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With all the extra time been organizing my photos. Here is another favorite job for same client. One of the first smart phones did not take the greatest photos.

With no tractor shows scheduled in the near future, I moved some tractors to the summer pasture. Now what to do with a couple trailer loads of WH parts that normally find a home at the shows. Oh well, it's time to charge up Linda.

My " Library " has a tub a sink and a toilet in it. That room makes me want to light up a cigar and pour myself a glass of bourbon and I dont even smoke or drink. Outstanding

Closer than this

I would have to say anything @Bear G builds or either one of these.

Well @squonk stopped by today to do a little trading and he gave me a hand on the Lambert. What do you think ? Came out pretty good. Amazing how much you can get done with an extra set of hands. Now I know how @pullstart gets so much work done!!!

Sink O DeMayo.........Gotcha covered

You’re asking about a plow group in an “Ultimate build thread” and then Bam ........ we’re talking about cheese. love this place

That does look a lot like a chunk of cheese Richie...

The soon to be owners came over today for some shop class and to learn about their new machine. They’ve been in isolation for quite some time and we agreed that we were all healthy and safe. We’re making big progress on the whole thing! The choke cable is finished, the 3 point is as assembled as we can get it without a parts run and now there may be talk about go-karts for a bit!

Some of my workers are sharing parts right now. I do have a little short frame with wide 520 wheels on the rear. That looks awesome.

Its like we have tourettes! Or we are like the dog off the movie up. Oh Look Squirrel!! LOL

Hi. Great website. looking for a well maintained WH to begin with. I am looking at c-models and 500 series at the moment. (Ps: appologies in advance for vocabulary faults in this massage or in future ones )

I’ve lost my help. Huh.

I would like to think any of my tractors (at least the one that runs) would be able to do just about anything I tossed at it except for plowing. They would have to be prepared for it. Although I have never plowed before, I might already have the plow bug myself. Ready to hook up the one I have and tear up some dirt.

Personally,I'd use a gasket.I bought several at one time.Or,you could easily make one from gasket material.Just checked the points in my C-161 last week.The old gasket looked fine so I just re-used it.Gasket sealer has a lot of uses.Not for everything though.

I like cheese

A member named @Save Old Iron has not posted here in a couple years. He was an absolute electrical goro. I do remember him saying the the Regulator/Rectifier used on Kohler engines will not work unless there is a 12 volt source to the B+ terminal. If the R/R is not disconnected while the engine is off there will be a slight parasitic drain on the battery. You could connect the R/R to the "A" terminal to isolate it with the key off and connect it with the key on.

I agree with Anthony and Onan parts. I rebuilt my 520h with 1275 hours. It did not use oil (remarkably) but a valve seat let go. So, I stumbled on a good block and rebuilt it with parts from Onanparts.com. Glad I did, it runs strong. The previous owner did not take the best care of the machine, so I was just trying to turn back the clock. Anthony, you may want to slot the belt guard to allow for better cooling of rear cylinder. I also put a remote oil filter on mine to allow more air to flow over the rear cylinder as well. I found the remote filter and cooler on eBay. I never have been able to find a good place to put cooler, so it is in a box on the shelf. It looks like you are doing a great job. Keep up the good work. Also, thanks to Onanparts for all the great parts and service.

The bold text in Anthony's quote above says it all folks. Most people don't know how the tractor was maintained by the prior owner or owners. He does know, all the more reason to open the engine up for a thorough inspection. Anthony is "resetting" the clock on his Onan. Most will just roll the dice on a used machine and with an Onan come out OK or better! In this case, he's going for a sure bet. Time and money well spent and invested! The best and most economical time to open up your Onan, is BEFORE it's really tired. That's typically thousands of hours though. At 500 hours and change, it's way too early for Onan engines with proper maintenance history to do a total tear down. But this is not a properly maintained tractor as Anthony has stated. Anthony, thanks for the orders!!! I was able to stop the last one from going out today, just a few minutes before the pick up, and added the 509-0269 seal to it. It will be on the way tomorrow, Thursday.

Thanks alot guys! Next year's the BIG one (50) ! I still feel like this kid in the picture every time I hop on one. And yes, I was mowing the grass at 3 yrs old. Dad would start it, put it in 1st gear, start the blades, and off I went.

With the talk the last few weeks about the 5xi series is making me: "Feel the need for speed - or a 520xi!"

Thanks Brian! I started playing around and have come up with this! time to get playing with the torch and forge my holes!

Very nice looking ride! I agree that the starter is not original. I would say that you need to remove the starter, and the solenoid. Clean the mounting points of both. Remember that these are DC electrical systems and you MUST have good grounds. While you have the starter off you can bench test it. If it spins but does not let the Bendix come out, remove and clean it. If the bench test is bad, call A to Z Tractor in Pennsylvania and get a good used OE Kohler starter.. Lincoln is a great guy. He'll take care of you.

I think it’s the starter. Picked it up today went to crank over and would start. Went to jump it and just click.new battery and same just click. Starter looks to be non original solenoid looks old. Would like to put new on. Any recommendations?

Watcha got? Bring them to my house it's not far

Yah good luck with that knowing these Yes I guess you'd havta categorize if you were building a tractor for show/ queenie, rat rod, plowing, franken horse, worker.....

Getting us somewhat back on topic. When you are a dyed in the wool “plow dog” you start naturally looking at every GT thinking, “I wonder how it would plow?” I’m so bad that I have to force myself to say that a given tractor won’t get a furrow plow!😁. So, it didn’t surprise me when Jim came in with the plowing thought, followed by Ryan. Dan didn’t say anything “specifically” about a plow mule but he hinted at it. I’ve infected these guys far worse than any Covid scare with a plow bug that doesn’t disappear and I’m not aware of any antidote other than to get in a garden or field and do some plowing!!!😂 So...Kevin, you may not live in the Cheesehead state, but after last fall, you look to be infected by us as well😁 Back to the topic, when building any custom GT, the goal should be to fit the purpose that it was built for. Plow mules need to turn earth well with reliability and little effort to the machine or the driver. Mowing/blowing machines need to be agile and functional but can also look cool while doing it. Show tractors just need to be cool looking like Dan’s Rat Rod or Craig’s @AMC RULES round hood V-twin that reflects your personality and style. You guys have built so many machines that fit this category, we should just have a thread for that alone!😉

Brake pedal must catch the corner of the foot rest to hold it upright.

slightly When I was restoring my 1947 Dodge a few decades ago I decided to drive it to a local car show a few miles from the house. Bare body shell in primer, no windows, no fenders, no interior but it had a license tag hanging on some wire.! I was sitting in a milk crate and the only lights were the tail/brake lights. Second intersection I came to there was a County Sheriff's car coming the other way. I stooped, used my hand signal for a right turn and proceeded on down the road expecting to be pulled over. Looked in the rear view and saw nothing! I guess he just didn't want to wright that many tickets. The show was great and had an uneventful drive back home.

and just like that, we’re off topic! I agree EB, cheese is awesome!

Well yes it seems I have my work cut out for me. Seriously have my doubts on if I can pull this off. Stop me if you think im going to do more damage then good. Tomorrow I want to roll it over to where I can get to my hose, undo the drain plug on the tranny, and with the cover off power wash to get as much junk out of the bottom of the tranny case as I can. There is A LOT of sediment on the bottom of that casing. After that I will spray it all down with brake cleaner. Put the plug back in. Fill it up with either vinegar or ATF/acetone. I will take the top half and put it in a bucket and soak it in the same solution. Anyone see any problems with that before I do it? Speak now or forever hold your piece !

Today I ran out of steam. Quit early. Did get everything corrected and reassembled. Filled the transmission and changed the oil in the engine.Got the seat back in and the carpet. Used 30 wt. non-detergent with some MMO added. Don't want to get too carried away as it looks like it's been running the Non-detergent stuff. I'll probably pull the pan one of these days and look things over. Going to order a 12 to 6 volt step down so the heater can be hooked up along with the gas gauge. Tomorrow while it's up in the air all the fitting will get grease then it's time to lower it and see if it will go down the road. Will have to stick to the back roads as the only lights on the back are signals and 4 way flasher. By this I mean dirt roads like the had in the 30's

Due to the width of the engine, I had to use a Jackshaft to connect the engine to the transmission. Since the engine runs at lower RPM I was also able to gear the Jackshaft with different size pulleys to match the factory transmission input speed based on 3600rpm of a gas engine even though this engine only revs to just over 3k

I think if I could build anything I wanted it would the same as skittles but the diesel engine/Eaton hydro or an 8speed conversion. I built my favorite already. Just need to finish it. The “2054” for my wife will be another favorite completed when I get it going. 1054 on a GT14 frame, Eaton 1100 hydro and 20 hp magnum twin.

Hi folks. Joined up today after searching the forums for info that I still can't find. I have been a Toro Groundsmaster fan for years. My wife's preference for traditional/conventional riding mowers and my Toro loyalty led me here. I've been looking to step up to a newer model from the 520H. Can someone please tell me difference between the 520xi, 520Lxi, and 522xi? I would greatly appreciate it.

I suggest that you recheck the clutch plate adjustment on PTO. it would appear that it is slipping somewhat on you

@D_Mac @rjg854

I would use that gasket. New. Dry. A lot of points covers have a vent hole in the bottom. Make sure that is open and free.

Hey Ritchie forgot to ask last Tuesday..... What day is it?!?!?

Man u live in a desert? LOL

Xi and groundsmasters are totally different machines, both of which I would own for mowing and maintaining my land. Just depends on the groundsmaster though. Expensive to repair like all Toro stuff especially if it wasn’t treated well by previous owners. The Xi would be a more versatile machine. Only dislike I had for the Xi was the steering/acceleration linkage crap which is easily undone. Good luck!

Can be hooked directly, but insert a fuse in line, to protect the wires, just in case rectifier dies. Welding on frame or other purposes can be a reason for that.

I totally get what you guys are saying about the hours and the rebuild. This is something that did cross my mind and doing the rebuild was not what I set out to originally do. Knowing the person who had this before me who does not maintain or service equipment did play into the fact I wanted to open it up. Also the oil leaks with the need to replace all electronics. I figured if it’s open why not replace some stuff now and freshen it up. If it’s done now I won’t have to worry about it for another 30 years.

Never mind that @Tractorhead that’s just one of the plow dogs looking for something that Dan @Achto probably lost in the field😂 @wh500special i’ll Have to pm you about that. If I didn’t have to mortgage the ranch, I could be lured into that one I’m sure! I didnt want to mention my wife’s Dxi and derail the thread. With the exception of a Cat O hitch and rear PTO, I can’t think of anything they could’ve improved on with that machine. I’ll say it again, the xi series is one of the most underrated and unrecognized GT’s ever made. Now many of them are showing up on the used market for very inexpensive prices because people honestly don’t know what they have😉. Hopefully our community latches on to that and capitalizes on it. Everyone who has more than one horse should have one of these as a worker in their stable... just ask @shallowwatersailor One of our in house xi gurus!😉

Also added this to keep the fuel system primed, no more long cranking in the mornings.

Some in process build pic's with tractors on my favorite/only build jack.

Joe Papke sells the remake rj and suburban belt guards. you can contact him at horsedr2004@yahoo.com He knows more about the early. Wheel Horses then almost anyone I know! Yes

This is tough—so many cool customs on this site: I’m gonna give another shout out to my buddy @Achto for Radpferd. You think it looks good in the pictures, wait till you see it, hear it, and especially drive it—IN PERSON! Well done Dan! Kevin has done a lot of cool custom work but I have to give him props for Frank: I mean...a big wheel hydro round hood...nuff said! My buddy @19richie66 has done some cool stuff for sure and has several neat ones in progress, however can I say that Skittles is an awesome concept: Eaton 1100, custom wheels, custom hood latching/hinge mechanism, custom dash and controls, and much, much more! I also feel like @Shynon knocked it our of the park with his 1054 monster plow mule he built last year. He took an already capable machine and made it even better with a more powerful engine, heavier diff, etc. He will have to list the details if he cares to. Furrow plowing aside, if I was to build an ultimate all around—mowing, blowing, blading, scraping, tilling, kick butt machine, I would love to get my hands on a 520HC someday (solid mechanically but rough cosmetically) and swap the sheetmetal with and square hood long frame tin work. I understand that would be a lot easier said than done, however I have the afformentioned “maestro of metal work” only about 15 miles from my house 😉. It would be kinda like an LS drivetrain with custom frame and a vintage muscle car body on top😎😎😎 Dan talking diesel power made me think of another one that has floated in the back of my brain for awhile as an awesome plow machine: a D250 with Cat O hitch, full hydraulics, but upgraded with either a Perkins or Kubota 4 cylinder diesel! Definitely not the “sexiest” looking tractor but something tells me that would make short work of the JD 430’s at big plow days😂 Keep the ideas comin’ boys, this is a fun thread