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This past weekend we had the 15th (ish) UK meet. Around 35 horses from around the country. A few custom ones - you can’t have too many and 10 round hoods, which is a record for us here… no idea where they come from! My own basket case made it, and then the pull start broke on the first day leaving it bricked! 😭 here are a few pictures

Went out for a test drive.

Just finished cleaning off the winter cob webs, changing the oil, sharpening the blades, and replacing the air filters. Ready for the grandchildren. (1967 T1067 and 1982 SK-486)

This is from the experience I went through the last couple days. It pertains to a B 100 that I picked up a few weeks ago. It’s been quite the experience with the wiring on this tractor. I was trying to fix someone else’s mistakes. Yesterday was I guess you called a head banger or scratcher. Be cause everything I did did not work. So today I guess you could call it a premonition early in the morning. I decided to use a jumper wire form the solenoid to the wire on the starter from the Solenoid.. Bingo it worked. So Squonk AKA Mike was interested how this came about. So I told him. He said the wire was bad. I thought how a 6ga wire could be bad with no bare spots and the contacts were clean and shiny. So as I changed the wire witch is a 4ga brand new. Bingo I have contact. I have had a few of this model in the past. So I guess you could say don’t assume everything is good just by looks. I am not good with electrical never took the time to learn it.. if you read this and liked it say something or give me a thumbs up. Enjoy all your projects. This is something apparently I didn’t follow when I was doing it.

Hello everyone. First my apologies to all for falling off the face of the earth, specially to the ones that attempted to contact me and perhaps I did not answer. It has been an adventure this last year, starting with our health which unfortunately just wants to travel south , keeping us busy just by the multitude of appointments, tests and the lack of peace of mind which many times just takes all and any motivation away. It’s a struggle. With my father’s passing last year now it’s the impossible task of managing properties in two continents without being there. My wife is not up to travel and I cannot leave her alone so it just complicates things. My younger son is now back with us making things a little easier and certain things possible which is a blessing. Only due to that I am actually now waiting to board a plane so I go for a few days to do some closings on stuff over there. Been also quite discouraged with the current “climate” here , due to which I have taken a bit of outright abuse never having in my life imagined it possible. Amazing how all of a sudden so many change their attitudes towards one, clearly intended on making one feel singled out and unwelcome. Again, feelings I never thought I would have specially after 60 years of being here. I was looking forward to the show this year but unfortunately due to the health and overseas issues it’s not going to be possible. I’ll be looking forward to seeing all the photos. Hopefully I’ll also find time and the motivation to start being active here again. I miss you all.

Morning... sitting on the "new" 953 out in front yard with cup of Joe. Bought this yesterday not running... but with my pit crews help (Mike, John, Gary & Paul) we had it running and it did a victory lap under its own power in 15 minutes. CHECK OUT THE SEAT!!! Guy says he took apart an office chair, cut vinyl off. Re-cut the plywood and foam to fit then recovered and stapled! LMAO its PERFECT!! Can't wait for the show, see you soon! Tony @wallfish @Sparky @Retired Wrencher

I am planning a day trip to the big show on Saturday, coming along with @Rob R I am looking forward to seeing everyone. To help celebrate RedSquare’s 20th anniversary, I will be giving out our special 20th anniversary stickers printed by the one and only @Vinylguy. Be sure to seek me out to get yours while supplies last!

We plan to do a Red Square 20th Anniversary group photo on Friday, June 26 and Saturday, June 27. The location will depend on the weather, if it is a nice day we will gather near the entrance to the show field (AKA Squonk's Corner) and in the event of rain we will move into the display building. Times are yet to be determined but there will be plenty of advance notice and announcements on the public address system. Plan to be a part of the celebration.

C-85 I bought awhile back has always had two leaky fronts. Been stored in the shed up on blocks so the rubber wouldn’t get ruined sitting flat..well today I decided to tube em both. I hate tubing the small tires ! This old HF tire changer comes in handy still. But now it’s done and the big test will be to see if they stay “up”.

June 10, 2002, A man was arrested and charged in the attempted murder of a police officer after driving into a patrol car while attempting to flee from sheriff’s deputies. Soon after, police discovered that he was already a wanted man. He stole a Krispy Kreme doughnuts delivery truck, police who pursued and caught up to the vehicle said he had led police on a 15-mile chase, leaving a trail of doughnuts behind. The incident was the subject of nationwide media attention and, as it involved cops and doughnuts, kept late-night comedians busy for several days.

