Leaderboard

National Saxophone Day is celebrated on November 6, on the birthday of Antoine-Joseph ‘Adolphe’ Sax, the inventor of the saxophone. This soulful instrument has a rich history and musical range. We love the saxophone and what it brings to both the classical- and jazz music worlds. This incredibly unique musical invention is the only instrument to be created by solely one person as well as being the woodwind family’s only brass instrument. Through the ages, the saxophone has a long legacy for its contributions to music by the likes of classical saxophonist Marcel Mule and the famous jazz musician Charlie Parker to name a few. Adolphe Sax invented the saxophone in 1841 and patented it in 1846. Born in Dinant, now known as Belgium, this Belgian inventor is also famously known for his several near-death experiences in his childhood. To name a few, he survived falling down three flights of stairs, a gunpowder explosion, and swallowing pins in watered-down sulphuric acid thinking it was milk! Despite all these misfortunes, he lived to invent the saxophone, which would become a great modern contribution to the music world. Having studied the flute and the clarinet, Sax invented many musical instruments before the saxophone. He created various ‘sax’ brass instruments including the saxtuba, saxotromba, and the saxhorn. However, these instruments never received the same popularity in the musical community as the saxophone did and quickly faded into non-existence.

Found a praying mantis on the shop floor today. I don't have much of a project going other than trying to solder some LED lights to make them blink or represent a campfire for the model train layout. I wrote "trying" because, it's getting harder to see where to solder and then my hands don't seem to be as steady as I need to solder these tiny connections. Thus I decided to take a break and that's when I found this praying mantis. It was probably 3~3 1/2" long. This bug entertained me off and on all afternoon. It didn't seem to have any place to go and spent most of the day on the spare folding chair in the shop. The most it moved was when I put it on the back of my hand and it would immediately crawl up the sleeve of my flannel shirt to which, up near my shoulder, I would allow it to crawl up onto the back of my other hand where it would start it's journey again. I killed a fly and a fed it to the mantis and a dying cricket as well. As I watched, it would use it front legs to hold the back legs and bring them to his face for grooming. It's days are numbered because we are expecting low twenties early next week. I zoomed in close and made a video of this creature so that the grandkids enjoyed at supper this evening. They were fascinated and so was I.

You sure do not want to run them very fast because they will shake themselves apart. I mow at just a bit above idle for that very reason.

I believe it’s the 26th and 27th this year. But for some of us really crazy people it’s turned into Thursday,Friday and Saturday. Not just Friday and Saturday! Usually by Saturday after my wife leaving me there for the three days she says “Haven’t you had enough of this?” And my answer is always no!

Another project going on here simultaneously with the yoke is another batch of hand planes .I just get bored with myself and am always looking at something else to start, always having at least two things going at the same time. This is a batch of 39 planes which are my signature tool and used to be carried many years ago by a prominent tool company in NYC. I have made quite a few of these in the past and it’s something I always enjoyed. Why 39 asked my oldest grandson. Well, I think 40 would put me over the edge and discourage me. With very few exceptions all the work is done with hand tools. The exceptions are due to the quantity being made so it expedites things a bit, otherwise ye olde shoppe gets backed up. I have been at it for a little while and I will demonstrate the process as I go along.

Work started Friday of last week on my new workshop. Friday the footing was dug out, inspection on Monday, and then framing started yesterday. Everything is delayed about half a day due to the weather last Thursday. Proposed finish date is before Thanksgiving. Roofing went on today: And of course the kids had to climb. The inside wall will be attached to the old roof, and the whole roof redone: I've had issues with the scale. I measured the footprint in the shop at work before settling on dimensions, but without anything there to give a sense of scale it feels "wrong". So I got out the tape measure and some cinder block and started adding some points of reference. The two blocks against the wall are the foot-print of my bigger (home) tool box, approx 6x2. The other two out farther are roughly the spacing and position I want for the lift. With those in place it is starting to look more like how I'd expected size-wise.

Looked on the WHCC Facebook page but found nothing. Going further down the internet search options I found this helpful AI offering. Don't think AI has their s**t together. The Wheel Horse Collectors Club has not yet announced its official 2026 show schedule, but some dates are being discussed or tentatively planned for later shows, such as the Third Saturday of September 2026 or December 13, 2025, and January 10, 2026. You can stay updated by following the club's social media or checking their website for announcements. Could someone who actually knows fill us in.

The even crazier folks like me have even started the festivities on Wednesday!

The Kohler Magnum series was a continuation or improvement on the K-series. Good engines, as good and if not better than the K-series. The Command series replaced the Magnum series and was also great engines. The only Kohler engine series to avoid is the Courage, with its plastic internal parts.

