Looking to Build

Oliver 88's are about as good as it CAN get. They have 6 speeds and an engine that can be bored and stroked to 550 cubes or a little more. They are to be feared. Oliver 77's are just about as bad, only lighter and 450 cubes possible.  I don't know what your rules are, and that makes a difference on how or what to build. Any Allis to be competitive with those Oliver's needs 38 inch rubber for more traction. This then requires more HP under the hood. Many more questions to be asked and knowing what ALL the rules and your expectations are. A healthy D-17 with 38 inch rubber weighing 4500 lbs in a STOCK class requiring low gear could be pretty good.

I've been pulling tractors since I was 14, so that makes 50+ yrs I've been going down the track. I call things like they are.  20% more on the HP is B.S. and quite frankly an ignorant rule. Who is going to be the "King" of judging who has 21% over HP and who does not ??  If your tractor is missing the PTO, how are they ever going to check it?? How many RPM's are you allowed  ?? I have a D-17 with a stock block that is 100% over stock HP at stock RPM's, and it doesn't have a PTO. No speed limit ??  Real antique clubs usually have a Low gear only class or 3 or 3.5 or maybe even 4 MPH classes that are governed by some sort of speed detection device.  A D-17 could be ordered and purchased without a hydraulic system, PTO or snap-coupler hitch. They also could be bought without power steering and a narrow front end.  You can get down to 4,000 lbs on a gasser with 38 inch tires and with a good 53 HP engine (or 63+ HP by the rules) and be able to run the high side of low gear I would imagine up to 5,000 or maybe 5,500 lbs.  You say nothing about cut tires or not. A maximum width of tire ??  Lots of loop holes here is all I can say. But the 20% over stock HP that is a new one on me.

Edited by DrAllis - 17 Aug 2021 at 6:06am

DrAllis wrote: I've been pulling tractors since I was 14, so that makes 50+ yrs I've been going down the track. I call things like they are.  20% more on the HP is B.S. and quite frankly an ignorant rule. Who is going to be the "King" of judging who has 21% over HP and who does not ??  If your tractor is missing the PTO, how are they ever going to check it?? How many RPM's are you allowed  ?? I have a D-17 with a stock block that is 100% over stock HP at stock RPM's, and it doesn't have a PTO. No speed limit ??  Real antique clubs usually have a Low gear only class or 3 or 3.5 or maybe even 4 MPH classes that are governed by some sort of speed detection device.  A D-17 could be ordered and purchased without a hydraulic system, PTO or snap-coupler hitch. They also could be bought without power steering and a narrow front end.  You can get down to 4,000 lbs on a gasser with 38 inch tires and with a good 53 HP engine (or 63+ HP by the rules) and be able to run the high side of low gear I would imagine up to 5,000 or maybe 5,500 lbs.  You say nothing about cut tires or not. A maximum width of tire ??  Lots of loop holes here is all I can say. But the 20% over stock HP that is a new one on me.

Stock RPM's means stock high idle speed setting. I'd say the 20% over on the HP is to allow for M&W pistons, power blocks etc.  The PTO thing " working PTO if equipped" will be cause for arguments on a D-17. You could actually order one without PTO and hydraulics. I've got a Sales book to prove it. Anyway, what I don't like is 4 mph speed pace, because that will allow for higher HP to show their stuff. There you go. A D-17 in the 4500 (4700 a typo ?) up thru 5500. You can hook three times at each event. With no power steering (an option) or hydraulics a D-17 with M&W pistons would run between 60 and 63 HP at the PTO and turn 14.9 x 38 tires.   I don't see any drawbar rules, but as short and as high as they will allow is best.

There are parts of the country that have rules which try to keep the competition close to each other. NASCAR for example has many rules to try to keep it so on any given day any car on the track could be the winner. Rules like this promote good close competing which grows the membership of the club. There are also rules that deal with safety. Most antique tractor pulling "clubs" that have multiple events thru the year have INSURANCE to cover the promotor and other people attending the event. Some of these rules would include wheelie bars, RPM limits to reduce the chances of flywheel/clutch /engine explosions and so on.  Without insurance, these clubs cannot exist, so one has "rules" both for safety and competition.  There's nothing more satisfying that winning a class of say 20 or 30 tractors and sometimes finishing in the top 5 of 50 makes for a pretty good day too.  Going fast is fun, I agree, but having many to compete against knowing that things are pretty even-steven when it comes to tires, drawbars, speed, etc helps make class numbers larger, sometimes much larger. I've attended several national events over the last couple of decades and I've been in classes of 100 a couple of times. Finishing in the top 10 is a pretty big deal even tho 4 MPH was the top speed. Each to his own style of entertainment.

If 3400 is the lowest class then a C would be a waste of time. A WC,WD,45 would be ideal at the range you have above. I'd pull the 45 in 3400 to 5500 classes. The 5000+ weight classes things would get tough as you have 88's and other large tractors coming in.

Thanks for all the pointers, I’m just looking forward to building a tractor with my son and watching him pull it. I think I’m leaning towards a c, ca, wd or a wd45. The only question I still have is can a 226 motor from a d17 be put in a wd without too many headaches? I have a spare 226 from a d17, wondering if it would fit. Or if it would just add too much weight and I’m better off just buying a wd45?

Edited by Travis2766 - 18 Aug 2021 at 10:06pm

Aluminum doesn't belong in antique tractor pulling, but turbos do?? A major use of aluminum and other light metals isn't as much about reducing weight as it is about being able to put the weight where you want it. Many rules exclude certain tractors from lighter weight classes like Oliver 88's and WC's, excluding aluminum is fine but what about other weight loss techniques like gutting the gearbox, removing ptos, power steering, etc. ?