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Changing the engine on the bike to a S&G K181 instead of the M8. It's something that's been on the to do list for a long while because it looks more "period correct". I like the curves of it instead of the boxie look of the M8. Having a difficult time fitting a gas tank without having a solid front hood to make a gas tank to replace the mimicked slotted one. Not sure why I need to add the pressure of getting it done before the show but... Somehow scrambling around like crazy with a short deadline just seems natural. Been doing it every year for about 9 years, so here we go again.

We went today to pick a for my honey. '67 657. HH60. Runs and drives great! We are going to use it here on the acreage for moving loads of firewood and also as a secondary tractor when we go down into the forest so that she can tow the splitter and I can tow the wood trailer. Only real issue a big one... Wrong color. She's going to start taking it apart tonight to correct the error of someone else's ways. Mechanically, all it needs is fluid changes to axle and engine and a good tune-up. We would love to have all the information we can about this machine. Like for starters, why is the gas tank mounted to the engine instead of in the steering tower like my B&C series? We are wondering if maybe it is a replacement engine from a snow blower or something else? And, the muffler. Another reason why I think this may be a replacement engine. It points directly to the inside of the hood and nose area blowing carbon all over the place. We definitely want this to be a quiet machine so a straight pipe is out but what can we do or what should be there? Here's some pics.

What did I do? Things that this was not meant for but it was fun to put on a show for the crowd. There was a GT pull at a local show that I was at. No serious competition, just a bunch of us having fun. After some heckling from friends I hooked my Rat Rod up for a wheelie show. No long distance pull to brag about but it was still fun.

Working on getting the front mower mounted on my 518.

Unfortunately I did not get as much time as I had liked behind the camera over the weekend. There were a lot of GT's there that I would have liked to capture on film. I did take some shots of yesterdays plowing fun. Josh plowing with Ghost Rider.Zach is following close hind so he can inspect Dad's work. Josh was nice & went back for the camera that I had left behind in the field. As long as he was there He got a shot of our work. Today the club brought in an eliminator for the garden tractors to play with. This was not a formal pull, just a bunch of us having fun. @WHX19 was the first one to hook up. I hooked my Raider12 up for a pass. After I was done pulling I passed my draw bar hitch on to @Rp.wh so that he could try giving the eliminator a tug with his Raider12. Between these 3 I believe that Ryan won the bragging rights. This Economy was almost unstoppable. A couple more shots of some of some cool gt pullers. I hooked up my Rat Rod just for laughs also.

@wallfish can’t wait to see this thing in person. We will Be first timers at the BS and this bike has become one of the things to expect there...I was an avid “bike” rider before I had kids and will likely slip back into more riding now that my kids are getting older and so I appreciate powered two wheel devices. I also like ingenuity and I see that in your scoot—big times! Good luck getting it together before the BS!

Well guys another plainfield tractor show weekend in the books first and foremost it was my first over night at a tractor show the games where a blast, second i have to thank my mom for helping me with picture becuase i sucked at taking pictures this weekend was a great show alot of vender great pulled pork sandwich, ribs steamed corn and cheese curds, it was awesome getting to talk with @PeacemakerJack and his boy @Coulter Caleb always great talking with you guys, tractor pulls saturday night was fun along with the truck pulls, sunday had garden tractor pulls @WHX19 thought he would be the show stopper but we will let him tell you about that and maybe a picture. Have to thank @Achto and @WHX19 for the help to get me to pull with the old raider for fun. Overall great weekend great friend great times!!

Rodney Burger (Lawnman_56) and I worked on two Wheel Horse aluminum gas tanks yesterday . Both had leaks from the bottom. The one piece had a newly installed plug/bung that did not have a new flat gasket around the plug. Permatex (resistent to gas and oil) was used but I made a gasket out of the grey gasket material. The two piece needed new bolts and properly sealed. A previous owner had attempted to seal the two piece tank but did not get the job done. The seal was good and saved after opening. Rodney tapped and used 8 and 10-32 stainless steel bolts 3/4 and 1/2 long. The Permeatex was used around the tank top and bottom on the seal. Here are some pics and the underneath photos show some of the differences in the one piece and two piece tanks. The one piece is 9 1/2 wide at the top of the photo. The thumbscrews go into the side on what is a more flat surface and the two piece. The two piece is 12 inches wide at the top, has a drain to the center system on the bottom and has more curved sides where the hood thumbscrews go in on the sides of the gas tank.

