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This winter has been less than average for us in the N.E. for snowfall and I'm sure for lots of other areas. So with no snow in the back yard I start looking for thing to do prier to spring temps. It was time to refinish the flag pole. A little sanding, some new stain and two coats of urethane. I now have a flag pole is ready to display old glory on for another year. Today is less than 15 degs. and a right smart breeze.

Hi All, Just a thanks to all of you who've posted and shared this winter. I finally got to spend some time in my garage now that the weather is changing. I cleaned, putzed and even tinkered a bit. Made a new work surface out of pallet parts i've been bringing home from work. Started laying out parts and planning again. Garage has a nice layer of condensation on the floor. Some bare parts will have some new rust I'm sure. Not to happy about my yearly table saw cleaning pending though. However, I am thankful for having a garage and a table saw and my projects. I know its silly but you guys (and gals) have helped me get thru another winter without much play time with my wheel horse. As I age (45) i'm coming to realize the need for more stuff to do that isn't work or house related. This site has been a real relief from what would normally be a very long winter for me. While we (all of us) may not post or have much to share during the colder months, I'm sure some of you can appreciate my sentiments here. To all of you, My best Randy

But not to worry, its working great

My birthday is next week and I bought myself a new toy for $800 a 1988 520-HC. I downloaded all the manuals for it but I can't find the snow thrower operating manual. I have the parts manual for the snow thrower. I'm not sure how to attach the snow thrower either. Tractor model C120OE01 serial 10319, deck model 054SMS05, Snow Thrower Ber-Vac W 046 D

How appropriate, 85 years ago today the "Star Spangled Banner" became the official national anthem of the USA.

quickest way to go / no go a generator battery jumper cables on battery negative battery cable to generator case (clean metal on mounting foot of generator) positive battery cable to generator "A" terminal don't worry about the color of the paint.

One thing you might consider, along with others making plow stabilizers, is the ability to lock the plow in the up position. Being able to lock the plow in the up position enables you to unlatch the plow at the center lift point (chain or bar). By unlatching the lift you free up the lift lever for rear implements without having to remove the dozer blade. With the dozer blade locked in the up position you can free up the lift lever for the rear clevis or slot hitch and not have to remove the blade. Recently I needed to create a shallow but wide drainage ditch and needed both the single bottom plow and dozer blade. I don't have a dozer blade stabilizer, but affixed a simple hook system to latch the dozer blade in the up position. I unhooked the dozer blade from the lift lever and attached the bottom plow in the usual manner. I used the plow to cut out some grooves in the dirt, then re-affixed the lift latch for the dozer blade to move the loosened soil. I did need to remove the bottom plow, but that only took a few moments. I had to do this a couple of times. . . .bottom plow, dozer, bottom plow, dozer. Worked pretty well.

I thought I would try to post some pictures of my winter project. Compared to most of the horses I've seen here my little horse looks like it should be pulling Joe S*^! the Ragman's cart Mower deck has all new bearings and blades and a new belt, new engine and drive belt, and soon a new front axle and spindles. I hope to get some pictures of my "72" Bronco 14 posted when I bring it out of hibernation

The deck may be one of your most valuable pieces in the collection as fewer and fewer of them are around, This was my point in the post

Well, sure... it's that too.

So it has been a while since I did an update on this one. After the big show last year Brennan wanted his tractor to be "shinny" so ... 10 mins after we unloaded the trailer he began to clean it up and then take it apart. Shortly after that he started to paint the frame and other parts. I started to do the body work to the sheet metal but then it got pushed to the side. Finally got back at it the last few weeks. Got the motor all cleaned up and painted. See pics.

Hey thanks! I'm the founder of HomemadeTools.net. We give away our "50 Must Read Homemade Tools" ebook for free to people who say nice things about us in forums. Here it is, you don't need to give an email address or anything like that, it's just free. Enjoy! http://download.homemadetools.net/50MustReadTools.pdf

I had no idea. I actually finished the flag pole on Sunday but the sun swung around the house so I couldn't get a good pic of the flag in the morning sun. Thanks for the info. You're right. How long would you last tied to a skinny pole.

I ran across a couple more old pics from 2002. That's me on the B-80 helping with fall yard cleanup at my Mom & Dad's place as he was recovering from hernia surgery.

