Turf Trac 8hp Lawn tractor refurb

Truf Trac 8HP Refurb

Summer 2007

Like so many other pages on theworkshop.ca, I'm starting out with a machine that was scrapped out. Though this time I was able to intercept it on it's way to the dump.

My sincerest thanks to my good friend Ralph M. who had the foresight to think of me and even delivered this late 1970's or early 1980's Turf Trac riding mower.

Ralphie just bought a new unit for his acreage, and this machine was slowly being cannibalized for numerous parts.

Given it's vintage and the service it had provided it really doesn't owe anybody anything.

Ralph gave me a quick run-down on it's history and what all it would need to be resurrected.

My initial thoughts were to chop it for drive train parts, and add the 8HP engine to the growing pile of scrap that is the feed stock for the foundry.

But before I'd make any firm decisions I wanted to see if I could get it started just for the challenge.

Some new fuel lines, filter, carb rebuild (gaskets, float adjustment, soak and clean etc).

I added a battery and was able to eventually coax it back to life.

As the engine work spanned a week or so, on & off as time allowed I started to take a shine to "Old Greenie" as Sandy & I started to call her.

I added the muffler just as a goofy prank as I thought it looked neat.

(the muffler shown is from the Kawasaki KE-175 rolling frame that is now the "Dirt-E Bike")

After about a month of tinkering, everything is in working order (including the cutting deck), so I decided to pimp Old Greenie a la theworkshop.ca style.

This framing is added initially to hold the starter battery and a small cooler for those extended lawn cutting sessions.

This metal framing was fabricated to form a roof to keep the operator shaded.

All the materials are repurposed steel that has been scavenged exactly for this type of whimsical project.

The roof is 5/8 or 3/4" plywood (I can't remember as this is being posted 6 months after the fact), regardless it does what it's supposed to (offer some shade).

Old Greenie cut the grass back at the hunt-camp a couple of times, and even did the grounds up by the house when our piece of shit Murray wasn't up to the task.

After logging numerous hours and a few tanks of fuel, I knew that the Turf Trac wasn't going to be chopped so I decided to give her a fresh skin.

I did make some effort to prep for the paint, but nothing compared to what would be required for a road vehicle.

As hard as it may seem to believe, this is one project that won't be done in Gloss Black.

Luckily our local hardware store stocks John Deere Green in a oil-based rust paint.

Unfortunately I ran short of "Construction" yellow paint I used on the wheels and the Cutting deck is slightly off by comparison.

It should be noted that who ever the Truf Trac engineer was that designed the deck and power belt system knew his stuff.

After well over 20 plus years of service it still has the original factory belt and the deck is as sturdy as the day it rolled off the line.

By contrast our piece of shit 1990's Murray chews through 2 belts per season, and frail deck (which is akin to tin-foil origami) has been re-welded so many times that I'm hard pressed to find original metal to weld to.

Once re-assembled, a new battery was fitted in the factory enclosure (under the seat) and a sturdy wood box was installed to hold beverages, chains or what ever.

I was tempted to just leave things like this when I was looking around behind the foundry and decided to add just one more thing...

This old fiber glass tub would make a perfect garden trailer, it's plenty deep and nice and sturdy.

I wouldn't want to be firing heavy rocks into it, but top soil, plants weeds etc should be just fine.

This contraption was a sulky that used to attach to a 2 wheel Bolen's garden tractor that is perpetually in a state of dis-repair, but never used.

More scrap steel was used to fashion a crude towing attachment and trailer hitch.

Given that this is 1/4" thick stock, I doubt that the mighty 8HP lawn tractor will twist or bend it under the torsional forces that it can deliver.

Measure, grind, measure, weld...

Position, mark, drill, fasten...

Just dandy...

Old Greenie, was a great little worker while we had her, but she's moved onto a better place within the House of Morgenstern.

In closing I have to disclose that the exhaust system was eventually returned to it's original state, as you ended-up breathing the fumes as they were emitted right at head level.

The roof assembly as well has minor issues in that I'd cracked my head right into a corner at full stride, so lined the edges with foam, and the tractor has tipped over backwards twice by getting hung-up on low hanging branches.

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