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After an intro to round hoods via the Lawn Ranger, I've been kinda sorta on the lookout for one of the taller models. Three weeks ago, on a quiet Friday night, a tired non-running 854 snuck out of Pennsylvania across the Delaware River into New Jersey, continued on over the Hudson River into New York, and ended its trip in my garage (displacing my car)! Since my spouse's response to my plan to convert a storage area in the garage into a heated work area to work on tractors was met with "Don't you already have a nice shop in the basement?", I needed a new plan. First, I realized that the 854 is only 31" wide (vs. 42" for the 520). Then last week I asked for and got a lot of good advice on trailer-mounting a winch so I went ahead and built a quick and dirty trial version. Lastly, I added ramps to my exterior basement stairs. Today, it came together. My son and I chained the trailer to the Lawn Ranger (as a counterweight!), hoisted the 854 up onto the trailer, backed the trailer up to the stairwell, and then winched the 854 down the ramp and through the 32.5" wide basement door. We were both surprised at how smoothly it went. I won't get to work on this machine for a couple of months as I've got several other projects in the works, but when I do I'll post progress to this topic. So, on to the pictures! Here's the 854. PO says it was running as a plow tractor in 2020 until its lift cable broke trying to lift a stuck plow, sidelining it. Seems the backup tractor became primary and this one got parked at the back of the shed. I'm fairly sure it had an HY unit (cleaner paint area on the hoodstand) and probably ag tires that got swapped off for its original tires before it was put up for sale (these tires are practically new and the lug bolts have recent marks on them while the fronts are on their last legs). Its ignition switch, voltage regulator, and some other bits are probably on other tractors as well so I'll be doing some shopping once I get a full survey done. And here's the "deep dive". (I took off the hood for the transit to avoid risking it being damaged--the air cleaner is MIA at the moment.)

I bought some Wheel Horse tractors and decks from a fellow who was a collector but after a flood in 2019 he decided to sell out his tractors they all had water in the engines and transmissions he didn't drain them after the flood I started with the 875 because the transmission didn't have water in it had to rebuild engine replace starter/gen.& voltage reg.but I have it running and moving also got a 704 going it didn't come from the flood just needed a engine a trans work.

Sub 12's, just so you know.

Hope you all are doing well! Been wanting to build a pressure lubed opposed Briggs for the off roader for quite a while- they just 'oil' better for obvious reasons. After much searching, I located a 'big boy' 46CI (20.5hp) pressure lube Briggs opposed twin, in a vertical shaft arrangement, and after MUCH deeper digging was able to pick up a horizontal shaft side cover, oil pump, and lower sump (oil pan) to flip her to horizontal for my usage. I have a knack for making power without spending a lot of money, and use that knack to inspire others to open their toolboxes instead of wallets, and enjoy making their small (or large) engines really honk without going broke. Well, plans often change, dont they? I ran across a fella who had a billet flywheel, billet rods, hotrod pistons and custom ground cam for the same style of engine, for about 10 cents on the dollar. Guess this build will be going against a lot I stand for, but its sure going to be fun! Ever heard an opposed flatty twin at 7 grand? Me neither. Stay tuned, its gonna get silly

Hold my beer, watch this!

What...no parachute?

Strange but true, no snow in N.E. Ohio 2021/2022 season. So anyway, I installed a 520 swept axle on my C-165 and 2" wheel spacers. All 4 rims and tires are from a 520. I have to thank who ever posted how to add the big linkage to the steering, it was simple and EZ to steer. Wide track before and after photos. Now I have to reinstall my 10K generator for power outages

No where else on earth can a group go from snap ring pliers, to beaver nuggets in such a short time ! This place is awesome.

Kevin coulda drove that down w/o ramps or com-a-longs.

Been noodling on this for a while and finally took a shot at a mock up today. Hoping to catch all the stuff that seems to fall back under the rear tire plus widen my swath in an easily removable way. It rides on the factory plow frame and I will replace the all thread with a smooth rod that just rests in the holes under its own weight. The plow sits on the pavement out at an angle and you just reach down and lift it up about 1 1/2” and it will swing back and sit parallel to the tire. Prob just drag against the sidewall…. Anyway thought I would share. Weatherman got me all heated with the threat of .38” of snow Fri. Wanted to get a rough look at it and try it in the light stuff before committing to drilling the plow frame. Just used what I had- wish I had some C channel or smaller rect tube but the lower 2x2 angle should be fine and I think the upper 1 1/2” angle might need to be 2x2. Will add a few braces/gussets if I go all in. Thinking I would make 1 pass with it up then turn around and put it down and do the rest that way. It will actually come off the ground when I lift the front plow with the factory lever but I think I may do away wiht that to avoid too much stress on the plow frame. Going to need a centering stabilizer up front too.

