Leaderboard

My dear friend George Sleezer gave me this beautiful viper red 656 that was his pride and joy. I’m so grateful for this, but sad to see he’s getting out of the hobby due to old age. It came with a sickle mower and tub cart. More pictures to come.

TRUTH!

It is just math! there is girl math there is guy math and then there is tractor math 2+1=7

Nope, not an Eaton or a Sundstrand transmission. Just some information on the US Army Corp of Engineers hydro projects. I had the honor of working with the Corp on the development of most of their hydro plants. My son managed the recently completed Ice Harbor project. https://www.facebook.com/WallaWallaUSACE

As our treasures pass between us, I have pondered on several occasions that our motto should be "in good hands we trust."

The 2026 RedSquare calendar is here and better than ever. @ebinmaine Trina, has once again knocked it out of the park, and I hope you all love it as much as I do. Putting this together takes a lot of time and effort, please drop a thanks here, and enjoy 2026!

It must be fun to celebrate your birthday when you never age! Mickey Mouse first appeared in the short film “Steamboat Willie” on November 18, 1928. Ever since then, fans all over the world have celebrated this day as his birthday. Mickey reminds us of the magic of childhood — a time when dreams had wings, and our imagination made everything possible. Besides, everyone loves Mickey! Mickey's full name is Michael Theodore Mouse. Mickey Mouse wears white gloves so that his hands can be distinguished from his entire body. Most U.S. presidents have posed alongside Mickey, with the notable exception of Lyndon Johnson. "Hot Dogs!" were the first words Mickey Mouse said. In fact, he was the first cartoon character to speak. He is the first cartoon character to earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Sort of finished a "Proof of Concept" project. I am not getting any younger and neither is my chore tractor (and favorite WH) the L-107 father bought in May of 1967. She has been in use ever since. The HH70 replacement engine is over 30 years old still starts from cold two pulls if I use the recoil...but she is burning oil. I am not sure it is possible to really overhaul a techy anymore didn't see much in over /under parts availability. I have many other WHs (18 or so) but as I get older climbing on and off gets more tiring. Not a problem mowing or snow plowing as I don't have to get on and off a lot...but chore tractor constant on and off. Staring at a 856 one day I wondered if I could almost convert it to Lawn Ranger size. So swapped out wheels used a spare Lawn Ranger rear fender. I do not like to dill holes or cut metal on WHs. But I did have to drill 4 holes in the 856 hood-stand to mount the LR fender and some holes in the fender for the seat. ( I have a correct seat with a beautiful new cover but I don't want to get it dirty on a chore tractor.) Wanted front tachmatic, had to grind a bit of the side plates to clear the hood (need to do a bit more so hood opens farther). Had to make a modified rear hitch to get right drawbar height for the trailer (It was a Father son project from the 1960s with several mods over the years). The engine on it is from a pallet of engines I got for $25 bucks two of them run but will need overhaul. This one starts and runs but smokes some. Good enough for now. Going to use it for a few months see if it works okay then pretty her up some and drop in a new engine. Long run the old L-107 may get an S/G K-181.

Scored some decent tools from a local online auction. Pick up Tuesday morning.

That's a dressing tool for your grinding wheels. To true up the face of the stone. Best if you have a solid guide you can rest against to stay flat with the face of the stone.

One of the largest turbines made. Proud to have been involved in developing these 1 million HP turbines .Bing Videos

The last panel should ask "So, ya still married?"

What a beautiful machine. And such a wonderful gesture as well. We are all fortunate to be part of such a great group of people.

And here is a list of what I call "The Wheel Horse Devil's Trifecta". In no particular order - You have not had the full WH experience until you have attempted and succeeded on all three - and you do not earn a Merit Badge either! Strap in and enjoy the ride!!! Removing a Steering Wheel from the Upper Shaft. Some models are much more difficult than others. The goal is not to damage either. Removing the rusted in place slot hitch and hitch pin. The goal is to salvage and reuse the hitch. Usually, the pin gets sacrificed and replaced. Removing both rear hubs. The goal is to do so without damaging any components. Honorable mention: Replacing all 4 seals on the Unidrive with it in place. Removing the exhaust stub pipe on the engine. Removing the center pulley on a later 3 blade deck.