Yesterday I closed down the garden for the season. Pulled the plants that were still standing, chucked them onto the ground then used the 520H with mower deck set at a low height and ground them up. I'd rather do this than put on compost pile where I might spread disease to next year's crop. I gathered the okra, green beans, jalipinos, green peppers but didn't have enough for anything but stir fry. Cut up some smoked ham and onions harvested earlier and those with the forementioned vegtables made a pretty good supper. Also fried a skillet full of green tomatoes. Suppose to get into low twenties early next week so may cover the turnips and see if they can finish growing. For some reason--probably really hot and dry this past summer--some of the plants didn't do so well especially the second planting. The picture is my gardening set-up from earlier in the season. The closest raised bed is asparagus (I've seeded it with spores from morel mushrooms in hopes that perhaps/maybe to harvest morels from it in the future) To the right is thornless blackberries, then the green cattle tubs one with mint for iced tea and the other for plants that climb the cattle panel arch. Finally the main raised garden with another cattle panel arch and cattle feed tubs. Beyond and out of picture are two peach trees and three cherry trees that I hope start producing next year.

Got it. Perhaps a "when you have the time" project would be to fab a pair of homemade weights using the WH spacing. Both my 854 and C81 have a dedicated set of barbell plate weights - different hole spacing. I have a guy locally that buys & sells used gym equipment - his selection of incomplete weight sets is rather extensive. Tapping cast iron is a chore - the grain structure of those castings is quite coarse; much more difficult to drill & tap than Machine Tool fine grain castings. I recall using a carbide masonry bit to get the holes started...

I have had this metal building steel around 40 years decided to make a front weight out of it. Got it cut out and tacked together. Turn into a joint project with Kevin as he welded it up. Had enough steel left so I cut another one for Kevin. It has around 2" of sheet lead inside. Best guess it weights 50 #.

@Beap52 you're lucky... if she was courting you and had succeeded, she would have eaten you.

One reason I used a 5/8" bolt in the hitch is you can tighten it once it's in the hitch. Stops any movement. The wheels came off a trailer that why the don't have weight holes.

The one disadvantage to Vanguard engines (if one exists) is that they are much lighter than a Kohler. Since Don and I both have more than one machine with a Vanguard in it, the box makes sense that it can quickly move from one to the other. Also mine have 1 inch spindles and none of my wheel weights fit.

As they say “Vote early and vote often” 😂😂😂😂

Richard Daley’s Chicago mantra. Our county switched to electronic voter tracking three years ago. You sign in using a stylus on a tablet and the poll clerk compares it to your registered signature on their laptop screen. Prior to that there were big bound pre-printed books; one for each district for each election (~150 districts). You checked in by signing in ink in your spot on the page. The county keeps a secure storage area with thousands of those books from over 100 years of elections!

Another suggestion on wiring - Your WH did not come with an inline fuse to protect the starting and charging systems. DO consider adding one - a blade style in a closed weatherproof holder- especially if you are going to keep the OE ammeter. When those fail, it can result in a direct short to ground, and then things "heat up".

The 21st is Father's day so the 26th and 27th

Good move Mike. But as you know you see something on the net say to your self Man I would like to have that. It’s like collecting tractors I believe it’s the same sickness.

It looks like using the later PTO pulley you would be overdriving it speedwise. Can you use a larger driven pulley - bigger than the PTO one - to underdrive it??

I’ve shaken one to bits and it was my custom front mount mower. https://www.wheelhorseforum.com/topic/82286-alright-db-front-mount-sickle-bar-on-a-wheel-horse/?page=5&tab=comments#comment-883507 Seven Fifty Me currently has a broken sickle bar itself. Only about 18” cuts https://www.wheelhorseforum.com/topic/108858-seven-fifty-me/?tab=comments#comment-1186818 Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment! I do know, I’ve probably used these for a little more than they were designed to cut, and they lasted longer than they should have!

Yessir. Years ago I got into the habit of using a seven wire trailer harness to build my own tractor harnesses. Most of the wires are 14 gauge. I tend to use 12 gauge for the main power feed. I also make my own battery cables. Gauge varies a little on those.

Welcome! So... how extensive do you need to go with this?? Engine smokes on startup or all the time? Axle seal weeping or the Unidrive not shifting properly?? The extent of the issues determines whether your tractor is either the parts donor or recipient of a rebuild.... All it takes is time and money. Wiring - perhaps @ebinmaine can give some insight as to wire gauge sizes and quality connector terminals. He has done a few... Watch the classifieds section here for possible additional tractors for sale in your area - Horses are herd beings, ya can't have one without a companion....

Awesome. We like bugs here too. Trina's really good at zooming in for the right shot. For scale, the "rope" is a shoelace.

I have a 416-8 with the Kohler Magnum 16hp engine. No muffler and it needs a battery. Starts quickly and doesn't smoke. The trans fulid is milky and needs changed....I'll give you the 90-140wt gear lube 5 qt jug. Seat isn't the best, but useable. $500---come and get it. N/W PA---40m south of Lake Erie at zip 16433 416-_CARB.AVI

No, definitely do not want that to happen! Especially what all is involved getting one set up and running!

OMG stop!

That is a super nice tractor!! With all the right modifications, a Kohler is definitely the right engine for it. And the round fenders to match the earlier models just ties it all together.

The early parts of construction can be very deceptive. You’ll be fine! Forty years ago we built our house. I was a newb and taking on the GC role for the construction. After the foundation hole was dug and the footers were in I got in my head that it just wasn’t right. After getting my wife to help me climbing in and out and measuring everything, at least three times, I realized that it was EXACTLY right. After that, I tried to be a little more chill and it all worked out!

