Shopping for a Grader

[RayfromTX]

Thanks Don-
I joined on the allischalmers site but a search didn't turn up anything useful. I will post there later. It turns out our machine is a Fiat-Allis 65 which according to your research puts it between a '75 and a '79. It runs great, starts right up, charges the battery, is pretty tight and quiet and smooth. It runs at an acceptable speed in 1st gear but we would really benefit from getting low range back. Tires, hydraulics and blade are all in decent shape.

We are thinking to continue to look for the top shaft gear or failing that, we have found the same gear in a shorter cluster that we may be able to cut off that cluster and weld to our cluster. Is it possible to build a tooth back on to a broken gear? That sounds sketchy at best but I am not a machinist.

 

[d9gdon]

I didn't know the M65 had a high low box. I ran one for a couple years and it didn't have it, or I never found it. It really needed one too cause the owner had put on taller military surplus tires that geared it up.

Finally traded it for a Galion the same size and it had the two speed box. Had a Farmall diesel engine in it that never would start on its own cause I think the injector pump was worn out. When it did start, it would smoke pure white for about 2 minutes and run rough as hell. It was the same engine as is in a 706 Farmall (or maybe 656). Was great to run in parking lots and subdivisions around all those curbs.

 

[DonBC]

Ray, a good machinist can work miracles. They might be able to build up a new tooth or even cut you a new gear.

 

[RayfromTX]

I ran the machine yesterday for the first time and it ran fine. Like you Don I run it in 1st gear just above idle for most things and when it is smooth going, I can throttle up a little. I ran 1 1/2 miles of bar ditches yesterday as we were expecting rain last night. I graded a mile of road.

I am now the hero of the subdivision. Those sections of road have never looked this good. We have 3 1/2 miles of caliche road that has only been graded once or twice a year for the last 30 years. They started out poor and never had enough maintenance material brought in. When the man that graded our roads brought in base, he used 3/4" to dust. The last couple of years the road has gone through to dirt in many areas and down to solid limestone in others. Grading is difficult because of all the rock we have and due to the poor construction of the road from the git go. Ditches are poor, crown is not right, and the driving surface is not good material.

I started bringing in 18 yd loads of good 1 1/2" to dust base last year and we repaired and replaced some failed culverts with volunteer labor. There are 30 owners out here and about 5 of us really pitch in. It will take years to get the road beds built back up properly.

We got the expected rain last night so after it gets light I'll go out and see how my work held up and spend the day working on the roads while they have a little moisture.

BTW- 4th gear on this thing hauls butt. 3rd is really as fast as I can ever see going and is probably still to fast for real safety.

Looking for advice for a guy that has one day in the seat so far.

 

[DonBC]

Ray, I had never operated a grader until I bought my old Allis D grader. I bought it as sort of a retirement hobby and to make a little holiday cash on the side by doing some private driveway construction and maintenance around the small island that we live on. Yes they really haul butt in 4th. Our island is quite hilly so I don't get in 4th that much. The machine would actually be fine without a high/low box if they had only used higher ratio crown and pinion.

I rigged up a heel and toe foot throttle to make it easier to double clutch when shifting through those straight cut gears when running down the road. It didn't have power steering so I have also rigged up power steering because very little of the work that I do is in a straight line or very long on this island.