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Completed the assembly / restoration of a 42" side

We @TonyToro Jr. started a quick fun project. We call him MaTer…like from the movie Cars. He’s rusty, crusty and going to stay that way. Yesterday we brought him in and stripped down. There were some things bent, broken and unfortunately to rotted that needed fixing. We removed the Briggs and Stratton and installed a pull start 8hp Briggs and Stratton. Today will be reassembly and look how the cargo/brush guard will get attached and then how the rear boom is going to mounted.

So I went over to my buddies house this morning to pick up the dash off the 856 project. Leaving his house there was a junker picking up stuff on the curb. His truck was piled up so high I thought he may be related to @Pullstart. Well he was older and and trying to get a washing machine balanced in there. So I pulled over to help him lift it. Well as he was removing stuff in the truck in order to get this washing machine squeezed in, I spot this buried in the back. We pull it out, I told him I give him 10 bucks for it and help him load the washer. Deal. Needs tubes for the tires but it's all there. I put these little wheels on for now cause that's all I have until I get tubes. Works fine, nice and solid but paint peeling off. I painted the dash for the 856. I'm not going to paint the rest of the tractor. Going to leave it ratty looking, but I just wanted to do the dash.

Never truer words were said Peter - just get on and do stuff, you will learn soon enough from mistakes. So many people I know happily pick holes in all my projects, point out mistakes etc, but none of them are brave enough to try anything themselves - so therefore they achieve nothing in life. I often look back at our busy life and the mistakes we made, some of them huge, but I wouldn't change anything as they are generally the defining moments that put you on the correct path.

I have a good replacement hood for tyhat... come and get it. ...FREEBIE for your kid. In the PA panhandle...Located 40m south fo Lake Erie

Finished the 3 point hitch and subsoiler then gave the 953 a little workout in hard red clay.

New decals for the SL & WHN RR… now known as the “Solar Express”… Thanks @Vinylguy!!! As usual - great job!!!

Well we managed to dodge Covid in this house (besides my daughters quick round in February) until yesterday. Alex woke up for school looking like an absolute mess. Something said test him so I did and sure enough he was positive. So while he slept I tinkered in the garage and mowed a small section of my lawn with my 753. Fast forward to today and he feels fine and wanted to be in the garage all day. I managed to keep him busy with his 604 moving things around getting stuff ready for our first show of the season. He also installed his brand new seat on his commando 8 that I got him for his birthday. we just came in. 11 hours in the garage. I only was able to stop to eat and he made me do that in there too 😂. I tried to mow some of the lawn and the 753 died (I believe fuel issue) and he towed me in from the back 40. Unfortunately his brother now has it with all the same symptoms on the same time line as Alex. Hopefully he kicks it fast too.

Me n' @JCM had a little shop time today. Disassembled a starter of his off a Kohler Magnum 20. Found it's pretty well chewed up in there. I'll be calling around to see what I can do for Jim. We also cleaned up 2 carbs. One off the same Kohler Magnum 20. Another from a 20 HP Onan engine. Trina and her mom moved 5 loads of wood into the basement storage room.

@Brockport Bill It’s a 1984 GT-1800 that I bought new, used it for over 6 years commercially to mow grass. Then many years of plowing,tilling etc. I restored it a few years ago.

@TonyToro Jr. my grandson frequently asks me how do you find so much to do ? how do you keep so busy ? emphasis in answer to not be afraid do do something because you are worried about failing . failing is the part of learning that is vital , it won't kill you , but it will embarrass you and humble you , and most vital its the learning from your screw up that will , stay with you . once you realize how a failure can , improve you , you take to it like water . butt kicked and feet to the fire, been there many a time , pete

Made this mirror holder out of a bit of galvanised pipe and a tractor bucket pin. Fits into the original holder, then bolted a cheap mirror on. Need to trim it down and paint it black, but cheap and the mirror is significantly better than the broken original. I want to get some decent truck mirrors and adapt them.....

So far the calibration has been has been a good one. The wife and a few neighbors took me out to lunch at my favorite BBQ for some pulled pork. Next we visited a few local waterfalls and enjoyed and nature for a few hours. Upon arriving home i found out why the we had taken such a long leisurely afternoon. While we were gone my wife had ten cubic yards of mulch delivered and spread for my birthday gift. It would have taken me a few weeks to finish that job myself, my back feels better already. Today after Sunday School we will get together with a bunch of "Church People" for lunch, no telling what that rowdy groupe will do!

