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Here I go again. As the title says, this years project is a 401 Suburban. Will start off with some ground 0 pics. Next step that I was happy about was my Christmas Miracle. The steering wheel came off without special tools or much resistance. When I bought the tractor it had a Nova ignition module on it. Starting it was sometimes a challenge so I wanted to switch it back to points before disassembly. Happy to say that it starts much better on points than it did with the Nova module. With this accomplished it was time to move on to tear down. A couple of hours later & I had a pile of parts. I went through the transmission shortly after I bought the tractor because it had a 3rd gear issue, so that will not have to come apart again. The engine runs good with no smoke, so hopefully it will not need a rebuild. It does appear to be seeping oil from the head gasket, so I will pull the head to change the gasket. Will also inspect cylinder condition as long as it's open. Now for some P.O. surprises. Lets just say that some people should not be allowed to play with welders. First, when a lock collar cracks I guess one should grab the welder & tack it in place. Drag link issue?? Lets burn that in place too. I'm sure there will be a few more surprises. Feel free to come along for the show.

Got a different tire and new tube waited a day to make sure everything held air. Getting the 68.5lbs weight back on is a real PIA. Came up with this based on something posted here a few weeks ago. Worked great. The wood plate was what I used to use for WH tranny swaps before i got a tranny jack.

All: Having "moved" both spindle bores when I machined it for bushings, I realized I now needed slightly shorter length Tierods. I have used regular 1080 Cold Rolled material for another set, but the quality of the machined threads was lacking. This set I switched to 12L14 "leaded" hexstock - per the certificate it has .27% lead in the alloy. This allows easier machining with a superior finish. Cost is just a couple of bucks more than 1080. The threads shown are done with an adjustable thread cutting die - 3 passes needed to get the proper shaft to nut fit. Shown is the die from the final pass - the chips look like angel hair Also shown is the old trick of having a starting pilot diameter for the die - it is removed once the threading is done. The 12L14 material is safe to work with, but sanding, grinding and welding are NOT recommended...

If your solenoid only has one small connector, then it likely grounds through the mounting screw tabs. Make sure you have a clean surface (chassis ground) to mount to and see if that makes a difference.

Finished the fuel pump job. I had the oil drain on the tilted tractor open all night to be sure all the tainted oil was out of the crankcase. Closed it (per “note to self” since the threads were already well lubed ) and filled the case. Ran it for about 10 minutes and no sign of leaking. Whew! Noticed the voltage was a bit high (14.8 - 15.0) so while the hood was off anyway, I tweaked the regulator back to 14.4.

Soaked it with Sea Foam Deep Creep a week before trying. Roll pin drove out easily. Turned the wheel all the way to the left, gave an extra nudge and it spun on the shaft. Spun it a few times on the shaft & it pulled right off. Easy peasy.

It was repainted once or twice so it is fair game for a resto. I have a few other projects that I will be sure to share.

International Cello Day observances on December twenty nineth thrill music enthusiasts around the world! This special day commemorates the birth of Pablo Casals, a virtuoso whose skills reshaped cello music forever. Casals is famous for bringing the ‘Bach Cello Suites‘ into the spotlight. Once underrated pieces, they now enjoy profound reverence in classical music. Because of its unique sound, the cello holds a cherished spot in both orchestral and solo music settings, enchanting audiences with its deep, resonant tones and versatility across music genres, including classical, jazz, and even rock.

Well… Almost everything is painted, so starting a little bit of preliminary reassembly in the coming days once parts have cured some more. Always fun adding new hardware to really make that contrast with the paint pop.

Yes, it was a little difficult walking to the shop this morning due to the ice. Not a full on ice storm as the trees are undamaged and the power is still on but still slippery. My wife and I had doctor appointments this morning for general checkup and cancer screening but decided that a slip and fall made it not worth the risk so we cancelled and will make another appointment.

I'm a fan of 2Cello's

Dedicated tractors solve the oil issue. Snow horses get 5w-30 Synthetic...depending on use may go a year or two..

I created an Excel spreadsheet years ago with a tab for each vehicle and piece of lawn equipment. It has when purchased, cost, SN's etc. I have row for each service (even blade replacements with date, mileage or RTM, the service, cost and etc. I can tell you anything I've ever done to my 522xi all the way back to 1997 when she was new. When parts are replaced I record the part number for future reference.

I've taken to testing everything I get, to the extent I can. My 12v battery jump pack has been very useful along with the analog and digital volt/ohm meters.

I shipped rear weights in 2 FL boxes.

I put these on the front of my B-100 Auto a couple years ago and so far they have not disappointed. They have handled 9" of heavy wet snow and dry fluffy stuff equally well. No additional weight, just the weight of the blade and frame.

Not surprising, but if it was the other way around we'd be impressed...

Or drills, wire cutters, hammers, grinders, spray paint...

Excellent work !! Have you ever considered turning down the stock tie rods in order to fit the thread on ends? I've had pretty good luck doing this.

Dan, that is too nice to restore. With the exception of a few unauthorized welds it should take you a couple weeks for this one. What are your plans for the rest of the winter?

Yikes! I was entertaining two grandchildren in the shop (i.e. keeping them from hurting themselves or breaking something) while I did the work and pictures were not on my mind.

One o' you jamokes come up here and I'll do just that. One spindle. Tractor attached.

What'd I tell you!!!

I'm guessing there are many spindles in various magic sheds... @Pullstart @WHX?? @Achto @ebinmaine Heck, if he ain't lookin' Eric will probably send you a spindle with an extra C-160 attached... or just yell "Squirrel!" at the next plow day and grab a few off Kevin's back 40...

