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NOS!!

As most of you regular forum members know, we have been in a transition period preparing for retirement. At this point we have completed the move from our store to home with all our equipment. We will be finishing up a rather large sign order soon and will be able to attend more shows and focus on our website. 2014 will be a welcome and exciting change in our lives. First part of our plan for the website is to add a clothing category to the webs store. embroidered and silk screened items of all kinds will become available in the coming weeks and months. Also there will be a new promotion for SUPPORT MEMBERS for 2014 (More info on this after Christmas). We have added free shipping anywhere in the Continental US and will continue to do so for the entire year of 2014 Thank You all for you support and patience over the past 6 years. We are looking forward to seeing many of you at the BIG SHOW again this June. Feel free to post any ideas for the clothing category.

I'm sure a few of you have been watching my project C4 thread. Today was a big day, finishing the last pieces and the test drive... I'm grinning from ear to ear - so can tell you it has gone well I'd done a lot of calculations on gearing and working out the correct ratios. So was pretty confident it would just work. Just how do you test a 4WD tractor? mud? pulling? ploughing? Well after a quick run to check nothing was falling off here are a few pics. I'm thinking of a new sport - extreme tractor rock crawling, because I want to drive over things - is that wrong? missus seems to think so... Here's a few pics, my son did some video too, will try pull something together asap. The answer to the question was driving up walls and stairs! and some of the aftermath her indoors won't be happy! mark

Will go well with this one I already have.

Thanks for the comments so far guys! Here's a vid, apologies for the quality.... It was filmed on a decent SLR at 50Mbps by my son. Unfortunately I do not have PC hardware or software powerful enough to work on the 2GB of footage filmed over 10 mins... I had no choice but to re encode to 1Mbps windows style! :/ Enjoy

As promised. The pictures aren't the best and I didn't get pictures of everything. But I bet most of you see stuff that I don't even know what it is.

2 sets - skinny for the winter, fat for the summer. Turf tires + chains + weight on 8.5 rims and 4.00 -8 tri-ribs for winter grip. Ag's on 10.5" rims for summer posing. Plus 4.00 -8 tri-ribs, because tractors are supposed to have skinny tri-ribs year round.

I got ALOT painted today. Camera isn't working good right now but I've got two pics of my frame. I got a sag as you can see. Of course it would be on the outside so EVERYONE can see. The rest of it looks really great. As you can see on the front of the frame in the other picture I got very little or no orange peel in most places.

My first half century mark today, so...thanks for the well wishes guys, Don(verosd)is right...I had the graveyard shift plowing at the Academy last night(happy birthday, huh?)...started the shift in an 8 ton Chevy dump truck, which is outfitted with sander and plow. The plow's pump decided to seize up half way through the snowfall portion of the storm...of course maintenance doesn't have a replacement pump on hand. So, I had to swap for another truck...by the time I got back on the road, the storm had turned over to a sleet, and freezing rain event on top of our initial six inches of snow. Always fun(NOT!), running double time, tryin' to play catch up on your route, in and unfamiliar truck. Then, the fun really begins when your shift ends, and you come home to a driveway full of the same...yep, there's the big SIGH! Not this time though...Mrs Rules surprised me with all the outdoor Christmas lights on, as I'm coming down our street, I see she's out blowing snow out of the drive, with her new Toro electric power shovel I got her...such the heavenly sight to behold. You know...there's just something about coming home to a clean driveway after you've been out plowing all night...trust me, that alone is a wonderful birthday present in itself. Makes me want to bust out in my happy dance, just thinkin' about it.

Happy Birthday Craig another year closer to 100 Have a great day

I use this one.

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

here's my RJ58 custom stainless Brian

This little rig was built from spare parts to cruise around at the tractor/engine shows. Powered by a Kohler M8. Lots of fun to drive. Technically not a "worker" but it worked to ride me around instead of walking

All of mine are workers, and most have a few "non-correct" parts to make them custom. But the Ranger is the most custom: Its my usual "go-to" tractor for just about anything except mowing, the pull start Kohler never has a flat battery, its easy to get on and off, you can pick up sticks etc without leaving the seat, and it does everything I ever ask of it!

Hi, Wheel Horse guys. Jolly Old Saint Nick, here. I been going over my naughty and nice list and see that most of you are on the Nice List. For those who aren't, it's time to make amends and reverse that trend. Only a few days left to Christmas. I have a few letters from some of you, but not all. I have a feeling most of you will want something nice and red, but a few of you just need some tools to keep your red things working like they were when they were new. My "red" transport, at times, needs some TLC, but my head elf mechanic does a good job of keeping it "flying". For those who forgot to send your letters in, please use this thread and this forum that was so generously offered for us to use, to send me your Christmas wish lists. Keep in mind, old Santa's back ain't what it used to be, so try not to fill your lists too much with a GT-14, and especially a D-250. I know how some of you feel about the D series, but it's all good as long as it's red. Myself, I have been wanting a round hood (I'm hoping Mrs. Claus is reading this). I hope you all are aiming to stay or get back on the Nice List. For those who aren't, you might find a old yellow and white thing under your tree. Santa.

