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I know that I will never catch up with the @squonk but I am celebrating my 9,000 the post. Not all of mine have been intelligent posts chock full of whitty banter like Mike's!

hi men, after about 4 hours of blowing snow with my 312-8 equipped with a tall chute single stage blower and my C160 equipped with a 48 inch plow i finally had my snow clean up chores done..... or so i thought. my neighbor who is an older gent came over and wanted to borrow some tools. he bought a new carb for his craftsman blower months ago. he waits til we are having a noreaster to change it???...... REALLY! so since both tractors were warmed up off we went to clear his driveway. about one hour later we were done. he was VERY impressed with the capability of our wonderful little red tractors. it amazes me how most folks just do not see the value in these awesome machines. i'm sure glad i have them. stay warm everyone mike in mass.

@Sarge thanks for that post! I cherish every minute with this guy. We we had great times in the shop today!!! I worked my tail of this morning so that I could pick the kids up at noon when they were done with school for the day. Then after lunch, we decided to get busy on the 418. Caleb started by cleaning off the rear wheel weights and sanding them down. He is no stranger to this kind of work and did a really good job preparing them for paint. Then he primed both of them while I began to study over the wiring situation. I always hate it when someone messes with the factory wiring setup—instead of diagnosing a problem and fixing it, they circumvent the factory wiring and create a bigger mess. Mind you, this is not a restore at this time. It is a refurbish at most but more like a clean up and repair. Caleb here is cleaning the crud left over from the hydro and sanding down the rust in the area that holds the tank. We pulled the side shields and floor boards and weren’t impressed at the condition of the belt. It was either severely stretched or the wrong size to begin with and also was cracked quite bad. The good news is that the idler pulley and bushing look to be in great shape. Then Caleb got to have his first lesson in automotive electrical. I explained the difference between alternating current and direct current. The headlights, voltmeter, hourmeter, and tail lights aren’t working. So, piece by piece we tried things to see what was good and what needs replacing. The hour meter seems to work just fine but the voltmeter isn’t. It’s interesting that the hourmeter is sitting right at 1000 hours. Kind of a cool number to be stopped at. Caleb also got a short lesson in how to use a multimeter. Then it was time to address the flat paint. I’m not Sure what the white stuff on the hood is but the paint definitely could use some brightening up. Caleb worked with my sonic crafter and pad applicator with Cutting compound. Then he worked with a towel and turned the dull paint into a decent shine... It’s not like new but it sure looks nicer than it did before. In the summer we can strip it down and repaint it but for now it has its shine back! Caleb then turned his attention to the fender pan and got that looking decent as well. This tractor spent some time in the sun and the faded paint attests to that fact. Primer finally dried enough to paint the weights...now I just need some ,Caleb was very pleased with today’s progress as was I. hopefully we can Carve our some time tomorrow to do some more cleaning, fixing, and fab work!

These Pics are various past winters. Same equipment though.

@953 nut Richard you and Garry are both an inspiration to this site being what it is today. Your knowledge of the wheelhorse and all it's add on's is what makes this site the very best. And you know my moto. THIS IS THE BEST WHEEL HORSE SITE IN THE WORLD. Congratulations and Thank You Both

My 520H's ready for duty. This was last year. I put the two stage and cab on my 95 this year. Also added a 522xi and two stage, but its not ready for action. In action this year

On behalf of us OLDER GENTS on Red Square I want to thank you for setting a god example for the younger generation!

All these pics are from earlier this year or last year. (Too frickin cold out! ) 520 with tall shoot! Skonkfest 1267 with blade: King Elvis with homemade FEL:

Many of the 400s were made before the 550s... (400 production started in the fall of 1959, and the 550s weren't until December) No actual documentation supports any differences aside from the engine, and that on the 400 foot rests and toolbox/fenders were an add-on option. But observations of the past have shown that the early model 400s did not have a hole for an ignition switch in the hood, and did not have a reinforcing rib in the belt guard. After the 550s were in production though, they had those items, and the 400 received a knockout plug in the ignition hole. Some examples are listed below. early 400 belt guard common 400/550 belt guard (the cross line is a 1961 guard for those who wonder) early 400 hood (no plug) 400 hood (with plug) 550 hood with ignition switch (ignore 2nd hole, it's incorrect)

ok here is mine.

