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I hear ya there Aldon. A truck camper would be a lot of fun. I would want one fully pimped out, toilet, shower, the whole shebang! But it needs to be period correct to my truck. I have wanted one for a real long time now. Since the late 80's when I had my 86 Ford F-250 4x4 to be exact... As I get a little older a good nights sleep is becoming a lot more important. At this years show I slept like crap in my van for two straight nights and that does have an effect on how the weekend goes. Here is a picture of a camper I restored inside and out a few yrs. back...

for $250 you should be all over that like Oprah on a baked ham! Looks like a well kept tractor I believe that's an old HH100 engine. Solid engine, poor carburetors. Buy a brand new carb off ebay and enjoy!

the deck shell is the same depth for the 42 rear disch decks...they don't vary from one model to another. Wheelhorse stamped out these deck shells by the THOUSANDS...then added some weld-on hardware for different applications of the same deck shell. You''' find that the spindles are the same too, although the style may change a bit. Given that, it is VERY EASY to convert the 05-42XR deck to a typical 05-42MR. Here are a few pics of just what to do. You MAY not have to trim the front bracket...I did on the several that I've converted for use on a tractor with the conventional horizontal shaft engine. The 2nd set of pics shows the AFTER conversion....(pics from Ebay)

Staying in a Motel costs bucks but I say it's worth it. Your own bed, shower, A/C if it's blistering out & no work setting up and tearing down. Stayed at a real nice one at Chambersburg. JUST BRING YOUR OWN PILLOW! The Army paid me to "camp out". Now I stay in hotels...roughing it is a hotel without a pool

Sometime around 1980, I started using graphite paint (EZ Glide or Slip Plate brands) to coat the underside of decks. My first one I still have and it has never cut one blade of grass without that coating. I bought this 42" rear-discharge deck new and coated it with graphite paint before ever using it. Today it has no pitting and is absolutely as good as new! All decks that I service for myself and neighbors,get the following treatment: 1. scrape all the clumps out with a stiff putty knife or similar tool 2, go over everything under the deck with an air powered needle scaler to remove any additional hardened grass clippings and rust scale 3. go over everything with a wire wheel on an angle grinder to expose clean, bright metal 4. apply two coats of graphite paint (make sure you have good ventilation, this stuff will get you!) A deck treated this way still requires periodic cleaning, but not as often nor as difficult as cleaning one wiithout it. I have attached a photo of a recently treated cub deck.

I thought I would share this for anyone looking to build a hitch for towing their trailers around the house. I searched on the forum for ideas for a hitch and saw some nicely built one but finally came up with a design of my own, fabricated it, mounted it and it works great. It's bolted to the axles as most others but decided to go an extra step and add support braces. I attached them to the original hitch retaining pin to relieve some stress on the axle tubes and for additional support and strength for moving my 7X14 around the house.

...dry, right up until that ol' tub sinks. Papa's right, them old Chevy's rule Ken.

Staying in a Motel costs bucks but I say it's worth it. Your own bed, shower, A/C if it's blistering out & no work setting up and tearing down. Stayed at a real nice one at Chambersburg. JUST BRING YOUR OWN PILLOW! The Army paid me to "camp out". Now I stay in hotels...roughing it is a hotel without a pool That is why I enlisted in the Navy, dry bunk to sleep in and three hot meals a day. I too will go the motel route.

Alright, I just got to say it: Ken, your truck looks pretty nice for a Chevy.

Crap! More hopes dashed! And I already have a quart of EZ-Slide... Also, it's probably important to note that not everyone's lawn is the same. Lot's of sand here and since they sand the roads in the winter there is always some sand that I have to deal with no matter how good or bad my turf is. Wouldn't expect anything but a rubberized undercoat to stand up to the sand blasting! Thanks for sharing!