Just a quick update on this project. After discussing the rebuild of this motor (216ci) with my uncle who is an engine builder he convinced me not to touch that motor as it is not fully pressurized. He, along with others (Thanks Chip) told me to find a 235CI which is the updated version with fully pressurized motor. One of the guys who works for my uncle told me that his sone has one that is in his 56 Chevy 150 (bel air) that he was planning on pulling to install an LS motor. I went and saw it and heard her run so that is the one that will go in my truck. There will be a few mods and I will need to use my original tranny. The 56 is already upgraded to the 12volt so that means I will be updating the truck to 12 volt too. Did not plan on that but I have to now which will be better. The guy who has the new motor needs a month of two to pull it as he has a few other projects ahead of that. He also has a bodyshop so I may be able to work out a deal with him to clear coat the truck. The only thing I plan on doing to the motor is to replace the valve cover gasket, clean the motor and install it. I included a picture of the firewall below so you can see how the motor color will complement the engine color. I started to recover the seat. It was pretty beat but I got the frame cleaned up, primed and painted. This afternoon I went and got the new burlap and foam etc to start to recover it. I had to fix the backrest frame with 1x flatstock too. Below are pics of the new motor and seat. Slow and steady on this project.

The aluminum ones are hard to find. I believe that they are NLA from Toro. When the one on my 1276 finally falls apart, my plan is to take one of the plastic ones from an Eaton and drill the hub to suit the pulley on the Sundstrand.

Here's what I use! It isn't red but plows and blows better then any Wheel Horse I ever owned. Can't beat the live hydraulics. I only wished the Ponds added them to their product line.

Myself, I would not go overboard on width. Narrower tires up front steer easier. I went with 8 inch wheels up front instead of the sixes. And I have two sets of rear - one wider than the others - and I prefer the narrower ones. Plus my chains only fit the narrow ones. But there are some cool wider tires out there... to each his own. Good luck.

Is this the format you wanted Steve? Do you want it in a PM? Pittsburgh Northern Illinois Maryland Minnesota BYU Notre Dame North Carolina Louisville Michigan Navy Ga. Tech Oregon Arizona State Boston College UCLA Rice Texas A&M North Texas Georgia South Carolina LSU Michigan State Baylor Alabama Ohio State Oklahoma State Houston Arkansas State Auburn

Craigs hard at work at the Point! Go Army! ah, maybe next year...

Hope you have a great day!

I think I would work a little OT and get both, then go through the 40x60 and pick out some stuff to sell (that more than likely I would have forgotten about anyway) in order to make room for the new toys. Sounds like you can't go wrong with either one. If you HAD to choose, I would say to go with the lower hour, newer tractor simply. I would be sad to walk away from the older tractor just because of all the accessories. I am a BIG fan of buying groups of stuff at a good price so I can sell some of the items to off set the cost. James

Okay, a couple good points have already been raised... Pulling the wheel - Do not hammer on the shaft like in other situations, this puts force in that very area that is already the weak point on this system - the bottom of the aluminum housing. I use a puller commonly called a "clamshell puller" (probably not the real term, see pic below, thats a HF set about $20-25) besides most pullers wont even fit around the wheel anyway - I did use some light blows to "shock" to help break the bond - used generous amounts of Kroil too. Even with all that, a wheel may just not come loose and drastic measures like Marv had to resort to be required. From the looks of mine, I didnt think I had a prayer of getting it off, bad rusted, but came pretty easily. The parts diagram wasnt of much use, especially in determining just what had to be removed when trying to get the thing out. The 'box' is mounted to a weldment bracket which in mounted to the frame and the underside of the Sundstrand pump (I like to have never found the 2 under the pump) By that time I had disassembled a lot of the dash/battery tray/etc and I pulled it out from the top which takes a bit of wiggling. I looked at a lot of other Ross units - Case, JD, Cub - and there were quite a few, but I didnt know how to compare them. For repair of an existing unit I think now that the main thing would be to determine the shaft/tube length, it looks like? the housing is probably the same. The kit I got was for a Cub (here again it seems the housings are alike) from www.factorydirectmowerparts.com 1 of IH-71930-C91 - Cub Cadet - Kit, Ball Cup @$10.86ea.

I dabble in some photography every once in a while too.

