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

It's been quite the successful afternoon for me! I wanted to get the hydraulic lift working properly, UP worked fine but DOWN was very sketchy and unusable. I noticed the pillow block "bushing" was broken so that explains something!



Lucky me I just happened to have some of these little roller wheels that are the EXACT perfect size AND shape (slightly curved) to fit in the pillow block, all I had to do was grind the rivet down to remove it from its bracket and drill the hole out to 1/4" for it to fit on the lever shaft!


I made sure the inside of the pillow block was good and clean and I found a knob to use on the end of the lever instead of the fuel line that had been there.


I installed the bushing and lever, greased the pillow block and installed it...


... and as a finishing touch installed the knob!  I tested it out and both up and down were working well so it was time to install the plow blade and hook up a lift link!



I started off slow and easy plowing my path then started getting a little more aggressive at the end of the driveway, it was working so well I turned the blade (manually) to the left and bonzai'd up and down the road carving the banks back... this machine is a tank it didn't struggle even a little bit!  



After about a half hour of playing with it (which is the longest I've ever run it) I figured it would be a good time to change the engine oil and check the hydro fluid... the engine oil was pretty black and the hydro fluid was down just a touch, it barely leaks but I can see it's still working air out of the system (thanks to the translucent reservoir hose I installed).


I took it for another rip but this time down to the lake and as I was coming back up the hill I stopped and chatted with a neighbor (and took this pic)...



... then popped in on another neighbor because they're working on a snowmobile. Lol. I took a couple pics of the new and improved dashboard while I was there....last night I installed the pilot light, 3 switches (I need to order a few more) and a horn button (on the bottom right). It's a little close to the throttle but not actually in the way,  I've found (online) a nicer button that matches the flapper on the other side better, is illuminated AND slightly lower profile so I'm going to order it up! I wanted the horn button diagonally up and left in the next space but there's a support rib behind it and I dont want to cut any of them out, what was important to me is that it was easily visible and easy to get to. No big deal if it looks a little out of place, it's still there and looks decent I think!



I guess that's it for today, I had a freaking blast with it and have a feeling it's going to be one heck of a good mudder! The throttle creeping down is starting to annoy me so I'm hoping I can find and use a throttle/governor plate on it, even if I have to modify it to fit, I just don't think there is any other way I'll get the push/pull throttle to stay put without it but that's for another day!

You can find a link to the toggle switches with waterproof covers by clicking here.

Well, it was a decent afternoon to putter away so I made some decent progress!


I wanted to start figuring out the hood so I removed the fuel tank, air filter and spark plug then mounted it to what I believe may have been an original mounting point but I'm actually not sure... there had been a homebuilt lift mechanism bolted on the front and the hood hinge was bolted on top. Anyhoo I bolted it on and had a look and noticed it had a piece added to it to compensate for it sitting more forward than stock! It also sat on top of the dashboard and hung way over it (not pictured) when bolted on without the lift mechanism. With the hood bolted as such it was really high in the front but looked like there MAY be room for the spark plug, I'm not sure yet.




When I flipped the hood hinge around it dropped the nose a couple inches, leveled it out nicely and made less overhang on the dashboard so I think I'll set it up like this I actually don't mind it resting on the dashboard and it lifts it that extra little bit. If I rework the curvature of the hood, trim it back a little to match the sides of the dashboard, add some foam rubber and reinforce the dash I think it will be perfect!




One issue is that now it won't clear the spark plug...


...and I don't like the "bulge" they add to H14/H16 tractors as I think it's ugly so I'll either make my own hood scoop or maybe a full length cowl, I haven't decided yet.


I reconfigured the exhaust (temporarily, again) to clear the hood...




... and swapped out the fuel fitting in the carburetor for a 90 degree one to keep the fuel line away from the exhaust.




Then I wanted to get back into the fuel tank/battery debacle... I actually put the 16hp tank on my "Frank N' Blower" and hoped the smaller 8hp tank could work... no dice! But it happens to be the perfect size for my 1969 MTD so it's all good! Lol



All of a sudden the light bulb goes off! I have a fuel tank from a GX200 clone that's not in use because when I put the motor in The Ditchbanger (1987 Suzuki ATV) I used the ATVs tank!  It was looking a little tight but doable so I put a piece of threaded rod in the one tank mount and drilled a hole for it.


