Brianator's "Mud Duck"- Tractor Recovery Rig/Mudder

I got some stuff done the last couple days,  yesterday not so much as all I did was wire up the battery disconnect and voltmeter but today was a monumental success in my books! It wasn't too nice out to be working outside so I warmed up the workshed, cranked the tunes and got after something that's been bothering me... the hood!


Before I could really get into it I had to spend some time straitening and shaping the sides, especially on the ugly side (where someone used a torch to make a cut out for exhaust) so I could make a filler panel. I had the perfect piece of sheetmetal left over from the muffler build so once I added a couple of small bends to shape it I got busy tack welding it inside and outside. I'm thinking I'll use fiberglass matting/resin to build it up/shape it then skim it over with body filler to smooth it out but I'm a long ways from that!




Then it was time to tackle the other ugly spot! Someone cut some bars out of the grille, maybe for an anchor point for a winch or something(?) but either way it drives me nuts!
 


So I used some of the same metal I used to make the rear fuel tank bracket to make new vertical bars and horizontal tabs, welded them in place and ground down the welds a bit. It was a bit of a process to curve the vertical bars so I won't bore you with the details but it involved a bench vise,
a hammer, a pair of vise grips, a piece of 1/2" round stock and about 30 minutes.  There's still some tweaking, welding and grinding to do and it may not be perfect but it's good for now and looks way better than the gaping hole I started with!  Lol
 




Then I sprayed it with a little black lacquer to protect it for now...



... and then it was time to mount the fuel pump! I ordered the exact same one used on my Kawasaki 14hp so this way I'll have a backup one way or the other and I liked the size and price of it! Here's where it gets tricky... I spent about an hour trying to figure out where on the tractor,  close to the motor I could mount it and hook it up in a way to simplify line routing and still have decent access to it if needed but wasn't having any luck but that's partly because I didn't have the reserve tank in!  I put it in quick, held the pump up on the underside of the tank and saw my solution!


I tack welded 1/4" studs on the bottom of the tank, protected it with black lacquer, test fitted it in the tractor and made sure it won't interfere with removing the fuse box cover which it does not!




So it's been a pretty successful day for me and I'm happy with what I got accomplished!

Good stuff, fiddly though. Do you have a mig? Just curious. If you do, you can make a million spot welds and grind it smooth without the filler.
I sure hate to see that Mud Duck color go. Sigh…
Could you post a link to the fuel pump you got please. Would be a good reference.

Very fiddly (and time consuming)! No I have a flux core wire feed, 80amp/110v. It will need to be filled because I didn't Zeus the panel into the hood (to save time) so it leaves a large "crater" on the outside that's about 1/16" deep but worry not because I've been there, done that before and know what to do! Lol. I know you're disappointed to see the patina go that's why I'm making it a slow transition, wouldn't want to shock a fellas system by changing it TOO quick! Lol. Nope sorry no link, where's the fun in that!?

Well I wasn't super motivated today but did get a couple things accomplished still:

The fuel pump is set up and ready to be plumbed to the rear tank.



I have some 5/16" brake/fuel line that fits well inside the 1/4" fuel line so I'll run that between the rear tank and the fuel pump and make the connections on each end with fuel line.


Figuring out how to get the pulse signal from the engine for the fuel pump was surprisingly easy, all I did was install a fitting into a oil filler cap I scored from the salvage yard last weekend.   



It will be at the highest point of the crankcase so I don't think oil getting into the line/pump will be an issue but if I do notice oil accumulating in the hose I'll make a small baffle or figure out another solution.

You can find a link to the fuel pump by clicking here.

I got the rear tank plumbed and the rest of the fuel system done today so hopefully I'll test it out this week! I'll start at the tank and work my way forward:

Once I got the hard line in the tractor and run between the tank and pump I installed 1/4" "rubberized" clamps front and rear to hold it secure. I also installed a 1 way fuel valve close to the tank to prevent the fuel from running back down the line causing me to have to prime the system everytime I start it. Time will tell if it's even required or if the fuel pump will even overcome it, it's more of an experiment with something I just happen to have "in stock" and I can replace it with a fuel filter in the future if it isn't needed.


This is the (5/16") one way fuel valve I used, a friend needed one for his tractor and the deal for the 2 pack was decent so that's how I ended up with this one. Even though it's 5/16" and my flexible fuel line is 1/4" it was a perfect fit!



