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I noticed that my 2 stage blower was throwing slower over the past few storms. It never really preformed like I thought it should ever since it was hooked up. It would clog up and slow down as it got loaded with heavier snow but the engine didn't sound like it was under load. No burning belt smell or clutch lining stink. Changed the belt anyway but no change so I pulled off the PTO bell. I could see that the lining was glazed and only contacting about 20% of the surface of the bell. So, I took my grinder to the bell to flatten and scuff the surface and used a flat block with 150 grit paper to smooth the clutch lining. WHAT a difference! It will throw that wet heavy snow over the trees now! It's hooked up to a 418 C If your blower is not performing as it should, this may be what you need to do. Single or 2 stage.

Good info! I like the white paint for the sockets idea, my sight is going down hill fast. My garage tip is to keep it stinking of PB Blaster and gasoline plus very messy, that way the wife won't go in there!

I was prohibited to start a new topic in the " FAQ & Tips " area so i thought I'd start it here & let a mod move it as it progresses . I thought it would be neat to share some helpful things we've learned over the years to make our life in the garage / shop easier : After I hit 45 , my up-close vision is starting to fade & stumbled on this little trick to make the sizes easier to read on my sockets . Take some white paint & smear it over the stampings , then wipe off . Some paint will stay in the depression & helps you to see the size . These flavor injection syringes are available for around 4 bucks in the kitchen utensil aisle at Wal-Mart . They come with a hose that screws on the end too . I use this from priming my hydraulic brake systems to adding / removing virtually any liquid from nearly anything . Most of us know the double wrench trick but for those who don't : When theres not enough room for a socket & and a breaker-bar . two combination wrenches can be intertwined when one needs that little bit of extra leverage : Lastly ( & I'll shoot up more as I think of them ) the foil trick can save your garage floor when draining a seemingly inaccessible diff or tranny plug . Just take a piece of tin-foil & form a trough around a broom handle or something & place under the drain plug . Sooo...c'mon boys -n- girls , if you have any tricks to share , post 'em up !

During a recent storm the shaft bearings in my 6-6212 snow thrower called it quits, and after disassembling the unit I realized that the the old 3/4" shaft was worn beyond repair. I initially thought about replacing the 3/4" shaft but as others have found out the 3/4" shaft / bearings can be substantially more expensive than the more common 7/8". I was able to find the bearings locally at a farm store, and ordered the shaft, pulley, and sprocket from surplus center (much cheaper than the local farm store!). Here are the part numbers if anyone needs them: 14 tooth - 40 pitch sprocket: 1-2123-14-d $4.40 7/8" Keyed shaft 36" long: 1-2982-87-3 $26.95 5.45" V-belt Pulley: 1-BK57-d $$14.30 Bearing HC205-14 $10.00 ea (2) 3/16" shaft key .50 ea (2) Total cost of the upgrade: $66.65 (plus $11.00 shipping) ...or about the cost of one OEM 3/4" shaft bearing! Here is the bearing that I used, fits perfectly into the original bearing holder. (note: leave the holders slightly loose while sliding the new shaft into place, then tighten fully): I missed taking photos of the assembly process, but here it is completed. I left the shaft long for final alignment of the pulley. You will have to cut the shaft to rough length before you attempt to mount the pulley, 36" is too long otherwise. I also too the opportunity to grease the tensioner pulleys and check the chain tension...maybe this summer the unit will get a paint job!

I would not want to try that on a Cub Cadet. I have one and thats enough. Actually I'm glad there are Cub Cadet nuts out there. Those people make it so there are more Wheel Horses for me

I have had some interest from a couple of the members on the snow plow that came with my RJ this week. So I thought I'd share with everyone. The center bolt on the plow mount is a depth gauge because the rj's did not have a full ratchet on the lift handle like the suburbans did. I've never seen a plow for either rj's or suburbans in person so I don't know much about them but if you have any questions or more pics just ask. This one did not have the lift rod with it so if anyone has a spare one or pics of how it works I'd be glad to see them. Also were these suppost to angle from the seat and what would work the angle pin from the seat?

A week ago, I was just finishing cleaning up the latest 12 inch snowfall with my single stage blower on the 416, when things started flopping around in the PTO area. I quickly disengaged and determined that the thrust bearing on the PTO had finally given up. It took me about 15 minutes to remove the PTO pulley, remove the snap ring, and drive out the old bearing. It took about another 15 minutes to clean things up, go to my stash and get a new bearing, some new snap rings for the stub-shaft, and re-install everything. 30 minutes later, my machine and I are good to go back to work. Try that on a Cub-Cadet.

Found a nice little RJ 58. It was still owned by the original owners family. So I guess I'm the second owner? It has not been used for 20years but stored in an old wooden barn high and dry away from pickers till I come along. I do believe the only thing missing is the serial # tag. Shields are all accounted for. I did get the mower deck and snow plow with it. Just thought I'd share, so excited to have another one.

Better than that... Here's an old video showing their strength, checkout the last 30 seconds http://youtu.be/u0Gm6KeE8tA

Hello all I've currently got a c-121 owned it for the past couple of months for mowing a little orchard and for a little bit of fun here's a picture of the old girl Thinking of maybe buying a few more now

Nice score there Jake.

