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Hey guys! I'm working on a custom escutcheon plate for my 1975 B80. I wanted a stock look but with some headlights. I bought some bright LED headlights from Amzn and went to work designing in the computer. We have a laser cutter at work so I bought some white acrylic and took a bunch of measurements. I didn't have an escutcheon plate because when I bought the tractor, it was missing... I took a few measurements and cut out a bunch of trial templates for the basic outline. On about the 3rd try, I got exactly what I wanted. I didn't hold the plate's left and right out like WH did, I went a little farther to take up the whole area in that recessed portion. I cut out designs both ways and I liked the look of the whole thing covered. Here are some of the pictures of the work in progress: I'll have the finished product later today. Oh, and I also ended up fitting the red outline in there as well. It'll show on the final piece.

November 3rd ... can't believe the weather in northeast Ohio! Should be snowing. 78 degrees and sunny! Haven't even had a frost. Nothing like aerating in sneakers and shorts three weeks before Thanksgiving.

Does your cat drag it's trophies out for show and tell? Right now I feel like the cat that caught the mouse. Having second thoughts about actually using it!

Hi All Well it looks like I get to overhaul or re-ring my Kohler K301 I will start today and take lots of Pic's

1966 lawn ranger i picked up for $200.00. The guy was a John Deere only fan and said it was taking up space. It starts runs and drives great and shifts extremely smooth. It also came with a cutting deck.i'm really happy with it

Troy am I seeing this right? Flamingo's in that yard over there. I can't believe it! Yeah Joe. I thought I saw a huge pile of leaves moving all by itself but then I saw a naked guy on a tractor pushing them. Every time we come to Chicago, we get some kind of surprise. You got it Troy. Flamingo's, moving leaf piles and Cutler winning a game. It must be Halloween season in the Midwest.

Funny thing is a week or so ago I post this and got practically no response: http://a-ztractor.com/photo-gallery/

Yeah Troy ....there's this Bears fan in Elgin whose head swells up this big when they finally win a game... Sorry Dino you kinda asked for it!!

It's OK John. Ha...take that!!! crackin' me up Mate. John, seriously (and you know this) you are always one of my favorites. Thanks for being a friend over these years, helping me to learn, and letting me take the death ride at the show last June.

I just did a deal with A-Z Tractor, very nice to deal with and lots of good stuff at good prices.

I had a tough time deciding what tires to put on the D160, I wanted 15 inch AGs for my extra set of 15 inch rims, but I couldn't find a set that had a good farm lug pattern and were of the right size. So I decided to use the Interco Interforce 30x10-12 farm AG and the 4.00-12 front tri-rib with 4 bolt hubs and steel rims. The rear Interco's arrived today, I'll mount these on my stock D rims

I hear ya! We were plowing Sunday in our short sleeve shirts. In the end of October! It's been low 80s here for several days now. But, I have a feeling we're going to pay for this nice weather.

That kind of information is EXACTLY why we need you Steve! I certainly don't know the trans stuff but... been around long enough to realize there are different models of transmissions. Wasn't really trying to make a point with that comment by meaning that's what they are, it's just my ignorance about them is why it's easier to refer to them that way. Hence, the hiding under the chair. Thanks for straightening me out on that But at the same time, I'm not so sure the exact transmission or linkage information is going to matter one bit for this tractor were talking about. Might be better to discuss how he's going to reach that foot pedal which connects to some linkage first, unless he's 6' 5 or taller.

I will comment, on my recently purchased C-175 I just installed a factory toro belt. For the 32 bucks it was a no brainer to go with original. Works perfect! Glenn

Nice! Really nice! Your "kid" is right though...

sarge. I put on a genuine toro drive belt. 90 percent of the time I have bought the genuine belt. although I DO have snoblower spares from other manufacturers. I did not want to chance it on the main belt for a few dollar savings. BTW fellas, its running great.... I need a little help here. cant find it in the manual. but I noticed taking the deck off that the lift piston was connected to nothing, when I reached up and found out the attachment point. there is no attachment pin..bolt..clevis and pin.....I put a picture of the 2 attachment points. What exactly attaches them, I am guessing a pin and clevis????? Do any of you fellas know the correct part number? BIG THANKS also, dropping the trans fluid right now I have no idea what this guy has in there,,,,,some home made concoction. this blackhood is really growing on me. Glenn

This is what I did,,,with what you have.....and,,,,,mine started with alot less.................I had no idea what a Wheel Horse was..... after 2 years of guessing together a look,,,,i found this sight,,,,,, after some bad guessing,,,,a few good suggestions i wound up with this.. 5 inches longer than my square hoods ...............i give you my,,,,..My 1961 Suburban

Hello, I'm from Southern va. I have been looking for a good lawn/garden tractor, and a friend of mine mentioned wheelhorse. I of course wanted a good mower, but I am looking for something that will also till and use a push blade. So I am reading thru your site and I really enjoy it. Lots of info and educated opinions. You guys have a great following! Haven't made up my mine what to get yet, but have been looking at the 520xi. Not sure if it is a good deal or not. Not a lot of info on this model. Again, thank you for allowing me to be here! rmo

Nice score... reminds me of this recent NOS score of mine. Was able to steal this one for $50 shipped to my door.

