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These two tractors were clearly 'parts only' machines. A 657 and a 500 Indy Special. After some mingling and hanky panky they emerged as this.

I was running through some old pic's. Typically I don't take many pics before, mostly during. Both of these machines were 6 month projects working off and on. The surprise was both engines were in real good shape. Anyone else got some before and after pics.

Did this in a month including replacing the hydro.

spectacular projects ----- great photos -- awesome work -- don't mean to hyjack your before and after tractor thread but thought i would add some before and after of WH mower rehabs -- here is a 37 sd rescue rehab before and after of deck i found

Browsing Ebay I came across this. I was totally shocked when I saw that it was located in Deland, FL, only about 15 miles from me. The paint was much worse than the picture indicates and the engine was a welded mess but I wanted it. I actually physically looked at it prior to bidding and it was the very same model my Dad brought home brand new when I was 5 years old. My proxy bid wasn't going to be beat but I ended up winning it for $285.00. Down to every nut and bolt then rebuilt. Both the 500 and the 400 are on display in a 4 season porch on one of the main roads out of Mishawaka now.

Trailer Couple tractors (sorry no before for the rat)...

My eyes Joe. Ya shouda warned us to wear protection.

A trip to Elgin to see the world famous @stevasaurus and we loaded this up. I don't normally name my tractors but Dino just seemed right for this one. Just a quick refresh and put it to work, right? I lost control somewhere along the way. I really haven't done much to it this summer other than rebuild (not restore) a deck for it. Heat up the garage a few times this winter and it will be mowing the weeds come spring. As she sits as of 8:07 this morning.

My 92 312-8 before… And after. My 78 C-141 before… And after. My 87 308-8 before… And after.

I have white weights on white wheels on my C-141 8-Speed and I think it looks good. I don’t think white weights would look good on silver wheels though, as nothing else on a mid eighties model is white. I found this picture of a 418-8 for sale a while ago. It’s a very nice tractor and it made me want one even more. I’m not sure whose tractor this is or was , but the whole setup is nice, tiller, front weight bar etc. The only thing I’m not in love with is the same color weights and wheels. Not long after I saw this picture a 418-8 popped up in Massachusetts for a reasonable price, so I drove up and bought it. I gave it some love that it needed and now I’m thinking it needs some weights. For now I’m going to finish restoring the tiller I have for it. I already have a C-165 Automatic with a tiller on it, so this might be for show? However I’ve never tilled with an 8-Speed so I’ll probably use it. Funny thing is that I don’t have anything to till anymore other than the ten horseshoe pits for my fire department horseshoe tournament fundraiser. Eventually I’d like to put some 23x10.50 ags on it and the one bottom plow I have. Once again, I don’t have anything to plow but if something comes up I’ll be ready 😂

Saved a two piece seat. Before After

All my pics are still before

So while Trina was at our favorite small engine repair place yesterday to pick up the trimmer she spied this beauty.. 1954 Huot top. I'll let the pics tell the story. If anyone can identify the base cabinet I'd appreciate it. Replacement Craftsmen drawers on a (military green? ) base.

The Low Rider before after

The only green Wheel Horse I've ever seen that I like. Not that my opinion matters, but it does look nice. At least it isn't "that" green with yellow wheels!

I personally think red is sexy! After all, “She thinks my tractor is sexy!”

Got the Suburban in a deal when I purchased my 1st RJ (regretfully sold the RJ) Seller said it had to go also if took the RJ. It was really close to being scrap. Was able to put it together with spare parts so cost was minimal. It gets lotsa likes/attention at shows. Yet to do a complete restoration. Instead I just bought my already restored tractors from @Buckeyes. Definitely more cost effective.......

Red Planet Day, November 28, recognizes the planet which has captivated human observers for countless years, Mars. Right now, we know that Mars is red thanks to photographs beamed back to Earth from American rovers. For centuries, the naked human eye has been able to detect the reddish tinge of the solar system’s fourth planet, glimmering in the night sky. Little did scientists know, the red on Mars’ surface came from a preponderance of iron oxide, common rust. On Red Planet Day we celebrate our fascination with Mars, along with all the scientific advancements into understanding the dusty planet. Around 400 BC, the Babylonian’s began keeping record of celestial events. They called Mars “Nergal,” The King of Conflicts, ostensibly because of the association between the planet’s color and the blood spilled during armed encounters with enemies. The ancient Greeks and Romans must have made the association as well, because in both their pantheons, Ares and Mars, respectively, were known as the gods of war.

Red , Black and Linen Beige. Doesn't matter. I've seen them from the factory on Cub Cadet and AMF in white. Whatever the tractor manufacturer tells the foundry what color they want they got.

Some borrowed pics for mulling over... Silver or white, both look nice.

Women should have their cars painted that color so they can find them in crowded parking lots!

Haven’t opened it yet, I suspect it’s all original so I figure if it’s apart I might as well replace everything and hopefully never have to open it up again.

Lift lever and bellcrank assembly ready to be installed. Lift lever bushings installed into hoodstand. They needed to be lightly tapped into place as they are a tight fit. Make sure they are fully installed and sit flat. Trunnion greased where it will slide into the bellcrank. Trunnion slid into bellcrank and clip installed onto trunnion. Clip and washer slid onto left side of lift lever. Lift lever was greased where it will slide into left side bushing. Lift lever slid through left bushing and bellcrank. Lift lever slid part way through right side bushing. Key installed and firmly tapped into place onto lift lever. Lift lever coated in never seize where the bellcrank will sit (between the two holes in the lift lever). Bellcrank slid onto lift lever after aligning key to keyway cut into bellcrank. Lift lever greased where it will slide into right side bushing. Lift lever fully slid into place. Right side lift lever washer and clip installed. Bellcrank retaining clips ready to be installed. A little never seize was applied where the retaining clip will be installed into the lift lever. Left side retaining clip installed then the bellcrank slid over until it is tight to the clip. At this point the right side clip was inserted. I then cleaned up and extra grease and never seize for a cleaner look and called this job complete.