Too funny Mike Rick, you can't figure what your load will be by the size of the house. Our house in Indiana was 3200 sq ft and a 5kw did everything. Our Florida home is 1700 sq ft and, by the calculations, requires a larger unit. The difference is that the heat, water heater, range, dryer etc. were gas in Indiana. We're total electric here. You need to determine what you want to power during an outage. You also have to plan on how you're going to transfer the power to your homes system if that's what you want to do. It MUST be done properly. Do not listen to the morons that say to just back feed a range or dryer receptacle and turn off the main breaker. I installed a separate panel and a manual transfer switch. The link below is another good method. I have been asked countless times for help rigging up a generator system. About the same number of times I've told them that I'll help if they intend to do it right. If not, I won't even answer questions. http://www.lowes.com/pd_182534-48019-30216+BRK___?productId=3131281&pl=1&Ntt=transfer+switch

I think I may be staying in hotel at next years show.

+6% sales tax

I'm with John and Mike on the cart. That is a pretty sweet little cart and without a doubt you got the best deal of the day!

See. I knew that cart was worth $25 !

I will selfishly advocate that you Become a supporter so I can see pics!!!!!!! As a fellow Super C owner:-)

I have both, Brown Sharpe, Starrett, etc and I also have Chinese. I bought the Chinese thinking to use one on just run of the mill projects and keep the good stuff for the good projects. I quickly discovered the the import products were very nice and in comparison measurements of the two types - they measure the same. I think for the occasional use a mic would see in the typical home shop the Chinese tools are quite acceptable. Most of the tool suppliers have a 3 mic set for under $50 and would cover most anything you would typically use one for.

Ugly Yellow Cart - Priceless! And what Mike said.

The puller was ready to go with a stock 10HP.....$775 The C-101 sounded good, had straight tin, and had a nice deck, but was spray bombed without any masking...$475 The ugly yellow cart ...$25

Nothing like asking someone who's full of hot air to talk! Anyway there's these 3 bears at the Iowa Illinois game see. Steve, John and Duke. They emptied out the concession stand and well .... oh never mind. More pics as promised. After the first wash.

Nice truck! You can't beat the sound of an old inline 6. I have a 292 with a 194 head, rv cam, offenhauser 4 barrel intake with holley carb, split exhaust manifold and a 700r4 paired up with 3.90 rear end gears in my 3/4 ton 52 pickup. Scoots right along. I also swapped disc front brakes into mine for more stopping power. I've had nothing but problems with that vendor...from missed deadlines to wrong parts sent out. Was an overall bad experience.

So I guess with only one old Lawn Boy setting in my shed, I do NOT have a problem?

What were you doing in Frankville?? (and that's actually in Iowa, not Minnesota!) We drive through there all the time on our way to/from Illinois... and only recently my wife snagged this picture to show some family what we were talking about.

I used EZ Glide from TSC on two of my decks this year. I haven't pulled them to check though. I know others have used it with good results.

I've had too many other things to do recently which has meant only occasional progress with this project but here's the update. Painted the shell and was pleased with the way it looks in terms of having rescued all of the detail like the strengthening ribs. Installed the spindles and blades only to discover that one of the blades fouled on the fiberglass where it was too thick in one place so it had to be ground back a little. The geometry of this particular deck is unusual in that the clearance between blade and original metal shell was always tight at this point. Also ground flat areas round the holes drilled through to mount the center pulley and tensioner so that the bolt heads would sit flush with the shell. It took a while to mount all the bits and pieces - surprising how many bits there are on this little deck as it hangs from four mounting points on the tractor, and has two adjustable anti-scalp wheels. Since that photo was taken I've painted the underside of the deck. Why you ask? Well being fiberglass now it really doesn't need painting but aesthetically to my mind it should be red underneath even if you don't see it and its going to get filthy. Hmm, I expect it will stand up to standard use pretty well otherwise I wouldn't have put all this time and effort into it. The previous fiberglass job hadn't been done that well by the PO but it appeared to have served for many years like that before I got it. Obviously if its going to be used on rough ground with stones being whacked against it the fiberglass will get worn away round the sides over time but I'll be cutting a lawn so it shouldn't be a significant issue. Wish I was but I've had other more pressing things to do. Very close now though but it will have to wait for a couple of weeks till I get back from vacation.I'm determined to mow with the A-800 and this deck before the end of the season! Andy

The other stuff is not for your 400 tractor

Just purchased a 69 charger V8 with a Kohler kv181. Tractor itself is very nice but the engine is toast.I picked it up for a project with my son. Looking to replace engine and acquiring a few parts. Just wanted to say hello to everyone.

