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Got my new find home today. Well not home home but home to my buddies shop for the winter. I try to get up to the shop a couple days a week to BS over a cup of coffee or three. This little 657 looked better than the pictures so I am very happy with my purchase. Gary and I are both kind of busy for a few weeks but we will try to get the Kohler running before Thanksgiving and see what I have. Here is the good news as this appears to be a good news bad news kind of thing. So here's what was in my mirror this morning. Brake was pretty good rolling of the trailer and it seems to shift in and out of all gears as expected. Here's a little better picture of it once I got her in the shop. The paint is very nice but once you look it over the seat pan and frame are a slightly different shade of red. but all in all it will make a very good looking worker. IT looks to have been a tire on rim paint job but up close it was a good one. The deck is really nice. no rot anywhere. Can not be the original deck. If the tractor had enough hours on it to burn up the Techy then you would think the deck would have some dings and dents? The shifter boot looks to be original but still in pretty good condition Not sure where he got this seat but it is a beauty. Nice to sit on also!! Found the rope when I opened the hood. There is a slot on the front of the frame that appears to be a hood stop but the tab appears a bit bent and does not go in the slot? As usual its not all good news so here is a bit of bad news. Hopefully not too bad. Took a picture under the kohler and found this ugly mess. Sure looks like a big problem to me but I am no mechanic. The wiring is suspect also. the back of the switch looks like it was hot at one time Maybe the wires were hooked up wrong? Also there is no dip stick? Once I know the wiring is right and I get the new battery in we will find out if I have a $400 roller or a very nice 857 ready for work. If the engine is bad I will take it out and get it to Holden's Machine shop and hope he can get it healthy in time for spring. Bill does incredible work but you don't want to tell him your in no hurry. He always has 10 things going at once it seems. So let me know what you think guys. Good and Bad. Will download the manual for an 857. Your input and advice is as always very appreciated.

Well here it is guys, first and foremost I have to thank my wife for letting me go get this tractor I have recently pick up 3 other tractors in the last 2 weeks and this came up I tried talking @WHX21 into going to get it but he said no he is tractor tight, so I message the man and told him I would take it, this machine is a one family owned the gentleman I bought it from it was his uncle's bought it brand new, he past away in 1974 and was sitting in a small garden shed that was falling over and he decided to put it under for sale. I told him I would come get it Saturday and the family found out about him selling it he messaged me Friday afternoon and told me he could no longer sell this tractor to me due to his family being mad at him, they wanted to keep it in the family as a family hairloom and restore it when he had time. I told him I understood and I was willing to still come buy it and restore it and bring it back down 2 hours south so his family could see it and ride it when ever I could get the chance to do so. And he said he was out number I said ok keep my number so if you guys decide to let it go I'll be the guy. Friday night I was talking to my wife and I get a call from the guy and I answer he said he and his family talked and he is willing to let it go as long as I bought it back down to show them. I said done deal. It is really kinda a cobbled up mess but I am real glad I didn't pass this up! The cable steer part has been converted over and will go back to original along with alot of other things..I'll get more pictures later on

My wife's grandma just passed on Tuesday. She owned what was left of our little hamlets real general store. Today we had a service for her at our volunteer firehouse were she did so much for. Looking back, we really had a little piece of Mayberry. I'm would like to share this picture of my wife, her grandma and grandpa at the store. I post this with a heavy heart because I feel this kind of our America is going away.

3 lawns later and the Wheel Horse gets to pose by its handy work... I love using the front blade to push the leaves - makes for a much quicker chore and saves my back! Especially when they are frozen solid like this morning...

cool find, I see it has the super rare 3 muffler option!

