Leaderboard

So I was walking through the living room today. The front door caught my eye, and I turned towards it. We have some of the most awesome sunsets here, but this one was particularly brilliant. I said out loud, "that is the most awesome sun..." I stopped mid sentence, about faced, and retreated as quickly as possible while maintaining whatever dignity that might be left. It was too late. My wife had figured out what I referred to and had lost her composure. Let me explain in the way most things have to be explained to me: 1- it was about 5:00 PM. The sun was still up. 2- the door in the picture faces due east. 3- we have a 734 year-old cat that refuses to come indoors. I mean like scream and scratch like a mad rabies-infested racoon crazy. Taking him to the vet is very much like an episode of Wild Kingdom. His name is Stanly. 4- Stanly is rapidly moving towards that great litter box in the sky, but not before a long and joyus run with feline senility. He has stopped sleeping in his warm little blanket-filled box, and no longer poops in the yard. My wife's favorite front porch chair now works fine for both functions. 5- my loving wife had placed a heat lamp on her chair, because we're headed into low 20s tonight, and Stanly may indeed pass soon- but she doesn't want freezing to be the cause. Needless to say, after everyone stopped laughing, I was sent to my room for a nap. My wife was concerned that I might have post idiotic brain damage, but I don't have any idea what she is talking about. In my defense: The second pic below is a normal sunset here. Just never had one on the eastern side of the house before.

It required a silver-red base under the red candy. It’s a little tricky to spray. You need a slower reducer for the silver so it doesn’t come out blotchy, the gun needs to be even with the surface, you need to be careful not to drop your spraying elbow down so you don’t get stripes and you need to keep a 6-8 inch distance so the metallic will lay down evenly. I raise the gun up to 10” on the last coat and spray faster than the previous coats so the metallic stands up and looks even. The candy coats require you to spray the full length of the panel and be careful of overlapping too much so you don’t get dark areas. You can’t stop and start in the middle of the panel. It’s challenging, the kids had to repaint a couple of the panels because they messed up. It’s also very rewarding when it turns out good in the end.

We made some progress today. Installed the k321 shroud and painted some of the panels.

Bingo! That happened to my 2000 312-8! At first thought, it might be the tranny… nope! It was a 50 cent roll pin!

It’s a worker. It plows snow ,pulls trailers around the property and is a back up mower when my walk behind is broken. Going to put it in parades this year too. My son says it doesn’t look tough anymore and is too pretty. Lol. He also said we won’t be able to use the hood for a workbench anymore 😂

We did about a gallon pour last night. Oh man it looks so good! I’m glad to even have the voids from where the epoxy found it’s way through the first time filled up. Mrs. P and I kind of both agreed after that pour… no pictures. We’ll mix up another gallon tonight for another go-round!

Just add a couple blowers and three hundred pounds of electronics, and a paint job, and we’ll have twins!

Agreed. Stanly is actually a cat that I like, because I do NOT like inside cats. Only so many things I tolerate on kitchen surfaces, and kitty litter feet are not on the list. But the lamp on the porch is in a safe place.

Hello, New to group. Thanks ahead of time for the wealth of knowledge. A few months ago I got lucky and found a 90's 416H for sale with a 42" side discharge deck and plow/chains. It had been sitting for a few years in a garage. 220 hours, original owner, with the manual. Very nice shape with a new battery. $200. Needless to say I bought it immediately! I needed to remove the tank and flush it clean with new gas, replace the fuel filter, and clean the carb. It runs very well. Both the engine and hydro were serviced at 200 hours but I am going to service them anyway as it was 12 years ago! The manual states 30 W oil for operating temps 30-100F and 10W-30 for 0-30F. Here in PA the overwhelming majority of times it will be 30-100F while mowing in the summer but occasionally it snows and I will be plowing. It's very rare that I would be plowing in extreme cold but in the 20's is likely. I am a bit shocked that the manual suggests 10-30 only for temps below 30F! So... any recommendation for 30W vs 10-30? Filter- Napa 1762 for the engine and Napa 1410 for the Hydro- Are these correct? Also- I am not sure of the year. I attached a picture. Hydro control on the column. Model 73421 S/N 3900541. The seat isn't cracked buy the edge material has come loose and despite my efforts I am unable to compress the foam enough to get the edging back on. Any tricks for this? Thanks for listening and checking out my new tractor. This is my second Horse but first hydro and so far I love it. It was a joy to sell my 2015 x300 John Deere and get back on the Horse at a fraction of the cost! Now I can mow, plow, and move my trailers around. I do wish it mulched and that hydro pedal kit might be in my future! Sorry for the long post. IMG_7238.HEIC

Second pour done…. Time to pop bubbles every 30 minutes or so. I’ve got nearly a gallon left, but may end hp going to the store for more. I wonder if they’ll have the same brand as they carried 12 years ago…

My brother has had JD 317 for many years and he got it used. Back in the 90s he replaced the KT-17 with a new one as the original was over two thousand hours and leaked like a sieve. Family trait of never throwing anything away he put in the loft of his barn. About 2006 I picked up a C-175 that had a ventilated crankcase.... Got the stored motor put in some new seals, swapped sheetmetal and intake/exhaust manifolds and she is now on sweeper duty. Smokes a bit on start up but it clears pretty fast and she goes to work. Meanwhile he is still using the 317.. it is a beast....

