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Began working on gas tank install, hood install and steering set up yesterday on my long delayed RJ build for my brother David. It is coming along pretty well! Motor is a good 4 hp Kohler I bought three years ago. This RJ was $60 when I bought -however in need of some love. It was a very rusty mess. I was originally going to use a hood that had been cut at the back for a bigger motor - but I just could not bring myself to do that after looking at it. I had two RJ hoods melded to make one good one. Transmission still a lit RJ le tight and I think it just needs to be run. The honing of the brass bushings in the rj transmission rebuild process is very important to smooth operation of the axles. I did not rebuild this one but I know it had all new brass bushings , bearings and seals when I bought it last year. This makes about the fourth RJ I have redone to full operation. One more still stored for rebuild awaits. The last picture is what I started with last April. At $60 I just could not say no.

Today was pretty much the same as yesterday this time I got the 16 auto out, which is my dedicated snow blowing tractor. Changed the transmission oil and filter and engine oil, greased everything and she's ready for the inevitable.

All very nice, but the biggest thing one just has to do. Join Red Square, post pictures and ask questions.

My Grandson came to visit me today and wanted to go for a tractor ride so I took him on my '73 no name 16 automatic with a 10 hp repower I got from the show in June

This is what I started with in April 2020. At $60 I could still not pass it up! The last photo was where I was last June. I could not get over the half hood . I think it was Craig that got me motivated to get a better hood. So I bought two to make one good one.

For those of you that love "Old Iron" here's some BIG OLD IRON! I went to Schulenburg, Tx last Friday to pick up something for a family member. Schulenburg is about 15 miles from my home town. These metal buildings are at the back of the property and were a Oil Field parts manufacturing Machine Shop, Rig Master, Inc. I worked there during the summer of 1976. these warehouses are now a farm feed and fertilizer business. I went by the property as I has heard they tore the old cotton warehouse down. Because the "Compress was surrounded by upper an building and a raised wooden floor, you really didn't see just how massive this beast was. I don't know where the boiler was located, it was long gone by the time I was there. This cotton bale "Compress" used to be surrounded by a large warehouse next to the railroad tracks in Schulenburg, Tx. I have always been told that the top cylinder was steam operated. As I understand cotton was ginned (cleaned) and baled (in large bales) by several area gins. Then the large bales were brought to this rail shipping warehouse. They used this "compress" the bales for shipping (If I've got this wrong' please enlighten me) There is a heavy cast iron pit in this brick foundation that held the bale. This is the ram that pressed the bale in the pit Here in the top of the picture you can see the large piston rod below the cylinder. Then in the middle is the massive cast piece that is above the ram . The vertical timber post holding the upper structure are probable 24 inches square. There was also a Cotton Compress in my home town, but it has been completely torn down. In my youth we rode bikes through the warehouse when it was not in use.

If possible, a few checks before making the deal are crucial. Check the frame for cracks near the transmission mount, check the front end and steering components for excessive wear, check oil and transmission fluid for a sense of maintenance history. Shake the rear end and observe to see how worn the rear hubs/axle might be. Once home, it depends if it’s already a runner or not. If not, I feel like getting the engine running is always the best feeling of accomplishment. Start by checking for spark, the. See if it gets fuel or my favorite, remove the air cleaner assembly and cover the carb with your hand and letting the engine prime the carb almost instantly… and unblock any loosely packed pathways. Unless the oil looks like a milkshake, I’d rather get it running and warmed up before the first oil change. This assures all possible garbage inside will drain with the oil. Next, evaluate the transmission condition by running through all the gears, or testing the strength of the hydro motor. Grease jobs. The front end must be hanging free to get the grease where it needs to be.

Yes I have a 1/4 mile gravel driveway, and I can adjust the height of the blower with the wheels. They mount to the blower just like the skids would.

64’ with a very healthy 350.

Loooong day, bucket list here. Love old trucks. Fun day!!!

This is why I take a walk every day on my lunch break, down to the scrap yard that our business overlooks. It's all there , has seen better days, but there's a complete K301 that has compression, and lots of other bits & pieces that are gonna be worth WAY more than the $25.00 the guy got for scrapping it.

Busy day today for the BBT, her mom and me. I did a dump run earlier in the day. Then I got the 1975 C160 Automatic back up and running after fixing some PO things and replacing the carb with a rebuilt Kohler #30 I had on hand. Them 2 chicks were on the go all day as usual. Trina J. B. Welded and painted the belt guard and engine pulley on Millie and got that going too. It now shifts properly and has a much more user friendly speed. They also pulled some logs in to be cut up. They moved a good amount of leaves using the mid mount grader blade on her 867 Pigpen tractor. All 3 of us spent some time blowing leaves with either the new Craftsman B215 gas blower or the Ridgid shop vac/blower gifted us by the excellent @wallfish a few years ago. Yeah buddy we're still using that! After that Trina graded the driveway.

