Ford 540A Industrial help

[richardw863]

I picked up a 540 A industrial tractor Model DW412K. I was told it was originally a trencher but has been robbed of some of the parts on the rear end. I am trying to get information on the variants of this tractor with the hope of finding a complete rear end that would be a direct bolt up.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Sean in PA]

A trencher attachment on the rear would have most likely been an after market third party product.

 

[richardw863]

Not sure how it was originally configured but as it sits now the PTO shaft, lift linkage, draft control are missing and also the filter head under the left foot. I’m hoping to find a complete rear end and just swap it out but I haven’t been able to find any information on what will actually work.
Really hoping that someone can help.

 

[Destroked 450]

Your model code says you have a 540A with diesel engine, trans 540 pto and 6x4 manual reverser transmission
A 4600/4610 rear axle is a direct blot on, but your transmission doesn’t have the proper components to operate the hydraulic pump for the 3 point or the independent pto properly
If it was a trencher it will have some type of creeper gear system added to get the slow speeds needed for that app
To have a working tractor with pto and 3 point hydraulics finding a 8 spd trans and rear axle from a 4600/4610 would be your best option

 

[Sean in PA]

Destroked is correct. If it had trans driven PTO, then the 3 point would have originally had the engine mounted hydraulic pump like the 2600 and 3600, and the filter would have been on the flange of the base of the pump, so no filter under the left foot rest.

 

[richardw863]

I must have one bastardized machine. It is a diesel, doesn’t have the hydraulic pump mounted under the fuel tank. It had something plumbed in under the left foot rest but has been blocked off.
The number I listed above was on a foil label inside the hinged cover. How do you read the data on that label and the stamped number on the casting on the right side? I was told a 4600 would work but wanted to confirm before I bought it.
I do appreciate your time and help.

 

[Sean in PA]

The first 3 characters of the model number on that sticker are a code that tells you what model it is. DW4 is a model 450A or 450B tractor depending on exactly when it was built. The next character tells you what engine it had when it left the factory, and 1 is for a diesel engine. The next character tells you which PTO type it has, and 2 means that it has transmission driven (non-live) PTO. The last position tells you which transmission it has and K is for the 6x4 manual reversing transmission. The trans driven PTO setup did not have the dual concentric input shafts on the transmission in order to be able to drive the hydraulic pump inside the rear axle that is used for both the independent PTO and the 3 point lift hydraulics on a tractor that had the independent PTO. It was only those tractors with the independent PTO that had the hydraulic filter under the left foot rest. Does yours still have the 4x2 manual reversing transmission? If so, then it cannot use the pump in the rear axle center housing. The blocked off plumbing under the left foot rest might mean that the rear axle had already been swapped out from another tractor that originally had independent PTO, but since the mechanical bits weren't there in the transmission to drive it, it was just left unused. Some pictures of the tractor would be helpful for us to be able to help you further identify the engine, transmission and rear end to see if it was pieced together from parts from other tractors. Heck, it might even be that the hood was swapped and that sticker has the information for a completely different tractor.

Here is a breakdown of the other numbers on that foil sticker. The "Tractor Number" is the tractor serial number. The first character of the serial number should be a letter, an "A", "B" or "C". An "A" serial number means that it was assembled at the plant in Antwerp Belgium. A "B" serial number means that it was assembled in the plant in Basildon in the UK. A "C" serial number means that it was assembled at the plant in the US. The rest of the serial number was just the next sequential number for tractors assembled at whichever assembly plant it was built at. The Unit Number is a code for the date that the tractor was assembled. The other numbers are date codes for when the major components were assembled. The Engine Number field might also include the engine serial number in addition to the date code. If you post them here we can help to decode them. Again, those numbers only apply to the tractor that sticker was on when it left the factory. Any major component might have been swapped out over the years, as they were pretty much interchangeable between a lot of models over a lot of years, and as I said above, even the hood panel where that foil sticker is located might have been swapped out.

If that foil sticker was on the same tractor as the transmission that is in it now, then the same Model Number, Unit Number and Tractor Number should be stamped into a flat spot on the transmission bell housing just above the two large bolt holes on the right side near the starter.

If the rear axle was on the same tractor as the foil sticker when it left the factory then the date code for the rear axle on the foil sticker should be on the rear axle somewhere. The same goes for the engine, hydraulic lift top cover and hydraulic pump. If a majority of the components have numbers that match the foil sticker and only a couple do not, then those couple of components have been swapped out over the years.

