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416-8 FEL & Hoe

For those of you who might not have the energy to type out the entire word, I am offering the following to be copied and pasted wherever you see fit - and totally free of charge. Take only one - or as many as you like: Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas I'm not here to endorse or promote religion, nor am I a religious fanatic - but I do respect the true meaning of the holiday. Besides......... Some of us really don't want to deal with an X on Christmas. Merry Christmas!

I guess I'd better post my Raider 20 6X6 here then You all know the story by now.. It's been dragging on for long enough She started life as a humble and very worn C-125.. A body swap soon had her looking like this... Enter Garry and some beer.. And the idea was born Over four years later she looked like you know her now..

It's been some time since I've visited this thread, and I have to tell you that I've really felt the need lately to get back to counting my blessings. You see, life has gotten back to normal by this writing, and it wasn't that long ago that I was wondering if I would even be here now. The every day tedium and little aggravations that annoy us all in our daily lives have crept back to the forefront. You know how a situation or a person can get to you and make you feel anger, animosity and disgust at times. That, coupled with job and family pressures and commitments at this time of year can be devastating to us, causing even more angst. But it is this time of year that sometimes makes us reflect on our lives, and interactions with friends and family, and to see what really matters. For me what matters is not stressing out over people and things I can't control. Those things will be gone from my life as much as I can make it happen. Family, and real friends who are as genuine as I would be to them are what's important. My impending retirement has also given me pause to reflect on a career that started in high school working at Howard Johnson's on the turnpike to make gas money, to a summer in a cement paint plant, and then on to a box shop for 23 years, then to my electrical contracting business, and finally on to three different machine shops to finish up. I'm so grateful for my wife Karen and my kids who love me no matter how much I embarrass them at times. And you of course, my friends here who encouraged me and also gave me strength to fight and get to this day. I know I'm not perfect no matter what Stevasaurus tells you, and I will flounder and be a grump now and then. Just ignore me when that happens. I promise I'll come back refreshed and ready to make you laugh. So again, I would like to take this moment to thank all of you who were there when I needed you. Thank You, Jim

Just thought I'd give a quick update. I painted the grill to the OE semi-flat black finish, and installed the headlights as well as the front Case decal. I'm hoping to start on the mower deck tomorrow. HERE IS A VIDEO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Innr_zXg-ZU&feature=youtu.be Matt

Test test test.......coming home with my baby. Glenn Ok. I think Glenn

The only kind of deck I have ever had to use on my WH is a rear discharge. I absolutely loathe the rear discharge and cannot think of one kind word to say for them! To that end I would even say that the RD deck is the worst piece of machinery I have ever mowed an acre of grass with. It is true that the RD deck is most effective when mowing grass that is not high. My experience has been that to leave the grass looking fairly decent after being cut you better cut the grass when it is REALLY REALLY short. Anyone that has mowed many acres with a RD horse deck will readily agree with what I say, or at least they should! I used to mow about 4 acres a week with a RD 36" deck under a Lawn Ranger so I know wherefore I speak. I tried everything from reversing the blades to re-sharpening the blades and finally replacing the blades as well as adjusting the deck height. Nothing I ever tried resulting in any significant improvements with the RD deck. Generally you will know if the grass you are trying to mow is too high for the RD deck because it will result in a mow job that looks like a "freshly hayed" farm field, windrowed to no end and not pleasing to the eye in any way! If you have a choice, forget you own the RD deck and either keep it as a relic of days gone by or sell it, or better still give the bloody thing away but for the love of pete whatever you decide to do, do not use the bloody thing! Sorry guys, that has been my honest experience and I have mowed with this machine for years and tried everything I know to make this better, but that was all to no avail. I still have a RD mower deck for each of the four machines I own, but only keep them because they came with each tractor. I love my horses but really despise rear discharge decks in the worst possible way! No offense intended to RD deck lovers intended.

Terry, you must still be looking at last years catalog! How about this years new flavor? Merry Christmas!

Plus, if you want to go through scraper blade cutting edges like a Kardashian goes through skinny jeans, then install a solid lift link. I had one installed on my C-160 auto and after only using it a couple times, I could already tell it was being worn away VERY quickly. Granted, all my blading was being done on asphalt/concrete. I do install it for certain jobs in the dirt.

