franklin q80

[woodmaker]

   Hi all. I recently purchased a Franklin q80 with a bad 5.9 cummins. As soon as it warms up and drys out ,I will pull the existing motor and begin the swap process. Does anyone out there have an operators manual for a q 80?
I would be interested in purchasing a manual,or if you still have your machine,would pay to have yours copied. I would really like to get some idea of the maintenance schedule for this machine. Please message me back if you think you could help,or, if you have any experience with these machines,could give a newbie some advice on any quirks they might have . thanks

[BargeMonkey]

 That didn't look like a bad machine, saw it for sale on FB. Motor swap isn't to bad into a franklin, whole hood comes off 😂

[woodmaker]

Thanks. The machine is fairly clean,but it wasn't as good as the pictures on craigslist .The owner had swapped off some of the tires (and ice chains ) onto another machine,and the tires he put on were pretty rough,but the price reflected that,and he said he had some old chains that i could have when he could find them under the snow.I'll worry about tires after i get it running.

[kiko]

Whether you build or replace that 5.9 , make sure you put in a double lip rear main seal.   The Franklin has a wet converter and with a regular rear main it can push tranny fluid into the engine.

[woodmaker]

Thanks,Kiko,  I probably would have missed that one. I bought a 12 valve engine out of a dodge pickup ,and decided to roll in new bearings and replace the rear main seal when I had the pan off to swap them(front sump vs.rear sump).I will make sure I use the number off the skidder seal when I order the replacement.

[bsoper]

Curious how you made out with your q80? I own one myself and love the machine. Also have a couple 170s.

[woodmaker]

Some of the sheet metal is off,but the motor is seized,so you cant undo the converter bolts. Right now ,its fairly low on the priority list.