I almost forgot about that Ryan. While this incident made for a great shot, it could have had a bad out come. A light front end and lots of traction lead to this great shot of Jim taking off from the line with the eliminator in tow. From here it wasn't real pretty. All I can say is that Jim and his horse came out seemingly undamaged.

Richard—it’s funny that you should say that because Caleb didn’t know that I had taken that video and while he was watching it, he exclaimed, “How did you stay in the furrow while looking and videoing all around?” I jokingly replied, “your old dad has mad skills!” He he looked at me with one of those expressions that only a child can give to a parent and said, “Right.” I love being a parent—it’s full of challenges but also amazing fun times like yesterday!

Decided that for now my new AG tires will go on my C121/8speed. Dang do they look good! That's my opinion anyway

Here’s a video that I took of us plowing... Not my best work but still gives you a quick glimpse of what we were doing...

Hello...i have a c 171....🙂 i dont ils a original engine. kohler 10ch. ?

Decided to restore my Mother in Laws 1976 C-160 8 speed. I have never done anything like this before so I will be asking for help from time to time. It has been kept under shed its entire life so everything is in pretty good shape. I haven’t got the engine running yet, waiting on carburetor kit and brushes for starter. I am going to take it down to the frame and repaint undecided what paint to use, I have sprayed lacquer on wood but have never painted metal with anything other than with spray cans.

Quite possibly, the best picture ever taken of him.

Well, everyone, I joined this wonderful forum a little over a year ago and became a supporting member last August. Absolutely love the wealth of kindness and information that is available here. I want to thank you all for that. I'm not sure if I've ever been able to post in this particular category before. Today we went to rescue a 1967 657 for my honey. Yes you read that right. She bought it. HER tractor. I say rescue because as you'll see in the picture it is the wrong color. Sort of a dark grass green. Over the next few weeks or months we will change that. More pics to follow in the next few hours

I'm impressed that you were able to keep it in the furrow while panning around with the camera!

More Wheel Horse wind chimes painted, first coat of paint on the HH60, straighten in out the bugger welds on the 654 hood.

753 got a different pair of shoes for mowing duties.

Not so sure about that! As stated before my craftsmanship, when it comes to nice and / or proper, is far below the league of some members here. This is all backyard hammer mechanic engineering and you'll see what I mean when looking up close. It's a 20 footer and more photogenic than it is in person. The van will be emptied and ready right before I leave. You know the deal! Gotta work Wed. morning so last minute as usual.

That engine does look more “period correct” if that description works. Way cool!

@Aldon Great repair job!!! After looking at your workbench and the garage floor, I think I'll rename the place "The Red Haze Workshop". I'll just replace the "Purple Haze" lyric in the first cut on Jimi Hendrix's first album entitled Are You Experienced, and we can all sing along while you labor there. You now not only hold a PhD of GT 14 Repairs & Modifications, but have just attained the title Professor Emeritus of Shop Dust. You can walk down the aisle to receive your honors and the assembled Red Square gang will sing the modified song lyric as opposed listening to the the mundane and boring Pomp and Circumstance. Red haze, all in my brain Lately things they don't seem the same Actin' funny, but I don't know why Excuse me while I kiss the sky Red haze, all around Don't know if I'm comin' up or down Am I happy or in misery? What ever it is, that girl put a spell on me Help me Help me Oh, no, no Ooo, ahhh Ooo, ahhh Ooo, ahhh Ooo, ahhh, yeah! Red haze all in my eyes Don't know if it's day or night You got me blowin', blowin' my mind Is it tomorrow, or just the end of time? Ooo Help me Ahh, yea-yeah, red haze Oh, no, oh Oh, help me Tell me, tell me, red haze I can't go on like this Red haze You're makin' me blow my mind Red haze, n-no, nooo Red haze

Bonjour ... j'ai ac 171 .... 🙂 Je ne les ai pas un moteur d'origine. Kohler 10ch. ?

Got a few ..... more when I get a chance

He removes the outer 2 tires on each side for transport. They did not feel loaded when I helped him put the tires in the trailer. No visible weights hanging off of the tractor either.

