Leaderboard

Most of my deck hitches are badly worn so I decided to make a couple. These are for my 42" and 48" decks. 60" is completely different. They are just tacked together now to check for fitment, I will take them back to work for final welding and painting. I have drawn up the plans, I will scan them and post as well. Cleat

CHAPTER 1 So I learn a neighbor is selling a Cub 128 puller (with a 16HP motor) . I delayed a few days and thought I better at least look at it Bad move, no way I wasn't buying it . . . I know I just committed a sin because she ain't red, but a deal is a deal She ain't pretty, but the guy dumped a lot of money in the engine and pulling accessories. It is set to go with wheelie bars/weights/hitch/tach/carb spacer/shift lock/exhaust, heck he even threw in four scales so I can pre-weigh it in the garage The tractor is rock solid, straight and pretty rust free. Now before you say "carb spacers are illegal" and assorted other advice, I only plan on using at "fun pulls" in the area. I don't really have the time for competitive pulling (yet). Chapter 2 So, I have to get it in the garage without my wife freaking Fortunately with the holiday, I was off Monday and my wife planned a shopping trip with my niece who happened to be staying with us few days. "That's awesome honey, you guys have a great time today and shop till you drop." I then hooked up the trailer grabbed the Cub, off-loaded it washed/dried it and had it under a cover in garage in t-minus three hours. That included washing the mud tracks off the driveway after having to drive in the dirt to pick up said Cub avoiding "Hey honey, what in the world were you doing with the truck today that you were in the mud . . . .?" Chapter 3 1. Park truck beside covered tractor so wife doesn't notice there is something under there other than a pet unicorn. 2. Go inside and promptly order some jewelry online 3. Wrap jewelry upon arrival and wait for the occasion when wife needs something from that side of the garage and discovers new addition OR I find Captain Morgan can be effective at helping her better understanding certain things 4. Hope it all works out and none of your Red Square buddies let the story slip at the Spring Show so you are not on to wife #3 Seriously, I think she be over it by then, plus I made SURE I finally fixed the non-working rear hatch on her SUV last night that I have been putting off for weeks And it was a happy holiday in Dillsburg. THE END Lastly, some pictures. With a butt like this, how could not . . .

The trail camera caught my Horse playing in the snow!

I decided to install plow off a 520 (longer set up) on my C160, add the rear weight box, turf tires and old school wheel weights and chains. We had some heavy and wet snow the other day and it pushed really well.

Found this pic in Mom's old album and thought I'd share it with y'all. Not sure where to post this in the proper forum. Anyhow, I don't know a darn thing about the Pond Walkaways but this kinda looks like one maybe. Those are 2 of my uncles circa 1953.

First....In your 2nd pic, it looks like the hyd motor shaft is free-floating....that's not right. You should NOT be able to remove it just by taking off the little cir-clip. There is a retaining clip down inside the cyl block assy and that is what holds the spring tension on the individual pistons. If that clip is broken,there'd be little to no power. Secondly.... the motor housing MUST be oriented correctly..(.you should have marked it before taking it apart). It can be mounted 180 deg out of phase. Note the orientation in my pics. It occurs to m, too, that the cylinder block SPRING may have broken...maybe. There is a SPIRAL RING retaining clip that holds the spring inside the cylinder block, with a thin washer between the clip and spring. My pics aren't too good, but you can see some of it.

My wife always says, "jewelry prevents head-aches"!

I think you will find the two collet pieces inside the domed washer piece. The inside lip is probably worn or sheared off.

Could be an 855 or there about, has been re powered from the looks of the fuel tank. First thing you would need is a belt guard so you won't be grinding gears all the time.

Very nice. I would think you have a "marketable" item there!

Good luck with you adventure , since I hope to go to the Big Show , I hope to meet what's left of you. Hope the gift for the wife is at least equal or higher value than the puller. If not your A_ _ is grass and I know who will be guiding the mower. Not sure I would want a ride on that , broke my back once.

Many members have had good luck installing a bike chain in the middle of the tires. Deflate them and install chain and then inflate. Kinda like turning on a rail.

If someone has not told you yet...the answer to your roll pin question is "yes"...the spring goes under the roll pin and then the pin goes back in place.

The shop is quite now. No more sounds of a BFH, the sounds of a saws-all or noise of a air chisel. Gone are the few choice well used swear words. The battlefield is silent, the battle over the war won. I stand here triumphant with my surrendered enemy, the frozen hitch pin in hand. This is just not a lone victory but a victory for all Red Square members that have faced this battle and for all who will face it again, and for all who will face it for the first time. That there is hope in determination to face down this dreaded enemy that stands in are way of the perfect transmission rebuild. Talk about laying on the BS. Lol, Anyway it's out! Time to celebrate.

