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I am posting this here because although it is about my new tractor the real story is the sadness involved when one’s parents pass and the children have to deal with their possessions. I never really wanted to buy a tractor , I was really just curious about it and wanted to take a look. So in the town next to me there was an add about an estate sale. In the photos provided I noticed a horse in the garage. Started early in the morning but I forgot about it and when I remembered later in the day while running some errands and decided to check it out. It was already rather late in the day and I even thought it would be over. As I pull up there are no cars or people like usually at these events. The garage is open and I see a lady in there sweeping so I go in and introduce myself. I notice right away that she is not well . It was obvious that she had been crying . I asked her if she was ok if there was anything I could do. After a few minutes as she calms down she tells me that this was her parents home where she grew up. Her mother passed away and she now had to dispose of pretty much everything and the house. Her father had already passed away 16 years ago. What upset her so much was the fact that as she described the whole day was a total stampede of people turning everything upside down. She was alone and obviously not ready or counting on such a turnout. Even though she sold lots of stuff she felt guilty and sad having to do it aggravated by how the place was left. I now feel bad about her situation and apologize for showing up now and adding to her grief and tell her that I really just wanted to look at the tractor. Now she starts crying again. Her father bought it new and loved it. She and her children now adults learned how to drive on it. She says tractor still there , then that someone even stole the gas cap off of it during the stampede. So tractor was indeed there . It is a Lawn Ranger with the proper plow still mounted and everything original on it nothing missing besides the gas cap . Her father obviously loved it . It is in great shape with his custom touches on it. It has character. There is also the right deck in great shape, a sweeper and an aerator.it hasn’t worked in 16 years but engine turns . I asked since her father bought it new if she had any paperwork for it such as a manual. Answer was yes her father kept everything. She goes upstairs for a bit and comes back with it along with other paperwork for sweeper receipts included and a photo of her father driving her children around taken 34 years ago. Now I feel bad and can’t leave without feeling guilty about adding to her grief. My mind is racing on what to do. Then I think . A little Lawn Ranger is a perfect tractor for a little girl. Perfect for my granddaughter. That is it. I ask her what she would like for it. She thinks about it for a little and asks me if $150.00 is ok for everything. I told no it’s not enough . If she allows me to make a copy of her fathers photo I will double her asking price. Since I wasn’t planning to get a tractor much less with all the attachments I had to ask her if she could keep it for a little while . I have received since then several texts from her on how happy she was I got it and if I could send her photos of it being used by my granddaughter when I got it going. I was happy that I helped her day end on a better note than it started. I will post better photos of it when I get it.

Anyone know anything about old tools? My wife's grandfather passed away in January and nobody wanted it so I thought it was too cool to go in a dumpster. I couldn't find any names on it as far as who made it, but it's really heavy! The motor says wards power craft, but that doesn't mean the grinder was made by them though. Was it originally made for a flat belt? Any help would be appreciated!

Finally got both hubs pulled back out to where they should be on my 867. She’s a “wide ride” now

Thank you for being you.

Managed to score this at a somewhat local auction.

It’s been a great fall & winter to find some nice Whee Horses. This is likely the nicest Wheel Horse for the money I have ever bought. $500.00

Started on this years winter project. Thought that some of you might like to come along for the ride. I'll start with some ground zero pictures. Ain't that seat purty? I knew that the hitch pin on this tractor was going to be big a challenge. It was brown welded like nobodies business. This is where I decided to start my adventure. First I used a Sawzall to cut the pin on each side to remove the hitch. Then I drilled a hole into the pin and tapped it to 1/2" 13 threads. With internal threads in the pin I was able to use a make shift puller to draw the pin out. Tighten the bolt, hit the pin with a drift on the opposite side, get another 1/4 turn on the bolt, hit with a hammer, repeat..... More progress. Closer. And finally a WIN!! This took up my first 2.5hrs of the day.

