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@Chris G came out from New York to our house in the mountains of Maine to pick up the green farm tractor model. I'm really happy that he's gotten ahold of it and I think he will do great things with it. I'm very much looking forward to some sort of build thread or pictures that he might post in the future.

Fall harvest came early this year. The corporate farmer usually doesn't pick the corn until mid October. But, they were picking early this morning. Many farmers in the area have switched from corn and soybean to hemp farming. This may have an affect in the corn prices and harvest times. I spent the morning clearing some trails. Hung a couple tree stands. Cleared out my favorite ground blind. My Amish neighbor was busy picking pumpkins. Time to head home for lunch.

So my Gt1600 plow machine was needed for a project at my sons house today. If you saw my post yesterday about mouse damage...well my electrical tape repair worked without issue! The previous owner was dumping all their yard waste and who knows what else right in the middle of the yard up against a nice stone retaining wall. It was a major eyesore! Used the plow to bust up the pile, move it closer to my trailer to load it and eventually haul it to the dump. Then graded it all and finished up with grass seed and hay. Huge improvement!

My son did some last minute tire swapping before the tractor pull tomorrow.

That is a brace used by electricians to route wiring through top and bottom wall plates.If two studs would be close enough to not allow full swing with a standard brace this would be used.

Happy Birthday Steve! Hope you have a Great Day Today!

Just can't deny that one.....

I’ve been reading a bit at a time on smoke breaks. Looks good so far!! Looking forward to how it comes along once Trina has time to finish it 😂😂 I like the square hood look, with kinda what we’d talked about with it being split hood with ammo can latches to secure it, but I’m using that one myself at some point 😂😂 That said, the black hood would give it a bigger , beefier look that’ll match its feet once you get the big tires on it.

Lil bit of red paint and a matching trailer and this would be the perfect horse hauling machine!

You're a gentleman and a scholar. Richie my friend, that would be absolutely fantastic. I didn't even know there was such a thing as longer axles that would go into an 8 speed without difficulty until this morning. That would give Colossus a great stance and a little added extra safety bonus. Thank you very much. @953 nut my apologies for stealing your thread for a few posts. Thank you.

I have a set you can have for the cost of shipping. I’ll dig them out this weekend. How’s that @ebinmaine Eric?

Hello all! I too recently acquired a 1969 GT-14 that has been gifted to me by my retiring father. We mechanically restored it in the late eighties as I was finishing high school. At that time it frequently mowed an acre of our four acres a week. When I went to college my father restored an old Ferguson tractor and mowed all with that and the wheel horse was a backup and garden tiller. Each season the gas was treated or run dry and the oil was changed. 2019 and it still pops right off (as right off as the old cast iron 14hp kohler do) but you know what I mean. I am new to forums and seeking some wisdom as well. My machine is mostly complete and running. It has a tiller and I have successfully restored the mower deck. My main problem is the steering wheel and it is missing the directional pulleys under the tractor that would complete the mowing setup. I cannot find that part or any diagram so I could fabricate something. I am fairly certain that the original setup was gone when my father acquired it and he subsequently fabricated pulleys to make it work. Sorry for the long post, any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated. I have my old buddy back. I will post pictures as soon as I figure that out. Not a great interweb person. Better with old machines. Thanks Ken

I know Mom's been in rehab so she must not have gotten out my party invitation. Yeah, that's it. Almost missed my Brother's birthday. For your birthday, I worked 12 hours yesterday to add a little more to the Social Security fund. Spend it wisely!

Excellent! Will do thanks for the info fellas. She will get a top to bottom this winter. Best mower I have ever owned hands down. Tim

Well if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

This GT-14 jumped on my trailer at an auction today! The auctioneer said it runs but has problems with the hydro. I now have four GT-14 horses in addition to my others I may build a custom GT-14 someday The air compressor was only $17

HAPPY 70TH BIRTHDAY STEVE!! MAY YOUR PROSTATE REGENERATE AND THE FUN NEVER END!!!

