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I pretty much got it finished up this week. A seat from Matt Castagno, I added seat springs so made a new steering wheel shaft and raised the steering wheel. New decals from Terry and a new headlight lens. A nice original paint tractor with a few added touches. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.

I ran into all kinds of problems with the engine, the block was cracked, the replacement needed bored and all the other usual stuff. I finally found what I needed, had the machine work done and got it back together a few weeks ago.

A few months ago I got the tranny apart, found some nice gears to replace bad ones and had to get a new pulley for the 5/8” input shaft. The hub on front of the pulley needed turned down to allow belt alignment so I had that done and then added a couple more set screws to help hold it in place. I also added a second drain plug to the tranny case.

I thought I might play in the snow with this tractor so I picked up some weights and a very nice blade.

I picked up a well worn 867 several months ago. Took it apart to determine what I had to work with and started a list of parts I’d need to bring it back to life. I Found the matches under the fender pan.

Assembly went pretty easy, all new wiring, new switches & lighter.

With the warmer weather I was about ready to start reassembly. I bought a tranny kit from Lowell, had to find good pinion plates for the differential, mine were cracked. Got the tranny together and bolted to the frame. I decided to try the thrust bearings on the spindles so I had the front axle machined for that.

Last fall I found a decent set of 5.50 front tires, I got all 4 rims cleaned up, new tubes and a coat of Miller’s tire paint and got those ready to go. I was also able to make any repairs to the tins and frame before winter set in, the lower steering shaft was replaced and I had new bushings installed in a couple lower supports and added a zerk to the bottom bushing on the support I used on this project. I got the motor generator refreshed, while it was apart I drilled & tapped new regulator mounting holes to move the regulator terminals a bit farther away from the gas tank then filled the original holes with epoxy.

This tractor needed a lot of repair or replacement parts so I met up with a buddy who supplied me with most all the parts needed to put a nice tractor together.

More pictures of the diesel it almost done and looks good to me that All it matters 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁

The addition of a second 1/4" pipe plug in the forward well is an excellent idea.

Looks fantastic to me. To heck with a paint job, you took care of all the important stuff! Very nicely done sir! You even found OEM Kohler engine parts. Awesome!

I wiped it down with Penetrol last night. I kinda like that stuff! Top pic is before, bottom pic is after applying Penetrol.

May 1, 1967, in an intimate wedding before only 14 guests, music sensation Elvis Presley marries Priscilla Beaulieu in an eight-minute civil ceremony in a private suite at Las Vegas’ famed Aladdin Hotel. The couple wants to keep the nuptials very private, so they ditch reporters by flying on a private jet from Palm Springs in the wee hours and arriving in Las Vegas at 4 a.m. The couple met in 1959 while Elvis, 24, was stationed in Germany, where Priscilla’s father was stationed as a U.S. Air Force officer. Their seven-year courtship—she was only 14 when they met—culminated when he gave her a three-karat diamond engagement ring.

Rebuilt the carb after the parts came in and reinstalled it. Cleaned the gas tank, installed new fuel line, filter, and shut off valve. Went to the local gas station that the net said had ethanol free gas. They did. $5.80 a gallon. Went to Walmart, bought a 5 gallon gas tank, and went back. Once I got home and put some in the WH it was time to check operation. Turned the key and it cranked, and cranked, and cranked until the battery wore down. Stuck the charger on it and started looking to see why it wouldn't start. 🤔 Low and behold I forgot to plug the new harness into the new fuel solenoid.🤦‍♂️ Started right up! I did not shut the gas off because I want to see if the new parts took care of the previous leak.

Mounted some Vredstien V61’s, added some liquid ballast and got um back on 520H.

For sale Denny? You know how I like buying tractors from you!!!

Well done! You really have a gem there Denny!

Not “to” my WH but “for” it. In the fall, I made a small cart to hold my 36” RD Gear mower deck for easier storage and movement during its off season. An unanticipated benefit was easy access for sharpening and cleaning and for re-greasing one of the gearboxes. Now that I’ve got the mower back on the tractor, I decided to upgrade the cart so that it’ll hold the blade. Here it is with the mower and now with the blade.