Dan—never gets old seeing the ‘Rod nose to the sky! thanks for the

Well I was scheduled to fly out west for business after church. Would have been a grueling long day had it actually gone as planned. Instead, I got to airport this afternoon and my flight was cancelled. 4 hours early. Crazy! Chicago is a difficult place to travel through at least it has been for me. good news though for me as I was able to tackle the turning brakes again. And since I was supposedly flying all afternoon, I was able to work uninterrupted. Yea!!! I took pics but other than the rubber grips on the handles, not really easy to see the work I did as it’s under the fenders. I will likely improve on it a bit when I tear down for paint eventually. next project is the jack shaft for the independent hydraulic pump.

You will get plenty of armchair support. Especially with thread in restoration section. I’m tagging it so I can follow along. Nice choice for your first one:-) I say first, as the satisfaction and pride you will experience often leads to additional restoration projectS.

Good for your honey! When the wife buys the tractor, your in good. 👍 Can’t wait to see more.

Just want you folks to know that I've been thinking about picking up a face shield for quite some time. Always use safety glasses and ear protection anyways. Today we bought a face shield.

Josh, I saw that thing last fall at the meet and greet in Connecticut at @stevebo' s house. It really is a marvel of engineering when you get to looking at all the small things. You, in particular, will be more impressed than you could know.

Yup, just about exactly like that, but a much bigger grinder and smaller fragments. Yes, it does hurt - after a few minutes anyway.... Most of the disk I was using flew away from me, thankfully. What really did the damage was the smaller pieces - those were moving fast enough they buried themselves deep inside the tissue. Doc said trying to dig all the individual chunks out would result in too many infections that could go out of control and a lot of scars - so it was better to leave them alone. Had two work up to the surface last year and got them out, seems like I'll get at least one more this year. X-rays are pretty interesting, most are shaped like confetti. That picture has made a lot of laps around the 'net, that guy was lucky to be alive with that one being a cutting disk that blew into such large pieces. If you notice, something went really wrong with how that wheel was installed - the metal crush washer should never have left the spindle nut to allow it to eject the larger part of the wheel. Don't know the exact details, but something is definitely amiss there. Many of us violate the #1 rule with grinding machines - close inspection of the wheel before using, every single time. The other big one is not using the wheel guard on the tool - they can save your life and I won't run a tool without a guard. If the tool won't fit into an area with the guard, it shouldn't be there anyway and a different approach or tool is needed - that's why I have band files and die grinders w/carbides. For the cost - look into those stripping disks I linked above - they work excellent and for the money last a long time. The biggest trick to using them is not getting in a hurry - move around and let the tool do the work. If you put a lot of pressure on that type of wheel, it will fail. Sarge

Got up and did a few things this am before the rain started. Painted my RJ frame (a second rebuild that I am starting this summer) a second time. Changed two oil seals in a three piece transmission I am wanting to put on my 854 before the show (but may not get done with) and painted it. It has a hitch that is very hard to move with a rusty hitch pin ! Painted up an RJ mower deck belt guard that I can use on my RJ. Reglued a brake band . And all of this before the rain started at 7:30 am this morning!

Thanks guys, arrival depends on how fast I can pull wife away from the food pantry she manages on Wednesday!

Heh, well I've had quite a few WH's over the years. I had a B-80 I intended to restore a few years back, but some other things prevented that. This E-12 is what I grew up on and learnt to drive so it's quite sentimental. Here she is leaving my welding class after making some replacement parts and mending some things. It's had a hard life and needs just about everything imaginable repaired. Engine burns literally more oil than gas and had a loose wrist pin at one point, gouged the cyl wall. (Hence the C-160 engine). Rear end is pretty slushy. (BTW, yes that is a WH decal on the cab window)

Slammer302, I pulled the plug covers and starter. Cooling fins behind the starter were caked with mud as well as the area where the starter and fly wheel meet. Mowed after a good cleaning and the temp never got above 50% green on a 92degr day. Glad you shared!

Well I had to get ready for my business trip but that went pretty fast. Had to deal with some car stuff but I got back just early enough that I decided I’d try and spray the red. That way it could cure for 4-6 days while I am away. Worst case, I’d have to take it down to metal and prime it again. Well it it looks like it may turn out ok.