That is for a Ranger BDR 385 Did you get the rest of it?? The mount is on my L107 in the picture. I had to make the side plates (primer gray)

I SHOULD HAVE SENT YOU SOCKS!!!

Thanks to all you guys. Turning 70 means you start looking back at all the memories. I can see that we all shared them together. Thanks for those. You guys always keep me smiling.

Ok... I have some time so I’ll think about this, so I’ll do my best without reference or being near the tractors. We’re up north in Lake City, MI at Merritt Speedway (and hotel) for a two day “B Modifieds” $10,000 to win race. RJ-58 for Jada RJ-58 for Rylee 502 Putt Putt 552 Poppy 1073 Frank 656 The Polished Turd 857 Barney Fife Commando 6 “Jane” (plain Jane) Commando 800 Screamin’ Jimmy 1076 Big Junky 1276 Rylee’s $65 tractor she bought Commando 800 hopeful next custom tractor Work Horse GT-1600 C-81 8 speed (just thought of the K-301? engine Richard gave me that needs overhaul)... C-160 Auto I know there’s another Oh Yeah! Hot Wheels! The 953! I think that’s it for complete or very near complete tractors. parts machines 606 753 2 C-101’s completely disassembled 604? Dash stand/rolling chassis leftovers Random other bits, pieces, engines with broken rods, transmissions, lots of hoods and fenders and Junky seats and wheels and tires.

Let that big ole backside of an engine hang!

Happy Birthday my friend. Hope you have many more together with your charming wife. If we were closer we would be sipping together, so just have another sippy cup next to yours for me.

I’ve got a feeling that Rylee’s Screamin’ Jimmy has had an axle transplant using something wider... It’s got a super wide stance compared to Jada’s or any other of our 60’s tractors.

Glad to hear you made it out of that one ok. I’ll take a bruise over a broken bone any day. I wish I would have known you needed an axle as I have some in the storage unit. Just glad you are alright. 👍

True. Funny thing is... When Trina paints our stuff she ... Literally... Hangs them out to dry on our laundry line.

Happy Birthday @stevasaurus, we are all glad you were born! Well, most of us anyway.

@Chris G and I were looking at the tractor and the offset. I really do want to keep the engine sideways like a Wheelhorse. He and I both had the same idea which is to do the build and get it "whole" then weigh the front tires individually. Add weight as needed to the lighter side as also suggested by others of you. With the terrain around here and the loads I'd be pulling... MORE weight in my case is definitely a plus.

IMO, the shaker plates did nothing to decrease vibration and may have made it worse as the rubber mounts deteriorated. Wheel Horse must have realized this as they went back to solid mounts very quickly.

Since I had to remove so much sheet metal from the GT-14 to remove and repair the transmission I decided to spray some IH RED and make it look more presentable.

I have located an axle and it should be here today! Thanks Tyson @Shuboxlover, you saved the day! Having a bit of down time and having had to remove so much sheet metal I decided a little beauty treatment was in order for the GT-14. Previous owner had painted it an orangey red color I wasn't too fond of.

We are good here in Florida. Itylike 300 degrees out with the humidity and the sun cooking you. As for the NC location, no house yet. Momma is living with her son. They are getting a lot of rain and some wind. Still waiting for her weather report this morning. The Lord sure watched over us on this one.

