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There was a let up in the weather and the snow thawed and we had a good frost. Time to give C4 another airing and see what she could do. I'm amazed by the amount of traction achieved and didn't really manage to get stuck

I see you managed to get an unbroken parts washer from Harbor Freight. Guard it with your life. You may have the only working one in existence! I also notice your working in the laundry. Nice to know my "Brothers" keep the tradition of working on tractors in the house!

diving a teacher crazy. A kindergarten teacher was helping one of her students put his boots on. He had asked for help and she could see why. With her pulling and him pushing, the boots still didn’t want to go on. When the second boot was on, she was nearly out of breath. She almost whimpered when the little boy said, “Teacher, they’re on the wrong feet.” She looked and sure enough, they were. It wasn’t any easier pulling the boots off than it was putting them on. She managed to keep her cool as they worked together to get the boots back on – this time on the right feet. He then announced, “These aren’t my boots.” She bit her tongue rather than scream, “Why didn’t you say so earlier?” like she wanted to. Once again she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting boots off. He then said, “They’re my brother’s boots. My Mom made me wear them.” She didn’t know if she should laugh or cry. She mustered up the grace to wrestle the boots on his feet again. She said, Now, where are your gloves?” He said, “I stuffed them in the toes of my boots…”

Today, I finally tackled the cleaning of that rusted, goopy trans and gears. I'm going to let it set a few days and then start the E-Tank on the case. This case has one of the bolt thingys broke also...so all 3 cases will need some welding to fix. The gears look OK...not sure about all the bearings yet. I can't wait to see what the E-Tank will do for this case. I decided to try to take out the bearings from the plates. The ones I could use a punch on came out. The other ones are rusted in...we will try the E-Tank. The axle bearings in these plates look good...might be able to hone them a little and then they will be alright. Notice how the bronze in the same thickness all the way around. Lane sent me a set of those short roll pin punches from Grace. They work great. Took that pesky roll pin right out. Thanks Lane.

I hear you, Bob! I'm not sure if it is more liberal but there certainly are more bureaucracies A lot of revenue was lost over the last five days including Maryland's only county-run liquor distribution and stores, plus the speed cameras with no one driving!

I wish. Sleep till 10 each day. Get up make hot plate of biscuits and gravy and pot of coffee. Long hot shower while the wife is away working and kids are at school. Head out to the garage to wrench on the Horses for a good 5-6 hours. Back in and slap some steaks on the grill for the wife after her long hard day. Make the kids clean the house and do laundry while I scroll and Craigslist. Off to bed with the wife and do it all over the next day! I'd love to!

OK, ts. here are a couple pics of my 312 Hydro plow tractor. You can see I don't use the deck lift item 27, and I have the solid link so I can apply down pressure. The plow lifts 6-7" before it hits the frame and it will go 1" below level with down pressure. You should get a little more height before hitting the axle on a 520 with the bigger front tires. I can reach and remove the top of the link although I agree it would be more difficult with the 27 lever in the way.

Fortunately, I live in Carroll County, the most conservative county in Maryland. Montgomery County where you live is the most liberal. I don't know if that has anything to do with it, but our road was open Saturday morning, and the rest of the county was passable by Monday evening. Maybe we're living right up here. Just sayin'

Installed the snow blade we picked up from Squonk yesterday. Had a chance to get some snow on it and then ran out of gas. We didn't have any non-ethanol gas ready to go in a can so we had to push her back into the barn. It was fun for a short time. We didn't get the storm so luckily we didn't need to push any snow. We'll clean it up and paint it in the spring.

Not to break in about local gov'ts lack of work on snow removal.( We finally got mail today) . What brand and style of chains do you guys use ? If you fill tires with fluid do you leave it in year round ( I plan on using tubes in the tires) Notes on using 310-8 yesterday to try to move ice,water snow mixture , Wheels never stopped turning ,would lose tractor and dig holes raddled my guts and bones to death. Still sore as hell today. Manual lifting of snow blade wears me out after an hour - need to get hydro or electric lift - also case on Ben Gay for left arm . Don't wait three days to start on removal it will kill you. Consider blower for next year.

I have not been to the show, but from the pictures I have seen there is a display building or two that you could hang out in for some shade. Lots of us will have easy-up shade tents and I'm sure you will be welcome to hang out for a while.

I would make reservations at a nearby campground. Gettysburg has a nice one. Or can you charge the chairs off off the toy hauler genny?

Yep back in '98 I got my 520H new...it had been there a year plus...retail was like $7350...I got it for $6300 out the door as he had just got the XI's in...said I'd be happier with the older model at the time (finding more used attachments for later)....my ex almost divorced me then for spending that on a "lawnmower"...I said you'll see in 20 yrs when all those with box store mowers had replaced them 10 times and she wasn't shoveling snow...my new wife says as long as I'm happy and she doesn't have to the mowing and snow it's worth...I also have a Kioti CK20 with loader that I left with my elderly parents for cleaning that 1/4 mile driveway in WV....can't have too many toys aye?

