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Well it's been a while SINCE The Squonk has posted anything much about the Skonkfest 1267. http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/topic/52230-ist-annual-sqonkfest/ After arriving back here to Wheel Horse Plaza from The big show, I was armed with a few needed goodies. Skonk is a cantankerous old dude and was loud and rough around the edges like an old sailor at a SpongeBob film festival so some upgradin was needed. I put skinny ag's on by the way to fit Skonk through a door into my rear shop. Plus I added fine 7/16 bolts and lug nuts for easier tire changes. First big issue was how loud he was. Plowin snow at work with the K 301 echoing off the brick and glass was rather obnoxious. So the First order of business was a different exhaust. It started out with a pancake unit, I got a Gravely style muffler from Napa. I was a bit disappointed. These Napa units used to be a lot heavier construction but now they are light and flimsy like every other mower supplier has. I added a stainless stack from a bathroom handicap rail. Still too loud I had my welder friend billy Bob add a baffle into the stack. Much quieter and with some carb tinkering, quieter yet. Next order of business was adding a mid tach-a-matic so I can use my grader blade Hood hit the steering wheel when opened so the steering shaft was lengthened. Next was the seat. The seat on it looked good but wasn't a WH seat and I hate seats sittin right on the fender pan. Plus it was mounted with wood. So off to TSC on Father's day! Next was the battery box. The L & G battery was bouncing all over.. A block of wood was used to take up space in the battery box. The large box was also hitting the steering gear Used a smaller box. Wil get a better one someday. While I was in there, added a fuse holder to the always hot lighter/light circuit Found a neato front Tach-a-matic adapter for the early tractors at the show so I had to put it on. Now if I put the PTO back on I can run a deck blower or hook up my Generator! As you can see, the hood hinge holes were wallowed out and the shaft was shot along with the hood holes Billy Bob and the welder to the rescue What good are all these changes with out doing the lights? Added new reflectors and LED's from Wally World Gotta bee seen at night plowin so Napa supplied the rear LED tail Multi hitch capability Finally driving it It. With the quieter exhaust You could hear Skonk rattle like that sailor, So back to Billy where he reapaired a missing belt guard mount Don't know what the future will hold for Skonk. Right now it's going to be my primary mode of transport at the Steam Pageant. Still on the fence about a restore. There is about 50 lbs. of Industrial red/ Pink on this tractor. Like it got dropped into a vat. Maybe on it's 50th birthday I 'll do it up for the big show in 17

Picked up my first 3 seris this weekend, 310-8, runs great and came with a peco vac. Got this from the original owner, had all the manuals also came with a snow blade and a mid grader blade and a set of brand new bags for the vac.

Well, I dodged the rain and had time to stop into the local WH dealer - he's very well known in these parts for having parts and a very specific customer service - uh - "style". I went in hoping for some history on my machine and I got the original buyers name but not much more - I was hoping for service records and such. Well I was asked by the gent that owns the shop if he could help me - he was holding a mason jar of seafood chowder (not just clams) as it was lunch time. I did the polite thing and let him eat at his pace while we talked about this machine of mine - model number, year and so on. He teased me several times about it's age, my age and how it was time for a new tractor (I think he said it 4 times total). Anyway, I wanted to get a new drive belt for the thing. That's when things got really good. I think 4, maybe 5 guys - all of whom could be grandparents - traded info, raced computer skills, bantered numbers and knowledge like it was some sort of competition about vintage machines. And then - we finally found the right number - the joke about research fees popped up - and we started to look at the racks overhead. They used micro-fiche...I haven't heard the term since I was in high school but these guys have one and use it every day - some cards are very scratched from handling... Guys - I saw more OEM out of production belt sleeves, etc. up there. Holy crap what a treasure trove - I felt like those kids in the Goonies when they saw the ship. Anyway - they finally settled on a belt that would work for me and charged me less than $25 for it - Guys, the show was awesome and worth every penny - I don't know if the belt even fits yet but I loved just being able to go to a shop where a "not kid" can find a part for a 50 year old tractor and do the cross reference math between books, etc. That said, it's just one more reason I like working on the old stuff - it's such a puzzle at times. Anyway, if anyone here is looking for old OEM stuff and has a part numbers I'm willing to go up the street and talk to the guys at the shop. I won't be doing any "How much for the whole lot" negotiations but if you're having a hard time finding something specific I'll try to help. PS: a T607 with 32" deck would have sold for about $600 back in the day - 48 years later it sold for less than half but not a lot less... I'm sure I'll get around to it at some point but there's a 1964 round hood (Suburban?) in the window as a display. The only reason the first tractor this dealer sold is on display now is because he couldn't find an appropriate mower deck to sell with the unit when he bought it back. We're Yankees and frugal may not be our middle name but he's a cousin of ours - and he is a businessman first an enthusiast second. Thanks for looking - I know there's not a lot of real info in here but it's kinda topical for guys like us. Cheers!

