the pump isn’t too mangled.

I meant time and money into strictly the hydro issue but honestly $500 into that awesome tractor sounds pretty reasonable to me considering what great shape it's in and how heavy duty it is, you got it for a steal didn't you? I'm sure you'll find somewhere to make you a new hose, it's usually cheaper too! Around here most Princess Auto stores (similar to your Harbour Frieght) and some CarQuest's (auto parts store owned by Advance) can custom make hoses along with any hydraulic repair shop. You know your tractor better than anyone and if there was internal damage it should be pretty obvious to you. I'm not sure if your model has a hydraulic oil filter but that's a possible spot for air to enter also. You have a really cool piece of machinery there but it's not new so having to replace seals and hoses at some point is a certainty but you have to do what's good for you. I personally get attached to things and have a hard time giving up/getting rid of things, if I get frustrated with something I tend to walk away from it for awhile then get back into it in the future.

Agreed. I’ll double check to make sure the filter hasn’t worked loose. I had that happen once on an engine but I caught it before it started leaking.

I don’t see any obvious signs of internal damage but I’m just a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my machinery. Last time I drove it it was loud and accelerated slowly in reverse. Neutral linkage needs adjusting also but that’s unrelated. Really the only thing that would imply any sort of wear is the slow braking that I’ve seen but it isn’t radical, and it’s just the air probably. Eatons are hard to kill from what I understand but the thought of not being able to get parts just makes me nervous! Lol.

And yeah $200 bucks took er home and for something that weighs well near half a ton I can’t complain too much!

I think at this point the hydraulic system should just get all new hoses and I would like to go through the rear end but there are some square-cut o-rings I have yet to find anywhere, so for obvious reasons I won’t tear into the transaxle until I know I have all the required seals. The gaskets I can make but the seals can be a bear.

I’ll poke around for the hoses at the auto stores, I know tractor supply has em down here too. Harbor freight sells some stuff but after watching Twin Stick Garage I have to say that I wish we had Princess Auto down here. Seems to be so much more stuff in there.

TechnoChicken wrote:

That's a tough one, not even sure what I would do... Why couldn't you swap in a gear drive?
Do you think you could un-bolt that hydro and just swap it out for a new one?

It would be an easy decision for me if this was belt drive, but inline transmissions small enough for what I need that are decently strong are rare as hen’s teeth. The only shaft-drive geared trans is the one in cub cadets, and while they look great at first glance I’ll tell ya if you put that next to the monsterous peerless 2500 in this rig you’ll see that they aren’t all that strong in comparison. Not a bad transmission by any means, mind you they used them in the farmall cubs, but I just wouldn’t want to down grade if I can avoid it.

This on the other hand…

K91 tuff torq. They put these in the 4x5 deeres and I believe the 700s, along with some other tractors. Diff lock, internal wet brakes, 600 ft/lbs of output torque (less then the eaton in low range but still respectable), a singular unit, so no hoses, and the charge pump is bigger I think. The deeres run three hydraulic functions IIRC.

That I’d convert in in a heartbeat but…they aren’t cheap, and they don’t show up often. Not that they’re rare, just that the tractors they’re in aren’t typically parted out.

Really!? I was always under the assumption that Harbour Frieght would have more than Princess Auto!

From my understanding after doing a bunch of previous research is that Eaton 11's are still supported and rebuild kits are still available, maybe reach out to them with your (full) model and serial number to find out you have nothing to lose! I do hope for your sake it's something cheap and easy to solve,  I love your tractor and as someone who has plowed with both hydro and gear (plus snowblowed with gear) I have to say that hydro is the bees knees for that stuff!  Lol.

Brianator wrote:

Really!? I was always under the assumption that Harbour Frieght would have more than Princess Auto!

From my understanding after doing a bunch of previous research is that Eaton 11's are still supported and rebuild kits are still available, maybe reach out to them with your (full) model and serial number to find out you have nothing to lose! I do hope for your sake it's something cheap and easy to solve,  I love your tractor and as someone who has plowed with both hydro and gear (plus snowblowed with gear) I have to say that hydro is the bees knees for that stuff!  Lol.

