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Picked this nice little 857 over the weekend. Very nice tractor and runs great. Someone did relocate the battery under rear fender pan. However that has been corrected but need to fix the hack job they did under fender.

Still a little chilly, but a good day to plow!

I had pulled the deck off of my 68 ranger a few days ago to sharpen the blades and give it a quick repaint, as it was a really deep dark red. I cleaned it up a little - not perfect as this little guy is a worker - and hit it with regal red. Then I decided the replacement tecky on it was faded out a little too orange and hit the shroud too. They both look a little (lot) more red than the rest of the tractor, but I can't bring myself to repaint the whole thing since it has an older repaint that has acquired a really nice patina. The last pic shows how dark the deck was before. Oh, I also put a techy muffler on it to get rid of the bolt on that was blowing toward the hood. Up next will be cleaning the wheels up, painting them white, and mounting my original wheel horse tires, but that will probably be a while. Too many irons in the fire right now.

Well, I was tired of the fenders bouncing off of the back tires, and they were already crinkled. I fabbed this overkill prop stop thingy. I know a rubber coated cable would have worked, but I imagined it rattling around and getting on my nerves. I put nylon washers between everything so it won’t rattle. It works perfect!

pretty accurate....... ______________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ We're about mid season in this phase........ Combine Easter and April Fools Day and this is what we get.... There's more than corn in Indiana. We have this very special thing called Hoosier weather. It exists, and it is real. Just wait as little as five minutes, and it may change.

Strayed away from the Horses for a bit on this project. I always wanted a panzer just because I have always thought they looked cool. A gentleman approached me last fall at a show and asked if I would be interested in a panzer he had sitting in his shed. It hadn't run for a while he said and he was having electrical problems with it. I told him that I was absolutely interested in it! He was only 20 minutes from home so I went down and took a look and he told me he wanted $150 and I didn't argue. Not in bad shape other than the purple paint job lol. Gas tank was rusty and in need of fixing. I also see why he had electrical problems with it. Yikes!! The whole starter generator was junk. Need a new armature and had new field coils put in it and literally everything else inside the starter generator. Put the proper voltage regulator on it, new switch, new solenoid, new points & condenser, and new spark plug. I also located the correct steering shaft and steering wheel. I had to locate 2 front rims because the ones that were on it were mix matched sizes and put new tires on the front. I got it rewired and have a temporary gas tank on it now to run it around. Starts and runs great now!! I'm just gonna pressure wash it when the weather warms up and take to shows as is once I get the tank all fixed up and the hood back on. I'd put headlights back on it if I could find a set that didn't point away from the tractor lol So the back tires and pretty well shot too and have tears and in them. Where is a good place to find 6-12 lug tires that won't cost a weeks wages? haha Cheapest I could find so far were on SimpleTire and were Carlise Farm Specialists and were $137 for 2 tires. Never saw them on a garden tractor before so if you have ever used them, I would like to see how they look! Mike

I just got to put new front tires on and choke cable. Paint the rims and find a side cover for the deck and the sleeve hitch and she's done! Decals are on there way. Drove it around and ran the deck today!!! Here's a before and after pics for ya.

You guys are a tough crowd... I guess my choice of words were a bit harsh... lol @Craig- The only reason I say don't paint it is that you did such a nice job making it nice and clean that it looks great. I only paint carbs when I don't want to take the time to get them that clean. Then after the first time I get gas on the outside of the carb it starts to peel and I say to myself.... "why did not paint the carb"? Your machine, you know what you want. Get er done!!

Nice early 57’ , 551 with reel and a ,400 with sickle and a shelf of parts .

There's an old race track near my home (20 minutes away) and for the last 54 years on Easter Sunday (if weather permitting) have held a "Funny Car" show and usually female racing legend Bunny Burkett has shown for at least half that time driving her funny car, her team was there today as well as her(just not driving anymore), I have taken my boy a couple times but today was the first time for my step son, I'll share a few pics and videos from today @Achto a LUV truck just for you too, @ACman a couple G-bodys, Jeff. VIDEO0097.mp4 VIDEO0095.mp4 VIDEO0103.mp4 VIDEO0100.mp4

Got me lost EB..... you sound lke @ztnoo ... I just think they are kool!

It's well known and accepted (by us nuts) common knowledge all across the land that the quotient is such as follows : Any minimum quantity number volume is directly related to but NOT limited by the minimum number of required (or even remotely desired) implements, attachments, or devices driven, dragged or pushed. Volume added to this number can be exceeded for reasons also related to relations. .. such as spouse's tractor, Tractors specifically for children/grandchildren and/or other children partially or completely unrelated.