Been trying to get a froze hitch pin out (like we have never heard that one before have we gang lol.) finally got the pin to rotate in the transmission. The crazy thing is froze in the slot hitch. So the first battle of the war was won. Now just cut the pin between the case and the hitch and the war should swing in my favor. There should be some kind of a medal for all of the guys and gals that have fought this war and won and survived. Drilling, air chiseling, sawing, etc. takes a toll on the ol arms. Not to mention the desire to just say _ _ _ _ it , and just walk away. But we all keep at it till the war is won. This particular one has been a tuffy so far and looks like it will fight to the bitter end.

We have had weeks of rain here in the UK. It seemed like a good idea to go for a play in the mud. until we got stuck, here's a few pics and a video http://youtu.be/tHyKTt4J6w8

So, I read up on where to put a hydro filter. Best place being in the return line, so that's what I'm doing. Just like a 5xi has a strainer screen on the left side that is user serviceable, I decided to do something simulate with my loader hydraulics. The strainer looks like a clean out, but is actually described in industry as a "y strainer". Here is what I bought. That strainer will protect the pump and the valve from larger debris. The 80 mesh is .007" openings. Its probably overkill, but wanted to do one anyway. It was a cheap enough add-on so I figured what the heck. You could mount a hydro filter in that location, but I've read that you are best served having it in the return line.

Nice score Zeek, but...won't all that pulling stuff swap over nicely... to something red, and more appealing to the eye?

Yep! I keep my Kroil for special occasions. It is pricey! But if it works where nothing else does then it's worth it. As a side note, I do think that using other stuff and then Kroil with no better results is not fair to Kroil. If another product only partially creeps in but blocks Kroil from going any further or making full contact to the problem spots then it's not Kroil's fault. So using everything else first and then saying Kroil didn't work either might not be a proper test... Probably better to heat again as hot as you dare or what is appropriate to burn off and out any other product and THEN try Kroil would be a better approach.

There better not be a Tecky under the hood or I'm tellin!!!!!

Well, I finally got to try out the 2 stage blower on a 520H. Snow is not real deep but it is very heavy ice crystal snow with a fairly thick covering of solid ice on top. Works real well and throws snow a long ways. Only problem is steering but a slight lift of the blower gets it going the right direction. No wheel weights but the rear tires are loaded. Auger sounds like it is hitting something, I will check that out once it drys out in the heated shop. Cleat

Nice fab work... looks factory original.

well I grew confidence spoke with indy wh a.k.a (mitchell) last night on the phone he walked me right through it seems to be a cake walk well see once I get parts if it leaks

Dennis and Hank have the right approach. Use patience. If PD blaster does not work, buy some Kroil-it is 4X the price but works better. I have had to pull the rock shaft out of two late 70's model tractors. You cannot swing a hammer in there, however if you pull on the lift lever (make sure you have removed item 5 and 41 in Daveoman's pix), the rock shaft will hit the side of the tower and should slide off.

I think it was in the late 1950s. I helped an old guy, ( who was a plumber ), put in a cast iron sewer line in a house that was getting indoor plumbing. He used a torch like that to melt the lead to seal the joints, where the sections of cast iron pipe went together. The fuel he used in his torch was white gas ( that's what he called it ) . That was a long time ago. I believe that is the same as the old Coleman lanterns and cook stoves use.

...and boy...did it turn out great Magne.

I agree with Hank, sometimes it takes time. Sometimes it takes more times. Heating and cooling seems to help. PB Blaster and the like needs time to soak deep into the trouble locations. Then again sometimes a bigger torch and hammer is the right combo!

