Thinking of repowering my Ford LGT garden tractor and I need some encouragement!

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Several years ago my dad gave me an spare garden tractor from his collection of misfit toys.

I spent some time sandblasting it and restoring it only to find the original 14hp kohler engine was shot.

I was pissed- but the whole thing was free- so how mad can one be?

So I sent the engine off to be rebuilt. I spent $$$$.

It worked for 10 minutes. It bogged. Then the case split.
I was so pissed off at it, the tractor sat for several years. I even tried to give it away to a friend but he wouldn't even take it for free.

So it sat... and sat.... Until I bought ANOTHER kohler k321 engine. Installed it and it finally worked!

One day while at work, I found this video on the internet:


and this random google search picture:

Inspired- I then I bought an old rusted snowblower





and restored it to this:


Here is a video of it working- I was going to post it in my "snow shovel" thread- but was embarrassed by the guys with real tractors and industrial snowblowers and such.

https://youtu.be/EiXsiEb1l3M

As one can see- it isn't really going all too fast. Reality is -the 14 hp can only do so much.

So I'm thinking of a repower. Found this on ebay:
Briggs Stratton Horizontal 23 HP Vanguard 1 1 8" x 3" 386447 0212 | eBay

I'm not too much of a Briggs fan, but it fits. Here is a similar install:
Repowered LGT 165 - MyTractorForum.com - The Friendliest Tractor Forum and Best Place for Tractor Information

I think I can do it better and cleaner than his install. The rational mind says "why?" "WTF?" "why waste time and $$$ on this?"

But as this whole tractor's history has been- It's not about practicality or whatnot- its about doing it because one can....waste time on pointless endeavors!

So I need some feedback and inspiration to hit the "buy" button... (or a better engine option!)

Thanks
Ron

[pavulon]

*****in' Blower McFly!! Anyone can buy a new one. You resurrected one!! I bow to you sir!

[wdfifteen]

Very Cool.
I would enjoy hot rodding the original engine a lot more than just a re power. Rework the governor, mill the head, get a bigger carb, if you really want to get crazy get the cam re ground.

[asphaltgambler]

I'm in!

[Red88Carrera]

I'm a Briggs V-twin fan, but I like the Kohlers even better.
That little 14hp Kohler will run circles around the 23hp Briggs.
I have a supercharged Briggs V-twin, and a "little experience" with both.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Red88Carrera

I have a supercharged Briggs V-twin,.

THAT sounds like fun!

[LakeCleElum]

"So I need some feedback and inspiration":

I spent about 6 or 7 years with both a JD 316 (16 Kohler single) and then a JD 318 - (18 Onan Twin)......I rebuilt each engine myself for under $300 in parts. Each time, I considered a repower.

Decided against repower mainly due to cost/time/resale value. You don't realize how limited a Garden tractor really is until you get something bigger.

Don't try to Hotrod your current Kohler. It's an oil splash system and exceeding the HP or the RPM by tweaking the governor will break a rod - see above about rebuilding an Onan.

I don't see a mower deck on your machine, so assume you want it mainly to move snow?

What I did was sell my 318 with blade and mower deck for $2,100. For $3,000, I bought a Yamaha Grizzly 660 ATV with a winch and plow. Not only does it move more snow, it does it 4 times faster.

Plow vs Blower is a subject to consider. Pros and Cons to each.

To get advice on your Kohler engine, visit this Tractor Forum, but pay on attention to that Lake Cle Elum guy one there:

John Deere Forum - MyTractorForum.com - The Friendliest Tractor Forum and Best Place for Tractor Information

[manbridge 74]

You got the good model. LBGT one could go either way...

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Originally Posted by manbridge 74

You got the good model. LBGT one could go either way...

Wow! Never looked at it in quite that way. Maybe I'll contact Joe Bob for some new graphics if I repaint the sides!

As for use, I do have a restored mower deck but it is really just a backup. I also have a front blade and a rear 2 point hitch which I use to carry trash cans around up and down to the street.


My dad also has a rear rototiller attachment which might find it's way back to me, however, a twin cylinder engine might mess up room for the auxiliary rear pto drive that it uses.

The kohler 14 has just gotten to the point where it can't even get itself up the driveway. I have the rear tires filled with antifreeze and cast rear wheel weights, and it's bogging itself down. With so little extra power to spare, it can barely spin the snowblower. I'm mainly going with the briggs because it has similar dimensions to the original kohler. The newer kohler command pro's fit too- but are longer front to back by several inches than the original k321, so at least on paper, there isn't enough room for the pto up front- which I want to retain for the snowblower and mower deck. Honda gx and the harbor freight "predator 22hp" honda knockoff have a three bolt rear stub shaft mount that is expensive and too short to use without lengthening the main drive shaft.