Wonderful read and Caleb is very lucky. A dad with that talent and the will to share it is special, especially nowadays. My Dad had NO mechanical talent. He could paint a house and put STP in the Rambler and Ford crankcases and that was it. His thinking was that I could be no better but I got my Mom's dad's know-how. My learning as a teen was to understand that when my 10-speed shifting wasn't right, be quiet about it and play with a screwdriver until it was right (as long as Dad didn't see) or Dad would cart it off to "Andres" and it would be gone for a week. A 70s kid could not be without a bike!!! Fast forward to 14 and he gave me his 2HP Briggs he could never get to start well for shop class and I had it idling in the driveway when he drove up. Heavy flywheel made it putt-putt on the frame, lightly shaking it. He had that 'What the He$$!" look on his face. How could a son from his loins do that? It's a darn shame he didn't last past my 16th year or he would have had fun learning it all from me . Now, my 21 year old is into Mustangs so dropping a T5 together and replacing a clutch is a full afternoon and quite an experience for us both. Just communicating all those shortcuts learned over the years is a great treat. Great read, thanks!

My daily driver is a 2002 Silverado 2500 HD with the Duramax. I love it. It is now becoming a classic compared to the new trucks rolling out of the dealers. I also have my old girl I love a 1949 3100. Chevy guy here all the way.

Like the title says let's see your WH snow rig! Very interested to see what everyone is using out there to tackle the job. Is anyone using a D series with a blower? Is the 520 a common tractor everyone uses to do the job? My two rigs are a 416H with 170 original hours on the blower and the D160 with a 54" push blade with hydraulic angle. My dad built the whole entire plow assembly.

And attaching tow strap/chain to the tailgate.https://www.facebook.com/ebaumsworld/videos/10155466345122424/

@PeacemakerJack, Josh look what I found in my "back yard" today, '69-'70 C/20 (on the fender) didn't get out to count the lugs though, Jeff.

He should have used one of them tow dollies! You mean to tell me the car should be strapped down to it! That rule applies to boats too!

'95 520H with plow/blade ,Anniversary 520H cab and deuce, and the eMax with FEL and rear blade this year, last year had another '95 520H with single stage and a 520xi with single stage with the first 2, I keep telling myself that's why it hasn't snowed much around here lately it's scared of the lil red 's, Jeff.

hi men, just got a box of glen pettit resto parts. like christmas time again! i think its great that glen and all of our vendors help keep our tractors going. regards mike in mass.

My present crew consists of the first I bought, 1055 with 42" blade, GT-14 with a Johnson front end loader and the 418-C with 42" blade. Our snow fall tends to be six to ten inches of wet and heavy so a snow blower wouldn't work well here.

Thanks @Tuneup for sharing your story with us. It is amazing how our back stories are different and yet for a love of these little red machines we are together at one “place”. In spite of a father with no interest or ability, you persevered and followed your mechanical pursuits. Now you have passed that knowledge on to your kids. My biggest concern with my children when it comes to life lessons, is to put them in a place to have a balanced background. If they don’t follow a given path, music, arts, sports, mechanics, etc, I still want them to have a working knowledge of it. If I have no skill in those areas, I want to hook them up with someone who does. Just because I can’t find a “C” on a piano to save my life, doesn’t mean that my son shouldn’t. Same thing goes for my daughter. Just because my wife can’t change the oil on the family car doesn’t mean that my daughter shouldn’t. Balance is very important to me. Thanks for for bringing this up here, I appreciate it greatly!

Here you go..... bring the snow .... no worries......

Hope you had a good day today buddy.

73 12hp No Name

Congrats Dick! The stunt you pulled off at last year's show will never be topped!

My brother in law tried something similar once. He had a Chevette to scrap and tied it tight to the rear bumper of his truck. Just down the road is a sharp bend and a trailer on the property there. He goes around that bend and the "Vette" came unhooked. It went up into the yard and right through a load of laundry hanging on the line!

Big Ugly - '74 D180 , 56" blade - The blade was completely rebuilt and reinforced, 1055 hardened steel cutting edge. Pics from last year - too cold this year the last time I plowed for pics, lol. Sarge

I remember the days working on the Choo Choo's and the rest of the GM lineup in the early 80's The Chevy dealer I worked at was a small hole in the wall place but he had some kind of odd arrangement with GM. He was the first in our area to get anything new. He loved the EL C's and Vettes. We were the first to get an 82 Vette with the new tuned port injected V-8. So new in fact guys from Rochester Products were at the shop waiting for it to get unloaded because they were taking it to the R & D center to try to find out why the Mustang was faster! Car never even made it into the parking lot! Shop owner had a red Choo Choo and a black one for his wife. When they closed I bought all the engine management tooling they had. I made good money in the 90's working on the local garages computer carb nightmares. Finally sold it all when the market dried up after 2000

In the late '80s I restored a 1919 American LaFrance fire engine for the St. Lucie County Historical Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida. I had a lot of help from retired and active fire fighters and soon after completion I had the honor of driving it carrying a retired fire chief to his final rest. I don't have any photos of it, but this one is very similar.

