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Surprising! If you "Just fix it" guys want to tear down a $10 old briggs vertical shaft lawnmower engine to fix it before knowing if it even has spark, have at it. I'll just spray my crap in and give it pull to see if it runs and know instantly. Shooting a quick shot can most likely indicate if the problem with an engine that's not firing is fuel or spark related, as if it fires up, it's a fuel problem because it has spark. Saves time. It's also helpful for old pull start engines that sit for long periods and have a little trouble starting back up. Some use the vacuum of the carb to pull up the fuel and just need a little bump sometimes or you can yank that thing for 10 minutes until it goes. I'll give it quick shot instead of pulling and be on my way. I typically use carb cleaner since there always a can around. Modern starting fluid is no where near as explosive as the old ether was. You can barely set the bead with half a can now. Before it was a couple of quick sprays and stand back

Back in the summer of 2016 I told my friends here a 1054 was coming up for auction. "TIG you have to buy it" ! my friends said. Best thing I ever did on my tractor purchases. Absolutely one of my favorites, especially in the winter plowing snow. That 54" blade makes short work of my driveway.

I have used starting fluid on occasion to encourage a dormant engine to cooperate and have never had a problem with it. As with most other things in life, moderation is the key to success. If you drench the cylinder with starting fluid you are going to have a problem. BALING WIRE, you left out baling wire! There are some jobs that need more than WD40 and duct tape!

Starter fluid and modern medication.....I use both. They both have negative side effects, but keep me and my engines running.

in the first picture I had to yell at my daughter for not wearing shoes but she had a quick come back for me. She said she thought shoes might scratch Denny Clarke‘s beautiful 701. In the second picture my wife is mowing with the 314 and in the last picture she’s trying out the FEL.

Starting fluid reminds me of that hairspray that we would use in a potato gun. I usually just hold my cup in front of the carb and let it suck in what fumes it needs. Leave the choke open a touch.

The other day I pulled my C-160 out, popped in a battery and it rolled over. I shot a spray of the juice in and touched it off. It was a great quick way to tell if I needed real tools like a meter or points file. Lazy? Yep. Quickest alternative to see if it’s worth digging in to? Yep.

Pulled a few tiny stumps from the pile and pushed them into the burn pit.

Your Sundstrand may have ATF or 10W30. Have a clean white rag with you, remove the dip stick and look at the color of the fluid on the white rag. If it is pink/red you need to use ATF (Dex/Merc), if it is amber/clear you need 10W30 motor oil. You should also replace the filter (NAPA 1410) and be sure to jack up the front end to ensure complete draining. Four to five quarts will be needed to replenish the fluid.

Somehow I got a picture in my head of Ed staring down the barrel say'n "WTF is wrong with this thing now" I know you're smarter than that so I'm guessing the deer got away that day ??

I think he feels sorry for me or just gets tired of me pestering him...

We used to use lighter fluid. Our fathers were always wondering why their cans emptied out while they were at work. We launched a tennis ball straight up one day out of our "Miss Budwieser" cannon. The ball came down and landed into the back seat of a passing convertible.

WD-40 works as a good lubricant and water replacer when it is wet. When it dries, it becomes a sticky glue. Never use it as a lubricant in a gun firing mechanism. Don't ask how I know this.

Finally got my Fairbanks rewind assy finished that I got at the Big Show :

Great idea! Pester pester pester!

Yes I did cleanup and refurbish on the 1054. No complete disassembly. Yes I lucked out on the overall condition, no bends in fenders, etc.

@pullstart here's the tires that are going on the back. They'll be on a narrow rim so the cross section will end up around 7".

I've primer bulbs on the C-125 and Black Horse. 3-4 squeezes are all it takes to fire them up if they've been idle. The C-81 has yet to have one fitted. For that it gets a spray or two of petrol into the carb, until the pump starts to pull fuel through.

Like the song goes... "I saw your wife yesterday and she uglllyy" "Yeah baby but she sure can cook"

As entertaining as that is, it's important to remember that there may be flammable objects in the spray path.

Non flammable brake cleaner is the bomb for bees. You can shoot them down like WWII Zeros.

Use it sparingly and rarely, but it serves a purpose... Saves time and gets to issue of “will it start” quickly so I can then determine where to go from there...

i use it occasionally if i have a new tractor to see if it has spark/fuel. i used it this past weekend on a snowmobile. before i use it i always have to tell myself im ok with the possible outcome of using this...it might make me lazy or careless i dont know, after all its a lawn mower not the space shuttle...easier than pulling my shoulder out of socket on an old snowmobile

