Pettibone Super 6 Information

[Nato123678]

Hello everyone! I recently purchased a Pettibone Super 6 that hasn't been run in about 9 years but overall looks surprisingly good - tires are good, rams needs some seals replaced and maybe two of them need new shafts, and it has an open roll cage that appears factory but I've never seen another one online like it. Its pretty early I'm guessing - serial number 6-711. I reached out to Pettibone corporate and received an email back from a Parts and Service Rep who said manuals were very limited in these early Super 6's and told me to speak with my regional Pettibone dealer for more information. Does anyone have digital copies of early Super 6s they would be willing to share?
Once my brother and I finish putting his semi differentials back together, we need to get it running (it's tucked into a location that the Landall trailer can't back into, so gonna be hard to get it to the trailer). I think a good thing to do would be install an electronic ignition conversion (it has the IH gas motor, block #236191-R1). The tires are full of air, motor turns over and oil is clean, so we will flush out the old gasoline, replace the battery, install electronic ignition conversion (my brother has done this to all our gasoline tractors already), and fingers crossed we can drive it onto the trailer. Then we will weight it and likely transfer it to my brothers gooseneck trailer to drive it from northern Minnesota to Texas (where I live). My plan is to weld up a John Deere 500 loader plate adapter so I can use it to move small square bales with a bale grapple (my bale wagon stacks higher than my loader tractor can reach), and use it for heavy lifting duty around my farm. I have restored several older tractors (a 71 John Deere 4020 and a 1955 Oliver Super 77) and my brother restores old dozers (especially old Allis dozers), so I think this will be great project for us to get up and running.

 

[Delmer]

Only thing I can suggest is using a boat tank as a temporary fuel tank to get it running. The big steel tank beneath the engine is going to be so gummed up, I wouldn't touch it just to move it. And the fuel pump from the 60's won't like sitting dry, or ethanol gas. Might get away with new check valves in the fuel pump, they're rebuildable. or use a new electric fuel pump.

 

[Nato123678]

Got her back to my brother's farm by winching her up on the Landall trailer and using a track loader to push the tires as steering. Offloaded her, drained about 10 gallons of varnish from the tank, unstuck the engine (or maybe hydraulic pump) with a crowbar, popped brake band loose, put new battery in and she turned over and hydraulics came alive. Will put new points, condenser, and fuel pump on in a couple days to see if she'll start

 

[Greybrook]

Have you found any info about yours yet? I just purchased I think the same version just with an enclosed cab.

 

[Nato123678]

Contact Pettibone directly and ask who your local dealer is. When you get that information send your local dealer an email with your serial number and the PDF manual set and they will send it for free (that's why you don't see PDF manuals for sale online). I got the original order request, spec sheet, operator and repair manuals, and a parts manual for a slightly newer one (they didn't have the specific manual for mine). I have a 1969 Super 6, ordered with the heavier Super 8 axles. I had to completely rebuild the brake system on mine, with parts from Napa and O'Reilly's, and a professional rebuild of the remote brake booster, and a custom flexible brake line made from a local hydraulic store that specializes in brake lines. I replaced the axle pins (found perfect fit greasable pins from McMaster-Carr) to reduce steering slop. I also broke the parking brake adjuster, but found the exact identical handle from an M113 APC from Midwest Military. I switched to electronic ignition and an electric fuel pump and now it starts right up, runs great and gets the job done!

 

[Greybrook]

wow, that’s some serious detective work!

the only identification plate ive found so far is on the Funk drive bellhoising, where’s your serial number / model number plate located?
the brakes don’t work on mine and I bet I’ll have to do something similar to how you rebuilt yours.

thanks for sharing this info

 

[Nato123678]

The serial number should be cut into the back right of the frame rail, facing outward. Mine is 6-711, really simple.

