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Picked this up over the weekend. It was made by a local gentleman who passed away probably 10 years ago. It has an American Austin 4 cylinder engine that runs, but not happily. Has the transmission and rear end off the same vehicle. It smokes like a freight train, but is fun to drive. He made a gear reduction for it to keep the speed down. What's the chances anyone here knows anything at all about American Austin cars that could help me with parts for the engine? 😂 20261028_181856.mp4

I came across this wheel horse 312 hydro "classic" near my home. $75! Doesn't run. A little over 400hrs. Owner doesn't know why, but someone cut thru the wiring harness! 🤔🤪 Right there is a big clue sir!! 😂

Cool little tractor !! Looks very well constructed. I only know one thing about those cars. There once was a man from Boston Who went out & bought an Austin There was room for his *** & a gallon of gas But his b***'s hung so low that he lost 'em Probably not much help.

October 29, 1960, Cassius Clay [Muhammad Ali], in his first professional fight, beats Tunney Hunsaker on points in 6 rounds in Louisville, Kentucky.

How many John Deere owners does it take to screw in a light bulb? Just one to hold the bulb while the world revolves around him.

Thanks for the great write up and pics @Andy N.! We went to this Plow Day in 2020 and had a really good time although it was cold and windy. I got some great footage of @Coulter Calebplowing and the moldboards shined up like a mirror in that soil. If moisture conditions are correct-that soil cuts and scours awesome. Sorry to hear about the “breakdowns” but that’s “in the cards” for a true plow dog! Thats why I recommend a dedicated Plow Mule if an individual is going to do a lot of earth turning… starting out as a Cub guy in the GT hobby, I really enjoy seeing the variety of Cubs out there at the plow days however, when I met the RS forum group—these horses grew on me. Plowing is common in the Cadet and JD communities but it wasn’t as common with the horses back in 2014…so I built GhostRider to see how it would work out—no complaints! overall, the Cub community has been friendly to the Horse club (at least that has been my perception) I love the IH trucks. Not uncommon to see one of these pulling a trailer with period correct Cadets on it😎 I always thought this little custom 71 was a well executed study into what a custom plow mule CC would look like in red instead of yellow. Dan’s @Achto Radpherd reminds me of this only cooler with diesel power! I always enjoy looking at custom articulated machines…can wait to see @Shynon’s in person one of these days. this one back in 2020 did a decent job. for those of you that have kids that enjoy doing stuff with you as they are in late adolescence or early teens—CLEAR your schedule as much as you can and make these memories WHILE you can. They grow up FAST! Caleb is now married and has a busy life of his own. I’m so glad we did these things when we could Now that’s a shine that puts a smile on any true “plow dog’s” face! Turning earth is a truly fun experience…

Wow....what was he doing? Mowing through a stump field? I think I would cut my losses with those unfortunately. Even if you got them back to "straightish", I doubt they would balance well with that much damage. I tend to collect old mower blades and use them as sacrificial anodes in my electrolysis tank.

Cool mower. A first for me, never seen a WH push mower before. Closest thing to WH push mower Ive seen around here is when I run one of my tractors out of fuel and had to push it back to shop .

Autumn is best enjoyed in all her glory. Unfortunately, the police officers who arrested me outside her window didn't agree.

You would need to check and validate the hardness of the blade before and after annealing and finish tempering. Without knowing the exact metalurgy of the blade material - that is a crapshoot at best. Sorry, unless you have extensive blacksmithing experience, that is not a proven backyard "here, hold my beer" process. Those blades are best relegated to be wall hangers.

Getting ready. Cleaned up the snow blade and installed a new poly scraper. Next up paint the wheel weights and get them installed.

The Fredericksburg Tractor Club has an American Austin Tractor donated to it by a deceased members wife. It is well built and reportedly was a prototype of a tractor that never made it to production. It has a similar looking 4 cyl engine, and a gear reduction after the transmission. Has the same "Austin" badge in the front of the hood So interesting similarities.

Where did the peeping Tom go when he fell out of a tree and broke his foot? The I. C. U.

Made right here in Butler< Pa. from 1929 - 1941. My neighbor has one that looks like a 3/4 size model A Ford. If you have a specific question, I can ask him.

Big Show Bargains ! Think I'm gonna need a bigger bucket.

