Barn find 1811
 

Gents, I have been fighting with my cheap Troy Bilt mower for almost 20 years and I'm sick of it. I decided I need a real tractor. A friend of mine has an 1811 model that was parked 11 years ago in a dry barn. I saw it, and other than a lot of dust it looks fine (no rust). His grandmother bought it new in 1986. It was parked when they couldn't get it to start and they figured it was time for a replacement. My friend says it was well maintained.

What do ya'll say I bring this thing home, get it running and shine it up? I can have it for free, but how much is an old 1811 worth? I don't want to spend more time and money than is reasonable. I can do everything but machine work myself. I have the PDF user and service manuals.

Any advice for a cadet rookie?

First, welcome to OCC..... :Welcome2:

ANY MONEY you put into this tractor will be well spent.

Welcome to OCC. The 1811 is a great model and well worth whatever money you spend on it. The Mag 18 engine had governor problems so the first thing you need to do is remove the oil fill cap and look inside with a flashlight to make sure the governor is still in place, if you can see the gear through the hole you're good to go. There is a service bulletin on the repair to prevent the failure and it's a pretty easy fix. Start a thread in the CCC gt section and we'll be glad to help.

:Welcome2:, anything you put into it will be well worth it. I mean come on, you're getting the tractor for free. So, you're already ahead of the game...

Vrobert welcome to the club. If you do the work and nothing major is wrong. It is well worth what you spend. I would pull the carb clean/rebuild. Remove and clean out the gas tank, oil and filter change. Then new Hy-tran and filter. Also maybe new plugs and air filter. You don't want any surprises if and when it starts from water in the fluids if it has sat for 11 years. I wouldn't crank it over until you peak in the spark plug hole and look for rust. Get some before and after pictures for us, we love them.

The 1811 is worth putting money and effort into. Mine has proven to not need too much of either because it was well taken care of in its previous life. It's a great tractor, feels overpowered and very fast compared to my 1872 with the same engine.

The saga begins on the 1811 refurb. The reason it was parked in the barn 11 years ago was because the oil light came on. Due to the cub's age and the 2400 hours on the clock, they decided to buy another mower. My friend Ken decided to give it to me.

I picked it up yesterday. The 50" deck was half buried but after digging it out I found that the blades still spin smoothly. (hooray zerk fittings) We pumped up the tires and thankfully they hold air. The rear wheels were locked and I thought it was due to the hydrostat so I looked for the valves to loosen. I couldn't get a big wrench on them so I loosened the lines instead. No fluid came out. I learned later that the brakes were actually locked, they just needed a good whack and they work now. We used a WWII bomb loader truck to winch the cub up the new $50 Harbour Freight ramps into my pickup.

Once I got home I jacked up the rear while still in the truck and found the seized brakes. Once they were unstuck I rolled her down the ramps and started pulling all the sheet metal off. It's filthy from top to bottom but both oils look clear and to the full mark. The air cleaner is still in great condition. The gas gauge cap still works and I found it was still half full. I popped the fuel line off the filter and no fuel came out after checking the valve. I blasted some compressed air up the line and fuel started to flow. What to do with 2 gallons of old gas? I decided to remove the tank so I could shake it around with gas in it to loosen the crud which worked well.

I got out a body hammer and straightened out the headlight screen which was all bent up. I hooked a battery charger to the battery cables and turned on the headlights which now shine straight ahead. I also tried the starter but got no click from the solenoid. If I jump the batt. to the starter terminal the starter jumps so I have some troubleshooting to do. I noticed the steering is very loose and it gets stuck on either side of the loose travel. I turned the cam follower adjustment pin all the way in but it didn't help so I may have to rebuild the steering shaft. The pin was actually loose so I will inspect/replace the pin first.

Now comes the questions:
Should I just replace the oil sensor and try to start the engine?

What is the relay under the left side cover?

Two safety switches are bypassed, one for reverse and another near the deck lift shaft (see image middle-left below). Is there another switch preventing the starter from engaging?

Where can I get the white and yellow paint to touch up the old girl? Small rattle cans would be fine.

I plan to pressure wash the whole thing. Other than capping the muffler and carb, is there anything else the worry about?

The steering shaft may need a rebuild. Can I pull the shaft without pulling the motor?

The headlamps probably draw a lot of current (they seem to get hot). Are LED headlamps available?

Is there a good rust preventative I can spray on the deck and other places? I've seen adds for an oily spray that I may try.

Should I get out the black tape for the ripped seat or is there a better way? I don't plan to spend $100 for a new seat. It's ugly, butt it works:)

Should I have begun this novella somewhere else?

VRobert 1811 pics
 

I found the attachments button!

That's the brake switch. You need the brake applied to start it.
Do you have the engine tins? They are needed to help cooling...
There is also a switch under the seat. Good looking "project" tractor.:beerchug:
Seen much worst, that cost much more than you got your for.:biggrin2:
And, if you are going to show progress, best to start a thread in CCC/MTD section of forum.