 

[Destroked 450]

I must have one bastardized machine. It is a diesel, doesn’t have the hydraulic pump mounted under the fuel tank. It had something plumbed in under the left foot rest but has been blocked off.
The number I listed above was on a foil label inside the hinged cover. How do you read the data on that label and the stamped number on the casting on the right side? I was told a 4600 would work but wanted to confirm before I bought it.
I do appreciate your time and help.

I think I got a little dyslexic last night and claimed your tractor had a gas engine
Realized that this morning and corrected my post

 

[richardw863]

I think I got a little dyslexic last night and claimed your tractor had a gas engine
Realized that this morning and corrected my post

I don't know about you but father time is starting to tell on me.

 

[richardw863]

I have attached photos of the tractors different components, hopefully that will help.

 

[Sean in PA]

Can you post a picture of the foil sticker with all of the numbers visible?

 

[richardw863]

Sorry, I thought I did.

 

[Sean in PA]

All of the numbers stamped into the flat spot on the transmission match the ones on the sticker, so the trans is original to the tractor that the sticker was on when it left the factory. The Unit Number, 3K19B says that it was assembled on October 19, 1983 during the day shift. The fact that it was made in 1983 points to it being a 540B rather than a 540A. The Tractor number, C710861, is a 1983 serial number for a tractor that was assembled in the plant in the US. If you plug that serial number into the serial number lookup on the New Holland parts site, it comes back as a 540B.

Here are the decodes of the other date codes for the major assemblies:
Engine - 3J21A - The engine was assembled on September 21, 1983 during the midnight shift
Transmission - 3J06B - The transmission was assembled on September 6 1983 during the day shift
Rear axle - 3J02B - The rear axle was assembled on September 2, 1983 during the day shift
Hyd Pump -3H17B - The hydraulic pump was assembled on August 17 1983 during the day shift
Hyd Lift - 3J5B - the hydraulic lift was assembled on September 5 1983 during the day shift

So it had a 3 point lift when it left the factory, so it had to have had the engine mounted pump since it did not have the independent PTO. The casting date for the rear axle center housing is 02/07/81, which is over two years older than the assembly date for the original rear axle, so my bet is that the rear axle was replaced at some point with one that did not have a 3 point lift or PTO.

 

[richardw863]

So at this point could I mount a rear end from a 4600 ag tractor to the transmission on my tractor? The 4600 has the filter assembly below the left foot rest.
Is image 1 and 2 where the engine mounted pump would mount? It looks like it had a front mounted pump at some point.

 

[Sean in PA]

A front mount pump would have been for the loader, and backhoe if it had one.

Yes, a rear end from a 4600 would mate up with the transmission, but if it has independent PTO, that and the 3 point lift wouldn't work, as there is nothing in your transmission that could drive those.

The plate at the left edge of image1 in your most recent post is where the engine mounted pump would mount but an engine mounted pump cannot be used with a rear end from a 4600 that has independent PTO. The pump from the 4600 rear end would have to be replaced with a plate that is made to interface with the external lines from the engine mounted pump, and I believe that the flow control valve would need to be swapped out as well. If you did all of that, then the 3 point lift would work, but there would still be no way to power the PTO.

It would be easier to replace everything from the flywheel back, basically the transmission and rear axle from a tractor that had compatible 3 point lift and independent PTO components already in the transmission.

Also, I'm just curious, where does that pipe with the plug in the end on it go in image4 of your latest post? It looks like someone might have added that as an easy access to the drain port for the rear axle.

 

[richardw863]

Someone has definitely created a monster. Not sure what the plug and pipe is for but at this point it just adds to the mystery of why someone would do all this work on a tractor that has no useful function.
Luckily I don't have much invested in it. Maybe I should just part it out.

 

[Sean in PA]

Did you buy it to use it, or to fix it up and flip it? Does the engine run and the transmission drive OK?

 

[richardw863]

I actually traded a 801 power master project for it. I wanted something with power steering and hi/lo trans. Motor runs good but smokes a little and it drives and shifts good.

 

[Sean in PA]

It's your tractor and your decision, but if it were me, and if it starts, runs and drives. I wouldn't part it out. I would look for another similar tractor with a blown engine and swap everything from the flywheel back.

 

[richardw863]

That is what I would prefer to do and I found a 4600 that I was hoping to buy just the rear end but it looks like I will be buying the transmission to. On the bright side from the transmission back is still intact and it has a new clutch.
If I do keep it what would be a good loader for it? Tractor data says that the 745 is the correct loader but I see there are other loaders that have a higher lifting capacity. Thoughts!
Thanks again to you and Destroked for all the good info.