I figured I would go ahead and start a thread that will capture some of one of my distinct projects. The plan I started with is a GT14 as starting point, a 22hp Predator, Electric PTO, Independent Hydraulic lift and 3 point for tiller etc. At the big show I had the luxury of hanging out with @stevasaurus and we discussed transmissions at length. I have wanted to add an 8 Speed to a GT14 for a good while and I picked Steve's brain quite a bit. In addition to this, Kyle aka @fast88pu dropped by and as we discussed GT14's with loaders and Hydros and my want to do a 8 speed, he flagged me to the GT14-8 with loader in one of the buildings and off we went to visually inspect it. One shortcoming of the straight swap which was easy to note upon viewing said modified tractor is that the axles are too short and do not come flush with the end of the hub when tires are fitted to appropriate clearance. I needed the visual to understand as Kyle already knew this as he had a similarly modified GT14 he had picked up from @scotty. So my project appeared dead in its tracks until I went out to Cody's in Scranton PA area and he told me that the axles in the Hydro Transaxles could be swapped into the 8-speed directly. Kyle was riding shotgun with me just by chance. So at some point in this day trip Kyle and I agreed to a deal where I took home a 8-speed he had on hand with 1 1/8" axles. Steve helped me out with all the bearings I needed as well as mentoring me on a few of the challenges I encountered. This particular 8-speed is one of few with slightly unique main bearings,,,,,,but I managed to source all the replacement bearings and get prepared for the project, then Winter came along to seriously slow things down. It should be noted that in many of the GT14 transaxles, if not most, the axles are different from one side to the other. one side is 14 1/8" and one side is 14 3/4". One of my axles was beyond redemption. Could not get two good sets from 2 parts transaxles. On hold until @ztnoo came to my assistance here and I now had two good 14 3/4" axles. Along the way it was suggested I should make use of the Limited Slip differentials from the Hydro transaxles if I could. I spent several hours over the holidays trying different combinations but could not figure a way to make it work. It is plausible that there is a different Limited slip set up or parts that would make this easy. Or, if I had access to machine shop I could do it. But with a bench and what parts I have on hand, I am moving forward with normal diff with only real change being that I am installing longer axles. One of the pics below shows the 3 different axle lengths. In the pics below, it may be difficult to read the tape measure but the width of the modified set up is 29 1/2. Additionally I have a couple pics of the limited Slip Diff Side pieces that hold the axle to the assembly. Note they are not same and both are different from the 8-speeds. Lastly a sketch drawn to scale as much as I could determine. I am not a draftsman but it should be close. I want to end up with (29x12.5-15 ags) I have decided to use D Series Hubs. Rim wise I will need custom back spacing and I have sourced the necessary rims and inserts from Miller Tire. Thats where I am at until I can remove a very stubborn hitch pin from one tranny half after which I can start rebuild using new bearings and will post pic when I reach that point. eta a few weeks:) I dont do well in the cold.

Good job Stormin’. It took a week to get someone from the other side of the pond to bite but you did and hit it right on. I had no clue what it was until I saw this card in the window...

The perfect start to his very own loading dock.

We had some Dorian showers yesterday, but yes, today is beautiful. Here are a few pics from the trail cameras I had under my tree stands. I had 457 pictures. A lot of activity, but no "shooter bucks".

GOD is good, every day in every way!

Today minor Works, firstly the new Roof... yeah, looks much better. Than postman sliding around with noisy Souns... 👍 Hi, got a Package for you - byyyyeeeee.... Ah, oh, yes, nice thanks... Cool, the new Dustcaps.. so let‘s change it quickly... another minor was fixed, just the Laserman on Friday told me - sorry, we must shift your job a week is that a problem for you? Normally you the next in the row, but our Laser needs to be adjusted, because our Trainee smash today morning the Head onto the Parts... now the whole Laserhead is dejusted... I heared about his Voice, he is in a situation nobody will be. I try to sounded honestly, but i can’t suppress my laughings... 😂 sorry for that.. Basically yes it is a problem, cause i have next week a Schedule for Roadapprooval and just waiting for that few Parts, they must also be Welded ahead. Sir, i do a hurry to get an Technician and set your laserjob as first and additionally i offers you, we‘ll do your Parts costless, For you patience wait another Week. we try to do it as fast as possible. I agreed, cause the Boss seems to be in bigger troubles Than i grab Edward Siccorhands. 3539EA7A-F1DC-4339-9DDD-D0205FD55395.MOV E6138967-9748-4D7E-99B6-444261B08F79.MOV That‘s the Way i will mount the Sicklebar, with a Welded Nut and a scew to be able to fix it. in that way i can fix it in any angle i wanna do. Just tighten the Screw, done. also i‘m able to leave it released, to mow , so the sicklebar can vary, to follow the floor. Welded in a stronger C Profile, that was stiff enough. Finally the Drive, this will be this Way... 6C84AAD2-6E76-4BC1-AF33-31BE6A0E174B.MOV

it went to a good home, can't wait to see what he has planned for it.

