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Started working on the RJ I got at the show. (Who doesn't like working on show tractors?) Haven't done a lot to it "since" I got it home. It needed the correct hitch (had a full size tractor hitch held on with a 5/16" bolt) no lift linkage, red overspray all over ect. I only drove it during the parade. It was noisy when letting out the clutch but at the show there is so much noise it was hard to pinpoint. Rigged up a hitch and cable with a collection of parts I got from J-Dog and used a 5/16" brake line for conduit. REmove the plastic on/off switch that was half red and installed a nice toggle as well as got rid of the yellow wire nut. Replaced the wrong spark plug and crappy plug wire end. Added some stainless hardware for some eye appeal. I was worried about the trans. It rattled like gears grinding when letting out the clutch. So I drained the old gear oil. It was black but no water or metal shavings. filled it with a 50/50 mix of 90 and diesel. And took it for a ride. Drained the oil and replaced it as well as changed the engine oil as well. I hear the rattle in the belt guard so I need to look into that but the trans sounds fine. Also the exhaust loosened up and getting it tight enough put the muffler into the gas tank. Looks like a conduit nut is in order there Pics and video. I didn't think about the video until I was halfway into it. I managed a shot of a burned out house that's being torn down plus a quick look at the new Horse Hauler Tundra

Hope this comes up so you can see it, but it is the only pic I have so far. Not me driving, it is my neice's son. It was also quite windy so the skirt blew up, exposing the wagon. Someone in my family took a video, but havent seen it. It was a real hit, everyone loved it. It's a 1965 Lawn Ranger With fenders, seat and tools box from something older. I worked at Toro, so it was disasembled and powder coated at Toro. Also got to see the last classic get crated up, and shipped out. Was kind of a sad day!

I was just looking at the Commando 8 in the shed Thursday with my 10 year old grandson. He says it's not too bad, and that we should be able to fix it up the next time he comes to spend the night. Really! I guess these kids today know everything. Although, as slow as my leg is taking to heal, I just might have the Commando done before the leg.

The more you get the less the wife will say about them. After the first half dozen she will just give you "the look"!

As many of you know, I did a back-flip with the Commando 8 while loading it on the trailer to go to the big show. It was a very scary feeling sitting in the drivers seat, seeing the front end of the tractor coming up and over me. I remember saying to myself "this is not going to end well". I think I also said "oh poop" or something similar. Anyway, the Commando ended up on it's right side with my right leg pinned under the hood, just in front of the muffler. There were lots of dents, scrapes, and damage to the Commando, but nothing that can't be fixed before the next big show. As far as me, I suffered a 1 inch laceration just above the ankle, and various scrapes to my leg. Nothing broken, just badly bruised. Somehow, I managed to avoid hitting my head. One week later, I am on the mend nicely, and the tractor runs fine. So, the reason for this post is warn others of the dangers lurking while going up or down a ramp of any height. At the show, many asked me how I managed to flip the tractor on such a low ramp. Well here is how it happened. I was climbing the ramp in a forward direction in 1st gear. When the right rear tire hit the hinge, it began to spin. So I let the tractor drift back slightly, and tried again. Still spun. So, with the tractor in gear, I increased the throttle, depressed the clutch, let it drift to the bottom of the ramp, and when the rear tires hit pavement, my foot slipped off the clutch causing the front end, which was already at an incline, to raise up (wheelie) and flip over me. The moral to this story is DON'T drift backwards down a ramp with the transmission in a forward gear. From now on, I either back the tractor up the ramp or walk beside it.

These little tractors are like Lay's Potato Chips, one isn't nearly enough. Found this one listed on CL and took it home today. The po listed it as an 18hp with a 38" deck??? Okay neither are correct, it's actually a K241 10hp with a 42" deck. The overall condition is pretty good but the engine smokes under load, no knocks or clicking so I might be lucky enough to get out of it with just a ring job, but in the end will do whatever it takes. Now this is not the original engine since it is a 1979 C-111 and was manufactured with an 11hp B&S and from the looks of the frame rails and the left side if the grille it had something much larger in it at one time. Still, I'm happy to have it and will enjoy fixing it up. Below are some pics of it along side my C-161.