Original 70's weights look like they were red on white/ Mid eighties original were silver wheels and black weights? I like this one. If she's for cook'n....not to big a deal If she's for look'n....whole nother ball game.

Jim those came out beautiful. Really makes that tractor look sharp.

Original weights on my C160.....

A week or so ago I stopped in to my favorite small engine repair place for some reason. While there we were shooting the breeze about the rough terrain and tall grass and how to maintain that area. He recommended a heavier duty commercial type machine and said he had one.... not that it was for sale. He showed me this and explained why it was supposedly awesome-er. Then said he'd be selling it... sometime. How about now?? Well he had to do a tune up and replace the carb. Trina picked it up yesterday afternoon. Looking forward to giving it a proper workout.

I have seen some early Craftsman tool boxes that were a gray/brown cabinet with red drawers.

Quite unexpectedly, we had a couple of very heavy snow showers blast through this afternoon where I’m visiting my daughter and SIL south of Lowell MA. Way too warm for sticking but it looked very pretty and left my car very wet!

About finished up with the leaves, Had to rake them off that steep bank.

Well. Here we are almost 2 years later. I've been using my 60" wide @wallfish -bilt plow for a few seasons. Works great but I wanted to try something a little different this year. Like any plow, the snow windrow escapes the tailing edge. Obvious. But it also escapes the forward edge. This year I'll have the above SUPER SCOOPER!! This should allow me to grab a half width or so of snow and just push it right in to the forest. The brackets in the previous post weren't quite wide enough because of interference to the plow frame bracing. I used a set with double holes per side but bolted only one hole 🕳 per. If the side scoops are flappity then I can add more bolts 🔩 or even consider a couple 45⁰ top braces. The 42" wide moldboard I chose is in really tough shape. Severely worn on the bottom and bent at the top. For those reasons I didn't feel too awful bad about drilling it. If this experiment goes well in principle I can consider using a 48" wide set-up. Here's the pics... now for some snow!!

Fixed the side wings. It should lift 3 inches. So a long time ago I got hung up on how high I could lift the blower. For some reason I modified the lift arm and flag (with spacers) so the blower unit would raise about 6 inches. Which hole do you have the flag in? The flag is in the top hole Attaching the flag to the tractor became such a chore every year I bought a dedicated tractor. I'll try moving it down to at least the middle and take all the spacers off the lift arm.

The Genny's are pretty much all the same. Use the same bearings or maybe one end has the bushing. 90% of Delco genny use the same R430 brushes. I've probably done about a dozen WH genny's and everyone was the same.

Mike: That kit fits both styles of S/G's. Early ones with 2 ball bearings, later ones with 1 bushing and 1 ball bearing. Should be fine? Does Yours have two oil cups on it?? My 854 does - 2 bearings. Check on Fleabay - search under Delco Remy Starter Generator. There is an Electric Shop that sells kits... good feedback rating. Bill

If you take the s/g apart and find that the brushes are in decent condition you might be able to find just the bearings for it.

I have a set of rear factory cast weights and I am going to put them on a 418-8. I am currently preparing them for paint and wasn’t sure if I should paint them black or red? I’m not sure if they came black, I know the fronts did. Maybe leaning towards black, as I have a set of fronts that are black and could use a fresh coat. I don’t think I’d use black on an older tractor with white wheels, but it might look nice on the silver wheels of a mid-eighties tractor? Thoughts?

Now I think we have the answer why the PTO now stays engaged.

Yes, the two PTO and seat safety switches functions are: 1. one switch breaks the starting circuit preventing start up if the PTO is engaged 2. if the driver leaves the seat with the engine running and the PTO engaged the other PTO switch breaks the ignition circuit stopping the engine Neither of these switches electrically disengage the PTO although if they are badly misaligned, they may mechanically prevent the PTO lever from fully engaging.

Next upgrades will be painting this intake neck for GT14 to black and installing it. Then an NOS Kohler GT14 muffler.

The biggest advantage to the factory WH weights is the fact you can leave them attached to the rim and still get access to the lug bolts.... Worth the price - maybe. Weight is weight-period. I prefer functionality over aesthetics in a seasonal accessory. Besides, all my tractors are old enough to vote twice over and are "Working Girls" with old clothes and grease smudges, not Cheerleaders in their Prom Dresses. These colors do look nice though... The cast weights have an additional 20 pound barbell plate behind them that blocks off lug access. I'd rather have the weight. Besides, it helps keep the snow out!!

Seen that before. Does look nice!

I have a pair that are the same color white as the wheels on my C-tractors. Not sure if it's the original paint or not but it looks to be. They definitely need repainted. Post pictures of how yours turn out once you decide on a color and get them mounted. If it weren't so frickin' cold out, I'd go out and get a picture of mine. UPDATE: 11/28/25 - Got 'em mounted

Pretty sure we could come up with a font end tach-matic adapter for that!

Video documentation required! Those things will shred more brush than a goat!

Check the spring that locks the cam at the bottom of the cam on the PTO engagement lever. It could be weak or disconnected. I actually added a spring on my 312 to keep more tension on the rod. It helps to keep the PTO cam locked in the on and off positions and stops the rattling noise.

Yupper dupper. I know them very well but I don't see them coming into play with mechanically holding the PTO engaged. Another yupper dupper.