Merry Christmas to all!

Lots of hammering and pounding on this one... the entire build is on YouTube (link in signature)... the ultimate goal was to clone the RJ tractor on the cover of Straight From a Horse's Mouth Second Edition and the original 1955 RJ advertisement. The sad thing about the project... my computer took a dump about a month ago and I lost every pic and vid of this project... at least most of the vids are on YouTube and the project its done, LOL!

My GT14 has regular garden tires on it, with chains installed. Works fine in woods (hauling firewood out), and works fine in the snow snowblowing. BUT, it's bunpy and lumpy and makes noise when I'm on the street with the chains. I often have to go a 100 yards or so down the payvment to get to the woods.... and I'm sure that doesn't do the chains any good. So, would I be better off with an Agro type tire? Do agro's work ok in the snow, as good as chains? OR?

Well said Jim. Can't add a thing other than to say, I'm glad you're here.

Snowblower I picked up in Carlisle. Pa. Looks good. Glenn

Steve, there are 28 games. The Sun Bowl is listed twice.

Good news / Bad news: The good news is the boiler room is almost done with paint and high output lighting. Stairs to the card table are easy to spot! Nice and toasty with 3 boilers running! Take it easy on the way down. Not too much spiced coffees or Straw-bra-rita's Bad news: Some mangey buck-toothed varmints swiped the table and chairs! I am on the prowl. They can run but they can't hide!

There is also some interesting differences in the various decks side or rear discharge that changed with each years design. The old 48 1054 side discharges had very good spindles and bearing housing and worked great in high grass. The deck was a little deeper than later models. The 1968 Raider 9 has a fairly heavy deck and the PTO set up off the right side of the motor and deck. Makes a very good cut high or low grass and in third gear. The gear driven rear discharge decks on the Lawn Rangers really are only good for low and regular grass cutting. However, the 32 inch gear drive, rear discharge decks can get closer to just about anything you want to cut without damaging the bushes, or you tractor. The higher the grass on a yard when mowing with my B-8- and a 36 inch rear discharge and the more likely you are to leave some grass trails in the center of the mower decks trail. The gator blades help a lot like Glen Pettit indicates and I put some on my 36 inch B-80's mower deck right after I first saw Glen's suggestion. They break up the grass a little more under the deck housing.

I got the sense that the OP was expressing a fear of not getting the project finished to completion before the end of the school year if he didn't figure out a way to streamline the process a bit. To my thinking in the end it is more important that the tractor is restored and running so the children are able to experience the satisfaction felt in the completion of the process than to cover every step, but at the end of the year the project is not yet completed. Assuring completion of the project by years end outweighs the painting part of the job to me. Painting at the expense of completion of the job is not a worthwhile trade to me. I will admit it would be great for the kids to experience the paint end too but if completion of the tractor is questionable then the benefit of painting is worth just so much less than the actual completion. But that is just me.....

I see Jason's point totally but....like most, I am assuming there's no nail stuck in the tire, as we assume the owner has looked closely for that already. Yes, I agree that a nail would pop a new tube. However a tube would solve a valve stem issue, bead leak issue, and an old cracked tire issue. All without the future mess. I side with tubes 100% IF there's no obvious issue. (we all know what assuming does)

Rob, I think you'll get to use the plow tomorrow! Let us know how it works out.

Oh trust me MikesRJ this whole project is your fault. As soon as I found this tractor, I looked up pictures on Google, found your RJ, followed the link, found your thread and said..."well this looks very detailed and easy enough, maybe I should try it"! haha well you made it look too easy, and the results were a little hard to live up to. LOL I have religeously followed your website, and of course all of the amazing people on this forum. Never would have even tried this without all of your help.

Ken that is some funny stuff right there !! @Stigian- that looks to be some old speckled hen to me.... once of the best beers I ever had !