...and a PM sent for the award too.

We have a winner!

Close, but not a video! Got to give you a lot of credit for the post though.

The only ones I've found that absolutely stay put... are a little heavier guage, and have a nut and bolt running through the back of 'em.

Well..... I woke Project up from her 2 odd month slumber yesterday and thought I'd take her for a little drive before I start on the flaming exhausts again... I may of got carried away a bit

I think an 8 speed manual lift plow or blower would work fine on a straight long run of 12" of snow. But I could not imagine working through the 5-6' drifts like I did yesterday without the foot control hydro and lift. It was power into the drift till the tall chute was almost under, raise the blower, hook the drift with the top extension and back up knocking the drift down. Lower the blower while backing out and repeat. This was repeated hundreds of times all day and the 28 year old 520H and the 72 year old operator were not even breathing hard.

Richard......i always bring an easy-up tent.........they are great.....im always in the same place....((between the teeter totter thing,,,and the food)) its all Red Square guys in the infield between turn 3 and turn 4,,,,matter of fact...everywhere else too.. I usually bring 3 or 4 chairs,,,they are always full,,,and usually with tractor people you just met...the flea market area is filled litterly with tons of wheel horse/toro parts,,,,,tractors.....snow blades everywhere...Oh,,there is about a dozen or so,,,that have this thing about,pie,,,,,,its not an innner circle thing...and not an innner seal or inner tube thing....,,,oh and white stuff.. THE BIG SHOW .......8th wonder of the tractor world !!!

If you still want to put it in the ditch Mark, let me know, and Ill be by to grab it in 20 minutes!

I took the first test drive today. Everything worked and nothing fell off, that I heard. I am picking up the hood tomorrow and will begin fitting it on the frame and decide how to access the fuel tank. Tip the hood forward, cut a new hole in the hood, of change the tank for one that fits the existing hole. Ted

It's hard to beat a good Farmall Cub. I think you did expect a bit much from the 520 after coming from a Cub. I was just forced to downsize as well and only had the 8spd GT1600 available to deal with all this snow. More weight and turf tires would have helped. Things I did enjoy about plowing with the Wheel Horse: - able to select blade angle without getting off of the seat (need to add power angle to Cub plow) - easier to get into tight spots in the driveway and plowing the sidewalk - smaller size comes in handy when chaining up, adding wheel weights, storing in the garage, etc. - two good working LED headlights, very bright - more seat time - smaller gauge trip springs prevented damage to plow Things I missed about plowing with the Farmall - heavy gauge plow not bothered by gravel drive - lots of weight for better traction - independent brakes for traction control - didn't have to worry about plowing every few hours to keep up with the snow (garage located in fenced area away from driveway, quite a hike through the neighbors drive and my yard to get to the drive) Right now it's a toss up, both have their pros and cons and I'd take either over a snow shovel!

Ya Mike, they were out when I went there, but they were getting them restocked that night...went in the next day. There was no time for the riff-raff to mess with it. It does work nice for transmission parts. The side plates can be done, but I don't think I would do the casting in this. It is all plastic, but I like it for what I bought it for.

It is hard enough to make ends meet with NO KIDS at home with me and the wife both working!

Knew I should have married a woman who makes triple six digits has a figure to match and has a fondness for the ponies!!!!

I also wish I was with the caveat, as long as its not due to illness or involuntary job loss or lack of income earning opportunities.

Here you go. All H55 engines use the same internal parts regardless of the last 4 numbers.

Now your talking my language @ericj..... some day going to have a blower like that on the 520... and a cab God willing and @JERSEYHAWG / Glenn able!! Came off blowing duty yesterday looking like the abdominal snowman. Found out the hard way blowing snow on an open tractor is alot like peeing into the wind!!!....

The sun really wasn't too much of a problem last year.

I've been getting paint on, only thing to work on for now is getting the hood finished.

The wire is in fact, a ground/kill wire. It attaches to the carb linkage. When the engine is throttled down completely, this wire is grounded by the linkage. As Garry said, if the ignition switch accomplishes shut off, the wire is not needed.

Welcome, and you've found the only place that it's perfectly all right to HORSE around

Better diagram in the operator manual Just remember the ignition on this model is self powered. The ignition wire simply grounds the coil to shut the engine off. Do not allow any battery voltage into the ignition wire as that will burn up the ignition coil. In other words positively identify that wire before you do anything with it. You don't want to see any of the magic smoke. If the ignition key will shut the engine off the loose wire should not be the ignition wire. Garry

Ok Craig, any video's of a monkey driving a school bus?

Definately would not be any good for mowing yards. Resodding....yes!... Mowing, no. Would be fun to try though.