Your belt should be a #7473 5L820W which is a 5/8" wide belt. You didn't get a 1/2" X 82" belt did you?

Well you drop that out in the woods we would all enjoy the fruits of a Snickers tree... Prolly sprout better than Dan's money tree...

Check for a sheared roll pin that connects the clutch lever to the crossover shaft. Scratch a mark across the lever and the end of the shaft, then work the clutch and note if the shaft is moving inside the lever.

Momma wants new flooring! Having done a previous coat 12 years ago, we found no leaks last night. Just air bubbles and a torch job every 30 minutes.

Beautiful sunset. Don't set the house on fire with that heat lamp. I'd rather have a frozen cat than a burned out house.

Here’s an update on Alex’s 604. We waited a couple weeks for all new electrical parts and when they got here he wasn’t home. He got home today and naturally didn’t care that it’s only 7 degrees out and the garage isn’t heated. I convinced him that we could bring the engine in and work on it on the dining room table. He said to me “dad we can’t do that” my reply was “well there’s no one here to yell at us” which he then agreed with. So we brought it in and he helped me install the new parts. After a little adjusting we had good blue spark. Now we can clean up the mud wasp nest and a few other things and put it back together. Getting spark was the first step towards making this run. He’s pretty happy and so am I. Just remember folks…. If you’re cold, their cold. Bring them inside.

I’m gonna go knock on Uncle Jim’s door and serenade him silly until he sends me home with another

Decades ago we had a shop cat, Sebastian. I built him a 'Cat House' in the shop. Wish I had some pictures... the little kids next door 'decorated' it for me. They loved Sebastian, and he was a lover! It was a work of art, lemmee tell ya! It started life as a big cardboard box. Some duct tape and box cutter transformed it. Added an elevated 'sleeping shelf' under which was a 25 W light bulb. It had a 'surplus' thermostat that controlled the bulb on/off. Had to put an anti tamper box on top of the t'stat because I swear he kept turning it up! The 'door' was a flap cut out and duct taped with a sign on it that said: And old Sebatian 'made it so' !

You can kind of see how bright they are but are way better when it’s dark. Picture does them no justice. You can find them on ebay sometimes at a good price. Place where I got mine isn’t on there anymore.

That will buff out.

Golly Gee!! a REAL set of D mufflers that arent a pile of rust This - or something similar is what most of us D owners are going to, they are Cub Cadets and are reasonable at around $40 and have a good sound.

I would suggest a new clutch spring hooks into the clutch shaft and attaches to the rear axle on the left side. I have changed them with quite a few less years than your tractor has. If the spring is weak it will not have enough tension on the belt. May need a new 5/8" x 82" belt as the sides may be worn if it has been slipping. The original clutch spring #1014 is available from "Wheel Horse Parts and More". Good people to deal with.

I'll throw my hat in the loo... Here is my analysis. Mobil-1 10w-30... year 'round. This replaces 10w oils completely. The fact is, the 10 in 10w-30 is defining how well the oil flows in cold temps. The 30 is how well it flows in hot temps. Regardless, engines cold crank even on a 60 degree day. The oil isn't as thick... obviously as it would be if the temp was 30 degrees... but when you have an oil that can survive hundreds of degrees, 60-70-90 degrees at resting temperature does not seem like a lot. Higher quality 10w-30 oils can maintain their viscosity in warmer temperatures (thus why you don't want to buy low quality oil). SO... if you use a high quality 10w-30 oil, both SAE 30 and 10W30 act the same at 100°C. You could pick any cool Spring or fall day, and do your own test. Take some 30w oil and pour it into a bowl. Take the 10w-30 and pour it into a bowl. The 10w-30 will be notably less thick. However, you do the same test on a 90 degree day, and you won't be able to tell the difference between the oils. Ambient temperature above 60°F... feel free to use straight 10w... but it isn't necessary. Run quality 10w30... and never think about it again... I also recommend: Lucas @peter lena and Klotz Now... I go slither back under my rock... Don

Hello Ed- a gentleman had just pushed it out to the edge of his driveway as I was on my way to work. I pulled over, asked about 3 questions and gave him $40 to hold it until I could come back at the end of the day with my trailer. Luckily he stood by his word and held it for me. My son tried it out by mowing the lawn and it ran fine at first but then started starving for fuel. My son and I took it apart and cleaned the fuel system and carb. New gas, fuel filter and fuel line and we were in business! I used it all summer without issue. It still idles a bit "uneven/surgy". I will be cleaning the carb again as it was a mess and very hard to clean well without completely removing! Thanks for the offer but I am holding on to this one for a bit! I just plowed with it for the first time last week- what a treat! Hoping for more snow soon! Thanks

Funny how things work. That little gadget that I bought for $8.00 way back then, was extremely accurate. You got a bunch of little reflective dots to put on the flywheel or the grass screen. They would always give you a nice "spot" to test. I have a buddy who is always ragging me about my "cheap" toys. He brought over his mega dollar tach that he uses for work. Comparing the two, the RPM's were identical. Paul, just to clarify, I tune the carburetor by ear, not the timing.