It is funny how an individual can be oblivious to another model of GT until he or she has an occasion to own one. I recently picked up a 953 and a 1054 in a package deal. The 953 has been on my radar for about 2 and a half years since Dad got one. However, I haven’t studied the 1054 at all but since I own one now, I’ve been trolling the archives last looking for posts concerning them and I was disappointed that there isn’t much out there. So, I’ve decided to start a thread dedicated to the 1054 and 1054A. I would like you guys to post pictures and information about your 1054 that you currently own or used to own. I would like to get any stories about the history of these tractors. I went to the Wheel Horse “Bible” and there was next to no information about it. It is intriguing that the 953 and 1054 were so popular and yet they completely discontinued it never to be revived. The GT-14 was the next Big Wheel Horse and it was hydrostatic drive which was the right decision but I find it fascinating that they didn’t offer it in a GD model. What changes were made from the 1054 to the 1054A? Why was the 1055 a small wheel tractor? I know, I have a lot of questions but there seems to be a lot of mystery surrounding this machine. It is such a beastly departure from the small wheel tractors at the time. I weighed the front cast iron grill surround and it weighs 48# all by itself! To start things off, I purchased my 1054A from a guy who only had owned it for a couple of years. He had purchased it from a long term wheel horse gentleman, who’s health was forcing him to sell it. He had completely rebuilt the rear end but I have no paperwork to verify. I will say that the shifter boot is in new condition. This tractor appears to be mostly original except for the dual electric horns and button on the left side of the dash. Those of you who are well versed in these, please point out anything else you see that doesn’t look original. Serial number is 49349. This tractor runs extremely well for how it looks on the outside. It is my desire to keep it looking pretty much like it sits right now on the outside. I want to clean the fuel system including the tank and replace fuel lines and seal the tank. I want to get a vintage headlight lens for the missing one and also a vintage tail light lens as that is also missing. The steering wheel is in great shape and the dash decals are in good overall Patina condition. The controls need to be cleaned and lubed well and I need to verify the drive belt and clutch spring as it seems really “jumpy”. I’m looking for opinions on the wheels. Should I restore/paint them antique white or leave them with the Patina that they have? I am not planning to change the tires as these are the same exact ones that were on the 875 that I grew up using except for the 15” rim size of the rears. I can honestly say that it is so fun using this tractor and I can’t wait to learn more about this model and see pictures/read stories of your original and restored 1054’s...

Hey Kev now that's my job .... how bout 272 on that dibs list for the 520 Denny? ..

This manual will give you all the information you may need. Remember to hot torque the head after it has been run a few minutes.

Chlorinated carb cleaner, it's like Franks Hot Sauce I use that S..t on everything. It will make an engine pop if there is power to the plug with out blowing the top end off. It will keep the engine running as long as you keep spraying the carb. It's a great cleaner and it's cheap. It will take care of any of you bee/wasp problems also.

Trina had a big karate event this past Saturday about 2-1/2 hours from us in Woodstock VT. Free Training Day. Put-on by one of the other black belts from her school. 12 Masters of their own craft taught classes for an hour each. 2 at a time for 6 time slots. I participated in 4. 1500s European hand weapons. Kempo/ Jiu Jitsu defenses. Board breaking. Thai chi. I BROKE BOARDS !!! I've put the board breaking videos on my YouTube channel. We decided to make a weekend out of it and play tourist. Friday we stopped at Quechee gorge to look around. It's a 1/2 mile or so and 200 vertical feet to the bottom of the gorge. There's a hydroelectric dam upstream we also walked to. Bottom of the gorge at the end of the walking trail. From a nearby point to the end, looking upstream. See the bridge... The hydroelectric dam. Closeup of the left side of above dam. After that we went up the road a little to the Vermont Institute Of Natural Sciences. They are a rehabilitation facility for birds of prey in particular, and others as well. These Bald Eagle pics are NOT ZOOMED. This female was just a few feet away and Trina was able to aim the camera through the cage wires. Great horned owl Male snowy owl Peregrine falcon Barred owl pair. Screech owl. These little guys are only about 8 inches tall. Rough legged hawk. This the new elevated walking path through the trees. There's a tower where the pic is from that's 81 feet from the ground. We're above the tops of many of the trees Now for a bit of rest.....

I added one to my C105 and boy what a difference! No cranking at all even after sitting for long time...

I only use the non flammable. I almost burn't a car to the ground using the flammable kind on a hot engine part. It also seems to evaporate faster which tends to knock the bees out of the sky with more drama.

That is one nice 701 Craig. How is it you get the pic of Denny's litters?!?!?

If not too loose I have had luck striking a surface with the corner of a file repeatedly-not as neat as knurling, but effective.

Picked up this headlight panel, really happy with the way it looks....

My 250+ lbs of "seat ballast" lol Actually I also have a piece of scrap steel from the shop cut to fit in the tool box area behind the seat too.