Oh yeah this is looking good but I need more mounting points so I made a little bracket out of the roller wheel bracket that I had removed from the wheel in my previous post about repairing the hydraulic lift controls...




... and tack welded it to the tank then a quick shot of paint.  Don't worry,  that tank has been empty and dry for 2 years so there was no risk involved.




Because the side mount is on an angle I made an angled "bushing" and tightened up the bolts. As you can see in the third pic it's a little tight but I was able to easily get my 5/16" wrench in there to tighten up that screw. I am planning on adding another mount underneath by using one or both of the existing tank mounts but I need to install a battery and sort out the electronics first.





It's pretty tight up top, I think I'll end up moving the dash back a hair...


... but look at all that space underneath! Lots of room for the electronics and even a small air compressor!  It IS going to be a recovery rig after all!  Lol.




I had wanted 2 large tanks but that obviously wasn't going to work out so the large tank in the rear will be my primary and this one will be the reserve tank, you win THIS round @Rustbucket Garage ! Lol

Rustbucket Garage wrote:

I wonder if it would be better to put a reserve under the hood and use the one in the rear as the primary? Seems nice and large and I find opening the hood and trying to refill gas around a hot engine to be a pain but that’s just my 2c.

It actually couldn't have worked out any more perfect,  not only do I have enough room for all the electronics underneath but the reserve tank will be gravity fed which means less problems! I'll use it as the primary for now,  I still need to get a fuel pump for the rear tank and figure out a way to get a signal from the engine... that will be for another day!

Let me know what you think!

Nice progress. A ‘might tight mate’! I love threads like this where lots of little details are shown. This is how I learn… looking at other’s pics and working the ideas into mine. I really like the overhang that protects the dash too.
AND, an air compressor. I think I have one of those little tire inflator things from decades ago. Might have to be used again!

Thanks @Nevadablue! You should've (and probably will) see the overhang with the front of the hood up where I started, it was actually blocking the view! Lol. The Warhorse was getting the air compressor (and still might), I have a little guy ready to go with a nice curly cord on it and everything!

Are you thinking a compressor with a pump run off the engine? that might be pretty cool?

Nope, a tire inflator! I had an adapter to swap the little hose for a curly cord, I could relocate the gauge to the lower dash also if I wanted (which I might) there's already a hole down on the bottom right corner for some reason. I set this up for The Warhorse but think I'll put it in the Mud Duck and probably another in The Warhorse.

It's always good when you are able to put those spare parts to use. Thats why i hate to ever throw anything away lol. I was also thinking of putting one of those inflators on my rig but not looking like there's going to be any room left. So i guess if i have a flat while i'm out and about i'll have to call Mud Duck Recovery !! I hope you don't charge by the mile 

Derail… I bought a CO2 tank at a yard sale and used it for filling paintball tanks for years. I finally got a proper syphon tank and gave the other tank to a friend who uses it in his 4wd pickup as a tire inflation ‘insurance policy’. A simple regulator (I modified an old oxygen regulator by changing the input nipple to fit the tank) will give you useable pressure range.

@brianator, another idea popped up. I have a little 110 volt inverter that would fit nicely in my rig too. The whole center section of the LT4000 is empty. Air compressor, inverter and probably the battery could go in there. Thinking…

diddie wrote:

It's always good when you are able to put those spare parts to use. Thats why i hate to ever throw anything away lol. I was also thinking of putting one of those inflators on my rig but not looking like there's going to be any room left. So i guess if i have a flat while i'm out and about i'll have to call Mud Duck Recovery !! I hope you don't charge by the mile 

Nope by the millimeter! Lol. I had actually bought a new pump for my car so I could use that for The Warhorse, man I gotta get working on it again, been picking away here and there but nothing update worthy and the Mud Duck keeps distracting me!

@Nevadablue Hey that would be unique, you should do it! Could charge your phone or maybe even run a small toaster oven! Hot Pockets and mini pizzas for all! Lol

Brianator wrote:

Nope by the millimeter! Lol. I had actually bought a new pump for my car so I could use that for The Warhorse, man I gotta get working on it again, been picking away here and there but nothing update worthy and the Mud Duck keeps distracting me!