 

[Greybrook]

Contact Pettibone directly and ask who your local dealer is. When you get that information send your local dealer an email with your serial number and the PDF manual set and they will send it for free (that's why you don't see PDF manuals for sale online). I got the original order request, spec sheet, operator and repair manuals, and a parts manual for a slightly newer one (they didn't have the specific manual for mine). I have a 1969 Super 6, ordered with the heavier Super 8 axles. I had to completely rebuild the brake system on mine, with parts from Napa and O'Reilly's, and a professional rebuild of the remote brake booster, and a custom flexible brake line made from a local hydraulic store that specializes in brake lines. I replaced the axle pins (found perfect fit greasable pins from McMaster-Carr) to reduce steering slop. I also broke the parking brake adjuster, but found the exact identical handle from an M113 APC from Midwest Military. I switched to electronic ignition and an electric fuel pump and now it starts right up, runs great and gets the job done!

Seems my brakes will need the same treatment, been A week waiting for my local Pettibone dealer to email me a user and parts manual. I’ve heard sometimes the brakes in these just dry out from sitting so long? Was going to try adding fluid, bleed the system and we what happens. I can’t find a brake fluid res anywhere?!? how do you fill these rigs up?

 

[Nato123678]

The brake master cylinder is underneath the left front floor board/deck - the fill up is a small hole where your left foot sits. You will have to manually bleed it - none of my master cylinder adapters would work on it with my pressure bleeding kit. You might have a MICO valve on the right side of the dash that also has to be bled, plus you likely have a slave cylinder with the vacuum boost on it (middle of the underside front to back, slightly on the right side side-to-side). So, bleed the slave cylinder and the MICO valve first, then go to the standard brake bleeding. Mine has Super 8 axles, so it has two brake cylinders for each wheel - needless to say, bleeding brakes takes quite a while and a LOT of brake fluid.

 

[Delmer]

These are a good place to use gravity and time brake bleeding, fill the reservoir and pump it a little, then let it sit, then pump it a couple times over many days until it feels more like brakes. The air will leak out of dried seals, and the fluid will leak slower, so you'll hopefully catch it holding some fluid.

 

[Nato123678]

It looks like you may also have the Super 8 axles - but when your dealer sends the info over it should have a build sheet so you know for certain. I screwed up and didn't write down all the numbers (I really should have, sloppy on my behalf)... but, I was able to get the brake cylinders (on the wheel) from NAPA, the master cylinder from OReilleys, and I had the slave cylinder rebuilt by a place in Georgia that specializes in old car brake booster rebuilding. Keep in mind the front axle is identical to the rear axle, just reversed, so your brake cylinders on the front left wheel will be the same as the back right. Mine cross listed with a late 1960s Ford F650 truck, if you can't find any numbers on them. Also, I went through a ton of different attempts as many had the bleed valves on the bottom of the cylinder instead of the top. I made new hard lines to connect the top and bottom brake cylinders on each wheel and made sure to use nice synthetic rubber safe plastic for the brake plungers. I had a heck of a time trying to find the correct brake lines, so I ended up going to a specialist hydraulic shop to have them custom made (was cheaper anyway).

 

[Nato123678]

These are a good place to use gravity and time brake bleeding, fill the reservoir and pump it a little, then let it sit, then pump it a couple times over many days until it feels more like brakes. The air will leak out of dried seals, and the fluid will leak slower, so you'll hopefully catch it holding some fluid.

Good idea - in my case the old brake system was absolutely obliterated. Rotten lines, no pressure generated from main cylinder, all wheel cylinders rusted out, and the vacuum slave booster had leaked across the vacuum membrane - scared me half to death when I fixed everything except the booster and was bleeding the system for the first time and it shoved DOT3 into the engine vacuum intake - instant fog cloud of white smoke! After literally spending a couple grand to get the brakes to work, my heart sank at the thought of a sudden blown head gasket... after I calmed down (a few beers and a night of restless sleep) I realized it was brake fluid and the smoke went away once I capped it off. Harmonclassicbrakes.com in Georgia did a beautiful rebuild of the slave cylinder booster and made it good as new (as you can't buy the one that was on my anymore).