Here is what I did to the hubs on my 312. We rekeyed the hubs to the other set screw hole as the original had gotten larger on each side of the key. Then we rekeyed the axles to a full length square key way To finish it off I added split collars to the inside of the hubs and tighten them down tight.

Here is my 1997 416H. It is just shy of 1000 hours. I'm going to clean up a little bit tonight and should crack the milestone. I purchased this in 2006 for my .5 acre property with a beat up short chute blower with about 675 hours. It seemed like it was maintained decently before I got it. I repainted it in about 2008 with left over car paint for my Grand AM (Fire Red or something) . It's held up well over the years. Any problems I've had, I've gotten great advice from members here on Red Square. Most recently the ignition module under the flywheel. Big job, but not too bad. I've also been fortunate to get a tall chute snow blower (from a member that will recognize it) and a 2 stage blower and 48" plow from local advertising. These machines do everything I ask and more with relatively cheap maintenance and repair. I'm hoping to find another low hour "twin" package sometime to join this one and last another 25 years.

With the pin removed from the tranny I was finally able to move on. When I went to pull this tractor out of storage the rear end was locked up. A little time with a heater pointed at it and it was able to move, Wonder if this had any thing to do with it?? Not sure why this was not done at the factory. I drilled & tapped two holes in the brake hub so that a puller could be used to remove it. I did the same thing for the pulley on the input shaft. Found some PO um "customizing" to clean up. After a few trials and tribulations, I was still able to get the tractor broken down by the end of my day. Here's a familiar pitch. "Ran when parked"

We all know how upset @WHX?? gets about people drilling holes in 50+ year old metal. To make him feel better I saved the drill shavings and the old hitch pin for him.

Nice save! The old ones run forever… Mine spins and spins and spins when you turn it off… smooth and quiet…

Paul Harvey's: The Rest of the story: Saw this tractor online Monday. From the photo, I obviously could tell it was a 94-95 520H with 2-stage snowthrower with weights & chains with newer tires. It didn't list the hours. I called and talked with the owner and when he bought his house, the tractor came with it. He said it ran excellent, but had a weak battery & the snowthrower chain "fell off". I told him I would take it and could drive out this Friday to pick it up. He said that works for his schedule. Out of concern that others would see the ad and try to offer him more to sell it out from under me, I offered to pay for it via PayPal/Venmo. He said, no worries, I will hold it for you until Friday. I didn't want to get too excited, as I knew 4 days is a long time for this deal to just sit there. On Wednesday he sent a confirmatory text that I was still coming on Friday, I replied yes. I figured he was getting messages about it and wanted to make sure i didn't back out, like so many do. To be fair, I thought I would never travel this far to get a tractor, and now my wife officially has evidence that I am crazy ....8.5 hours from Central Ohio to New Jersey. I had planned on staying in a hotel on the way back home. I left at 7:22am, arrived at the seller's house at 5:05pm....started heading home and just kept the hammer down and pulled in the driveway at 4:01am. I am pooped. When I got to the address, I realized this fella had done well in life by how nice his home was. In talking with him, it just came with the house, and they started to use it during the last snowstorm and the "chain" fell off. I have no idea about these snowthrowers, so I am going to have to research how to get the chain adjusted. The tractor was in excellent shape, but I had mixed feelings about how many hours would be on it since it had newer tires on it. I was so excited to see it had 199.5 hours on it and the meter is working. After giving it a jump the tractor ran perfectly. I tried to load the tractor on forward, but the angle of the trailer's tailgate was too steep. Drove it on backwards and it worked. I am going to likely have to use my loader to unload it as the lift height is very low compared to my son's single stage snowthrower. While looking at the tractor I noticed a mower deck deflector. I asked, is there anything else besides this that goes with the tractor. He said let me see....he came back with all the original paperwork & manuals. It appears the original owner bought it with the 48" mower. I am assuming the homeowner at some point traded the mower in for a down payment on the snowthrower and had his lawn cut by contractors. Still can't believe this deal didn't fall apart in 4 days. Feeling pretty blessed. Going to take it to the car wash and clean it up from the long ride and get it unloaded and start digging into this "chain" issue. Might have to take some naps this afternoon. .....and now you know, the rest of the story.

