Smart Wiring – Safeguarding the system€¦ · The Wilcox track has different dirt than most places. On top of a small hill, the track sheds water rather easily and the di rt seems

Welcome to the Podium Premium Club! The technical information found at www.antiquetractorpullguide.com is like no other information out there. In depth explanation of the how and why of successful tractor pulling are designed to improve your performancedepth explanation of the how and why of successful tractor pulling are designed to improve your performance at the next tractor pull, while having more fun at the same time.

In this day and age on the track, there are many advancements available for pulling tractors as upgrades for original equipment. One of the things discussed

Smart Wiring – Safeguarding the system

p g pg g q p gin previous newsletters is the electric fan. An electric fan can be a great lightweight asset when removing the older mechanical setup, but careful attention must be paid to make sure the system is working properly. One further upgrade to cooling is to replace the mechanical water pump with an electric water pump. This neat, lightweight solution works efficiently and has the

i f ki ith t th i t ll i Thi b h l f lconvenience of working without the engine actually running. This can be helpful when cooling an engine between runs down the track or more accurately controlling the operating temperature. The biggest problem when running electrical equipment is making sure it runs when the engine is running. One of the worst things that can happen is to forget to turn on the fan with a manual switch On the Chrysler powered Massey Harris 101 the fan is wired in thisswitch. On the Chrysler powered Massey Harris 101, the fan is wired in this fashion. More than once I have forgotten to turn the electric fan on with the dash switch and had the engine get too warm while waiting in line to pull. If you recall, the Massey Harris Mustang had a thermal switch on it that would kick the fan on when it was needed. This was coupled with the mechanical water pump and seemed to work rather well. The Minneapolis Moline 335 received a facelift this past winter – new paint, new weight brackets and…new wiring. This was an opportunity to replace the fan & water pump dash switch with something more automatic. Rather than simply using a thermal switch to control the temperature, an oil pressure switch was used instead. This consisted of a signal wire that was fed into the pressure

it h th t t d i t th il li Thi ll d t b it h d t

©2014 by Zack Peterson and Podium Finish, LLC – www.antiquetractorpullguide.com 1

switch that teed into the oil line. This allowed power to be switched on to run the fan and water pump when the pressure switch saw pressure over 4psi (basically while the engine is running). This was a great way to safeguard the engine against operator error with a manual dash switch.

Smart Wiring (cont)

The 335 with new paint, without sheet metal

Brand new wiring


Note the highlighted pressure switch. This sends the signal to turn on the power to the electric fan and water pump when it senses oil pressure from the engine.

Smart Wiring (cont)

One other important concept to note is that the power wire running to the oil pressure switch is a signal wire. When the pressure switch senses oil pressure, it closes the switch and the signal circuit is completed to the relay bl k th t it h th Wh i thi i t t? R l d tblock that switches the power on. Why is this important? Relays are used to switch higher amperage power without higher current running through a switch. That means all of the wiring on the signal side of the relay can be lighter gauge and high current power does not run through the dash. This is very common on cars and trucks, and thus relays are very low cost and a great add to the electrical system of a pulling tractor Electric fans can drawgreat add to the electrical system of a pulling tractor. Electric fans can draw up to 12 amps and an electric water pump may draw 6 or so amps. Many standard toggle switches may not be rated to carry that kind of current and thus a relay is the way to go.

Electric water pump

One other thing to add to the system is a way to tell that the fan and pump are actually on This is achieved through adding a light in the dash that

Electric fan

Standard 12V relays


actually on. This is achieved through adding a light in the dash that illuminates when the system is in an “on” state. With a bright indicator light shining, you’ll know that you will never have another cooling issue due to operator error.

Smart Wiring (cont)

Below is a simplistic wiring diagram that shows how power is switched to the electric fan and water pump.

IgnitionSwitch dash Dash Light

Battery

+12V

Oil Pressure Switch

Dash Light

30A Fuse

y

Ground

12VRelay

Signal WireGround

Electric Water Pump

Electric Fan

New MM 335 Front Weight Bracket. Made out of thin walled 2x4 steel tubing, this weight bracket is lighter than before, features a battery mount and is also removable.


Note the cross pin to hold the bracket in place and the D-ring as a tie down point.