A long long time ago there was a thread here about which wheel horse would be on your "wanted hit list". One of them was a GT-14 which thanks to Neil, one came my way.. A great machine which has now moved to pastures new.. The other I'm sure you can guess from the title was a D-200 Nigel bought this machine from Harry with the thought of changing the engine (which had a knock according to the bloke Harry bought it from), to something a bit different.. Then Nigel made the mistake of saying something along the lines of "I expect you will end up owning the D eventually". Which got me thinking A bit of a play with the wiring (The PTO switch had been badly by-passed) and the engine had a spark, and a temporary gravity fed fuel tank sorted out the fuel side of things.. Much to Nigel and my surprise the engine fired right up and sounded good with sign of any knocking sounds! The trans is a bit noisy but that may sort it's self out with a bit of use as the Big D hadn't been used in a very long time.. A few photo's for you.. And of course a video.... I hope to get an engine running and driving vid edited today, but for now here's an intro vid.. The D gets better each time she is driven. The engine always starts first time every time Speaking of the engine, a new vacum fuel pump was fitted so I could get rid of the "tank on a plank" that was clamped on the front and use the D's original tank.. The engine was also missing a cover, so I quickly folded one up from a bit of sheet steel.. Not pretty but does the job. The D's first official duty, carting some steel panels up from the scrap pile

No way can I take all the credit, all I did was make Steve-on-a-stick, you and other members made have a life of it's own. http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/topic/70627-where-in-the-world-is-stevasourus/

The fact of how little of the hub is showing and yet I spy 3 lugs—looks like an 8bolt to me. It is all the rage to convert the 8 bolts to half ton but that isn’t my goal with Ken’s old truck. I want to stay heavy duty—it will make a fun horse hauler in the summer time! His has a wood bed—I’m looking forward to completely overhauling that. I’ll have to come up with some kind of a covering to lay (rubber gym floor maybe?) over the top to protect it when I put anything else in there (not that it will be a “work truck” but I will periodically use the bed to haul stuff so looking for ideas...) Jeff, that one definitely has potential-thanks for sharing!

Finally able to work on my shop some again...my friend came and got her things out of it a week or so ago. Picked up everything to finish up the interior wiring a couple days ago. Picked up three lights today, was gonna get all 5 but Wal-Mart only had 3. Ended up finding some 4' hanging LED lights for 20 a piece. Haven't got the electric company out here to hook me up yet, but temporarily ran a cord from.the house out here to at least have light. I must say I'm impressed with the lights, I think with all 5 it should be more than enough

They are until someone like Brian Miller gets hold of them! http://gardentractorpullingtips.com/engine.htm

All good advice above Farmer. I'll just add my three cents,sense, scents,etc. My plow tractor is a 312H w/hyd lift and foot control. It is equipped with a 48" blade w/ front stabilizer/sway control. I have rubber chains on turf tires and with me in the seat, close to 500 lbs of weight on the rears. This plow will push 12" of snow and stack it 20" high with no problem. I can push snow up my steep asphalt driveway w/o any wheel spin. This is my go to tractor for 90% of the snows we get in my area. It is fast, fun, and with the hyd lift and foot control motion pedal, there is no lost time shifting gears and raising the plow when reversing direction. The blower tractor is a 520H equipped with a single stage blower with all the chute controls inside a heated cab. IMO, a cab Is a necessity for blowing snow. The blower has added 8" wheels to carry it two inches high to clear the stones on the gravel road. The blower is used on the stones and to chew through drifts that are over the plows capacity. For traction, I use 2 link V-Bar chains on turf tires with 400 lb of weight on the rears. If I had a FEL available for the occasional rare super storm and only had one other tractor, It would be a plow tractor with hydraulic lift and foot control.

Here is what I found out. I took everything back to the machine shop and had them re-check which I witnessed. Their bore gauge indicated .002 clearance rod to crankpin which is within spec but on the high end. The guy did say that plastiguage is really not that accurate for tight tolerances. I believe him now since I did my own experiment. I originally used the red (.002 to .006) and got a reading of .004 clearance. I now went and bought a piece of the green (.001 to .003) and got a reading of about .0025 which is the max clearance according to the manual. I have read many arguments concerning the accuracy of plastiguage and based on my own experiment I have to agree that it really is not that reliable. Anyway, thanks for all of the input and I guess I will proceed with the reassembly based on what I found.

