I haven't had much time to work on my Broadmoor project of late. I kicked finishing the barn into High Gear, so Insulation, walls, and storage have taken priority.
Thanksgiving Day, I had a few extra minutes, so I thought I'd try to get the gas tank and engine to fit in the Broadmoor. When I mocked it up, I didn't have the engine shrouds on. After the shrouds were installed on the engine, there was 4 inches of space behind the engine (where the gas tank goes) and a gas tank that is about 4 and one 1/8" wide!
I thought about how to solve this problem for a while...and figured that since this machine is all belt drive, I can fudge the engine mounting point a bit, and still get the belts to tighten up. I also could have moved the bulkhead/firewall back a touch, but then I would have had a lot of holes to fill in the bodywork...Not fun.
I slotted my engine mounting holes to scooch the motor forward about a quarter of an inch. I'm concerned about that hole in the upper right. Looks really close to the "edge" We'll see how a nut and washer fit up there. I may be cutting and welding a little patch there.
With the additional clearance of the slots, the tank fits!
I did have a minor clearance issue with the grill though...scratched my paint! The hood covers that up, so a quick trim will fix that right up.
I'm starting to get unburied from my Honey-Do, so hopefully this project can pick up some more steam. I'd like to get it set up to plow this winter, to augment my snowblowing ability!
Next on the list is to fab up a battery tray, install the necessary switches and relays, and design a wire harness (since this was a pull start tractor before).