@Nevadablue Hey that would be unique, you should do it! Could charge your phone or maybe even run a small toaster oven! Hot Pockets and mini pizzas for all! Lol

Hmmm....a  roach coach trail-tractor, now that could be a welcome sight seen coming down the trail.

I found your first customer @Nevadablue! Now who's hauling the cooler trailer? Lol

Cooking on the exhaust pipe. Use the inverter for the coffee pot.

Nevadablue wrote:

Cooking on the exhaust pipe. Use the inverter for the coffee pot.

You could use the exhaust as an air popper for popcorn and direct it into a cup on the fender so you can eat while you drive...

Well no real updates but yesterday I tinkered a little bit to keep working out the battery/electronics. I had a battery figured out I was going to use, it was listed as 325CCA but when I went to the store to buy it, it was only 260CCA... not going to cut it in my books and they didn't have anything else I liked so back to the drawing board!




I went online on Canadian Tires website and started looking at batteries there. I made cardboard templates of the 2 I liked best and test fit them, the ETX20L (310CCA) wins! It will fit (just) with the new fuel tank and leave enough room for the electronics under the tank as you can see...




... unfortunately there won't be room for the tire inflator AND electronics but I found a nifty little spot under the seat for it that will work perfect! I'll make a box/cover to go over top of the pump to keep it clean and probably use a tube of some sort for the curly cord to keep it secure.





I also have a line on a pair of ITP Mud Lite tires (26x10-12) I can put on it for now for some added traction and to help me figure out the ideal tire I'll go with, I'm thinking 25x10-12 but we'll see.  I've been searching for tires for weeks that are a decent price and not more than an hour away,  these are all I've found so far! It's supposed to warm back up for a couple days so hopefully I'll get some work done!

Brianator wrote:

One issue is that now it won't clear the spark plug...


...and I don't like the "bulge" they add to H14/H16 tractors as I think it's ugly so I'll either make my own hood scoop or maybe a full length cowl, I haven't decided yet.

Older discussion and I imagine you’ve probably thought about this already but I wonder if it would be beneficial to raise the hood and dash a couple inches. Just my .02

Rustbucket Garage wrote:

Older discussion and I imagine you’ve probably thought about this already but I wonder if it would be beneficial to raise the hood and dash a couple inches. Just my .02

The thought had crossed my mind, aside from clearence for the spark plug another huge benefit is it would've given me the space to run the ETX30L battery I wanted to but I would've had to make so many filler panels and then the steering wheel would be the next issue, there's just enough room as it is for the hood to clear it as it opens. As I was going through pictures a couple days ago I realized that yes the hood itself is level right now but it's not supposed to be, they naturally slope upwards towards the front! Check it out...


With the hinge sitting a little higher than stock and also the hood on top of the dashboard this is darn close to how it should look, notice the side panel along the length of the hood is pretty level


Here's a pic of how it sits now. Notice the side panel is actually sloping down towards the front? It's most noticeable when you compare it with the carburetor and the louvers (just behind the muffler)


What I was thinking is I would flip the hood hinge back around to bring the nose back up, when it had been sitting like that it looked like there might have been JUST enough room for a spark plug (sorry no pic) and give me extra space to add a steel plate for the front bumper upper mount (detachable pin mount) so I'm putting most of my eggs into that basket! Lol. It's supposed to be a mild day today so hopefully I'll get something done!

What if:
You moved the hood up and forward to make room for what you want in there. Then a simple piece of metal, bent to fit where the hood comes down onto the dash could be made to extend the dash to fit the new hood placement. I can’t see for sure, but I think that would work.

Kinda sorta:



Raising that area would change the look but give you more space too.

