Leaderboard

So after a long weekend sat down and pop up Craigslist and low and behold was listed “Pond” walk behind tractor... all original 1953 purchased from the second owner who has been using it for the last 20 years to turn his small garden until this year he found the flywheel was cracked. He had ALL the original paperwork from the original owner who was his neighbor. It came with front snowblade and rear one bottom plow. These machines are still out there gang!! I love the fact it is all original and untouched.

More photos of paperwork

So this all started back at the end of april. I was sitting at good friends shop and he was looking to buy a old Chevy truck out in Nebraska. He asked if I would be willing to road trip with him and pick it up. I said yes of course. I then started asking are we driving out with a empty trailer. He said yes and I said how about we fill it up and make a stop along the way. He was alright with that, so I instantly started talking to another fellow member here and asked if he would be interested in purchasing some wheel horses out my way and I would pick them up for him. Then we could load them up and stop in Nebraska and drop them off to him. Then we could go load my other friends truck up and head home. We had previously spoke on how he would love the opportunity to scoop a few horses up and trailer them to his home in Nebraska. So after some talks and getting things in order are plans were made. So I started in the beginning of July picking horses up and storing them. Well last Friday I picked the last one up and now there loaded up for the trip this Wednesday. We will be delivering a GT14, 953, 1054, 59 RJ and a D250 with FEL and a bunch of implements.

Even though... it's only 1/64 scale. It still counts.

UTC stands for Union Thresher Club. They have a top notch show grounds comparable to Le Sueur Pioneer Power, and they never fail to have a good show. This year there was no exception. There was at least five or better RS members. Not a heavy turn out of there but a few. Again my pics focused more on people and the overload of fun we had more than tractors.Hopefully Dan got some pics of tractors! While this certainly is a family orientated show once the kids get put to bed it's the adults turn to be kids! Thursday nite loaded up and ready to head out in the AM. Lucy not happy, she likes to hound dog howl too much at shows so she has to go to doggy jail. I think she is swearing at me... The Mafia was good in attendance although no tractors were injured in the making of this show. Well maybe a freshly painted Ford that came off a trailer @ 45 MPH....more on that in another thread. We actually had a semi organized Mafia cruise and set out to terrorize the show and campgrounds. At the end we all gathered for fellowship hour. Uniform required to be in this shot, me kneeling and Dan with his hand up giving free whiffs of BO! Even got in some close to dark mowing! Our friend Dale killing some grass and Dan's niece having a laugh. I'm sorry my bad ...for those who don't know what the GT Mafia is ...pretty much a drinking club with a tractor problem...a loosely knit bunch of half brained idiots who is a regular at the shows we infiltrate. Only requirement is to have a shirt and at least one can coozie (we do not tolerate warm beer)! You do not need a tractor to be a member but must be in good standing to one who is stupid enough (no shortage there) to let you steal one of his/hers! Any brand will do but if you have a you might want to guard it closely as they have been known to quickly get parted out...just ask @953 nut. Also must be willing to don baseball caps with fake hair attached and wear other assorted headgear and entertain other members! all in all a great bunch of guys that play well together. We do eat well tho... The Don......err Dan with head of line privileges eyeballing the bacon wrapped venison nuggets with jalapenos and cream cheese

My dad on the left and his friend on the right with their Wheelhorse tractors, picture taken in July 1977. They had others but never made it on film, I guess those were the ones they were the most proud of.

Thanks for the heads up , I will head to I-80 and setup the detour to Kansas City!

Lots of steam running around Dan on a pull... I'll let him explain how that went ...lets just say sometimes you get the bear....sometimes the bear gets you. Maybe it was the bumper sticker I can't show....this is a family site! Musta been the extra weight of that soda bottle hangin off the back! The moon over my hammy... well maybe not Miami but right in back of the grist mill is a old railroad trestle that was hauled in years ago and put over a slough and concrete decked so one can drive a tractor over it. Pretty cool but the pic doesn't do it justice. I like the nite life ...I like to boogie... Good local bands both nites Engraving names on the cedar shingles from the sawmill at the black smith shop. Was supposed to b a glamor shot but didn't turn out well ...wrong lighting. That's really all I got ... @Achto ? @Deadguy ? @Blondeflutterby ?

