[ericforster]

I revived a montgomery wards 14 hydrostatic model # gil33048c. It has a leak where the hydraulic line connects to a fitting on the side of the ram. The ram doel not have enough power to lift the rototiller attachment, but it will hold it in the up position if you manually lift it. I cant figure out how to change the rear end fluid or what fluid is appropriate. It has a filter on the side so it should be serviceable. Any help is appreciated.

 

[Bob Driver]

Monkey Wards was like a Sears Craftsman, Wards didn't actually build the tractor, they farmed it out. The "gil" in the serial # tells you it's really a GILSON..... I can't really tell from the photo you posted with the side view, but it looks like a Gilson 53003 or 53004 S-14 to me. Gilson liked to run Tecumseh/Peerless transmissions and that sounds like bad news because Tecumseh is long gone, but Tecumseh owned Peerless so you can start figuring out the transmission from there...... My wild guess would be it's either a 2400, or 2500 series Peerless. I've attached a link to a Peerless Service Manual. The Peerless 2400 and 2500 series of hydros are covered in chapters 15 & 16. The main difference to ID if I'm correct is ....... On the 2400 Peerless the hydraulic motor mounts on the right side of the transaxle. On a 2500 Peerless the hydraulic motor mounts to the front of the transaxle. My guess would also be it ran either an Eaton 10, or Eaton 11 hydraulic pump..... I'm doing a lot of guessing without actually seeing the transaxle, but maybe this will help....

Gilson S-14

Tecumseh/Peerless Transaxle PDF

 

[ericforster]

Monkey Wards was like a Sears Craftsman, Wards didn't actually build the tractor, they farmed it out. The "gil" in the serial # tells you it's really a GILSON..... I can't really tell from the photo you posted with the side view, but it looks like a Gilson 53003 or 53004 S-14 to me. Gilson liked to run Tecumseh/Peerless transmissions and that sounds like bad news because Tecumseh is long gone, but Tecumseh owned Peerless so you can start figuring out the transmission from there...... My wild guess would be it's either a 2400, or 2500 series Peerless. I've attached a link to a Peerless Service Manual. The Peerless 2400 and 2500 series of hydros are covered in chapters 15 & 16. The main difference to ID if I'm correct is ....... On the 2400 Peerless the hydraulic motor mounts on the right side of the transaxle. On a 2500 Peerless the hydraulic motor mounts to the front of the transaxle. My guess would also be it ran either an Eaton 10, or Eaton 11 hydraulic pump..... I'm doing a lot of guessing without actually seeing the transaxle, but maybe this will help....

Gilson S-14

Tecumseh/Peerless Transaxle PDF

I found that you have to remove the right rear wheel and tip the machine on its left side to fill. The fill plug is just before the oil filter.atfer sitting so long, the seals in the cylinder dried out and now leak. I spent three hours today removing the cylinder. They didnt make this machine simple to work on.

 

[Bob Driver]

I found that you have to remove the right rear wheel and tip the machine on its left side to fill. The fill plug is just before the oil filter.atfer sitting so long, the seals in the cylinder dried out and now leak. I spent three hours today removing the cylinder. They didnt make this machine simple to work on.

Hey if it was easy, you'd have seen Forrest Gump actually work on that Snapper RER just as well as my hero Karl Childers, rather than just riding around mowin' and pining for Jenny

 

[ericforster]

Hey if it was easy, you'd have seen Forrest Gump actually work on that Snapper RER as well as my hero Karl Childers, rather than just riding around mowin' and pining for Jenny

Do you know where I can find a new replacement cylinder for the gil33048c? I am haveing a hard time finding a part # or anything for this tractor.

 

[Bob Driver]

Do you know where I can find a new replacement cylinder for the gil33048c? I am haveing a hard time finding a part # or anything for this tractor.

Can you post a picture of the cylinder? There are all kinds of replacement options if we know the dimensions and the ram/barrel configuration. Gilson went out of business 35 years ago (1988), so any new chassis parts for a 1970's, 50 year old lawn tractor they made are going to be almost impossible to find.

You should have a cast iron Briggs L-head in it (model #320424) according to the specs for an S-14 I'm seeing.... You don't have to worry about parts for that, they are still readily available, both new and aftermarket. Here's a link from the Resource Section of this forum that will take you to the PDF Briggs Factory Service Manual for L-Heads to help get/keep it going. The carburetor is probably going to be an updraft Briggs Flo-jet (part # 391070) They are kind of tricky to take apart/reassemble without breaking/cracking the brass mixing tube and have them leak after you get it back together, unless you've done a lot of them. My suggestion would be to just buy a new aftermarket replacement for well under $50. You'll save yourself a whole lot of time and frustration if it needs carb work. Here's also a link to a new replacement 391070 on Amazon that I've had good luck with working just fine

Briggs L-Head Service Manual

Briggs 391070 Carb $37

Post a picture of the cylinder with both length/diameter dimensions and we'll start helping you shop. There's probably no easy route to finding a "repack kit", but you never know until you try

 

[Bob Driver]

Here's a link to the PDF Parts Manual for a 1972 Gilson S-series..... It covers both the manual and hydro-static transaxles. The chassis parts should be close to the same for your Monkey Wards 14

Gilson Parts Manual PDF

 

[ericforster]

Here's a link to the PDF Parts Manual for a 1972 Gilson S-series..... It covers both the manual and hydro-static transaxles. The chassis parts should be the same for your Monkey Wards 14

Gilson Parts Manual PDF

Thank you

 

[Bob Driver]

Thank you

Gilson cylinder part # is supposed to be 12033 according to that manual.... I just read where a Bolens B-8278 is close to the same and will probably fit. Does your cylinder look like this? If so, that's a pretty common cylinder configuration, just need to know the diameter and stroke length

Here's a link to the thread on another Forum....

Gilson Hyd Cylinder Thread

 

[ericforster]

Gilson cylinder part # is supposed to be 12033 according to that manual.... I just read where a Bolens B-8278 is close to the same and will probably fit. Does your cylinder look like this? If so, that's a pretty common cylinder configuration, just need to know the diameter and stroke length

View attachment 84556

Here's a link to the thread on another Forum....

Gilson Hyd Cylinder Thread

That looks like it

 

[Bob Driver]

That looks like it

That size/configuration hydraulic cylinder is going to run at least $100+ for your 50 year old lawn tractor..... If it is just for deck lift, a 12VDC , 8" stroke, 1320 lbs linear actuator that would more than do the job will run less than $50, if you got clearance in the chassis to make it fit. Just plug off the hydraulic lines, install a 3-position rocker switch on the dash, and a reversing relay..... Less than $70 for everything and no chance for eventual hydraulic leaks

Installing Linear Actuator for Deck Lift