Finally got a motor for it. It is still not a k90 but probably as close as I can find. Its a k91 with the 3/4" exaust. I will put a 90 serial tag on it. Does anyone know if if would matter if I change the head? I want it to look right, but don't want it to not run right lol. This will get a complete rebuild probably in the summer when I have some money to put into it. Thanks, Jake

Pictures are worth a thousand words.

When changing any fluid that my run down my arm I take an old sock and tie it around my wrist. It keeps fluid from running past my wrist down to my elbow!

I can only speak from experience, but I have a 44" two stage on a 417-A and when I threw snow over the phone wires I was pretty confident it had enough horsepower, and I am not talking powder snow. I have an F-350 with a plow as I am in the snow plowing business and still use my ole' 417 to clear my driveway because it just makes me smile !!!!!!!

Got some parts in the mail today. Wheels are ready to be painted, hopefully I can paint them this week and take them to the tire shop next weekend( The good guy is only there on saturdays ) Also wet sanded the steering wheel a couple weeks ago, its not perfect, but much better than it was. Don't have any pictures of that. Also, need to pick up some stuff to make a new wiring harness. Thanks, Jake

check the wiring at the points for a bad connection also is the new switch you bought a self grounding switch and if it is besure you are getting a good ground thru the switch body to the hood to the frame of the tractor Brian

Yes but mines gray just like "Robot" Been watching Lost in Space almost every night lately. Robot is a hoot! My dungeon pics including my falling down parts and paint shelf and my old water heater all set to go to Craig's house so he has a spare!

They can be run in the box , if your crafty

Are you sure you're not in West Michigan??

First of all, since most of you are in the US. I just want to wish you all condolences on your olympic gold medal hopes for men's hockey I don't know why the best hockey players come from Canada... maybe its the 8 or 9 months of winter! Go Canada Go! That being said, we will take Kessel and Vanreimsdyk back after the tournament to play for the Leafs. Okay, back to the C160. Last night I managed to have a fairly good night and everything worked well. First cleaned out the lift cylinder and all of the hyd lines THe rest is kind of a blurr. My youngest son - 15 years old came out to help me get the transaxle mounted and the hydrostat mounted back on that. Everything went back together really smooth and we were working so well together that I entirely forgot to take step by step pictures. The only other one I have is this one: and the other side: This is back on all 4! It performed amazingly! No leaks, Lots of power and speed in forward and reverse and no strange noises! We did get the weather that they were predicting last night including a Thunder snow storm so I didn't get a chance to run it hard for any length of time so that will be the job for this weekend. I plan to put a plow on it and give it a work out either tomorrow or Sunday and I will let you all know how it goes when it warms up. I'll also try to post a video of it working when I get there. So, thanks to everyone who contributed to this post and gave me advice along the way, This was probably the most complicated project I have ever done and I am very gratefull for all of the help. Oh and by the way, this is my first auto tractor and I like it!

I think even if we gathered all the member model numbers on here we would be scratching at the surface. I've been making decals for over 3 years and am still astounded by the number of variants. No two orders ever seem to be the same! Garry has a list too, we could try combine them. But for sure within days someone would come up with a model we had missed :D

thanks!!! the numbers are correct. I just want to know if the hood or the engine is a replacement and whit OM I should chose... anyway i will repower it with a k301 until I get the Kt17 running but when it s the stock engine it has 2300 hours!!!

Didn't Vincent (from Belgium ) have a list of the models?

Meadowfield...is there a list of serial numbers of the horses built in Belgium??? So to say it is a 1980 would be a good guess anyway?? So...the horse is a 1980 C-165 with a KT17...or it is a 1980 C-175 that is not sticker-ed correctly on the hood...or the combination of both?? I know they were not building Corvettes and they used what they had on hand...remember the Ponds started out in a garage and no 2 seniors are alike. Jeff, look at it like this...you have a one of a kind horse...take that black part of the hood and put GOLD Leaf there.

Ok ordered the axle seal and case gasket from my local Toro dealer. The parts lady was very happy that I had all of the model and part numbers. She says that normally guys come in with out part numbers making it impossible to find what they need. So thanks to you Steve for the help. Been working on the frame and other parts removing rust and paint to start priming. Starting to slowling take apart the B&S to see what needs to be replaced in it. Thanks, Chris

Steve thats a quick response. I'm finding out more about my one of my workers. I didn't want to assume the larger size . I am not into a puller like some others unless its a small agrifab or a big R cart . Don't have time for the 2 runners I have now, and trying to mess with the 417A too. How about a BTW?? I was taken the shroud off the 417, never mind here I'll PM you dont want to get off topic. Thanks

01-16KS01, C-165 Automatic Tractor, 1980 is the closest match on parts tree. I'm sure other folks from the Benelux will identify it.

Using a snowblower is one of the toughest jobs and puts more wear on the PTO's than anything. When I had my 2 stage it was really hard on the PTO. Not just the clutch plate but even the bearing. Just the nature of the beast. Snowblowers are hard on them. Plus this winter has been especially hard on equipment.