I’m just getting in to this wheel horse stuff, and I’m starting to see it’s imperative to own AT LEAST two horses. You gotta have the blower/blade set up for winter, then the yard queen/dirt digger for the summer. Then one that’s restored just to ride around on

I pulled mine outside today and stretched there legs a bit, once I finished up the 401. Figured it was nice day so let the kids drive them around awhile. Also tore down a parts machine today.

My wife has been collecting pen and ink drawings by a local artist and asked me to frame them. As they ate nature scenes and rustic I felt that weathered wood was the best choice and I finished them off with a strip of cherry wood. While I was at it I made one for the Wheel Horse patent blueprint too.

I passed this machine onto another member here but here was my 854 with big tires out back. I loved the look!

Then if you are stupid like me and try rolling the tractor with the fender digging in the tires!

Feeling blessed on this Easter Day.

Dan—that will Be without a doubt one of the nicest looking plow mule’s that I’ve ever seen in the furrows. I’ve enjoyed reading all the comments and discussion this evening here. I love the look of that seat and looks like it has good contours to spend a fair amount of time in which is important in a plow mule—IMHO. I’ve said it privately to him but Dan’s handiwork speaks for itself... This thing is a beauty but I can’t wait to see how it will do in the fields when we throw at it a variety of soil conditions. I’m betting that it will do pretty good—but if not, Dan will science that out too. It took me a couple of plowing seasons to get the plowing nuisances worked out of GhostRider and it was worth the time invested. Dan’s Raider did great at Jim’s PD last fall, when it was running, but Jim has about the easiest soil to turn. I can’t wait to turn earth with this tractor and when conditions are right—test it with the Punisher! As always Dan—great job! PS—I hate to state the obvious, but you are gonna need back wheels to plow anything. Oh yea, and speaking of plowing, I want to document here that they are calling for 8-12” of the white stuff here on April 2-3 to use the other kind of plowing method!not a fan of that this time of year

Actually Jim, my grass stayed green all winter . I used the 417H to mow on Saturday. Sorry, no pics. Beautiful Easter day here ....a cool 55 deg. But 4-6" of the white stuff is coming tonight. Go figger? The past few months have been quite stressful Jim with most of our family gatherings at funerals and hospitals. So this was a welcome change and gave us a chance to count our blessings......and enjoy sipping some shine and my specialty, maple glazed ham.

Yah EB's got a point Chris ..... Nice pic Tom! ...like the way that v-twin just happened to be sitting there. Too bad it was from four or five winters ago!

Always ready

The worse project I did that ended bad? I found an 86 Pontiac 6000 with 45k original on the clock. I bought it at an estate auction in 1993. Problem was? Before he passed? He was in a nursing home for a few years. So, the car sat in an old shed. Paid $300 bucks and l winched it up on the trailer. It didn't run. But, I could see the "diamond in the rough". Brakes were stuck. Engine wouldn't start. But, after several weekends and smashed fingers along with 7 stitches on my noggin? She came to life. By the time it was done? New tires, New exhaust, Brakes and calipers. a complete tune up? All to the tune of about $600? Plus, the $200 bucks my medical ins. didn't cover? She was just like new. That copper paint shined like new penny. And that Quad 4 purred like a kitten. I liked driving that car, while I was working on it. One Friday night. I decided it was my wife's mini vans, turn for a tune up. She had to work her overnight shift. So, I say. "Take the Pontiac". It was a nice night. And, I didn't have to work Saturday. She goes to work and the Caravan gets done without a hitch. She worked at a 24 hr. Grocery store. She decided to get her shopping done after work. She comes home about 5:30 AM and like the dutiful husband I was? I go to help unload them. Well? We had some strong T-storms coming in. So, it was getting very windy. And right after we get it all carried in? I hear this giant CRACK!!!! And then? The crushing sound of steel and glass breaking. Even with the wind. I went outside to see my effort and pride completely crushed under a Box Elder branch that a Cat tractor backhoe had a helluva time lifting off. I was going to put Full Coverage ins. on it "after" I got it done. It had liability on it . I was going to call the following Monday, As I had just finished buffing it out before she went to work??? Not. To add insult to injury? I twisted my ankle while we were cutting up that damn tree. Maybe the former owners spirit said? "If I can't have it? Neither can you".......

I think when dad and I redone the Kohler on the CC original we use like a 1/2" diameter by 3-4" long wire brush on an electric drill , could use a die grinder might go faster but you'll loose more bristles faster, and lately I've been using a 1/2" think by 3-4" diameter drill mounted "paint stripper" from Walmart when cleaning up the underside of mower decks, hope this helps, Jeff.

That is so sad...