I'm pretty excited for this. It's something we have been planning for about 15 years, since we bought our first house. I've been working with the builder since February, and it's finally coming together.

it is easy to go down the rabbit hole with these. I have two medium quality sets. Today these would be USD 40 and 15 respectively. It is easy to get light duty for less and “mechanic” or “production” quality for much, much more (for example with spiral flutes for more precise work, and special alloys for long tool life--think USD 300 and up). One set has six fine thread taps and dies and six coarse thread taps and dies. 26 pieces all together including the handles. The dies are for cutting threads (the round style vs. the hex-shaped ones intended for chasing threads). They are sized in inches (SAE) ¼, 5/16, ⅜, 7/16, and ½”. These correspond to the most common sizes I see on the WH tractors and other projects and have served me well for many years of light use. The other has only taps sized for screws #4 to #8 in both coarse and fine thread -- these are commonly used by electricians for electrical boxes and panels. I need them only rarely (they were a gift) and only once (so far) on a WH!

I did the "early" voting thing last year. Although the elections office lady will very sternly tell you "It's not early voting, it's 'in person mail in voting' as if that's not a contradiction in terms. My response was "Whatever you want to call it lady, it's the third Friday of October, I filled out a ballot and handed it to you, I don't care what day you look at it". I did it for the 2024 election because I knew that was just going to be an unmitigated mess. I took election day off because of how wild I expected it to be, and still decided to go do it early when I had another day off a few weeks before election day. And it was still a giant cluster.

Had a 312-8 with the magnum 12 that would smoke like a freight train, but still had plenty of power and never let me down. Always cranked right up and mowed it with for couple summers like that . Tore it down and it had a broke ring. New rings and still going today. I didn't even hone cylinder but probably should have.... Gotta luv them Kohler's.

Still available from your local Toro dealer but you best sit down before clicking on the link at the bottom. Perhaps you can solder more to what you have. Have had success bending a terminal into an L and slightly shorter than the original. Apply solder to the bottom of the new terminal. Apply a dab of solder to the old terminal. Let everything cool down. Then place the new terminal in position and apply just enough heat for the solder to connect. https://www.partstree.com/search/?type=part&term=104680

Autocorrect can be your worst enema.

Not too sure that will make the engine run any better but I'm always in favor of seafood.

856 and 857 short frame tractors with 41-1/4" wheelbase 1057 long frame tractor with 45-1/2" wheelbase

2 Fer

OH MAN! That looks good. What time is supper? If your like me, I invite my brothers-in-law: "Come on over-after supper!" (I know, I a day late-and a dollar short.)

Couple here from Trina. Chicken potato soup. Chicken breast Red potatoes Carrots Chicken broth Better than bullion Milk Cream cheese Hamburger casserole ish. Minced dried onion Tater tots Broccoli Cream of mushroom

Home fried taters and onions Venison scrapple Free range pastured chicken eggs OJ and a couple heart pills Everything bagel w/ crunchy peanut butter and blueberry pie jam Coffee

That's fine worse case I have a spare set. Mine have sum pretty good groves cut into them from wear and allow the chute to move around to point gears won't engage.

Love the ground ginger in this !!

This is a big quantity because I can it, and give it as gifts. It cuts down easily for smaller batches. Divide by 8. You can sub maple syrup or molasses for the honey. Great on anything from ribs/chicken to french frys. I always keep a squeeze bottle in the fridge. WAYNE0'S INSANE-O SAUCE 8 CUPS KETCHUP 4 CUPS HONEY 2 CUPS SRIRACHA SAUCE 1 CUP CIDER VINEGAR 1/2 CUP LIQUID SMOKE 1/2 CUP WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE 8 TSP EACH OF DRY MUSTARD GRANULATED GARLIC SMOKED OR REG. PAPRIKA ONION POWDER GROUND BLK PEPPER GROUND GINGER 4 TSP SALT MIX ALL INGREDIENTS IN A LARGE NON-REACTIVE POT. SIMMER 10MIN. MAKES 12-12OZ.JARS

Got my 953 sickle working good @Racinbob @Lane Ranger @Ed Kennell @953 nut @c-series don @Handy Don @wheelhorseman @Pullstart

I hope, I hope, I really hope, this tractor and I stay out of the bumps and bruises thread. @pfrederi offered it up for sale for $150 and I quick nabbed it! One of the rules to tractor buying is never tell how much. Well, I don’t believe this will ever go far from my possession , so I don’t mind sharing that info. The electric over hydraulic pump on the front and gravity drop have quickly grown on me. I bet I’ve got 3 or 4 hours on this thing since unloading already! It’s a beast! When we were talking about the model number, 753, seven fifty me quickly rolled off my tongue. It’s dangerous and wild. I found a cast “HOOSIER” seat for $25 from @wallfish’s pa Paul, and moved the pump forward enough to toss my spare hood on. The hood screw tabs on the gas tank are both ripped out, so I got creative with the rear hood hold downs, just some crushed 1/2” copper elbows drilled and bent a bit for zip tie action.