Heck yeah! you cant hardly make it any worse! Seriously, I'd be banging on it. I've had 2-3 with bends around the front lip, one had taken a pretty good hit but I got my trusty 12lb sledge and a few blocks of wood and proceeded to beat the #$^# out of it, and got it back pretty good!

there is starring Nigel, Norman(stormin), Chris(Chris sutton) and of course Ian

thanks.

here you go kudzu3

Nice camper. My wife thinks I am crazy as I too like the period correct stuff. Trying to relive youth or freeze time I guess. But it's what makes me tick!

Hard to see but it looks like you are using the AC voltage selection. You need DC (20v) to check the fuses

So, my wife tells me all you need now is a camper for the back... There are quite a few nice older units out there for short money... I've owned at least a half dozen campers in my day but never a truck camper. Yet...

Ya think a couple cans of Regal Red will get it in the Big Show next year?

That ugly cart is awesome. A friend of mine had a green one like that for sale at our local steam show. He wanted 60 bucks for it and I offered $25. He said he had that much in 1 tire. Yeah right, He pulled it out of the dump. He aint foolin me! He ended up loading it back in his truck! They are nice to haul goodies in so you don't bang up your nice cart!

I'd rather you finished... your three bears story.

Seconded - Mitutoyo are very good.

If it's cheap, it's probably not a good one. The cost of machinist tools is truly states as, "You get what you pay for." Only good recommendation I can make is; Buy Starrett and you can't go wrong.

1-0511 is a B-100 automatic but has a 10hp motor. They only made B autos in 74 and 75. Who knows, the big block Kohlers look the same so just maybe someone put the wrong motor on it at the factory. Pretty cool.

Well thought I should probably give an update on this one, its been a while! Motor and trans are pretty much completely assembled. I sent another batch of parts into get zinc plated so when i get them back they will be completely done. Also finished up the belt guard and heat shield, and picked up a NOS steering gear from bill jenkins at the show. I'm planning to make a new tie rod and then will have the steering issues worked out. Got the frame blasted and any rust pits filled, also cut off the foot bar and am going to weld a new one on. As far as the hood I didn't want to damage it blasting it because it was in pretty nice shape so I built an electrolysis tank, this is my second attempt at one of these, first one didn't work at all and this one kind of worked. It eventually did take off what needed to be removed but I spent an hr with a putty knife scraping the paint off and it was in the tank for almost 10 days. Hoping I can figure out why my tank isn't working right so if you have any advice I'd be glad to hear it. I used a 55 gallon drum, 6 anodes all wired together with 8 gauge wire, used a 12 amp charger and used the 1/2 cup to 5 gallons of washing soda as I have read. I will beadblast the hood carefully in my cabinet now that the paint is gone and it should clean up nicely. So as far as whats left on this tractor I just need to get a back set of tires and find a good steering wheel for it, finish up the frame and hood stand, and the hood. Hoping to get it done for scotts meet and greet but not going to rush it. wheel painted engine mostly together guard, shield and my new steering gear frame ready for the foot bar to be welded on hood after being in the e tank my e tank setup bought a new set of 3 ribs for it a couple of weeks ago and trans all finished up

Bruno looks proud of himself with the squirrel but then, The Cone of SHAME. My brother's golden retriever came flying out of his house full blast, flew across the street and hammered a little bunny right in front of the neighbor's elderly mother who was walking up to the house. Just so happens it was Easter morning too. The poor woman was so traumatized to see the Easter Bunny get shredded, we had to help her into the house.

B E A Utiful!

Who's that peering thru my back window?

neither - operator talent meets sound engineering principles

How could I possibly forget my first vehicle, handed down to me by brother Dave, (JimmyZ) when he joined the Navy? She may have been known as Old #18 by everybody when you drove it to high school but I'll never forget the first day I rolled into the high school parking lot with it. All it took was one of my buddies to shout out, "Hey Ken nice Milk truck!" and that was that. For the next yr. it was known thru out the entire high school as the Milk truck. I tried explaining that it was an electrical service truck and that the rack behind the cab was one half of a ladder rack and NOT a roll bar.. Nope, to everyone it was the Milk truck. Even a few teachers busted my balls calling it that (especially Mr. Howard). Hey, no worries. More than a few chicks were more than happy to ride in the Milk truck! Hard to believe this pic of me was over 30 yrs. ago... I miss that truck and I would proudly drive it today, even if Stevebo hates Fords!