Just got done rigging up a plow ,(with the help of this forum) to use in addition to my existing snow bower. Have a 310 and a 414. My driveway is 1000 feet long, stone base with one substantial incline. I have used the blower for the last 5 or 6 years. Its a single stage. I have the skids all the way down so there is about 2" snow left on driveway to avoid the rocks. The blower does an amazing job of handling bulk snow and doesn't tear everything up. You will most definitely need weights and chains on the blower tractor, won't move without them... I just used the plow for the second time yesterday. Only have chains on the tractor, Its great for cleaning up the loose stuff left by the blower. I got the driveway down to a hard packed crust which provides pretty good traction as far as vehicles coming and going. The plow will move over 6" of snow but its starts to accumulate after a couple of passes, to the point where its a bear. That's not the case with the blower. So in the end, I'm really happy to have both and the plow only made it that much better. Yesterday a friend stopped in with an s-90 Volvo and couldn't make it out of the driveway (all season radials), I had to take over and we ended up "backing the car out", front wheel drives sometimes go better backwards. This was before I plowed. After plowing, I'm sure this wouldn't have been a problem as I'm down to the hard crust and that's frozen, we're at -4 as I write. I intend to get weights for the plow tractor although I was surprised at how well it did without them. Damn wheel horse's are amazing!!! Hope this helps you decide you're plan of attack, ... Oh and the people here (on this forum) are some of the meanest, most miserable people I have ever dealt with !!!!! They won't help you or give you any ideas of ANYTHING!!!! LOL Chris

One of the factors to consider (dozer blade vs. snowblower/snowthrower) is if you have room for the pushed snow to stay. If there is a fence line or you are far enough North that there might not be a thaw, it would warrant blowing the snow But if that isn't a factor, up to between 6"-8" i would use the blade as it is quicker. Beyond that it is best to blow it. We have had two snowfalls this year, so far. All I have had to do is use my leaf blower and a pusher shovel!

Thanks for the support Jack. I do,nt think people realize how many grandparents, aunts an uncles are taking in kids that their parents should be raising but are,nt. Thanks. Tim

I know some of y'all have been waiting for me to open my mouth about my Hybrid . It is a 1984 El Camino SS Choo Choo. One of 1389 build in 1984. How you ordered one : Go to local Cheby dealer and it was a special order. Car/truck build in Texas , shipped without interior or nose to Chattanooga for installation of bucket seats , floor console with shifter (auto) and nose from Monte Carlo and then shipped to dealer. Mine has a 305 with the electronic carb ( one of GM's better ideas - controlled by computer prom which also controls the distributor ) Full instrumentation including a Tic Tac tachometer ( clock housed in Tachometer ) electric windows and door locks. It has a 250C transmission ( yes they made one check Cheby by the numbers book) Purchased in 2001 as my future retirement project HA HA .It was originally black but the paint was dead so here is what has been done . 1. New paint 1984 color 2. New gas tank , new air shocks ( standard equipment) 3. Car rebuild 4. Spray on bed liner 5. New chrome for entire bed ( $$$$$$$$$) 6.Replaced body mounts and bolts ( Urethane - Rough ride now) 7. New seat covers ( found dealer paperwork in passenger seat , placed in back when new cover installed) 8. New electric motors for windows. 9. Replaced a lot of stuff ( Alternator , rotors,heater core , fan motor etc, etc etc. Crud I can't find the pictures .

Had it since I was a little boy. Original owner!!!

Well it's not a Tonka, it's a Nylint but it's the best I could do!!!

Today had some interesting lessons to be taught while working with Caleb...fixing other people’s mistakes. The previous owner said that there was some water in the tank from a broken fuel cap. As mentioned above, we dumped the old fuel and cleaned out the tank to be sure. Then changed fuel lines and put on a remote tank with clean fuel, disconnected the supply line to the carb and routed it to a waste container and rolled the engine for several short periods to cycle fuel through the system. Next up we pulled the air cleaner cover and base to uncover this nifty workmanship. Caleb asked why this wasn’t good and so we had a discussion about doing things the right way. He pulled the carb, took off the float bowl (crud in there for sure), cleaned the carb good, and reassembled. I got into my stash of old Magnum motors and Walbro carbs and located the clips we needed. Then we got it put back together like it should be. One question I have for any of you guys that may own a with the Magnum motor, “Does the PCV breather on your engine exit like this?”... All the other tractors that I have owned or worked on had that tube running up into the base plate of the air cleaner assembly. This tractor has it running out under the exhaust manifold to the flywheel side of the motor. I have tubes from my parts motors to put it into the air cleaner if necessary but if that is the way wheel horse spec’d It, I’ll keep it that way. All I can say is that the Eaton 1100 is one beast of a hydro! Caleb worked on cleaning the grease and hunk off of the frame, hoses, hydro etc. I found that a cotter pin was missing to hold the brake arm into the neutral return plate. So, I got that back into place. The next major thing is to find the wiring diagram for this fairly rare tractor and try to figure out what is all problematic with it. Hopefully we will have it ready to use soon...