A while back I would this guy in the weeds of a retiring small engine mechanic. It was completely seized up when I got it, but a few buddies and I got it freed up. I have never seen a spark plug more corroded than this one! It's a chain-driven Front Wheel Drive, and only one lever controls the cutting height by raising or lowering all four wheels at the same time. Any information on the Wheel Horse push mowers would be greatly appreciated!

Does he know where parts can be had? Side note for everyone. It was never wired up to charge, so I'm thinking of adding a mini 6v alternator, rather than try to rebuild the weird generator and add in some kind of voltage regulator. Then once I have that, I can add some lights.

Austin and Bantam in Ohio were the predecessors of the Jeep protype. I would think replacement parts would be available. Very cool tractor! Dave

@Ed Kennell definitely had the style of the era , in todays world , a turbo 4 would absolutely make that , lots of related make up parts , seen a few in vegas , weekly parking lot car shows , and related storage warehouses , were stuffed with Duesenberg's , etc of the era. incredible original , solid rust free cars . pete

Well that says it all. I'm a nice guy, but not THAT nice (ask my kids). Your nephew needs to procure a new set of blades for you. Even if they are NLA. A little "Visual Reinforcement" of the money leaving his wallet does wonders. Seriously, blades are tempered - they bend once, then fracture & break if force is applied in the opposite direction. Not worth the damage they can cause. Reminds me of Ralph Nader's book on the Corvair - Unsafe at Any Speed... DO check the accompanying spindle for being bent too....

You got a good price on a set of used hubcaps and the rest was free.

I thought he went back to the future!?!?!

Fun fact, this is 6V NEGATIVE Ground. Couldn't believe it until I was looking at it lol

In Florida the mowing season is about ten months and blades need sharpening about three times a season, by then the back uplift lip is gone and you are mowing with thin knives. Over the years I added compost to the yard and the sand wasn't a problem anymore.

Your old blades do have a home! You can give them to your local blacksmith! ******* Yes, blacksmiths and bladesmiths do use old lawn mower blades, though opinions vary on their quality for higUse Mower Blades Free and Accessible: Old mower blades are easy to salvage from discarded or broken lawn mowers. Tough Steel Composition: Most blades are made from medium-carbon or low-alloy spring steel (often around 1040–1045 or similar grades) designed to absorb impact without shattering when hitting rocks. Practice Material: Many smiths use them for beginner practice, learning how to flatten, shape, and heat-treat scrap metal. According to blacksmith communities like I Forge Iron, old mower blades are frequently repurposed into: [ Basic utility knives and machetes Garden tools (trowels and small hoes) Shop tools (punches, drifts, and hot/cold cuts) Hardware and decor (shelf brackets, hinges, hooks, and wind chimes) Soft Steel: As discussed on BladeForums, many mower blades are intentionally softer (around 45–50 RC) so they bend or deform instead of breaking. This means they may not hold a fine edge as well as high-carbon steel files or dedicated knife steels. Inconsistent Quality: The exact alloy varies by manufacturer, meaning some blades harden well while others will not harden at all.

Is the speed reduction chain drive? The Gear drive to the generator and gear drive to the distributer is a bit unusual, I like it. Ford used the double pitman arm steering for years, some others may have too.

@Stepney Awesomeness!

An interresting build. I must say that I have never seen a double lever steering setup where each wheel is steered by a common shaft and no tierod between them. Nice touch with the Heim joints - Pete would approve.... @peter lena ??

An ugly, scrawny man was riding his horse through the woods and came across a bottle. He rubbed it and a genie came out saying he'd grant the man three wishes. "My first wish is that I want to be as handsome as Clark Gable, my second is that I want to be as buff as Arnold Schwarzenegger, and my third is to have huge privates exactly like the horse I'm riding." The genie tells him to go home and look in the mirror. He gets home, looks in the mirror, and sees that his face is as handsome as Clark Gable. He takes off his shirt and see that he is just as muscular as Arnold Schwarzenegger. He drops his pants and realizes that he was riding the mare.