Got another axle and this one is actually in pretty good shape looks like it actually got greased. So the spindle and pivot holes are all pretty good. The one spindle is in great shape. This one however... It's also not the same as the other one it's a c clip not bolt. So now I need to figure out if I just get another spindle, fix this one... Or fix one of the other ones I have, the other ones I have are good where the wheel is, but bad where it goes into the axle.

Just wanted touch base and say then and now mailed me missing gaskets and got in mail today. I had already made some and put back together the fuel pump, but they did make it right.

Yesterday it was in the middle 60's with about 2" of rain. This morning it was 14, gusts up to 60mph and near zero visibility. This afternoon the winds are down to about 20 and very little accumulation. The cold is here at least for the week.

The rear wheels were JD yellow from online auction place. I din't have linen white like factory but sure wasn't gonna keep them yellow.

Smart call ... slip and fall today would generate a lot of appts...

Overall disappointing storm in central NJ on Friday, 3-6 inches of snow wound up being 1 inch of ice. Still stretched the 414 legs with the blower. The weight of the bervac blower was able to scrape down to the asphalt in most places. Still beats shoveling a 200ft sloped drive.

Hey, I recently used my welder to fix my toaster! (No joke)

Nice to start out with a complete tractor. All of those little goodies which typically go missing on those tractors can get expensive and time consuming to hunt them down.

I doubt the "O" Rings on the fittings are the problem. They are torqued to 260 inch pounds from the factory and unless someone snuck in there with a wrench they won't move. I would say @Brockport Bill has the right idea, do it all and do it right.

I got Bear 🐻 cowboy 🤠 coffee ☕️ and a snack.

hard to tell what you are referencing since the photo is such a narrow close up? I am not sure if the C145 has master hydro valve same configuration as C175h -- but i had leaks from area of master valve inside hoodstand -- your photo looks like the hoses coming out side panel hole that has rubber gromet ???? In the case of my two C175s, i could not determine what was source of leak - the master valve unit, a hose fitting/connection, or a hose itself? Removing and reinstalling from the tractor the master valve unit was a nightmare - did not want to guess the source of the leak so did not want to do the job more than once .......so i removed the master valve unit - and replaced the internal O rings and also spent the $ for 4 new hoses. Both c175s now have no leaks. It might have been as much a future repair maintenance prevention as much as it was a leak repair -- but i now have no leaks - - and hopefully no future leaks. I believe you can generally locally source new fittings or entire new hose sets -- or order from online or some Red Sq vendors. good luck -- more photos will be helpful ?

Spent about eight hours prepping the gearbox for cleaning and paint… Brutal. New front rims and tires getting painted and one rear wheel sanded primer and paint complete. Looking forward to basically getting it on its wheels and back together in it’s basic frame so that I can then start working off the ground.

Once had an idea to try building a hybrid tractor but I just don't have the electrical knowledge needed to pull it off. Maybe I'll have the time to research and learn once retired. Basically all self contained so it could charge and also run off the small gas engine. Did an electric one a long time ago but used a starter generator motor. Definitely not as efficient or powerful as that motor. But it could cruise around for about an hour off one 12v deep cycle battery. It was built for a friend's daughter so it was also a fish tank "powered" tractor.

Put a set of these on the 416 - liked them so much the 315 got a set too - put a stop to the front slipping on those turf treads even in the summer wet grass - just as good in the ground as snow .

Triple post

So isn't a K161 at a really low idle with the ACR active.... That's music too.

The snow didn't go away just settles some and will refreeze to night into ice blocks...lovely

I would think the loop should be fine as that is really what happens with the lift valve plumbed in as the oil passes through the valve and back to the return when it is not being actuated. Your leaks might be as simple as needing new O rings on the hose fittings.

My Grandpa used to say, "Use the right tool for the job, if all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail."

Looks like leaking spool valve orings. @cleathas a nice write up with pictures that shows how to change them. It's possible to change them with the valve in the tractor. Clean everything well before you start. Use Viton orings only.

Cold adult beverage and deep fried cheese curds ready...

I ship quite a bit. Mostly small parts but I if someone wants something I have, I estimate the shipping on the USPS calculator. I have a refrigerant scale to weigh stuff and keep a variety of boxes on hand. I find if my selling price is reasonable, the seller doesn't get to upset with the shipping. The only thing I ever had an issue with was a rare HO train set I had. I must have sold it 20 times. Everyone said "I want it!" but when I tried to charge $30 to ship and insure they backed out.

here is a pic i think shows a pretty good difference between the rustoleum canvas white and white that Craftsman mowers come withe front wheel is canvas white.

I've never made it but knew someone who did. He was elderly. I didn't realize he had started the process as a toddler.

Kind of late to this conversation, but............ I am 100% sure our society's "gluten" problem really IS the crap they do to our food. And, I believe "they" pin people's gut issues on "gluten" to divert attention from things like glyphosate (RoundUp) they spray on the plants while they are growing, AND just before harvest to speed up the drying process. (If a plant can withstand RoundUp, I sure don't want it in MY body.) Several years back, we changed to non-GMO and organic grains and meals.....there just happens to be an honest-to-goodness grist mill approximately 25 miles from us near Eureka Springs, AR called War Eagle Mill, which was originally started in the 1830's! It's on it's 4th building now... I think 2 were washed away by floods, one was burned during the Civil War. Anyway, if you'd like a wonderful source for good, clean products, look them up. You only have to order more than $24.95 to get free shipping. That comes in handy when we order 25-pound bags of flour, corn meal, oatmeal (this IS gluten free), and 7-grain cereal. They also have really nice pancake/waffle mixes (which is how we first found them.... after purchasing a NEW cast iron waffle maker from Appalachian Cast Iron Co.)

Glass half full kinda guy.