I ran the hard line along the frame and was able to tuck it into the dash with the hydraulic lines...


... bent it up and secured it with another "rubberized" clamp then connected it to the fuel pump with some flexible line and a fuel filter...



... and this is what it looks like fully connected! I'm concerned that a broken belt could wipe everything out so I'll be designing and building a belt guard, something that fully encloses the top half but isn't a complete nightmare to remove. I have a few ideas and 2 of them are very promising,  I just need to make some cardboard mockups and test fit them.


I "one upped" myself in regards to the pulse fitting I showed in the last post, I wanted to install a shut off so when I'm running on the reserve tank (which is gravity fed) the fuel pump isn't still trying to pump and I came up with this contraption!
 


It's a 90 degree fuel shut off valve, in a piece of hose and friction fit into the oil filler cap with a filter/baffle that should slow down or stop oil from creeping up the line and into the pump! That piece is the removable filter from a Honda (and clone) fuel tank fitting that I glued and wired (not shown) in the hose to hold it secure!



I started installing the tire inflator also but started running into so many fitment issues (which has been sorted out now), misplaced a fitting I had on it previously and want to try out again plus I'm lacking a fitting I need to plug the gauge port (there's no way around it now) that I decided to wait and tackle it in the future!  

That's all for today, let me know what you think!

You can find a link to the 1 way fuel valve and Honda fuel tank fittings by clicking here.

Can I recommend you a double V belt? https://www.vbelts4less.com/2-Band_c_192.html

You could and I had considered it near the start of the build, I know Gates makes them and also where to get them locally BUT changing belts on this machine is NOT easy plus I'd rather be able to limp home on one belt than shred a double or have one half of that continue to whack around (even for a few revolutions) if the other half holds on. Thank you for the recommendation though, in alot of cases it's definitely the right way to go!

keep up the great work ! looking good. and let me say that was a stellar job on that grill repair !

Thanks @diddie and you as well! The grille repair is just roughed in for now. I plan on doing my best to make it invisible but not until I'm deep into bodywork!


Well nothing much doing today but I did plug the gauge port in the tire inflator with a fine thread M8 bolt (same thread pattern) and sealed it in with red LocTite. I also had to trim a little piece off the top so it wouldn't hit the seat mounting bracket...


... then installed it and reassembled the back half of the tractor.  


As you can see there's not alot of room in there but I've tested it out by fully compressing the seat spring/fender pan, it all just barely clears! I may end up making a limit rod or bracket but I'm not looking forward to disassembling/reassembling it all it's a real pain! There's just enough room to connect the air hose without too much difficulty and I have a little cap over the tip to keep dirt out for now, I tested a piece of hose and just wasn't liking it but am hunting for a nice rubber cap for it to keep the whole fitting clean.

I've really created a monster here in a sense that assembling/disassembling just about anything is a real procedure and alignment/clearances for most things are in around 1/8" but I guess that's what you get when you're working with limited space and cramming as much in as possible right!? Lol. I'm pretty proud of what I'm accomplishing here as it's required alot of thought, planning and patience but it's all coming together really well!  

Sorry for the weak update but progress is progress right!?

Until next time!

i agree with the assembling/disassembling. things have to go in and out in a certain sequence. i'm hoping to disassemble one more time before i start my final assembly so i'm gonna make sure i've got everything sorted out before i do so.

Well, another weak update but it's still progress, I made a intake for the beast with stuff I already had kicking around!


I started with this little piece of aluminum tubing I had left over from when I made a cold air intake for my car, it just happened to fit over the air filter flange with minimal slop and I liked the angle it put on the air filter.




This is the air filter I had from my abandoned off road kart project. It's a dual stage, 35mm ID but should flow plenty enough, if I feel it's not working well for some reason I'll replace it with something with a larger ID.




It happened to fit snug inside the tubing but what I did was cut a slice of plastic tubing to sit inside it and give support for clamping it.





Then I trimmed the lower "lip" off of the tubing so a hose clamp would sit nicely and added reliefs to the ends of the tubing to allow it to compress and clamp down tight...
 



...and added a wrap of electrical tape to the air filter flange to take up the little bit of slop and provide a better seal...



...then installed and admired it for a few moments!