I finally got all the parts I wanted to incorporate for this upgrade. I'm not done with it but it's close and is completely functional. I used a flip up seat from a 211-4, replaced the Wheel Horse springs with a pair from a Craftsman tractor (higher spring rate), a pair of silicone caps for spring seats, and a pair of home made extensions to lift the front of the seat bracket higher. It does sit quite a bit higher than with the stock springs but the combination has really tamed the ride. I also added some memory foam under the seat cover. I might add a strut to keep the seat in the up position, fab some better front lift brackets and alter some other minor items but it's good to go and I like it....... Yes, I know I do need to paint the old girl, but she's a worker....

I wanted to say a big "Thank You" to everyone who helped Terry at the big show in PA. Thank you for all the prayers from so many, my family and I deeply appreciate all of you. My dad is currently holding his own, he has good and bad days. He is the greatest man in the world, I have been very blessed to have him as my dad, he will be 82 in Oct. We take everyday as a blessing. Everyday that I can hold his hand and tell him how much I love him is a gift..... You are all the greatest people, I haven't got to meet a lot of you. Maybe I will get to meet you next year at the big show. I know we have a tough road ahead of us. But with all the prayers from so many wonderful people I know we can get through it. God Bless everyone of you!!!!! Lola Dennis & Family

Just got 1st place in the antique tractor class parade. Was pulling a minature hay rack filled with garden produce.

Kinda my inspiration just made with a tractor. Make sense? I have always loved the 32-34 ford streetrods, especially the bonneville salt flats cars.

Reverse would be nice to have.. Toying with the idea of an electric reverse using the motor from a mobility scooter.. If it can be made to work remains to be seen! So with the drive train plan now changed a bit I needed the swing arm and mountings from the Honda's frame.. So I chopped this large lump of metal from the frame which also has the engine mounts making life a little easier er.. Mounting the engine While I was in the shed lookiing for a cardboard box I found a pair of "deep dish" late C series front wheels.. These should widen the front wheel base a bit Some more mocking-up, but this time a bit more serious so I could start taking lot's of measurements.. The front of the chassis is 4 inches off the deck, the rear 4 1/2 which gives it a nice little bit of stance. Throw it in a pile and work it out from there I also had a flash of inspiration about the steering.. With a new mounting plate made this right angled drive box thingy that was going to be used as part of the drive train, can be bolted to the chassis and run the steering shaft under the engine.. The UJ's will come in handy for connecting it to the steering coloum And then just as I thought the plan was coming along quite well I hit rather a large problem.... I just could not find a kart axle or the like that was A - Strong enough.. B - Within my price range... And C - Not hollow! I even started looking into using a car IRS setup, at least the axles could be narrowed to get the with I wanted!! And then while looking through Fleabay I found the answer... A shaft drive Qwackasaki quad rear end It solves a lot of problems in one hit as it comes with brakes built in and as an added bonus it also has a diff lock So currently somewhere between Scotland and Hawkhurst, Kent is a truck with a large parcel containing the back half of a quad including prop shaft Once the parcel arrives I can really get into this build rather than just piling bits together on the bench and grinning at the beast I will be creating To give you a few more photo's to look at I went in search of metal to use as chassis extensions etc.. Buried in nettles and only on one wheel was the filming trailer I built quite a while ago! As it has never been used since it was built, I decided it's time was up... And I needed the steel I might have a use for the wheel hubs as well. Now available in kit form

I am going to throw up a few more then I will stop!!! I promise!!! Above you will notice a picture of an Elec-Trak A-65 with No cover, it's a real bummer that this has happened. This unit belongs to Carl who was bringing it over to the show Wednesday evening and the cover decides to leave. I am asking if anyone might happen to have one of these to where we could get the piece remade in fiberglass. You would really make Carls day if we could find one to have remade. Thanks ahead. Heres the last set for now. I believe Steve might have some also. It helps when you remember to add pics!!!

This years National Threshers Reunion for 2014 is now complete. Everyone had a good time with No rain this year!!! I have snapped a few different pictures so here we go. Enjoy!!