Gotta ask, any interest in doubling your money.??? I see a for sale sign...was that just sitting in a yard? I live on the other side of the river from you and it was never on Marketplace or Craigslist or I would own it. to the

I’m in Michigan and I run straight 30 wt rear round…

I visited Doc for a check up this morning. He and the new receptionist got a decent belly laugh listening to my story!

Zippers. Hunting ammo out, goodies in! No droppy in the snowy!

And now we’re pretty much up to date. Second coat should be applied between 4 and 24 hours from first pour. Tonight we’ll likely do it all over.

Put some on Jeff and go give Squonky a big mooch!

He’ll have a good tan !

This reminds me when I was about 10 and a friend bought a Briggs to tare down and took it apart on the kitchen table when his parents weren't home!

I have another one, but it won't come close to looking "original" on anything. That being said, it's crazy bright. Like mow in the dark bright...

Ran into a issue today. One of the original 3 rims is heavily pitted on inside. So I am going to work on that one later this year. Instead I had a pair of miscellaneous rims sitting in shed that I will use temporarily.

Oh lawd no! Happy to see ya, and yes that's a roll of anti-sieze in my pocket...

Check the brake band tension. Corrosion can build up in there and drag on free operation. Cool username BTW!

That convinces me, I hope it works for her... I need to remove the balance gears! Wish me luck!

We applied some spray on bed liner for the step tread and Hot rod black on the upright portion.

Might be normal Huey.... especially if you have the correct 80/90 in her and it's cold out. Really cold tranny oil can drag a motor down and what's worse even after some operation, hydros not included, will not warm up much. Ther should always be a distinct noise between clutch in and out on really cold tranny. Sometimes even in milder temps.

In the past few years, I've tried 4 different methods of LED light replacements. Let me say first that though some are better than others, ALL of them far exceed OEM light options so far as output is concerned. They also have very low power consumption, don't get hot, and are claimed to last thousands of hours. So far none of mine have needed replacement. There are some people who prefer incandescent traditional bulbs over LEDs, and I do not intend to try to sell them something new. We all have differing opinions, and that is the way it should be. There is also the argument for keeping these machines as close to original as possible. This thread is not intended to challenge any of those opinions. What this thread is intended to do, is offer some insight into what I've found in some testing for those of us who still work these machines, and look to improve where we can their capabilities. Make no mistake- LEDs greatly increase light output in front of your machine, and do so economically and safely. All of my tractors have one of two types of lights: the PAR 36 style on 300/400/500 series tractors, and the automotive turn signal type in most everything Wheel Horse manufactured between 1965 and 1984. This thread focuses mainly on those. I plan to do some comparison pictures and add to this thread. Some side by side comparisons will be added later as well. The PAR-36 versions are the simplest modification. You just replace the OEM lights with LEDs. If you go to SuperBrightLEDs.com and search "PAR 36", you'll find several options. The older style lights require some modifications. There are many options, and each requires different levels of modification. Remember that "warmer" colors below 4500 are more yellow like incandescent, and "cooler" above 5500 are whiter, and even lean into bluish colors above 6000. Combine this with lumen ratings (which are NOT standardized), and it can be confusing. To be honest, most any LEDs are brighter than traditional lights on these tractors, so I doubt this thread will help much there. There are more options than there are shoe sizes, and they vary between seller just as much. I'll be adding some mods that I have done as well in the next few days.

Two words: Fast Forward

Old thread but never too late to add to. 1980 ARK on a 1981 C145 Blackhood.

Too bad as that would be the best way. Do you know any one that has a wire feed welder that could weld some patches in for you? Using Bondo will only result in it cracking and falling out. Bondo should only be used to fill imperfections not holes. If you can't get new metal welded in place, you could try using fiberglass to make your repairs. Not the absolute best option but it will provide the support needed for the job. Make sure that the metal around the hole has a deep mechanical scratch in it, 24 or 36 grit grinder wheel would work for this. Make sure that your patch extends out at least 2" all around the hole. Putting fiberglass on both sides of the sheet metal would be a good idea as well.

As for northern oil, I too use 30W. I’m pretty sure the normal consensus is that changing oil of any kind is better than most!

I’ve heard many a story of kids in the 70’s bringing their air cooled VW into their room to work on ‘em! Why not a Heart?

Couple more quick easy tests is to jack up the rear and see id the wheels spin with no binding. Remove the belt guard and the drive belt and check the input pulley to see that it spins free with no binding in all gears. Any noise that might suggest a bad bearing somewhere?

I've seen "stack of dimes" welding before, and on rare occasion made a few myself. That being said, 95% of mine look like slung albatross dookey. We're not doing structural welding, and what I mean is making two pieces of steel stay together for our applications is far more important than making them pretty. Now- if you ever weld up the cooling tank at a nuclear plant, I'll critique your welds. But bulking up a mower deck? Stick it, and grind off the ugly. Unlikely you will exceed 60,000 psi on that edge bar.

I use the antisieze 'lip balm' No muss, no fuss, no bother.