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Well for your humble consideration is my 1973 18 Auto again. It wasn't good enough last month but maybe I will get lucky this time around. I got her in 2011 and it took 8 months to redo her from top to bottom except for the engine. When I bought her in 2011 she was a basket case as you can see. They hydro pump and motor was run out of oil and burned up, car tires on the back, front ones didn't hold air, a seat that a beaver had attacked at some point, no 3 point hitch and a wiring harness that looked like a 4 year old made it, the plow frame was bent and so was the moldboard like it hit something solid at about 10 MPH. But I didn't give up....I tore it pretty much down to the frame, purchased 3 hydro pumps and a motor and Made 1 good of each out of a bunch of parts. Cleaned the tranny completely after finding silicone clogging the intake screen, stripped everything to bare metal and rewelded all the broken parts, fixed all the dents and dings this poor thing got in its previously rough life and started from scratch rebuilding things the way I would have done it if I was Wheel Horse 1973. I added LED lights on both front and rear of the fenders and the headlights. I did a bunch of work for a member on here and scored me a bent up and rusted 3 point which I straightened and redid after soaking it for 2 weeks in tranny fluid and acetone to loosen all the rusted parts. Repainted everything and got a seat that was close to what was offered in 73 on it. I made turning brakes from a bunch of pieces that I got along with some ingenuity and custom fab work from my Dad and myself, 29-9.50x15 Titan R-3 sneakers in the back and a set of 18-9.50x8 turf tires up front. I remade the entire wiring harness and added a multi-fuse block. It was a labor of love from the start because I have wanted an 18 auto from the time I was old enough to read the 1973 sales brochure my Dad got with his 12 Auto. I decided at that point I was going to have an "Estate Tractor" someday. I also re-engineered the 60 inch mower deck from a 520 and installed it on the 18 Auto. Fabbing a carriage and hanger system from a bunch of parts from a 48" belly deck from a 1977 D-200 and leftover 520 deck carriage parts. It is the best mower I have ever seen but due to the high hours on the engine I have to mow pretty slow for it to not bog down. The grass looks amazing though when its done. She plows snow like an animal and I think it will only get better once I get a newer 20 horse to rebuild. I heard that these engines were conservatively rated. The 18 was close to 26 horsepower and the 20 was closer to 29. The whole thread can be followed here

plow blade and front of frame from a Deere - 1-1/2 square steel tubing welded up for the rest of the frame

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Somehow I think that Purdue might not win a conference game. Minny is looking pretty tough right now. Penn State has more heart than some of the "top" programs do. Michigan and Nebraska.......who is going to not show up? Take your pick. Illini and Indy. Illinois, where is Ron turner when they need him? Beckman is in over his head. Some screwy games this weekend.

Removed the roof rack off my Land Rover today. Used one £10 12v forklift, two pallet boards and two ratchet straps.

There are 2 choices in each game this week (DAH)...It's like..."who do you think will win, and who do you want to win, and who is really going to show up to play???". The smart money goes with...Penn St. Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin...that is not going to happen!!! A safe bet is the home teams this week...Minnesota, Purdue, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin...good luck with that!!! Purdue is going to win 1 conference game. The world according to Stevasaurus picks...(and these are my picks this week)...Minnesota, Purdue, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin The only one I am not sure of...Neb / Mich...going with home team...you have to ask yourself...which one of these teams is luckier. Michigan always has the refs on their side at home.

I bought a seat at Tractor Supply #0278302. Comfortable, looks good and well made. I ended up taking the armrests off because I'm not a fan of them but that's just me.

I have this seat on my C-160. Had it for 7 years now. Most comfortable tractor seat I ever sat on. Would buy another in a min. http://www.surpluscenter.com/Brands/Seat-Solutions/355-UNIVERSAL-FOLD-DOWN-BLACK-SEAT-W-ARMRESTS.axd

I submit for your consideration my "Hot Rod 953. The origional transmission was locked up and I replaced it with a 6 speed. The Harley muffler makes it sound Kool and the flipper hubcaps just needed to be there. It has a 48 inch deck and has pulled a trailer around lots of tractor shows.

you need a bender steve. heres all the tools you need to cut, bend and even single or double flare if you need to...... in order to create lines like this. i like to keep things looking tidy if you know what i mean........

