ADLM, I considered myself a novice, and I pulled it off. I used the IH Service Manual, the I&T Shop Manual, and a parts manual, all of which I got from BinderBooks. That said, I don"t think they would have sufficed for ME without the help of those other guys and this forum. But that"s just me. I asked a bazillion questions, and patiently awaited answers before proceeding. If you"re quick to anger and bull-headed, ya might run into problems! I can"t tell you how heavy the engine is, but an engine stand is necessary, as was a "cherry-picker" for removing the engine from the tractor. Not good to risk bending critical parts by trying to "muscle" off the engine. I could lift the block, no problem, but only after the head, crank, and flywheel were off. I"ve assumed you"ve used wrenches and sockets before. You think that you have that "mechanic"s feel", that sense of how hard to torque a nut without risking breaking a stud? Nothing to ruin your day like breaking things. Have a torque wrench? You HAVE to have one, for the engine internals. Even then, the manuals don"t say a lot about how much torque to use beyond the rod and main caps, and flywheel. You have a place to do this indoors? Can you be meticulous with cleanliness when putting it back together, and methodical with laying things out, labeling nuts and bolts, doing things in proper order, taking notes? Many things have to go back exactly from where they came, lifters, connecting rods, etc. Can"t just pile things on a table. Are you prepared for some expense? You can probably expect some unforeseen problems. I had to buy a new-used crank, ($125), and the machine shop work on the block, head, crank, and connecting rods was several hundreds, plus $300 for the engine kit. And are you prepared for a good bit of frustration? You can expect to run into hassles, stuck bolts, broken parts, tools you can"t find beg or borrow, etc. I got angry, frustrated, disgusted, despairing, and that was just getting the main pulley off. It"ll be a journey! If none of this gets you going, and you can do without your tractor for awhile this time of year, hey, why not. Engines don"t get any simpler. It"s gotta be your call though. I"d feel bad if you tackled it on my advice, and got lost halfway through. And I"d sure like to hear that you have some knowledgable help somewhere down your road, if you need it!
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