Wheel Horse people are such nice people! and you sir, have the heart in the right place! Looks like a sweet little tractor too.

After the recent post from @wh5208speed it proves mint low hour machines are still out there. Nice to see a red and not a pink faded one for a change. I realize there is a love hate relationship on this model primarily because of the engine and that is a shame. For those that own one your thoughts and pictures are appreciated so post them up here and see where this takes us. I have been amazed at the performance of mine since acquiring it back in 2002.

Hello All, Well it was so nice today in CT that I just grabbed my toolbox and dove into a project I've been thinking about. I bought a "beater" 310-8 at the "Big Show" last year for cheap money. Somebody had sprayed the entire tractor with Iron Oxide primer which faded to pink.They also replaced the Magnum 10 with a 1960s K301 (12 hp). Well that motor ended up being REALLY tired and today it was pulled and a Mag 10 was put back out of another 310 with a wrecked gearbox and broken off lift arm. I got this tractor off my friend Claude who used to tinker with tractors. He passed a few months ago. This tractor has been sitting at my house at least 2 years. After I swapped it over and hooked up the electrical and fuel it started like it was running yesterday. I also didn't break off any of the bolts holding the tins on!!!! Everything went perfect... even the drive pulley slid off the tired 301 like it was coated in butter. She runs good and the 310 is alot healthier now, I also swapped out the tins for some decent originals. Yah Claude cobbled a Craftsman seat and a Murray seat pan onto the tractor that donated the Magnum. He was good at using what he had. I re-used his setup just because it reminds me of the good times I had drinking Bud Light and turning wrenches with him---he was always scared to adjust valves. It was my job lol Tony 20220212_154232.mp4

Dads rj hasn’t ran in probably 10 years at least. I knew it needed carb work so I took it to our local dealer(used to be wheel horse dealer) and they treated me right on the work. Got it home today and my dad took my son for a ride! Need to get the tombstone weight on it and get it washed!

Well we had a good warm day so took Hiram out for a spin. Using the split brakes and chains a bit to rough up our skating rink of a driveway.

My 800 hour "88 was on it's way to the boneyard when I saved it about 15 years ago. Cleaned the carb (3 times) to get the surging to stop. Decarboned the heads, cleaned a sticky mess from the cooling fins, replaced a leaking gasket under the oil filter base plate, vented the belt guard, new RR, foot pedal motion control, heated cab, primer bulb in fuel line, filled tires,front and rear weights, and 54" blade. Instant starts and runs perfect ever since. No snow has stopped it yet.

Hospital bed tractor lift. Handiest thing I've got for free. A tractor will just fit on nicely. A hand winch is fitted to one end to pull tractors up. A removable handle at the other to move it around. It also comes in handy as a mobile work bench. P.S. Some support at the ramp end is an idea. Tends to lift the winch end at first. I find height wise it's ok when down. It can be raised by the foot pump. OH! And remember to put the brakes on.

Lucky kid… Lucky Dad… Lucky Grandpa…

Eldest grandson and his family back from his 2yr posting in Cyprus. The whole tribe minus number 3 GS and girlfriend, went ten pin bowling at a local holiday camp this afternoon.

Hank trying out the plough.

Ole Hiram at rest in his Winter attire.

It all depends on what you are doing and on what surface… Running ags on my concrete driveway to plow snow or pull my train full of kids around the neighborhood on paved streets, which is what I do with my horses, makes no sense. I use turfs. If you’re in dirt or grass with heavy loads go with ags. If you’re on pavement like me, go with turfs…

I have owned my fair share over the years. This is the lowest hour 520-H I've owned. 94 hours. It was owned by a bank to plow side walks before the contracted it out.

