Picture Requests?

[Dane]

Soon I will be disassembling a good deal of my 550 to replace the engine and drive clutch and will have most of the body panels and bed removed. I'm guessing it will look like a plucked chicken, but does anyone want photos of a certain area or want to know how something goes together?

[vanderrt]

This guy is installing a speedometer but he shows how to remove everything from front to back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EICRQDLE8jI
Why are you replacing the engine and Clutch. I thought your 550 was running great? Mine is back in the shop. They are going to replace the Primary Clutch and drive belt again plus repace the parking break. The dealer said this will fix everything here's hoping :o)

[WOEII]

Gotta document everything! Pics...pics...pics!

[jimmydale]

I agree with WOEII!!! WE DO need to have a forum section just for tear downs with full pics broke down by model.That would be easier than searching through 10,000 posts labeled transmission. Dane are you going back with the same size engine or are you going bigger? Is there problems with the engine?

[Dane]

I use the Gator a lot for groundskeeping and landscaping so there is a lot of short trips. Something which the Briggs engine can not do and after having the carburetor apart a few times I can see why. I have been having a lot of trouble with the plugs fowling, running rich and carbon buildup. It's not an issue if your average drive is tearing through the woods for 20 minutes but idling for 30 seconds while throwing things in the bed, pull ahead 20 feet, idle 30 seconds and load more is not this engine's happy place. It's a known issue for Deere and their only response has been to say don't let it idle for more than 30 seconds and do not use it for short trips. Changing the carb's main jet and adjusting the idle jet helped but it's a very primitive carb so there only so much that can be done.

I researched replacing the carb but there are few downdraft carburetor options and making new intake manifolds to accommodate a horizontal carb seemed like a lot of labor so an entirely new engine started sounding better. Looking into it more I found that Deere uses a non-common profile taper on their shaft and clutch so I had the option of taking apart a brand new engine to install a Deere profiled crank or swap to a standard profile on the primary clutch. So I went the route of a totally stock and off the shelf engine and clutch.

Yes, the new engine will be more powerful but not by intent. Honda V-twins are almost identical in every dimension to the Briggs Vanguard. I don't know who copied whom but they are any easy swap. The Honda's are all 688cc versus the 570cc of the Briggs. The GX630 is the lowest powered in the series with about 20.5 hp. The more powerful 670 and 690 could be installed just as easily but a 30% increase seemed sufficient and my main goal is reliability and reduced maintenance, not power.

[WOEII]

I agree with WOEII!!! WE DO need to have a forum section just for tear downs with full pics broke down by model.That would be easier than searching through 10,000 posts labeled transmission. Dane are you going back with the same size engine or are you going bigger? Is there problems with the engine?

In the works.

[jimmydale]

Thank you Dane for explaining, that is what I use mine for, taking trash cans to the road and riding my young one around some. Have not had an opportunity to get wide open for a great distance so I am probably going to see the same issues before long but I only have about 8 or 9 hours on it now. I can't wait for the pics to start. It will educate us who are not so mechanically inclined especially me.

[Dane]

I will warn anyone attempting this to first get the clutch removal tool. It is required! I dragged the Gator onto the trailer and took it to my dealer to have them break free the primar clutch not thinking that the secondary should also come off... big mistake. I ended up having to remove the drive shaft and control linkages from the other side to get the engine out. I'm still not sure if I will need to remove the rear clutch.

Here it is. The plucked chicken.



In order to get the exhaust manifolds off without removing the clutch enclosure casting I had to get creative and come up with a tool that would work. A #40 torx bit taped in a 1/4" wrench. The real genius is the string to more easily retrieve the wrench when dropped in an inaccessible spot.



Even after tearing it apart to install a different engine I am truly impressed with the work that went into this product. Deere spent millions having the custom profile steel frame members, the complex aluminum casting of the clutch enclosure and the countless custom molded plastic parts... and getting it all to fit into a mid-sized chassis.

[Dane]

Ok, I'm all ready for then engine which is due to arrive on Monday. The rear clutch finally broke free so I was able to remove it and the clutch enclosure which will make getting to the motor mount and header bolts much easier on the new engine.

Anybody want to take bets on how many bolts and misc parts I have leftover when I'm done. There's always one bolt left you you're scratching your head trying to figure out where it came from.

[jimmydale]

Amazing, i bet you have only 1 washer left that was suppose to be put on the very first bolt but can't get to after it's all together. No seriously I know you have everything laid out just like it came off. This ain't no cheap made XP we're dealing with here.