SHINY!!! That is incredible! Combines two of my favorite things. Wheel Horse's and Four Wheeling. Great Job!

alright, good news and bad news......... before the good and bad though, an update....... cleaned up the head gaskets and a spray with silver paint. new ones will come when its running. let them dry and installed the heads and torqued. filled the engine with diesel and let it soak into the sludge in the oil pan, drained it and filled a couple times. bolted the engine on the hydro tractor instead of the 8 speed it came off. will install all the parts on the engine sitting on the hydro tractor. dismantled the starter motor and cleaned it out. put some fresh grease in the outer bearings and freed up the gear. installed it on the engine and made sure that i had power and it spun over. right, now the good news..... since i had the starter good, i thought id install the flywheel and turn the engine over and see what sort of compression the engine had.... front cylinder.... first bump 50 second 75 third 100 fourth 110 rear cylinder......first bump 50 second 75 third 100 fourth 110. checked both twice, dry, no oil put in plug hole. so 110 on both cylinders is good for me, engine sounds good turning over, no unusual noises so far........ now the bad.... tested the ignition module and its bad, couldn't get it to drop voltage as i rotated the engine, constant battery voltage through the engine revolutions. i read a thread on here about how chuck (soi) used a test light to test the module. tried that and also used a magnet and passed it over the eye from both directions, flipping the magnet over to make sure n and s poles were passed over it. no change....... so more $$$$, ordered a new one from onanparts.com along with a new rotor and some carb kit gaskets and condenser. also ordered another 3 ohm harley dual fire coil from the same place i got the one for my 1st 416. at least i have spares for the 1st 416H if this engine doesn't work out.... the more i get into it though, the more it looks like the p.o. had a no fire issue and gave up on the engine. then it got picked for parts. the engine has less than 600 hours on it, the same as my 1st 416. so hopefully in a bit more time and money it will become the engine for my next build......

Yes...it is a thin piece of flat metal acting like a fork sliding the gear...doesn't really take to much to bend or break after time. Remember...these trannys are usually around 30 to 40 years old...parts do get some wear. I know some of my gears started to show signs of wear when I was around 30...a little more wear at 40...I am 60+ now...and with the right lubrication, I just keep going. I also stop first before I change gears...very important.

Unless you get it just right, it can damage the 1/2/3 gears in the trans. The one I worry about the most is 3rd as it is the one that is most easily damaged and leads to the jumping out of third problem. On the Hi/low shifter, shifting on the fly is VERY BAD. The fork isn't that strong to start with, and the change in speed/torque from Hi to Low is huge. I NEVER shift Hi/Low while moving, and very very seldom shift the other gears while moving.

Mark, The 2nd photo with the "wall assist " is calender worthy!

My first pick......... Iowa vs. LSU....... Ha that is an EASY one..... LSU by a landslide.

I just heard from a friend in Michigan. He says it's been snowing heavily for 3 days. His wife has done nothing but stare through the window. If it doesn't stop soon, he'll probably have to let her in!

Wheel horse Snow Team 2013

Thanks Ken! I got to ride it today!! The K301 runs fantastic, and tractor feels great as well. I still have to paint the grill black, and install the headlights. I still haven't started on the mower deck either, but I'll get on that soon. I'm very happy with the way its tuning out, and I know Gary would love it! Matt

Hey Meadowfield that thing is just !!!!!!! Would love if you could haul that across the big pond and bring it to the show.

well I also have this little ditty my 701 with stainless frame I started with this and after 5 months Brian

Come on Steve! Heck, with those new eyes you've got you might see straight through the paint! I wanted to post this picture. I felt like it was Christmas day and I was opening a present while I untaped this.

I painted red today! FINALLY! everything turned out real nice except for the steering shaft because it DROPPED while I was painting it. Here are some pics.

Wire brushing my trans down to metal. And I got my girlfriend to learn how to use a grinder today! Worked out pretty good.

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"

Today I used the 518xi with the 2" hitch to move my three wheeled Cub Cadet. The new owner is picking it up next weekend (I hope.) He took the missing wheel this past summer to repair a flat but hasn't come back since! I thought it justified getting a HF Pickup Crane. The crane is jury-rigged for now but shows the versatility of the hitch. Go Bears!

This is my new toy,as I said in a previous post I sold my GT14,so I had to get another tractor.I really like this 417-A,the ground speed is surprising.I pushed a little rock with it and there's plenty of power.I got my chains in the mail and am ready. Our winters have been pretty mild,but they say this is going to be a bad one,or as some see it a good one' BRING IT

Horses will retire to the barn this year...will be using triplet grandsons (age 6) and THREE snow shovels!!!...wonder what that will cost me?...

i will be using my 416H this year for the gravel and sidewalks down the street.. and my ariens 24" walk behind blower tackles the real deep stuff....... it just loves this stuff, remember throwing it at least 20ft each side of the driveway on this snowfall, which was our freak storm ( for quad cities winters) 2/11....... if you look at the pic below, just about all the thrown snow is out of the pic either side.....

Tag Team!!! Nice.