Those type of holders have been around for decades, and I think they are still the best. Don't buy one from Toro as you will pay way too much. You can find them on eBay for much less.

Considering it's age I think it came out great. It's your carb, paint if you want too.

Hope you didn't hustle that Horse out of Penns Woods! That is against the Commonwealth law!

it's a Starrett indicator stand. (surface gage) you can buy one brand new today... for about $250...I have a few of them for the work I get paid for

A Vega and Pinto in one pic!

@Achto, this tractor truly is a work of art in so many ways.

Assembly was going so smoothly that I for got to take many progression pictures. I slowed down when I got to the decals though because I wanted to share my method of installing them with you. First pic is the decal as received from the supplier. I usually like to work with the top of a decal but the nice strait line along the bottom of this decal made me choose to work with the bottom. You will notice that I drew a line along the bottom of the decal, I did this because the white on white edge was hard to see. Next I trimmed the paper off along the edge of the decal. After trimming then I put a strip of masking tape, half on the decal / half off along my trimmed edge. I stop the tape short of the ends of the decal, this allows me to be able to see the ends of the decal for alignment. Next I clean the surface with glass cleaner. Now I can use the masking tape to hold my decal in place. I position the decal and take measurements and reposition until I'm completely happy with the location. Once the location is perfect then I press the masking tape down tight a long the full length of the decal. Next step is to fold the decal down using the masking tape as a hinge. Now I clean the paint surface again with glass cleaner. Now I remove the backing from the decal and fold it back into place. Starting in the center of the decal I work all of the air out towards the outer edges. This method works very well for me. As for the rest of the tractor? Well, if I hadn't procrastinated so long with my hubs I could have been able to go for a cruise. I have finally decided what I'm going to do with my hubs, hope to share that soon. No hubs, no ride but I was able to fire engine and watch the paint cure on the exhaust stack.Ooooo,Ahhhh As long as it was running I worked all of the air out of the hydraulics and ran through all of the gears on the tranny. So far every thing checks out great. Very happy with the way that my belt guard for the hydro pump turned out.

Hi all I’ve just acquired my first Wheel horse and it’s a 1986 512-D with the Robins Diesel engine from what I can see it was a one year only model into Europe. Any info anyone can give me would be great .

@Searcher60 The 8th post has a wiring diagram.

Thank you and it's partially do to the fact of I have a bit more free time then most.

Quick answer; yes.

Water in the pit is the biggest clue. With everything in the house turned off, look at the meter and see if it's moving. If that's not the problem, I'd aim for the humidifier. My son had a humidifier on his heat pump that ran all the time in the winter when the fan was running. The water cascaded over the water pad and down the drain. What a waste. Thousands of gallons. Put a different humidifier in and problem was solved. Have had multiple customers who had the same problem. If it's not your meter, or the line from the meter to the house, look at your humidifier if you have one.

We just cant get to spring here yet. 2 inches of snow last night. I have so much to do.

The 60" deck is not the problem. A proper running P220 Onan will turn the 60" deck easily, or burn up a belt trying if the center spindle is locked up. Again, I suspect it is running on one cylinder. Hopefully it is an electrical problem and not the notorious rear cylinder valve seat failure.

Man time goes fast... already 2 years since I've restored my 58 years old horse... and it still running like a new one. Grand-kids are happy to come and see grand-pa for a tractor ride!

Yeah, I can't disclose that information. May get the police called on me

Telltale signs of a cracked rear plate on the '67 is cracks in the lower half of the dash stand and the center tab for the belt guard is broken off the frame. Once the plate cracks, it will allow the frame to flex a lot more than it should and those parts suffer the most - especially the front hood hinge. If I remember right, I had to make a new hinge by using the original parts as a template. I did add bronze flange bearings to help keep the wear down since that long hood puts a lot of leverage on the hinge. Sarge

Uh, yeah - the "old stuff" would peel your nails backwards, then remove all the skin in under a minute if you didn't hit it with soap and water. When we got into burnt gear oil and brake dust, a quick dunk in the carb dip and literally run into the wash room to get it off worked great, hands burning like mad all the way. Defintely didn't use that method often. When cleaning a carb, it never took more than 2hrs, no matter how nasty it was. No paint would stand up to the stuff, and anything left in overnight by accident would be reduced to a useless looking metal sponge. Sarge

Dial indicator base, did you check and see if it is magnetic?

I agree with Classiccat, my guess is it is some type of OLD dial indicator mount.

it looks like a dial gauge mount.

I have been restoring my little model T Ford go kart , a few jobs left to do on it ,

Only funny because we know Bob @rmaynard wasn't seriously injured and the wasn't either.

Here's one angle...