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May 23, 1785, Benjamin Franklin reveals his design for what would later be called bifocal glasses. The Pennsylvania inventor, printer, author, diplomat and American Founding Father had grown tired of alternating between two different pairs of glasses to help his near or far vision. So, he came up with an idea to, quite literally, split the difference. Franklin is widely credited as the inventor of bifocals.

I'm getting very close to being in trouble, but I managed to sneak another one home. Pretty sure it is a 701. Hard to see in the photo but the sticker under the "K" in Kohler still faintly reads 7hp. Not entirely sure where the seat came from... There is a funky back rest, not sure if this was ever an option or accessory?

Nah, he probably just went straight to “progressives”.

Went to a garage sale and came home with a 1988 wheel horse 520 H. Included a 42 inch snow blade that has been widen out to 57 1/2 inches, a new set of four link chains and tensioners. 48 inch mower deck, and IH weights on the rear. Previous owner was experiencing intermittent problems with starting and running. Got it home and discovered that a plug wire was shorting out. The Hydro lever was converted to foot control. Also included a replacement dash.

I have this deck and just sharpened the blades. The spring must adjust out the slack in the belt otherwise the belt is TOO LONG.

Wheelhorse all done restored

Remove the tension bar, clean up the mess and reassemble with the missing spring and new plastic parts. The bar should slide freely to keep the belt tensioned.

Having reliable brakes and a good parking brake were my goals in doing the swap.

Field mowing was not envisioned for a WH belly-mount finish mower--a neat and smooth 2.5-3.0 grass lawn was the aim! I strongly suggest a towed flail mower. Flails are widely used on highway verges. You might also consider acquiring, and potentially modifying, a WH front-mounted mower deck carrier frame. No tractor mods needed.

@MainelyWheelhorse added this years ago to my decks , almost hiding in plane site ? long unsupported belt , combined with unknown spindle bearing grease ? bakes for a buzzing wreck , experimented with one deck , all 3 run the same trouble free quiet , also regreased my mule drive bearings , improved that gold mine of issues . pete

It is ... and a nice survivor at that. Dealer add on. That one is a but not the original back rest.

That hefty spring provides all of the tension. If your belt is loose, it's too long or worn out.

Found 1-1/4” pipe to have about same ID as the OD of the elbow (1-3/8”). Cut a piece to length, and split the end a bit to hopefully allow enough springery action for a muffler clamp to work.

A little patch work on hieght adjustment on the 42” deck off of 312-8 I been working on. Its on discharge side of deck all the other decks I have seen where on the other side?

I finally finished taking the other donor machine apart today. It was a C-125 8 speed black hood. And it was one of the rustiest hunks of junk I've ever tackled. Everything on it is frozen, even the differential. No pedals or steering parts would move. After getting the tranny removed I poured a gallon of kerosene in it and set it aside for later. The differential did finally free up but the shifters are stuck. That is a project for a later date... The biggest thing I was after was the center console and steering support thingy. None of the side or belt covers will work because I'm building a hydro. Maybe I'll use the footrests. They look shorter than usual... maybe it's my uncalibrated eyes. I had to cut the steering shaft. Didn't want to risk breaking the aluminum supports up top. I'll e-tank the wheel and see if it the rest of the shaft can be safely removed later. Probably gonna use a larger wheel anyway. But- everything will line up and bolt onto this newer chassis. At least there's no mods to do there.

I've seen where the slot in the sliding tensioner gets worn from riding on the bolt causing it to get hung up. Is the plastic glide ok? Bolt holding the tensioner too tight? If the tensioner moves freely I would try a smaller belt

If you’re going for the original look and are staying with the steel wheels, I have period correct hub caps for your truck that came off my F-350 SRW they are basically like new.

89"x 1/2" belt. Please take a picture with the belt guards off.

Should be 1/2" by 89" belt. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/huskee-v-belt-1-2-in-x-89-in-oc-1012571?store=219&crmid=6663814901&utm_source=google&utm_medium=pmax&utm_campaign=tsc0_sea_tsc_cat_search_sch_us_cvr&utm_content=sku_na&adtype=pla&campaignid=22258948701&device=c&product_channel=local&product_id=1012571&store_code=219&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22269431188&gbraid=0AAAAADnTm20RvsdRIUAIoaUKG5VZVFJy7&gclid=Cj0KCQjwoMXQBhDcARIsAH-eEtsuJ7oBLhKKwvF0vx6VpZW98MCuEDEXLPcfJOMBlfOmbo-g1vlI9qwaArkZEALw_wcB

Bought this 312 new in 89. Same exhaust, garage kept.

The whole mess in the end. How can something this simple take an entire afternoon and $50? I won’t be sure it works until tomorrow. I have a deed restriction on my property that prohibits ever having the correct size hardware or clamps on hand, so I’ll have to run to town & look for a 1- 5/8” muffler clamp. Will advise. Everybody have a great holiday weekend!

Yeah I have to defer to this line of thought. Some folks love thier Tecchy engines. To each his own. I guess a human being can get used to most anything. Bad food, lousy job, ugly women, and Techumseh engines... Go with the K321. Time and money in this engine is a far better bet and it might actually last. It absolutely will be more dependable.

And...the oil pan gasket made it safely and fit in the mail box without getting bent . Got the pan on so things should move along now. I tidied up some wiring on the brake switch and verified its operation. Drained the lift cylinder since I'm changing from ATF and got it back in place. If the weather allows I'll get the welder out to do some repairs on the battery box and belt guard. Things should move along quickly if that happens. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

I've never owned that deck but your routing looks correct. Are you sure you're using the correct belt and that it's riding in the pulleys under the guards correctly?