Two trailer loads went and only 1/2 a load came home....downsizing. Kids having fun on the see-saw. Oops, that old geezer looks like an @ericj Just a few of the Druck Family pedal cars. A few round hoods. The Big Trike and the little T. Fun pulls Girl Power

Glad to have you up Mr Jim. 😀 After @JCM headed for the low ground the BBT went out and spent some time in the new garden area cleaning out rocks and sticks. I did a little more prep on changing the Cinnamon Horse C160-8 over to 5 lug trailer hubs on the front axle. Yesterday Trina and I attached the drilled axle stubs (thank you to the person who did that !) to the N. O. S. Steering knuckles I got from @Sparky last year at @JCM Jim's Meet n Greet. Today I drilled the tie rod holes out to accept the oversized 7/16 hiem joints.

Like Ophra on a baked ham! That Honda engine alone is worth more than $200 if it runs. Wish I kept the one I had. Probably should've posted this after you got'm. By now the vultures have circled that seller and have made all kinds of offers

My good friend Jim is a loyal Cub Cadet guy . Another fella at work is a dyed in the wool John Deere fella . We always take friendly pokes at each other . They're loyal because they just don't know any better .

@TonyToro Jr. terrific stuff ! insight , inspiration , encouragement , interest, will last a lifetime ! learning all the time , correcting mistakes and keep going , what have you done ? confidence school , stay at it grandpa , pete

Yes the 2 Stage will fit. That Tractor and blower will take on any snowstorm you can throw at it. However, the 520 with gear reduction steering does steer a little easier. Lived in Danvers for 50 years . @Dfbittner

Gary gets his time on stage with the cast from Robert C Byrd High School in Harrison Co. WV performing Spongebob Squarepants! At the reception line after the show, when Gary was brought out,all the cast and crew chanted for their mascot..."Gary!,GARY!,GARY!" LOL Great to have been a small part of these kids showcasing some excellent talent.

And then decided to have my own little show!! Still had more to take out but they are still in hibernation.

I recently found some junky 14ga sheet metal at work. still had some good sections so I figured I might as well get some patches made for my rusty 42 side discharge. I had my younger brother who’s going to a welding school do the welding for me. Had to bribe him with food but whatever.🤣 I figure since the deck is 100% solid now, I’ll cut with it a few times just to see if the welds hold up to constant vibration and then I’ll paint the whole thing with POR-15 to ensure this is the last time patching is ever needed. Still have tons of sheet metal left as well. Definitely finding a place to store it cause I doubt this will be the last rusted mower I own.

the truth is those kinds, (snobers), are everywhere. here, there.... all around. people have issues. from social media to tractor pulls, issues. intentions all their own. ignore it, do your own thing, it is a much better time.

Good luck with your deal! I have fit 4 Horses into my 5’ bed Colorado… but these are bigger and heavier and have decks too. I’m not sure I’d try to get ‘em into a pickup bed together. Signed, the Horse Loader Himself.

God bless the USA and my family!!! Husband had our daughter pose with the horse’s the afternoon while I was at work so thought would share them!!!

Got them yet? For that price they'd fit in the back of my pocket... If you need help call @Pullstart... He'd get three more on top these two...

Remember - the ONLY mistakes you never get to learn from are the fatal ones...

There's somebody here on the forum that had restored a wagon like this. Maybe give it a search and see what you can find. It has plenty of pictures in the thread including that of wheels and tailgate.

So it's slow going but pecking away. Had some time to play again. The steering set up seems good as far eliminating any bump steer but still need to figure out how to connect the rest of it back to the steering wheel and offset it to one side. The front suspension has been a bit more challenging than anticipated with some trial and error. I overestimated the strength of the springs on the coil overs. After doing adjustments, parts on and off and on again quite few times it's sitting on the ground like it should. Problem is --- it only allows about 1/2" of axle movement up until the shock bottoms out. Coils are adjusted for max pressure already. That really defeats the whole purpose of the suspension so heading back to the drawing board. Before looking for stronger springs or new coil overs I'm going to try moving the the bottom mounts out towards the tires. That should (in theory) equal less mechanical leverage against the coils compared to the existing location and put the pressure closer to the spindles.

Another 2 stage vote. I've used both styles and the singles do work well but when it comes to deep heavy wet snow, the 2 stage outperforms them. Especially at the road where the big road plow drifts are. Yes, they will clog the chute too but no where as often Both have pros and cons and either beats a shovel any day. It's nice to have a dozer blade tractor too for quick easy light storms and maybe some clean up after blowing. I don't like piling huge drifts with a blade after multiple storms because they don't melt here and just get bigger and wider so it's nice to just throw it out to sides and be done with it. And like Don said it's kind of fun too and shoot it 30 ft. Guess it all depends on the driveway too. A small 6 car area would probably be easier with just a blade unless there's no where to pile it. Mine is a big U with an additional straight on one side along the side of the house so it's quite a bit of area.