Merry Christmas

Sorry to read this Charlie... A the end of the day I just throw stuff away now... its not woth my time anymore... Ebay takes their fee, PayPal takes their fee... Then on CL you get these losers and idiots that think they are Gas Monkey and try to under cut your price or correct you on what you have... not to mention the playing of games with this or that... Instead of listing the items... packaging them up... or having dumb a...ss...ess... come to the house... I find it a better use of my time by packaging all of my loose items up and placing them in a my garbage tipper barrel...

Gator Blades will definitely improve the cut of both the SD and RD; and using a dual blade system (both 3 Gator and the 3 original blades, = 12 cutting edges) will greatly improve both the cut quality and the throw of both mower discharges. All the issues, Pros & Cons have been well addressed above . . . but, grass types, blade length, moisture, ground condition, speed and your standards are all important factors that have to be considered. And a part of the equation has to do with our personal preferences. Using an added rear baffle extension on the RD will greatly reduce the up-draft of clippings.

Paint booth. After I cover it with plastic ill be ready. Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

Tube it, enough said! Are you keeping the tractor? Is it your favorite? Myself I would tube it without asking questions. #1-Smart way tube it! #2 lazy way- slime it. End of my story same as everyone else's

Everything readers have said here about slime is true. However, no one has yet suggested to find the root cause of the leak. Is it possible that the the tire valves are the problem? Spray some soapy water on the valve (after the tire has been reinflated of course) and look for bubbles. Better yet, immerse the tire in a tub or wheel barrow and again look for bubbles. Yes, you do have to break the bead to replace a valve, but it is cheaper than a tube and IMO easier to get it inside. If slime works, great, I have done it myself, but there is a drawback as so many have pointed out.

Chains are superior, but Ag's hold their own pretty well. Deflating your tires, then tightening up the chains really good, helps with the slack as well. (don't forget to re-inflate)

And if you really want a bumpy ride, put some chains on the AG's.

Put tubes in and forget it!

I like the rear discharge best. But there is pros & cons. Never had the grass & dirt on my back. My only con that I can thing of is I like to blow grass off the drive with the mower. Doesn't work well with rear discharge. the thing I like best. no grass in flower beds, car tires, & even dist. grass. Hope this helps

Why? Because the rear discharge does a better job in shorter grass.

If you use the "Slime" and at a later date remove the tire, you will be very upset with yourself for making the slimy mess. Tube them!

There are many special tools needed to replace/repack wheel bearings. Below are the specific items used for this job.....I have the professional model as well as the "back-yard" mechanic model. You will have to guess which models I have. 1st you will need to clean all the parts you will be re-using. You will need special tools to install the new bearing race in the wheel. You will need to re-pack the new bearings with grease. Universal Bearing Grease Packer Tool

Tubes

Thanks Scott, I was wondering when you were gonna post that one up... Post em up Eldon! Your tractors speak for themselves... you created and built them so IMO they will always be yours...

This is at home, but the depth range was 5" to almost 9" north of Jasper...Portersville area. The state roads were bad until Monday, and the county roads will be bad until spring! It is snowing right now and it looks like 1"-2" new snow. Hey....If you want to look at a good web site for percipitation, go to www.cocorahs.org/. You can look at any county in any state. I use this site all the time, but I do not report, as I don't have anywhere on my property that meets the criteria for the gauge....I do have the gauge...actually at dads...I thought he might participate.

Well I know he won't post it up, so I will do the honors for him. I am proud to have this machine in my collection, even though I am not the creator of it. Many kudos goes out to TT for this custom build which has provided much fun and enjoyment to our family. The infamous "Drags-tor" (the black beauty)

Thanks guys ! Sorry for being scarce, but life has been getting in the way lol. Anyhow, figured I'd post this one up also. Any guesses what this one morphs into? It has big fluid filled tires... ,,,and double hydraulics like a C-195, and a foot operated DCL (from Doc) Electric PTO clutch on a Kohler K341 16hp. If you guessed that it's a C-160 HD, you are correct. Complete 520 chassis with gear reduction steering and a complete mid-1970's C-160 body.

