Simplicity 4040 Powermax Project Tractor Episode 1

[@sampasch3381]

This series has been very helpful to me. I acquired the AC version of on of these for 50 buck without and engine. These videos have helped me see what goes where when I put an engine in it. Thanks Norman for the helpful videos!

[@rydplrs71]

It always amazes me the lengths some people go to work around a problem that would have cost less in time and money to fix the right way. They obviously have the knowledge and understanding to do it right.

[@jessegreco6818]

Yay! The project has started. A few things I want to point out. 1. The chain coupler is not what is used on either of my 9020s. Instead I have a fiberglass disk coupler. I happen to be in the process of installing a rear PTO right now so I have a rear PTO shaft and coupler that I can measure and show you. It looks like that solution may have been put in place by the previous owner (don’t believe it is OEM). Maybe the shaft snapped ? Point is the shaft should have a splined end and a metal coupler that slides over it. 2. You should look at the carburetor setup on the later tractors. You will make closer to 20HP with that setup. This made my day! Thank you!

[@Isavetractors]

If you can email me some pictures and measurements of what yours has I would appreciate it!

[@jhitt79]

I've had many, many tractors and various pieces of equipment that I've bought that were in the same kind of shape when I got them. Full of mouse nest, grass, oil, etc. the first stop I usually make on the way home, while my new crap is still on the trailer is the car wash! I have a power washer at home but I'd rather not have that crap all over my floor. Plus if you start with a little bit of degreaser then use the soap there followed up with the high pressure, you can get stuff pretty clean before you get your grubby mitts on it.

[@FromSteelToWood]

Poor Nancy! Looks like you had a whole ecosystem in there! This is a very nice project to watch!

[@LightningFabrication]

I had a Simplicity Broadmoor years ago. I never knew simplicity made a larger twin cylinder tractor with a 3 point hitch and PTO. Very Cool.

[@mattbrennan8088]

very nice. I just dont find old good ones like that around here. Looking forward to seeing more of what you do to it

[@mikesecondo2254]

I had a keywayshear off.... destroyed shaft...so built up with weld then to bench grinder...once again round...then use cut off wheel and dremel to fit new key way!!! Couple of hours and patience.... Success!!!!!!!

[@dustinpollard6237]

Man, i am kinda glad my skid plate was missing now, i thought mine was bad, i almost emailed you the other day asking questions about finding CCKB stuff for my first Powrmax, second tractor period, and i only discovered them from your video after buying my first Allis. Glad to see you can fix it all, i need a field assembly for rear PTO and lost my gas tank in a flash flood lol, but my ridiculous $350 carb should be here soon and i can put her to work finally with the back blade getting this place cleaned up!!

[@Isavetractors]

Thanks for your comment. By the end of 2019 we will have our brand new carbs and rebuild kits for all of the vintage Onan engines. Thanks for watching!

[@craigtate5930]

my favorite old tractor :) glad to see you working on 1 of these

[@BubbaDad315]

Another great video and project build , thanks for sharing your knowledge Norman. Keep the builds and videos coming!

[@Slane583]

My friend recently acquired a nice little Power King Jim Dandy, one of his co-workers thinks it might be either a 1612 or 1614. It's hard to tell, the person who owned it previous to his uncle painted over all of the original decals. It ran good when we brought it back it his house. But once we changed the oil, gave it a fresh spark plug and air filter it ran even better. The clutch needs some adjusting though. :)

[@rogeroconnor5182]

i hope Nancy got a bonus that week

[@indianatone218]

I bet tacking engines out wasn't in the job description for secretary norm ,hope you gave her a rise for extra duties . ant from Wales England .wish I could pop round for a cuppa your shop is so interesting keep it up ,I've some dextas and ferries from 50s you wet my appetite so I got a small Westwood tractor and love it .

[@PaulieDetmurds]

As usual, very descriptive, and some great innovation in dealing with the air cleaner. Simply enjoyable a very enjoyable video!

[@tl1635]

The Harley filter was perfect for it.

[@JD-tl7ld]

Excellent video as always. I wish I could find me one of those close by in decent shape.

[@gabelanger]

If hour meter is right that engine still has many years left in it. Too bad the tractor wasn't taken care of, because it would be very expensive piece of equipment today. nice project Norman, and Nancy gets employee of the month for not being afraid to dig in.

