400 LP regulators

What are the chances of finding a good regulator? (some call them "evaporators")

When I bought my W-400 LP ten years ago, the liquid line had been removed. It ran OK on the vapor line but I never worked it hard. Now the vapor side is no good. The tractor will only run if I just barely crack the vapor valve at the tank. Too little fuel is just as bad as too much.

I went to the archives and found a guy who sells overhaul kits. $80 for some gaskets, o-rings, rubber valve seats, and two flat diaphrams. The kit arrived in 3 days and I disassembled the regulator. Lots of rust in there on the low pressure side. I can't understand why that should be so. If they are prone to rusting, why didn't Ensign use stainless steel or brass?

Anyway, the low pressure spring has been reduced to a few unconnected coils. The steel partition plate is heavily rusted. It may not look like much after I sandblast it. The low pressure valve maybe serviceable for now but will eventually need to be replaced.

So the question is: Am I going to luck out and find a good regulator or will they all have one foot in the grave? The damage cannot be determined until the regulator is off the tractor and disassembled.

Where did you get the overhaul kit from for the rgulator?? My high cotton is an lp and I would say it hasn"t in atleast 15 to 20 years. That is awesome that you have a w400 lp, that is only the second one I have heard of!!! Man I would love to find one of those!

Everhart 2way & LPG Supply
Rt. 169
Lone Wolf, Okla.
580-846-5633

I suppose LP W models are kinda rare but hadn't considered that aspect of the tractor. We don't have any LP tractors in New England and I wanted something other than gas or diesel if both fuels became hard to get in the future.

I think I paid Mark Mathis in Cairo, MO $1800 for the nice running tractor. I think it spent alot of time on the PTO. Might have pumped water.

Guys, Good to see ya'll doing your homework in getting Everharts info!
I would like to think that finding another regulator from a tractor out of the South Plains, or High Plains area of Texas, Okla, Kansas should not have an excessive amount of rust on the Low pressure side as yours has.
You might call Bozeman Machinery and Salvage @ Lubbock,Texas,(800-766-2076) they would be more likely to have one. Since the South Plains region of Texas was littered with LP tractors at one time
Later,
John A.

Wardner, They use a Ensign "w" model. I saw one on ebay and it had buy it now 50 or make offer...I offered 15 bucks, he took it AND IT WORKS. I was in disbelief but it did. Now I have a 400 and a 450 that run but need work (both LP). Never can have too many projects waiting....I guess.....

Yep, I looked at eBay last night. There is a carb and regulator on there now. This is why I started this thread. I wanted to know what were the chances that I might be buying junk if I am low bidder.

I don't want to go back to the kit supplier. I thought that $80 was kinda steep for the kit. Shouldn't he have included a lousy little spring as well? And it's annoying that he only ships COD, no credit cards accepted. That ads $10 plus the inconvenience of chasing the package at the Post Office. And it would have been nice if he had included good assembly instructions and procedures for adjusting the carb and regulator.

Fully agree that the kit should include ALL parts necessary and at least a photo copy of the way it should go back. As for the COD...now you are talking my part of the woods, SW KS, NW OK.....people down here don't like change very much. If I know who you are talking about he is older and while a very nice guy, like most here, kinda dry and to the point. I wish you could come here and visit, it would be like where you live 30 years ago. We like it that way. You might like it and leave the North East. Plenty of iron of all makes and plenty of good people.

Wardner, I Have a SMTA on L.P.with the w reg and a Case LA on L.P. with the larger ensign reg. Had the same problems your having went to salvage yards bought all regs I could find and they all had bad rot inside. This is in calif. I sent them to a Welters Farm supply in Verona Mo. and they rebuilt for me. They make the parts that are bad. They are M.M. people but a little begging and they came through for me. Good luck,and please do not go modern on reg ,It changes the whole look of the propane setup.

Redgems,

Your info is discouraging but you confirmed that most older regulators will have problems.

My local IH dealer can get the spring thru an obsolete parts house. The partition plate only restrains the movement of the low pressure diaphram and is not subject to a pressure differential from either side. It can probably be cleaned up and epoxy coated. It might be a good preventive measure to remove the idle adjustment screw and squirt something like WD-40 periodically. The silicone spray should help.

I will get the Ensign regulator to function. No plans to upgrade to anything else.

Thanks for the Welters Farm Supply lead.

Railhead,

Thanks for the invitation but I ain't going anywhere except to visit. But it might be a good idea to expand my visitation schedule during the miserable months of January and February.

My friend we welcome you here anytime but winter brings terrible misery here too. You have to get South and East of say Denton Texas to have any type of nice winter. The panhandles of OK and TX and even West Texas are just miserable cold. I have been in Minn, WI etc in the winter, not any worse than we get it. some days the wind never slows. they always say theres nothing between here and the north pole except a barbed wire fence or two.

I have a nice 400 all - fuel,just wanted to find out how many farmall 400 all-fuel's were built,or where to get the info. Thanks