if there isn't place for all i'll make place for it i really really really apriciate it! did i say i apriciate it? cause i do

First video has the rattles. Rattles all gone!

The plates are approximately 6" x 12" each. If you put all the plates up like what I did, you are looking at 4 1/2' by 3'. I would think you have that kind of room for the best collection of plates in the world...and it could very well be that. A lot of people collect plates, but they would be from their vehicles in only the state or states that they have lived in. This collection is from 12 states and shows some very collectable plates in the mix...and it is going to be in the Netherlands. I really doubt that there is another collection like this out there, I hope you enjoy and treasure this Koen...I know you will...it is really special.

remove the gear shift lever and see if you can move the shift forks into alignment with a big screw driver see this thread for pictures http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/topic/51157-854-shift-problems-the-one-i-just-finished/#comment-470254

Here are a few pictures of the plates I collected from some of you guys at the Big Show and other places. I will be mailing these to Koen ( C-101plowerpower ) in the Netherlands this week. Thanks all that made this possible...it is quite a collection.

AND YES FOLKS,,,FOR THOSE JUST TUNING IN.... THESE ARE ALL NEIGHBORS ON WISTERIA ....UM.....WHEEL HORSE LANE.... NO MATTER WHAT STREET YOU LIVE ON.... KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR HUB CAPS............ HOWARD IN VA

Couple weeks ago I saw something I could not pass up. 1998 Sovereign that had been garage kept. Came with the rear collection system, all belt shields, and deflector shields, 42" snow blower, chains, weights, and all manuals. I used the bagger system twice, works great, but I noticed the left side of the deck drooping a bit, so I took the bagger off. Washed, waxed, and detailed, and now it is ready for a parade. It is a (2) owner, me being number (2), tractor. The original owner had an acre of land it was used on since new. I am guessing it may have around 500hrs total. It cleaned up very nice, but I did notice some areas he had probably never cleaned. Around the right rear diff. it was caked with built up dirt and grease. < I am guessing he just kept putting grease in and never wiped off the excess. Also the outer air element was loaded with debris. The actual air filter was not as bad as what the outer looked. Runs like a champ. I am looking for a cab though. Anyone have any leads! Rob.

Thanks, just realized that as well. On closer inspection of the sheared piece, it is a part of that roll pin and not the set screw. Either way, those are easy fixes and its all good news to me!

I was wrong I had to use a pliers to open the tow valve and when I used the pliers to shut it I didn't get it tight en a screwdriver gave it another 1/8 of a turn and it would go forward and reverse. Thanks guys I just had to do the basics and check everything

Excellent! The forks move into alignment as they should, wheels engage and all appears normal with the trans. When I got in there I was able to just lift the shift lever out. It looks like the set screw sheared. Even better news... the sheared end was somehow caught in the gasket and did not drop into the trans. What are the chances? From the pictures in the thread you referenced, my set screw is only a fraction of the length on the threaded side, with no nut to hold it in place. Thanks much for your help and advice.

Got the rest of the plates from Shallowwatersailor and KC9KAS and a Midwest Vans plate that I've had since the 1970's...8 more plates. Total...26 plates No. of States...12 Weight of plates (on my scale)...7 lbs...before packaging I'll wrap them up and mail them either Thursday or Friday. Koen, I hope you have room for all these plates.

