Wd 45 mounted corn picker.

[masonvn]

I have an opportunity to buy what I believe is a wd 45 with a 2 row mounted corn picker on it. The engine is missing and it’s been sitting outside for close to 30 years. I can get it for 150 bucks so regardless it’s worth a role of the dice to me just to try and restore the picker. I already have a wc allis. My question is will the picker mount on it and how do I determine for sure what tractor the picker is currently on? It has what appears to be factory foot brakes.

 

[4wdtom]

For that money it's worth it. But the tractor is may be only a parts tractor. No boot on the shift lever and likely there is a lot of water in the transmission/rear end. Possibly still OK but you shouldn't count on it. The shift lever itself looks like the straight one of the sliding gear transmission that someone bent, not the later one of the factory curved shift lever with constant mesh gears.

 

[masonvn]

For that money it's worth it. But the tractor is may be only a parts tractor. No boot on the shift lever and likely there is a lot of water in the transmission/rear end. Possibly still OK but you shouldn't count on it. The shift lever itself looks like the straight one of the sliding gear transmission that someone bent, not the later one of the factory curved shift lever with constant mesh gears.

Am I correct that it’s a wd 45?

 

[Richard Nixon]

I have an opportunity to buy what I believe is a wd 45 with a 2 row mounted corn picker on it. The engine is missing and it’s been sitting outside for close to 30 years. I can get it for 150 bucks so regardless it’s worth a role of the dice to me just to try and restore the picker. I already have a wc allis. My question is will the picker mount on it and how do I determine for sure what tractor the picker is currently on? It has what appears to be factory foot brakes.

Am I correct that it’s a wd 45?

You should be able to tell if the transmission shift lever was bent by someone or if it has the factory made curve. If it's a straight shift lever that has been bent, then it's a WD. Not a WD45.

 

[Richard Nixon]

I have an opportunity to buy what I believe is a wd 45 with a 2 row mounted corn picker on it. The engine is missing and it’s been sitting outside for close to 30 years. I can get it for 150 bucks so regardless it’s worth a role of the dice to me just to try and restore the picker. I already have a wc allis. My question is will the picker mount on it and how do I determine for sure what tractor the picker is currently on? It has what appears to be factory foot brakes.

You'd have to crawl under it and examine the attach points. You already have a WC so you know that tractor pretty well. As far as the drives, the WC and WD/WD45 pulley and pto are in the same place so that shouldn't be a problem. You wouldn't have a live pto with the WC but we ran a New Idea picker behind a WC for over 20 years with no problem. You really don't need a Iive or independent pto with a corn picker. The drive pulley has to be a V pulley instead of the standard flat pulley but the pulleys are identical on those models (WC and WD/WD45) and that tractor you are looking at should have the correct pulley on it. Know any good machine shop owners or mechanics? I think with a little bit of Yankee Ingenuity you could make it work,

 

[Tramway Guy]

It looks like a WD45 to me. Has snap coupler release lever, and a late style clutch pedal. Note the corn picker adaptations:

Center mounted seat;
Steering wheel shifted over;
Special right brake pedal.

If you can reach the back of the tractor where the serial number is, it will tell you what it was when it left the factory.

 

[4wdtom]

I am sticking with it being a WD. The shift lever doesn't have have the long curve of the constant mesh transmission, rather a short bend all in one place. I don't know when they changed the clutch pedal but I have seen WDs with the fabricated foot piece before. And Snap Couplers were added to many tractors without them. The seat bracket looks to be the WD style I believe, 45s had a steel one piece bracket that also mounted the spring/shock absorber. Finding the serial no. would solve the question. It is on the machined vertical surface behind the left brake area. Hope he finds the serial no. so we can solve this interesting mystery tractors model.

 

[masonvn]

I’ll eventually get the serial number. I decided I’m going to go ahead and buy it. I’m gonna just buy another complete tractor to put the picker on if I can get it restored.

 

[Bob Bancroft]

I am sticking with it being a WD. The shift lever doesn't have have the long curve of the constant mesh transmission, rather a short bend all in one place. I don't know when they changed the clutch pedal but I have seen WDs with the fabricated foot piece before. And Snap Couplers were added to many tractors without them. The seat bracket looks to be the WD style I believe, 45s had a steel one piece bracket that also mounted the spring/shock absorber. Finding the serial no. would solve the question. It is on the machined vertical surface behind the left brake area. Hope he finds the serial no. so we can solve this interesting mystery tractors model.

And the OEM WD45 curved shift lever was tapered, from large at the base to smaller at the top, with a little ball at the top to hold the rubber push-on knob on. If you buy an OEM replacement lever it will be the same diameter all the way, with a hard plastic and metal insert to be pressed on the top end. If I had known the OEM replacement was so different, I'm not sure I would have bought it. Must be the taper cost a little more to make.

 

[4wdtom]

I’ll eventually get the serial number. I decided I’m going to go ahead and buy it. I’m gonna just buy another complete tractor to put the picker on if I can get it restored.

In spite of my concern about water in the transmission of this tractor, it may be OK. You might be able to, over time, get this one going if it checks out to be OK and you keep an eye out for parts.