I have owned my 1976 C120 now for 30 minutes! I bought it to do some driveway leveling, so now I need to start researching blades and blade attachments. The tractor appears sound, and it starts and runs ok, but it moves very slowly. I need to explore belt, clutch spring, etc. I think. Any suggestions for reasonably priced blades would be welcomed!

@Ed Kennell It would take 27+ of our new 3.25Mw generators ( each burning over 500 gallons of diesel per hour ) to equal just one of the smaller 90Mw turbines at that site. They are powering three 90Mw plus three 111Mw turbines at the Ice Harbor plant. The power of water and gravity is almost unbelievable. For those that aren't into electric 1Mw = 1,000,000 watts

In your photo I can see that the High-Low range lever is in the Low position. The attached owner manual should be helpful.

I been told that the 953 steering wheel center cap is almost impossible to find?? Bought my 953 from @Buckeyes. I was shocked when he told me how much he paid for just the cap. Since I have an open trailer I secure the cap with a small bungee cord cause I'm not taking any chances. The seat bottom just sets on fender pan between the seat bracket & fenders. I installed a hinge at the front. Again, because of having an open trailer I didnt wanna forget to remove seat cushion before transporting it.

I walked by my wife years ago at the grocery store and was "drafting" a respiratory atom bomb. She had my infant daughter in the baby carrier on the shopping cart... There were several strangers within earshot of her, so I declared rather loudly "Mam, I think you should change that child's diaper" and walked straight out to the truck. ...it took several weeks for the bruising and stitches to heal, but I am still here. So I have 3 daughters all these years later. When (not if) I get drafted to go pick up "feminine products", they ALL remind me of that single occurrence so I have zero room for embarrassment. As Red Green says, "I'm a man. I can change... if I have to... I guess... As the oldest member of my family, I plan retribution through them changing my diapers one day. They all tell me they will just call the rest home nurse and wait outside. I fear that I have created monsters!

Very funny to read this, as my wife just baked a fresh loaf of sourdough bread an hour ago!! Used it to mop up the sauce that was on our freshly caught bay scallops. Mmmmmm

Just a few pictures of my Wheel Horse doing some chores today! Split up some kindling for the winter. Starting to fill the lean-to I built over the summer to keep all my firewood dry. It started to rain so I quit for the day. Some may say I didn't want to get wet. Some may say I didn't want my Wheel Horse to get wet. Probably both right! At least my wife no longer makes fun of me for driving around in my socks so I don't scratch the paint!

Here it is, from our files section.

As the title suggests, I bought a 953 and 1054. Did I need them? Nope. Did I want them? I guess. Was the deal too good to pass up? Yep. These are both non running units and both need some TLC, but I’ve have my fair share with small and big block Kohlers. I need to find the seats because they both have the bracket, but are missing the cushions, along with the steering center cap. I’m learning as I go, so thank you for any advice or help. Thanks

Yes @grnlark makes great seats.

Thanks Trina!!! So, the "no people in the pictures" thing... Do our tractors make our butts look that fat?

I need to come up with more excuses to use it around the yard.....besides riding in circles yelling Ya-Hooooo!....and my wife shaking her head. In reality....it sure makes splitting wood not seem like work when you get to tool around on it. Things I noticed from my 2 photos. A leaf fell on it that I didn't see - Eeeeek! LOL. It also looks like I need to restore my old wood splitter as it looks like a clunker next to my Wheel Horse. I'm thinking I need a large water tank to pull around the yard and water the 20-30 odd trees I planted this fall. That will be a good excuse to use the Wheel Horse dump trailer more. Stay tuned. My wife: "You need what to water what?" More head shaking. I'm used to it. Thanks for all the GREAT comments...glad I posted up some 'In Action' photos! You can certainly NEVER take a bad picture of a Wheel Horse being used...

great Job thank Trina for us and buy her an ice cream or sumin ....

Our Granddaughter looks at me funny most of the time, she is 21 and in a whole other universe.

Curiously I never liked using either type. I use and have great results using an old used diamond cutting saw blade. I find it easier to control and more versatile being able to use the very tip or the sides. Easier to control with faster results.