What Mike said! But don't forget about filling tires! Doesn't have to be corrosive calcium chloride! RV antifreeze is cheap and still adds quite a bit of weight. A pair of tubes, some RV antifreeze and a tire filler bleeder valve is still cheaper than you can usually buy weights. AND! You can STILL add weights!

@Dayton MurdockThat tractor sure looks nice....don't scratch it while doing the rebuild!

Hey snack guy, hit us up with some fun-yuns over here!... Come on.... no, no... I said fun-yuns!

Yeah, me too.... When you're famous they just let you grab it!!!!

Nobody has ever washed a car better than Joy Harmon,

We were just trying to keep you from buying all the horse parts in the country Dennis!! Seriously tho have a deal pending with A-Z but lots of other members here have parts too. @smokin joe, @Kelly come to mind. I prefer to do business with members here cause most if not all are strait shooters. Do what I just did Muz... put a post in wanted for stuff you need for a refresh or resto and you should get plenty of responses ... example Tom, @shynon just happened to have some stuff from his personal stash and I will be meeting up with him a couple of weeks for a tractor score so his shipping is great! Check the vendors section as well!

So I finally got the deck for my 401 put back together after more than a year of it sitting in my garage in pieces. This came as a box of parts along with the 401 I purchased last year. I blasted the deck, re-built the bearing carriers, found a pair of NOS blades on Evil Bay, found some replacement wheels at Harbor Freight, and used all stainless hardware. My kid says I need to lose the blue wheels. Kind of growing on me though. Other than touching up the paint on one of the shafts it's done. Leaving the side guards in their original clear coated patina. No plans to actually mow with it though.

Could be the muffler. Can you get it off so you can shake it to see if it has a loose baffle inside? That baffle will work it's way to the next baffle and restrict the exhaust port causing the symptoms you describe. Shut it off and the restriction falls away until it works it's way back to the exit. Depends on muffler design but have seen it on the horizontal mufflers on the later 300-Series. Garry

its this big, i swear

REDRANGR...Thanks...I owe you one there. I did not know how to spell Uecker...but I was hoping somebody remembered that commercial. Thanks Mate... "Oh...I must be in the front row." One of the best lines ever. go CUBS.

34E The smaller electric start Tecumseh engines had pull-start backup.

Looks like you and Walt have this plow angle lever issue resolved @T-Mo. Here is a pic of the mod I had to do to clear the foot control pedal on my 312H.

Well, sorry this happened to you. CLG253, you have been called to do this. The Universe needs another one of these. The 2.5 hp motor is so awesome

It was a big hit with the trick-or-treaters last night!

I see red on the seat and the engine! Just kidding with you Steveasaurus. I have personally never seen anything but red except for my 1960 Suburban. It has original red then someone painted it jd green and then painted it back to red. So I got three layers to peel off whenever I get to the resto. The more I think about losing out on this one the more I want to bang my head off a wall. Here is the kicker.....the asking price was $150 Canadian.

I have these for sale , 6" or 8" tall with 8" chrome stack for $50 and that includes shipping to the lower 48 states

Cast your lead in a 10 inch fry pan. Then drill and bolt them to your rear wheels. Wayne

I guess I don't see why you are going thru it looks good from here other than those marks lynn mentioned? Smoke.. knock?? I would go just the minimum .010. It doesn't appear to have been replaced before and the bore is "square"? Check the existing ring end gap for more suggestions/clues.

11-2-1985 Miami Vice soundtrack begins an 11-week run at #1 Almost from its beginnings, television showed a remarkable ability to influence the pop charts, and not only by giving exposure to popular musical artists on programs like American Bandstand and The Ed Sullivan Show. Many television programs also launched legitimate pop hits in the form of their theme songs—songs like “The Peter Gunn Theme,” “Welcome Back” and “Theme from S.W.A.T.” But prior to 1985, no television program had ever launched a smash-hit, movie-style soundtrack album. The first one to do so was NBC’s Miami Vice, a show that not only altered the landscapes of television and fashion, but also sent the soundtrack album of the same name to the top of the Billboard 200 on this day in 1985—a spot it would hold for the next 11 weeks The genesis of Miami Vice is the stuff of television legend. It came about in the form of a memo from NBC head of programming Brandon Tartikoff in which he documented one of his brainstorms simply as “MTV Cops.” Inspired by MTV’s growing influence on the music industry, Tartikoff reasoned that a slickly produced, visually arresting cop show could become to television essentially what Duran Duran was to music. Under the creative guidance of producer Michael Mann, Tartikoff’s vision took shape in 1984, when it debuted on NBC’s fall schedule. Scheduled opposite the ratings juggernaut Falcon Crest on Friday nights at 10 pm, Miami Vice struggled in its first season but catapulted into the Nielson Top 10 in the autumn of 1985. Simultaneous with the television show’s rise to popularity, its instrumental theme song, by Czech composer Jan Hammer, was climbing the Billboard pop singles chart. The popularity of that single, in turn, drove sales of the soundtrack album Miami Vice, which featured not only Jan Hammer’s theme song and other examples of his incidental soundtrack music, but also several original songs written expressly for the show’s fall season, including “Smuggler’s Blues” and “You Belong To The City” by Glenn Frey. The album also featured previously released songs that had been featured prominently in the program’s signature musical montages—songs such as Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight” and Tina Turner’s “Better Be Good To Me.” In demonstrating how five scenes’ worth of difficult expository dialogue could easily be replaced with a 90-second visual montage set to mood-appropriate pop music, Miami Vice made a significant creative impact on the future of American television. In demonstrating how much additional revenue a television show could generate by releasing soundtrack albums of pre-existing popular music, it had a significant business impact as well