For paint click on the fuzzy picture Garry

Happy Birthday Steve, you always seem to have a BIG SMILE on your face and never a frown, even with that sword at your throat.I wish more people would smile like that more often. HAVE A GREAT B DAY

Yup,getting to be that time of year here in upstate NY for those little critters to make a Winter home.Bought a used New Holland L-228 skidsteer this past Summer.I don't want any mouse damage to it.Just was telling the Squaw yesterday that I gotta start setting traps in the pole barn.Have a stray cay hanging around the last couple weeks.I've been feeding him a little cat food hoping he'll stay around.Those damn mice get into EVERYTHING.

It sounds like the starter bendix (gear part is not throwing out to engage the flywheel. These get gunked up and can just need cleaning. If you can slip the straw on a WD40 can (or your favorite spray penetrate) through the sheet metal at the top of the starter where it contact the flywheel. Hit the starter a couple of time and spray each time. If this (temporarily) helps the problem, you probable need to pull the starter, clean the upper shaft and gear, then lube with dry graphite. The starter shaft actually should not have any oily lube on it, but this little easy test will help you figure out whats going on. if you haven't already, this winter it might be time to pull the sheet metal and give the engine and top of the transmission a good cleaning.

Come on down and take the Cinnamon Horse for a cruise. That's a 160.

The first pull of my walk behind mower caused blood to run out from the shroud. At least that one will never bother me again.

One thing l would think about would be a cat or two!!

Rotating the Engine wasn‘t a way i would go. how i would did this? Centering the Engine weight with a piece of Wood where you put the Engine on, what lies on a pipe like a Bar Rocking. So you can easily find the Weight Center of Colossus‘s Engine itself by moving the wood over the Pipe. Mark the center of Weight instead in rotating the Engine(what is not Wheelhorse like), i would insert a second beltdriven shaft, the in row with the Engine pulley to reduce the width with a second screwed Pulley in row to the Drive Pulley. That has the Advantage, you can added later an additional pulley for some purposes, not yet beeing needed or known. That means, Centered Engine with PTO. > added driveshaft with at least 2 Pulley‘s to reduce the width.> driveshaft from Original Gearbox. you just needs 2 Stand stock with bearings a 1/2“ or 3/4“ pipe (depends on Power what will be transfered) At least 2 Pulleys and any type of coverage later for the Belts. Hope i declared my idea as simple as it is.

Took the family to the Pardeeville Car Show. It was beautiful weather at about 65 degrees and the turnout was north of 1,000 vehicles! I count it a real privilege to enjoy this hobby with both my parents, my wife, and my kids. We restored my GTO in 2000 and dad’s in 2005 and it has been fun to do this over the last 15 years of so. Our third born has the nickname “Judge” and so we always try to get one picture of him next to a GTO Judge. This is one of those ironic pictures to me. The vehicle on the right was iconic the day it rolled off the assembly line and was sure to become a classic. The vehicle on the left was solely utilitarian but was a hard working durable multipurpose machine. It has over the years earned respect and today is a classic as well. Who would’ve ever thought that they would be show vehicles alongside one another? NOW, the Trucks: Lots of rat rod material! Lots of custom material! Cool scouts (I want one and could see Eric and Trina busting through the backwoods of Maine in one of these!) Factory customs Multiple generations of trucks Fleetsides Stepsides Big trucks and little ones (for our buddies on the other side of the pond—Anyone recognize this?) It was a great show and better yet a wonderful family day. These guys were so worn out that they slept the whole hour and a half home (yes, they have their seatbelts on!). Thank God for the freedom and privilege to enjoy a day like this!