Hey Thanks for Watching. Keep in mind this is from a 7 Part Series with sped up and cut footage. If you want to see the rebuild with more details and voiceover check out our playlist on the 4040 Project. We are already putting the machine to work. To see photos of it in Action be sure to find us on Facebook and Instagram!
When you started it up there at the end. The sound the Owens engine made takes me back to the 1970s when my father was head groundskeeper for the University of Iowa and they used two AC 720 tractors for mowing and snow removal many years. The mower deck on the AC 720 is not what you see today, or most decks are stamped steel, AC and simplicity would weld up the decks out of plate steel. The only problem my dad would have is that when it was really hot in the summer and they would park the tractor for break after running it for a few hours, the engine was sometimes the vapor lock. You restoring this brought back a lot of fond memories of me and my father and the time I got to spend with him! Thank you!
I bought a 4040 in 1973 with a deck mower, a 60 " tiller and Danco front loader. It had Turf tires and heavy duty tires in the front. I used it for almost 30 years. Rebuilt the engine once and repaired the transmission once. The front kingpin axles broke several times and I made new ones. The rear wheel drive axle broke once and Case made a new one for $150. Great tractor I used it almost every day and sold it to my neighbor when I moved and he loves it and uses it a lot.
You mean the most complicated and over designed tractors ever made. What exactly can this tractor do that a Sears Suburban could not do? Which would you prefer to work on?
@MrCountrycuz well for one the category 1 3 point hitch and rear PTO is immensely great to have and use. Plus the big rear tires always help a TON with traction on a small 2WD tractor. The hydraulics and hydrostatic is another highly needed feature if your going to do any real work besides mowing a field. That's just for starters.
Great video! This man is extremely intelligent. I’ve seen some of his other videos and it seems that he knows a lot about it wide range of small garden tractors. Thank you for sharing!
Norman, OUSTANDING JOB with this restore! I truly envy your talents and thank you for putting this video together. Even without the dialog on all the issues you may have run into, was still a fascinating video to watch!
im a semi retired heavy equipment mechanic there is a sence of acomplishment when its done thats why we do this have brought back to life several old farm tractors over the years now working on 1956 cat 933
Great job. And video. I used to have a AC 720 and this makes me really miss it. Was completely intact but always wanted to repaint it. So thanks for the video.
I had a model 4040 tractor I Started my ground maintenance business with it had many attachments 60" belly mount mower a 60inch sickle bar mower 5' rotortiller. 5' snow blower 5ft dozer blade 5ft landscape rake rear grader blade
Impressive transformation, Norman! Particularly the pressing out and in of bearings and rewinding the stator. Beautiful work all around. Also shows how beneficial it is to have the right tools. I've watched Jason1Pa rebuild an old Ford 8n tractor, too. These smaller tractors really fill a need for those of us on smaller properties yet need the muscle and attachments of the big boys.
I have recently been given an Allis Chalmers lawn/garden tractor and it appears restoration may be a daunting task, but it should be fun(and expensive) but, just recently having retired, I'm up for it.
Be sure to bag, tag, or label every part you take off, so you know where to put it back on. Strip it down to the frame, power wash and paint the frame, then build it back up. Sounds like a good project to kick off your retirement.
Hey man, dont know if you have heard of the trick but its for painting rims. Get a new deck of playing cards and stick them long ways end on end overlapping just a bit and it literally takes 1 min to "tape" off the rim to paint it. My brother showed me the trick and i was so amazed at how much faster it was lol. Great video and a beautiful tractor man, congrats.
Awesome job Norman !! Don’t forget about all of us that started watching these vids ! I know your busy and things are boomin and couldn’t b happier for you ! But a little more regular on these videos would be awesome !! :)
Holy crap the front wheel bearings on this Simplicity Powermax are just like an old-school rear wheel drive car's front wheel bearings! And man its pretty funny to see that Onan twin is so heavy it needs an overhead engine hoist to lift it up!
At a certain point I noticed the bottle of Valvoline Premium Blue that kept popping up in the background and started wondering where I would see it next lol. Great oil btw, I use it in all my mowers, antique tractors, and my pickup truck!
Nicest 4040 I 've seen . You did one heck of a job on it Ivan. I've got the 20 HP version on my Wheel Horse . I love the way they rumble. And what torque they produce. I'll be looking you up for a kit on my 65 WH 8 HP hydro. Good luck with your future projects .
Do you ever rebuild tractors for customers? If so, I have an old Bolens pipe frame tractor {early 60's vintage} that needs carb. and electrical work the rest is fine.The tractor was given to me by my next door neighbor.
Hey Norman, you shot gunning with me to bring a 30 year isolated Wheel Horse D200 back from dead in mint condition in Pittsburgh, PA, hasn't ran in over 30 years, lol, I'll need a cold one after this adventure
Amazing work, it's nice to see good work, with attention to detail, but not a "pie-in-the-sky" rebuild that costs 10s of thousands of dollars. Older Simplicity tractors are tanks!