Thanks to one of our members for reminding me that I owe my Red Square Family an update on Mark's progress. He received his third chemo about 10 days ago and is doing well. The meds are taking care of the hiccups and indigestion that he suffered for a week after the first treatment. He has 3-4 days of nausea after his treatments. but he has been able to work part time when he is feeling OK. He did have a bout with a kidney stone about 2 weeks back, but he passed it w/o any complications. His fourth and final chemo is scheduled for the week after Thanksgiving, then about a month later, we begin the testing and evaluation. Thank you all for your prayers and concerns. Ed, Nan, Mark, Mike, Reed, Clayton, Jacob, and Owen

I thought I'd put out a couple of pictures of my antiques. As I wrote a while ago I had a '88 Chevy, but that's gone now . We still have a '79 1/4 ton SUV and a '71 2 1/2 ton cargo truck, both of them are Jeeps! So we have little Jeep and big Jeep

I love all the pics of the great machines you guys have. Mine aren't really that old but I love trucks and have owned all the major brands over the years. I guess I'm a Ford guy but I've always wanted a Jeep and International pick up. The first one below is a '94 F250 that's been retired to a parade queen. My wife found this for sale near where she worked when it was about a year old and she actually told me about it because she liked the looks of it. I'm a manual transmission guy and this is an auto but we looked at it and drove it and liked it. It has the big block in it so it runs pretty good. I've always been lucky enough to have a company truck for work so it didn't rack up too many miles. It has just over 90k on it and it is all original except for tires and one set of new brakes. It was used to tow our camper and for wood cutting on the weekends. The second is an '83 Ranger my son bought off Fleabay a few years ago. It belonged to a gentleman who bought it new. He was older and his health didn't allow him to drive it any longer. He lived in Arkansas and I guess they don't use salt so it was rust free except for the surface rust it has from sitting under a tree for the last few years. My son wanted something nicer so I bought it from him and put the tires and wheels on it I had in the garage not being used. It's a V-6 (I have a 5.0 I plan to swap in it someday) with a 4 speed and the AC still works. It's fun and folks get a kick out of it when they see us running around in it.

Well...Dad and I just got back to the hotel after a little searching around based on the Wheel Horse book. I’m not confident that we found the original Elmer Pond house with the little garage but we did spend some time on Donald drive and there are several house/garage combos that could’ve been it, if it still exists. We did however make it to 515 West Ireland Road where the big factory was built in the mid 60’s from page 78 of the book. The area is a cool setting for an industrial spot with rolling hills and the factory sits on a knoll. Neat to visit it with my dad and to think that both his 953 and his 875 were produced at that location... We did have to chuckle thinking about the fact that we were standing in a Toyota dealership taking pictures across the street at the location that once was the hub of the most successful GT producer in the world. Could you imagine taking Cecil out in 1964 and pointing him due south and telling him that one day there would be large new car dealership there? I could see him asking if it would be GM, Ford, or Chrysler and you telling him it would be a Japanese brand called Toyota! Imagine what he would say...! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. We are preparing nownto head to the funeral. I will update later on that as well.

I pull a lawn sweeper in case the Onan grill misses a leaf.

Sorry for your loss. Thank you for the picture and the glimpse into your family! I agree that times and places like that are not as plentiful as they once were..... people have really lost their moral compass. But don’t give up the good fight! Here’s to salt-of-the-earth kind of people like that! There are still lots of folks like that in every community, but they are too busy raising their families, loving on their friends, and working too much to cause trouble and get noticed! Thankfully, we have them in our family, too. Unfortunately, we lost one last week, too, and will be having her funeral Tuesday. The book I read says it’s supposed to all fall apart..... but WE win in the end!

I have this 48 inch deck that I am doing a redo on and regal red is a great match. I also hit it with some acrylic lacquer clear and what a shine!

Fingers crossed that the testing and evaluations give you the good news your family deserves.

Nice to hear that things are looking a little better. Hope the post-Thanksgiving tests are good.

Well I tore in to the transmission today. It was filled with water and all sorts of junk. So i drained it out and flushed it a few times. Then went into cleaning all the pieces and got everything back to working order. When I take the machine all apart I will fully dismantle the transmission and clean again. But for know it's all functional and has nothing binding it up and shifts smooth as can be. It's a T-92 transmission. They were used in some other machines as well, like the Jim dandys and power kings. There actually still building these transmissions as well. First three pics are when I drained it and first opened it up. Last is when I put back together with some fresh gear oil. If ya look close you can see the line were the water was sitting at. Also to refill these it's 8oz of 90 gear oil.

