JVS student rebuilds tractor transmission for class project

A Jefferson County Joint Vocational School student is putting hands-on skills to work by rebuilding a transmission as part of a class project.

Jaxon Wiley, a junior in the power mechanics program and an Edison High School student, has spent nearly three months rebuilding the transmission on an Allis-Chalmers 190XT tractor. The decades-old tractor needed an internal overhaul, requiring Wiley and several classmates to take the transmission apart and rebuild it.

“We completely split the transmission apart,” Wiley said. “The rear of it was down to the bare bones. We took out the gears, added new bearings, a clutch, all new seals and injectors. We got it running and will send the injection pump to a shop in Wooster to be rebuilt.”

Wiley began the project in October with help from classmates Brecken Banovsky, Josh McNally and Drake Givens. He said the tractor, which dates to the 1970s or 1980s, was purchased specifically for the project, and he plans to use it once the work is complete.

“We just bought it for me to have as a project,” he said. “It was already painted and we redid all of the mechanical parts.”

Wiley, the son of Ron and Jamie Wiley of Amsterdam, said he plans to use the tractor’s 110 PTO horsepower at the family’s 300-acre farm, where they raise cows, chickens and show pigs. He said the training he has received through the JVS program has helped him complete the project and prepare for a future career.

“This summer, I’m planning to start a landscaping business and work on the family farm. I’m also interested in being an airplane mechanic,” he said. “I’ve always been hands-on, and being able to come to school to do what I love really helps me a lot.”

Wiley said he has learned to build engines of various sizes and has helped train classmates for certification on the aerial lift, scissor lift and forklift.

“I’ve always wanted to start a business, and this has helped me learn on my own and work with my peers,” he said.

Instructor Fred Jones said the project was a strong fit for Wiley.

“It’s a big job, and I’m proud of him for getting it done,” Jones said. “The students worked well together, and great job skills have come out of this project.”