Leaderboard

Got the herd out to graze and to rearrange for summer use. Yes, they all started and ran to drive into the lineup.

Gone wrong.

Found this original Wheel Horse shop coat at the Le Sueur swap meet today.

Well... maybe. Your mileage may vary. I tried for several days to figure out how to hold the wheels and rotate them so I could cut them straight. I started to build a jig to hold them, but then realized that was against hillbilly rule #7: Use what you have on hand. So I put a tractor on jack stands and removed a Wheel. Then mounted the bare rim and used a sharpie to mark the cut line all the way around. Sat on a 5 gallon bucket and lightly cut into the wheel on the lines until it cut all the way. It gets a little sketchy when the cutting wheel first breaks through. You have to turn the grinder to rotate the same direction as the wheel is turning so it doesn't grab. Ask me how I know... Holding the two halves together to get the welding started was interesting. Grinding deep "V" shapes in the backside to fill didn't help. Angle iron around inside or out didn't work. I used a couple big magnets to tack the first joint, and welding clamps two inches at a time until all the way around. But it turned out great. Rim is 9 inches wide bead to bead and the bonus is that the extra parts make up a nice set of 6 inch wheels, so nothing is wasted. Wheel has no wobble after everything was finished. Plenty good enough for a slow garden tractor. Took all evening to do one wheel. Learned a few tricks so the second one should go much faster.

My favorite Frankentractor started acting up this week. Slow to crank sometimes, and shut off unexpectedly every 15-20 mins. Crank right back up and die 5 mins later. Swapped both magnetos, since both originals "tested" within specs. Best I can tell one of them flaked out when hot. Once again purrs like a kitten (a dang big one ) now. I really love this machine. It was my first Wheel Horse and it has been awesome for 30 years!

Finally able to wrap this project up. Well, almost. will get into that at the end of this post. First we'll take a look back at where I started. And finally some pictures after a few hours work. Thanks for following along. Sure looks purty, just wish I could get it running right. I spent a fair amount of time trying different things with the engine today, but I just can't seem to get it to run good at high RPMs. Been a while since I've had an engine kick my but like this. I know that I have to be missing something, just wish that some type of epiphany would hurry up & hit me.

Following a good rain, I took advantage of the soften ground and dragged the driveway. About once a year I stir the gravel. Looks like time to get a load of gravel delivered got a few areas of clay poking through. .

Front End Funday?

Old Horse still gettin her done today, weekly workout. Photo on trailer 2014 the day I brought home. Old Kohler still sounds sweet under a load. Somewhere in life it picked up a 16hp motor. IMG_9609.mov IMG_9609.mov

I actually went to buy the tiller. Thinking I would have the only tractor with a tiller on the front and rear. But after talking a bit and learning he started working for Allis Chalmers in 1965, one year after I did, I knew I had to help a 77yo downsize. So I cleaned out his garage.

Good! Sick of looking at that through my windows (just kidding, no windows on that side of the house)