Having seen the factor ROPS that Toro offered for the 5Xi tractors, I'm not sure how good a job it would even do. It fastens to the frame members down low by the gearbox. That makes for a lot of leverage. If you ended up taking a tumble I gotta think that the frame members would get bent up or tweaked pretty bad. Plus, the ROPS didn't come with a seat belt (at least all the photos I've ever seen a seatbelt wasn't visible). So, you take a tumble, fall off the machine, the frame maybe gets bent and possible your head gets caved in because the ROPS hoop lands on your melon. Yikes.

I wish the weather would make up its mind here rain all night only to stop and freeze in the am. Very little to plow this year. And when I get the chance to turn some wrenches its always too cold...

Jim, when you click on the Wheel Horse Tractors forum... ...you see the top 5 or 6 threads there have the little green "pin" icon in front of them. Meaning, those topics have been deemed too important to get lost, so for easy access...they've been "pinned" to the top of the list.

I keep my deck on.

My Super-Whoopie hub puller. I came up with the pieces and a friend of mine welded it. This tool has a special place in my tool box. I picked it up from him when he called to say it was done. Drove home and promptly went to the E.R. Later found out I was having a heart attack all day and didn't know it!

I have to say the best tool in my collection is in my head. If I have a idea and want to make something to make a difficult job easier I will just make it. I have been told by many friends that they wish they had my talent and my reply is i wish I had there talent in something that they do. As for making something from nothing I can do that no problem. It will workjust fine and do what I want it to do, but painting is not my strong point. Yes I can do as rattle can but beyond that I have issues. My job I have know i work with stainless and there is no painting needed. I love it! Tools are great and I have a lot! As a Master mechanic and a fabricator, and my fathers wood working tools there is not one wall in my 30x30 shop that doesn't have a shelf or cabinet holding some kind of tool. I never stop learning the correct and incorrect way to use them the way they should be used. Live and learn has been my life and I never stop learning something new. It happens every day and I use all my knowledge as much as possible to better my way of life. Even ifmits something I have never fixed before I try and do it myself before having someone else do it. Just my nature I guess. This is why I feel my best tool I have is in my head.

Thanks for starting this section @nylyon and Mike @prondzy for suggesting it so with thanks given I would like to kick it off by seeing pics or comments on your favorite piece of shop equipment or tool(s). You know something that you couldn't work on horses without or that they would have to pry it out of your cold dead hands. It can be more than one thing of course! Pics of mine to follow.

What about a topic of tools for the hobby. Everything from wrenches to welders, lifts to spray guns, Where people can ask questions and share experiences about something they have bought or want more info on before buying? Thought it might be nice

was at the local mower shop yesterday looking for parts and I ran across this. ask my buddy that owns the place and he said an older gentleman brought this wheel horse in and wanted it worked on. he did the work and after tried and tried to reach the ole guy but could never contact him .THAT WAS 8 YEARS AGO!!! maybe this older gentleman died know one knows. this has been sitting in this spot that long.it has snow blade attached and as you can see a snow cab what is left of it. this pics are from my phone was pouring rain and wading thru 6" mud so I didn't check it out that well. any idea from the numbers on hood what this is? looks like a C series to me . I didn't think at the time to look at model plate under dash was cold and rainy as hell. thanks