[@dominique4822]

Salut Norman, encore un beau tracteur, de belles heures de bricolage à venir. 😉

[@samiam7]

I been waiting for this bad boy to come out

[@carlhelmick8104]

Man, dude that was an awesome job on that air filter. I really like your videos . Have a great day.

[@bigwheelsturning]

I just don't seem to live in an area where I can find old garden tractors like that. Will have to take a trip to the midwest.

[@davidshipulski4532]

I love the massive alternator on it lol

[@willyck948]

sad story for the tractor glad it's got a good home now😉👍

[@curtnicholson7771]

Do you think if that hose gets to worm under the hood area that the 90 degree bend will still stay self supporting and not droop down? I will be interested in following this project!

[@MRSketch09]

As much as you work on little tractors & what not, I'm surprised you haven't built or had a little shop built, with better lighting, and an small over head hoist, running along some tracks..

[@Isavetractors]

See our shop tour video for explanation

[@MRSketch09]

Yeah I watched it before your comment. I appreciate the reply. Personally working in that space would drive me up the wall... too dark, and it looks like if you dropped a part on that floor, you'd spend more time than needed looking for it. I like those shops with the sealed concrete floors example in the link pdxplate.com/floor-paint-industrial/fresh-floor-paint-industrial-inside-limg-4378-jpg/

[@jordanwright9780]

@@Isavetractors Hi! I'd love to see you you guys do an FMC Bolens HT Tractor. They were very nice too❤

[@tylerclementi4272]

Yoooo the bowl cut is sweet

[@Isavetractors]

Lol bringing back the 80's.

[@tylerclementi4272]

isavetractors yea lol

[@KevinMn1]

Looking forward to watching this project. I've got a Simplicity Landlord 3410 that I use all the time but it could use some fixing up too. I've got the frame color paint matched but not sure about what to use for the hood, same color as yours. If you or anyone else could point me in the right direction I would appreciate it. Thanks,

[@austinrrhodes]

I was just rewatching the video and was wondering what the red oil does to the air filter and also i had an idea and was wondering if you could make a video on what to look for when buying a garden tractor

[@canifixit3504]

What size ball bearing did you use on the control lever

[@allenmckinney9533]

What about the breather tube from the valve cover, where did it go to? Or did you give it it's own filter?

[@NilsKall]

Got some work cut out for you! But it makes good videos, keep it up!

[@chevy9599]

Have anything for Sears Suburban

[@jessegreco6818]

Update: it seems there was an earlier rear PTO design. The earlier version is likely what you have in the video. The earlier PTO seems to also have a driveshaft loop where the later don’t. The other tractor you showed in your very 1st Powermax video is a later one.

[@Isavetractors]

Thanks for the heads up. So you're saying the chain couple maybe how its suppose to go? I've searched all of the internet for a reference to this chain coupler set up and haven't found any documentation. I dont think it was put there by the PO. It would have been a lot of work for them and based on the other modifications they made I can confidently presume they would not have been willing to go to the lengths of adding a new pto shaft with new support bearing and coupler.

[@jessegreco6818]

isavetractors I agree. It must be one of the 1st made and the earliest design. It is interesting because they went away from this and over to a tubular shaft without the support bearing. Your other Powermax likely has the setup I was referring to. I have a chain coupler on my full size Allis Chalmers that drives a three stage hydraulic pump so it was interesting to see the same setup on a “garden tractor.” 🙂

[@stuffyoucando2]

If that hour meter works, that tractor has had a rough 369 hours. Not loved by the previous owner(s) that’s for sure...

[@Isavetractors]

Agreed

[@indianatone218]

Thought you might of had an engine hoist norm instead of dragging wife out of kitchen lol 🤓bless her the wives are always on hand what would we do without them ? Nice project will be nice when it's finished 👍

[@Isavetractors]

I do have 2 mounting points on the cielling of my shop that I use a hoist to remove engines. I had some other projects going on at the same time so I couldn't park the powermax under one of those spots. Nancy just works for me but no one here minds getting their hands dirty

[@johnmccall8788]

I'm in envy of how you do, I'm not mechanical. I really think it's cool to restore these as in all honesty once you do aren't they just as good as new mowers? I do have a question about your air filter contraption; why not set it up to the original air filter it would have come with?

[@Isavetractors]

Thanks for your comment. New mowers are not even in the same league as this Powermax. See our video overview of them. Regarding your other question, these 40+ year old machines have several parts such as the air filter housing that are no longer available. This is a more rare tractor so it's even more difficult to find a used component.

