Leaderboard

We'll, I finally got around to tackling my 953 project. If you remember a member of my local tractor club approached me about some Wheel Horse tractors he needed to sell. I went to look at them and one was a CG8 and the other was a 953 that had a busted transmission and was in parts. I ended up with both for $175! Well, with the help of Buckrancher's machining skills (thanks a lot Brian!) I now have the trans back together. I worked on the original Kohler for a while and now it is running great. The wiring is trashed and I had to jump from the battery to the coil, but she is going good, drives, and works great in all gears. Next comes rewiring and getting the deck mounted. She ain't pretty, but she's mine! I'll probably break her back down and do a full repainted, but she's all original in her work clothes for now.

Dear Lord, Jay Paxton has an exploratory procedure scheduled tomorrow that needs your divine intercession. Please guide the surgeon's hands to be steady and effective to do the task at hand, and not create any further damage We pray against any infection or complications. Calm the heart of his family. Give Jay your peace so his body can heal under the best conditions. In the name of Jesus, bless him to be healthier after this procedure than before. Lord allow this temporary trial to bring this family closer to you and each other. When Jay is coming out of surgery, let the side effects be minimal. Work a miracle in this whole situation and bless it from beginning to end. Thank you Lord for your blessing on this family. We praise you as we know we are in good hands- the very hands of God. In Jesus name, we thank you for each day. Amen.

I'm bringing a good selection of items that are on my store including the new removable receiver hitches and headlight bezels and some stuff that is not listed yet like ------- Reproduction dual wheel spacers for 6 x 12 rims with new bolts Drag links and tie rod for 953/1054 Sickle mower parts -lift link,travel hook and bracket and skid shoe.

Thanks again evryone. Just left the hospital. All is good. No further surgery required.

Seat is on finally!

For anyone wondering what the inside of the original backrests looks like.... I've made a new plywood insert, transferred the T nuts, reapplied the factory foam and put it back together. My cover split on the backside under the metal bracket so I think we can sew the bottom back together and with some staples and duct tape, I can make it work. 99% of the cover damage will be hidden behind the back brace.

hi guys and gals im new to this forum and a new owner to a used 1970 wheelhorse electro 12 model # 1-7255 i paid 20$ for it off some guy knew nothing about it nor did i try and see if it ran. what caught my attention was the hydraulic deck lift and i wanted it!!! so i brought it home cleaned everything up to find out mickey mouse had a nest behind the gas tank and a few wires were chewed. i also noticed a few switches and a flasher relay in there. I think someone hacked it all up. and i dont think this tractor had any of them but i want to get rid of the useless garbage and re wire this whole thing the way its suppose to be. ive searched everywhere and cant find a wiring diagram anywhere!!! also maybe someone can tell me what these controls do? i know the big white switch is head lights and obviously the key is ignition and start and the big knob to the left is the choke but thats all i know. the little metal switch is an on/off switch to what i dont know and the one next to it is a 3 position switch in to i dont know. and the white in the top right has a flasher relay connected to it. If someone can tel me what belongs there and what doesnt i think it will make more sence. Like if there doesnt need to be a fuse in the circuit like the 69 charger diagram ive been seeing then ill re wire it accordingly. But then i see brake lights in a diagram its all a mess! I dont know what belongs and what doesnt im also missing misc. parts like the mule drive which i know, boogey wheels and im missing a cover that goes ontop of where the shifter would go if it was a 3-4 speed. can anyone tell me what the plate is called so i can try and find it on ebay? thanks for your help i will answer any questions oupload any pictures you want to help better your response by the way!!!! this has a foot throttle conversion before anyone says anything about the trottle missing. it does have the electric pto. and i know the fuse holder is broken.

Sunday i leave my home with my trailer in tow to buy a non running C series tractor, 42 inch deck & Plow for 700 dollars,its a 18 horse twin Kohler. i'm a NEWBIE on here but not to Garden tractors, i have a chance now to buy a 516H, which way should a 57 year old Horse nut go, i can only get 1 this week, be easy on ole Fred

I have one to add here . I picked up this # # four today on CL for a little more than scrap. It has a surprisingly good set of Town&Countrys and the front wheels which look to be the longer hubs for my Suburban. The former owner found a carpenters solution to mounting a different engine.

Would Andy Granatelli steer you wrong?

Since you are not using hardener in your paint you need to give it a few days to cure, put them on too soon and the paint may loose adhesion. Those days of delay are working in your favor!