Are any of you guys going to be able to go see this as it comes through the East for the 1st time?? I've seen it a couple times when it came through Geneva and West Chicago, Ill a couple years ago. It is worth it if you get the chance !! This is worth seeing ...there is only 1. Go on You Tube and check out it going through the Feather River in the Rockies. Out standing for sure!! A schedule...

Originally it was red, someone has slapped that blue on it for unkown reasons. Easily made red again though.

The legend on the right (and some nobody on the left) for those that don’t know what Karl looks like

Here ya go Joe. Now ya can find Me. Oh, were looking for Karl.

In 1982 the SK-486 cost roughly $1800. Today that would translate to about $7000. That puts it in the range of the John Deere X500 series. The problem, at that price point, John Deere’s margins are MUCH higher than Wheel Horse’s would have been because of Deere’s use of molded plastics and consumables vs steel and cast iron. We’re all lucky to own what’s left of the dinosaurs 🦖.

Just found this thread and realized I had this picture. This was pulling in the driveway after we made the trip to pick up the C160-8. My youngest son had to ride on the tractor down the driveway.

I've been wanting to replace my mulching cover, due to it being broken at the corners, and the PO hacking it. WHX?? was kind enough to sell an extra one he had (including the mounting bolts/nuts which I didn't have). Today I used rust reforming primer and GM Red spray paint on the rusty areas of the deck. After it all cured I added a little weatherstripping to the back edges of the cover and installed. My mild OCD is doing better now. Once my son in law has the time he's going to 3D print me another one for the spare parts shelf.

Shall we get a " Poll" started? Chicken or Egg? Bed or Colossus?

A rubdown with Penetrol. It was thirsty and will get another...

Well this hood has been primer coated about 5 times, each after finding another ding to tap out and fix. Actually got another coat today. But it looks pretty good right now. I'll go over it tomorrow with 800 grit and scope it over once more. And I've made up my mind on the fuel pump. Now I have to figure out where to put the thing. Not alot of room on a 701 to hide an electric pump...

Got some logs pulled outta the forest today.

Pressure washed my Kubota L225 yesterday. Best I can remember off the top of my head it’s a ‘79 model. Was my stepdads, he bought it in 1996 so it’s been in our family for 30 years now. He passed away about 3 years ago but I’ve had the tractor in my possession now for around 10 years. This is the first tractor I ever ran and in my early 20’s ultimately lead me down the path of pursuing a turf degree and 24 years of golf course work. It is well worn and could stand a rebuild but still starts and runs flawlessly. It’s had gasoline put in it 2 times over 20 years ago. Not while in my possession but one time accidentally by my stepdad and once by my cousin who was going to do my stepdad a “favor” and mow the pasture for him LOL. Luckily both times it was caught fairly quickly but I’m certain some damage, albeit minimal was done. Even with that we still use it to mow about 3 acres every week. My oldest son runs it now but every time I get on it brings back good memories. I always thought it was ugly as sin but it’s hard to argue with the amount of service it’s provided.

Picked up this front deck mount about 1 month ago and the 42" deck on the way home from @Pullstart's plow day. Finiched getting it all mounted up and working today. The instructions want you to cut out a notch on the RH belt cover in order to clear the drive belt. Don't think I'll be doing that for now. Mows pretty good, but will get a little getting used to. Also need to get a hydro to install it on. Way too wet to mow due to all the storms that past few days, btu wanted to to make 1 pass around the garden to check the cut. IMG_9702.mp4 IMG_9703.mp4 IMG_9706.mp4

I picked this up at a consignment sale with the intention of fixing and possibly putting in an engineless 552 or something like that. Anyone know what this would have been in with the plug in electric start?? I was thinking maybe a tiller or snowblower? My wife was way too happy about this purchase lol

Here he was twenty years ago when it all started, Karl is on the right.