Gave this sign a revamp . Gutted all the non-working magnetic ballast / fluorescent internals. Replaced with led sign pods . 120v-12v converter with wireless controller option . IMG_3649.MOV

Remember, have more fun-get more done! Your Wheel-Horse does it all!

Not enough seat time!

After a coil, condenser, and a cleaning of the points. A couple of adjustments to the carb, took the bowl of cleaned the rust out of it! Calcium in the rear tires, one rim is salvageable, put newish rear tires on. Changed the fuel filter. The change of tranny a motor oil and wiring!! Drum roll… please! She runs strong, charges, drives and the brakes work AND the E brake works!! I saved another one from the grave.

Those bolts are steel and are threaded into aluminum resulting in "Galvanic Corrosion". The best procedure I have found is to begin by tightening the bolt a bit first then begin to remove it. @Maxwell-8 beat me.

Seems like there's a thing about animal waste going on here! Now that we've gotten @Gregor's Snap Ring topic totally off topic, I can't wait until @ebinmaine weights in with some Maine products, maybe something with Bear ______ in the name. Then again we've got Beaver Nuggets in Texas, so who am I to talk about animal waste. You sure can't say we don't learn new things on RedSquare!

Can it pull a plow? Will it tow my train? Will those tires have good traction in the snow? What kind of fuel consumption can I expect? Does it run a generator? Will a mid mount grader fit?

That pic from the top of the stairs reminds me of the day we lowered a 600lb. chiller compressor into a basement. Some plywood, a tree and a bunch of guys! Save yourself a couple of 6-12 rear wheels and tires. Then you can mount them on your bigger horses and fit them into your basement for cold weather work as well. I have 2 tractors stored in my back shop using the skinny wheels. You can also fit more tractors on a trailer this way.

Don Now I see the interest in the 8 speed conversion.... tractor looks almost complete air cleaner housing as mentioned and the left cover over the brake are missing. Looks to be a solid start - check the frame "F" plate for cracks where it mounts the Unidrive.......... this one was from an 854 IF you do the 8 speed conversion you can probably DRIVE it up the ramps in 1st gear, Lo range !!!! IF you can get enough traction. Bill

When my first child got her license (at 17 after at least 1,000 miles of supervised driving--family rules) I bought a used plain Jane Volvo sedan with 15,000 miles from a rental company. My theory was (and still is) that the odds of an inexperienced driver getting into a crash are high, a stodgy sedan would not be an extra incentive to risky driving, and if (when?) there was a crash the Volvo would do its best to give its life for my child's. Plus the insurance on that vehicle was very reasonable. That car hit a deer (no fault to the driver--deer are suicidal in my book), got backed into while traversing a parking lot (by a driver with a 2-week old license), and got crashed into a snowbank at 55 mph (yeah, discussion ensued on that one). It survived all of that and finally became uneconomic to maintain in my youngest child' hands at something over 220,000+ miles. A win in my book.

I like it. Excellent design. I've thought about doing this in the past. I went a different direction in that I now have a 60" wide plow originally made by @wallfish. I've strengthened it a little and added a beast of a cutting edge. It's HEAVY. I tell you that to tell you this: I don't think you're going to be putting too much stress on the factory frame. Unless there's a specific benefit to keeping ONLY the wing down, keep the lift/lower as one motion. Just an FYI... If you become a site supporter you can post all the pics in one window, eliminate the ads, and it helps keep the place going... I'll be looking forward to seeing more of this project.

More 4

What ones are you using? They can be anywhere from 135 to 300 or more CCA... I'll second the questions. What's the exact issue? Have you removed and cleaned ALL the wires one by one, end by end? FYI... My mid 70s C160 tractors can both use group 51 or 51R batteries. I have a complete NEW harness. Still a little resistant to start when it was below 20, 25⁰. I went from a 220 CCA U1 to a 400+ CCA 51. HUGE difference.

I already got it!😀 This was off my B80 1/17/21. They love tractor rides, can’t imagine where they get that from!!😂

My expectations are much more realistic, although they will never be dyno proven. I think 30 sounds pretty realistic. ....and a big, wide, flat torque curve that will pull a house down. Thats what 46 cubic inches will get me.

Good invention there Jeff let us know when you are on Shark Tank....

Dude is getting better every day.

Use the winch along with the engine. It will walk right up.

Gravity was your friend going into the basement, may need to eat your Wheaties when it is time to bring it back out into the world.

Painted the boat trailer fenders and wheels. Took quite a bit of hammer and Bondo work on the fenders. A little more work on the deer mount. Antlers and eyes mounted and ear bases formed.

It is good to know about other cultures and their customs. Much to be learned from them specially due to the fact that they have been around for thousands of years.I respect all people regardless of what culture, religion or ethnicity. Most times we judge others out of fear, misinformation or plain ignorance. People should be judged by their character and not by their ethnicity or the government that they have. It is good to know about these little things that have a special meaning such as your gift. In 2018 I bought my van, a 2007 Ford E-250. An absolute time capsule looking like just out of the Ford assembly line with only 23,000 miles. It belonged to a Muslim lady that had a small business and only used it to deliver little boxes once in a while. Aside from that it was always parked in a garage. She had on the front and the back of the van a decal which is a "Khamsa' or "the hand of Fatima". Fatima was Mohamed's daughter. It is a very old symbol used in many cultures with slightly different meanings .Essentially it is used as an amulet to detract so called evil eye or spirits. She proceeded to tell me about it, (which I already knew what it was) and asked me if I wouldn't mind leaving on the van since it had protected it all of those years. I am not a superstitious man, and actually also liked the look of it and since it seemed so important to her I promised her that it would stay there.She actually gave me a big hug when i told her that. Those symbols have been a little trouble a few times, even family members pressuring me to remove them. I have been asked a few times out of the blue when I walk out of it if I am a Muslim. Ordinarily I don't take kindly to being asked such a question since to me it does not matter what you are so it shouldn't matter to you what I am.. However I always have answered that particular question leaving people a little puzzled. I happily tell them that I am Christian, but my van is indeed Muslim. Those symbols will be on it as long as I own it.

Something like this?

The hauling and loading departments didn’t show up today, so I’m taking the day off too… of splitting. Plenty of dead standing and down trees on this 80. I can have as much as I’d like. Winter weather advisory, perfect day to hunker the truck down in a ditch and try out that new 4 by 4 system.

One of my wife's favorite candies are Goetze's Caramel Creams. A road trip is not complete without a stash of them in the glove box.

“Lemme finish this, and watch this!” Better? Well not for you.

We won’t be holding your beer… we’ll be drinking your beer…

Go in reverse… it’ll walk right up…

Your name looks good in red!

Why worry about getting it out now? "Sufficient for the day are the troubles there of" The inventive ability of getting it down means the reverse will just be another fun challenge at the time.

Oh ok did not know all that , I am so not a computer guy ,this is the first time I have ever been on a forum , but will become a supporter Now to go navigate and find that here that, Ha Ha

Railroad ties front and back…should do the trick… Maybe as side molding as well… Kinda like bubble wrap for your truck…

That 854 will climb a telephone pole if you can figure how to give it traction.

Glad to see the winch ideas help up! Fun project Don!

Just a detail to point out. I often back blade snow in specific areas due to access problems or to finish grade gravel…May want ability to keep blade down in reverse…

Oh I don't know Richard. Nothing saying you can't Zoom. Repeat..Zoom. Repeat......

Hook a sled on to the back of that, and that operator can pull you around for a ride. VERY SLOWLY, of course.

That's exactly where I got the idea for the slot. The trouble is, you have to flip that spring manually. You might as well break down and buy a winch, a little angle iron, a few switches and relays, plus a few feet of wire. In the end, all you have to do is put the tractor in reverse, and the blade magically pops up. But you might want to plan on a couple hours free time, when it comes to all them wires, switches, relays, and such.

Excellent execution of the tractor to basement workshop plan Don. I'll be looking forward to seeing the progress.

I got one of the gusset brackets started today. The material is 2" x 1" x 3/16" "C" channel. (Q: what's the difference between "U" channel and "C" channel? A: The way you look at it!) Beefy stuff. Won't break! I messed up though. The angle of the bend is 45°. My plan was to cut out the wedge, bend the metal to close up the cutout and weld. Well... I totally forgot that I needed to take out HALF of the 45° ! So the pieces I cut out will have to be welded in to act as fillers. Fortunately, Euclid was on the money with his new-fangled Geometry and the wedges fit right in there nice and tight. Here's how it's going to be mounted. Once I get it welded up I'll bolt it in place and drill a single hole to bolt the top of the bracket to the top of the deck. ] The second one I make will be correct... 22.5° ! This in addition to adding the 7/16" bar as in the previous post should prevent that point from ever cracking again. I hope...