Boy I wish there was a way to use them on my 18 auto without having to cut them up to adapt them. I would have wanted them more than you wanted to keep them Brother Van

Us 'D' owners feel your pain. I had 2 of the "biscuit" types on my 180 for years and always hated them. Some months back after another post discussing this I opted for one of the tractor type mufflers that was too long, determined that I could make them work. What I did probably isnt for everyone but I ended up with a pretty nice set-up. I cut a section out of the muffler - 4-5 inches? - and with a good bit of time and fiddling I welded them back together to fit pretty much as the factory ones did. For the tail pieces I went to the local muffler shop and had him make me up two 1" 90° bends and welded them on - I didnt want them pointing down as original.

Thanks a million, Martin. What you said makes perfect sense. The last thing I want to do is pull that engine out again, so I may try to do it on the tractor; don"t know 'til I take a look. Just need to see what's going on. I'm assuming that if that spacer pops right off the camshaft, then that was the problem. Any idea of when Onan started putting keyed spacers on the cam gears? It seems that the keyed spacer would stop the slipping problem That post you noted is very good. Thanks Again.

Something like this? http://www.vertikal.net/en/news/story/9095/

This 'Special OEM' Lift Spring will make a big improvement in the lifting of the snowthrower. Also check underneath to see if any lift parts are touching-binding, many of those hookups can be on the right or left, if on the wrong side it might be binding and not allowing you to lift slightly to release the button.

I have had this problem in the past. For me it turns out I've bent the lift arm itself near the base and it causes the button "rod" to bind. I put a big pipe over the lift arm and bend her back to straight. After doing this 3 times I finally welded a support around the base to strengthen the arm.

Organized? Did you hit your head?

My trusty GT 14 with 18 HP Kohler

I would much rather have a XI series than the 520. Sold my last two 520's last year

Well some of you might know how difficult it is in finding the Gt14 muffler, vitually impossible right. I got lucky and have come across two NOS GT14 mufflers in my time. Sold one and kept the other. There were a few other NOS parts that I threw at this bad boy. A fuel tank that had never seen fuel, electric clutch, a two piece seat w/ arm rests, headlight lense with the chrome horse, I won a fuel valve on ebay from across the pond. I saved big bucks on that they go for around $40 bucks plus shipping and handling so you end up right around $50, got it for $20 plus $7 shipping. So all in all pretty happy camper. It will be painted within the next month depending on weather. Decals have arrived so theres not a whole lot left to do. I've got a really nice steering wheel to pick up and other than that, I can't wait to be cruisin in style or at least in the GT14 style.

I vote on the tractor that you can get up and running in the shortest amount of time. Work out the minor details when its warm and sunny.

Your not going to believe this I tighten the bolts on the tank and it stopped leaking holy cow my luck just changed

I don't know about being first, but I've had mine for a while.

As far as I know, TT has the honors of being the first.....

I want to see it again when you are 80 years old.

Gave up loading the bed of my truck with tractors years ago because of stories like that. All tractors ride in a small landscape trailer now. Mike...........

Got this 1965 1054 from an 88yr old gentleman that had bought it at one year old from the OE, so it had pretty good provenance for most of its life and it was in surprisingly original condition, though pretty badly neglected with poor maintenance and sitting outside. Gas tank rotten, with rust flushed all through system, front suspension/steering badly worn/sloppy, LOTS of rust, with some places eaten through, wiring a total mess, no grille/headlights, engine on verge of throwing rod, bad tires, etc, etc. Completely disassembled and sand blasted everything, replacing/repairing any thing needing it, using Rustoleum 'Sunrise Red' for paint. While I did want to bring it back to 'original' as possible, many will note that I veered from that in places, but I think I was still able to stay pretty close to a Wheel Horse look. The most obvious is the seat - my thinking was the original seat was a pretty poor design anyway and after market seats are plentiful and cheap, so --- thats a Target seat off a handicap scooter! Steering wheel is a 3 spoke instead of a 2. The original size rear tires are non existent, so they are larger. A sharp eye will also note the addition of caster wheels on the front of the deck, I thought the original skid bar was also a poor design, so I made a correction there also (and casters there work MUCH better too) Also a sharp eye will notice I went to sleep when I put the hood decal on!! Oh well, aint that big a deal, I guess... (the hood was on the bench and not on the tractor...) Heres a link to all the pictures I took during the rebuild - quite a few of them, but I know that when I was doing this rebuild, scouring through the many pics here on the forum I was able several times to see an area that I had been puzzling about and the pic would help me, so maybe one in this bunch will help some one out.

And a few pics of the other oddballs

What Steve didn't tell you is that the 702 was connected to the trailer and it was turning the trailer wheels PUSHING THE FORD!! Also all the people with the Cutler jerseys were actually the crew hired to clean up the garbage after the show! Notice how one is just finishing emptying the blue can! :ychain:

The closest thing to a garden tractor jamboree around here is when the guys at Lowes open up in the morning and push the inventory outside.

Thanks for all the posts. Frank