The cables in the pics looked new but suspect to my eyes. We had an electrical clinic at the Napa when I was working there. Had a nice set up from the Rayloc rep. A battery with nothing in it but 6 D cell flashlight batteries, A 4 ga. cable with only 1 strand connected inside of it. Key switch ,solenoid and starter all on a big board. Pretty cool. We invited all the shops to attend. We had a 12 volt test light , multimeter and jumper wires. One by one we had guys trying to diagnose various bugs we put in a circuit. And still I had to go to garages and find problems that stumped these guys including 2 the very next day! Moral of the story: A 12 volt test light only tells you that electricity is present. Most of them have a 6 or 9 V bulb in it so it will glow with 3 volts. Get a multimeter and learn how to use it. Electrical circuits on a WH are like a road map. Start at the battery and follow the positive side until there is a stopping point like a solenoid. Watch the video's I posted about grounds and solenoids. A multimeter would have found this problem in a minute.

Personally I would opt for a manufactured aluminum or steel flatbed. Just bolt it on and go after it gets back from having the rear axle done. This way you can start using it, as opposed to having it still outa commission for weeks/months/years etc. This is just an example, plenty of less expensive steel ones for sale.

312-8 with the small tire changer. Good weekend of work but time to put them to bed and get ready for work tomorrow...

Got a couple BIG loads of firewood brought up from down back of the barn. I've never tried to stack as much wood in the trailer as I did today. The first load is taller but has shorter length pieces. The second load felt heavier. I figured for sure that tractor tire traction would be the limiting factor. Nope. The ole beast Cinnamon Horse C160-8 just kept on ah-chuggin'... I was very pleasantly surprised at how well that went. Second load:

Great nephew got to come home with me after church of course it was tractor riding time when we got home. Started with the C160 then the 520H and also the 312-8 but forgot pics of him on the 312. He is really a good operator already pays attention well and has a good understanding of what it takes to run the tractor just still to small to reach everything.

As a teenager I was working as a carpenters apprentice on a job site and was looking for a bucket. I opened a 5 gallon spackle bucket in the dumpster. Lets just say that I’ll never do that again!

I’ve been tinkering with my 702 over this past week, going over it, putting together a mental list of what it needs with hopes to find at the big show, but the list keeps growing. I’ve kept the 702 stored indoors for over a decade now after the steering sector snapped. I have my trusty 401 that has been keeping my yard mowed for almost 30 years, so the 702 project has been at the bottom of lifes list of projects. But now the deck on the 401 is sounding louder than ever. Bearings are worn, shafts are worn, keyways are rough, but the deck is still solid. More oil is on the wheels than is inside the trans. Hubs are loose on the axles. I lost a wheel a couple weeks ago. Hub set screw threads are gone, so there’s a blob of weld holding the wheel on the axle. It’s in serious need of some TLC. It did get a fresh predator motor this spring. The last one was on there maybe 12 years. Still ran but was getting low on power and temperamental starting. Thought i’d get 702 going because I know the deck is good, or so i thought. It’s weird how time makes you forget stuff. Luckily it was just a woodruff key for the left side had sheared. So that’s all good now. Since someone had got all happy with nickel rod and welded just about everything together on the rest of the tractor, i just mig welded what was left of the sector to the shaft, mainly to make it easier to move around until i find replacements at the big show. i bought the 702 15-20 years ago as a “ran when parked”. Well sure enough, after a battery and carb n tank clean, it was running, but it seemed tired. At the time i had planned on occasionally plowing snow with it so no big deal. Shortly after replacing all of the tires, the sector broke. So once again, it was a “ran when parked”. Since then we had moved. The new tires got swapped on to the 401 because the original tires were coming apart and the front wheels were rusted through. The new place has a fairly steep bank sloping to the rear of the property. After fixing the deck on the 702, welding the sector, and charging up the 12 year old battery it fired up. I took it for a lap around the yard. At first i thought the deck belt was slipping, but no. That’s how quiet it’s supposed to sound. Lol. Poor little 401. But boy was that 7 horse struggling. So LOUD. I made the mistake of going down back. Had to disengage the deck and pulled the throttle out all the way, i barely made it back up the hill. So last night i was thinking about how loud it seemed and just so little power. So this morning i went out and sprayed soapy water around the head and cranked the starter. Sure enough, bubbles coming out near the exhaust side of the head. AH HA. So i pulled the head, gasket wasn’t complete toast, maybe the bolts were loose, but i zipped them off with an impact gun, so no idea. Soaped the valves and aired the exhaust and carb. Had some light bubbling, so i pulled the carb and breather and checked the valves. .006” intake .023” exhaust. Good enough for me. I got on the phone and located a new gasket locally but I figured i couldn’t make a 25 minute drive in 9 minutes before they closed today, so i cleaned everything up and put it back together. Finished mowing the level area of the yard with it. Struggled getting it out of all 4 gears every time i had to back up. It started to get a little better, but i’m hoping a new shifter pin will fix it because the shifter has a lot of rotational slop. A new pin fixed the 401 when i had the same problem. I did drain the trans and filled it with ATF to flush it out. Hoping it comes around. I checked the bore, 4 times. I kept getting the same thing. 2.882”. I don’t know what that is in dog years, but that’s what it is. I could push the piston around, as there is a serious gap to the cylinder wall and the piston is stamped STD. Obviously no visible crosshatch, but no scoring either. I couldn’t pick up on any rod noise, but it’s hard to hear anything over the steering shaft buzzing in the aluminum tank. After mowing with the 401 for over a quarter of a century, the 702 just felt odd. Maybe it’s just the whole low power, but it definitely seemed geared lower too. I like a 32” cut as i have obstacles and tight areas. I can wheel the 401 around quick and easy. I just don’t see that happening on the 701. Always loved the easy steering on the 401. All 4 tires are foam filled, and i have a pair of Taurus rotors that i filled the vents with lead, 25# each, so the 401 sticks to the ground. I’ll probably be looking for a complete correct deck for the 401 and another motor for the 702, some front wheels (the 702 is currently rolling on my old 867 tires and wheels that i foolishly parted out back in the 90’s) So yeah, that was my day. The 702 cut beautifully, but it’s had a rough life long before i got it. It might be best as yard art.