[@andytheguy5076]

Sense that has a PTO do they make things like brush hogs for them

[@Isavetractors]

They sure do! And many things can be modified to work which I will be doing a lot of

[@gta5xpert519]

You should restore an old Sears craftsman

[@dallascarter7511]

Sense your tractor has some charging issues, are you going to go over all the wiring? I would love to compare my wiring fix I did to what you do on yours.

[@Isavetractors]

I am going to fix and simplify all the wiring. Check out our website for some basic wiring diagrams that work with all tractors

[@jpcote1322]

I HAVE A SIMPLICITY POWERMAX THAT HAS BEEN SITTING FOR A WHILE THAT I LOVE TO GET WORKING, ARE INTERESTING IN THIS PROJECT

[@codydavis595]

Do you ever deal with any cub cadet 1050s?

[@Isavetractors]

Yes I have

[@codydavis595]

@@Isavetractors any words of advice for me with mine, i have an intermittent key switch issue sometimes i can crank it from the key, sometimes i cant, checked pto switchs brake swithes tractor in neutral etc, considering bypassing all the safetys

[@austinrrhodes]

Could you please do another ford restoration and also where do you find all these tractors I can't find any under 800$

[@Isavetractors]

Patience! That's all it takes.

[@dakota19021]

6:50 who needs crossfit... just fix tractors 👍

[@skimask5049]

that tractor could not be in better hands

[@derpydog1008]

That Harley air filter adds 50hp.

[@austinrrhodes]

does the isavetractors website have kawasaki pars i cant find any

[@Isavetractors]

We currently dont do any Kawasaki parts sorry

[@lancebowers6591]

Make a stack for it

[@dustinpollard6237]

My 4041 muffler is 6 inches short of the hood and ive been trying to come up with a twin horizontal stack idea, like two little 4 inch round but 12 inch long total mufflers for a 10 or 12 hp side by side? He already has a hacked up hood, i did too on a 712S so i stacked it.

[@nicholasminnick3516]

My ford lgt 165 won’t start so I’m going to jump the battery

[@carlmottola5611]

What did that tractor cost you in that condition

[@Isavetractors]

I paid $1000 for this one

[@carlmottola5611]

@@Isavetractors . Wow, what a grab. I’ve been looking for a non running garden tractor with a front loader and belly mower. I know if I find one I can get it running or rebuild an engine. Just not sure where to start, what is too much to pay, or what tractors are any good. I’ll keep watching and hope to find some tips

[@bextar6365]

Just bought a new Simplicity mower, they don't make them like they use too...

[@devinreed9436]

Would you sell it

[@Isavetractors]

Maybe

[@GreenMeanie101]

Yeah I don't believe that hour meter.

[@RustyZipper]

What’s not to believe???? I believe the tractor had 369 hours on it before the meter stopped working! 🤣

[@GreenMeanie101]

lol

[@davidcasper8923]

??? Pressure washer?

[@chuckfischer7202]

I don't think that a roller chain coupling is a good choice for the PTO shaft. It has no pilot or center. It's intended to connect two shafts that are supported by bearings right next to the coupling. They only tolerate the tiniest misalignment. It doesn't look as if the front of the PTO shaft is supported by a bearing. And, if it were, then the engine would have to be perfectly aligned and shimmed in place. Then, in use the frame will flex and the alignment lost. A universal joint would be a better fix. The shaft needs machining any way. Check out Surplus Center for U-joints. Be sure to provide some telescoping movement. It's a very impressive tractor.

[@canifixit3504]

And i got a 9020 i just put a diesel motor in it

[@jhitt79]

Has a loader, Lifts heavy engine by hand! 🤣 Just kidding around.

[@Isavetractors]

I have two loaders actually!

[@jhitt79]

isavetractors shouldn't everyone have one loader before people start having two?

[@tomdewey9907]

That is not how Simplicity drove the drive shaft (with a chain coupler). They always used fiberglass drive discs. Someone's hack job.

[@ethanstractorpartsandremov7564]

First

[@tomdewey9907]

That whole tractor is just a mega hack job IMO; I would have totally walked away from it unless it was free.

[@Isavetractors]

Definitely a lot of temporary fixes from previous owners but I've seen worse. Stay tuned for it all the be corrected.