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10-1-1908 Ford Motor Company unveils the Model T On October 1, 1908, the first production Model T Ford is completed at the company’s Piquette Avenue plant in Detroit. Between 1908 and 1927, Ford would build some 15 million Model T cars. It was the longest production run of any automobile model in history until the Volkswagen Beetle surpassed it in 1972. Before the Model T, cars were a luxury item: At the beginning of 1908, there were fewer than 200,000 on the road. Though the Model T was fairly expensive at first (the cheapest one initially cost $825, or about $18,000 in today’s dollars), it was built for ordinary people to drive every day. It had a 22-horsepower, four-cylinder engine and was made of a new kind of heat-treated steel, pioneered by French race car makers, that made it lighter (it weighed just 1,200 pounds) and stronger than its predecessors had been. It could go as fast as 40 miles per hour and could run on gasoline or hemp-based fuel. (When oil prices dropped in the early 20th century, making gasoline more affordable, Ford phased out the hemp option.) “No car under $2,000 offers more,” ads crowed, “and no car over $2,000 offers more except the trimmings.” Ford kept prices low by sticking to a single product. By building just one model, for example, the company’s engineers could develop a system of interchangeable parts that reduced waste, saved time and made it easy for unskilled workers to assemble the cars. By 1914, the moving assembly line made it possible to produce thousands of cars every week and by 1924, workers at the River Rouge Ford plant in Dearborn, Michigan could cast more than 10,000 Model T cylinder blocks in a day. But by the 1920s, many Americans wanted more than just a sturdy, affordable car. They wanted style (for many years, the Model T famously came in just one color: black), speed and luxury too. As tastes changed, the era of the Model T came to an end and the last one rolled off the assembly line on May 26, 1927.

Well there you go, answered your own question. I have been real pleased with my GT-14 and it works well with a loader. The three point hitch is nice to have too.

Get out the Carhartts and woolly hats. It's time for Scott's M & G! Will the weather hold for the final show? Only The Shadow knows! Safe travels to all and don't forget!:

OK guys....So you know.....I' am here to type....spent a week in the Hosp...got a lung that wont play well with others,,,,But now home and back at it....cell was off for a week.......doc said no talking ,,,so the cell went home.....damn.!!!!!! Now.....how do you want it told... text book.....The Great Excape,, way it should be told..?. OR how i saw it ??????? Oh and for Craig the Team Rulz.......... there it is.....!!!!!! in my rear view..!!!!

Waiting for raffle so here are some pics real quick:

Just look for the giant blowup of @stevasaurus holding his cup on top of the grain elevator , waving in the wind . It's the beacon for all RED SQUARE members to join us for the M&G .

Ok so..... Its been awhile... Been busy but the addiction still follows me around for wheel horse.. I pick up one here and there and sell one .....rarely....grr lol... Anyway, group effort on this project and i really hoped it was gonna see the light of day at the wheel horse show but i never made it to the show this year and didnt really want to share it this way but here it goes.. Early this year i picked up a 94 520H... I called up my other wheel horse-a-holic buddy to brag ,of coarse, how nice it is... He says how nice is it... I said you know the old car comerecials where ford and so on would display there new models on spinning platforms... he said yea.. I said yea that nice... Well, being the mad scientist he is, he says you know we can just do that... You get that thing cleaned up and ill start working on the rest. Well... i tore that 520h down to a roller and cleaned and cleaned and cleaned and buffed and waxed...Did the valves and other maint. related stuff for the hours on the clock. Replaced a few decals... wanted to keep it orginal as possible but couldnt live with ugly decals. I bet 30 hours in detailing. So an old hub from a plow , receiver tubing, some sprockets and chains and a grill motor.... and here it is.. Works awesome and stops a lot of people.. Not bad for an 850 hr machine!!! All orginal paint... nothing was repainted. Also... tractor mounts on the spinning display via the rear and mid attachomatic which means horses from all years just about can take a spin. Since the video and proof of concept. The aparatas has been blasted and painted. I also added a tent and ropes for safety. Just plug it in and i let it run for hours... So what do you all think???? Also brought me garden tractor of the year at the show and a nifty little trophie. I have to say there really wasnt a lot of wheel horses but all in all. Still a good show.. Thank you Terry for decals and all involed with project. Heres a video of it in action via youtube link

