[FrankIII]

I'm not a big fan of the K301 lol. Every one that I've had apart needed bored atleast .030 over. Once the rings get worn down the Cylinder likes to wear Egg shaped about 1/2 way down the bore.

Looks like a good straight tractor. Should turn out really nice once you get it done.

I didn't like my K301 because it shook so bad. And I hear the ones that came with balance gears like to throw them out the side of the block.

 

[CalebB]

I didn't like my K301 because it shook so bad. And I hear the ones that came with balance gears like to throw them out the side of the block.

Yep, I’ve read the same thing although we’ve never had an issue with ours. I’ve already decided that I won’t be putting the balance gears back in so hopefully it won’t shake any worse than normal.

 

[Vigo]

New engines ‘work’ the same way old engines do, but tons of design advancements have been made to the point that major engine repairs basically only happen in warranty (ie ‘it either breaks right away or it lasts forever). But things like cylinders going egg shaped, getting ridges, chunking etc are mostly things of the past.In the car world anyway. Not sure how many advancements have happened in the small engine world.

Ive removed balance shafts from a car engine and not found it objectionable UNTIL i also tried solid engine mounts. 😵 Lots of garden tractors have solidly mounted engines to begin with so take that as you will.

Cool project and family heirloom!

 

[propane1]

I’ve takin the balance gears out of a few of my kohler k engines. Can’t really say I noticed any difference. I think even one I took apart, didn’t even have the stubs to put balance gear in.

Noel

 

[Achto]

I’ve takin the balance gears out of a few of my kohler k engines.

On a Kohler K engine I refer to balance gears as "Grenade Gears". I've had more catastrophic failures due to grenade gears than any other part on a Kohler. I have a few Kohler K's that had them from the factory, they have all been removed. Don't notice any difference in vibration. Note: I do have the tool to install them correctly. Only use it on customer engines when they insist that the grenade gears go back in.

 

[FrankIII]

On a Kohler K engine I refer to balance gears as "Grenade Gears". I've had more catastrophic failures due to grenade gears than any other part on a Kohler. I have a few Kohler K's that had them from the factory, they have all been removed. Don't notice any difference in vibration. Note: I do have the tool to install them correctly. Only use it on customer engines when they insist that the grenade gears go back in.

Interesting. My old Wisconsin TRA-10D doesen't have any kind of balance gear setup but it didn't vibrate bad at all. My K301 is one of those AQS engines built with no balance gears. And it shook like crazy, especially at mid throttle.

 

[ericforster]

The same with the bs engine on the gil33048c.

 

[CalebB]

Does anybody here know if the 120’s/140’s had a foam mat under the battery in the battery tray? I vaguely remember reading that somewhere but can’t seem to find it now. If this one ever had one, it’s long been gone.

 

[CalebB]

The fuel gauge and cap are in pretty rough shape on this tractor. The float is barely attached and it doesn’t accurately read fuel levels. In addition to this, the plastic ring around the cap is broken in one spot and doesn’t screw down as it should. I’ve been unable to find any replacements online so I reached out to Hapco via email to ask about them.

They were very quick to reply, but unfortunately they said the manufacturer destroyed the tooling to make replacements and they are no longer being made. Sad news for me as every single one I’m finding on eBay/Amazon/etc is sold out. I will continue the search and hopefully will find something before everything goes back together.

 

[IHCubCadet147]

Great project and story. I will be following.

 

[Oliver 2-44]

This fuel gauge may work for you

#106945 Toro Wheel Horse Fuel Cap - Wheel Horse Parts and More

Toro Wheel Horse Fuel Cap (1) Toro Wheel Horse Fuel Cap WH # 106945

wheelhorsepartsandmore.com

 

[CalebB]

This fuel gauge may work for you

#106945 Toro Wheel Horse Fuel Cap - Wheel Horse Parts and More

Toro Wheel Horse Fuel Cap (1) Toro Wheel Horse Fuel Cap WH # 106945

wheelhorsepartsandmore.com

Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll check it out. It definitely stinks that the original supplier isn’t making them anymore. Will make it harder for people moving forward to restore their tractors back to “original” specs.

 

[CalebB]

One other mystery of this machine is the stator. The stator that this came equipped with is a 12 pole. All the replacements I’m seeing online are 18 pole stators. I’m no expert in this field, but replacing a 12 pole with an 18 pole doesn’t seem like it would work without further modifications. I’m not seeing much information posted online on this topic and haven’t seen anyone else post about their Kohler stator only having 12 poles. This one really has me stumped.

 

[KennyP]

One other mystery of this machine is the stator. The stator that this came equipped with is a 12 pole. All the replacements I’m seeing online are 18 pole stators. I’m no expert in this field, but replacing a 12 pole with an 18 pole doesn’t seem like it would work without further modifications. I’m not seeing much information posted online on this topic and haven’t seen anyone else post about their Kohler stator only having 12 poles. This one really has me stumped. View attachment 419580
View attachment 419579

Maybe you can find answers here:

 

[CalebB]

Maybe you can find answers here:

Interesting…thanks for the link! According to that document, the stator I have is a 10amp and all of the replacements they sell today are the 15amp versions. I searched online for the proper replacement for a 10amp and it appears to have been discontinued. Will have to do more research on what can be done about this before making any decisions. If anyone has any experience in this exact situation, please feel free to reply!

 

[KennyP]

Swap it out along with the regulator! 15amp is a better system.

 

[Mark 149 J.]

10 amp stator might be because the tractor didn't come with headlight. Just a guess.

 

[CalebB]

Swap it out along with the regulator! 15amp is a better system.

Do you know if there are any good threads or videos out there on how to do the swap? I.e. is it just the stator and regulator that get replaced or are there other things that would need replaced/adjusted to compensate for the change?

I really appreciate everyone’s help here! This is the first project of this kind that I’ve done so it’s good to hear from folks with more experience.

 

[CalebB]

10 amp stator might be because the tractor didn't come with headlight. Just a guess.

I’m thinking you’re right!

 

[CalebB]

Spent the day today cleaning up parts, sanding/sandblasting various covers/larger parts of the motor. It’s amazing how thick the original Deere green paint is on these. The air filter cover still had almost all of the original paint on it and it took a while to get it all off.

Another thing I found interesting was that the thin heat shields that sit on top of the head appear to have been painted silver originally. I haven’t found anything else coated in silver paint on the motor. To stay true to original, I will paint it silver again.

Still have a good amount of sandblasting to do before the larger pieces are ready for paint, but we’re steadily making progress.