My wife got so nervous with all the Mafia activities she took up smoking! Not really they have an old time candy shop on the grounds where they make old school candies including candy cigarettes.... who remembers those? My nephew showed up with his kids and had some fun... A happy camper! A not so happy camper... hopefully she didn't want to set on another brand! All was well after I let her play bouncy on the air mattress! I have one of @Vinylguy's trading card banners hung up in the tramper and these two little girls were just mesmerized by it!

went and drove two hours one way today to visit one of the biggest shows of the netherlands and took some pictures(took more but my phone didn't save them) thats all

Well, @pullstart asked for it. Here's a video of Emory cruising on the D160. I finally put a new needle and seat, gaskets, adjustment screws, and float in the carb. A little adjustment of the float and no more flooding out or fuel starvation. I was tickled with the rear tires at first, but they seem to slide worse in gravel than any other tires I have. Maybe I need to look into a nice set of turfs or ags. What do you guys think? If I put different ags on the rear, what about ags on the front to give it a muscle tractor look something like the old 4x4 Oliver tractors?

Like nobody here can drive... I like about 6-10” of fresh snow under my tires for cruising speed, takes care of all the potholes!

Hey, I’m just doing what my wife says. She got the guys number and told him I’d call... wouldn’t want to let either one down would I? plus I need to get over and visit Jeff again, with an empty truck!

Very cool find! I've got one of these myself. Ravenna Ohio would be a Harold Pond tractor... Might want to move this to other brands? 😉

I got more done today. Front tires are mounted. I also got the fuel tank mounted. Made the exhaust and put the 4 speed back in. And it runs again and sounds healthy too.

I tore it down and wet sanded and cleared a few parts and here's pics of them.

So a friend stopped by with his brother in law for me to work on the brother’s truck a few weeks back and he discovered my herd of Wheel Horses. Just so happens he has a C-121 in his garage and had been shopping for a deck for the winters for about 2 months... when he about tripped on a 42” rd. Deck for my C-101. After thinking about it, I gave him a price that I thought was reasonable, probably too cheap. (But it funded that new Charger 12 project!). He came with the ‘121 today and I showed him how to mount the deck, mule drive, tension the belt, etc. He worked at a JD dealership for quite a while, dad raised him in green and yellow. After about 45 minutes showing him “stuff” he didn’t know about WH, he’s thinking he needs to start looking for some red himself! During that time, my wife was in town with family helping with a tiny fender bender (everyone’s ok) she mentioned to grandpa what I was doing, and someone overheard and through some numbers exchanging, I have to make plans to go check out 5-7 more Wheelhorses! What a day!

Well I picked this suburban up a little while back. But I finally got to getting it cleaned up. I'm tearing it down completely and going through all the mechanical parts. Also I will wet sand and clear it, so I can save the great look it has. Here's what it looked like when I rolled it out of the barn I got it from.

Isn't that what it is all about? The Mafia members are quick!

When are you leaving ? I'll stand by exit 56 and give 'ya a SAAALOOOOT !

My 520H tractors do not roll easily and there is no tow valve.

That’s so cool @pullstart! You even turned someone back from the dark side

Well, we finally got back to working on this trailer today. Haven't touched it for nearly two months because of many other things going on. My honey washed it off and put primer and a coat of paint on some parts of it.

Boy handles that beast like a pro.

I did read in the manuals that a 518 Hydro (1100 Eaton) could be pushed easier IF you put the motion control lever in the fast forward position. Sure was hard to load with 2 flats in the front and the rears sliding....THEN I read the manual!

How high is the idler pulley? You want that in a position so when it moves forward it will allow enough slack of the belt. If it's halfway down the belt is too short. 11 and 7 should be close to the correct positions. They should be set with about 1/8 th inch of room from the belt when it's engaged. Just did one at the big show and need to set them about 1/16 away. Use 2 screwdrivers if necessary but you can't get any of it to work if the belt is too short. If you have an old belt around. Cut it, wrap it around ALL pulleys and mark the spot where the end meets the belt. Measure it and you are very close to the length you need

As the operators manual states as well as a decal that "used" to be on the unit..."HAND PUSH ONLY DO NOT TOW" DAMAGE MAY RESULT!...now let's say you get yourself stuck , yes you can tow it enough to get the unit out of a jam, Jeff.

