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UncleJerm76

My 701 journey

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UncleJerm76

First post, long time lurker - always loved old little RF tractors, so I’ve always come here to look at others awesome pics. 

 

Recently I found this old timer, I think it’s a 701? Not sure of the year as the current owner doesn’t know much about it. Obviously it’s the wrong seat and it’s missing the big cover on the right hand side, but do you experts spot anything else I might have missed? Anything that makes it more (or less) special? I have no idea about those headlights, never seen them before, have you?

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55rj35jr

You are correct it is a model 701 year 1961 the nose would have been solid someone has cut slots into it,of what I can see you are correct about the seat being wrong and missing the belt guard,the deck is original to the 701 but looks to have been cut out on the sides,it is hard to see the dash but originally it would have had a plastic dash plate.

Edited by 55rj35jr
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stevasaurus

Yep...701 for sure...1961.  Double belt guard on the Kohler.  Not sure about those lights, but the mounts are junk.  Looks like some work has been done to the dash...see the attachment on the side of the gas tank.  That mower deck was made for the 701 and only the 701...too bad about the sides being cut.  Looks complete except what has been mentioned.  Could be a nice horse.  :handgestures-thumbupright:

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953 nut

:WRS:         The boat seat isn't original but it is a good deal more comfortable for sure.

This manual covers it.

 

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Achto

Good looking tractor!!:handgestures-thumbupright: Definitely is a 701.  As for price... best to find a place that you & the seller are both happy.

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CasualObserver

first...  :WRS:  you started out with a decent looking survivor with a ton of character and great patina! Definitely seen some use.

 

31 minutes ago, Achto said:

As for price... best to find a place that you & the seller are both happy.

                          .:text-yeahthat:

 

Do you have any other tractors? 

 

 

 

 

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Chris G

That surely is a nice 701. It has got some things wrong or missing as others stated. But surely worth saving.

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UncleJerm76
On 10/10/2017 at 12:59 PM, 953 nut said:

:WRS:         The boat seat isn't original but it is a good deal more comfortable for sure.

This manual covers it.

 

 

Thanks for this - it has helped a great deal! ...Is the Owners Manual (or Service Manual) available or is that something I need to purchase on ebay or CL?

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UncleJerm76
On 10/10/2017 at 2:16 PM, Achto said:

Good looking tractor!!:handgestures-thumbupright: Definitely is a 701.  As for price... best to find a place that you & the seller are both happy.

 

Thanks, after a little bit of negotiations we both settled on a price we liked. I'm the new proud owner of this old gal now. :thumbs:

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Achto

:text-bravo:Congratulations!!!

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UncleJerm76
On 10/10/2017 at 12:17 PM, stevasaurus said:

Yep...701 for sure...1961.  Double belt guard on the Kohler.  Not sure about those lights, but the mounts are junk.  Looks like some work has been done to the dash...see the attachment on the side of the gas tank.  That mower deck was made for the 701 and only the 701...too bad about the sides being cut.  Looks complete except what has been mentioned.  Could be a nice horse.  :handgestures-thumbupright:

 

- You have a good eye sir! The plastic dash is long gone, replaced by a custom piece of aluminum.

 

- Ive been looking around at light kits to help identify what Ive got, do you think these light mounts are from a HL-22 light kit? Lights definitely are not, but I haven't been able to find any good pics of the HL-22 bracket up close to tell for sure. The screws holding them in look era-correct. Maybe the modification on the side of the gas tank was for the now missing light switch? Just guessing at this point... But Im pretty sure one of the reasons the HL-5 lights kit is so much more desirable is because 1) It doesnt require you to drill lights in your grille or hood to mount them and 2) It allows you to take off the hood without having to unplug the lights.  

 

- Can anyone please school me on why the double belt & guard are so desirable? What is the benefit to running two belts to the generator? Everyone Ive seen for sale list them as "rare" or "desirable" ..is it simply because there weren't as many produced? 