I stripped this engine shroud down to bare metal almost two years ago. Once finished I mixed up maybe a table spoon of the Eastwood Metal Wash in a spray bottle, mixed with warm water, and sprayed down the tin. Don't wash or wipe it off...just let it dry...leaves behind the white, powdery, zinc phosphate material you see here...which is what prevents the flash rusting from happening. Manufacturers label claims up to three weeks of protection, but...like I said...this has been down in the basement for about two years now. Just hit it quick with a scotch brite pad, and you're right there ready for paint again.

This month should be fun! This month we are featuring Custom Workers-ALL years. Post them up and give us a description of the work that went into customizing your tractor. I am looking forward to this one! I posted my 1988 520HC that I fabricated a 3 point hitch with a friend (who did most of the design). This tractor has turned into my very best worker for sure. It is on mower duty now a days. This machine will NOT be included in this month's contest just here to start us off.

Came across this the other day. A friend made this to pull behind his Cub Cadet.

I got board on Halloween and went looking for some pumpkins to buy to make a quickie Halloween set up for the drive bys to look at. There wasn't one pumpkin left within 25 miles of my house! I drove all over town looking and could only find these small pumpkins and some big gourds! The neighbors liked my Christmas tractor light show each year, so I may have to do this Halloween theme next year. This is the, too late for Halloween quickie theme but I can be ready for next year I hope! Maybe I started a fad with this! After I took these pics, I moved the scarecrow geeker up beside the WH A-90 Special machine, it looked a little better up there but I didn't get a pic of it.

I just bought this old Wheel Horse. Can anyone help me determine what manufacturer, model and year I have? These are pictures that I've taken of the tractor along with a photo of the tag. Thanks all.

I've been using vinegar to clean rust from the inside of gas tanks and it works very well. Since the vinegar was just sitting in a bowl after recently doing a tank, I decided to throw in a rusted pulley which shows the results much better than trying to get a pic of the inside of a tank. These 2 pulleys looked just about identical before soaking one. I let it soak for 2 days and wiped it off with a cloth. Using baking soda afterwards will neutralize the vinegar's acid. There are quite a few other posts on the subject, just type "vinegar" in the search feature.

Thanks guys. I think I may rubuild one, then as Ive never completely rebuilt an engine...

Whats in the Eastwood is more than likely Phosphoric acid. I first heard/used this maybe 50 years ago in a product called "metal prep" on the old cars we would work on - used when metal work was finished a light 'wash' of it would be applied to the cleaned metal prior to paint - wetting a rag and wiping down. Move forward to today and I just buy Phosphoric acid that is commonly used as a grout/tile/floor cleaner (I get it at Home Depot) comes in qt & gal, a qt is $12-13. It has to be diluted quite a bit or it will go the other way and start rusting. I coat virtually everything with it on a rebuild using a squirt bottle which will tend to run or puddle and I wipe this excess down with paper towels, I will paint over this and it has never been a problem -- thats what we did with the 'metal prep'

flip flops? what are they? oh.......... you meant thongs............ alright now i understand. i hear those GTR-XU1 Toranas are worth some serious coin these days too........ oops, hijacking threads again. sorry.......

I personally feel that the Napa filter is a premium filter. Its made by Wix for Napa and I have cut a WH filter in half to see what they were like…They're good but the Napa 1410 is better. Don't even think bout putting an oil filter for a car on it or a Stens Hydro filter. The Stens is junk compared to OEM and Napa. I have a 1970 Charger 12 auto with the Hydrogear tranny in it. I thought these all had to be Transmission fluid. Anything after 1974 was 10w-30 and 1973 was a transition year that could go either way. Dads 12 Auto had 10w-30 in it from the factory but my 18 Auto has tranny fluid in it. Both have a factory sticker that says either oil or tranny fluid will work

Yeah...now that you mention it...they even sound the same, huh?

so that's where you got the No Socks idea!!!!