This was on our local CL. I wasn't looking for a snow blade as my JD GX345 is my snow removal machine, but for the price I had to buy it and it was close by. It's missing the angling lever and the blade edge is completely worn down, but it will suffice. It will probably go on my 416-8.

3 Wheel Horses, a McLean Husky, a Poulan, the remains of a John Deere, and tons of push mowers, snow blowers, and pressure washers. Not shown, another John Deere awaiting an engine. Almost all of this is on my to-do list... This is what happens when your dad is an iron worker/scrapper, and you've inherited his mechanical abilities, combined with the ability to see junk as something that's actually worth money. By the way, no progress on the 1973 other than putting a battery in and turning the key. Nothing. Wiring probably needs redone first.

Dr. said no talking as soon as he met Howard! HOOOWWWAAAAARRRDDDD!!!!!!

Since the Dr. said no talking...(has he met you?) just...type it like you saw it Howard!

Howard, hope you're feeling better. Now we need "The rest of the story".

I moved to Maryland eight years ago from Illinois where John Deere is "King." My first choice was of course a SCUT but my wife felt that was overkill (?) for our 2 acres. So I looked at all the different garden tractors, both new and used. In the new category, Simplicity was too high priced along with the John Deere 304 and above series (base 300 used a K46) and 500 series. The X series way too much. Even though Husqvarna offered a GT with a ground-engaging transmission, I still felt that it would need replacing in an 8-10 year timeframe. So I started on the used market looking at John Deere as there was really nothing else offered. I also felt that a diesel would be good to have (I was a diesel mechanic Engineman in the Coast Guard) as long as I needed a tractor. I can remember visiting a JD dealer in Illinois to look at a JD 430 but he showed me the worn driveshaft (common) that wobbled but still was about $4K. Shift to Maryland as we had bought the house but still to move and I was searching for a JD 455. I found a sweet little JD 355 with a Yanmar two-cylinder diesel but it was a bit used. Reviews were mixed as well. Even at higher rpm the plastic hood really rattled. Stopped at another JD dealer and found a JD 420 and a 425 AWS. They were not what I was looking for, but over in the corner was a red tractor that I had never seen before. It was a Toro Wheel Horse 518xi! I went home, did some research, and purchased it. Surprisingly this and my 523Dxi both came from John Deere dealers. I guess that they want to keep the red "ripened" tractors away from the "Green" ones. Here is the dealer's sales photo from 2009 of my 518xi:

I drive my 70 Chevy C 30 every day only because I enjoy driving it, I even drove it to the big show which is a 5 hr. ride one way.. I trust my truck to take me ANYWHERE at ANYTIME but I know the guy REAL well that works on it, ME. Older vehicles can be very reliable but if you plan to drive one every day its best if you have some skills so you don't need to bring it to a shop when it needs some love.. At the first sign of the state laying down calcium on the roads that is when my truck gets parked until spring and I start to drive my Grand Cherokee. My truck has never been driven thru a winter. With that said, I enjoying having my Grand Cherokee. There are those times when I need to go somewhere a few hrs. away and I need to get there quick, can't go too fast for an extended period of time in my truck that is for sure..

Gotta love the C-175's. They have a bigger feel to them because of that big black hood and they sound so cool. The hood is solid, not tinny like the 3 and 4 series tractors. As long as you aren't mowing on a slope that Series 1 will last a real long time. I had this C-175 hydro and I really enjoyed it. It wound up with a super good guy, Butch in Jersey...

Howard , I hope you feel better soon buddy ! I missed a 867 today . Just a little bit short on funds do to prior commitments , but I did manage to snag of couple goodies across state lines !

hopefully the hydro isnt smoked. is the pump/ rearend clean? this can cause them to overheat. also make sure you are running the engine at least 3/4 throttle ( 2700+ rpm ) or this can also cause it to over heat I would change the fluid, first see what it has in it. the early years used Ford trans fluid and in 72 or 73 they went to motor oil. and use a Toro brand filter. If all that fails and the hydro is bad any of the 1965 thru 1972 sunstrand gear hydros can be interchanged with the pump drive gear swapped. when the gt14 is up to par it is a true beast.

Progress has been slow for the last week.... the axle is mounted but I cannot steer. The tie rod ends I just bought are left hand threads and there is no tap avaliable for it so I'm waiting for new ones to arrive. It sure does sit up much higher! Once she is leveled out, I think I'll be higher than the C195 I had earlier this year! .. At the very least, the front tires don't stick out farther than the rears!

Dragging s out of NY can take a toll on a feller, hope you get back to 100 per cent soon.

The best or most versatile imop would be either the GT14 or the C195 of WHs larger tractors. Once i picked up a 195 the 160 was put into storage, while its a great all around unit it was to small for my needs. I would not pick any of the Ds, they have to many issues and parts are specific and getting hard to come by. Although the GT14 and the 195 have their own issues the C195's would be easiest to overcome. Most of the parts and attachments are inter-changeable with the smaller C's and 3-500 series and the engine can be swapped easy enough. I had loaders on both and both handle one well, the 3pts on both work well. I do like my XI tractor but parts and attachments are not as plentiful.

Now I want a GT-14!

We want it as you saw it! If you are fibbing @roadapples will probably back you up anyway; so have at it. Sorry you were feeling so poorly, at least you made it back without the border patrol catching you!

Howard , glad you are feeling better.Getting old is a bear. You don't need to breathe to type so lets hear about your great adventure with Roadapples. Are you sure it was your lung or did the missus beat the C - - - out of you for bringing home another .

You mean to say you didn't stop and give him a ride!

c-160 is versitile and a common model to get parts for so you can work it hard without worry.

A few pics from this morning. Rain and foggy. Resulting in plenty of mud. A serious wood splitter.

Ok not dissing on JD but do you think you can find an x7xx used running or not for the prices we give for our beloved red machines, like my low hour (282) $800 523DXi (not running but not a total loss either) the PO had $ to burn obviously ,the 236hr 520H ($1200) I also bought this spring was neglected by him as well and when I made a trip back to my old WV dealer (in August) I bought them at the same guys' Simplicity Legacy diesel was there non running now, seems to me this fellow has no mechanical ability but $, as my bought new 520H ($6300) from same dealer is still running today spinning the 2stage in the winters and mowed every year till this one, so still the $ I have spent on WH in the last 18 years to me has been a wise investment to mow grass, blow/plow swow, driveway repair,firewood gatherer and gardening, so in other words it doesn't make much difference what color or price is if it's not taken care of and maintained properly,Jeff.

This has happened to me all too often. One of my weaknesses. That and tow valves on Hydros. Doh!!!!!

Now you just need a mirror under that beast... and you'll be all set for the big show.

One tractor per attachment! Usually a tractor can only run one attachment at a time so you might have a tractor with a mower, a tractor with a tiller and a tractor with something else but that does NOT count as 3 tractors! Count as 1 tiller, 1 mower and 1 something else! That's three distinct tools! Serving entirely different uses! Not 3 tractors! Maybe that will help some? On a side note. I have a C-81 and a C-85 and I love both! I also have a tiller. I've never thought about using it on a 8hp. I know I've read about a 8hp tiller (see, not a tractor with a tiller!) but is 8hp really enough? I got other tractors to use...

I started reading Red Square in late May early June looking for info on mounting the dozer / snow blade a neighbor gave me last year. Then I found myself reading on other issues or repairs our members were posting about since I was reading forums daily figured I should join up. By late August the wealth of information obtainable here and the knowledge I gained made me feel I need to become a supporter. Yesterday I came to a stand still on my snow thrower modification, Waiting on a part form Wheelhorseman1000, a woodruff key seat cutter from Production tool and needed to pickup correct length belt. So I decided to use the knowledge I acquired and do some maintenance on my mule drive since the v-pulley wasn't spinning as freely as the flat pulley. I proceeded to setup a couple pieces of 1/4" plate steel i had in garage across bucket of grass seed so once free mule drive had cushioned place to land. Nut, guard and first spacer all came right off so with pulleys resting on plates and mule hanging I tried hitting it with a dead blow hammer and nothing. Liberally soaked it down with break away tapping on pulleys and spacer to help penetration and called it a day. This morning after watching news and drinking my coffee figured I better get back on the mule drive since lift flag should be here today. I have to say I am one of the lucky ones first hit with the dead blow and shaft started to push through the pulleys. Once I got it all disassembled I found the v-pulley had all kinds of crap on the out side of the bearing knowing that it's a sealed bearing I was hoping that it was friction from debris causing this issue. I cleaned it up best I could and it did to seem to turn better but not as free spinning as the flat pulley there are not catches in it as you spin it just doesn't spin free as it should. As I was cleaning it my son in-law seeing my garage was open walked across the street to see if I needed any help today. I explained what I had found and he asked if I needed to replace it? I told him what I had learned here reading a post on drilling the spot welds out and replacing just the bearing and bolting the 2 halves of pulley back together. I told him that I thought it would be ok for now and may need to do that in spring or some time next season and would let him know so he could learn how to use more of my tools. For reassembly I had thought about coating shaft with never seize since that stuff sticks to every thing and doesn't wash off easy then it hit me I LPS 3 in my chemicals cabinet. When I was working as a stamping and forging press machinist we used that product on parts that were stored outside so for years it goes on in liquid form and cures to a waxy film. I cleaned the shaft the inside of bearings and spacers and used it to see how it works to keep the surface rust that causes the mule drive pulley to be a issue to remove. I will try to remember to take pictures when time come to replace the v-pulleys bearing to show how it worked. On Thursday I was able to get the idler sprockets installed on the snow thrower and ran out to Motion ind. for a 10' length of chain that leaves me extra to make replacement when needed. The lift flag came just before lunch I had to weld a heavy washer since it appears the lift tube is few inches shorter than the correct one would be but it lifts easy enough shouldn't need the lift assist spring. Should be able to get access to use of the mill in a friends gun smithing shop in next couple of weeks to cut the keyway. All that will remain to do this year is to weld the sprocket to the drive shaft since I have already decided to wait till next year to draw up prints for the chain guards that I'll need a sheet metal shop to cut for me assemble. I want to design one for inside that will slip up around auger shaft to keep the maximum amount of snow away from chain.

Hey guys, I've been mulling over what to do next. I have always wanted a GT14 and recently missed out on a nice one about 3 hours away from me at a really good price. I guess, what I'm asking is, what is the best or most versatile Wheel Horse? I guess it's kind of subjective and probably needs clarification -- the right tool for the job sort of thing... I want a larger tractor that has the ability to run a loader at some point. Basically has to have the hydraulic option. Any thoughts? What do you guys see as the ultimate wheel horse? Thanks for your help! - Jeff

Anybody catch the license plate on that Wheel Horse that was supposedly rustled out of New York State?

Another party at the Dino truck! Almost didn't recognize Steve with out the Carhartt! Bang! Waitin for Jake to start a beard! Was hoping Lane would have one of his classic hats!

Dennis, as per our last conversation on snow removal you know you and I think alike. One tractor per attachment. This will help you win the argument for a while. One of the last things the bride said was " OK I get not changing attachments but 15 tractors? This is rediculous" The problem here is I have a few more attachments with no tractor to put them on ! Predicaments.........

Take a look at the manual for your Sundstrand and the trouble shooting guide. Also, clean the cooling fins, be sure your cooling fan is in place and the filter is a Toro hydr unit or NAPA 1410. As for the reverse problem, could be the reverse acceleration springs, @refracman hooked me up with a source for them a few years ago, made a tremendous difference. If all else fails the hydro from an Electro or Charger can be modified to fit the GT_14. I have done this and there is a step by step tutorial I did to help you along. They are generally in better condition because they are lighter and tend to get less abuse.

The loaders are run from a separate hydraulic pump powered from the PTO of the engine and do not use the trans hydraulics. So no need to limit yourself to a hydro trans tractor. GT-14s are nice bigger style tractors and that loader looks good on 953's tractor.

I would think something from the D series.

Just a short update. I was able to give it great workout.. aerated a large yard (with over 100 pounds of added weight)...overseeded yard as well. Everything worked great and actually better than I can recently recall. I think I will feel confident in using it for another winter of driveway snow plowing now. Thanks!

Nice tractor sailor! The new decks on all the X series come off very easily. My parents mow with an LX188 and a LX277 , 25 and 15 year old LAWN TRACTORS, respectively. Both are high hour mowers and run/mow like new. Any good quality brand will last if cared for. 5k is entry level for a good tractor, most of the 500 series are 6-7k. The 700 series are true garden tractors, they start at 10k and up. I mow with aold x485, and just bought a new x730. They are both well built, and a dream to mow with. As I said before, you get what you pay for these days. Have a good Saturday.

Running a bit late due to rain. Almost there. And no Sqonk, I'm not driving. I'm riding shotgun.

I must have checked that valve a dozen times!

I believe the Puller/Plate removal procedure shown in the Manual may refer to the use of the 2 Bolt holes on the horizontal plane that secures the Stator Plate. Should be threaded 10-24. Normally strong enough to part the Bearing Plate from the Crankcase, but if yours is stuck tight, it may be best to tighten the Puller up and gently bump the Pto end of the Crank to assist the seal break.

How about not turning the fuel valve on or not plugging the fuel pump in on my C-160. 2 of my favorites!

Garry

Thanks Jack, no, she ain't home yet. Working with a shipping company to get it to me. I just dumb lucked into it. I swear, when cleaned up, it's going to be a fine one owner before me example. And with the provenance, (fancy word for paperwork) to. Thanks for the words. Glenn

Ooooo, modifying a snow plow is right up my alley! Welded wings on to one to make it 60" wide. Wings were cut from another blade. Pushed it with a 416-8 with lots of weight. But you can use those snow blades for other stuff too! No limits to the possibilities. Couldn't resist.

Sorry Jack...no excuse ...I got spare trucks & trailers you coulda used ...heck a true horse thieve woulda used the wife's minivan!! I bet a guy coulda had it for 200 to boot and that B-80 the 1077 had for a sister wasn't too shabby either! Worst part about it it looks to be unmolested & clean! if I wouldn't had to go wrangle this 1257 I woulda went for it. My bad for not having the Milwaukee CL search in place or I would have seen it earlier. Well so much for the coulda/wouldas... lesson learned ...we'll get em next time. Sure bring those tires, I don't know if they fit as I was eyeballin it up for ags last nite and there is only an inch or so to the fender so it's gonna be tight but we can try anyway. These 50 yo turf tires are in such good shape they just might work. @achto is making this show plow hitch. Got the proper battery & good cables in her last nite. Was texting with Dan & telling him now it wouldn't start with out hand feeding it ala @Ed Kennell. Wife comes out in the shop and says ya sure there's gas in it?? I thought there was quite abit when last looked! Don't tell me you guys have never done this.. here I was already looking for a carb but it runs much better with gas in the tank now!

Found a little time to play around this morning. Maybe some Black and White?