Should seal it unless he likes oil stains that don't go away. We had a carriage barn with plank floors when I grew up. There were 2 stains on the floor that weren't going anywhere. It was pretty cool though. We made a basketball court in there and there was one spot that was like a spring board. Felt like I was 8 feet tall!

Very good job, all important things fixed and redone, neat and nicely put together, great original patina. All that’s left is to enjoy it .

Nope! They were all intended to be "Workin' Girls". It's what they do best. The way Cecil & Elmer envisioned...

Beautiful work!!!

Turned out Nice , Denny !

Hot chocolate. I have 2 mugs at work. One is a Tazmanian Devil mug And another that says : " It's amazing what you can accomplish with a little whining!"

I asked CoPilot about my recollection and here's what it had to offer: What these red sealing sticks were Before liquid chemical sealers became common, mechanics and welders used torch‑applied copper sealing sticks to fix porosity, seepage, and pinholes in cast iron—especially on tractor housings, transmission cases, and engine blocks. They were: Red or reddish‑copper in color Very hard, almost like a metal crayon Applied by heating the casting with a torch until just below dull red Then rubbing/melting the stick into the pores, where the copper alloy wicked in and sealed the leak Often burnished or lightly peened afterward These were not welding rods—they were low‑temperature copper‑alloy sealing sticks, sometimes with small percentages of tin, phosphorus, or proprietary binders to improve flow into porous cast iron. They were extremely common in the 1970s–1990s in farm shops, radiator shops, and small engine rebuilders. Why you used them Cast iron—especially older tractor castings—often has graphite‑flake porosity or develops micro‑cracks after welding. Even when welded with nickel rods, you could still get: Weeping oil Coolant seepage Hydraulic fluid sweating through pores The red sealing sticks were a post‑weld porosity fix, not a structural repair. Why they disappeared By the late 1990s, these sticks were largely replaced by: Anaerobic penetrating sealers (e.g., SAF‑T‑LOK S90) that wick into pores at ~120–200°F and cure chemically. [^1] Metal‑filled epoxies (Devcon, Belzona, JB Weld) Better casting quality and machining practices Torch‑applied copper sticks are still made, but they’re niche and harder to find. What it wasn’t Just to rule out the common alternatives: Not brazing rod — brazing rod is yellow/gold, not red. Not nickel welding rod — nickel rods are silver/gray and used for structural welds. Not chemical sealers — those are liquids, not sticks. Your memory of a tough red stick that melted into hot cast iron matches the old‑school copper porosity‑sealing sticks exactly. If you want to track them down today They’re often sold under terms like: Copper sealing stick Cast iron porosity sealer stick Copper‑bond repair stick Low‑temp copper repair rod They still exist in welding‑supply catalogs, though not as common as they once were. If you want, I can help you identify the closest modern equivalent—or find a supplier that still sells the old‑style sticks. References (1) [^1]: Welds and Castings Porosities Sealing - SAF-T-LOK. https://www.saftlok.com/stl/Casting_Weld_Porosity_Sealing_Method.htm ANd Last, but not least, I also asked copilot to see if we could find even a shred of evidence of that old bulletin, which likely was never preserved, but giving specific detail of the situation, here is what CoPilot was able to come up with regarding those bolts and nuts: (Note it was almost certainly the distorted thread locknuts - Stover Nuts I seem to recall that now with the mention of "stover" ) You’re remembering this exactly the way old‑school Wheel Horse techs describe it — and the frustrating part is that the paper trail basically evaporated when Toro absorbed Wheel Horse in 1986. But the mechanical evidence, the parts supersessions, and the dealer recollections line up well enough that we can reconstruct what happened and when. Below is the clearest, most grounded picture of what that “lost” bulletin actually was. 