I think I have my answer now. It's got the older steering wheel, and from what I am reading from others that makes it a 1987 31-16K803

Went back to Polo, IL today for their annual plow day. Turnout was great, weather was great, field conditions were great.....and breakdowns were a plenty. Took my 2 plow rigs (418-8 & 520-8) and was basically done by noon. I didn't get many pics of the day due to the breakdowns. IMG_1108.mp4 Never had a valve stem break off before, but got a clump of dirt stuck between the trans and and the wheel and it must of hit the valve stem on the way by, because all of sudden, I'm leaving a washer fluid trail. Nursed it back to the trailer and parked it with the valve stem up as there was still fluid coming out. No worries, I'll move to the 520-8...Well, she ran good for about an hour and was spitting and sputtering and the engine kept shutting down. Nursed it back to trailer and looks like I'll be replacing the ignitions system (which I probably should have done when I got it anyway). IMG_9314.mp4 IMG_9315.mp4 Since I headed home early, I was able to get everything cleaned up nicely and moldboards protected well before dark.

I.... Wow..... It's like you put words in a sentence but they're all in the wrong place.

And the wind was blowing! And I didn't turn over or even see a single rock all day!

That is the A or Gen Terminal. Goes to the A terminal on the genny with the heavy starter wire. it is a kohler part doesn't show up on WH wire diagram

More progress on the grader blade fabrication. It's actually starting to look like something that might work. I've finished the slot in the A-frame plate for the sector lock arm to lock into and I'm currently waiting on some round stock for making the two bushing clamps that hold the sector locking arm. I was getting ready to drill the mounting holes in the blade and realized that the blade was twisted, i.e. it wouldn't lay flat on the floor. Apparently when the shop was feeding it into their roller they weren't holding it straight. I took it back and they are going to straighten it for me. I did make one change in how the blade mounts to the backing plate. The original design used 6 mounting holes, I changed it to 8. The middle holes were really close to the round pivot block so I decided to put bolts on each side of the pivot block instead. Other than that I've been trying to stick to the original design as much as possible. The last important component to fabricate is the lifting arm assembly. I have the material but I'd like to have the sector arm installed first. Now if only I had a running tractor to use with the blade

These ’61-'64 tanks are an aluminum alloy casting--solder no stick ‘um! Also, other posts have noted that the material has challenged even experienced welders of aluminum.

Why not solder these things? I've got one but haven't got to it yet. Just curious.

That is a cool slice of history. Dave

Some more great plowing today in Polo, IL. Hosted by John Boelens and a bunch of Cub Cadet guys. Still some good representation by Wheel Horse. My wife was able to come along and had a great time. I guess now I need a second plow tractor!

if the transaxle has been drained and new filter, I believe you can go with either Dex/Merc or Type F and be fine. Maybe schedule your next change out a little sooner than normal just for peace of mind. I run Dex/Merc in my 16-Auto based on a recommendation I got from someone here. If wanted to do a thorough flush, you could convert over to 10W30. Opinions vary on all 3.

I would imagine mowing in sandy soil would dull your blade awfully fast!

Flattening that in a press probably won't be able to fix it. If you don't have to go very far I would be tempted to, over straighten, so to speak. Go slightly past the point that you think is straight and let go. Probably have to put one end in a vise and use a large wrench maybe even with a convincing pipe?

After this year’s spring plow day, I couldn’t keep a belt on the Speedex, it kept jumping off! The Lever Steer started to bother my shoulder at Uncle Jim’s the other weekend and I haven’t fixed the steering either, so I decided to do some work on Speedy tonight. I thought that the set screw style trunion that adjusts the clutch throw (sliding engine) was slipping, so I pulled it off and put a 7/16”-20 die over it. Now I will have positive affirmation of the adjustment.

Only one of them was mine!

Guessing they don't have a Pullstart Pot?!? Looks like looongg strait runs. One of these years maybe we can make that one. Iv'e had them valve stems break before. Luckily no fluid in tho. Let us know what shakes with the 520. I do have a few ignition parts here for them.

Next model finished (except decals - need to order smaller ones for the hood)... As always, no cost - all from bits and pieces... (except @Vinylguy's outstanding decals)... and one original part incorporated into the design...

If I want a rock of a particular size all I have to do is get a plant with a pot the size of the rock am seeking and ask my wife where to plant it. There WILL be a rock the size of the pot right there, never fails.

Ya gotta understand that @ebinmaine and I we get giddy when we find one full shovel of soil without hitting a rock.

I'm with TT on this one. Get em both up and running. I have both and like em for differant chores. My hydro tractor with hydraulic lift is the only tractor I will sno-blow with but for heavy hauling like firewood/stonewall stone, etc... I prefer my 8 speeds. Mike.............