Looonng first post.... LOTS to write.... For several years we've been considering an upgrade to our old wood splitter. It's a very well (re)built decades old unit that was home shop rebuilt in 2012 by a local logger. After 14 seasons of splitting it's understandably getting tired. We started a thread here, got some great info. We researched on other sites and spoke to our favorite small engine repair place. We decided that it would need the entire hydraulic system replaced and a new larger engine to meet the goals. Not at all opposed to this but it would easily cost $2,000 +. While doing research online we found a couple dual action splitters. Very intriguing. We started a thread on that here: ..... And again learned some great information along with creating some additional thought processes. We decided to get the Boss model over the HF model because of several factors. 1. Kohler engine on the Boss. 2. Too many pivot/ wear points on the HF. 3. Hydraulic control lever is centered on the Boss vs one sided operation in the HF. This is a very convenient feature for Trina in particular because she's prone to jumping around wherever the workload can be accomplished the best. 4. Overall frame strength and build quality appears better on the Boss than the HF according to multiple online sources. 5. The Boss is certified for road towing. The HF is not. (We'll visit that below) The new Boss splitter arrived this week. Overall it looks good. I agree with #4 above. The welds are solid. The frame is good thick steel. The cylinder is encapsulated in a square slider tube which is encapsulated in the frame. Purely a flat surface sliding design with no bearings. @Ed Kennell Grease will be applied. Often. @peter lena North American design but made in china. Build quality is reasonable except for a few things. The trailer tongue mount is too narrow for the main frame. We had to use washers to set the tongue to one side and add longer bolts to the other side. I WOULD NOT tow this unit on the road the way it's sent. IMHO it was not safe. That - quite frankly - pi$$ed me off. This side is flush. This side is not. See the space difference... Now imagine trying to "tighten" that enough to close the space using low quality hardware... or even great quality hardware. Not happening buster. The entire hardware package is the unfortunate cheap trash we see all too often on cheap items. Nut & bolt head sizes are inconsistent (WTH??) and lacking quality. I upgraded several bolts, added washers, and replaced the disgustingly lightweight axle castle nuts with better quality pieces. We were unable to drive the steel press fit axle dust caps in so we popped the plastic ones back on. This is fine unless/until we ever need to road tow it. The axle inner seal surface isn't even properly machined. If this was going to be towed often or long distance it would eat seals. Fast. After using it for only a few minutes it's developed an issue already. Like many splitters, It has a two stage hydraulic system. When the pressure reaches a certain level the system changes from high speed low pressure to low speed high pressure. This one WAS working like that. Now it starts high speed. Goes low speed and stays there. Shut it off and move the lever to release system pressure. Restart and repeat. I'm hoping it's an adjustment, not a defective part. We've run some decent sized beech wood through it. That went well. Power level seems good. We're thinking it should be faster though. That may be related to the above issue or possibly because it's new and needs to break in. Or.... it's just slower than we hoped. Again, overall I believe it'll be a good addition once the bugs are worked out. The work habits obviously are very different from a single action to this dual action. The fact that one can use both directions is very nice. Very weird at first too. Once a different and properly adjusted set of habits is developed we can see a new kind of usefulness. We did get the additional cross piece to split horizontally. It has its place but also has its challenges. The second split is nice IF the pieces of wood separate correctly. Because we use a lot of beech wood, that isn't practical much of the time. I'll document repairs and changes in this thread. Some changes we figured on making even before purchase, no matter what splitter we got. 1. Wheel size, tongue height & length increase. The OE tires are 4.00/4.80 x 8. Seems most splitters are standard at that. I'd likely add a set of 5 lug hubs and increase to a full size tire like we did on the other splitter. Tongue height and length will be adjusted to level and to compensate for the additional table length..(Next comment) 2. Larger flat work table. As you can see in the last picture above there are small catch shelves on the sides. The principal is good. The upward angle is actually a bit of a challenge to work with. The wood pieces want to fall back into the work area. Remember gravity? We're thinking about adding a much larger, flat work table to catch the pieces on both sides. Start the split. Set one half aside. Work with the other. Have plenty of space to move the shrinking pieces around and off the table.

Got the 48 all hooked up had to buy a new belt. 42 takes 102" 48 takes 103" Hard to believe it makes a difference...it does. To wet to start mowing the paths. I like the front mount as it knocks some of the Tics down before they hit my leg Already had one.. Going to need lots of DEET this year. Did a short test may have to get a bigger horse the 48 put a load on the 14hp.

@wallfish @Sparky John had bought a doodle bug from Zagrays to screw around with... I stored it for a bit and Sunday he gets to take it home from the Belltown Tractor Show. Has a Tecumseh 16 OHV... so it will never run!! Lol sorry Bill!!!

Shop rags can get expensive and I don’t like to put them in my washing machine. I’ve had this cement mixer around for a while now and figured I’d put it to good use IMG_4450.mov

Yeah, I finally got a mower that is licensed to use state highways.

e Delivered the 314A to a new owner today. The young lady was in dire need of a tractor to do the first mowing.

Ok, well… decided to drop the engine in for fit, and everything‘s looking good. Going to start snugging things up a little and then continuing with dressing the engine with all of the freshly painted and prepped accessories.

Thursday afternoon/evening I got our garden spot plowed. This was the first time I have used the C160 for this (I usually use my Speedex 1631). It did quite well! Since I acquired this C160 in 2018 (I think), I have only used it for tilling and cultivating.

There’s lots of work today to get 70 square foot of steel mounted up! Back window and door openings are cut out, window is in and I need to trim and seal it up. Back sliding door track is installed and trimmed as well.

Just do when she ain't lookin...

Gave the 257-H a good cleaning. 99 hours on it. Very underrated machines IMHO.