So one of the things that I have been searching for besides a loader, is a snow cab. After snow blowing this year and looking like frosty . Then watching horse fixer in his Tim the tool man Taylor snow chucker..... I knew I needed to have one. So , I searched everywhere and coming up empty, I finally struck gold at the show. I came up to the show early Saturday and sitting in one of the pavilions was a snow cab. I was surprised it had not been sucked up for the price. It was a little dirty/moldy. I also was unsure if it was missing any frame parts. The big problem is the missing door. So tonight I drug out the power washer and mean green. I scrubbed away with a brush , rinsed and repeat. To my surprised , it came out looking like new. There are no rips and the vinyl is still very soft. I then moved to the frame. A few pieces are a little rusty but will clean up nice. I was missing two pieces. The support off the dash and the piece that goes from the inner foot rest to the inner windshield mount. So I started bending up some steal and got this far tonight. I think once painted , no one will know it was not original. So all in all , had fun for the few hours I was at the show. Got to meet up with Bill Jenkins for a little , and meet Matt with the hydro pedal. Very nice guy. Got a few things I needed. I put up a wanted add, I am hoping someone out there might have a left side door for sale. Maybe someone with a beat up cab but the door is savable. If not , I will try and make one but its not ideal. Anyone know if I can still buy a door? PS , I would love to have a way to identify some of you guys at the show. I feel weird walking up and saying , Hey , is that you.... lol Kyle

A few videos from the British Lawn Mower Racing Association round just up the road from me in Hawkhurst on the 22nd June. Racing Part 1 Racing Part 2

I spent 18 years at Toro, and watched the last classic get crated and shipped out. It WAS a sad day!

Yes on the HF gun - for $12-15 you just cant beat it (No, you probably wouldnt want to paint your prized Corvette) I use one for 6-8 paintings, discard it and get another. Surprisingly, they will paint quite well at pretty severe angles when they have a full or nearly full cup. Something to note - when finished spraying its almost imperative to disassemble the gun head to clean, flushing with thinner just will not clean it enough.

HVLP gravity fed gun from Harbor Freight. With coupon as little as $12.00 on sale. Painted all of my horses with one of them. So inexpensive that I buy 2 or 3 at a time just to have a spare on hand in case one gets clogged or dirty.

A working! Desktop RJ!

Progress being made.... Today I bent up the frame pieces for the missing door on my cab. I am pretty impressed with the turn out. Last week I received the original material for the door and window from the cab company. Sometime this week I will be making a trip to my mothers to sew on the fabric. What do you think so far

Just a follow-up on the green machine. I haven't been losing sleep over this K46 transmission thing, but I do get shivers when I press the foot pedal and the transmission groans at me. I found a bulletin from Tuff Torq explaining how to drain and replace the oil in these transmission. cc K46 K57 T40 MODELS WITH INTERNAL RESERVOIR CHECKING & ADDING OIL.pdf So today's adventure was to remove the tranny, drain the fluid, and replace it with some fully synthetic 5W50 oil. Job is complete and the tractor still runs. The operation of the hydro still seem about the same, but the groan has been reduced to a mild whimper.

Sure, while not your tractor the principle is the same. Walfish just did this at the show for WheelHorse 57 on his horse. Here are the pictures. In the pictures, you can see the rods that are bent and attached to the engine and frame that force the slack toward the engine pulley, and thus the belt stops rotating when the clutch is depressed. Wallfish took 2 screwdrivers and used the shanks to determine where the rods should be. This take 2 people...one operating the clutch (with the engine running and the trans in neutral) and the other person holding the screwdrivers above and below the belt...acting like the guides that are on the inside of your guard. Your tabs should operate like the 2 screwdrivers. Does this make since?

Good detective work. Getting to root cause is always a good thing!

No it doesnt seal, just a cover. BUT if things go right, the hood will tilt and the grille will stay where its at. The "air induction" part will be a mesh grille where the headlights would be and behind that will be a plenum that will go to the bottom half of the air cleaner. No forced induction just another air source. You'll see soon. Im mocking it up in cardboard.

Just picked this up. My first old tractor. I saw it and had to have it, was told it has the stock motor, tires, blade etc. But no cutting deck. Has been repainted (poorly) and the blade has had some repairs but it runs good and starts second pull every time so I think I may keep it. I was also told that it was a one year model (1969) but really dont know much about it. Any comments would be helpfull. Thanks.