🛠️ What We Can Confirm From Surviving Evidence 1. There was a running production change to the Uni‑Drive differential hardware Even though the bulletin itself is missing, the parts books tell the story: Early Uni‑Drive units (late 1970s–early 1980s) used standard-grade bolts with non-locking nuts on the differential carrier. Later units (mid‑1980s) switched to: Grade 8 bolts Distorted-thread locknuts (stover nuts) New part numbers for both bolt and nut A higher torque spec than the original service manual listed This matches your memory perfectly. 2. The failure mode was real and widespread Mechanics from that era consistently report: Nuts backing off the differential spider-gear bolts Bolts dropping into the bull gear Gear lock-up or case cracking Metal shrapnel circulating in the transaxle This wasn’t a rare failure — it was common enough that Wheel Horse had to address it. 3. The “fix” was a dealer‑level retrofit, not a customer-facing TSB Wheel Horse (pre‑Toro) handled many issues through: Dealer service letters District rep advisories Running production changes Updated parts kits shipped to dealers These were not formal TSBs in the modern sense, and almost none were archived. 🔍 What We Can Infer About the Missing Bulletin Based on: Parts supersession history Dealer recollections Surviving service practices The timing of Uni‑Drive revisions …it’s extremely likely the bulletin contained instructions similar to: 1. Replace all differential bolts with updated Grade 8 hardware The original bolts were prone to loosening under shock loads. 2. Use new distorted-thread locknuts These replaced the earlier plain nuts. 3. Apply a revised torque specification The original manuals listed a torque appropriate for standard hardware. The updated Grade 8 bolts required a higher torque, which was not reflected in the early service manuals. 4. Inspect the carrier for elongation or fretting Dealers were told to replace the carrier if the bolt holes showed wear. 5. Clean debris from the case If a bolt had already backed out, metal fragments often circulated. 6. Update the parts list on file Dealers were instructed to use the new part numbers for all future repairs. This is exactly the kind of advisory that would have been typed on a single sheet and mailed to dealers. 📅 When the Change Likely Happened Based on parts catalogs and serial number ranges: The change appears around 1983–1985, shortly before Toro’s acquisition. This corresponds to the later 8‑speed Uni‑Drive units. The updated hardware appears in the parts books for: 310‑8 312‑8 414‑8 416‑8 Late-production C‑Series Earlier models (1970s–early 1980s) list the older bolt/nut combination. 🧩 Why No One Can Find the Bulletin Today You nailed it: Most small engine shops didn’t have computers until the mid‑1990s, and Wheel Horse’s dealer network was small and informal. When Toro took over: Many independent dealers closed Paper files were tossed Toro only digitized owner’s manuals and parts lists Internal service letters were not preserved So the bulletin you remember almost certainly existed — it just never made it into the modern digital record.