Hi, I'm from the UK and into old machine tools etc. That looks a very useful piece of kit for any workshop. Being pretty obsessive I would strip it completely, check the bearings, probably bronze bushes, and thoroughly clean and paint it. Compare those cast iron guards with the thin pressed steel ones on modern machines. No contest. Not sure about original power, flat belt was the old way with over head or under bench drive. Send a few more pics and clear away some of the clutter so the dog can see the rabbit. Will make a beautiful machine.

Didn't think you were old enough to even know what they are. Totally forgot about them. Haven't seen any since I was a little kid...

Thank you! I let my C 105 know and she’s appreciative of the love ❤️ you’re showing her cousin…! Cheers!

Sir, you are a true gentleman

You have a magneto points ignition system. Your battery is only used to crank the engine and run the lights. The stator provides AC power to the voltage regulator which converts it to DC. It is attached to the battery via the R terminal on the ignition switch. Not using lights a fully charged battery will start you many many many times. Hook up your multimeter you should show 13.5 to 14.5 when the engine is running

Left them on in case we get another Blizzard of 78 and the cab had to go back on @Pullstart

Plunge your curb feelers are upside down!

Beautiful story… Beautiful tractor… Beautiful action on your part…

Why not have HER lift the tractor? She’s Black Belt Trina for cryin’ out loud!

Yep. "The 867" If it had 5309 in the serial number I would just have to call it "Jenny".

Looking forward to the build…! You could melt those hitch pin remnants down and add em to @WHX??’s next batch of curds… make ‘em squeak a bit more when he chews em…

I fixed my Bronco's throttle cable. I've changed it several times, but they eventually break loose and get stuck in the lock position. Horror Fright carries a couple different roll pin assortments. Both have 1/16th pins. So I cross drilled the knob though the shaft, and stuck a pin in it. Used small channel locks to press it in. Time will tell, but so far it's great!

After not starting my 1994 520H for about 1.5 months, I need to install a primer build on mine. It was slow to start today.

420 checking for deer sign.

@Sparky my C 105 says you need to get your C 105 out of the shed…! Of course, if it did something to deserve a trip to the woodshed that’s another story…

953 nut as always you have taken the words right out of my mouth! The happy people in this world have learned that it's not what we get but what we give to make this world better. Well done sir, small things make a great difference in other people's lives sometimes. Bob

Beautiful work Caz. Absolutely beautiful. Ya done good Mister. @Yossarian Nailed the verbage I was after.

Awesome story Cas, not a better recipient than you! Well done, as always!

Lee is absolutely correct. I ain't right and I'm ok with it. 🤠 Now just to clarify the localized color scheme craziness... I do have "rules". First/A/#1 non-negotiable. I will NOT use a color from any other manufacturer. Color schemes and patterns shall be approved by the Machinery Color and Design Expert. So far I've had a Patriot Horse, (RED white and blue). Cinnamon Horse, (RED-ish brown or brownish RED depending on variables). Trina's done 2 as well. Her Pony, (Poppy RED) and The Military Tribute Tractor. (No red paint but it does have RED white and blue lights at the back). The current herd on 2/11/2022 consists of 5 "work clothes" wearing Horses. Trina's 867 Pigpen. My 2 1974 C160 Tecumseh engine tractors. 2 1986 417As to be restored by Trina and I for another Redsquare member. 🤫🤭 Plans for Pigpen are unknown to me. One of the C160s will likely be Patriot Horse II.

At a previous job one of our contractors, who was foreman of the road construction crew, used to tell me all the time, while we were standing in a construction area with a long line of happy motorists: ”Jim, I have the best job in the world… people drive by really slow, roll down their windows and salute me all day long telling me that I’m Number One!!!…” I miss that guy…

Picked up my powder coated wheels today after work… then picked up my ags and straight ribs… More work will be done on the Work Horse this weekend !

It was 69 degrees when I got home today so I loaded the front and rear tires. 16 gallons total. I took it for a test drive and when I pulled back in the shop my wife came down to see what I had been doing so I told her and asked if she wanted to drive it. Both Charlie and Bentley had to have a turn with her. @oliver2-44 She likes it!