Brandon, excellent talking with you yesterday. After looking at your pictures above, it sure looks like what we were talking about is correct. ie...you have the 11/44 toothed gear from the #5058 bevel gear differential transmission...and a differential from an 8 speed transmission. The 11 teeth from the mushroom gear should mesh with the bull gear no problem. You are going to have to make what you have work because your brake drum attaches on the shaft of the 11/44 gear. The 8 pinion differential transmissions use the cluster gear shaft for the brake drum. They also use a two piece mushroom gear setup. All that being said, the 1st thing to check is that the bearing under the larger part of the mushroom gear is flush with it's retainer in the case. The 2nd thing is to see if the bull gear teeth are hitting correctly on the width of the mushroom gear 11 teeth. A little grinding on the right edge of the bull gear teeth may be in order. The 3rd thing is the bolts holding the differential together. Sounds like yours are the 5/16-18 variety. (some of the 8 speeds used 3/8-16's. Since, your transmission is still a #5058, except for the differential, the bolts should enter the housing from the right side (input shaft side). I know you can get bolts with thinner heads...or grind them down to stop the grinding. Using the old bolts is not a problem, but you do want to use new Nyloc nuts. There should only be about 2 threads showing past the nuts. I would grind or hack saw them to length after tightening. That should take care of everything. Hope!!!

A couple more updates on the frame & related. Pressed in my retrofit bronze flange bearings for the clutch idler shaft at the rear of the frame. Had to make a little jig out of a block of wood to keep the reamer in alignment when reaming the bearings to 0.500" for the shaft. ...And the idler shaft. Fits like a glove, but I have not permanently installed yet as things still need a little tweeking on the pivot arm, parking brake assembly, and brake linkages opposite the pulley end. Installed a new idler pulley on the shaft that I found on fleabay since the old one had a lot of slop in the bearings. I had originally tried to repair my old pulley by separating and just replacing the ball bearings, but nobody including McMaster Carr or Motion Industries seemed to have the exact fit to what I had measured from the original bearings which were Nice 7277-3 bearings. Found a couple that were very close & may have worked, but this NOS complete pulley popped up so I went for it.

I just threw away two teckys😎

I can burn up a Tecky in a half hour!

If it's like my 856, the dip stick is attached to the square headed, screw-in plug shown in your picture. The longer dip sticks came later. Looks like a nice tractor, and not too big a project. You done good. Jim

Re-skinned half of my V plow tonight. The other side will likely come next. The structure of the plow is intact, but I’m tired of being able to see through the plow in so many spots! I formed the skin with a 2x4 and a big hammer, then used clamps and 2 by wedges to snug it up.

Art class project at the girls’ Monday homeschool academy... they were to create a picture frame. Of all pictures she could choose a frame for... I’ll let the pictures explain the rest! It found home on my shop “mash pole”.

Found the garage floor. Packed up the shed. Bring the blower home next week.

My old squarebody hauler...C30 sporting a factory 454 big block with A/C and SM465 4spd spinning a PTO to the hydraulic ram lifting the bed.

Today my wife, an avid quilter, had the honor of awarding a Quilt of Valor to a World War Two veteran during our church service. It was the one thousandth Quilt Of Valor presented by the Smoky Mountain Quilters. Not bad considering how sparsely populated our little corner of NC is. I have posted a bit of information about QOV previously.

Our 1981 model 1631 slides on the rails to tighten the belt. It’s a real hoot! Talk about NOT over-engineered.

Really is a diamond in the rough and yes this kid has a way of finding them. Thanks Jason, @rj35hunter has already been a big help with identifing this girl. We thought it was a later '56 so always nice to learn. Rest assured tho fellas this gem WILL NOT be leaving WI in the century or so! Cool your jets boys Grampa is gonna keep an eye on this one!

Even has the correct front rimes, hope they haven't been destroyed by calcium chloride.

Congrats Ryan! Guess that backseats the Amigo? Looking forward to seeing updates. Get a hold of Clay @rj35hunter with any questions!