ROAD TRIP! Any time you want to make a delivery like that to North Carolina I'm ready! NC is about as much of a desert as Nebraska, very few and far between.

Someone has Christmas in July! Nice bunch!

I'm with lynmor, my 520H's don't like to be towed. You can move them a bit, but they complain. No release for towing.

A mother load of nice Wheel Horse tractors for sure!

A Rust free Chevy anywhere is great!

This is is my coffee machine, it’s from Germany. We even wired a Euro plug for it! Add water and beans, it grinds, presses, makes coffee and spits little coffee pucks into the spent box on the side for easy cleanup. Now if I could remember where I set my cup...

That is the same front end that is on that Camino by us. I’ll have to make sure to take a pic for you guys if I get by there again soon. The above car is really tough looking! 1970’s stock car racing at its finest—Saaaaweeet!

Whoa Kevin!!!! If you keep this up, you’ll have to pm @AMC RULES and figure out how to build a “magic shed” to store your rapidly growing herd!!! Make sure you link me to the thread when you post pics of these 5-7 horses!

Sorry pics posted upside down

No but I have seen a "Royal Knight" version in person as well as a Choo Choo Customs, that looks really close to the Chevy Royal Knight.

When I see the G body Elco's I always think of the GMC Diablo that my friends mom drove for quite a while. I really liked that truck & It was the only one that I have ever seen in person. Have you guys ever ran across any of these?

Well, I thought I had the skids for the engine plate made until I tried to orient the torque converter. As you can see in the second photo it has a 2" inward protrusion. It would only fit above the frame so I had to raise the skids about 4" higher than the original placement. This meant new risers which I made from a Cub seat pan. The 212cc Predator will bolt down on the engine plate and straddle both sides of the center skid. The engine plate is longer than the engine so I can mount it to the skids after I cut out slots so I can adjust the tension on the chain. I extended the seat frame and hope 28" will be wide enough for two, it will be hinged in the front so I can pull start the engine. I also have a quick release steering wheel from Speedway. Just in case I add a few pounds. Drilling is next, bolt it all down and hope everything squares up

Careful all, don't fall out of your armchairs with shock, I'M BACK. Been a while since I posted but been busy, busy, busy doing lots of little bits, altering other parts, making a trailer plus other non tractor boring jobs. Now where to start since I stopped. ? More little additions first. The easiest were the lights on the fenders. 2 clear and 2 red were obtained from China, where else, for $7.50 including post. Hunted everywhere but these were the nearest to the size I wanted. 12/24 volt LED although non working for now. Maybe later. A printed label can be seen through the clear lens which spoils the appearance slightly. Not so obvious through the red. Back and front bonded together so not easy to remove without damage. The front lights were worked on over approx one year, on and off. Couldn't find anything suitable on the internet. Lots of flat lenses of the right diameter but nothing convex unless I wanted to pay lots of $$$'s, which I didn't. Looked at torches, cycle lights etc but again nothing suitable. Tried various ways of molding them but not happy with the results. Then tried casting in resin using a small quantity which my son had left over from one of his projects. What to use for a mold. First thought was to make one but looking around my garage the very thing, lots of them, were just sitting there looking at me. Sort of. Spray paint cans. The concave base was almost the correct size. A plastic ring, part of an old magnifier, fitted perfectly into the base of the can and reduced the internal diameter to the required size. The resin was mixed with it's hardener, poured, and left to set. As expected quite a few bubbles were trapped, most close to the outer curved face. These were sanded out with very fine wet and dry paper. Took a long time and finished up with an opaque surface. My son used to buff his castings up with polishing compound but while washing off the sanding sludge I noticed the lens was fairly clear while wet. Opaque again when dry. A coat of clear varnish resulted in a clear lens. Getting somewhere at last. Not perfectly perfect but after all this time, they will do. The rims were made up from plastic sheet wrapped around a jar lid after increasing the diameter to the required size. Made oversize first then trimmed down. The inside of the outer edge was built up to form a seat for the lens. Still with me ?. The rims on the full size D-series were rubber ? Speaker. Probably obtained as the nearest ready made unit. Inspection of these at a show in the UK last year showed the word Speaker molded on the outer surface. This was drawn to my attention by someone on Redsquare who was answering another members query. Reflectors. Flat plastic discs were tried painted with silver paint. Not bad but wanted something better. More hunting on the internet using all sorts of search words, plus a few of the swearing variety, then up popped these torch reflectors. $ 2.75 the pair including post, again from, you guessed it, China. Most small items from China usually take about 14 days to the UK. The larger than required opening at the rear was altered using two plastic discs. One with a tapered edge fitted into the tapered inner edge with the other on the outer face. All bonded together using liquid plastic cement. A 12 volt car bulb fitted a hole drilled through the center. Could be made to work if needed. The second photo shows the original flat painted reflector disc. The last is of the two discs at the rear clamped together with a nut and bolt while the cement dries. More on these lights next posting.