Hey Thanks for Watching. Keep in mind this is from a 7 Part Series with sped up and cut footage. If you want to see the rebuild with more details and voiceover check out our playlist on the 4040 Project. We are already putting the machine to work. To see photos of it in Action be sure to find us on Facebook and Instagram!
Do a few sears sometime ,one single and a twin olan
I liked and subscribed, hope it helps, have a Blessed Day.
Just found one in a field. 60 inch deck with push blade. Turns over and can feel compression. Any idea what I should offer.
When you started it up there at the end. The sound the Owens engine made takes me back to the 1970s when my father was head groundskeeper for the University of Iowa and they used two AC 720 tractors for mowing and snow removal many years. The mower deck on the AC 720 is not what you see today, or most decks are stamped steel, AC and simplicity would weld up the decks out of plate steel. The only problem my dad would have is that when it was really hot in the summer and they would park the tractor for break after running it for a few hours, the engine was sometimes the vapor lock. You restoring this brought back a lot of fond memories of me and my father and the time I got to spend with him! Thank you!
What a beautiful job you did!
I bought a 4040 in 1973 with a deck mower, a 60 " tiller and Danco front loader. It had Turf tires and heavy duty tires in the front.
I used it for almost 30 years. Rebuilt the engine once and repaired the transmission once. The front kingpin axles broke several times and I made new ones. The rear wheel drive axle broke once and Case made a new one for $150. Great tractor I used it almost every day and sold it to my neighbor when I moved and he loves it and uses it a lot.
Wonderful story. Thanks for sharing!
As a John Deere guy.... I concede these are among the coolest garden tractors ever made.
You mean the most complicated and over designed tractors ever made. What exactly can this tractor do that a Sears Suburban could not do? Which would you prefer to work on?
@MrCountrycuz well for one the category 1 3 point hitch and rear PTO is immensely great to have and use. Plus the big rear tires always help a TON with traction on a small 2WD tractor. The hydraulics and hydrostatic is another highly needed feature if your going to do any real work besides mowing a field. That's just for starters.
Every Onan starts and sounds the same, with that distinct whine as they run. Unbelievably durable engines.
You earned that tractor, young man! That's beautiful.
While watching this I mixed cinnamon toast crunch with frosted mini wheats and accidentally created the greatest cereal ever created.
Great video! This man is extremely intelligent. I’ve seen some of his other videos and it seems that he knows a lot about it wide range of small garden tractors. Thank you for sharing!
Norman, OUSTANDING JOB with this restore! I truly envy your talents and thank you for putting this video together. Even without the dialog on all the issues you may have run into, was still a fascinating video to watch!
You've got me itching to finish restoring my '76 Broadmoor tractor.
What patience and dedication. You sir are a gifted fellow!
Your hoby is saving history
im a semi retired heavy equipment mechanic there is a sence of acomplishment when its done thats why we do this have brought back to life several old farm tractors over the years now working on 1956 cat 933
old garden tractors are much nicer than todays crap.
Totally incredible job with the tractor and incredible soundtrack as well......!!!!!!
Hello to you ,
Stunning Restoration
Be well
Im a sucker for this brand I don’t why but I just love them
You love them because they are awesome!
You done a great job on that rebuild, Praise God for giving You the talent to do that.
Wow I would love to own one of these. I would use it as a Mobility Scooter. Beautiful
Rewinding the stator so impressive great video
It's not much but I can't tell you how much I love you for doing what you do I wish I had a son like you ✝️✝️✝️
Awesome job Norman, you breathed new life into it
awesome job,
My favorite garden tractor allis or simplicity models like this. I have never owned one, never have pulled the trigger in getting one
Awesome Job Brother !! Lot of Work but Beautiful Tractor !!
Great job. And video. I used to have a AC 720 and this makes me really miss it. Was completely intact but always wanted to repaint it. So thanks for the video.
Beautiful Work! Very impressive
Awesome. I like seeing the whole process wrapped up in one sitting as much as the detailed repairs. Nice air filter adapting!
I had a model 4040 tractor I Started my ground maintenance business with it had many attachments 60" belly mount mower a 60inch sickle bar mower 5' rotortiller. 5' snow blower 5ft dozer blade 5ft landscape rake rear grader blade
What a great outcome on some more old iron! 👍👍
Impressive transformation, Norman! Particularly the pressing out and in of bearings and rewinding the stator. Beautiful work all around. Also shows how beneficial it is to have the right tools. I've watched Jason1Pa rebuild an old Ford 8n tractor, too. These smaller tractors really fill a need for those of us on smaller properties yet need the muscle and attachments of the big boys.
That thing is sick!
I have recently been given an Allis Chalmers lawn/garden tractor and it appears restoration may be a daunting task, but it should be fun(and expensive) but, just recently having retired, I'm up for it.
Be sure to bag, tag, or label every part you take off, so you know where to put it back on. Strip it down to the frame, power wash and paint the frame, then build it back up. Sounds like a good project to kick off your retirement.