There's a reason why compact tractors come in hydros, for actual work, they whip the butt off any gear tranny...

So I went and jacked up the tractor yesterday and what I found was that the pickup line is steel. So right now I’m going to look at loose fittings as the culprit and it’s probable that I’ll remove the line and put teflon on the fittings. The other thing was EVERYTHING in the hydraulics was covered in oil and grease. (Think happy thoughts…happy thoughts…happy thoughts)

Also I did some digging and I finally found all the seals for the peerless. About $70 for everything plus the gaskets, but I can make those. So at this point it’s probable that when I can stand to cough up the money I intend to give this tractor the full rebuild she deserves. Transaxle rebuild, fresh paint, 4 on 4 conversion up front, new crank seal, new hydraulic lines, lug nuts to replace the lug bolts, and I’ll go through the steering and front axle. Rather than run the tractor while I rebuild it I’ll park it so I’m not feeling rushed like last time. The hope is to do an actually decent job, now that my skills are better and I have a base to go off of I can probably get some decent results.

So here’s where I’m at with everything.

So the carburetor needs a rebuild now. No way around that. I found gas up to the choke plate today. How the h*ll it’s running I don’t know. But it’s a vanguard so ya can’t kill em.

I want to replace the intake elbow after yours truly cracked it last year (check the fail thread for more on that). Don’t worry I sealed it up but it really should be replaced with good used or new, but I have yet to see good used.

I need to rebuild the transmission, and as I mentioned I finally found the seals. One is NOS but it’s the shifter shaft so it’ll be fine.

I need to rebuild the front axle, which is going to involve new 4 on 4 rims, new trailer stub spindles, and some steel round and plate. I’m going to replace all the hardware in there as well.

Odds and ends include the transmission fan, PTO pulley, steering box bushings, wire and connectors, dust caps, and a couple hydraulic lines. Four new tires are going on as well.

Cost? Bought $650.

I don’t like it but I have no other options really and I’m going to park the tractor until I figure out what to do…not sure if I really want to cough that up to have something else go wrong next year.

After all my current expenses that works out to an $850 investment in a 30 year old garden tractor that hasn’t had the best reliability record with me. So I need to think this over a bit. If I go through with this I don’t think it’ll be a fast process because of my budget constraints. The other headache is that I wanted to buy a second tractor and do a speed build but that is out the window at this point.

Thoughts are welcome and encouraged!

At this point, doing the math you have 350 invested thus far. How emotionally connected to this tractor are you? Is it I'm tired of throwing money at it and park it to find a new project with your $500? Alternatively, you are vested in this tractor and would like to see it working as planned more than a new tractor. Then toss the money at it and gamble that no more money would be needed for a while.

MightyRaze wrote:

At this point, doing the math you have 350 invested thus far.  How emotionally connected to this tractor are you?  Is it I'm tired of throwing money at it and park it to find a new project with your $500? Alternatively, you are vested in this tractor and would like to see it working as planned more than a new tractor.  Then toss the money at it and gamble that no more money would be needed for a while.

I really like the tractor, and being my first rebuild I intend to hold on to it but the trouble is that I can’t justify throwing money at it endlessly. If I go through with the rebuild I probably would have to park it if things went sour afterwards. Right now I’m just poking around to see what other people would do.

I could buy another tractor of equivalent size but that would be about $400 and up for a tractor like that in a needs work state. So I’d be about where I’d be either way so it just boils down to my hesitation over the reliability. Even then anything else could be a lemon…boy talk about a crap shoot

And as it turns out it’s $650 because I forgot the tires and rims. Fun.

It wouldn’t be so bad if the rebuild kits were priced reasonably. Most rebuild kits for the briggs carbs are like $50 but this one is twice that. And the intake elbow is $50, but again I’m not going to leave it like it is. Some of the seals are ridiculous too…

I understand.  I had kept my tractor Thor alive for about 5 years throwing stuff at it to keep it running.

