David Brown 885

[Selectamatic]

It'll probably be an oil bath air cleaner, a paper element was optional but I've never seen one.
This is from my 990/5/6 operators manual
View attachment 775520 View attachment 775522
If the wire mesh element has a lot of hay/straw/rushes in it I usually set it on fire to clean it, don't forget to take the rubber sealing ring off if you do this.

Proof you need to have a few more joints in your hand to work on a David Brown, look at this chap's hand!!

 

[manfromhill]

They always are a bugger if stuck to get off with out oiling the battery
Have got a new to me 885 coming this week will need to do the usual health checks myself when it comes

 

[Exfarmer]

I would definitely take the bonnet right off first, before attmpting removal for the first time. Be prepared to lose skin as well
DONT use a large hammer, screw driver and a lump of wood best

 

[Courier]

I would definitely take the bonnet right off first, before attmpting removal for the first time. Be prepared to lose skin as well
DONT use a large hammer, screw driver and a lump of wood best

Totally agree. Taking the bonnet of is a 15 second one man job once you have removed the air pre-cleaner and the silencer and a wing nut and two springs.

 

[Courier]

Totally agree. Taking the bonnet of is a 15 second one man job once you have removed the air pre-cleaner and the silencer and a wing nut and two springs.

Oops, just gone to beginning of thread - it’s got a cab and a loader on - makes things a little more awkward.

 

[Exfarmer]

Luckily it has the quick attach front guard, with that out the way it is just a matter of removing exhaust, air cleaner, and fuel cap.
Undo spring clips and the wing nut at the flont of the bonnet. Lift front and gently wiggle bonnet off forward.
Make sure the box of plasters and some wipes are ready to hand.

 

[New Puritan]

Ha ha - thanks @Exfarmer and others. I'll be getting the bonnet off anyway as I need to drain the fuel system (again) - I clearly missed something last time, and the only way to get at the injectors is to get the bonnet off. I have to say it took a little longer than @Courier 's 15 seconds, but actually it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be (I thought at one point I was going to have to take the cab off).

 

[Netherfield]

When you put the pre-cleaner back on rub a smear of grease inside the pipe, sometimes if left for a while they can get tight and hard to remove.

 

[Courier]

Ha ha - thanks @Exfarmer and others. I'll be getting the bonnet off anyway as I need to drain the fuel system (again) - I clearly missed something last time, and the only way to get at the injectors is to get the bonnet off. I have to say it took a little longer than @Courier 's 15 seconds, but actually it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be (I thought at one point I was going to have to take the cab off).

Think yourself lucky it isn’t an MF 135 that would have taken much longer and probably would have needed destroy many rusted small nuts and bolts and buy new to re-assemble.

 

[Netherfield]

Funny the things you keep remembering, the pipe under the seat, which is the return from the loader valve block, it has a habit of splitting or perishing, and then you lose a lot of oil before you realise what's happened, although it's possible it a plastic pipe and not rubber like the early one's had.

 

[New Puritan]

Updating this thread... I'm still having trouble with the fuel on the 885. The little glass bowl on the lift pump is leaking, and I think air is getting in and it causes the tractor to splutter.

A bit of internet searching and it looks like there should be a gauze in there, and the seal has gone too. I've found the gauzes for sale easily enough, but can anyone tell me what the seal is called, or have a part number? There's a bewildering range of seals &etc. out there which look sort of 'wrong', and few sites ever describe exactly where the part should go.

I've got some new back tyres on it now, slightly larger than it had before, and it's looking quite good. I forgot to take any photos of it, but will do so in due course.

I also finally got round to cleaning the air filters - thank you to those who told me how to do this earlier (incl. advising to remove the battery first). It gave me the chance to clean years of muck out of the front - the oil bath has a label on it saying it should be cleaned once a week, I reckon it had been left untouched for decades. It's all looking quite clean & shiny in there now.

 

[Boohoo]

Updating this thread... I'm still having trouble with the fuel on the 885. The little glass bowl on the lift pump is leaking, and I think air is getting in and it causes the tractor to splutter.

A bit of internet searching and it looks like there should be a gauze in there, and the seal has gone too. I've found the gauzes for sale easily enough, but can anyone tell me what the seal is called, or have a part number? There's a bewildering range of seals &etc. out there which look sort of 'wrong', and few sites ever describe exactly where the part should go.

I've got some new back tyres on it now, slightly larger than it had before, and it's looking quite good. I forgot to take any photos of it, but will do so in due course.

I also finally got round to cleaning the air filters - thank you to those who told me how to do this earlier (incl. advising to remove the battery first). It gave me the chance to clean years of muck out of the front - the oil bath has a label on it saying it should be cleaned once a week, I reckon it had been left untouched for decades. It's all looking quite clean & shiny in there now.

Most common parts can be got on Ebay. Seal kits are available for the lift pumps but I wouldn't bother with them. For not much more you'll buy a new lift pump and I'd replace the lift pump drive pin while you're at it. Leaking lift pumps have twice filled the sump with diesel on our 996 and we were plagued with it stopping when the fuel level dropped which turned out to be a worn drive pin.

 

[Selectamatic]

@New Puritan your obviously a convert!

If the gauze has gone, possibly someone decided to remove it, as there was sh!t in th tank and was continually blocking it...?

If it's as bad as it sounds, get a replacement, they are only £50 odd, you will need a gasket too between the pump and block, usually comes with a replacement pump.

Notice how you have a very small bowl, replacement ones are much longer, with can interfere with opening the tool box lid, or getting the filler/dipstick out.

Barclay Williams, David Brown parts specialists will have what you need.

When you take the lift pump off, have a look at the drive plunger the bit that drives the tongue of the pump, if it is worn on the ends, get a new one. A worn one of these nearly drove me to drink once!!

 

[New Puritan]

Thanks, once again, @Boohoo & @Selectamatic ... I will replace the lift pump. What's the correct name of the thing you both refer to as well - the drive plunger / drive pin? I haven't taken the old pump off yet but will investigate when I do later this week.

Many thanks!

 

[Selectamatic]

Thanks, once again, @Boohoo & @Selectamatic ... I will replace the lift pump. What's the correct name of the thing you both refer to as well - the drive plunger / drive pin? I haven't taken the old pump off yet but will investigate when I do later this week.

Many thanks!

This is what you need, if the ends are worn, the pump is not as effective at pumping, they should be sharp and square...

http://gb.sparex.com/fuel-lift-pump-push-rod-65650.html

 

[New Puritan]

Great! Thank you @Selectamatic .

 

[New Puritan]

It lives!

I replaced the lift pump and the drive pin, bled the system through and it now runs quite nicely. I then noticed a wren's nest in the corner of the cab, so I put it back in the barn until they've finished with it, so I still can't use the bloody thing.

I say 'noticed' - a wren flew out as I drove it out the barn, and took a dump on me.

 

[Selectamatic]

Tidy thing! Looks well on new tyres!

 

[New Puritan]

This little tractor has been great since I sorted the fuel problems and put better tyres on it.

Would it be a bad idea to fit duals on the back? I like the idea of using a light tractor with minimal ground pressure where I can, but I vaguely recall someone saying DBs don't like duals due to something to do with the back axle?

 

[Selectamatic]

This little tractor has been great since I sorted the fuel problems and put better tyres on it.

Would it be a bad idea to fit duals on the back? I like the idea of using a light tractor with minimal ground pressure where I can, but I vaguely recall someone saying DBs don't like duals due to something to do with the back axle?

I’ve never fitted them myself, but was told by a expert on them that the dual wheels cause reduction hub problems, as do running them with mega wide track setting...