How I became a lover of the Horses is a mixture of fluke, mishap, luck, and providence. Not quite a year ago, my wife, our one year old son, and I bought a home and moved to a predominantly white small river town named Utica, in Indiana. I was depressed because after the previous five years of school, medical problems, and eventually graduating with honors and a bachelor's degree, I could not find work. With no interviews, no answers to my sent resume and applications, I found myself wondering what I would do. I am a minister, which means I did a lot of praying about what my next move was to be. I was lead to go out and look for someone in a less fortunate situation than myself, and to then ask them how I might serve them. I began mowing the lawns for our elderly, disabled, and disadvantaged NEIGHBORS, with a 12 hp Cub Cadet, the previous home owner had left. I used that little riding mower to drag away fallen trees, logs left by the risen Ohio River, and anything else my NEIGHBORS needed removed. One day an elderly NEIGHBOR who ran the local small engines repair shop exclaimed to me, "Manny, do you realize you're tearing up that riding mower dragging those trees and logs? What you need is a tractor!" I asked him if he had any in his garage, and informed he did not. BUT...Mr Snelling added, "you know, I think ole Jimmy Van Gilder has a tractor he's thinking of selling!" I should pause here to say, Mr James "Jimmy" Van Gilber was something of a local hero. A veteran, retired fire fighter, and long time member of the town of Utica, Mr Van Gilder helped many of the town's disadvantaged in ways they could never repay him. When I went to Mr Van Gilder to inquire as to the availability of his tractor, he was in the final stages of terminal cancer, so I did NOT want to trouble him. I asked Mr Van Gilder if had a tractor he wanted to sell, and explained what I needed a tractor for. He wanted only $250 for his 520H. I get $200 in SSI each month, but that was weeks away, so I turned to Facebook to raise the money. I offered myself labor for $10 per hour, to raise money for my community outreach project, which would later become the LOVE THY NEIGHBOR INITIATIVE. Within an hour of posting mt plea, a friend who owned a business asked if he and his wife could come see the tractor. That Friday they came to check out the item in question. Within minutes, he pulled out his wallet and paid for the tractor! With my mouth wide open in disbelief, "Matt" exclaimed, "Manny" we think what you're doing is a good thing, and we want to support it by purchasing, and donating this tractor to your cause!" I set about getting the tractor ready for operations, which lead me to look for service parts on the internet. That's when I found out some of the history of the wonder which is the heart and spirit of what was once, "America, the great". The more I learned, the more intrigued I became! That was July of last year. Today, I have nine Horses, and hope to travel to Minnesota this weekend to pick up number 10. I love, and enjoy the sense of community, and next door neighbor quality which is the Wheel Horse family. From day one I was accepted. I am not a black man with a questionable past in the Wheel Horse community. I am Manny to some, RJ, to a few, and Chaplain Manny to the rest. My questions are answered in full with patience from skilled - knowledgeable WH gurus, to newbies like myself how've learned a few things. I love saving Horses, and giving them a second chance to do what they love doing, working hard and making the shinie, new, poorly manufactured, tractors look bad. I hope one day to be able to share the knowledge I've gained from the Wheel Horse community with the next generation of Wheel Horse lovers, namely my two year old son. Thank you Wheel Horse community for making me a part! Your servant, Chaplain, R. J. "Manny" Higgins Utica, Indiana Police Department

3-3-1931 “The Star-Spangled Banner” becomes official President Herbert Hoover signs a congressional act making “The Star-Spangled Banner” the official national anthem of the United States. On September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key composed the lyrics to “The Star-Spangled Banner” after witnessing the massive overnight British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Maryland during the War of 1812. Key, an American lawyer, watched the siege while under detainment on a British ship and penned the famous words after observing with awe that Fort McHenry’s flag survived the 1,800-bomb assault. After circulating as a handbill, the patriotic lyrics were published in a Baltimore newspaper on September 20, 1814. Key’s words were later set to the tune of “To Anacreon in Heaven,” a popular English song. Throughout the 19th century, “The Star-Spangled Banner” was regarded as the national anthem by most branches of the U.S. armed forces and other groups, but it was not until 1916, and the signing of an executive order by President Woodrow Wilson, that it was formally designated as such. In March 1931, Congress passed an act confirming Wilson’s presidential order, and on March 3 President Hoover signed it into law

Lookin good! I bet the seat is gonna be real nice.

And Lady Gaga was one of the few "professional" singers to do it right, all of the rest of them have to put their spin on it.

I think you nailed it Brian, and I'm guessing the middle or top hole to get enough leverage to lift that monster blower that's hanging so far in front of the pivot point.

I can't comment on the 520H, but the 522xi is a pretty heavy garden tractor. Toro designed, at least the 5xi, with an FEL in mind. The front axle spindles are a full 1" diameter. An FEL was sold through Toro dealerships as a Toro option for the 5xi line. Although, the attachment was manufactured and parts came from the contracted manufacturer (KW). With that said, the Kwik-Way loader is by no means a replacement for a skid steer, backhoe or other heavy-duty, purpose-built piece of earth work equipment. Others have said it here on this message board, its a "yard helper". If you treat it like a replacement for a shovel and a wheelbarrow, I'm sure you'll enjoy decades of trouble free use. If you carefully read the owners manual, the attachment is intended for handling loose material (rated lift capacity is about 350#). I wouldn't want to beat on one by trying to do excavation (grading) or monkeying with the relief valve to make it lift more weight than it was designed for. That's when you'll start breaking things.

Perhaps this manual will help Garry

How can you possibly expect to get any work done in a neat spacious garage like that? The rest of us know that you need to be in a cramped shop with lots of stuff all over the place to get any work done. Looking forward to more updates.

Check out our high for today in S.W. Pa.

