53 AC WD45

First time posting but have read alot in these forums that has helped me with my new (old) tractor already. I bought this about 8 months ago and it ran great,still does to some extent. One thing it started doing is surging,like the throttle is going up and down until it eventually stalls. It usually starts this after it gets worked,like when I was pushing dirt over the summer,pulling heavy logs or now,pushing snow. Once ya dog the engine a little and the govenor kicks in,it seems to fall apart shortely therafter. If I shut it off and walk away,in a half hour or so,its good to go again,until ya dog it out a lil and it starts surging again. I am fairly certain after reading info I found on these forums it has to do with the govenor. I am just hoping that one of you more knowledgeable tractor people can confirm my suspicions (as best as one can over the interweb) so I don`t waste time and money replacing the wrong part. 

I can tell its gonna start cause the idle starts to get a tiny bit rough than I know its time to get off and give it a lil break. I am a shade tree mechanic,rebuilt small blocks and done quite a bit of wrench turning,building and trouble shooting but never with tractors. 

This is a 53 AC WD 45. It started life as a 6volt but the gentleman I bought it off of said it was converted to 12 volt and showed me a resister and explained a couple other things about that. He did mention that the govenor was sometimes sticky,but at the time I didn`t know what that meant and since it ran great I dismissed it to the back of my mind. For the first couple months I never had any issues until I started  pulling logs for my firewood pile. Than more when I would push dirt and now snow. 

So any advice to my tractor problem would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks for any advice I can get.

Thanks DrAllis. This would not have been the first time I tried to take the long road to the wrong way. Exactly why I wanted to check with you guys first! 

Thanks for the intel guys. Feel like I dodged a bullet goin after the wrong part first! I know what I`ll be doing on my next day off.

Regards,

Chris

You guys were spot on. To my amazement,it was much more than rust flakes and debris. I pulled a lil twig about an inch and a half long out of it and more branch debris inside the fuel outlet. Wood! I`m like, how the heck did WOOD get in there?! Either way I was pleased to see those obstructions. My gasket was shot to the bowl but I had a sediment bowl assembly for a ford 8n here I originally bought to fix my bosses tractor that I swapped the bowl and gasket and retainer to see if all was well. Slapped it back into the tractor put one gallon of gas back in it and boom. Started right up and ran like a top again.

I am going to totally go thru and do the tank right along with a new sediment bowl assembly that isn`t half Ford and get it done right when the weather is more appealing. Just happy to have my snow plow back up and runnin great again. I did replace the fuel filter. Once it warms up to some balmy 20's gonna git r dun!

Heres a pic. Think I got a great deal. Picked it up for $2300 with the loader and a plow blade. Guy said it was resleeved 20 years prior to me buying it along with a new clutch. I would ordinarily scoff at that kind of statement but it was literally parked for 15 years and kind of forgotten about since his wife couldn`t drive it w/o power steering. He had a newer Ford they used and once the barn he stored this tractor in was needed for other things, he chose to sell it rather than store it outside. He was an older gentlemen and seemed believable. The thing runs awesome and already paid for itself by gettin 3 culverts ut in and about 30 yards of gravel moved and the pasture cleaned and 15 cords of wood pulled up front. LOVE it!

Just wonder why it took me till 47 years old to think....."I should get a tractor" lol Best money I ever spent.

Again, thankyou very much for all the info. I am sure you haven`t seen da last of me =)

There ALSO may be a catch screen in the inlet fitting to the carbeurator... even if your machine wasn't equipped with one originally, someone MAY have swapped carbs or fittings, and if it's a bit plugged up there, it'll restrict your flow substantially.

A fuel tank cap that isn't venting can cause similar headaches, yours is most likely debris in the plumbing.

Ooops, posted that too late! 

Glad you found it...

Re  'How'd the WOOD get in there?

It GREW there, of course!!! 

LouSWPA wrote: my guess on the twigs in the tank, checking the fuel level, with whatever was handy! pick up a stick off the ground........

Done that a hundred times! Or a thousand.