It's ultra-light so I'm sure the hose clamps will hold it fine and there's enough space left between it and the side of hood that I can get my fingers inbetween them so if I do need to choose another filter I'll have to keep that in mind!

That's all for today folks, until next time!

A link to the air filter can be found by clicking here.

I like it, nice job!

Thanks @Nevadablue! It seems to work just fine I found it today!

Not much of an update as I was working on other stuff today but before it got dark out I tested the fuel pump and rear tank and it seems to work well! I still have to actually test drive it to be sure but I'll say it was pretty easy to prime by running it off the reserve tank until it warmed up then switched the 3 way fuel valve back and forth between the rear tank and reserve every 5 seconds until I saw the fuel get drawn into the fuel pump and then it was on and stayed running off the rear tank! The one way fuel valve seems to be doing it's job too so that's a bonus!

I have to say I'm pretty happy about it! Lol

Hey just so you know man, I know a guy down here (I'm buying some really cool stuff that I will be showing later) who has a bolens with the same (or similar) hydro as the one you have that he's taking to scrap, it has no hood, engine or front wheels but it looks like it might be decent for parts, let me know if you're interested...
Other than that, great job on this rig, all you need is some more tractors to recover!

Thanks for the tip @TechnoChicken and yes I may be... I'll pm you about it.

Thanks man she's coming along and I'm really happy with how well it's all coming together, I'm hoping I may actually make a few bucks with it if I see someone broken down or stuck on the trails on their ATV, RTV or dirtbike and I'm also willing work for fuel! Lol.

No real updates on it unfortunately I've been designing and building a tire bead breaker, I'll make a separate thread for it once it's done but I have started thinking/planning/working on a front bumper/winch plate and the mounting for it. I'll post that update once I make some decent progress!

Okay, so I've finally gotten a start on the front bumper! Today I found the perfect piece in my scrap pile to use for the lower mount, it's a sway bar from a ATV frame I bought just to hack up and use for stuff like this!


This is a part of another previously hacked up ATV frame that will be further hacked up to harvest the long bent tubes. Here's a little mockup to get/give and idea of where I'm going with it.



It will be a stinger style bumper with the winch mounted to it and will also act as a skid plate, here's the piece that will go on top, once I hack it off of course...



...and here is what will be the upper mount that bolts on where the hood hinge is bolted to (bottom of picture). That whole bracket deal was a homemade lift device for the hay fork I got with the tractor, I cut away everything I didn't want as it would've been in the way anyhow. I had considered utilizing it for the bumper but decided it would've looked like junk and out of place and figured I could do better which is when I found the sway bar!



The plan is to use the implement mounting points on the axle for the pivot point and a piece of thick walled tubing I have with a 5/8" ID, slice it to be 5 separate tubes (3 welded on upper mount and 2 on the bumper - or vise versa) and use 5/8" round stock as a pin through all 5 tubes to hold it up/release it, kind of like a hinge the same as a door hinge found in your home but designed as a lock instead. Because the grille/hood opens forward I need the front bumper to be able to swing down out of the way quickly and easily so this is what I've come up with and I think it's going to work out perfectly!


Then I stripped the sway bar, cut it in half, drilled the holes out to 1/2" and made this jig so I can get to building! I used 1/2" round stock and some locking collars I had to make it...



...then straitened the mounting tabs and called it a day.



Now that I've gotten a start on it I can keep picking away at it! I've also started thinking about and planning the rear wheel lift/yolk but I need to get to the salvage yard and start looking at trailer hitches to see which one I like the best as it will be the foundation for not only it but also for a tow dolly and any other attachments I can dream up for it! Lol.

That's it for today guys, still lots to do but I'm getting there!

Holy Build Off countdown clock! Only 252 days left I better get a move on!  Lol


I mounted the bumper upper mount plate...



...and did another quick mock up now that the brackets are all cut off the frame to get an idea of the angle(s) I like.



Then I cut the cross tubes off the frame so I just had the curved pieces and also cut the bends off the sway bar pieces then used hose clamps to hold them together so I could mock them up and get and idea of the depth.



Turns out all I really need from the sway bar is the mounting tabs and enough round tube to slide inside the other piece. I happen to have a small tubing expander that I used to open it up just enough that the mounting tab would fit in snug then drilled a hole on each side so I can weld the pieces together there and all the way around the seam.




Another mock up. It's way too tall, looks silly and out of proportion...