 

- Last night I noticed on the Kohler engine there is the button on the points cover? Ive never seen one of those - I even took it off to try and figure it out but I'm still in the dark. Looks to be some sort of reset button - but what would it be resetting and why is there a need for it? I'm sure I am probably the only one here who doesnt know what that is for but I'm loving all this new stuff I'm learning and really appreciate the warm welcome Ive received here. :text-thankyouyellow:

 

- Oh and what factory documentation should I look for on ebay to tell me what size tires came from the factory and other stuff like that - Owners manual? Service Manual? I browsed through the awesome collection of manuals here and saw the belt sizes, but not the tires or other things like a parts list diagram, etc. I see several little things all other this gal that are MacGyvered that I would like to return to stock eventually. 

Edited by UncleJerm76

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rmaynard
26 minutes ago, UncleJerm76 said:

- Can anyone please school me on why the double belt & guard are so desirable? What is the benefit to running two belts to the generator? Everyone I've seen for sale list them as "rare" or "desirable" ..is it simply because there weren't as many produced? 

 

This engine does not have the ACR (automatic compression release). It was thought that two belts were needed to overcome the compression to start the engine. Because the double wide cover was only used on one model (701), many were lost or destroyed making originals very rare and expensive.

 

Quote

 

- Last night I noticed on the Kohler engine there is the button on the points cover? Ive never seen one of those - I even took it off to try and figure it out but I'm still in the dark. Looks to be some sort of reset button - but what would it be resetting and why is there a need for it? I'm sure I am probably the only one here who doesnt know what that is for but I'm loving all this new stuff I'm learning and really appreciate the warm welcome Ive received here. :text-thankyouyellow:

 

The button is simply a "kill" switch to stop the engine. Hold it in and it grounds the points. Not needed if the engine has an on/off switch on the dash.

 

Quote

 

- Oh and what factory documentation should I look for on ebay to tell me what size tires came from the factory and other stuff like that - Owners manual? Service Manual? I browsed through the awesome collection of manuals here and saw the belt sizes, but not the tires or other things like a parts list diagram, etc. I see several little things all other this gal that are MacGyvered that I would like to return to stock eventually. 

 

Tire sizes are in the owners manual. Rear tires are 6x12's and the front are 4x8's.

 

No need to buy on eBay, they are free right here.

 

http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/files/file/1074-tractor-1961-401-551-701-da-om-ipl-wiring-snpdf/

 

Edited by rmaynard
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UncleJerm76
41 minutes ago, rmaynard said:

 

This engine does not have the ACR (automatic compression release). It was thought that two belts were needed to overcome the compression to start the engine. Because the double wide cover was only used on one model (701), many were lost or destroyed making originals very rare and expensive.

 

 

The button is simply a "kill" switch to stop the engine. Hold it in and it grounds the points. Not needed if the engine has an on/off switch on the dash.

 

 

Tire sizes are in the owners manual. Rear tires are 6x12's and the front are 4x8's.

 

No need to buy on eBay, they are free right here.

 

http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/files/file/1074-tractor-1961-401-551-701-da-om-ipl-wiring-snpdf/

 

 

This is so helpful, thank you very much!

Question, the manaul says "Never Cow Boy your tractor" ...any idea what that means? ...I found something that even google doesnt know :)

Edited by UncleJerm76
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rmaynard
55 minutes ago, UncleJerm76 said:

 

This is so helpful, thank you very much!

Question, the manaul says "Never Cow Boy your tractor" ...any idea what that means? ...I found something that even google doesnt know :)

 

Definition "cowboy": 1 :one who tends cattle or horses; especially :a usually mounted cattle-ranch hand. 2 :a rodeo performer. 3 :one having qualities such as recklessness, aggressiveness, or independence, popularly associated with cowboys.

 

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stevasaurus

Some of the old manuals say you can shift gears while moving.  I am a believer of not doing that.  Put your transmission in the gear you want, and ease your foot off the clutch.  Throttle at about 3/4 speed.  Always come to a complete stop to shift gears.