I used the shop vac on a yellow jacket nest under my siding. Propped up the "intake" at the entrance/exit hole, turned it on. 2 days later, gone with a vac full of hornets!

Ran into one of those literally last summer. Was in a low lilac branch and when I was doing the edging with the push mower. It was the fastest I moved since my surgery back in March of last year. They got me three times, had a mild allergic reaction. RAID wasp spray fixed them that evening. My souvenir…

to the The C-120 is a great worker. Yes, try to shift it to High range. Don't force it, it may help to put it in 1st gear and rock the tractor while you apply pressure to the HI/Low shifter.

I have better results using the single diamond point dresser. Working the stop against the grinder work rest.

As mentioned above center blades and dozer/snow blades can be found, might have to do a little searching. I you want instant gratitude, you can go with a Brinly box scraper. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/brinly-38-in-box-scraper-and-rear-blade-bs-381-2-in-1-tool-for-versatile-landscaping-2523107 You will also need a Brinly hitch adaptor. https://wheelhorsepartsandmore.com/product/toro-wheel-horse-slot-hitch-adapter/

I participated in yesterday’s festivities and didn’t even know it! 4 loaves of pumpkin bread, one loaf of bread bread (that one was my first attempt at making bread bread…. It was a hit!!) I like using flours, meals, cereal, and pancake/waffle mixes from an honest to goodness grist mill that we are blessed to have in our local area. Look up War Eagle Mill. All of their stuff is organic and non-GMO.

For the record, I bought the tractor with the steering wheel cap already on it! But I did pay quite a bit for it from Roy and Betty Stewardson's collection. Beautiful tractor, as is everything else they have up there!

Yeah but the hornets would be gone!

Brad that a nice shape 656. Just take your time with it. And it will turn out good.

@grnlark is the guy for seats I hear. I need to order some cushions for my raider soon, actually.

Not really. Round are somewhat stronger but not all that much. The force simply must be applied very close to the shaft. Remember this is a casting, not a forged item. A rare few have made 5-bolt pullers and had success. Many, many, many posts here on the adventures of hub pulling. Pretty much everyone considers it a rite of passage.

With this being brought up again I decided to reach out to the museum. Ken is still the curator and he replied that the Wheel Horse project is on the boards for 2026 and he will reach out to me when it happens. Is that exciting or what? In the meantime, for you folks coming through South Bend of course a drive by the old factory will be in order and I would highly recommend a visit to the Studebaker Museum. The history goes beyond what I even imagined and it's a day well spent. I'd love to tag along as well if the timing was right.

Sweet, I made it in

Nice work @Alan173 it turned out great.

I know old George... bought some clothing from him once.

Mid Tach assembly ready to be installed. Mid Tach mounting hardware ready to be installed. Mid Tach lock assembly ready to be installed. Mid Tach plates ready to be installed. NOS mid Tach latch ready to be installed. Right side mid Tach plate installed and bolts tightened. Left side mid Tach plate loosely installed using standard non-locking nuts. Mid tach lock and latch installed then nuts spun in finger tight to hold everything properly together. Nuts switched to nyloc then all mounting hardware tightened. Note clip on Left rear bolt has been installed. This is to hold the battery tray drain tube.

I had a pro come to take my nest (I discovered it by accidentally brushing against the tree and getting stung in three places--I nearly fainted from the shock). That evening, the tech, fully garbed in protective clothing, “smoked it” similar to what beekeepers do. He then very carefully removed it intact by cutting the branch and placing it in a heavy clear plastic bag. He said the bees would suffocate and starve within a few days whereupon his company sells the intact nest to a supplier of high school and college science labs!

I had many encounters with those things over the years. The last one overseas with Asiatic Hornets. Those things are over one inch long. I am highly allergic to any hornet or bee sting,and almost died a couple of times. I have EpiPens in each of the vehicles, one in my wife’s purse, one in the shop, and one in each shed. Wherever I go I carry one. As per the emergency room doctors over the years I have less than ten minutes to deal with when it happens. It immediately stars lowering my blood pressure and I go into shock. Not a fun occurrence with each one resulting with a stay in the hospital. I suggest that you get a professional to deal with them.