Hello guys. Bought this tractor this winter and been buying some parts for it but see some things are year specific. Already bought an air filter that doesnt fit... The previous owner said it is a 1992 but the plate/sticker where the serial number is not there anymore. So here is a few pictures for helping you help me out. I also know it has a 42" RD but not sure of that model number either. I just today broke the lifting eye bolt and trunnion. I researched some and it looks like there are different part numbers between a 85/86-87/88/89. Coming up with 104524 for 85-86 and then other number 6739, kinda hoping it the later as its a lot cheaper new. (Just did a littler more research and it looks as though the 6739 trunnion is non threaded, so I guess I have either a 85-86 mower here) Researching I think the numbers below (Spec NO 47812) match a 1985 mower. Let me know if I am wrong. I ordered an air filter for a Kohler Magnum and what came is defiantly not whats on the mower.

Agreed. More than the minimum for sure. But sand blasting is part of a couple of hobbies of mine and as long as my health and weather allow, I will be in the garage as much as I can be. Hopefully someday I can semi retire and really put the shop to work. Once weather allows, I will install and put shop in order and add pics.

And easy to do with the stabilizer rod. I was thinking of drilling several holes in mine so I can set different minimum blade elevations with a washer and hairpin clip. A hydro lift with a height-a-matic feature. Having a blade depth stop on the hydro lifts will be a great feature for snow plowing on the stones and grading work.

Here's a photo of a loader that was built from the PF plans. I think I found this a while back on wfmachines.com. You can see that if the bottom inside bend was made at less than 90, the loader would be able to roll the bucket back farther when low to the ground. Obviously, carrying any load lower to the ground on these garden tractor FELs makes for a better operator experience (read more stable). The thread located at this link is also very informative for anyone embarking on an FEL build. I spent a lot of time on it before I started my limited build. I don't think you need to register on the forum to view of the photos. But if you do need to register, its worth it. Great tips and photos http://www.mytractorforum.com/119-home-made-tractors-implements-accessories/175389-jd425-fel-build-input-requested.html The builder basically mocked up an entire wood pattern to cut with his plasma cutter (traced/scribed the perimeter of the wood patterns) before going to steel and fabricating it.

Created a section. Let's see how it works out: http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/forum/160-tools-and-equipment/

I was wondering what those d_ _ _ green pins were. I thought it was part of secret handshake or something for the Grand POOBAH.

Since my are workers, the deck is considered part of the tractor, keep them cleaned underneath all season , greased etc. Good cleaning top and bottom end of season. Greased , blades sharpened or replaced and belts checked out , rust area where paint chipped cleaned up and sprayed with paint.

Don't have a clue about what you wrote. I will have my son explain in old man speak.

Aldon, You may want to consider having your electric utility set a dedicated meter and branch circuit to monitor power to that beast. But maybe not. If your wife casually notes in the future your electric bills have suddenly, significantly increased and there's been no rate change per kwh, on second thought, you'd be in big trouble with a second electric bill that tracks usage and costs. On second thought, just wire it up to your existing breaker box and take your chances..... An amazing tool you purchased there.........there's room in the garage for a cot or hammock, isn't there...........just in case you're exiled from the house?

Please excuse an old man what is a" pinned thread" ?

How about we just start a pinned thread in "Non-Tractor" ?? If it sticks to what is going on and keeps out the usual banter, it would be a very useful thread. I don't think a new section is going to work....past practice. but a pinned thread would. No rules...just don't muck it up with BS. What say you guys.

Now, I want to see this movie . . . . someone will find it, there are those that have a photo memory for these things. Not me, this is what I have, it's the C-Nile Virus:

Your buddy GAVE you the tractor? Wow, I must be hanging out with the wrong buddies!

Because who doesn't need more tractors... Complete ARK550 loader. There is a weight box of some sort on the backside too. Bucket has some random holes drilled into it so will need a few minor repairs. I'm going to swap the front tires around so the ribbed ones are on my predator tractor. Otherwise I'm not terribly sure what to do with the rest of this tractor that came with the loader.

I think that would be a great idea. Sometimes I see you guys working on a project wonder about the tools , where they were purchased , Is tool A better tool B , or is it a hand made tool . You can't have too many tools. The one with the most tools wins.

There have been so many threads here that cover tools and gizmos we use that a search for key words will produce a cornucopia of information. It is always interesting to see an old post suddenly resurrected by someone's curiosity about a topic. We had a section for "Bargains" that might benefit others but it went away, not sure why. I'm not apposed to another section, just not sure it would do anything we aren't already doing.