First was to just get the onan engine in it running, then the coil went out, and a new coil was $200 at the time (now about $30).  I found an article where I could use a GM HEI coil.  That gave it about 3 more years before I blew both head gaskets.  Engine needed a good $150 to get running good again, but what would fail next?  Parts were getting older and harder to find. I threw in a Briggs opposed.  Parts everywhere at the time. (still kinda is).  Then the Hydro started messing up so I parked it.  Look where I am now?  My current B/O entry gutting it and making something new.  I love the Sears Suburbans.  I never intended on getting the Murrays.  I understand the first tractor thing.  Li'l Red was my first truly modded tractor and I wouldn't get rid of it.  I just update it time to time. Kal, my first really cool looking tractor. Probably the most capable.  I still have it, but it would need a lot of repairs to get it in tip top shape again. (slow cannibalistic death)  Steering is out of it.  I think the belt is out of it.  I blew the trans seals on the last visit to haspin.

Like I said earlier.  It comes down to how much you like and enjoy the tractor.  Look at other things that attach to it to make it great too like the snowblower. The custom hood you are making.  Sometimes a little more investment makes it great.

Then sometimes, maybe clear your mind and think outside the box. Can you mod something newer into it to make it more reliable?

Yeah I thought about converting this into a speed build, probably in the form of a narrowed automotive rear end and a 3 speed tranny mated to the briggs. Only takes money right? Lol

If I can get a Kohler magnum cheap and in good shape I’ll probably go through it and drop it in. Older and less fuel efficient but more displacement, probably torquier, basically bombproof and reasonable to work on.

I think what it boils down to is the problem is that there really isn’t a lot of support for these old whites anymore, and the same goes for the Briggs. A 5hp carb kit goes for about $30, and oppys are about the same. It’s not so much the amount of work the tractor needs but the outrageous markup that’s associated with the parts. It’s still cheaper than buying another machine from what I’ve seen. Anything else is about a grand and up for shaft drive as it turns out

I intend to do some variation on the johnny bucket this summer, along with a yard trailer that’s a miniature hay wagon basically, and probably a v plow like the old frinks. Assuming of course I can find two old matching plows to sacrifice for this purpose. One of the reasons that this tractor is a candidate for this sort of expenditure is the capability factor. This machine has done work that I wouldn’t trust of any lawn tractor. I’ve yanked 2,000 pounds up a hill with this machine in low range. You can’t do that with a car.

If the hydro kicks it though I’m putting a gear drive or cvt in, deleting the governor, and I’m going to let this bird sing

I’ve been having some issues lately with my income and relationships so this has kinda just been a bit more frustrating then usual. If I can get back to work I can probably go through and get this done. I might just let this run into a down-to-frame two year restoration too and I can space the expenditures a bit more.

That sounds like a good idea. Let it rest for a while. Pick up an old mower and just play, have fun, break stuff.

Nevadablue wrote:

That sounds like a good idea. Let it rest for a while. Pick up an old mower and just play, have fun, break stuff.

Just don't break yourself!  

I can't help but think that what you're dealing with is pretty normal in terms of owning a piece of equipment, I mean seals and hoses wear out and need replacement that's just the nature of the beast! Lol. There's tons of support and parts around for old Briggs, I have noticed the prices of carb rebuild kits can be silly but I've bought complete replacement carbs for between $30 and $50 CAD for several older Briggs and they've all worked really well! I've even used one just to tear down for the parts to rebuild another carb, I find the biggest inconvenience of Briggs replacement carbs is the fact that the ones I've got have been metric threaded instead of SAE which wouldn't be an issue if they sent the hardware but they don't... in my case I have a big stash of metric hardware from cars and trucks from my days of working at a scrapyard so for me it's no big deal. I can understand that certain parts for your tractor could be difficult to come by but it is a MTD built GT that was made under different brands and eBay is a great source for stuff.

The way I see it, if the old tractor hobby was easy then everyone would be doing it and you probably wouldn't have scored your machine in the first place! The challenge is something I enjoy about it and makes it a hobby in my eyes, if it's broke and you can't find the part(s), time to make them or dig into research to find how others have overcome it! My main workhorse (Bolens G10) needs to have the motor refreshed as it's getting tired and I'm planning on spending the $3-400 to take it .020 over and bump it a coulple HP instead of motor swapping. It needed a new seat, needs to have linkages welded/ground to resurface them, new brake linings and a few other small things but I won't part with it unless it breaks in half and even then I'd find a way to make it whole again! Lol.

