IXK performance curve

[Jim Leap]

I have an HG42 with the IXK engine. The crankshaft bearings are in very poor condition and in need of re-babbiting and I am having a hard time justifying to cost. I am considering re-powering. I have a 3 cylinder Kubota 1105 turbocharged engine that will put out about 24 HP and 50 lbs torque at 2,200 RPM. It came out of a Jacobsen hydrostatic mower so is governed to run at a constant RPM. I can't find a performance curve for the hercules engine. I am guessing the HP is close to the Kubota but wondering about torque. I would appreciate any thoughts regarding a re-power as it relates to matching power output. I am wondering if this little diesel engine is too small for the application. Any feedback or guidance would be greatly appreciated. My inclination is to find a diesel engine that is rated at closer to 30 HP but I already have the 1105T.

Thanks,

Jim

[kiwiHG]

I don't know about output of the IXK engine but I'd be tempted to fit the Kubota motor you have and see how it goes.

Could you add a slightly larger turbo and increase the pump's fuel delivery to coax a few more horse power out of your motor?

[Blake Malkamaki]

The HG is governed at 1700 rpm. Does the Kubota have any torque at that speed? What's the displacement of the Kubota? You could probably easily sell the IXK on here if you wanted to.

[Lowspeedlife]

Are you sure your IXK has babbit bearings? My understanding is some do,  some don't. The IXB engine should be 22 HP. I'd think your engine choice is a good one but the 2200 rpm governed speed may be a problem. You might need the variable speed governor for an 1105. Torque on a diesel is almost always higher than a similar sized gas engine within a similar rpm range.
Or another possibility could be to fit the engine with the hydrostatic drive & fit a gear motor to drive the transmission, if you have those parts & enough room.

Scott R

[Jim Leap]

Blake, Scott,

Thanks for the replies. The displacement on the 1105T is 68.5 cu in. Maximum torque is 65 lbs/ft @ 2,000 rpm. As rpm goes up past about 2,000 the torque starts to drop off. At 3,000 rpm the torque is 55 lbs/ft and HP is rated at 32. I am guessing it is governed to run hydrostatic and probably doesn't have a variable speed governor. I'll try to verify that with my local Kubota dealer. I had considered setting up the HG as hydrostatic but I don't have the pump that came with the motor. I have a model A transmission that I will use as an "under drive" transmission. Seems like the diesel will be a good conversion but it just looks so small compared to the hercules. These are pretty common engines in skid steers and small excavators. I think I can match the HG flywheel to the kubota and build an adapter to mate it to the HG bell housing.


IXK: The main and rod bearings are, in fact, babbited. One of the rod bearings is completely gone. I don't think I can replace it with an insert and all of the other bearings are pretty sloppy. All of the shims have been removed. I believe the best route would be to re-pour the mains and line bore and I am not sure about the condition of the crankshaft. There are no longer guys who can pour rabbit in our region. If I could find a good IXB that might be a better option but the little diesel is tempting.

Jim

[Blake Malkamaki]

I sold a 1967 Mercedes 200D diesel to a guy who put it in an HG. He kept the Benz 4 speed and used it in front of the HG's 3 speed. The guy later lost interest and sold it, but I have not heard from the current owner in a long time. He's on this forum, so he may speak up.

Don't worry about using the IXK flywheel and bell housing. All you have to do is adapt to the propeller shaft going into the transmission. Not sure about using hydrostatic, but if you had an engine with an automatic and torque converter, that might work nicely!

I would keep the IXK intact so you can sell it or keep it for later.

Blake

[Lowspeedlife]

I think you are right in range if not a little high on the hp/torque numbers for a replacement engine. Does your info on the kubota engine give you a hp/torque rating at 1700 rpm? That would be comparing apples to apples if it did. Can't be concerned about the size of the engine, your looking at a modern turbo charged diesel ( diesels are always higher in hp & torque in equal displacement) compared to 1930's gasoline technology. I've looked at the 1105T as a replacement but decided on a 34 hp non turbo caterpillar engine I got from Surplus Center. I think your biggest problem is the governor, but with the underdrive trans I think that is a non issue too. What type of flywheel & bell housing is on the 1105T, if the housing is larger than an SAE 5 you'll have a problem fitting it between the frame rails. If It has a Clutch type flywheel & SAE 5 bell housing with side mounting pads your in great shape.
The IXK might not be that bad of a problem either. The newer shell type con rods are a direct replacement for the babbit rods, they are still available. The upper half of the babbit main bearing is replaceable, not poured into the block, that should only need a locating groove machined into it. A new set of main caps & your all set. I may have a set of caps off on IXLB 5 lying around here somewhere.

Scott R

[Jim Leap]

Scott,

It is a difficult decision to either keep the IXK or convert to diesel. Not sure which direction I will go. In thinking through the diesel conversion I would be inclined to keep the original HG bell housing since that part seems critical due to the fact that the track supports bolt to it. My 1105 Kubota does have a clutch type flywheel and the width is not an issue in terms of setting it between the frame rails. Seem like the best approach would be to find a clutch disc that matches the HG spline and the Kubota flywheel surface and use a Kubota clutch and machine a pilot bushing to fit the HG input shaft. With this set-up I use the Kubota starter too. It would be pretty easy to build an adaptor plate to bolt the HG bell housing to the Kubota. How are you planning on mating your Cat diesel to your HG? Do you have a solution for the track supports? Are you planning on using the HG bell housing?

Jim

[Lowspeedlife]

The Cat bell housing has the side mount pads but they are not the same as the Hercules bolt pattern. They use a 3/8 bolt on a smaller width for the bolt spacing. Also the width of the bell housing mounting pads is 1 inch thinner than the Herc. My solution is to remove the 3/4 inch thick blocks that cletrac welded inside the frame rails & install a 1 1/4 inch thick piece of steel the length of the frame rail, back to the crossmember in front of the transmission. These would be drilled for the Cat bell housing & drilled & threaded for the track frame supports. The bolt spacing for the engine will fit inside of the hollow section of the track supports, this is an early HG not the later, with the track frame supports that are flat against the frame. The 1 1/4 thick piece of steel then serves three purposes. It fills the extra space left over by the engine bell housing not being as wide as the Herc bell housing, it acts as the "threaded nut" on the inside of the frame for the track frame supports & it strengthens the frame where it needs it most, in the places the frame normally cracks by the cut outs for the engine mounting. I then will need an SAE 5 spacer for the difference between the two bell housings to get the original clutch cover spacing right, I HOPE!! This all works very well in my head, we'll see how it works in reality. All the dimensions are correct as I measured them.
Because you have a clutch type flywheel & a local Kubota dealer, have you checked to see if they have, or could order a bell housing that would give you the SAE 5 diameter, side pads & proper starter location. If it has the right side mount pads or the ability to modify them you could end up with a "bolt in" conversion. It would surely be easy enough to have the flywheel re drilled to accept the Celtrac pressure plate & the pilot bearing should be a standard shelf item too.

[Jim Leap]

Scott,

Thanks for the explanation on the CAT re-power. Seems pretty straight forward. I am going to look around for a bell housing for the Kubota. That could be an easy solution. Then all I have to do is adapt the model A transmission to the bell housing. Should be interesting.

Jim