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I built a Chinese tractor from a crate of parts. There is a lot of information on these around the web, but not
a set of assembly instructions. Here's my take on assembly, however, I am not a mechanic. These instructions chronicle the
steps I took to put it together, so insert your favorite disclaimer here.
Coastal Tractor helped load the unit on 3/14/2003. Good folks to do business with.
Materials required: Metric Socket Set, Metric Open-Ended wrench set, Red Loctite, Blue Loctite, Grease,
15w-40 oil, Hydraulic fluid, Floor jack, jack stands, bottle jack, Battery Electrolyte, battery charger, anti-freeze,
funnels, drip pans, multi-meter, air compressor, parts bins.
Click on the pictures below for full size images.
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| Ready for transport home |
Getting the crate tractor home is usually your responsibility. The crate fit into my Sprinter Van with 2" to spare. It
was secured with tow straps and hold downs. Probably not as secure as it should be, I was afraid that I'd hit something
on the way home and win a Darwin award.
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| Almost out of the Van |
Getting it out of the Van required a bottle jack, wood, pipes as rollers, and two guys on a mission.
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| On the ground and pushed into the garage. |
Get the crate onto the floor to start work and avoid stupid human tricks, they can only hurt you and the CFO is never
pleased with them (any more).
Assembly
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| Uncrated |
The assembly process starts with removing everything from the crate, including disassembly of the crate. Remove
crate bolts slowly as some are under a lot of tension. Keep bins handy for collecting all the parts. I found it useful to
put nuts, bolts and washers back together each time to keep them together as a unit. Some parts are shipped partially assembled.
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| From the Back |
From the backside, notice the PTO shaft, it is the most rearward component at this point.
Step 1: Find the PTO shaft spindle cover, grease it and put it into place.
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Assembly Continued
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| Front frame member |
Step 2: Attach the front frame member as a lifting point to aid in getting the shipping crate and ROPS
out. These 1st few steps are to get to the point where the tractor is supported by it's wheels rather than a collection of
blocking.
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| Rear tongue and PTO cover |
In the back, install the drawbar bracket.
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| Wheels On |
Step 3: Get the wheels on. The front wheel studs came out instead of loosening up the nuts. Nothing
that could not be solved with Red Loctite. The rear wheels have 6 bolts, two have safety nuts installed on
the backside. Install them opposite each other. All six holes are identical. Permanent bolts I put together with red,
semi-permanent blue, and bolts that will be taken on and off frequently, grease. No bolt gets assembled dry.
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| Front end metal |
Step 4: Complete the front end assembly. Attach front end weights, battery shelf, battery (the battery
is shipped dry, you add electrolyte and charge it), and air filter assembly. The new one piece hood allows complete assembly
at this point.
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| Fenders, ROPS, and 3 point |
Step 5: Rear end assembly. Attach fenders, ROPS, and 3 point hitch. Attach the fenders, leaving all
of the bolts loose, then attach the ROPS, leaving those bolts loose. Snug up the bolts all to finger tight and check your
alignment, then tighten them to finish tight (somwhere near 100 ft-lbs). The plates on the underside of the axle not only
attach the ROPS, they are also 3pt. hitch attachment points. There is metal stock welded to the plates to aid in alignment.
Mine was shipped with some of the ROPS bolts loose fit in the ends of the 3pt. turnbuckles.
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| Modified Hood Support |
Step 6: Fuel system. Over 1/2 of my assembly time was spent on the fuel system. The support had
to be modified so that it did not interfere with the filler tube. This involved cutting the corner off of the support, adding
a diagonal brace, moving the horizontal brace from the engine block, and welding the hood bracket to the support. The tank
profile was modified with a ballpeen hammer to fit around the steering column. The system needed to be cleaned from the tank
all the way to the injector pump. Before priming, make sure that the system is clean.
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| Instrument cluster |
Step 7: Electrical system. Install the cluster into the hood cowling. I seperated the hood from the
cowling to make it easier to assemble. The cowling mounts to the fuel tank tray and to the hood bracket using two "L" shaped
pieces of metal. It is slightly confusing, but take your time, it only goes together one way. See support picture above.
The one piece instrument cluster is installed into the cowling with 4 hold downs. Be very careful to get the hold downs
properly seated in the holes on the PCB or else you may damage an etch. In the picture, the cluster is installed upside down,
didn't notice until I had installed the cowling.
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| Hydraulic Reservoir is Behind the Seat |
Step 8: Fluids. Check the oil level, add water to the radiator system, make sure that you find all the
dipsticks, and that they all have proper levels and contents. The filter in the picture is a modification I made to keep dirt
out of the hydraulic reservoir.
Step 9: You are ready to start the tractor. Start it up and listen for any bad sounds. Make sure that
all guages are operational. These are work horse tractors, but you will do damage if it gets too hot, or loses oil pressure.
Only run it for 15 minutes, then shut it down, drain the oil, replace the oil filter, fill radiator with anti-freeze,
(AKA happy freeze-proof liquid) and inspect for leaks.
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| Tractor at work with chipper |
Step 10: Attach the hood, pay attention to other fit and finish details, then use with big smile on
face. Invent projects to get seat time.
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Lessons Learned:
Read the manual early and often. Although the translations make it difficult
sometimes, they are invaluable. Read the manuals with breakfast before doing tractor assembly work, and again at the end of
the day to see if any additional questions can be answered.
Use the CTOA, it has a wealth of info.
Replace all chinese fluids and filters, saves a lot of future headaches.
Dismantle and clean the fuel system from the tank, all the way through
the injector motor. Don't forget the thimble filters, pump cyclinder, sediment bowl, and the inline filter. Don't use any
of the fuel that may have been shipped in the tank.
Pay special attention to all of the electrical connections, if one is frayed, or a connection
looks suspect, repair it immediately.
Copyright (c) 2005, 2009 All Rights Reserved
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