Hey Red88Carrera- How does the 14 hp kohler beat the 23 briggs? Torque? Reliability? I don't doubt you- I am just curious. Believe me- I like the K series over the new crap., but I've rebuilt the Kohler enough. Just curious.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Originally Posted by LakeCleElum

I bought a Yamaha Grizzly 660 ATV with a winch and plow. Not only does it move more snow, it does it 4 times faster.

That's what my neighbor did, and it runs circles around the tractors for medium/light stuff. The ford blower is more for the deeper stuff and for the novelty- kind of like owning an old car.

Totally understand the pro's and cons to snowblower vs the blade. I use both depending on which one I am less p#$#'d off at at the moment. In general, the blade stays on the tractor more for pushing gravel/ mulch/ light snow/ etc.

[pavulon]

There's a LGBT joke in there somewhere.

Originally Posted by manbridge 74

You got the good model. LBGT one could go either way...

[unclebilly]

Ford LGT tractor you say?

[Crowbob]

My fully restored 1997 LGT is actually an LGT14D. Meaning it has an original 14hp 3cyl Shibaura engine and 2-speed HST tranny. A beast. Throws a foot of snow 30'. With wind assist it throws it 50'! It has a quick attach at the front PTO mount so a small blade for pushing slush is in my future.

Have a 48" mower deck, too. They are unobtainium. Had to rebuild the spindles.

For some reason, the original paint on the tractor (Ford Blue) is on everything including the fenders, operator platform, blower and deck. The wheels are white. No power steering, rear-wheel drive only. With chains and weights it does OK on level ground.

Beautiful machine that gets used at least once/week year round. I'm curious about the collectibility of this tractor. I know on the various tractor forums (tractorbynet, mytractorforum, etc.) they hardly ever come up for sale and if they do, they sell FAST. Parts are available through New Holland/Ford dealers, which is good.

I'm keeping mine.

[LakeCleElum]

Leaky - Tell us about that John Deere parked in in the last Pic you posted? Can it do it all and keep the LGT for fun?

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Originally Posted by LakeCleElum

Leaky - Tell us about that John Deere parked in in the last Pic you posted? Can it do it all and keep the LGT for fun?

Ha! That deere is the result of my frustration with the old Fords! All my life I had spent more time cleaning rust out of float bowls/gas tanks and fiddling with the LGT's than actually mowing the lawn. Somewhere around 2010- well- actually when the rebuilt kohler cracked the block- I decided "enough is enough" and went out and bought the Deere x728.

It's been a great tractor and has worked so well- it has let me enjoy the ford as a toy/ project. It's fun when you can work on something because you want to- and not have to, as in the past. The snowblowers for it are much better than the ford- and are shaft pto driven instead of belt- but are about $3 grand- and we don't get THAT much snow around here. I've got more $ in spray paint on the ford snowblower than the blower itself.


What I have learned with the snowblower- is that I do use it a lot. I originally restored it just to watch the snow fly- but as I use it more- I do yearn for more power.
In every measureable way- the Deere is better than the Ford. 4x4, locking differential, class one 3 point hitch, power steering, more power -but.... it isn't the Ford.
Both tractors have a great low center of gravity for off camber sections of the yard, and sometimes I get lazy and don't want to remove a mower deck to attach something else- so it's nice having two rigs for occasional projects.

Hey crowbob- I've got one of those 48 inch decks too!- unobtainium is right. redid the spindles too... Those things are getting expensive!

[VincentVega]

Cool thread

I'm on the other end of the curve, just looking for one of these old things. Ford, cub, JD... no brand loyalty here, just looking for something solid that'll get the job done. Sorry to hear 14hp isnt up to it, I need to move snow, pull a trailer... and upping the hp sure adds to the budget.

Love your ford, way cool.

[Amail]

Thinking of repowering my Ford LGT garden tractor and I need some encouragement!

You go boy!!!

[devodave]

Had a JD 210 Patio model (rare white with other colored (red, orange, or blue) seat and hood. The 10 hp Tecumseh was simply not enough to handle the 48" deck and being a circa 69 motor, simply dies. Bought a 18 hp Honda V-Twin that required lengthening the frame (easily done with the existing 1/4' frame), but the project bogged down when it had to fit all of the other pieces, especially the hood. Lost the tractor when the barn burned down. In retrospect, the 13 hp Honda single would have been the better route to go.

Have a JD214 now with a cracked head (14 hp Kolher) and trying to determine if it is cost effective to replace considering all of the other engine parts (carb, ignition, etc) are 20 plus years old. Tough old tractors though!

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Hey-look what came in the mail today!





Due to skyrocketting 911 prices- a 3.6 swap into the sc is probably not going to happen for me- so this is the next best thing....

[LEAKYSEALS951]

T=1.5 hours into project. Kohler out. New engine fits like a glove! - In the original engine mounts no less! I have 30 minutes left before wife gets home and is "onto" this little project.