If you have a cap on the outside you may not see it come out but in any case it's going to take the path of least resistance once the cavity is full. I've had it come out the inside, the outside and both and it's never been consistent. As long as you grease them regularly you'll be fine. I'm sorta in the middle of a test right now. On a non-worker I've always used sealed bearings so I didn't mess things up with grease. Last summer I got a great price on quality sealed bearings in bulk. My main mowing tractor needed them so I cleaned the cavity out and used them it that one. I'll see how long they last. I just got my 1976 "B-160" I purchased new back and I'm going to put them in that too. I only had a half acre in Florida but now I mow something over 2 acres so it will really be a test.

God is the best surgeon there is. Prayers sent, get well.

Hey Richard! Yup, Emory says she is his favorite horse so far. I'm sure that will change once I get one of his lawn rangers going though!

I'm uncomfortable pushing the absolute maximum with a vehicle nearing 150k miles even though I try to keep up with maintenance. For instance I proactively changed out all front brake lines but have not yet done that on rear. They may be fine but I don't want to break pushing maximums. From several sources the amounts for my vehicle runs from 7,700-8,700 So I feel this one allows me to haul several round hoods or what have you comfortably.

Here's the rest of the pics from the ad for WH2 BTW:

He will Ole Red..if he gets rid of that crusty tractor someone wants him to haul out out ther for him! Have fun fellas

Well, I bit the bullet and bought a dedicated horse hauler. I have not seen it mentioned in this thread so I'll tag my experience in on this for others to compare. I am planning on using U-POL Raptor. I'll post up pics of before and after but for now, just the trailer as noted in the WIMM "what's in my mirror" thread.

You kind of gave us half the information on both of them. Is the non running "C" an eight speed or hydro? Is the Kohler just not running or has it thrown a rod. I would bring some jumper cables and some starter fluid and expect to have good compression on both cylinders and perhaps an attempt to fire. Is the 516 H running? A non running Onan can be a money pit and if it won"t run you can't test the transmission. I would be hard pressed to pay more than $ 300 for a non running Hydro because you have no idea what the condition of the transmission is.

almost to stopping point lol

The best way to check out the transmission is to drive it around until warmed up then chain it to a tree and see if it will dig in in both directions. The fact that it has been setting for a while shouldn't have hurt it, looks like it was well cared for and stored inside. The fact that it hasn't had a loader on it is a plus in my book, lots of loader tractors are worked hard and will require more parts replacement.

Thank you for the prayer Richard. Jay

Unless you ABSOLUTELY have to have the FEL right now I would jump on #2 in a hurry! The Kohler engine is worth the $ 1500, you get the rest for free! You should be able to pick up a loader for around $ 1500 later on.

Working on building the 953 Diesel into a beastly plow tractor. I just made a few brackets for some weights in the front and rear. I also picked up a Wheel Horse 12" plow. It was in excellent condition and I thought a great price for a 12". Now I'm looking into converting to a 5/8" belt because pulling a 10" with no weight it was eating up the stock 1/2" belt. Anybody that wants to give me any tips on the belt conversion or anything I should add let me know.

Been hard at it last couple days, finally got the frame and transaxle mated back together, marathon painting day today. For some reason the picture reminds me of the barn in Twister. Got to sand blast engine tins in the morning so can get them painted along with the fuel tank. Big issue right now is finding reasonable priced bolting hardware, ACE is through the roof for stainless or yellow zinc grade 5. Also no luck on a body shop, all booked up, will have to paint the hood and fenders myself. Need to order some parts from Glenn as well.

When I put new front tires on mine I removed the bearings from the rims and flushed out the old grease and repacked them with new grease.

Thanks for posting these backrest photos Red Ranger! Great details!

I can not believe the manufacturer of the oil in our machines is really going to matter. Oil being there sure. Regular oil changes maybe although I test that all the time. I do make sure the oil is full.

LOL! If it were a fact that they are using STP oil in NASCAR engines, then a lawn mower engine should be fine I would say!

Just saw this...Holy cow...glad you are OK. My prayers with you anyway Jay.

xtra prayers. Glenn

Will Do!!

Glad to hear you got the transmission mess worked out. Never know what the heck was in the mind of some previous owners. As you know I have a fondness for 953s, I see Emory seems to like it too!