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UncleJerm76
1 hour ago, stevasaurus said:

Some of the old manuals say you can shift gears while moving.  I am a believer of not doing that.  Put your transmission in the gear you want, and ease your foot off the clutch.  Throttle at about 3/4 speed.  Always come to a complete stop to shift gears.

 

Are these old Kohlers happy lugging at low RPM? If I’m not running a implement that requires higher RPM I like to lug my motors - ie put them in a higher gear and throttle down I do it a lot when I’m dragging something around, stump, trailer- that sort of thing. I know some motors don’t handle that well due to their lubrication design. 

Edited by UncleJerm76
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Racinbob

You won't hurt that K series. I've run mine at low speeds countless hours over decades and never had an issue, Even at lower RPM there's a lot of splashing going on. :)

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ebinmaine
25 minutes ago, UncleJerm76 said:

dragging something around, stump, trailer- that sort of thing. I know some motors don’t handle that well due to their lubrication design

I've been told...  When under -any- load, you should have it throttled up some... 1/2 or so...because they're air-cooled. you need engine speed to move air via the flywheel fan.

They have Plenty of low end torque though.

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rmaynard

Kohler states in the K-Series service manual that their engines should not idle below 1100 to 1200 rpm due to the slinger type of lubrication. 

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UncleJerm76

Thanks, I didn’t see that! With not knowing what my engine idles at and having no RPM gauge I would be guessing, I’ll stick to ebinmaine’s suggestion of running at least 1/2 throttle just to err on the safe side until I can verify the idle RPM on mine. 

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953 nut
6 hours ago, UncleJerm76 said:

identify what Ive got, do you think these light mounts are from a HL-22 light kit? Lights definitely are not, but I haven't been able to find any good pics of the HL-22 bracket up close to tell for sure.

I would hazard a guess that the brackets probably are the HL-22 brackets. One on the right looks like a home made unit.

HL-22

Here is a shot from behind.

HL-22.jpg.601b6c7dfac888704598671d8ac7db62.jpg

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UncleJerm76

Hate to keep bugging you guys with boring parts requests, but I'm struggling finding the correct Kohler maintenance kit for my motor. I believe I have K161S ...does that sound right? Even after a good scrubbing, the Kohler metal plate on the motor is extremely hard to read anything off of - but I don't think the 1961 701's had any other motor option (as best I ca tell)? I downloaded the Kohler Service manual which covered the following models: K91-K141-K161-K181-K241-K301-K321-K341. While it was full of good basic information it did not give a part number for a maintenance kit or even individual items (air cleaner, spark plug, engine oil or fuel filter). My last ditch effort was Amazon, but reviews were all over the place on the aftermarket stuff, some saying it didn't fit their engine others saying it fit great. Id rather stick with one of Kohler's own OEM maintenance kits to ensure highest quality and fit. Last thing I want is to not have a good seal around the air filter or find out some other cheaply made part ended up wrecking havoc on my K-series.

 

I have one more maintenance question - the oil drain plug is directly over the 3 pulleys that engages the mower deck. How in the heck do you guys drain the oil without getting it all over everything?

Edited by UncleJerm76
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Achto

A k161 is the correct engine for your tractor. Here is a link for Kohler & aftermarket air filters, the k161 & 181 take the same filter.http://www.psep.biz/store/kohler_air_filters.htm  They also have many other parts for your engine.For oil use a strait 30wt. Spark plug Champion # H10C or RH10C.

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clueless

Welcome to Red Square, members in Florida are rare, a 701 in Florida even rarer :handgestures-thumbupright:.

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UncleJerm76
52 minutes ago, clueless said:

Welcome to Red Square, members in Florida are rare, a 701 in Florida even rarer :handgestures-thumbupright:.

 

Thanks, and yes they are. The rareity down here brings high prices also, took me about a year to find one with a price I could live with. It kills me when I see how common it is up north to see one fully restored or great condition for $800. 

Edited by UncleJerm76
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