Finally got to feel the void in the grill of the C160-8 thanks to some help from @ebinmaine

Two days in a row with little human cargo headed for the beach...

I had to give the old C81 some TLC before I used it this week. I saw the insulation cracking on the stator/regulator wiring and it crumbled when I handled it. Used fome of my favorite heat shrink connections that have solder in them. Had some new connectors in my stash and a little 14Gage wire, so good to go. When I travel through Austin coming from the farm I pass near a huge city sewer plant. Nearby they have a contractor that takes the solids and the grass, leaves and limbs and makes excellent compost that they call "Dillo Dirt" As in Armadillo, it an Austin thing I can get a truck and trailer (2+yards) free if I shove or $30 for them to load with skidsteer. Its an easy decision to shell out $$. It does smell a little "fresh" at the composting facility. But the smell is gone from the yard in a day. Very good fertilizer! So the C81 has had easy duty pulling the trailer around the yard as I do the hard duty shovel/spreading. I've spred 2 truck/trailer loads on the lawn this spring.

Hi, I'm Bob and have owned a 1969 Commando 7 for about 30 years. It has served me well mowing 1/2 acre for 25 years and 1 and 1/2 acres for around 4 years. I bought a 1979 C-121 a couple of years ago and it's now my 'go to' mower. My post today about C-121 drive belts was my first post, despite having been a member for some years. Thanks to those helped me out with advice today - appreciate it.

Painted some 42” and 48” mower deck belt gaurds. The 42’s (smaller set) are Rustoleum Regal Red and the 48’s (larger set) sprayed with Rustoleum Farm IH red. Today outside in full sun the Ih red looks to have a little more orange tint to it. I go back and forth on which flavor of these 2 shades I like the best and have come to the conclusion they are so close it just depends what day of week they where made to which shade is the darker of the two. Both were sprayed over gray primer and clear gloss sprayed on them soon as last coat of red was applied.

Seven last year ony six this year The BS included. Boycotting one since they threatened to not allow dogs in the campground. We camp at all shows. Generally only exhibit three tractors but the Portage GT show nine tractors. Then there is mine and Pullstart's plow day do they count? At a show right now ... weather crappy tho.

Yupper dupper. On July 16 it's stopping in Knox. The crossing is 6 miles away. I plan on checking it out.

We'll be there if it's the same place as last year. We slept in the truck in the parking lot and all you guys were crashed out already and it was only midnight. Party just gettin started when we get there. Dan kept hitting his head on the dash 'cause I parked down hill.

Then don't I'll send you a orginal. Signed The Purist.

Wait... isn't being married effectively the same as contraception...?

It’s times like this I wish we had the middle finger emoji avaialble …but I also know it would be worn out from overuse by now!!

June 14, 1777 US Continental Congress adopts the Stars & Stripes flag, designed by Francis Hopkinson, replacing the Grand Union flag.

One more strawberry/rhubarb pie. The strawberries are just starting to ripen.