MTD 990

Update

2011-04-21T12:42:00.002-05:00

Wow, It has been way to long since I posted on here and way to long since I have worked on the tractor.

Since the last time I posted on here I had a son born in August, I've bought 1 more tractor and I have started another hobby of wood working.

I did do some work on the MTD 990 last fall. I built a electrolysis tank to clean rust and paint off the part. I ran a couple of tanks full of parts through and got them primed before it got to cool to paint outside.

Electrolysis worked really well for removing the rust and old paint. After the parts "cook" in the tank old paint comes off easily with the putty knife and wire brush. The rust becomes like carbon and also comes off with a little work with a wire brush.

Here are a few before shots:

and here they are after primer:

The rest of the tractor is currently piled on a pallet in the corner of my shop awaiting its turn.

Down to the frame

2010-03-01T12:07:00.002-06:00

The frame is almost bare.

The front axle, and all hydraulic components came out this week.

Next the rear end/pump assembly was removed.

Then these pins had to be removed to get the dash tower side panels off.

Little progress

2010-02-22T12:45:00.002-06:00

Not a lot of work to report, the chassis got cleaned up some and a few more parts removed.

More destruction

2010-02-15T12:15:00.001-06:00

Got the Dash and steering column removed, along with the battery tray, gas tank support, and the travel control lever.

Spent some time cleaning the pump fins. The Chassis will be going to the car wash soon to get degreased.

The motor is now on the work bench ready to be opened up.

Thinking out loud.

2010-02-08T16:05:00.002-06:00

Doing some thinking today about tire options.

The turf tires on the rear are in decent shape but have a few weather cracks. The front tires are mismatched and in rough shape.

The rear tires are 27x9.5-15 which is a semi rare size. The fronts are 16x6.5-8.

Since this is going to be a utility/gardening tractor I would like something more aggressive than the turf tire. However it might be nice to keep the turf to be able to use with tire chains in the winter.

Right now I am thinking about a 4ply R4 tire which is the tread type used on skid steer loaders.

example:

For the front tires I am undecided. I either want some tri-ribs or the Carlise HD Field Trax.

Tri-ribs would give it a field tractor look, but I think the Field Trax would give good grip but be easier on the yard when turning.

Pulled the Motor

2010-02-04T12:47:00.002-06:00

Got the motor off. Next step is to continue stripping parts off the frame.

In the photo the motor has been set back on the frame sideways to drain the oil.

That 16hp cast iron motor is heavy.

Disassembly Day 1

2010-02-01T12:11:00.002-06:00

Time to start the tear down.

All the sheet metal came off easily. There doesn't appear to be any rust to have to deal with. With the "body" off it was a lot easier to see where the tractor was going to need work.
One of the rear hubs was loose on the axle and may have done a little damage to the axle housing.

The brakes need a lot of work. There is no trace of brake pads.

The steering is sloppy, and so is the travel control lever. I think this is just 33 years of wear.

It appears like there might be a leak in the rear end.

This is after the first day of work.

Next step is remove the motor, dash and then hit it with a pressure washer to degrease everything. Then I will continue to remove parts from the frame.

Back Story

2010-02-01T12:05:00.001-06:00

While looking for information about my Ford garden tractor I found “ My Tractor Forum” after being a member there for a little while I wanted to find another tractor to work on and use. I was impressed with what other members were doing with their MTD 990 tractors and began to watch craigslist for one. MTD sold their tractors under many names. But they all had common easily identifiable features, such as distinct grill and 15” rear wheels.

I found this 1977 MTD 990 on craigslist and drove 370 mile round trip to go get it. It ran but smoked some.

After getting it home I drained the gas and added fresh gas and a fuel filter, and then changed the oil. I ran it a little to get a feel for it, and put it back in the barn until I would have more time to work on it.

The plan is to use it to put in a garden this spring.

Here is the tractor,