Mike back when I started being a mechanic on Snow mobiles and others in the late 50`s. The old timers used to say it would eat away at the pistons. But if used sparingly it would not harm engines. I do remember one time I was in VT. by the Canadian border and it very cold and I forgot to put in dry gas in the fuel for the truck . The only thing that started that engine was starting fluid directly in the air horn, or intake and he was a mechanic from a dealership. That is my

Starting fluid is a volatile, flammable liquid which is used to aid the starting of internal combustion engines, especially during cold weather or in engines that are difficult to start using conventional starting procedures. It is typically available in an aerosol spray can, and may sometimes be used for starting direct injected diesel engines or lean burn spark engines running on alcohol fuel. Some modern starting fluid products contain mostly volatile hydrocarbons such as heptane, (the main component of natural gasoline) with a small portion of diethyl ether, and carbon dioxide (as a propellant). Some formulations contain butane or propane as both propellant and starting fuel. Historically, Diethyl ether, with a small amount of oil, a trace amount of a stabilizer and a hydrocarbon propellant has been used to help start internal combustion engines because of its low 160 °C (320 °F) autoignition temperature. Use any flammable liquids very carefully or you can get hurt....if you spray to much, it ignites will be a big fire ball.... if you know the problem, fix the problem or get some one with skills to fix it...

I know taryl on his youtube channel will tell you that a little starter fluid or carb cleaner to get an engine going will never hurt it. As long as you don't run them for long periods of time on that kind of stuff you'll be fine. I've used carb cleaner a lot to get an engine that has been sitting a long time kick started. My trailer queens do a lot of sitting around and the need sticks to the seat as a result. If tapping the bowl doesn't free it then spray a little carb cleaner in the throat of the carb and the vibration of the engine running will free it up. Y'all do what you want but I don't worry about doing it, but I do know I sure as heck will be trying WD-40 now!

1/ It can detonate and cause engine damage, think of it as one giant engine knock. 2/ A good alternative is to fix the problem.

Not sure how to say it, overkill, to powerful, very explosive. Try carb cleaner as an alternative

A trail cutter/brush hog most of the time. Push it down with the front, grind it up with the rear. Fun fun fun.

We have several 1054's and one 1054-A. Main difference on 1054-A is frobnt and rear tires on the original tractor. Turf type tread on back and wider tires on front than the 1964 model. Wheel Horse advertised and sold 1054 and 1054-A into 1966 (see company advertisement literature). I do not know of any knob differences on shifter , etc. The 953 had white knobs on the Throttle and Choke cables and black on the 1054- and 1054-A's. These are really great tractors. The early 953's had the Ross steering gears. The demand for the tractor forced Wheel Horse to develop a fan gear as they could not get enough Ross steering gears to meet demand. The Ross steering gear was being used and sold in a number of other model garden tractors at teh time. The 953/1054/1054-A is the first garden tractor with a 48 inch Mower Deck made in the USA. The first photo of four of our 1054 s was used in the "American Pickers" TV Show shown on December 4, 2014 (The Grudge Match) when they bough a 633 Wheel Horse Garden Tractor in Iowa. The picture was used as backup history on the Wheel Horse company in the segment.

So you're the fool who landed the torn-up tennis ball in the back seat of my convertible!

GoodMorning to the rest of you, as well😊 In talking with my Dad and him viewing this thread, this issue will be getting tackled asap, somehow. I just want to thank all of you here, for all the time and information you have shared with me thus far... This stuff is currently beyond me; i am not/was never that mechanically inclined. And my tools and space are limited. But i am learning...and enjoying the process immensely. I hope to get mu h of this tractor mechanically squared away this winter; faith and luck will play a huge part... but i wouldnt think it doable, without all the guidance and advice i've recieved here. Thank you all so much. I hope the day is good to you all...

I very well recall a tale an old timer told me a long time ago. A large hit and miss engine was being started on ether. Blew the head and cylinder to bits. As a kid I holed a piston on a small Kohler in a generic riding mower. Didn't take much.. I concur. I haven't had ether around in years. I do keep a little pump oilcan full of mixed oil/gas for the occasional stubborn engine that may have been sitting. They weren't stubborn and fickle when they were new. No reason for them to be now. As for the 'free curbside mower in unknown condition'. Thats what the oil/gas mix in a can is for. A little oil for dry rings and still plenty enough kick to see the engine fire. Maybe I'll add some little brass priming cups to the heads of my Kohlers .. yknow, like my one lunger engines have

So your wife taught them how to wet sand, huh?

This is what that American Farmer 6.70x15 looks like on a 1054 --- I really like them!

Work has not allowed me to have much free time but I did manage to finally get my C145 completely ready for snow duty. Replaced the junky glass tube fuse holder that was on it with a nice spade type fuse holder that has a cap to keep things dry. Put some new reflectors on the back for better visibility by others. Plow blade mounted & after I took this pic, I put some chains on the back tires. I did have opportunity to use the plow and I think it will work out great for what I want it for. Will most likely work even better now that I have chains on the rears.

Well I have it weighted down the seat is on and I changed up the wheely bars. We'll see how this beast handles the stone boat on this Saturday if the weather is favorable.