Just about all Wheel Horse tractors will do what you want. I would say maybe go with 12 HP or more The 520 xi is a great tractor,usually a little pricey but if you find one that is in good condition and can afford it, then go for it. Just my

I was going to tell you that it was the "Crawling Dead" but several others took my lead... Your question has been answered better than I was going to! Wish YouTube and the Internet had been around when I was young!

I have a full wire harness from a '91 520H that has a few mods done by a PO (one wire bypasses the 9 pin connector for example), but I think the sockets looked good. If you feel comfortable doing some electrical work you can chop the good parts you want out of this harness (or repair it, its not in bad shape). $30 will get it shipped to your door, if you are interested. PM me!

WheelHorseNut Most Auto parts stores have them. E-bay has them. This used to be a Nelson muffler but they do not make them any more so the aftermarket took over this is a prime line model.

benji756 Look like you are ready for what ever comes your way. Hope fully it not to bad of a winter just enough to get some seat time.

Hmm... The 2.2 was the most powerful engine in its class at the time, and I rarely ever had to rebuild one. Unlike most 4-cylinders of the period, the cam design was such that, if the timing belt broke, you didn't scrag your valves. Catastrophic valve damage was the norm for most all the other engines made then. The 2.2 was indeed, a rough running engine. That is why Chrysler later came out with the 2.5 that had balance shafts. The drawback was that they lost horsepower due to the change, and were stroked to try to lessen the loss. As far as durability, I never seen any problems. In the Ford dealership I worked (after I left the Chrysler dealership), the Escort engines were another matter. Ford eventually changed the head design (the bent valve syndrome), but other weaknesses were still present. One such issue was the poor crankcase ventilation. Every Escort I ever worked on, had in short order a seriously sludged up engine, with thick deposits under the valve cover and on the head. Then again, there was the issue of the 302 with the poorly designed piston skirts. I saw a large number of them things come in with "piston slap". Slap produced a ticking noise very much like a weak hydraulic lifter. Over time, the piston would eventually wear into the cylinder bore where the skirt was slapping, and then break off a chunk of the skirt. At that time, and of the Big Three, Chrysler had the best engine control system. They were the first ones to use OBD, as it was simpler, more reliable, and MUCH easier to diagnose. Did not work on too much GM stuff, but Ford had a disaster in their EEC IV system. I recall poring through the "H" manual trying to figure out some problem on a Mustang, Thunderchicken, or truck, and having to drag out breakout boxes, wiring harnesses, and all kinds of other crap to chase down driveabilty problems. Damn H manual was as thick as a Webster's dictionary, and came in a very large ring binder (to ease the technician in inserting the continuous stream of changes published by the company). The diagnostic manuals at Chrysler were specific to each vehicle, and were rarely more than 50 or 60 pages. OBD proved to be such a good system, EVERYONE uses it now, even Ford. During the 80s, Chrysler had the better engineering, quality, and support. One only needs to review the numerous articles in the press at the time. Not only were they able to turn the company around with solid products, but they also were the leader in innovation. In 1984 they introduced the minivan (whether you like them or not, they were, and still are a very popular platform). In 1987 they were the first American company to completely ditch the carburetor, and go with fuel injection across the board. Even the Japanese still made carbureted engines for several years. Speaking of Chrysler in the years before, or after the 1980s is another matter, but during the 80s, they made very good products. Not perfect, but very good.

My fuel tank came in the mail today. I rigged up a temporary fuel pump and the old beast came to life. That 16hp Koehler single lung has the sweetest slow idle. For something that sat in the weeds for years I'm impressed. The hydraulics, PTO, and hydrostatic axle all worked great. Unbelievable. Damn headlights don't work. That breaks my heart. LOL. I found a company making Koehler fuel pump rebuild kits for aluminum body pumps. I'll post how that works out. The old blades on the deck are sharp as bowling ball, but it cut well and the torque and speed of the old machine is impressive to me. I'm hooked on this old beast. Thanks for reading my ramblings and thanks for the guidance. Mark

Sweet mother of bar tires, those are boss !

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