I have a two stage on a 417-A and I must say that thing is unbelievable! We had almost two feet of snow a few years ago and that thing was so impressive that I went and did my neighbors driveways because I was enjoying it so much. They didn’t need it done because they are only here in the summer! I hear it’s a PITA to take on and off but I put it in once and it is now my dedicated snow blower. If I had to take it on and off I may opt for a single stage. Note my F-350 with 8’ Fisher plow and sander in the background that I could use for this task, but this is way more fun! I use the truck for my snowplowing business.

@Sparky Yes that’s a 416-H with a 60” deck, but 6” factory front wheels. Some came that way because they made a 37” side discharge deck with two blades and it had a crazy offset or stagger so the 6” front wheels gave it enough room. Well as it turns out it also gives enough room for a 60” deck and the ability to turn about 95% without the wheels rubbing the deck. My yard is mostly open so it’s not really an issue for me. I can turn 100% it just rubs a little, not enough to bind up or anything though. I mow pretty much weekly in the season so I’m not cutting tall grass with it and the 16hp does just fine turning that big deck!

Built another electric fence reel out of scraps. The ends are lids off oil drums, the frame is made up from drinking troughs I made last year that we decided weren't suitable. The shaft and bearings are bits I collected for the trommel project - finally used them! It's hand operated like the previous one posted in this topic. Was a fun days project and is now out in the feild being used.

My birthday's in November

Love the dog on the tractor!

Had some little niggling feeling that I should look at Craigslist, and saw an ad for both of these tractors for $200: I'm not very familiar with the Work Horse models. Ad says it ran recently but not now, may just need a battery. I'm puzzled about the 416-8 because he says it has a Kohler engine. Mine has an Onan. Did they make some with Kohlers? I called and left a voice mail... I was ready to pay almost that much for a pair of used rear Ags with rims. Looks like the seats are in good shape too. I'm thinking I'd keep those and maybe a few other choice parts, and part out & sell the rest. Thoughts?

If they shunted me I would be back next time to show them what a real 430 JD would do.

JD guys are hard-core. Someone I know... won't say who... but he owns a Kubota... and has that attitude. I have a variety of equipment.... and... even if I owned a massive tractor... I would still prefer Wheel Horse to every other piece of machinery on the market. Many people have asked... regarding my Wheel Horses... "what can THEY do...?" ...in a snobby way... I don't say a word... I just... show them... Don

Today was deck maintenance day for my 42" RD and SD decks. I used my new tool file to sharpen all the blades CORRECTLY for the first time in my life... I've always been an angle grinder guy but apparently that's way overkill and you ruin blades a lot faster. I got them nice and sharp with a few dozen passes and I feel a lot better about getting the cut angle correct too doing it by hand. I also added a patch and some filler welds to the 42" SD deck I bought from squonk last year. I find that to be satisfying work, spending an hour to make something a couple decades old last a few more years. Finally I treated all the spindles to some moly grease and hit all pivot points with white lithium grease. We're ready to mow!! AND from what I read, the northeast is predicted to have a wet summer and lots of mowing.

I always go hand tight, then 3/4 turn more with a wrench. And lubricate the rubber seal before installing.

You mentioned using a loader. I love mine, but not the best for moving snow. You need too much room to maneuver around. Blower is the way to go...

Lift bar, springs and such. Definitely look up the parts diagram because there's lots of smaller parts and brackets for mounting them which seem to disappear like the socks from the dryer when they're removed from the tractors. Never to be seen again! The belt guards are nice to have but not critical to operation. Look down the chute and through the front at the throwing paddles. They're a PITA to straighten if bent. Not the end of the world but the whole thing disassembles to get to it. Top left of every page is a browse button. Hover and it will drop down a menu and you will see manuals. Put in that number or 2 stage blower and you should find the manual and parts list. Good luck on getting it!

@Johnc agree with @steveasaurus above on tractor supply , for wheels https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/martin-wheel-6x1-3-8-plastic-deck-wheel-1-2-in-bushing-1-3-8-in-offset-hub these are the wheels I have on 3 decks , give you the added height you want , use lucas chassis grease as lubricant , have them for years now , no failures , might have yo order them , pete

Today is maintenance day for my little pony. Hope y’all have a great day!

I have both single and two stage, after years of use, my opinion is that the single is good enough. The extra storage space and the difficulty installing the two stage may be more trouble than it is worth.

Grandson with Gary and Spongebob! And my personal favorite was Sqidward and his daydream!

@ebinmaine went there once in August and froze our asses off! Not kidding, base of the mountain comfortable in a long sleeve shirt, took the cog railroad to the top(I brought a jacket) the guys working on the building up there were in coveralls, wool hats and gloves.

I finished welding up the subsoiler, gave it a coat of paint and tried it out. The spot I tested it in was very dry and hard but it did very well.

Just finished the second mow of this season. Little 308-8 with a 36”RD got it done!