Hey man, dont know if you have heard of the trick but its for painting rims. Get a new deck of playing cards and stick them long ways end on end overlapping just a bit and it literally takes 1 min to "tape" off the rim to paint it. My brother showed me the trick and i was so amazed at how much faster it was lol. Great video and a beautiful tractor man, congrats.
Awesome! Great looking tractor.
WAY TO GO NORMAN love all your shows great info
Nice rebuild project the Simplicity 4040 PowerMax looks like it's ready to do any thing ;-)
That's awesome. Those tires look amazing on there!
I love it. Great looking tractor. Nice job. Thanx for posting this.
The thumbnail is truly stunning! Love it.
started to watch a little whilw but couldnt stop till the whole thing was done,,,fantastic njob
Awesome job Norman !! Don’t forget about all of us that started watching these vids ! I know your busy and things are boomin and couldn’t b happier for you ! But a little more regular on these videos would be awesome !! :)
I'll try! Busy busy
Well busy is good !! So happy for you !! Always super proud of anyone living in Maine that’s killin it like you have been !!!
Nice!!! Can't wait to see it in action.
Very nice 👌 👍
Holy crap the front wheel bearings on this Simplicity Powermax are just like an old-school rear wheel drive car's front wheel bearings! And man its pretty funny to see that Onan twin is so heavy it needs an overhead engine hoist to lift it up!
This is one heck of a machine, wish i had one.
Hi nice video thumbs-up from me what you need is a sandblaster thx for sharing
You did a great job on that simplicity it look almost like new one
I’m months late, but cheers to rewiring that thing. I did the same with my Ariens GT17, she’s running beautifully now.
Just found your channel. Beautiful work. Liked and subbed
Hi, You did a very good repairing work in good Mannar. God Bless you sir.
Saludos norman feliz año Nuevo excelente video
down here in southern new England. your video sure brought back memories of lusting after one of those as a teen at a local dealer. thank you
Nice work.😎👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
@9:17 I have seen people use recipe cards overlapped instead of tape. I suppose both work just fine. Beautiful restoration! 👍
He is a national treasure!
So Awesome.!
Dang Norman!! Very well done my MAN!! I LOVE that little tractor. I wish you were closer to me,... I would love for you to rebuild my Gravely 8123-G.
That's 100% a beautiful tractor! 👹👹🇺🇸🇺🇸❤❤😍😍
I own symplicity n allice chalmers tractors i keep them up but not restored bulletproof tractors great vid my brizzo
Love the attention to detail
Awesome job Man !
looks like it just rolled of the showroom floor.Great job
Beautiful, reminds me of my dads old Simplicity
Fantastic job. Owned a lot of tractors over the years but never one of these. Now you peaked my interest. How are they plowing ?
Nice Norman she came out beautiful
Great video Norman!
Great looking tractor... I have seen your collection and you are a Master at what you do. It is also a pleasure to watch you work! 👍
AWESOME!!!!! Time to setup an infinite play loop!!
Great work.looks like it was made yesterday.
Great recap video ! I watched the actual series as you were doing the rebuild.
Brilliant job mate a lot of work you are very talented especially on the electrics well done
Man that was so Cool..
At a certain point I noticed the bottle of Valvoline Premium Blue that kept popping up in the background and started wondering where I would see it next lol. Great oil btw, I use it in all my mowers, antique tractors, and my pickup truck!
good paint job.
Nice job...
Great work as always loved every minute
I stumbled across your video and noticed Bracket machine I to am from Maine it really is a small world
Great job shes a beauty !!!!
Nicest 4040 I 've seen . You did one heck of a job on it Ivan. I've got the 20 HP version on my Wheel Horse . I love the way they rumble. And what torque they produce. I'll be looking you up for a kit on my 65 WH 8 HP hydro. Good luck with your future projects .
I love it. Good job.
Enjoyed this, nice work
That was a great rebuild enjoyed all its videos👍
Do you ever rebuild tractors for customers? If so, I have an old Bolens pipe frame tractor {early 60's vintage} that needs carb. and electrical work the rest is fine.The tractor was given to me by my next door neighbor.
That's Nice- great job
Man awesome video!! It came out great!
Perfect Restoration!
Wow! Looks awesome
Hey Norman, you shot gunning with me to bring a 30 year isolated Wheel Horse D200 back from dead in mint condition in Pittsburgh, PA, hasn't ran in over 30 years, lol, I'll need a cold one after this adventure
Beautiful tractor! What is something like that worth all restored?
Amazing work, it's nice to see good work, with attention to detail, but not a "pie-in-the-sky" rebuild that costs 10s of thousands of dollars. Older Simplicity tractors are tanks!
Great video!
Wow, mind blowing. That is really good work and I can't imagine how many hours went into that.
i have an old ford i think from the 70`s lawn tractor it looks amazing and i wish i could send it your way
Norman this has to be the best restoration you have ever done, just wow...
nicely done!
You are amazing
Awesome video
Very nice