Spoiler Alert !! If you still believe in Santa Claus, you should stop reading now. Many have said that this is the model that "They should have made". It's built from what I consider the best features from several eras. I give you the 595-HD ... The chassis started out as a C-195: The 520 hood was just a LITTLE short to fit the chassis: The 20hp Onan had to be relocated to keep it centered under the hood louvers: The gear reduction steering had to be stretched a bit also: Stock width wheels? Not exactly... 52" Hi-Vac deck converted from a zero turn model: Size comparision vs a stock 520: It's got to be real... The book says so

Here's my 4x4 C-101

since brian is hogging this month all to himself and nobody else is posting up their tractors (and theres quite a lot of very nice customs by members on the forum)............ edit: i see that fireman just got one in before i finished this post....... i will post one of mine...... most of my tractors have small custom fabrication but look basically oem, the one that stands out the most i guess is my 1057, it sort of fits into this category.... not what you would call a full custom or whatever, but it has a few non oem details, first and for most would be the vinyl 'blackouts' on the hood and seat pan. another not readily noticeable custom touch is all the cast iron has been smoothed before being powder coated. and speaking of powder coat, all the paint on this one is powder, everything, which means all of it had to come apart and be painted individually, because theres a lot of parts on these tractors that doesn't like to be heated to 400 degrees f for 30-60 minutes....... heres some pics of my 1057......

Well heck i'll through my 1967 Diesel Lawn Ranger out there for consideration. It has a 7hp Yanmar Diesel electric start engine with custom foot throttle. I added a voltage gauge, hour meter, key start, master battery switch and electronic actuator to shut down the engine. I had to "shoe horn" in a battery under the seat as you can see in the picture. The fender and seat had to be raised up with stand offs to allow enough clearance so the battery terminals wouldn't touch. The belt guard had to be shortened and tilted up to compensate for the different engine location. The hood had to be raised and steering shaft lengthened to accommodate the engine. It took about 6 months to complete and a lot of fabrication. It's a blast to drive and really turns heads at the local shows. I reduced the pulley on the transmission down to a 2" one so it really moves.

here's my RJ58 custom stainless Brian

It really seems like a long time since I did my last update. Since it is Wednesday night, that can only mean one thing, Tractor Club Update!!!! The day started, as far as the club is concerned, over my lunch break. I met with a couple of very nice gentleman that were laying out the plans to give us a warm place to work this winter. The ball has been set into motion as they will be making some calls to their friends and seeing what it will take to get spray foam insulation up as well as a lower ceiling put in. I am overwhelmed by their generosity to say the least. Tonight the heaters were working as we had a great night to work with temps in the mid 50's during the day. Sanding commenced and the kids became encouraged as I mentioned that I will be getting some parts sandblasted to help speed up the process. We spent about half of our time sanding and the other half of time working on a teachable lesson. We hauled in a 12 h.p. Kohler that has a broken rod. We started taking this motor apart and stopped periodically to explain how each part worked and was able to produce the power needed to actually make the tractor work. It was just as rewarding for us as it was them. I am hopeful that they were all able to walk away with a little more knowledge on how a gasoline powered engine works. Here is a photo of the kids around the engine as they were removing the head bolts. And of course we can not leave out these professional sanding machines! Earlier this week I received a very nice surprise. A gentleman named Ron Greco, not sure if he is a member here or not, has been following our progress on the Wheel Horse Junkies Facebook page. He informed me that he has been very impressed with the work these kids are putting forth and has purchased a t-shirt for each kid from T&H Creations. The shirts should be arriving within the next week and will be a very nice and generous Christmas gift for these kids. They have no idea of what is being done, but will be so excited when they receive them. I can't wait to see their faces! Thank you Ron......very, very cool! This has been an amazing journey and I want to thank all of you for being such a huge part of helping shape these kids lives! Merry Christmas to all of you!

ok , i went through 5 pages of dealers and didnt see the ones i know of , so here goes kendall outdoor power equipment , possibly just called kendall equipment, cant remember now , but it was in yorkville illinois ( where my 69 electro 12 was purchased new , by my grandpa) . shut down in the 80's. streator lawn , streator,illinois , dont know when they started , but still selling toro. kipp's lawn mowers, in naperville,illinois, started in the 60's, was still going in the 90's, i have no clue if they are still going.