It's a project and a hobby, treat it as such and enjoy it!

Brianator wrote:

I can't help but think that what you're dealing with is pretty normal in terms of owning a piece of equipment, I mean seals and hoses wear out and need replacement that's just the nature of the beast! Lol. There's tons of support and parts around for old Briggs, I have noticed the prices of carb rebuild kits can be silly but I've bought complete replacement carbs for between $30 and $50 CAD for several older Briggs and they've all worked really well! I've even used one just to tear down for the parts to rebuild another carb, I find the biggest inconvenience of Briggs replacement carbs is the fact that the ones I've got have been metric threaded instead of SAE which wouldn't be an issue if they sent the hardware but they don't... in my case I have a big stash of metric hardware from cars and trucks from my days of working at a scrapyard so for me it's no big deal. I can understand that certain parts for your tractor could be difficult to come by but it is a MTD built GT that was made under different brands and eBay is a great source for stuff.

The way I see it, if the old tractor hobby was easy then everyone would be doing it and you probably wouldn't have scored your machine in the first place! The challenge is something I enjoy about it and makes it a hobby in my eyes, if it's broke and you can't find the part(s), time to make them or dig into research to find how others have overcome it! My main workhorse (Bolens G10) needs to have the motor refreshed as it's getting tired and I'm planning on spending the $3-400 to take it  .020 over and bump it a coulple HP instead of motor swapping. It needed a new seat, needs to have linkages welded/ground to resurface them, new brake linings and a few other small things but I won't part with it unless it breaks in half and even then I'd find a way to make it whole again! Lol.

It's a project and a hobby, treat it as such and enjoy it!

I will add to this though, some of us (me included) like to get really ticked off at our stuff, which can sometimes make said hobby really frustrating, which was several days this week and several tractors, right now my 210-5 is going through a really annoying stage where it chucks the belt every 10 feet...

Well said! I was looking at aftermarket carbs and all they have are the ones for the inteks and they’re kinda crappy. I think the two barrel inteks are similar to the nikki six carbs in that they can have a lot of plastic inside…so I’ll keep my eyes open but I think a rebuild kit is in the future.

So here’s where I’m at now. I poked around on ebay and I was able to find the bowl gasket and needle valve for $40 shipped. Still not great but I can live with it. Add the jet I need in and it’s $50 compared to $110. I wouldn’t have new mixture screws or throttle seals, but the carb works with the exception of the float/needle issue. Thoughts? Would I get burned if I skimp out like that? I wouldn’t mess with the choke or throttle shafts but I dunno. I got excited almost because I saw some Kawasaki twin carbs that look similar but they’re for a 21hp 675 cc so I think it might be a gamble. Don’t really know what to think honestly. What say y’all?

You should be okay. Depending on the kind of seals on your mixture screws and throttle shaft would depend if this is helpful... I've used orings from a assorted Dorman package to replace worn orings with success, the ones designed for fuel are a brown color.

I know the seal on the choke shaft is a sort of foam, and the throttle seal appears to square cut. Good idea on the O-rings. I think if it comes down to it I'll get a rebuild kit in place of the new kawasaki carb, seeing as the jets on the aftermarket Kawasaki carb are probably different.

Or maybe I could just pull a red green lol

Lmao that's awesome, I love Red Green.

Well after a rather stressful couple of weeks I return.

I got into the carburetor today.

It was in surprisingly decent shape actually. The bowl gasket even seems to be still good, which for a rubber seal is quite impressive!

So one main jet, two limiter caps, a needle, and a throttle seal. Total cost?

$54. Lot better IMHO.

I will order the parts shortly and we will be going through the motor.

Tractor wise nothing is new right now. All I have done is pulling off and disassembing the carburetor. Once I get the chance I’ll clean it out thoroughly and try it.

........

Bling bling!

Those look mighty nice!

Too bad we all dont live a little closer to eachother. My dad works at a place that makes o-rings and also hydraulic fittings.