Good idea @Nevadablue but I can't move the hood ahead without creating an issue for the front bumper which will need to swing down so I can open the hood, the further forward it goes the less it will swing down out of the way (I'm pretty sure), the lower point pivot will be the attachment points on the front axle



The hood extension is also already sitting on the very top of the dash which gives it about a 1" lift and I kind of like it there, looks sleek when viewed from the dashboard



I'm actually out picking up the battery and a couple other things, when I get home I'll flip the hinge, install the RJ19LM spark plug (which is short) and see where I'm at! If I need more clearance I don't mind making a hood scoop or cowl, I might regardless because I can use the air blowing over the motor for a breeze on a hot day if I make it a cowl with a small air deflector (and a little flapper panel to turn it off).

Stayed tuned I should be back in a couple hours with some findings!

On another note... we're all pretty similar in a sense we see an issue and come up with multiple ideas to overcome it, pretty smart fellers we are at the ATLTF!

I've thought about a hood that slides forward to open up the engine area as long as nothing has to come thru it or go old school and have a split hood hinged down the middle from front to back and be able to lift either left or right side together or independently.

On the wild side would be a hood made from 1/4" polycarbonate would look cool as long as the heat is kept away from it. Could probably set small LED lights in the edges and have some wild color shows at night.

FatMike wrote:

I've thought about a hood that slides forward to open up the engine area as long as nothing has to come thru it or go old school and have a split hood hinged down the middle from front to back and be able to lift either left or right side together or independently.

That would be freaking sweet on a old school style rat rod-ish machine! You listening to this @Nevadablue? Lol. Might be a cool idea for your Rat Rod!  While I have your attention I was telling you about excess overhang on the dash when the hood is up in the original location, here's a pic of it plus a second of how it was with the hood in its lower position:

Upper position. I can easily trim it back to be closer to flush with the edge of the dash like in the...


...lower position.



The results are in! Here's the hood in the upper position with a RJ19LM spark plug, about 1/4" of clearance.



I popped in the original RCJ8 that came with the engine as it's about 1/4" shorter than the RJ19LM and as you can see it ended up with about 1/2" of clearance!



By the time I put a spark Plug boot on I ended up being back down to about 1/4" of clearence which is good in my books!




And you can see that now the hood side panels sit more level than they did in the lower position so we have a winner!



I do believe I'll still end up making a cowl, not only will it give a little extra clearance but will look cool and be functional by venting heat and fanning me on hot days! Lol

FatMike wrote:

I've thought about a hood that slides forward to open up the engine area as long as nothing has to come thru it or go old school and have a split hood hinged down the middle from front to back and be able to lift either left or right side together or independently.

On the wild side would be a hood made from 1/4" polycarbonate would look cool as long as the heat is kept away from it. Could probably set small LED lights in the edges and have some wild color shows at night.

Yeah those old butterfly hoods are nice. I’m big into the old brockway trucks and that’s what they had in conjunction with the swing-out fenders. Just as accessible as a tilt hood and for guys like us that occasionally build front guards or run implements it’s a nice solution.

Yes, I like the center hinged hoods. Yes, I’m listening and yes, I’m saving pics.

I was going to suggest an AASP for the solution (Acme Angled Spark Plug) but I couldn’t find Wile’s email address.

I got some super duper stuff done today!

I made a battery hold down with some threaded rod, old fuel line and some 1" x 1/4" steel. I welded the nuts to the underside of the plate and will lock the rods with LocTite or another set of nuts when I'm finalizing everything.





Then I mocked up the fuel tank to see how much space I have for the starter solenoid (which I installed) and an electronics plate which I bent up and installed in a temporary fashion with screws, I'll replace them with rivets after everything is painted.





I wanted to relocate the voltage regulator from sitting on top of the generator to keep it dry and clean so I flattened out the mounts and noticed this broken ground wire... I tried to solder it but the solder just would not stick! I ended up drilling the rivet out of the base, got the new wire inside the original connector, crimped and soldered it then riveted the other end to the base with an eyelet.




I got the voltage regulator and fuse box mounted...



...then went crazy getting it all wired up and ready to go!



Obviously not everything is wired but I got all the important stuff to start/kill the engine and test the charging system done, once I've reinstalled the dash in the tractor I'll need to hook up a few wires and install the fuel tank then it's go time!

Well, that's all for today hopefully all goes well tomorrow and I'll get to drive it with the hood on for once!  Lol

You can find a link to the fuse box by clicking here.

Wow, that looks really good! Nice work!

Thank you!