Rather productive day today. Broke the axle shaft free of the hub with my 12 ton hobo freight press. Pulled the trans out of the 10-8, new axle shaft came in today for the 10-8 trans now just need to get the time to split it and repair it. Had my new tri-rib tires mounted yesterday and today threw them on the C120 for now to see how I like them since they’re for the 10-8. Then plowed out my new garden bed with the C120. All in all it was a good day.

April 25,1901, New York becomes the first state to require license plates on cars, using the owners’ initials instead of numbers. Motorists must make their own plates, and they do so with a variety of materials, including wood and leather.

April 22, 1978, "Saturday Night Live" showcases the worldwide television debut of the Blues Brothers—the not-quite-real, not-quite-fake musical creation of SNL cast members Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi.

Great job Kevin !! I had some waste when I built mine. Spun the rims on my C-145 lathe. My finished width was 11.5"

You're downsizing. Just getting smaller stuff instead of complete tractors...

I can see what closed the deal, those license plat patches on the deck just couldn't be passed on gotta' have them.

My neighbor takes care of two gardens. The one shown in the video and one twice as large in my yard (in photos). I found him a good deal on a nice tiller complete with all the idler pulleys. He couldn't be happier!

Your engine is splash lubricated with relatively wide clearances when compared to a modern automotive pressure lubricated engine, I would go with 30 as stated in the engine manual.

Put steering wheel center cap on 520H thanks ti AtoZ tractor, also added cubic inches decals to air cleaner lid on same tractor.

Of course, accompanied with the obligatory registration fees... And, the first 27 people in line at the DMV are still waiting for their tags...

315-8 saw a little mowing duty tonight. Kicked up quite a bit on dust, had to hose her down when I was done.

Hello all. I am a proud owner of a early 312-8 and also 520 H. I wanted to introduce myself as a Wheel Horse enthusiast, and I also joined in order to keep up with all the maintenance procedures and tips that this forum provides.. Currently. I am focused on getting my 312-8 up & running. I have ordered a throttle to replace the old one and it will come in tomorrow, after that I should be ready to cut grass with it. I am located in SE Wisconsin. Respectfully. Tom

I've got my herd down to just what I need for the things I have to do around here. A tractor for each implement, and still have one just to cruise around on.

Roller

Well, that 1076 is nearly complete. It's missing the belt guard and throttle cable. It does start, run and drive. The Sundstrand feels strong. It has the axle bracket and snow plow, The slot hitch that can lift the tiller. And the 42" deck with all the side swing arm hardware.

Very noble... Just wait till you get to be his age!!!

I have used Rotella T1 30w for years, summer and winter without any problems. IMHO it is the best oil for these older engines that is made. Bob

April 21, 1967, General Motors (GM) celebrates the manufacture of its 100 millionth American-made car. At the time, GM was the world’s largest automaker. General Motors was established in 1908 in Flint, Michigan, by horse-drawn carriage mogul William Durant. In 1904, Durant invested in the Buick Motor Company, which was started in 1903 by Scottish-born inventor David Dunbar Buick. Within a few years of forming his company, Buick lost control of it and sold his stock, which would later be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Durant made Buick Motors the cornerstone of his new holding company, General Motors, then acquired Oldsmobile, Cadillac and Reliance Motor Company, among other auto and truck makers.

Yep, I’m still grinding away on this. I have 34 or so days until Jada’s graduation party. Most every piece needs to be cut to length and trimmed somehow to fit. It’s time consuming, so I am using whatever dry weather I have to get it done.

I planted this Rhubarb two years ago. I thought it froze out with the cold temps this winter. No strawberries yet but I have plenty of frozen blackberries from last year. So my first attempt at a blackberry / rhubarb pie. Mrs K even gave me a

I look like a circus bear on my 551

WE DO NOT SHIP ANYTHING. CASH ONLY AND PICK UP ONLY. Let me think this over, I want a new choke cable, I can buy it now on eBay and have it shipped or I can drive about 600 miles round trip and hope he is there and in a good mood when I get there. decisions, decisions.

Ready for work.

Only downsizing I've done is got off the 520H and get on an 856 yesterday, does that count.

This is why my wife doesn't want me to get a trailer. She's not buying the "It's only for Home Depot runs" line. She's not wrong.

That lining looks good. I would hit it with brake cleaner which was the original intended use of the product.

April 18, 1923, Yankee Stadium opens in the Bronx, New York. The press nicknames it the “House that Ruth Built” for slugger Babe Ruth, and he marks the occasion with a three-run homer.