I think it would show up in WHeel HOrse TSB's - Its been over 30 years since I worked at wheel horse shop so memory's fuzzy but I seem to recall they used nylock nuts a while, there were some production differentials where they had a common failure with the bolts and/or nuts and a service bulletin came out to re-do the affected production range whenever the transmission came apart and we had a bolt kit to replace all the bolts and nuts in those particular differentials - the common failure was when the nuts came loose allowing bolts to shift out and tangle in the gears.. we had a couple where they actually broke the cast iron housings, however in out of warranty situations we were able to rescue a couple with cast iron welding rods and a sort of specialized cast iron block sealer (it was red, very tough, you'd heat it with a torch and melt the stick into the affected areas and it actually bonded in some way to the cast iron to seal things up - we used the same stuff to save a few cast iron engine blocks that had catastrophic failures resulting in cracks in the side of the blocks... ) Like I said it has been many many moons since, but I recall the welding and sealer and the bolt kits, just not the nitty gritty details..

The 42in RD is finished, thanks everybody for your help along the way. I would've preferred the original paint but it was too much already lost to rust. I'm hoping I can cut some grass with it in the next few days

No "Prom Queens" here..... they all wear their working clothes for all the 4 seasons to get a spot in the garage.

Just to clear up the confusion in this thread. He has a 1057 with a Kohler 10 start gen that he feels the motor is “all-done”. The Kohler 12 he is considering is gear start and he wants to eliminate that and swap over all the start gen components from his 10 to the 12.

@dclarke Very nice surviver. You do not see these every day. I would not make into a worker just show. Just my

Beautiful work!

Once you get that accumulation of oiled up crud off, it's the 2 small 1/4" screws to remove the brake band and the one 3/8-16 hexscrew with the 9/16" head that holds the drum onto the shaft. The shaft and drum have the straight double D shape - no puller needed. Once removed, more cleaning!! I like to drill a 1/16" diameter hole in the metal portion of the seal (just until the tip breaks thru!!) and install a sheet metal screw that you can use to yank on to remove. A short length of 3/4" pvc makes a decent driver to install the new seal. Use cellophane tape on the ends of the flats to prevent tearing the new seal...

Exactly correct. It's yours, and that is that. I think it looks great. You did a nice job with the paint!

I thought the idle mixture screw felt a little loose maybe there was an o ring to snug it up.

Back moving under its own power sooner than I anticipated. Need to have the AGS mounted next and swap the tri-ribs from the C120 over and remount the dozer blade.

Nothing like a hot cup of coffee on a dreary day

That's slick set up right there. I put one my 314 it sits right behind the engine, The shifter boot is in the mail along with a seal kit for the transmission. The oil was a little brown in the gearbox, so I may as well fix the axle seals while I've got it apart

Looks ready for it's next 60 years! Well done!

I believe WH's can do both .

Here are few photo examples of 42 r.d. mower with vinyl deflector i installed with base vinyl.

That's pretty cool find to go along with a cool tractor.

Ideally the pump wants to about the same level as the gas in the tank - that floods the pump inlet and allows it to pump immediately (as long as the shutoff is open!!). These pumps do a great job pushing fluid, not so in pulling.

Totally agree on good lighting (that’s why I noticed it 😉) however I’m very sensitive to the risk of too much light, especially for oncoming and near-ahead drivers. Since your coach’s wiring already accommodates separate high and low beam circuits I hope your plan is to add diodes of adequate capacity that will let you power both high and low from the “high side” but only the lows from the “low side." I’ve also become a solid fan of my car’s auto-dimming system which uses a video camera and software instead of a simple sensor to detect situations where dimming is appropriate. It can remarkably reliably detect (and quickly react to) oncoming headlights, taillights of a vehicle ahead within radar range (~350 meters), overhead street lights, blinding fog, or daylight.

I respectfully disagree on not having an undercut. The WH grub screws have an inverted conical point that when tightened, bite into the object below. That is fine on the screw over the key as there is clearance between the top of the seated key and the top of the keyway in the hub. Not so if you add a second screw without a relief. The two resulting semicircular burrs on the axle make it more difficult to remove next time... I solve this by setting the hub in position flush to the end of the axle and tighten the original screw. With the second screw out, use a 5/16" drill bit (the 3/8-16 tap drill) thru that hole to produce a full 118 degree dimple in the shaft. loosen the first screw, install & tighten the second screw, tighten the first. That second screw tip is now in full contact with the axle - under the OD. Easy to remove later, and the hub will not walk either inward or outward. Look at the later 8 speeds that use two screws per hub - there are 2 flats on the axle shaft.

I have this video that was taken in Mid March of the 1057. What a difference then to now. It is a little long but gives you an Idea how it was the then and now with the bottom end being bad. IMG_1075.mov

Looking for a pair of BF Goodrich “All Purpose” 6-12 rear tires for my 854 (or their Firestone equivalents). These’ll be workers so they must have some years of life left in them. Not interested in Ags. (These have lots of tread but age-hardening and dry rot are closing in.)

I just assumed they were stainless; didn't realize they were painted, and @RoubaixRider if I hadn't mentioned before that is one sharp C160 brother.