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Hi Guys
Sorry for the absence, but life and sh_t happens.
After I purchased my 1996 MAX II in Nov 2015, I had slowly gone through routine "let's fix this and get going" chores. I drained fuel tank, installed new fuel lines, fuel pump, fuel filter, spark plugs, oil and filter, air filter, etc, etc. I had the thing running fairly decently but in Sept 2018 I had an issue that I could not diagnose, so I took it to a B&S dealer/repair facility, and they fixed that problem for under $100.
I was off and running again. I was sort of going guns a blazing for a while, with repairs, maintenance, potential upgrades, etc, etc., when COVID hit. Then with other crap, life just became too busy, and when I encountered what I thought was a serious 'engine problem' (just would not start), I put the 6x6 on the back burner. I had even bought 6 brand new wheels/tires in hopes to add tracks.
Well, 4 or so years later, life has settled down a bit and last week I decided to resurrect the 6x6 project. As it had been setting for such a long time, and sort of as more preventive maintenance, I decided that first things first. I drained and added new fuel, replaced fuel pump as I know the diaphragm sometimes fail, and when I pulled line off engine side of fuel filter, nothing flowed, but when I pulled the fuel filter from the line, gas flowed in a gusher! Hmmmm?? I closed the gas valve and looked closely at the fuel filter, and where the gas level was it was all dark, yet clear above. Hmmmm... again? I wonder? I installed a new filter, and made sure all was tight and turned fuel valve on again. As my battery was dead-dead, I jumped the MAX from my compact tractor, and after 2-3 tries, the Vanguard purred to life.
Damn! I had let unsubstantiated worries about a serious engine issue prevent me from going back and looking at the simple stuff. I had thought, and maybe or maybe not reasonably so, that with new fuel, fuel line, pump, and filter installed in 2016 that they all should be good to go for a while. Guess not. Current moral to the story is, I will replace the fuel filter regularly. They are definitely inexpensive. I am also considering going away from 'rubber' hoses and opt for clear plastic.
So, now with a new battery and the machine running again, I got really ambitious, and installed my 6 new wheels/tires. Previously, I had noticed a constant pull to the right, requiring constant steering adjustments. Now, with new tires, that problem disappeared. Another problem solved. I now surmise that more than probably the right side tires were worn more than the left sides, and as a result the difference in rolling circumference was causing the drift to the right.
Now I am also noticing that maybe my belt may be an issue. I am going to first look at it for wear/width, and tension/position. After looking back at many posts and replies, it appears some earlier options were the DAYCO MAX 1039 or HP3003. I do have a new HP3003 belt that I can install if that is an issue. With that in mind, I checked pricing on replacement belts. Boy have prices on those skyrocketed. The same HP3003 belt that I purchased back in 2016 for $40 is now $60 and up. I did a quick search again, and found a 'new-old stock' MAX 1039 on ebay and jumped on it for $42.
Yesterday, I took the machine over to my daughter's house, about 6 miles away, situated in an over grown old apple orchard. Her husband has brush hogged, (for deer hunting), a ton of trails through the 8+ acres that they own as there are about 80 more acres surrounding them. The grand kids all climbed aboard and we bounced around for about 2 hours, stopping occasionally so they could pick decent apples from these age old trees. What fun!
Anyway, glad to be back on 6 wheels again.
Sorry for the absence, but life and sh_t happens.
After I purchased my 1996 MAX II in Nov 2015, I had slowly gone through routine "let's fix this and get going" chores. I drained fuel tank, installed new fuel lines, fuel pump, fuel filter, spark plugs, oil and filter, air filter, etc, etc. I had the thing running fairly decently but in Sept 2018 I had an issue that I could not diagnose, so I took it to a B&S dealer/repair facility, and they fixed that problem for under $100.
I was off and running again. I was sort of going guns a blazing for a while, with repairs, maintenance, potential upgrades, etc, etc., when COVID hit. Then with other crap, life just became too busy, and when I encountered what I thought was a serious 'engine problem' (just would not start), I put the 6x6 on the back burner. I had even bought 6 brand new wheels/tires in hopes to add tracks.
Well, 4 or so years later, life has settled down a bit and last week I decided to resurrect the 6x6 project. As it had been setting for such a long time, and sort of as more preventive maintenance, I decided that first things first. I drained and added new fuel, replaced fuel pump as I know the diaphragm sometimes fail, and when I pulled line off engine side of fuel filter, nothing flowed, but when I pulled the fuel filter from the line, gas flowed in a gusher! Hmmmm?? I closed the gas valve and looked closely at the fuel filter, and where the gas level was it was all dark, yet clear above. Hmmmm... again? I wonder? I installed a new filter, and made sure all was tight and turned fuel valve on again. As my battery was dead-dead, I jumped the MAX from my compact tractor, and after 2-3 tries, the Vanguard purred to life.
Damn! I had let unsubstantiated worries about a serious engine issue prevent me from going back and looking at the simple stuff. I had thought, and maybe or maybe not reasonably so, that with new fuel, fuel line, pump, and filter installed in 2016 that they all should be good to go for a while. Guess not. Current moral to the story is, I will replace the fuel filter regularly. They are definitely inexpensive. I am also considering going away from 'rubber' hoses and opt for clear plastic.
So, now with a new battery and the machine running again, I got really ambitious, and installed my 6 new wheels/tires. Previously, I had noticed a constant pull to the right, requiring constant steering adjustments. Now, with new tires, that problem disappeared. Another problem solved. I now surmise that more than probably the right side tires were worn more than the left sides, and as a result the difference in rolling circumference was causing the drift to the right.
Now I am also noticing that maybe my belt may be an issue. I am going to first look at it for wear/width, and tension/position. After looking back at many posts and replies, it appears some earlier options were the DAYCO MAX 1039 or HP3003. I do have a new HP3003 belt that I can install if that is an issue. With that in mind, I checked pricing on replacement belts. Boy have prices on those skyrocketed. The same HP3003 belt that I purchased back in 2016 for $40 is now $60 and up. I did a quick search again, and found a 'new-old stock' MAX 1039 on ebay and jumped on it for $42.
Yesterday, I took the machine over to my daughter's house, about 6 miles away, situated in an over grown old apple orchard. Her husband has brush hogged, (for deer hunting), a ton of trails through the 8+ acres that they own as there are about 80 more acres surrounding them. The grand kids all climbed aboard and we bounced around for about 2 hours, stopping occasionally so they could pick decent apples from these age old trees. What fun!
Anyway, glad to be back on 6 wheels again.
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