continuing on to the second scenario, but first the obligatory cautions If you have any questions on your ability to perform this mod, do not have the proper tools, fear the mod may introduce a "fire hazard" in your home, or fear loss of the warranty on this ($5) product, PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS MODIFICATION. The second modification concerns changing a resistor within the float charger circuitry. This mod can be performed if the voltage output of the float charger exceeds 14 volts or is under 13.2 volts. Why can there be such a variance in the output voltage? HF has been producing this particular float charger for over 10+ years and has apparently gone thru several styles of circuit boards. Some of the original boards I had contained circuitry that required hand selection of a resistor value to set the output at 13.2 volts. Understand we are talking about a product that routinely sells for under $5. Any time assemblers had to hand select a resistor value to adjust the output to 13.2 V DC - well, that just becomes too costly. If the value needed to output exactly 13.2 VDC fell in between standard, readily available resistor values, several resistors had to be placed in parallel to come up with a "custom" value in order to achieve 13.2 VDC. Some of the early HF boards had several slots to insert these parallel resistors to achieve 13.2 VDC. This concern for additional manual labor to custom adjust the float chargers every time a new batch of transistors were received became a cost concern. A new circuit board was apparently designed to allow the user of a variable resistor - a potentiometer - to be inserted onto the circuit board for final voltage adjustment. A quick screwdriver tweek of the potentiometer would set the outp[ut voltage at 13.2 VDC. Done and done. Well not quite. Potentiometers cost about 20 cents each and a resistor costs about 1 cent in quantity, sooooo....... the bean counters must have said something about the additional 19 cents in cost. Bean counters usually win and the product was assembled with a 1 cent resistor that was "close enough". This results in a possible explanation why some of the early model chargers put out a precise voltage and some not so precise. The second scenario mod will change the 1 cent "close enough" resistor back to the 20 cent potentiometer design. This mod will allow the float charger output to vary between 12 to 15 volts. You as the user will have the final say in what the output voltage is - you should strongly consider setting the voltage around 13.2 VDC for proper float charging. This mod also had the advantage of being tweeked slightly if you need say 13.6 for gell cell float voltage. Pros . Cons Pro - only a 20 cent modification - ability to adjust final float voltage for wet lead acid, glass mat and gel cell variants of batteries. Con - solderiing / de-soldering skills are needed - you need to order a potentiometer - the potentiometer may not be as reliable in a damp or wet environment as a resistor - rough handling (tossing the float charger or dropping it to the floor) may change the output voltage and require a quick resetting of the potentiometer. From my internet searches, I find at least 3 versions of this circuit produced over the years, The mod I am presenting was performed on chargers in the 2008 era as seen by the stamping on the power supply cases. My circuit board looks like the one below. I am currently placing an order for the most recent offering from HF as I believe this charger is going to be on clearance for the 2016 year . Having addressed cautions and expectations, I will begin the mod in the next post

This isn`t going to help at all, but since you brought it up I remember as a kid they did sell dynamite at the local hardware store here in Fairfield. Hard to believe the way things are today.

Make the holes the right size (#3) and then you can tap them to 1/4" NF and screw in grease fittings afterwards. The C-160 that I bought then sold to my neighbor came with a grease fitting there and the pin just slid out. Cleat

Wish I had read these post before I began my painting..I bead blasted all parts after a complete tear down. I mean every nut bolt and screw. I then primed everything with Rustoleum white bare metal primer. I then took the cheap way and bought the Majic paint at the tractor store..IH Red and the IH white..I used a spray gun and mix with the hardener and thinned with mineral spirits. As for the results, I am very pleased with the finish, no it did not take weeks or many days to cure. I am not restoring this for show but it does look great, however it is still in pieces and I will know the full results soon..Hope I didn't make too big of a mistake. All I can say is read and learn from these guys, they know their stuff. Thanks for being there for us noobs.

I've been spending way too much time on the wheel horse, but it is addictive. I took care of the weak factory tie rods and replaced those with the threaded rod and aluminum bushing method talked about on this forum. The aluminum rod was a bear to fit into the threaded rod, but I got it reamed out. Spent some time working on the deck repairs too. Looking for a dial a height knob and a mule drive knob for the front. Also spent some time painting the seat and panels. I haven't touched the hood yet and most likely wont. The steering gear bracket was also cracked on both sides. I had a welder weld the two pieces back together and I had him put a reinforcement piece in front to make it stronger. This is the welded bracket. Hope it helps with the weak spot in the steering system.

He's not wrong, I had a C-101 for about 6mths now I also have a C-161 and I still search every other day to see if any more are near me that need to be saved. That looks a nice tractor. Welcome to the forum.

Looks good Mike! I have these custom made. Mike's particular one is extra long to fit B's,C's and Blackhoods with the longer hood. Cost is $50.00 plus shipping depending on steel prices. I make nothing on them. I have a retired friend who is a retired welder/fabricator that does them for me.

I got my new front weight bracket on the B-80 yesterday and did some discing in the garden. Big thanks to Squonk, aka Mike in Waterloo , for the bracket. Here are the pics. The B-80 is a bad a## little tractor!

I would pull the head to decarbon and check the valve seats. With the head off, You can probably pull out that loose valve. and carefully slide out the spring and keeper. At least you will know if the valve and/or keeper need replaced. Of course you will still need the compressor to reassemble.

Crows are very smart birds. My bother and I use to hunt them when I was a kid. They had a bounty on crows back then. I believe the bounty was 25 cents for 2 crows feet. The crows would dig up corn as fast as you could plant it. ( I think that's why they had the bounty. ) They were a real challenge to hunt.

http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/files/file/1859-lift-hydraulic-1962-1963-hy-2-a-7140pdf/

C'mon Matt, no secret recipe's allowed here... Out with it.

