Stuck JD B

[2010owner]

2 months ago I purchased the 1944 B, that Dad had purchased new, from my Brother"s widow. It"s a little rusty and the engine is stuck.
I looked on this forum and found a few good suggestions to get the engine unstuck.
Perhaps someone will find how I unstuck the engine useful.
I made no progress soaking and rocking the tractor in high gear for the last two months with a diesel/transmission oil mixture in the cylinders.
So I took a piece of scrap steel plate about 7" wide and long enough to clamp a 6" (2" diameter) water pipe to it using a couple of heavy duty U bolts. I put two holes in the end of the plate and bolted the assembly tight to the flywheel, using the threaded puller holes already in the flywheel. With just a moderate push it broke free and now rolls over by hand.
It sure is great when a plan works out.
The tractor had been stuck for about the last 5 years, sitting under a tarp at my Brother"s place.
B.

 

[greenmech]

Thanks for posting. I have used the 6' bar a few times myself. Ron Mn

 

[bigboreG]

There are lots of ways to get one broke free. The method you used has worked for me also. Glad you got it loose!

 

[Paul from MI]

Two problems with your method:
#1-You are putting a load on the crankshaft it was never designed to handle. I would think the amount of force you could put on by hand would not be a problem----but?
#2- More likely valves could be stuck also. Turning the engine over could bend or break pushrods and rocker arms.
Just some words of caution, gaskets are cheaper than parts, so think about what you could break if you don't take it apart.

 

[2010owner]

I've seen the B backfire many times over the years, so I have doubts that the 300 or 400 lbs. of torque I could have put (it took much less)on the crankshaft would do any harm to it.

The advice on this forum seemed to run 50/50 on whether or not to tear down the B or just run it.
So I went with the advice of a friend that has a very long and extensive experience with B's. ( He has two Lindeman crawlers, two B's, and a BO. The 1st Lindeman was purchased in 1959. He has two 40's also, but they don't count.) After changing out the mag with a spare he brought and draining out the rotten gas, we got it started the evening I broke it loose. It took a little time to burn out the diesel mixture I'd been pouring into the cylinders, but it runs like a B should. No smoke, no bent or broken valve train.
I did have the knowledge that the tractor had been rebuilt before it was parked and that the stack had always been covered.
BUT, as they say in the fine print, YOUR results may vary....
B.