MUT: Murray Utility Tractor

Well, decided to see how it would look in a
step through” design:



looks ok. I think I prefer it with the side walls for looks, but theres no denying its easier to get on/off the thing.

It will also make it miles easier to get in/out with a cab on it where you’re already bent over to clear the cab roof.

So, unless theres a significant reason that crops up where I will need the space, its staying as a step through design. Sheet metal is an easy fix to make it look like it was built that way.

not to mention, now I have a place to mount a high/low shifter for the transaxle.

With the stiffening of the frame you did, whatever support the tunnel was providing was well taken care of.

Well, after a kafuffle of a day, all I got done was the fuel filler neck and some work on the tank:



I used an old intake U bend pipe I had lying around. I basically cut it in the middle and made it a J instead of a U. Cut out a flange and welded it to one end and the filler cap on the other.

Little bit messy as is, but a bit of clean up will have it looking at least passable. Its messy because the aluminum in the pipe seems to be pretty soft and it was a bit difficult to get it to flow and not drop away on me. So I had to go back and fill a few spots after I let it cool down.

The “kafuffle” of the day was my argon tank. Bought a bottle yesterday and the regulator was doing some weird bypass/relief noise and the reg would flow even with the flow valve closed. So it was a trip to the welding store, which broke the rhythm for the rest of the day.

I also refitted the ROPS since it goes over the fender where the fill cap will be:



Hopefully tomorrow doesn’t throw me another curve and I can get the fuel tank finished and move on to building the second hydraulic reservoir.

Fuel tank coming along:





still have to cut the fuel intake hole, the feed out to the carb, the vent line to the filler neck and finally weld the opposite wall to the tank. I left the tank wall to the last so I could work easier on the interior bits.

Fuel tank just about done:



All thats left to do is a vent and final clean up work.

Ordered up a new fuel pump:



Facet 40177N. Min 1 psi, max 2 psi, 7 gpm, 24” lift. I didn’t want to have the briggs pulse pump pulling fuel from the rear of the tractor. With an electric pump I can turn the key on, give it a couple seconds to top off the fuel bowl and fire it off right away. With the pulse pump, you have to grind away at the starter until it sucks enough fuel to fire, putting unnecessary wear in the starter.

Also picked up a set of pedals from a JD LT180:





I was planning to make my own travel direction pedals, but this is a nice, easy, prepackaged bolt on solution. Saves me effort, but more importantly, it saves me time.

Got tired of rolling around on the floor and trying to bend my broken old back to work on the tractor. So:





Thats an air over hydraulic motorcycle lift table. I had to take my project FJ1200 off to use it, but the bike is on the back burner for now anyways, or at least until the tractor is done. Only so many hours in the day.

The tractor was just a bit too wide for it so I took a couple loading ramps, bolted on some supports and bolted the ramps on.

Now I can wrench/cut/weld at whatever height I need and sit comfortably while I work. Thats an important element for a busted up old guy like myself.

The “wings” make it impossible to use the foot pump, but as I mentioned, its also air powered so raising it is easy peasy.

Then decided the wings would make it more difficult to work on the tractor, so 4 jackstands later:





Now I can get right in close to work on it. When its time to take it off the table, 4 bolts puts the wings back on and roll the tractor off.

3 spool valve installed:







Brake system installed:







Started working on the travel control pedals:



Final gauge showed up for the dash:

Travel pedals installed:





I’ve got a new set of pedal rubber pads on the way. One pedal for forward, one for reverse. The way the case hydrive works, the more you press on the pedal, the faster it goes. Top speed in high gear works out to a smidge over 7 mph. This rig is about power and torque, not speed.

I welded a 1/4” bracket to the frame and then bolted the JD pedal bracket to that. Suffice to say, there’s absolutely no flex in the pedals whatsoever.

Next job is to build the levers, pivots and linkages.

Definitely starting to get that “SCUT in a GT package” look that I was after: