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I agree with with the others to flip those rear tires. I do not completely agree with adding weight to our tractors using the draw-bar. My reason is that any weight added to the rims only (wheel weights) puts all the weight on the rubber tires and none on the rear axle bearings . Weight added to the draw-bar puts that additional weight on the rear axle bearings. Just seems like it could possibly promote premature wear or failure of those bearings. So I run a 50# cast iron wheel weight on the outside of the rim and a 25# weight on the inside of the rim.

You gotta check out their snow blower demonstration.

First of all. Thank you everybody for your advice and help with what brands you like. We did a ton of research and obviously included this thread. We chose this machine because we felt like it would give us the best long-term reliability and bang for the buck. Also because I was able to purchase it off the showroom floor at a local dealer .... not use a box store. I was initially going to limit myself at $1,500 but I splurged just a bit. $1,599 plus tax and blah blah blah... I bought an Ariens Platinum 24 SHO. 369cc. 17 ft lb torque. Horsepower is not advertised but expert guesses put it between 12.3 and 13. 120-volt electric start. A light so you can see in the dark which is pretty important to us. Heated hand grips. I've never had those so I don't know if I like them yet. This machine has a very interesting feature called Auto-turn. I'm not at all sure how to describe it so I included Arien's own video at the bottom. I put it down into a snowbank in the back and this thing is VERY impressive.

Posting for reference on the 953,1954 and GT-14 rear wheel weights. These heavy weights went inside the rear wheels on these tractors. They added quite a bit of weight to the rear end. I beleive it we close to 75 lbs on each wheel when the two halves were added. I have a couple sets on tractors and I am keeping this set for a project 1054 I have not been able to get started on yet. Maybe this is the year!

I was able to add a 100lbs to the hitch receiver on my c175. Used a 3/4 x 8 zinc bolt...any reason this is no bueno? Seems to have added just enough to keep me from slipping in most places while plowing.

20200117_135247.mp4 I was able to make it to the swap meet on Friday. It amazes me all the stuff at that show and that's just the swap meet. The actual "show" is in February. It was a little windy, but still nice out. I think I may try to get organized to stay and show some stuff in 2021. I'm about 2 hours away, so I have to figure out the logistics part. The show with set up and everything can be a week long. Anyway here are some pictures and cheers from sunny Florida 20200117_153702.mp4

Here is my 3rd owner early 953 I bought it back in 2017 from the original owners son. Bought new and local in kendallville indiana. It has some funky weights they are real heavy to. The son couldn't tell me where his dad got them. I have did alot of digging nobody can tell me what they go to. They fit perfect in the wheels so whatever works i guess! The tractor is all original except paint he said his dad got bored many years ago and repainted it. The only thing done was an axle seal and they took it back to the dealer for that it was under warranty.

That tread pattern looks like it might be happier if you switch the rear tires side to side.

From Discover on Google http://www.startribune.com/bloomington-based-toro-spends-167m-to-acquire-tractor-and-equipment-maker/567169972/

Thought I would share some digging i did a little while back on the clinton engines. I own a few of them. and i was just curious about where they started. I have a cousin in iowa i am hoping to go visit this spring of summer i am planning on stopping by the museum i hope and the Deere museum. The first photo is an engine cover off of one of my motors. The rest are gps photos of where the old plant in michigan is. So stinkin neat! My work buys pallets from the michigan pallet company which has a couple of pallet making places in michigan and one is in clinton. I have been talking to a certain driver whenever he comes back he said he would get me in contact with a few folks who could feed me with knowledge of the the old days!

I just bought a set of the ww-93’s. still waiting delivery on those. But I also got a set over the summer just like @bottjernat1 has. 100lbs each shipping was $120

I agree, swap the tires to maximize the cleaning action of the VEE tread. Fill the tires and add wheel weights. Past bearing studies have indicated adding load to the axle bearings at the slow rotational RPM does not significantly affect the bearing life. The bearings normally have 4-500 lbs of radial load, so increasing that by 200 lbs is not a problem.

Im about to dive into this sunstrand hydro pump and replace all seals and o rings . This will be a first for me and l do have some manuals to help me thru. I am looking for a little support in this endeavor. The parking brake pawl will definitely need A little repair which I can take care of. The inside of the transmission seems to be in great shape the gears are in excellent shape as well as the axles. It will need new axle seals. Its a 90- 2046

The way an engine should be

That is a BEASTIE for sure! I can’t wait to see the first video of that thing chucking a huge rooster tail into the sunny sky!!!!

Nope, hated seeing that one go...thing was an awesome truck! Just, when an old lease ends... a new one begins. Signed up for the last leftover '19 model they had remaining. This new one is a "custom" just like the black model I just turned in. Suits me just fine because I'm not a fan of all the plastic they are using now in these newly released '20 models.

Managed an hour at lunch so removed the hood. Stood so long the carb is solid with brown varnish (ancient fuel) so need to find a repair kit and a fuel pump but I've got spark and compression so can't be bad 👍

Bad wiring/ corrosion or a solenoid that is failing. You do hear the solenoid click every time you try to start it even if the engine doesn't spin??? and it spins the engine if you jump the two big terminals I would go for a new solenoid.

If you hear a click form your solenoid then your ignition switch is OK. Jump the two big solenoid terminals with heavy wire does the engine spin?? Or hook up a volt meter to the system. Does the voltage drop a lot when you try to start it? If it doesn't I would say your solenoid has issues or the wiring from the battery to solenoid or solenoid to starter motor check and clean the connections.

I remember someone on here posting information about the one piece 15" wheel weights being sold by prior to the WW-93 being made. Those may well be correct for a very early 953.

@WVHillbilly520H @pullstart The reason I want a walk behind is for space constraints and also for traction issues. The hill beside the house goes down beside the shed as well and that can get very very slippery from runoff. There is another area in the dog run that is similar. 28 is a Max width and walk behind really is a necessity, not a desire. In the future I would not be opposed 2 having a 44 wide on the front of another horse for the upper main driveway.

So this truck is a 2000 K3500, the last year you could get a New Silverado, or a K series “88-98” body style. It’s a 350 Vortec, with the 4L80E transmission and it’s my trusty back up plow rig. Every time I drive it, I feel like I’m in one of the last Hay Day trucks they built. Solid bench seat... no fancy dash, great visibility... it’s a mouse house for sure, but the Fisher under hood pump, with spool valve controls make it a great plow rig.

the ultimate,,,,to date,, is ""THE ED KENNELL STACK,"" OVER THE TOP....NO SNOW TO DEEP ,,,,

I found this little guy locally and inquired about it. As much fun as building a custom box might be, it would be nice to just modify one to fit as well.. It’s a 60’s/70’s era Jacobsen “Garden Butler” trailer. I like the back gate action, it looks like a dump truck multi function unit!

Fits in great with it’s surroundings!

Liquid filled tires will add a lot of weight where it is needed at a very reasonable cost. SIZE GALLONS Per Tire WEIGHT in POUNDS 16x6.50-8 2.0 21.4 18x7.00-8 3.0 32.1 18x8.50-8 3.4 36.4 18x9.50-8 4.0 42.8 23x8.50-12 5.5 58.9 23x10.50-12 6.8 72.8 6-12 3.6 38.5

Can’t risk getting them mafia boys after me! I hear tell that the last person to mess with one of their tractors ended up dipped in boiling linseed oil! I like the look so far and it makes me feel better than robbing the little tractor of all of its history.

I finally had enough chances to mess around with the 603 to get almost finished. I still need to reinstall the knurled nuts on the hood, but otherwise it’s pretty much finished. I cleaned the entire tractor, sanded all tins with 800 and 1000 grit paper, followed by a generous application of linseed oil. I did make one mistake - I liked the hood and just meant to leave it overnight, but it was almost another 12 hours before I got back home from work. When I returned anywhere it was too heavy had gotten quite sticky - took a lot of work to get rid of that sticky residue. Moral - dry it down before you leave it for the night. All the red paint you see is what she left the factory with! I then removed the wheels and painted the rims with Rustoleum almond, followed by painting the tires with Miller’s tire paint. Looks great I think. I want to put rubber caps on the front hubs, but am not sure if I want red or black. I can’t wait to get it out in the sunlight and see it after this polar freeze passes!

@daveoman1966 has lots of great posts on Sundstrands. Here are your axle seals. https://www.ebay.com/itm/TORO-Wheelhorse-Axle-Seals-6449-Set-of-2pc-FREE-SHIPPING/142042768245?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160811114145%26meid%3D44d045110a5c434d9af2b89eddb98bcf%26pid%3D100667%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D7%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D181442383639%26itm%3D142042768245%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2334524&_trksid=p2334524.c100667.m2042

I read about that engine a few months ago, and it looks pretty healthy. Something like 280 HP and 460 Tq. I don't recall seeing any MPG figures though. Completely unlike GM to go for an inline 6 diesel, though. They've been building v6 and v8 diesels forever. My grandfather had a Ram 4x4 EcoDiesel, until it got totaled. It would average 27 highway and with a 20' car hauler with a car on it, it would get around 21 on the highway. It was a 2015, so it was 240 HP and 420 Tq. They've since bumped those numbers up. He had no complaints about it at all.

Had some spare time before supper so I thought I would make a hitch for the tractor. What good is a tractor without a hitch right?

@ebinmaine... May I suggest this ... Guide Gear Snow Blower Cab https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009H48KWK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_HHnkEbR67X3H5 ... I still think a cab is a valuable asset while operating any snow blower.

You don't need to remove the blower to change the chain Find the master link on chain. It will be the only one with a clip on the outside of that link. Remove the clip, then you can remove the master link which separates the chain. Count the links in the old chain, now count the links in the new chain and mark it. You'll need to grind off the rivet holding the chain links to separate the links to the new length. Loop the new chain on to the sprockets with one end on the small sprocket. This will help hold the chain and line it up for installing the new master link. The new chain will come with one master link but they are cheap so buy a bag of 2 or 3 while you are there buying the chain. Look for the tensioner pieces when you have the old chain off. you should easily be able to see it or at minimum the bracket should still be there. This may help too

Nice choice! I have a similar Ariens and it’s great. Buying from a dealer was a smart move, their machines are always slightly better quality than the Home Depot and Lowe’s stuff. I’ve been told the big box stores can specify how they want the machines they are selling built (cheaply of course) so they can lower the price and lure in those that don’t know better. They specify a plastic bushing where a dealer machine will have a proper bearing for example.

So these were meant for the 953?

Here are the pics. The unit is a 25 series of Englander with nice options like electronic speed controls. I fired it up last night in the open bay and there was no visible smoke at any time. It puts out plenty of heat after a half hour from a cold start with the unit. After reading the manual and observing the lack of any smoky scent in the exhaust smell, I have determined that this stove will not be run indoors until and unless a CO detector is present. After research, I found that it is rated for 2200 Sq ft. My insulated shop is 1350 or so.. This stove is rated with direct contact at the base with the only concern being sparks during clean out. It only needs 6" of clearance at the back and 3" at the sides. Glad i have the motorcycle lift/ pallet jack [shown in one pic] that can lift it 30". I am thinking about running the exhaust through a heat saver.. at 25 degrees.

Is 28” a width limiting factor, or preference? For the money you’re willing to invest, I’d sink it into WH stuff too and get a nice blower for one of your existing horses. Maybe that auto you’re reviving?

I placed an order with them (Wheelhorsepartsandmore.com) for some hydro gear items that I need and my mailing address didn't show properly. I received a call from Joette yesterday, what great people!! I am glad I ordered from them and I am looking forward to receiving my order. Would highly recommend purchasing from them. They do sell the replacement tie rods you need.

Agreed. The more weight the better. Those appear to be directional tread. Flip em and retry...

Sawweet Jim... Nice pics just for the hallibut! Hope yer happy now fellas ....I'm jonesing now to hook up!

Well @WHX24 Jimbo looks like your ole lady an my ole lady are makin us look bad with those 2 monsters your wife is showin off compared to those Bass of ours that I thought were pretty respectable until your post so I thought I would post a few more, always gotta save the best for last. Patti and her brother in Alaska showin off a Halibut that she caught. Will find a few boat pics when I have a minute and post them as well.

Fine, fine Jim! @ryanh03k Welcome to Redsquare! Now how ‘bout you share with us clowns what state you live in!

Call Lowell or Joette at Wheelhorsepartsandmore.com

Well, if the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy!

As promised a few more truck pics, have 1 more of the F -100 but among the missing at the moment. Have been trying to put these in albums but takes time. First pic is a 1972 F-100 2 wheel drive with a 240 six and 3 speed auto bought from ex father in law who was a 30 year Ford mechanic and purchased it new. This truck had under 50000 miles when I bought it. The second is a 1978 F-150 4x4 with a 300 six and 4 speed manual and under 60000 miles and picked this up 4 miles from my home. Want to mention that about 6 miles from my home was a 1978 K-10 Chevy 4x4 with an auto trans in mint condition for 5000.00 two tone maroon shortbed that I really wanted but the Ford was 4500.00 and had a 4 speed so went with that, plus I couldn't come up with the extra 500,00.

No factory foot rests for any RJs. Any that you see were just added from previous owners. The 1960 foot rests would be the most period correct and also the easiest to repop yourself since they're not casted. Just bent diamond plate steel. Toolbox and rear fenders were and extra option so either way on those is factory correct Found this pic on the net

Acres and acres of stuff at this swap meet but only saw a few horses. Here’s some pics of some of the odd stuff I saw.