I had a Rambler station wagon with vacuum wipers, they were assisted by the fuel pump with a diaphragm vacuum pump incorporated in it.

3d printed and aluminum.

Hi all, I haf a 60's VW bug, when i got it, it ran good, had vacuun wipers ,worked had a storm, and thay quit working couple miles from home , next day got a flat ,went to change it ,it was flat,. The vacuum line was hook up to the spare, used up the air ,no wipers and a flat tire

Nothing like the slapping of vacuum wipers on a deary day. Drove the '47 Chevy to town and began to sprinkle on way home. Don't get to use the wipers much. 20260522_093425.mp4

I’m the third owner of my 92 312. It was mostly garage kept too and has the original exhaust. I just gave it a refresh and did maintenance.

Two ply tires will give a much better ride than heavier tires, especially when using chains. I use rubber chains to protect the driveway and went back to the cheap 2 ply original tires, the stiff tires were trying to shake my cab to pieces.

So... Ben was in his late 70's when he did this. Don't know if a bit later he made trifocals - probably.

You'll be happy to know this one will get treated right. The whole frame and suspension was painted when the truck was reassembled back in the early 2000s. It's been driven only about 3,000 to 3,500 miles since. Always stored under cover. It will continue to have a permanent position in my barn. The rear frame will be pressure washed and a few small areas wire brushed and repainted. I'm probably replacing one crossmember because the support brackets for it are a touch thin. There will be no Ford bed. I'm building a flat bed for it. 7 foot wide most likely. Length not sure yet.

Nice package you picked up

So I’m 95% sure it was in fact the spark plug. Replaced the plug this morning and mowed this afternoon with no issue. I say 95% sure because it was cooler today than the last time I mowed so it not an exact test. However I did stop multiple times and idle it down for a minute and throttle back up and it had no problems going back to full throttle unlike the last time. I’ve never had a spark plug only fail sometimes so this was a new one for me. So thank you all for your help I really appreciate it.

Fuel. Follow it from the source. Check to see that it's exiting the bottom of the fuel tank. Then see if it is getting through the fuel line to the pump. Then see if the pump is pumping to the carburetor. If that checks out, your carb is the issue. I say it this way because you will likely find issues worth addressing. The shortcut is to pull the fuel line from the carb and turn the motor over to see if the upstream components (tank, line, filter, etc.) are doing what they're supposed to getting fuel to the carb.

here are some photos of the 312-8 with bagger system as well as the underneath of a 37 deck with the 2 blades and the lift attachments on the outside blade to propel the clippings and leaves up the chute

Dig a big enough hole to burry them so you don't trip over them.

Adding a vacuum reservoir to the line going to the wiper motor would help.

These big bars I have must have been a bear to mount then. 10.5"

@ebinmaine nice pick up on that , literally , opportunity for a creeping lubrication soak down , highest available access point to any closed area , tailgate , doors , cab to body areas , days out will show you tracking , what's. effective , what needs improvement . inside upper tailgate access , is a lubricant line showing itself days out with related film . like a lighter oil first , for tracking , then open gear and cable spray follow up . creeping on the lighter oil . napa , macks , cable oil is a good buy . would personally go over that paint with penetrant / then mineral oil , will clean up to an always slick looking finish , get the wheel wells first , or go to home depot parking lot for rust reference ! remember ford frames , have punched in holes ? they hold onto moisture , insuring rot . try a paint spot , related seaming , you just saved that area , good luck with it , oily pete

i always thought my 37 SD on my 312-8 was terrific cut - - maybe the 2 blade design, or the lift attachment on the one blade -- but it sure leaves nice cut - and the 12 Kohler always enough power

The oil pan gasket finally shipped this morning but...USPS I suspect it will be creased right between the "O" and "T" in "DO NOT BEND" but we'll see. Installed in-line fuses for the clutch and ammeter. Not much else to do until I get the block bolted down.

I see ... I think ... so the amp draw is only on the internal connection between the large post and the small one on the solenoid. Not thru the start button. Be care when working with the dash plate KP. use mounting screws with small heads. They can break the plate at the corners on the bottom if too big. I used the original ammeter just for old skool look. Tom @Shynon was playing with making aluminum plates on his milling machine. Don't know if he perfected that yet or not.

Checked the S/G this evening and it's pretty clean with smooth tight bearings. Brushes are decent. Wiped it out, put her back together and bench tested. Tomorrow is electrical day...

Some dummy ordered the wrong spacers... Luckily, said dummy has a lathe. Opened the center just enough to fit WH hubs. Quick and easy fix. Definitely brings the track back even. Much better!

Just a little inspirational mock up to get an idea of where this is going. Front will narrow by over an inch, rear will widen by two inches. But the basic idea is there...

Second Wheel turned out much better. Painting wide wheels is a different animal than regular ones. Getting way inside the dish produces alot of overspray. But I found a better method on the second wheel by standing it up, placing a bag on the backside and painting about 1/3 of the way round and using a heat gun to firm it up before moving to the next third. Sounds strange but it works. First one might need some touch up, but I'm done for today.

Mounted the first rear tire just for giggles. The inside of the wheel was primed and painted but still gotta finish the outside. These things are rather knobby! Used a tube just in case. And a boat load of talcum powder. If it pops there will be a white dust cloud. But it really makes the entire process of mounting the tire and tube so much better. Also there is a comparison of front and rear tire size in the last two pics. I really like this set of tires!

Got the rear tires today. The tire theme on this one is wide but not too tall. Fronts: 16x8.50-8 Rears: 22x12-12