...so I cut 2" off the tubes and tried again, still not liking it...



... so I took another 1" of the tubes, had a look and am liking it better!



So obviously it's not going to be an actual stinger, more just inspired by one but I'm liking it more after every adjustment. Something I've noticed is that the shorter it gets the more the upright tubes lean inwards to match the upper piece and I like that, when they were 3" taller the uprights were almost strait up and down and really didn't look very good so I may start trimming in 1/2" increments until I'm happy with it but I'll need to mock up the front aux light(s) first. I can't really go much further until my 5/8" drill bit and welding wire get here anyhow but it's all good! Lol

looking good ! i like the look of it.

Thanks @diddie! It's not quite a "stinger" (WAY too short) and also not quite a "bull bar" (way to low) so I'm going to call it a "boar bar"! It's just about the right height to cream a wild pig if it charges me so there you have it! Lol

Well, It's been a bit of an adventure today I'll tell yous that! Last night I mounted the aux lights on the winch fairlead as a test then this morning mocked up the bumper pieces to see how it would look/fit...



...then I reinforced the mounting tabs with some 1/4" steel (just tack welded for now)...


...set the pieces up in the jig, tack welded it together and mocked it up on the tractor.




Despite all my measurements and carefully eyeballing it, it wasn't as strait as I would've liked so I tweaked it a little then added more tack welds and it was only marginally better so I blew it all apart, made some adjustments and tried again. Nope still not liking it so I blew it apart again and started over... after a couple more failed attempts I decided the last one was fairly close and that what I would do is fully weld the whole bit and then I'll adjust and tweak it with a huge prybar and a sledgehammer! Lol. But that part comes tomorrow then I can start figuring out winch mounting and the upper mount.

It's quite frustrating doing something over and over again  I wish I would've just did on the tractor from the start! Then as I start fully welding it my welder starting having wire feed issues and would keep stopping as I was welding... turned out there was a broken piece of old wire in the feed tube causing it to jam! Lol

Nice fab work. Good ideas all around. I like big hammers and big pry bars. They break things nicely.

Thanks @Nevadablue and yup, if it breaks apart then it wasn't strong enough to begin with and I'll have to do it again!  Lol

Well, not a whole lot going on with the build this past week but I did tinker with the bumper and winch a little bit here and there:


I cut the bracket out of the top of the hoop, fully welded it all together and tweaked it into shape/position, checking steering at the same time. It won't go full lock by the time it hits the lower bar but I won't lose TOO much steering so it should be good!



The square LEDs as seen in the previous post weren't allowing me to get the winch placement where I wanted it so I found some online that are small and low profile (it's mounted on the winch fairlead) for pretty cheap that did the trick! Now the tires should clear the winch with ease even after I put taller tires on and I have plenty of room behind it to fab up the upper mount.




For a little 15w light it's actually pretty bright! I'm going to use the other one on the back but I'll need to build the wheel lift first so I know where I can mount it.



Finishing up the front bumper is going to be a long and slow process as I need to put cross tubes/steel plate in for the winch, figure out the upper mount and add reinforcements everywhere I can so I imagine it's something that I'll pick away at here and there between other things but it'll get done eventually!  Lol

You can find a link to the LED lights by clicking here.

Nice work man, are you going to add more lights in the holes in the hood?

TechnoChicken wrote:

Nice work man, are you going to add more lights in the holes in the hood?

Thank you and I sure am! I had put some in place (but not wired) as seen HERE but had to remove them to do work on the hood. I've been playing around with the idea of a different mounting system and have been tinkering with one, I couldn't find a matching bulb to replace the one that broke so I had to buy a pair and would like to avoid more broken bulbs in the future. What I'd like to find are 4.5" automotive adjustable buckets/brackets but I'm not having any luck yet and I know they were made for some older cars!

IF you want the top one LED as well.  These are the ones I have on the Dirty Rat.

PAR36 LED Landscape Light Bulb, 6W 600LM, 6000K, 36Watt Halogen Landscape Bulb Equivalent, 12V AC/DC, PAR36 LED Bulb for Tractor Light, Off-Road Vehicles, RV Vehicles, 2 Pack - - AmazonSmile

I DID @MightyRaze and was looking at similar ones but... they didn't have quite what I was looking for! I have something special planned... but I'll have to leave you in suspense for now! Lol

I do appreciate the lead though!