Thanks! My customer wants OE and Eldon’s stuff is as close as you get, plus I need some valve kits.

Is that what they called a tri-power Sr?

I approached the owner of this Ford during the summer months inquiring if it could be purchased. I love old Ford Flathead V8's but this one is not meant to be mine.

I use the blade to push the huge piles of leaves . I adjust it so it is approximately between 1/8 and 1/4" off the ground . Once and awhile I nick the yard , but it is faster than a blower or a yard vac.

If the new switch has an "S" for start/solenoid I would strongly recommend you add a solenoid as this will take the stress off the switch also mount the solenoid is a spot where you can get at it easily and re-place when necessary down the road this additionally makes diagnosis when you have ignition issues a snap.... just saying. I have done this change on all my old tractors and it has made them much more reliable.

If you have solid state ignition it is treated the same as magneto ignition. They are self powered and the ignition switch must have a M terminal which grounds the ignition to stop the engine. Garry

I love WVHillbilly's C30! We had a '74 GMC C30 with a 350, 4sp standard and a large stake body with a hyd. power tailgate that got us through, but having a 454 would have been a lot better. Some say that the 1 ton truck is the most abused truck there's ever been! I can say that we totally over loaded and abused ours. We broke lots of leaf springs, broke some wheels and even had the lug studs shear off once. We had that truck for years and after 3 engines and 3 hundred something thousand miles finally got rid of it, mainly because the frame had such bad rust. I think WVHillbilly's is a nice truck and it looks like it might be somewhere near rust free, at least the body looks good! Thanks for sharing this beauty

Should any of you care to watch the service it will be starting in a couple of minutes and will livestream at... cameroon4god.com packed house for sure...

Was given a blade, sold it. Wasn't a Horses. Interesting edge the PO made. Or, instead of the tire tread, a wide rake?

From the factory, that switch came with a cover to prevent it from shorting out.

Agreed. That's one of the things we like about small towns and country life. Yes it's headed all big boxy but there's still quite a few around here that function the old way.

Yeah that... You take it out, wipe it off. Set it on the edge of the hole... NOT screwed in ... To check oil level. The switch has been a bit of a problem child forever. I agree that it's burnt basically from normal wear. I have replaced one here with a solenoid and that gets the amperage out of the switch which is very good. BUT ... I doesn't sound right to me after that because solenoids click loudly. That engine with a starter/generator has a unique way of starting without the loud engagement noises of later engines and I like to hear that. I put a HD replacement switch in the 1267. They're on the popular auction site. If I can find the link I'll share it. It should be in the thread about my 1267.

Terry you need to find a hidden spot and put a solenoid in. Those switches are bad news. On older Sears I mess with have a similar style. They overheat when cranking. On Tecumseh Sears (I know not related to this topic exactly) they can knock out the ssi unit. And I seen some start fires.

The album of life.Great memories for you and for all of us who are raising or have raised children.Out in the shop I have a pencil holder my 30 year old son made for me when he was four.It is a soup can wrapped in orange construction paper with his drawings on it.Brings a smile to my face when I see it.Thanks for sharing and enjoy your time with the kids.

I have the exact same hanger bracket in my garage...

I wonder if she knew then that she’d have a tractor some day... and in the picture on Grampa’s Ford, she had just cut her hair with scissors because she “wanted her hair little like Daddy’s”

Am kinda digging this '64 frankenCub though... ...Wheel-Horse 8hp Kohler, and a custom built tricycle front end.

Learned something new. Thanks

Don...nice horse. here is how I look at it...if you bought a brand new one that you had to walk behind, it would cost you $400 + dollars...buying one you can ride for $200 and it mows. This is not only a good deal...it is a Great Deal. Enjoy your new horse. BTW, you can never put in too much information.

Very well said. Hope things go well for all

Agreed. I like those '80 - '96/7 Fords a lot as well. I've had several over the years and had fantastic luck with them. Next truck I buy won't be for 3 or 4 years... It'll most likely be a 92 - 95 F with a 300-6 & 5 speed. LOVE the straight 6 overall. Also like the GM 292 but those never had fuel injection.