Lookin good Professor ! Do you have any numbers or info to share about how to buy those lights? I agree 2 more should about do it... Maybe another directly above a work bench?

Another good one. Same BIL bought a Mazda from my neighbor. It had a seized motor. He gets me to tow it to his house in the country. He's steering the Mazda. We get just out of town doing about 30. He puts it in gear and pops the clutch without warning me. Just about rips the rear of my truck off!

without our vendors this hobby would be a challenge.

@steelman if you can work a trade like that—looks like it would be worth it! One thing I’ll say about the big 60” is that they are really heavy. Unless you are a power lifter by trade, you aren’t gonna just pick one of those up and move it around! I have one on my wife’s 523D and it is a great deck and does an excellent job on our 2 acre lawn. Another way way to get more seat time is to have the idler spring on the deck break while you are cutting. Kinda works like Jim was describing but occasionally the outer blades work...

A skid steer without a doubt has it's place and with a skilled operator can really turn out the work. My yard is not the place for one though. One turn and I would have a lawn to repair. They can do a lot of damage to the ground they are operating on and I'd never hear the end of it if the neighbors saw me pulling a plow with a skid steer.

Everything I've learned to date as a man started from learning when I was young and hanging around with my Dad and especially my Grandfather. Dad was a professional mechanic and Grandpa was the world's greatest tinkerer - he loved to fix things and never threw anything away. Just basic tools and little real know-how but he always got it done. I was very lucky in being allowed to hang out in shops and such - Dad had taught me how to be in those places and be respectful enough not to be a bother or ever get into anything unless told to do so - then I was allowed to help over time. I never asked too many questions or pestered a mechanic when he was busy - Dad had a short fuse but was a great teacher at the same time - pretty much the same deal at other shops where I helped keep them clean for a little spending cash and a lot of knowledge that was free. I never did well on tests and such in school - it wasn't a hands-on thing and that's what I was good at. My grades in shop classes and welding were perfect across the board but subjects like English and such was a struggle - it wasn't how I learned to do things, lol. I don't see a lot of parents spending enough time like above with their kids - they work too much or are absorbed into being an adult and their children suffer, glad to see you're spending this time with your boy - he will thank you later for sure. There were a lot of things that I learned from time spent in various shops - enough from everyone around me to actually be better at certain things than my Father - and he gave me the respect in those areas to help him later in life, that was a true honor and sure helped with my confidence in the long run. Dad was the type that specialized in his field and was highly respected around this whole area - later in life I became that guy and still do some freelance work at times for several shops but I have him to thank for teaching me the basics of learning hands-on and not from a book. He would never fix my car - if it broke or I broke it in some way I had to fix it with Dad's guidance - and pay for parts as well, it's why I take such good care of my equipment. At times you'll think your kid isn't paying attention - but later you'll find out they don't miss a thing, my daughter sure didn't and I'm very proud of what she's accomplished as an adult. You can't buy that for any amount of money - your time goes much further than you think.... Might want to encourage him to join the board - with our guidance/help and yours he'll feel like part of a community and learn even more if he has the interest. Since it's his tractor the work he puts into it now will pay off quickly when he gets to use it to do chores or just "play" - we need that in our hobby to keep it alive for many generations to come. I learn new things here every day from just reading all the posts and when I'm able I'll chime in with advice and try to help others to "pay" for what I learn here - this forum is one of my favorite tools on the Information Highway and I know it can be trusted, unlike so much of the rest of the Internet. It's tough for kids these days with the amount of knowledge they have to learn now compared to their parents when they were in school, too bad he doesn't get the free time like we did growing up but if he's truly interested in this stuff he'll find a way - I know I sure did as a kid, it was more fun to learn the mechanical parts of how things work versus just reading about it. to you for doing this for your son - this is my favorite part of our forum . Sarge

Ah yes, the famous (or infamous?) "Big D" While they can be maddening sometimes to work on, when I get on one of mine and fire it up I still can get a chill run up my spine! Amazing power from this sized tractor and - in my opinion - one cool looking bad boy!