I got my carriage bolts at tractor supply, they charge by the pound instead of by the piece

Here is a set of 25# barbell weights. I drilled out the holes for the bolts (easier said than done) and mounted them. If I need more weight its easy to add a 1" bolt thru the center and mount more weights. BTW the fit was great they sit just inside the lip.

jealous, only drove by within a half mile of mine. we don't live together. although, i was doing some surveying work today on a donald trump property and spotted a red tractor behind some dismantled marble columns and weeds behind a barn. had square headlights? scrambled over the stuff in a hurry to find--. i have to go back tuesday and will take photos. this is a good thread, needs some suspense.

Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, Nebraska, Wisconsin Minny- they are tough and for real and they are experienced. PSU will play hard. Iowa - I have absolutely no faith in Hazell. Indiana- I believe that they are on the cusp of becoming decent. Back to the days of Bill Mallory? Michigan- I really do not like them...at all. I do not want them to win. After the egg that they laid this past Saturday, I expect them to semi show up. Nebraska on the other hand seems to have ADD. IF they could keep their collective heads into the game for a full 60 minutes they obviously would be a much better and dominating team. But wait, they showed moxey last week. They found a way to win. They pulled out a victory from the clutches of defeat! I liked Tom Osborne a lot. Bo Pellini coached under Frank Solich who coached under Tom Osborne........... I don't trust the Huskers.

This is all great news. I sent you a PM. I see you are certainly in reasonable driving range for me too. No big thing. You were just trying to be helpful right!

Hello Shorts, quick question. What is it that your working on? I have been watching Harbor Freight adds myself as I feel your pain. Its definitely nicer when you can get your work closer. Thanks John

Go Napa and get an longer OEM eq. Filter and they should be able to give you a cup wrench the right size.

Yes they are. Seat is firm but comfy. Marvin's got another TSC style and it's a great seat for comfort too

I believe the Deere disc would extend only a small fraction of an inch beyond the steel disc. ~1/8" Were you to use the McCarr material it would cost more and involve more work. I would epoxy the Deere disc to the steel plate, then drill, countersink, and rivet. Pretty straight forward. the slight oversize could be trimmed or ignored. Just saying...

If you end up getting that tiller for anyone... make sure you check all the tractors for the axle bracket and all the idler pulleys for it.

Thank you! The 854 is definitely my best looking Horse, I just wish I could get it running worth a darn. Over the winter I'm going to tear down the fuel system (again) and give it another shot. Definitely a frustrating one! -Dan

Just saw this,that is some trip and great story.The restore is could make a how to manual.

the mission was a success! we used every inch of that little tractor supply trailer. 1000 miles round trip, well worth it.

So Craig, not to sound dumb, but , you just mix it up,spray it on and let it dry? ok, I get that part………Then , when you want to paint you just scotch brite the piece(s) clean, then its ok to prime , paint or powder coat??? sounds too easy. is it?

She is with the Lord and free from pain, Good only takes the best. I pray for everyone to take comfort in the good news that the Lord has prepared a room for her and all who will come to him.

I originally got Marvin as a beater / back up mower. Was ugly enough. Had a bad Hydro and rusty. It ran sweet and was a blast to drive until the trans got hot. I figured it would be all right to run the blower. i used it to help stain my fence also: Then Vinyl Guy convinced me to go custom. Had to get new sheet metal and a trans at the show. Rebuilt it in July: Took him to the Steam Pageant: Martin will be fitted with a Generac Jenny or the tall chute. Also Has a clevis hitch installed to pull the 10 " Moldboard and a slot hitch for the 8"

Well, if I look to stay at the top, I just may have to have my wife type the "I" fowl word,,, I don't care if you are an "I" fan that is some funny s^$# right there.... BOOM!!!! GOES THE DYNAMITE......

Some 2013 show picts.

+1 Van hit the nail on the head. From the early 70's to the bitter end, Wheelhorse made interchangeable parts easy. I'be got 3 IH Cub Cadets and while the basic concept of shaft driven engine to tranny is similar between, very little interchanges. You kind of have to learn each tractor. When I work on my different models of Wheelhorse I have or have owned, it's like I'm working on the same tractor, be it 520H, 314-8 or C-111.