That is a great story. There are so many of those "treasure trove" dealers still out there with their back rooms stocked full of NLA parts. It's an odd mix to be in... most of them are older and don't care about computers and collecting, or they have to stay up with the "new" product lines that they are dealers for and the old obsolete Wheel Horse stuff just goes by the wayside and is forgotten. As far as they're concerned that stock is long ago bought and paid for. One of the downfalls of the independent dealer franchise store kind of thing is that all these hundreds (potentially thousands) of this kind of lost inventory is not linked to any other computer or distribution warehouse like is common nowadays. Every brand has it. You just gotta find them. That was one of the reasons I started the "Vintage Dealer List" here on the page. Hopefully you've submitted it to the list already, if not, please consider doing so and helping out your fellow Redsquare members find parts they're looking for!

That sounds like a pretty nice piece. Do you plan on turning dirt with it?

Finally had a little bit of time to get my pics off the camera and go through them. . Joe @joebob, Tom @Shynon, Mike @prondzy, Terry @Terry M and Ed's collections... (I set up over by my family and completely forgot to take a picture of my own tractors) Lowell @wheelhorseman1000 and his wife also came down for the weekend. Mike, Tom and Lowell hanging out in the shade... Joe and Terry and Andrew My younger daughter giving wagon rides to her sister and cousins My older daughter doing the same.My oldest with her twin cousinsMy nephew and brother-in-law... he's two and is actually getting pretty good at driving. He can completely solo on his hydro Ford 140And posing on what we affectionately call "the circus tractor"This was a great little rare piece Would love to find one of these! A Struck Mini-Beep.A Garden Alland a few other random pics.

That would look nice sitting next to my 1067, course then I would have to do the 1067 up like that! She needs alot of work but I still use it alot.

Knowing what I know I'd have paid double that. Congrats on the purchase. If I had to name it, "Pond Conundrum" isn't that bad given the circumstance.

I found water in the fuel pump impulse hose that would freeze and stop the pumping. After the engine stalls, latent engine heat would melt the ice and it would run for awhile till it did it all over again. No real fix, just blow out the hose and change the engine oil to get rid of the moisture.

Great pickup. Those are heavy duty tractors. Looks real nice.

My 416 did the same thing. Would run fine and then die in the cold. New fuel pump fixed it immediately, and no problems since. Ryan

I'm a Chevy man and have a few comments. Full size or small size, I've had both and have gone back to full size. I do most of my own work and the small ones have all the same stuff the big ones do, but it's crammed in under the dash and hood, so I have found they are a nightmare to work on. Having said this, I favor as small as a truck as I can get away with, less to take care of, wash and wax etc. My full size has a 6.5' bed and I've really used it and never wanted or needed anything more and my truck is an '88 that I bought new, so I've had it for a long time. I thought someone would mention about the frame recall that Tacoma's are having. The Toyota dealer near me has stacks of new and old ones they've replaced. This is great that they have recognized the problem and are fixing it, not all companies do that! In Vermont they use a lot of salt on the roads in the winter time, so that is especially hard on all metal. I used to work at a new car dealer and we also had used vehicles and the Japanese brands were always pretty much trouble free, so good luck. Toyota has really earned their stellar reputations, they are very high quality. C-85

i guess i've got room for that much didn't think there would be that many

Sent you a PM!

Buy the Toyota Bob, you will love it.

Wow, Very nice. I have had a few of them and will be looking at a diesel as soon as I get back from vacation. I will keep an eye out for a cab. They come up every once in while here. Take care, Mike

Here's hoping... the belt fits.

I absolutely LOVE my 02' 4 door duramax with the tuner installed but if I were to buy a mid sized truck I would go with the tacoma as well. My dad had one about 10 years ago and ran that little 4 banger as his commuter and loved it.

I have owned a lot of trucks, Ford, GM, Dodge. I buy a new one every 2-3 years. My dad is the same way and he just got rid of his POS 2012 silverado that was plagued with problems (even with fleet style maintenance) for a 2015 Tacoma. First have you seen the tacoma's resale values, they are like the heavy duty trucks in that category, maybe even better. the 4.0 is a great motor. When it comes to small/compact trucks there literally is no comparison everyone else left the market, GM just tried to reenter, and you rarely see those trucks. On the new side there is about a 5k difference on Tacoma and Tundra...but tacoma's hold their value a bit better. Honestly you can't go wrong with Toyota, we have a 13 Highlander now that has been a pleasure to own. I am a little to big and fat of a guy for one at 6'1" 320lbs, but my dad at 5'11" 225lbs fits pretty well. BTW real trucks have solid front axle's (I traded my real truck in for the F150).