Randy: Had a less than pleasant experience last winter while plowing with the C81. There was a crack on one side of the hub - the plastic is overmolded onto the hex hub - the other side split and the wheel came right off in my son's hands. Whipped up a clamp-on 2 piece gizmo to mount a 70's style car aftermarket wheel - No more roll pin, No more removal Issues. Dial in the centering, tighten the clamp. Kind of like the 420 LSE style. Bill

Flush trans / new oil New shift cover Change engine oil Grease all zerks Spray lube/grease all moving parts Drain fuel system New fuel line / filter Check all electric connections Dialectic grease connections Replace needed seals/bearings

Today was finally the day I've been waiting for for about a month now. Back about the first part of October the SnapOn Rock N Roll Cab Express paid us a visit at the shop. I've always dreamed of having a nice box, but never figured I could get the approval with no credit. I have excellent credit with my small town bank, but they don't report anything so credit anywhere else has always been out of the question. But after talking with my dealer he thought he could get me approved, and he was able to come through. Ended up settling for a box that our dealer had in stock, a KCP1422 55" with power drawer and SpeeDrawer. Finished in flat black with teal trim, and complete with a worktop surface with built in power. He delivered the box today, and between it and the US General I already had I should have plenty of room to expand for quite a while now

Make sure there's no water in the Trans -a- Mission!

Yup - Kevin has a good methodical list. Three more of mine - Blow out the tins to see if it has been a rodent hotel - if so, remove the tins and have at it. Disassemble the mechanical fuel pump - clean and reassemble with a new diaphragm if needed.(You were changing the fuel lines anyway.) Pull the head - decarbon the chamber. Spin it over to check the condition of the valves and guides. New head gasket - torque cold and again after 20 minutes or so of run time. Bill

1 - Change engine oil 2 - Change transmission oil / filter 3 - New fuel lines & filter 4 - Carburetor kit 5 - Ignition tune up ( spark plug, clean or replace points ) 6 - Inspect/repair wiring 7 - Check charging status 8 - Check all steering components 9 - Throttle & choke operation 10 - Throw a wrench on all the hardware to check tightness. 11 - General inspection - look for cracks or metal fatigue - oil leaks - tire condition - etc.

Nice tool box!

Perks of the job

put a kid on it and teach them something.

To me, it is not worth fixing - I am not a fan of 2 spoke wheels - they do not "age" well ..... Look for a decent replacement. Bill

And start a thread about your horse, even tho some here take for ages to complete Maybe guilty to this as well haha

Nothing I can add to any of those lists.. Have been known to simply find a abandoned horse in the woods, tickle the points and drive her out on a pump oil can full of 2 cycle gas.

They should ... all my spacers are real close to the diameter of a hub... maybe just a hair bigger.

What’s the fun in that?

check hubs for play check trans bearings change transmission oil (+filter) change engine oil check and replace airfilter check front wheelbearings do a full regrease also the PTO bearing replace fuel lines and fuel filter (check metal fueltanks for rust) check over the complete wiring. If this would chatch fire when in the garage, some fire insurance will not cover that. check belts check and adjust brake And finnaly I inspect the frame to see If I have no cracks. Where the trannys is mounted or around the seat mount on newer style frames. Hope this helps Eric, these are the things I often do based on the couple of horses I have had and the problems I have encountered on them. and number 9 and 11 You have to be sure these are oké to prevent harm to you and the family.

@ebinmaine good idea on this issue. agree with others on baseline service , another thing I look for is the ( verification of each operational function ) does that area work ? even if it does I will enhance it , think electrical is the weakest link in these tractors. having replaced much of what i had , the starting and function is solid and reliable . you also have to be curious , to make areas work easier . collectively , what is suggested , will help out a newbie , pete

Regal Red but a professional job with painthardner applied over grey primer.

It takes a beating and keeps in ticking... 3 days of moving tons of sand and 25 RR ties to make a solid cow walkway so they can get to their feeding station. No more muddy entryway. I couldnt have done it without this thing. We have 2 skid steers and a backhoe, but the skidders rip up everything under them and they are heavy. This thing is light and you can do work faster with a lighter footprint. I should put duals on it just for a bit of floatation/traction but it does fine the way it is. What did I do with my wheelhorse today.... um, got it really dirty. lol

@AMC RULES that honda set up looks awesome ! think its the way to go , for a repower , solid performance, did a total clear vinyl fuel rated hose change out today , on a 91 ,c12 . hose was getting hard , ran it thru a spiral wrap , wire protector , with hanger mounts , for a no chafing fit. have an ignition switch wire harness coming in , to cover erratic charging. found a split and somewhat fried connector . just staying after what ever , that honda looks like it was made or it , pete

Newest one to the herd, the sad but true 414-8. I’d like to share with you some of the er…bonehead moves that the previous owner did…. #1 Change all parts over to factory parts!! Um.. it doesn’t look like that tie rod is “factory”!! 🤔 #2 Change engine oil. #3 Change tranny fluid AND shifting boot!! #4 Adjust the carb (if need be) (the 414 was running too lean.) #5 Grease all zerks and oil tie rod ends. #6 (According to the throttle on the choke mechanism AND the shortened governor spring) #1 again and again!! #7 Check all brakes/clutch and adjust as necessary. #8 Replace fuel lines with new shut off. #9 Check the PTO #10 If the tractor has a mowing deck… pull all grass out of that, sharpen blades. Once winter hits; oil the underneath of it. #11 Tune up (spark plug, coil, points) #12 Just general inspection. Ya know that a 414-8 is a strong worker!! 😎💪 I pushed it onto the trailer at the previous owners house, just because the carb was so lean it would hardly run! Now it runs strong! I am so glad RS exists! I don’t think I would have nearly the Wheelhorses that I do now!! (Or would I?😂) #13 Sign into RS and ask lots of questions… even if they sound dumb to you!😀

You forgot me... @ebinmaine... I have a diverse herd... DISASSEMBLE!!! ...and REASSEMBLE...! Don

Depends who's loadin it.

Got some better pictures of that buck when he was in back of the house

@Pullstart's list describes my method almost perfectly!

Love the new ride. A little disappointed that you pulled it home behind a Ford.

First thing I do is a gas leak check. My tractors are inside. Don't want no fumes. 2nd thing I do is the oil change in the engine. Then if it's a keeper replace the battery cables if they look original.

Unless you are like someone I used to work with. "Bobby" was in the process of getting divorced and he and the wife were still living under the same roof. The time had come to sell the house and she wanted him to cut the grass. He avoided that for a couple of weeks, so she got the mower out and put it right behind his truck. Bobby gives in, goes outside and takes the plug wire off. After 6 or 8 tugs on the recoil rope she comes out and told him it was his fault that he had not used it for so long. Game on!! He replied "You want to help? Here, hold this!!!" She had one hand on the plug wire and the other on the handlebar when he pulled the rope - only took once to get her back in the house!!! Bill

LF suspension is hanging, front differential is removed. Almost time to start putting it back together!

Well, you can verbally remind the person drilling that they will be responsible for massive financial damages, and possibly jail time if the job is not done perfectly. I find that usually makes me feel very pressured.

That cable would hook to a slot hitch. This would be used to raise & lower rear mounted implements like a mold board plow, disc, tiller, rear blade, etc. New cables are also available from Wheel Horse Parts And More. A pic of the slot hitch on my 701. This hitch was used on many tractors. And a pic of the hitch on my 1045D,

Once this list gets compiled, I think it would be a good idea to post it in the documentation section of the forum.

I just put my 16 back together. The VERY thick gasket is what I have.

Looks like it's been covered quite well so far. I check 1. Oil 2. Wiring Then clean the fuel system. Remove the belt. Then fire it. Once I know it runs I blow everything out. Change fluids/ grease Then front to back inspection to make a repair list. I must say it all depends on the tractor and we're it came from. The woods or from someone who was running and using it.

That is exactly it. Correct . Chain can be as long as one wants Original accessories for it are nearly impossible to find. It is however simple to make them as I did. For chain I use old sash weight chain which is essentially what the original uses. Made a little demo video to show how simple and effortless it is . Due to where I am standing so as not to obstruct video hole went a little out of plumb. In reality the idea is to position yourself in such a manner so you can visually see it’s relationship to plumb and keep it correct. Now imagine drilling a similar hole on top of a ladder using a drill putting pressure upwards and having shavings fall on your face while trying to also keep it plumb.

Ditto on that but it always seems once you get her home there are things you didn't catch at the sellers that might have been dickering points.

Making great memories for you both! Getting him started early! Good for you sir! I'm over 50, so my grandfather has already gone home- but what I would give for just one more day with my PawPaw!

Got some more done today. Bearing/ impeller support doo-dad finished, all bolted up. Added a belt tensioner. Verified the seat pan opens fully still, and added a few more parts. Taking it home Saturday, so I got get rolling!

Here's the puller I made. Similar to Joe's