Starting the tear down and getting ready for the sand blaster. I have a couple of spots to weld up and repair. Still on the fence if I will paint her or powder coat her.

We brought the D along with 11 other horses to our local show for this weekend. The D started running way too rich when I loaded it. Tweaked the float and she then got starved for fuel. Tweaked her again and finally hit a happy medium. Ran great and started right up and purrs like a kitten. Great sound and tons of power!

Well, I found a little rj that I couldn't resist at the Big Show. Thanks to @stevebo I even have a set of fenders and tool box for it. She's a little rough, but appears to be pretty honest. I have removed the hood and wet sanded it to see how much original paint is left. I hate to do a restoration and take away all of the character it base earned over the years. It needs trans seals, gaskets, and bushings desperately and they are on order from Lowell. I picked up a sweet running little k91 from @BOB ELLISON. I've got a schnacke recoil from @Jake Kuhn And am waiting on an oil bath from @Aldon. Upon sanding the trans date code a little, I have what appears to be 02-8. I think that would put it as a 58 which matches the reward positioning of the gas tank straps, but it does seem to have a 59/60 gas tank. Please speak up on the trans code if you can help. I went ahead and made and welded in the broken set of rearward tank straps. Time for a little shut eye!

I will remember that honestly. Cause ya never know what the future holds. Last year we made 2 road trips for vehicles. So I will keep that in mind. Also I got a cousin down there I cruise down to see every now and then.

I am married to no particular brand of mechanic tools so my box is filled with some of everything, almost all of it USA made brands with a small amount of HF stuff that has found its way in as well. Probably 40-50 percent of my tools I bought used so many of them are older than I am. Of the remaining 50% I bought new, most of that was USA made Craftsman with a mix of brands on the remaining tools that are not Craftsman. Fortunately I bought most of my tools before Craftsman tools started going down the toilet about 10 years ago or so. I have a wide range of pullers too, most of which are old, USA made, Proto, OTC, Snap-On, and Blackhawk. My precision measuring tools, mics, dial calipers etc. are Lufkin, Starrett, Brown & Sharp, Mitutoyo, and assorted others. I am still not a fan of most import tools and probably never will be. I will almost always choose used USA tools over new cheaper import tools every time. I feel the same way about my machine tools. My machine tools are without exception machines from the 1960's and earlier, all made when I was a kid riding a bicycle. My floor jacks and hydraulic lifting equipment has also all been bought used. I have rebuilt my hydraulic stuff too. Yup, I like that stuff old and USA made too. BTW: The best buy, and most overlooked screwdrivers available at modest cost today are the Williams hard handles, (copies of the old Snap-on screwdrivers) Like those sold in this link: https://www.amazon.com/Williams-100P-8MD-8-Piece-Premium-Screwdriver/dp/B002NH5F30 Another overlooked choice would be these: https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-66-158-8-Piece-Plus-Screwdriver/dp/B000NIGJMM Not many Stanley brand tools I would buy these days, but the drivers in the link shown would be one of the few exceptions.

Some pics of how I mounted. This is a picture of the OEM idler (saw at a swap meet) Also can see the skid plate i"m missing See the notch in the rear. Clutch safety switch is in the original designated hole. Just moved forward an inch and drilled a new hole. Not really happy with the mule drive set up. (goes around axle) But didn't want to do direct drive. Sone day(maybe) will add OEM ideler Was nice to have new bearings & shaft

Not sure. I spend it until it’s done. If I sell it I will break even for cash out but not labor. That’s just the way it goes. There are only a few models that are worth the time and expense for me to do a tear down like this. Im only doing this 520-8 I may do the 58/59 rj. It depends if I get bored and don’t have any engines on the bench.

Ryder came over to see how it fits.