Took advantage of the recent 70 degree plus weather here in Va to get annual maintenance along with a few upgrades/repairs done to my mowing machine, a 540 hour '96 520. Amazing how much debris collects around the hydro unit in a season... Ive come to the conclusion that its easier to remove the rear wheels than to fight the 60" deck out with them on. Converted the rear to lug studs and replaced the 9 pin connector. Adjusted valves and confirmed compression to be 115 across the board. Repainted the foot rests, engine tins, and exhaust. Gave everything else a nice polish. This stallion is ready for its 20th birthday and another 20 years of dependable service.

Yeah,,,well anyway,,,,.that is one mean looking machine hanging off that blade...hang a blanket over that Horse tonight// We can see it earns its keep.. Proceed soldier !!!! howard in Virginia

Here are pics of the 418-a HYD lift and the MANUAL You could use a die grinder and cut-off wheel to split the tube of the rockshaft (# 7 or #19) to release pressure, then drive it out. Having done that, I can provide a replacement rockshaft. for further details, send direct email to me at this address: (just clik the link) daveoman@windstream.net

I have been looking for a 417-A for over a year. Found one 5 miles from my place. 1986 with 1025 hrs in nice shape, came with ag tires and also got the turf tires on rims with it. Included snow plow and nice 42' rear discharge deck. Needs a little TLC. Biggest blemish is a nasty ding right in the front of the hood, that will be taken care of next spring. Finally have some time to post pics; First pic is the way I got it. The rest are after I cleaned it up.

I spoke with the guy in the above seal kit on ebay and he told me he has used these for wheel horse hy2 no issue.. hmm

I believe it is a homemade setup too if i had to guess its a compressor off a large truck or heavy equipment not sure though doesn't a name on it but my dad had a old air force bus that a air compressor on it for the air brakes that was similar

I've considered the same thing and you and I are not the first! I've heard the fiberglass doesn't last forever but there's more than one way to skin a cat! Stainless "Chore Boy"s, stainless baffles and... Let us know how they hold up, please!

Thats usin the old noggin for sometin else then a hat rack!..looks good

What a great write up. I am currently in the process of restoring a 500 Special and would like to add a couple things. The 5465 hood with the 7 slots and narrow decal is actually a 1967 hood (607, 657, etc.). The best way possible to determine what was original at this time is by the original parts manuals. That would be the 7231 hood with the 6 slots and the plastic escutcheon plate. It's very likely and even probable that some 67 hoods were used up early on in the production. As cool as it is, the 500 Special was really a 'low' end model with the aluminum block motor and recoil start. The steering wheel was a 4983 which is actually the one in the lower picture was also used on 67's and other years. I've seen quite a few with the wheel that has the bend in the spokes and my guess would be the supplier. The holes in the fenders for the lights is odd only in the fact that the 500 Special couldn't run lights with no charging system. The original muffler was the 7628 but I would imagine was often changed out to get the exhaust away from the hood better. Many tractors back in those days were modified to suit the buyer or some other reason before they left the dealer thus giving way to the belief that something was 'factory original' when in reality it was installed or swapped after the tractor left the factory. This would lead to electric start motors, headlights, etc. Because this was such common practice I say no harm, no foul as to the originality. That being said, my 500 Special will actually be the joining of a 657 and a 500 Special. I would say that at least 95% of the parts are identical on the two models and due to their condition it will take both of them to build one good machine. I'll be using a 67 hood with the 7 slots and narrower headlight decal. Terrys decals include both styles of the hoodstand decals, with the 6 and without. I've got a Tecky H60 that I'll use but I'll probably go without the 6 since I'd like to find a K161 or K181 for it in the future. I will also have a restored ID plate on it with the correct model and serial numbers. It will definitely be a tractor that someone could make someone think certain things were original but, as was so very common, it won't be truly factory.

Just an update. The frame is cleaned and painted and a few seals replaced, still waiting for one seal for the brake drum. I fitted the predator engine to the frame and lined it up. Looks like it is going to fit OK. The hood and sheet metal are still at the blasters. I still have some work to do on my engine mount. I am going to weld the engine bolts to the mounts from the bottom so I can just lift it off and drop it on. I used a 3" pulley on the new engine, looking for a bit more ground speed.

Here's a better pic with a decal installed. I really like how these little trailers pull and how low the sides are makes it easy for my little girl to get in for rides most of my trailer use is giving my 4 kids rides around the yard.