Great! Now I can b#%*h at BMW, Lexus, Acura and now vintage Wheelhorse owners when they blind me at night! Nice work, Mike!

Sorry to hear that! Any reputable engine machine shop will measure the crank and cylinder at no cost and give you an estimate, better to invest the money now rather than wishing you had later.

$ 30.00! You stole it. Congratulations.

That's great I paid 30.00 for it lol guys thanks so much for the help I greatly appreciate it

Ohiocop, You may also want to make a posting under Introductions so others can welcome you.

Purchased from a Red Square member a few months ago then hauled all the way from the big show by another Red Square member this 1045 serial #21858 is now making it's home in Minnesota. She looks tough but will get the full treatment, new heart is already awaiting to bring this one back to life.

OK you know the drill. Post some pics and tell us the story.

Just research engine repairs on whatever year you decide on. My company stopped buying v6 due to repair cost. It may be ok for your use if you are not hauling or towing often.

Also Toyota and Nissan have great resale value Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

I've been driving a 99 Nissan frontier for over 5 years now extended cab 4 banger very similar to the Toyota its been a great truck and has hauled a lot of horses and is easy to drive around. Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

No opinions on Tundra vs Tacoma. However, if you plan on using as your daily driver as opposed to only hauling, then turn radius might be something to consider. I have driven trucks as my daily driver for years....well I guess decades is more accurate now. My favorite among the many for driving was my 99 chevy 4x4 short cab, short bed. I could turn on a dime and mall or parking garages were no big deal. The longer cab and beds make for driving as if I were trying to put a ship into a slip. My full size Bronco was better for turn radius but not by a ton. Might have been due to the huge tires:)

Found on an 18 cf Cart

I looked at a Tacoma when I got my Tundra. Mind you, I was looking for something for 15 grand or less so a 1 or 2 year low mileage truck was out. I had a 99 Tacoma years ago but it got bought back under the frame recall so I had some Tacoma expierence. My local garage specializes in Toyota and Honda. I had a nice 4 Runner that I sold to my son with the 4.7 V-8. I missed a truck so it was either a Tacoma or Tundra. The garage had an 06 Tundra 4.7 with 162,000 on the clock and an 08 Tacoma with the 3.4 with 98,000. I drove both and there was really no comparison. The Tundra won hands down with power, ride room ect. The Tacoma felt cheap to me. They are great looking trucks and Toyota has no problem selling them. When was the last time you saw an ad for a Tacoma on TV? I don't think I've ever saw one! But it's a Tundra for me and will be the next time unless I lease something that I don't have to worry about after 3 years. The 4.7 will run forever I'm told.

I recently got a new job at the local metal recycling yard. In two weeks time I was able to save a few Wheel Horse implements. One tiller one snow plow and two single stage snowblower. All of these were headed to the sherreder but I caught it just in time. These findings lead me two my next find a 416 8 with electric lift. Going tomorrow night to pick up the tractor I will get pics of it tomorrow but here are the implements

I pay the same amount as anyone else but it isn't bad each blower came out to 12 bucks I'm just lucky enough to get to see them and grab the stuff in time and all the guys I work with help me out if it's wheel horse it gets put to the side for me and I assure you nothing wheel horse will be shredded as long as I can help it who's knows I get too much and I can help out fellow wheel horse lovers on this awesome forum

One to add to the ohio list Bought my first horse there C16-8 1977 Roth's Outdoor Equipment Bellefontaine, Ohio Closed

Thanks Prondzy, now more research on how many different lengths they made. Here is a picture of a few

Well its finally done (almost) lol.Ive been so busy with new job etc that it had to take a back seat for a while . The only thing I haven't done is a stack... which is coming ,so heres some pics.

Could be carb icing. I would suspect a tad of water in the fuel line/tank freezing - perhaps clogging the fuel filter?

Cracker - Low: