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Ever had that moment of absolute clarity when you realize that you're an idiot? I had another one last night. Two separate pieces of equipment with the same problem. One is my C160 Auto with a K341, the other a Troybilt tiller with a K161. Fuel flowing out of the carbs. Typical needle and seat problems. Replaced the needles, seats, bowl gaskets and all is surgically clean, filters in place. Went through both carbs till I was beating my head on a rock. I know carbs. REALLY. For over 25 years I ran and even raced Honda SOHC 750's that had a rack of 4 carbs. The one and only thing I didn't check, you ask??? Are the floats holding fuel because they have a leak?? What are the odds? Two boat anchor floats. I haven't dealt with a bad float in 15 years. Wasn't on my radar. Moral of my ramblings, check everything. Now I gotta go out and hose my blood of the rock. Mark.

Hi everyone! Happy to be a part of the world wide Wheel Horse family. Bought my first Wheel Horse 2016, and my second one too. Both from the 70's. I am very impressed with the smart functions, and how easy they are to use, and work with. Myself and my neighbour now own 5 Wheel Horses, and have a lot of fun, as WH nerds. This coming winter it's time to take apart one tractor each, to get them in great condition. Have fun!

10-30-1938 Welles scares nation Orson Welles causes a nationwide panic with his broadcast of “War of the Worlds”—a realistic radio dramatization of a Martian invasion of Earth. Orson Welles was only 23 years old when his Mercury Theater company decided to update H.G. Wells’ 19th-century science fiction novel War of the Worlds for national radio. Despite his age, Welles had been in radio for several years, most notably as the voice of “The Shadow” in the hit mystery program of the same name. “War of the Worlds” was not planned as a radio hoax, and Welles had little idea of the havoc it would cause. The show began on Sunday, October 30, at 8 p.m. A voice announced: “The Columbia Broadcasting System and its affiliated stations present Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater on the air in ‘War of the Worlds’ by H.G. Wells.” Sunday evening in 1938 was prime-time in the golden age of radio, and millions of Americans had their radios turned on. But most of these Americans were listening to ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his dummy “Charlie McCarthy” on NBC and only turned to CBS at 8:12 p.m. after the comedy sketch ended and a little-known singer went on. By then, the story of the Martian invasion was well underway. Welles introduced his radio play with a spoken introduction, followed by an announcer reading a weather report. Then, seemingly abandoning the storyline, the announcer took listeners to “the Meridian Room in the Hotel Park Plaza in downtown New York, where you will be entertained by the music of Ramon Raquello and his orchestra.” Putrid dance music played for some time, and then the scare began. An announcer broke in to report that “Professor Farrell of the Mount Jenning Observatory” had detected explosions on the planet Mars. Then the dance music came back on, followed by another interruption in which listeners were informed that a large meteor had crashed into a farmer’s field in Grovers Mills, New Jersey. Soon, an announcer was at the crash site describing a Martian emerging from a large metallic cylinder. “Good heavens,” he declared, “something’s wriggling out of the shadow like a gray snake. Now here’s another and another one and another one. They look like tentacles to me … I can see the thing’s body now. It’s large, large as a bear. It glistens like wet leather. But that face, it… it … ladies and gentlemen, it’s indescribable. I can hardly force myself to keep looking at it, it’s so awful. The eyes are black and gleam like a serpent. The mouth is kind of V-shaped with saliva dripping from its rimless lips that seem to quiver and pulsate.” The Martians mounted walking war machines and fired “heat-ray” weapons at the puny humans gathered around the crash site. They annihilated a force of 7,000 National Guardsman, and after being attacked by artillery and bombers the Martians released a poisonous gas into the air. Soon “Martian cylinders” landed in Chicago and St. Louis. The radio play was extremely realistic, with Welles employing sophisticated sound effects and his actors doing an excellent job portraying terrified announcers and other characters. An announcer reported that widespread panic had broken out in the vicinity of the landing sites, with thousands desperately trying to flee. In fact, that was not far from the truth. Perhaps as many as a million radio listeners believed that a real Martian invasion was underway. Panic broke out across the country. In New Jersey, terrified civilians jammed highways seeking to escape the alien marauders. People begged police for gas masks to save them from the toxic gas and asked electric companies to turn off the power so that the Martians wouldn’t see their lights. One woman ran into an Indianapolis church where evening services were being held and yelled, “New York has been destroyed! It’s the end of the world! Go home and prepare to die!” When news of the real-life panic leaked into the CBS studio, Welles went on the air as himself to remind listeners that it was just fiction. There were rumors that the show caused suicides, but none were ever confirmed. The Federal Communications Commission investigated the program but found no law was broken. Networks did agree to be more cautious in their programming in the future. Orson Welles feared that the controversy generated by “War of the Worlds” would ruin his career. In fact, the publicity helped land him a contract with a Hollywood studio, and in 1941 he directed, wrote, produced, and starred in Citizen Kane—a movie that many have called the greatest American film ever made.

Howdy everyone, I just picked up a B-100 along with mowing deck, hitch, chains and plow! I think it's a '74 but not sure. Runs like a champ and I can't wait to get cutting up some leaves and grass next weekend. It's my first tractor for my first real house and yard. I plan to work the tractor. It's in fairly good shape for being even older than me, just some faded paint but very little rust. It's missing it's headlight lens though and I'd like to find one since I may be plowing at night this winter. I plan on really going through the cutting deck this winter and getting new blades and making sure it's ready for next year. I'd also like to find a suitable utility trailer for the yard.

Had a chance this afternoon to install the gas tank I made up for the BIG TEN. Was missing the original air filter assembly when I got the tractor, so I also had to "Macgyver" something up for that till I find the correct cover. Got everything back together and started her up and took her for a test run. Everything checked out great.

I bit the bullet and bought 10.5 x 12 rim blanks and centers from miller tire. I also bought 26x12x12 firestone floatation 23s from miller tire. Here are the pics of making them.

If this is confession.....I peed my pants when i was 9.............. anonymous ..............

Was drivin' down a country road and saw a totaled Jazzy trashed. Stopped and salvaged the seat, minus arm rests. Seat was gray, Duplicolor Vinyl & Fabric spray paint fixed that! Shown on my 416-8 now need one for my 414-8. All my Horses get the lug nut swap! The 414-8 and 416-8 are reliable go-to work Stallions!

At 63 sometimes my wikileaks.

We all fall into this category at one time or another . I won't go into how many times I've rebuilt an engine / tore apart my wheelers' differential or gearbox because I succumbed to the knee-jerk reaction of " I have to solve this problem ...NOW " Just take comfort in knowing , you are not alone !

Nice score there.

I would guess that one of the Presidential Candidates somehow rigged your carburetors...it's the only thing that makes since. It was not your fault.

And now you can set toe-in. I could never understand why Wheel Horse made non-adjustable tie rods. Some people laugh at me when I say that I do a wheel alignment on a lawn tractor but it helps with front tire wear and if set up correctly, the wheel will almost self center on it's own after making a turn.

Man..........thats some real meat....no cheese required.!!!!!!!!!!!! I like um.....!! thse are 24x12x12 on 12 inch rims....... But im liked the AG's alot !!!!!

That fuel tank is awesome, too pretty to hide under a hood.

Primary snow fighters are ready

John Robert says Thank you 19Richie66 for this fine set of AG tires and wheels that we did some Horse trading for last weekend. I use this tractor for mowing in some of the more unfinished / borderline rough areas here, and the old tires were slipping on the hillside off camber turns and sometimes when backing uphill or out of a low spot. Anyway, thank you Richie for these AG's. They are just what was needed.

I couldn't wait to this mounted up so as soon as it dried I put it together.

Some pictures of my 1985 414-8..fully restored. Carb, Motor and Transmission fully torn down and rebuilt with all OEM parts.. All new OEM belts, PTO rebuilt with new OEM bearings and clutch. Frame and body parts and wheels sand blasted and powder coated. Hub Caps re- chromed New tires. Electrical harness repaired where needed. 48" Mower deck is brand new... Total cost for parts including deck..$4500.00 132 hours of exciting and rewarding labor... Good for another 40 years...(That's if i use it !)

Thank you for fixing it

You are not an idiot, you found and fixed the problem. Now if your brother in law, who knows nothing about carbs. and is an actual idiot (they all are, aren't they) came over and stumbled across the heavy floats, then maybe you could join his club.....

Required a pencil, a combination square and a step drill bit.

It is very common to see a lift installed on the Sundstrands in 1277's , Chargers , Electros and such since those models were 1 step below the uber-expensive GT14 at the time . I will say this about the Sundstrands - whatever oil is currently in it - stick with that oil . Most of the older pre-'73's used Dextron , later models used 10W30 motor oil . Also , if you get an older Sundstrand or are looking at an older tractor equipped with one , make sure to let it get to full operating temperature and then see if reverse is weak - like backing it up a solid hill . It's a common issue for those units to be old, abused and still have the original oil/filter so the swash plate can be damaged or just plain worn out . Parts for those pumps are not easy nor cheap - most pump rebuilds run right around $1,000+ if it's even rebuildable - scored housings are a no-go . Installing a lift is easy , if you can find the cone, spring and shims to allow the outlets for the hydraulic lines to function . Also, the fittings for those lines are a bit odd sized and small - if I remember they are -2AN type . Best to find one with it installed for sure . Chargers used a 10-pinion rear end and are more vulnerable to breaking the pinion gears if abused . They do act like a limited slip due to the force required for differential operation versus the early 2-pinion automotive style (models like the 1277/877, ect) and later 8-pinion gear differentials . The 8-pinion is the strongest design and pretty bulletproof . I've worked my 2-pinion to death and pretty well abused it with extreme rear wheel weight , ags and chains (145lbs , each rear tire) . The diff is still fine , but the frame has broken twice now at the rear mounting point for the transmission so it's getting totally rebuilt next year . My opinion - 8sp for extreme duty , later model Sundstrand w/lift or the Eaton 1100 setup . All can be pretty much interchanged with knowing the right combination of parts to fit the frame type . All long wheelbase units are easily adapted . D's are a whole different animal , and a seriously built animal at that . I do love the idea of fully separate front/rear lifts , option of a 3pt rear and a frame designed like a tank . Sarge

Ironically, I didn't take a whole lot of pictures today but I did snap about 25 min of video. I'll try to get a couple of videos posted to my YouTube channel as soon as I get back home. Then I can post links here. My tech savvy is pretty basic to almost non existent and so I have a friend of mine who I'm going to ask to help me make a video which is more organized of the material I have. Here are a couple of pics anyway... This is Dave Schwandt's 1200 Cub--he is from Iowa and travels to a lot of plow days and tractor shows throughout the year. Look closely in this pic and you'll see all the tractors on the horizon. They look like worker ants... They Blunier Farm--this was at about 10:00am on Saturday. Another Pic of some of the Tallon family! There were a variety of tractors plowing, although it was Cub and JD heavy. One of the most intriguing tractors there was a late '60's Panzer! I have a video of that I'll be posting soon!

ED Maybe I'll just drink an extra shot of JB / month. With that you are about half way to 18 pack of Miller Party time. Tankman I like it Good idea.

Agreed. As mentioned, it's your tractor now and whatever you decide to do, it's your choice and your decision only. I would love to have it, but distance is a factor. Put a for sale ad here and see if you can sell it whole. Once you go down the road of parting it, then most of the time, there is no going back. And you will find parting a tractor isn't as easy as you got to remove things, packaged them, shipped them and then find buyers for it. Yeah, it can make you more money, but it does require more effort and time on your part. Again, it's yours so whatever you decide, it's your decision and your decision only.

Having been around the antique tractor hobby for many years the argument between saving a machine and parting it out comes up all the time.I have purchased many needed parts from salvers to keep my machines running.If no one parted a machine out then you would have to buy a complete machine to get the necessary parts to keep one you have going.As these WH's get older replacement parts will be increasing harder to find.Everyone looks at things differently as the saying goes but some times a lump of coal is a lump of coal.I would never suggest crushing something like the 414 pictured but unless you have the dedication and time to save it it may just end up as a pile of disassembled parts in someones garage or worse yet, the back yard.I have seen this many times with other tractors,when the vision of the finished jewel fades and the cold reality of the task sets in.JAinVA

I bought this John Deere weight bracket from doc724 and mounted some weights from and old exercise machine . It's 120lbs. This is on my 523DXI .

Cleat, what is the proper way of aligning the front tires on a 312H? How much toe in or out? Biggest problem changing these and setting them is going to be all the DOG S#&T all over the front tires, with all the leaves, can`t see it until you have already run over it, LOL

It was great meeting you and thank you so much for getting that picture! The day was such a blur with all the plowing I didn't think to get one of the whole family. All those red horses are mine, well, except the B100 which is my my older son's. My younger son was the plowing champ of the family with 6 passes. I only got 3, but I think I set the record for the number of passes walked as I stayed along side them as they plowed. I am glad they enjoyed it, and I think grandma and grandpa really enjoyed watching the boys drive the tractors. It was a great day of tractor & family fun, but as usual, not enough time to talk to everybody as much as I would have liked. A big thanks to the Blunier family for hosting the event. Dave

I made my own with the ends from Wheelhorseman 1000 here in vendor section. Or he sells some already made. Very good quality.

Here's my 1988 414-8 (31-14K803). I updated it with the forward swept axle/gear reduction steering. It's my main mowing machine and I love it!

Pictures from today.

Looks awesome. I bought a GT 14 last week, and want to do the same. First, I am getting the engine running right with a carb tuneup. your post is inspirational!

Welcome to and yes take and post pictures lots of both those projects not only will that keep our members (who already seem to be chomping at the bit for them) happy, me included. But they will also help during reassembly when you start asking yourself now were did this thing go.

One more option. McMaster Carr tie rod ends...~ $5 each.

When you turn the ignition switch off the motor continues to suck fuel. Just as if it was still running. Without spark the fuel passes thru the motor out the exhaust unburned. The muffler is hot and there the fuel ignites. Mine has done it for ever. When I shut it off I cover my ears especially in the shed. It even shoots a flame a few inches out the muffler. You can try slowing down the idle. For the stumble open the small mixture needle.

Don't feel to bad about it.If we are all honest we have had similar moments.At least you didn't give up and solved the problem.Two bad floats at one instant of time to the same owner has got to be a rare occurance.Luck,JAinVA

I can say I'm an "old" Mopar fan , handed down from Dad... My old '75 Royal Monaco (first real car) was the most indestructible vehicle I've ever owned or been around - took me 12yrs and 325,000 miles to officially wear it out , but it still ran - rod banging 360 and all... My current '14 Ram quad cab 4wd pickup (Hemi) is an animal - love that truck . Awesome engine , awesome brakes , but getting used to that 8spd is definitely a learning curve - wish they would have offered a 6spd manual or something . This one was built in the transition era and I must admit I was a bit nervous , but build quality, materials and such are top notch . Easily one of the best/toughest pickups I've ever been around . Ok , back to belts .... I spent a day on the phone with a Q-Power engineer and he did argue about the materials being the driving force for the HA type belts . However , by engineering drawings there is a slight difference in profile and they even admit to such on their own profile drawings charts . I have had excellent luck with their industrial belts on my hydros and decks so far . Worn pulleys is an important factor and I firmly believe a root cause of wear issues is from using aftermarket cloth-covered drive belts , the WH pulleys were great quality but not designed for cloth coverings , period . Those coverings pick up dirt and use it to sand down the pulleys - I finally lost the battle with my 1277's small hydro drive pulley on the Kohler and had to weld and re-machine it's profile . A new Q-Power belt and it works as it should with the hydro being able to develop full power now - enough to break the frame, anyway . All in all , best option for belts is original equipment ones from Toro , or new old stock WH belts if you can find them . Sarge

I use a dry wall square to set the toe. works pretty good.

Within a couple of years the cub cadet at work had bald front tires. I replaced the tires then set toe-in. It was way out, I don't remember which way. Tractor drives nice and straight now as well. With the power steering you could not tell if it had a pull or not. Attached is the setup manual for a 520 showing toe-in. Yours should be similar. Setup manual.pdf If you do it right, your steering wheel should be straight when driving straight as well.

I would investigate the "burning 1/4 qt of oil" first. Do compression check, change fluids, clean carb etc etc Winter is coming, just throw a tarp over it since it's all ready for snow. I would add front wheel weights but I love those knobby front wheels! watch your legs with those "Chariot shredder" bolts on the rear wheel weights!

Looks like you can have them shipped directly to you: https://simpletire.com/tire-shipping-and-installation I did buy these yesterday off of Craig's List. 4.80 - 8 Carlisle Power Tracs on these rims. They go onto the front rims of my 702. Got both of them roughly for the price of one and they're new.

I bought a new carb and new fuel pump from ebay for my k321 pd.about $70 for both not bad.

Gas tank looks great in there Tig, maybe some nice yellow steal straps instead of the zip ties. Just a suggestion. I like the air cleaner cover!, for some reason I was expecting a soup can. Not sure why. Any way, great looking tractor!

With any electrical problem the first thing you need to do is thoroughly clean and tighten ALL electrical connections. Probably you have a corroded connection that is not allowing the battery to do the job and the added potential provided by the charger is helping overcome it.

Yeah. I know you know that I'm still picking bananas and coconuts on the sunny shores of the Iowa Ocean.

I like your way of thinking Craig...when I was about 13 we had a truck hauling a load of shoes turn over and catch fire a few miles from our house...upon putting out the fire they loaded all the shoes in dump trucks and dumped them in our pasture by our trash pit. About a year later Dad and I decided to finish burning them. Over the past year the pile had been infested with rats, which commenced to jumping out after we lit the fire. Dad and I sat on the tailgate of his truck with our shotguns and shot them out of the air as they jumped out of the fire...most fun I can remember having as a kid growing up lol

I use an argon / carbon dioxide mix for most common welding. Your local welding supplier should be able to set you up, just tell them what type of welding you plan on doing. Example: to weld stainless you will need to change wire and gas. I have a medium size tank, my rental on the tank is around $45 a year. Most of the time when I need to refill they will just exchange tanks with me. Plus side of renting is that I don't have to pay for inspections or updates on the tank at an inopportune time.