Thanks for posting Craig, it meant I could do this post and get these two vids showing A madman driving on 2 wheels And another madman showing the racing boy's how not to do it

Happy forth of To every one and thanks for replying I purchased this horse a month ago no problems just a lot of water in the trans. So I cracked the case apart drained and cleaned the gears replaced the needle barrings in the main drive shaft all the needles are accounted for.Replaced the seals and re lubed with 90140 lube. I drove it for about an hour ran threw all the gears every thing worked fine then put it in reverse and it would not release rocked it took the shifter arm out and one fork was in neutral the other was in revers couldnt shift it.so i took it apart and the fork for revers wouldnt come out so i pulled the other fork out no problem then took a large box wrench and pried out the fork. I cleaned the forks pulled the balls spring and that rod inside the spring not rusty or flat so cleaned the parts and put it back together. Same problem. the fork was stuck. there was some ware on the gear that has its own shaft and has a bevel on one side it may be a idler gear. I Took the transmission apart drained all the fluids looking for metal.I found nothing. the shifter arm looks brand new and the ball on the end is round and the doughnut around the shaft also looks good. I did notice that as i was shifting the gears seamed like the drive belt was to short because even with clutch fully depressed the drive pulley was still turning. I dont know if its supposed to stop turning when I press the brake or not.

Us Brits had a great time with you Steve , wouldn't change it for anything, my belly is still full from the Texas road house bar b que ribs. They were something else.

Expansion means bigger jeans and T,V.'s!

I imagine... a desktop RJ would be really cool too.

It looks like I am going to repop. Taking the weight to the pattern maker, I don't believe it will take to long at all. I'll let you know what happens, as I move forward.

The start of something BIG! Don't ask the Ms., as stated, "Show her the way!" Very nice Horse! And, be sure to get in touch with the Vinyl Guy. Great decals for your Stallion!

Thanks for looking you guys...I had a fantastic time this year, and getting to hang with the Brits for a couple of extra days...priceless.

I would say it is telling you to stop doing that! There are a few twins that are tired and a little low on compression that when you pull one of the plug wires, it will stall out. Are you 100% sure that the rear cyl is firing? What happens when you pull the rear plug wire?

Here you go Craig. These will give you a little more of an idea of whats going on with the hood. I started stitching in the top filler panel and got this far before it started raining(or sweat) . Maybe a little of both. Anyways, I trimmed the bottom but still have to clean it up and weld in the small piece in the back. Getting there.

There is a tiny pin you need to punch out. I use a finish nail

Who will get the most upset........... Wheel Horse fans for me welding a cub fender to Wheel Horse or cub fans for me cutting a cub seat pan and welding it to a Wheel Horse? It was rusted out below the seat anyhow.It will be red soon.

Looked up a gt-14 hood. Almost exactly what I want to do but with a hood spear instead of the lever. I have the 1056 hood I cut the grille out of. It lays right across the top of the grille thats there and is the perfect length. Gonna try and make my own hood spear but make it slide with a spring loaded latch pin underneath to hold the hood shut. Trying for small gas struts on the back to kick it up. I know,overkill. Thanks for the kind words.

Sounds like you have some internal transmission issues. If you roll the tractor in neutral do you hear any unusual noises or does it move harder then expected? Those Peerless transmissions are not very stout but are very common. If you need a replacement it should not be hard to find one even from a different brand of tractor.

Keith, I can definitely see where someone Not knowing what it is would Definitely scrap a piece that looks like this and weighs as much as it does. Just wondering if I should repop, maybe with putting Wheel Horse or maybe even Pond on it. Curious as to what others might think?

Once again it was great to see all the faces behind the typing here on RedSquare. Too numerous to mention everyone. Thanks for all the well wishes on my backflip induced leg injury. Everything is healing nicely. What did I get? I got the 2nd Annual RedSquare "Stevasuarus" Award as a result of the aforementioned injury. On the other hand, I picked up a lot of miscellaneous parts, and I sold my two Lawn Rangers, and my B-100 Automatic. Here is the happy new Lawn Ranger owner.

I bought an 8 speed for $100 that needs a infamous 1533 bearing and gear low reverse PN 5174 the guy said it was a good transmission to me its ok but needs these parts. Also go a set of tires and rims for $20. Is seen some people from here but didn't talk to them to busy taking all the awesomeness in.

OUCH!! Been There, Done that......except off of icey steps last winter. Gravity sure starts to hurt when you get older,