I stopped using them because they kept tossing wires at me. While we are on the topic of safety glasses, since most of us seem to be getting older.... Amazon carries safety glasses that are also readers. If anyone needs a link I can link the ones I bought, they are relatively inexpensive and work great. I bought one pair that just had a reader part like bifocals, and they gave me a headache

if you like roll pins try redoing one these the entire tractor is assembled with roll pins. lots of swearing, heat, punches, tapping, waiting, pb blaster, drilling, you name I tried it etc.etc... not in any order.

You didn't say that! Run Forest, Run! Plus you get a trip with the other half!

I can’t answer any of your questions my friend but I’m sure that someone will be along soon who can! I just want to say publicly that I’m happy for your Honey that she was able to get her own Horse! She is going to have a lot of fun making it red and beautiful again. She will also have lots of fun using it for chores around the “ranch”. That is a neat little tractor and should be well suited for the task at hand! I’ll be following along with anticipation for the next update...

Congrats to Your Honey on her first Horse—wheel horse of course! I can’t wait to see more pics and to hear the story of this one. What I’ve seen of her work already—she/you are going to do a great job or breathing new life into that beauty!

Never miss a chance to spend time like that with your dad and grandfather. Looks like a good time.

I think I'm going to make new dipsticks for my units. I think I can make servicing a lot easier, although my record of being right seems to be about five to eight percent as a life time average.

These were the kind that the people in the trailer, take a fresh bag of “squeaky” cheese curds, dump them into a special pancake batter, then deep fry them, and serve them hot! That’s what I call fresh. They don’t compare to any other cheese curds that I’ve ever had—ANYWHERE other than Wisconsin... interesting collection of Homelite saws and lawn tractors! Uncle Roger found a tractor that was the same vintage as him—1958! I had never heard of Page Garden Tractors but these were made close to home in Milwaukee, WI Nice little show...wish I could’ve stayed to see Dan pull in the Tractor Show but we had to run and take care of some other stuff this afternoon. Can’t wait to hear the full report from Jim, Dan, and Ryan!

You’ll have to ask Zach... he sure seemed to like them!

Soil conditions weren’t great despite the fact that it was sandy. About 2-3” down it seemed like concrete. However, it was still fun plowing with my family and friends... Dad on Clyde. Jason (first time plow dog) did very well on his vintage MF. Great action shot here with Caleb on Grizzly, Dan behind him, and Jim in the back Jason and Jim...more updates to come...time to eat cheese curds!

Time to go plowing! Zach and I are ready...

Updated Checklist Card. Typo corrections Let me know if you see any other errors Fixed Buckrancher, Darrinw85 and changed WHX16 to WHX?

It’s finally operational. I still need to wrestle some of the hydraulic lines into a more organized fashion but everything works. Since the PF Engineering plans are for a Cub several things needed to be modified. I have put on few notes/comments below that I hope might help others. I will go in to more detail on my notes if someone asks. I will also post some more pics after I tidy things up a bit more. 1. The subframe needs to be built for a WH. The Cub attaches completely differently. I attached at six locations to spread the load. 2. The pump mount mounts on the side for WH instead of in front for the Cub. 3. If I did another I would extend the lift arms about 4”. My bucket was too close to the front tires. I added spacers to my mounting points to get clearance so I didn’t have to modify my subframe. You could also move the towers forward on the subframe but I would rather keep the weight as far back on the tractor as possible. 4. To make my plumbing clear my lift arms and my cylinders I had to reverse my lift cylinders. This makes it a little tricky to fasten the hydraulic lines for the lift cylinders since there is so much movement when extending and retracting. In hind sight I would probably lower my suction/filter line to gain clearance for the cylinder but I like having the filter high and tight like it is now. 5. I don’t like that the design uses all hoses instead of hard lines on the arms. It’s not a very clean look. I may change that some day. 6. Finally, if you can find one it would be much cheaper to buy a used loader and refurbish it and build a subframe if needed. I had a lot of the steel but it was still expensive by the time I bought the pump, lines, fittings, control unit, etc. I’m no expert by any means but I’ve learned a lot. If I can help in any way, let me know.