Just watched the latest hood vid there earlier this evening... that thing is turning out awesome Vin.

The trans mount is "bothersome". Next project, I plan to reinforce the mount before damage.

We have to grow old, but we don`t have to grow up. Wish I could have been there for that..

Well I haven't been around of awhile with work and garage projects keeping me busy. I managed to build a stainless plow based off some rough measurements and some artist creativity. So onto my thoughts: I passed my 875 onto my brother for his new home and been using the lil RJ for all my year round duties currently. Surprisingly it's not bad. With chains and a 100lb rear frame block I'm able to hook up as much as I'd like to with the tractor and push a pretty good amount. I did make the plow 36 compared to 42" as I was worried about how much pushing power I'd have. In first gear I think it'd move a house until traction craps out. I do miss the power and ease of the 8hp and hydro trans , but it is kind of nice to toss it in 1st or 2nd and just hold on. Yeah I said hold on.... 3rd gear wow. My first impressions with 3rd and rpms raised it's pretty much hold on for the ride. The steering wheel at that point is pretty much a suggestion not a request. Just feels twitchy compared to the gear driven steering on the 875, as a little input makes a big difference. Also Stainless edge on the plow seems to grab the concrete more then the mild edge ever did on the 875's blade. It's pretty dang nice having it scrap rather nice and clean and peeling up grass, flowerbeds(sorry hunny), or neighbors driveway edging. Overall does it work? heck yeah! Is there a better machine out there to do the job? more then likely... But I am falling in love more and more with this lil RJ with it's quirky personality and all. Take Care Mat

I had those boots with 300 metal clips on each one. They would get full of ice and wouldn't latch. Wonder Bread bags didn't help either. No wonder you don't wear socks! now that's funny right there! If you don't think that's funny you get the heck out of here!

I pulled out the bearings and seals on the Suburban side plates today. We have one, kind of bad, S8K bearing...2nd from the left in the row of four. I found a couple of thrust washers under 2 bearings. That happens with these 3 piece transmissions. Take a picture so you can put it back in the same place. This is a better picture showing how the bronze bearings wear unevenly. This would give you axle play from top to bottom. Attack the thin part with a small screw driver to rip the bronze and then pull out with a needle nose pliers. This plate also has the needle bearing for the brake shaft. I pulled out the seal, but if the needle bearing is good (and it is) I hate to take the chance and ruin it pulling it out if I do not have to. Needle bearing is KOYO #B-1212 Seal is SKF #7410.

If everything is mechanically okay on the tractor as you suggest then I hate to say it but you must be doing something wrong.... I had plenty a Cub Cadet garden tractor and my 520 out pushed all of them... This is at least a foot and a half of snow, and in some spots well over 2 feet and it wasn't fluff. Your hydro sounds like it might be tired, sounds like it works okay for cutting grass but it doesn't sound like its up to snuff for the heavy stuff. I'd look into that... Here is a video of mine in action.. click on image to view.

Gotta take smaller bites of the pile, cut it down filling only say...1/3 to 1/2 of the blade. Hard on your trans mount ramming into the piles like that. Otherwise...looks great.

You went from 60 cubic inch 4 cylinder to about to 47 ci 2 cylinder. Your cub (later ones anyway) were 15hp at the draw bar the "20hp" 520 was a gross hp at teh engine crank shaft. Hydros them selves are not a efficient as gear type. Then there is the weight and tire size.Your cub is at least 3 times the weight of the 520 if not 4 times. If snow plowing was the prime chore I would have stuck with the cub. It is like comparing my Wheel Horse D200 to my Case VAC they are both 20 hp (but rated differently). The VAC would drag teh D200 all over and plows snow a lot better. Apples vs Oranges

Yeah that's my problem to, no snow to plow or blow. I took the plow tractor out yesterday to run down to the mailbox just to run it for awhile. On the way back, I dropped the plow, and because of the way I have it set up, you could barely tell that it did anything at all. This next week it will be in the upper 30's and by next weekend the 40's. Who'd believe this is the last week of January in Central N.Y. Hope all of you that did get all that snow make out okay. I wouldn't have wanted that much.

That frame looks a lot like an old Simplicity frame. As you've already said the look went south from there. The Wheel Horse hood and fender is a great improvement. It will look great after it gets the Stig treatment. With the odd ball machine already in this tread here's mine. I broke down and bought a Harbor Freight engine for the Ford Shortdog. Wanted an older engine just could find one around here.

Hey Jay, I used them a lot 60 years ago when I was hunting and trapping in the mountains of southern Somerset Co. Most folks don't know the highest mountain in Pa is Mt Davis near Meyersdale. We usually had snow cover for 2-3 months every year and the big shoes were the only way to travel in the woods back then. I still try to take them for a walk on every snow we get here in York Co.