Wilcox Farm Pull – Back to tame the track

The 2013 Wilcox Farm pull was a disaster for me personally. Rushed to get to the pull, the Massey 101 was driven straight to the track and turned in a very poor performance. The pull completed with no podium finishes and a di lifi ti d t di Thi I d t t th t k ddisqualification due to speeding. This year I vowed to tame the track and come away with at least one good hook. For those unfamiliar, Wilcox Farms is near Roy, WA and is one of the largest egg producers in the state. During their June Jubilee Tractor Show put on by the Rainier Antique Tractor Club, there is a tractor pull and other featured events Wilcox Farms has a beautiful setting with a museum featuring theevents. Wilcox Farms has a beautiful setting with a museum featuring the history of their business, historic vehicles and they also serve free omelets all day long.The Wilcox track has different dirt than most places. On top of a small hill, the track sheds water rather easily and the dirt seems less affected by moisture than other tracks with more clay. The dark loamy soil takes some power to pull on and weight balance must be fine tuned to really make a difference.Since last year’s event, the Massey 101 has been lightened up to make a 3500# class, but just barely. With no movable weight, it leaves only the 30/70 front/rear split, respectively, to gauge how well the tractor will pull on the track. This is somewhat of a blessing in disguise because many times the weight balance is close enough that the tractor hooks well It also gives a goodbalance is close enough that the tractor hooks well. It also gives a good starting point of where the balance needs to be when weighting up to the next class.To keep the number of hooks down in order to give time to visit with fellow pullers, the 101 was entered only atpullers, the 101 was entered only at 3500# 4mph, 3500# 6mph and the 4000# 4mph class.The competition was very tough, with some of the best in the area descending on Wilcox Farms for this


pull. There is even a King of the Hillthat is run at 4800# 5mph. Last year the 101 was weighted up to this class with dismal results. This year on the second day of the pull, a second KOH was added at 4200# 5mph, down closer to the 101’s bread and butter weight.

Wilcox Farm Pull (cont)

Needless to say, this year’s results were quite different from last year. With careful attention paid to the setup, the 101 once again asserted itself as one of the elite. Over the course of two days, the tractor hooked 7 times and hit th di 6 ti I th 4200# KOH th 101 d 2 d l i tthe podium 6 times. In the 4200# KOH, the 101 managed a 2nd place against a tough Oliver 77 owned by Russell Gourley. It was the sort of revenge pull from last year that made the 4 hr drive well worth it.

Russell Gourley, 4800# KOH double winner (1st & 2nd with two

different tractors).

The Rainier Antique Tractor Club has great support for this event

I feel like Michael Phelps, minus the weed of course.

support for this event and they are able to provide nice medals for each day’s competition. The KOH classes featured


trophies and they even gave a trophy for 2nd place. Russell Gourley, Oliver 88 Hinton powered.


More pictures of the competition.

Mark Loken, Massey 101 Senior Bryan Haithcox, Allis WD-45

Jane Gerth, Allis CA Don Weil, Farmall 340


Larry Fugle, John Deere R Glen Carrigan, John Deere G


Check out this tattoo, the Oliver shift pattern. Levi Scartozzi of Graham, WA

Hank Darmer, Farmall H Andrew Hadaller, IH 660


Tractor Spotlight – John Deere G

Glen Carrigan from Moses Lake, WA recently finished an unstyled John Deere G as his next great puller. Shown are some of the key features of his tractor that makes it a competitive machine.

First note the lack of spark plugs in the G ’traditional location. Glen’s tractor has

an overbore and runs the stock stroke with around 12:1 compression. The factory spark plug holes are plugged because he is running a cylinder head from Murphy’s Motor Service The


from Murphy s Motor Service. The spark plugs are located in the head between the valves. Murphy’s high ratio roller rockers are also in this head.


Glenn’s tractor is a 1941 model. The unstyled G’s are easily distinguished from the A tractor by their unique shift quadrant.

Shift quadrant, 4 speeds Front lower view of Murphy’s head, notice the spark plug wires.

Murphy’s high flow manifoldMarvel Schebler DLTX 51 “Big Nut”

carburetor, a must for a G puller.


To see more of these features Murphy’s parts, visit www.murphysmotorservice.com. Murphy’s also manufactures connecting rods, roller rockers and other parts for all makes and models.


Unstyled G’s never featured electric start; this flywheel is from a later styled G tractor.

The starter is a 12V gear reduction Denso.

Here is something tricky: Since all Unstyled G’s were hand start and had magnetos, to run a distributor a special gear reduction housing must b d Thi h i i ffbe used. This housing is off a numbered series 60 or 70 LP tractor and features the correct gear reduction for the Delco distributor. With a distributor instead of the


distributor instead of the original magneto, Glen is able to run a Pertronix ignition for good hot spark.


18.4-38 Firestone 151 Gum Dipped tires 20” id i ith li ht d t

Aluminum Wheelie Bars, Factory rear cover with PTO removed, lightweight hitch.

on 20” wide rims with lightened centers.Without a factory location for a battery, Glen mounted it on the front weight bracket. The fan shaft has also been removed in favor of an electric fan All in all the debut offan. All in all, the debut of Glen’s John Deere G demonstrated good 4-6mph power in 5000-7000# classes. The tractor sounded good and ran strong. Look in the photo


g pand video galleries for more pictures and video to see this unique tractor in action.

Coming up…I want to hear from you! If you have feedback, requests or information you g p

• Tire cutting basics

• Project updates

, q ywould like featured, please send an email to: [email protected].

• Project updates

• A rare find

• And more…

Part 2 will be available 7/30/14


Tom Clough of NW Pulling Sleds trains the Wilcox chicken to run the sled.

Documents

Smart Wiring – Safeguarding the system€¦ · The Wilcox track has different dirt than most places. On top of a small hill, the track sheds water rather easily and the di rt seems