Spent this afternoon cutting back a bit of orange peel, and then couldn't resist putting the hood back on.

Just set it in for s & g's. Initial observations look promising. It will definitely have to be raised up a good 2.5". The long PTO shaft was necessary (about 4.5") since the overall width of the engine is narrower than my original K482. Big weight difference with the aluminum block vs cast iron. Probably 50 lbs! Might make turning this beast easier. The coupler will need spacers to bring it out far enough to mate with the hydro pump. Suggestions welcome. The hood fits with room to spare, but the engine is not raised up to its final position yet. Exhaust ports look like they'll be fairly easy to adapt. The clutch control linkage from the lever will definitely need to be modified. Might even need to extend the control arm to raise it up high enough to clear the shrouds. Anyway, I'm pretty excited and I think this is going to work. More as I progress!

A little late to the party, but a few comments regarding the oldest vertical shaft WH's: While most of us aren't particularly fond of them, the early V7 and V8 tractors were, indeed, garden tractors. The cast iron and steel geared transaxle in them was designed for ground engaging work and was intended to be as tough as the unidrives featured in the more conventional lines of tractors. Tillers were available and a clevis hitch could be fitted in case you wanted to plow, disc, or cultivate. These were introduced in '68 at about the same time some other manufacturers dipped a toe in the vertical shaft configuration. The concept must have been on the right track since most modern tractor platforms have migrated to a vertical shaft arrangement with its inherent packaging efficiencies even on heavy duty machines from Deere, Cadet, Simplicity, Toro, etc. True, they were a little lower slung than the bigger garden tractors and felt more compact, but they were quite heavy duty nonetheless. Geez, look at the front trame section of the V8's! I think the engine failures of the Kohler KV181 (in the V8's) and the complete lack of marketing were a problem for them. By the time WH had ditched the problematic KV's and went exclusively with the more reliable Tecumseh replacements the line had already gained a reputation as being somewhat trouble prone. I think the hydro units on the Charger versions also ended up being weaker than intended...perhaps since they didn't have a large capacity and (I think) lacked a filter for the system. Beyond the tiller, clevis hitch, and a couple of mowing decks WH didn't make a big effort to support the lineup with additional attachments. On a comparative basis the established, already-old conventional layout tractor offered advantages at the point of sale. They were competing with other WH tractors in the showroom in addition to those of other colors and it apparently didn't make much sense at the time. Essentially, they were way to heavy and expensive to be a lightweight lawn mower but not big and heavy enough to be a multipurpose unit. I am under the impression that some pink slips were issued over the line as well. I think a fair number of dealers hated them. They hung on until the early 70's with the "CG" variants, but faded from memory. Collectors have never zeroed in on these things probably for a number of reasons. Most of those reasons probably parallel the reasons they weren't big sellers when new. Few of us have childhood connections to these things. Many of them were probably scrapped when the engines blew. They have a much lower perceived value than the conventionally crafted machines. . Ans, being equipped with Tecumseh engines certainly doesn't buy them much favor in this Kohler-loving crowd. I think there is a place for these models in a serious collector's fleet. They should be appreciated for what they are and were - a different solution to a common problem. If your tractor has value to you, I encourage you to restore it. There won't be a lot of secondary interest in the thing should you decide to sell, but please fix it up and enjoy it for what it is. With few exceptions this is a hobby that won't pay you back for the time and effort you put into ANY machine anyway. The whole succession of vertical shaft tractors really doesn't garner much respect in our collector circles. But - with some exceptions - WH always offered a product fully capable within its intended class. In most cases, i'd rate their vertical shaft tractors at least as high as any class competative tractor. It started with the V7/V8's and progressed right thru to the 400XT series. There are even some rare machines in the long line of verts. YT-12A anyone? How about the L-chassis 211-3? I think I'm going to launch a PR campaign to clean up the image of the tipped-over-engine class of tractor. Maybe they should be featured at the show. And it has nothing to do with the fact that I have a bunch of them I'd love to sell at top dollar someday! Steve