She has a great look about her, I wouldn't change a thing but that's just me. Nice looking Horse

Thanks for all the advice, my son was hoping the plow would bolt up to his 310-8, guess we may find out, have a good weekend 953, thanks

Here is the '69. Could be the same as a '70.

Whoa! That was it! Well, that and one other thing… I guess there was a technical service bulletin and a retrofit kit for these things? It looks like they moved the pulley over about an inch and a half or so by putting it on a bracket which is bolted to the bottom of one of the engine mounting bolts. Essentially , this acts as a swiveling idler pulley. It's adjustable. After moving it to a different position, everything works as it should! But I never would've known this if I hadn't crawl back under to make the adjustment on those belt guide "fingers". Thanks guys!

Thank you everyone. All is in God's hands now. (With a little help from the surgeon.)

Agreed in Jesus Name

The method I have used is not dependent on the .020" at all, The collapsing field in the coil is initiated the moment the points open, the point gap is only a starting point, not a destination. Here is the text of the method I use (after the meter is connected and initial setting of .020"). Now, rotate the engine SLOWLY by hand in the direction of normal rotation. When the points just begin to break, the meter will fluctuate from zero resistance to infinite resistance. When this fluctuation occurs, stop rotating the engine, and look in the sight hole to see where the "S" mark is. If you did it right, the "S" mark should be centered in the sight hole at this time. If it isn't, vary the point gap ever so slightly to either side and repeat until the "S" mark is centered in the sight hole when the points just begin to break. When this is accomplished, tighten the adjustment screw on the points, bracing the adjustable contact with a flat screwdriver to avoid changing the timing when tightening the screw. (Yes, I know you can't see the timing mark in the hole on my picture...it's hard enough to shine a light and see it, let alone have it show up on a camera. I tried.) Ironically, this engine was timed perfectly with the points gapped at 0.020", but I want to emphasize that this is HIGHLY UNUSUAL. Most engines will not run right with the points gapped at 0.020".

Interesting Paul. I can't help with the plunger length, but it looks like you found the problem. If all else fails, shorten the plunger rod 0.010".

After much poking around the new plunger I have i for 8hp... more study on the parts manuals reveal that older engines used a different Kohler points 4715001 it was replaced by 4715003 BUT note the warning buried in the parts manual for engines before serial number 13007371 (= 1983) if you use the new points you have to replace the plunger. Nothing is ever simple. My existing plunger measures 1.555 (About 1-9/16") any one know how long a plunger 4741104 is???

For a big tractor I always found them to be a bit tight. I'm 6'1" and with the seat moved as far back as possible it was bearable. I couldn't sit and mow on my 1054 for as long as I could on one of my C series or 300 series machines. Mike....

To me, mine is priceless!

The key for keeping some control of the "Honey Do list" is to NOT finish too many too fast because the number of projects on the list will hardly ever go down, no matter how many you finish. As fast as you knock them out, they will be replaced by a new one. PACE yourself or you'll be working overtime for minimum wage!

First of all please don't take any offense at any of my questions. Did you clean the crank oil passages? Blow them out with compressed air? Did you use some type of assembly grease when you put the engine back together? Did you fill the oil filter with oil prior to installing it? Did you pack or prime the oil pump? Its probably uncommon but not all together impossible that your pump didn't do its job. Sometimes a pump doesn't get a prime and simply doesn't pump or gets a late prime and the result is rods and mains starving for oil. I doubt that the crank has been hurt but it may have some aluminum attached to it. This can be remove by using sodium hydroxide on it and polishing it. I just finished cleaning up the rod journal on my B43 with the help of oven cleaner and a length of mule string. Now, I've seen this happen with small engines just the same as I've seen it happen with Cadillac engines. Some engines its better to follow a factory approved method to prime the pump. What I would do is install a pressure gauge to see if you do have pressure. Once that is figured out take the engine down. Use plastigauge to check the rod bearing clearance. Inspect the rods for damage. I would assume the crank journals are slightly undersized. Inspect the rest of the engine and from there your choice is going to be replace the crank or replace the rods with another set that will allow you to have the rod clearance within factory specs. You may be able to have the journals turned and obtain undersized rods to mate with a .010 under crank.

Amen. Thank you so much. Thank you very much! Have to keep moving forward. Faith and hope keep me focused on getting well. Thank you so much for your kind words. Life can certainly deal out a bad hand sometimes. You just have to play it out the best way you can. I don't plan on losing though.

Here's Kelly's CBR-327