I can relate to a lot of this. I don't like to keep tractors around just for the heck of it. I don't have the room and with a mortgage and son in grad school the funds. All of my tractors are used. Even my show tractors. My 704 up until last winter had been fitted with a plow or back blade for snow and was the trailer/lawn sweeper tug. Got used every week. The C-145, Marvin was originally bought to be used as a back-up worker for the C-160 because of the Hydro and Hyd lift. now it's customized (Thanks Terry) ready for show but it's got the tall chute blower on it now and it will get used if needed this winter. My Power King Elvis with a loader sits the most. But is basically show ready as well and will move snow and dug a patio and hauled mulch this past spring. Now I have come up against the grain. I'm on CL all the time looking for deals that I can resell to make extra cash for the hobby and most importantly, the Big Show in PA. Wouldn't miss it for the world. Recently I came across a 73 8 spd on CL. A little more money that I wanted to spend. Tractor looked decent in the ad but the pics always seem to make them look good. I happened to look at it on my I-pad and blew the picture up. I could now see the few scratches and scuffs better but it still looked decent. Called the guy and found out he was the original owner and it was his baby and was hoping a collector would want it. Wife and I drove out to see it and it looked BETTER than the pics showed and ran sweet. I made a deal and on the way home it hit me. 73 is the feature tractor this year at the show. I would really like to bring it but I already planned on bringing Marvin and my trailer isn't wide or long enough for 2 tractors. Plus I invested a lot of show money in it figuring I would sell it and make a few bucks. Now the wheels are turning. Sold the original 2 piece seat off of it which I don't like anyway because they are too low and too close the the steering wheel and hope to sell the deck of of it before the show next year. I would get 3/4 of my money back. Now I'm scrambling for storage room. Moved a lot of things around to find a good spot for everything. It's going to be my new trailer/yard tug. The trailer I hope to extend to fit another tractor on and now the 704 is going to be the odd man out for a while. Might be the driving around the block tractor from now on. Gotta use em!

The best thing is to STOP "Cold Turkey"! I will be over later to pick everything up!

I maybe interested in a tiller that would fit an Electro 12 or Charger 12. Where in NY are you? I am making a trip to Buffalo, NY from Massachusetts next weekend.

Haven't tried it myself yet... but I've heard tell...molasses works better than vinegar. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq5IUiYMhRM

Yep...that is great news...fantastic. I am assuming that you had a ball bearing on the brake shaft...some later trans had a needle bearing . The ball bearing is S8K the seal is Timkin 471643...the input shaft is the same seal if you want to change that also. Get the parts from Motion Industries if you can. edited...I had 741643 for the seal #...it is 471643...yes I am dyslexic...I really try to catch that...thanks Pat

Me too...how could you not?

You did open the correct side of the case. You need to pull the bolts out of the other side and break loose that plate (but not take it off) so you can slide the casting piece a little bit. You can then take out the reduction gear on top of the cluster gear shaft, then the pinion gear on top of the spline shaft. Next pull out the cluster gear and shaft together. Then pull out the spline shaft...the fork gears can stay in there for now, as you have to be able to swivel the forks to get those out and that is what is stuck. You can then carefully work the casting up and around the differential and the mushroom shaped gear. (the little ears that the end plate bolts go into are what you are trying to work around the differential). Once you get the casting off, the differential and mushroom gear will come out. Now you can clean everything and start soaking the fork shafts. There is no pin that goes through those shafts. What is there is a 1/4" stainless steel ball (2), one on each side of a spring with a steel pin inside of the spring. This assembly sits in between the two shift forks. The balls engage notches in the fork shafts and holds the forks in position after you shift into a gear. Do not try to twist the fork shafts while they are stuck!!! Each fork has a small roll pin going through it and the shaft (it is fragile)...this is what keeps the shafts in place. Here is a link with some videos of what you have going on.... Here is a thread with video of how your transmission works... Here is a copy of the transmission manual...your trans is in section I...http://www.mywheelho...ns/492-4004.pdf Ask any questions.

, Weight bracket for the front attach-a-matic to hang my suit case weights on. Only need one weight for plowing the garden.

Sorry, that is one of the liabilities of trying to fill up an older transmission that has been sitting around. If you pull the transmission off the horse, you could stand the transmission on end and put enough diesel in to cover the shift forks. Also, they are not hard to tear down and fix right and put back together. A couple of threads here on Red Square show how to do that. I can help walk you through it if you like.