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Didn't even break a sweat....

Years ago, a Wheel Horse dealer make a parade set up using 4 Wheel Horse tractors without drivers to pull a parade float. It consisted of 1 hydro tractor and 3 manual transmission tractors. The steering was mechanically linked together, and the hydro was the only tractor running and thus pulled the manual tractors along with it. I had gone to the dealer who had the set up and tried to purchase all the mechanical parts, but I did not find everything and decided to pass on the sale.. For the local Christmas parade almost 20 years ago I thought that i will just build my own driverless parade unit. I made a test run with a model 753 and some rope controls and thought hey this will work. A model 704 was used due to the 2 spoked steering wheel that the reins (ropes) tied to each steering wheel spoke could easily operate the steering. The starting and stopping was controlled by a lever operated cable that pulled the clutch brake pedal from the back downward. The clutch had to help back with the level, and I had to shift into second gear and leave in gear. And yes, there was a safety cut off switch wired in just in case something happens. The sleigh was built on top of my 4 wheeled wagon. I drove this set up for 2-1/2 hours during the parade and received many remarks from kids who thought it was magic that there was no driver on the tractor, women who thought it was romantic and wanted a to ride in the sleigh and men that said, "That guy is good". Wild Bill in Richmond VA

It was a lot of body language and the front tires up in the air! My Wheel Horses had to cut the lawn, plow snow and run a grader blade so I pulled in the stock class. My Wheel Horse model 753 never looked like much but it would stand up on the wheelie bars for most of the track. My 633 Diesel Beast was always pulled in an Exhibition class. Wild Bill in Richmond VA

As I remember being watched had sumtin' to do with this picture .... as ya' can see a small-town street, tractor parade, the gap in the center of the road and me on my six speed Lawn Ranger getting ready to make a full speed blast right up the middle! Wild Bill in Richmond VA Note: The Wheel Horse pulling the dump cart is Ed Mayhew.

Brought my new unit home today. Tomorrow is inspection day.

I have loved this Wheel Horse custom since first laying eyes on it. And just wonder if it might be for sale. Growing up during the 1960's (I was born in 1959) Rat Fink was a big thing with Ed Roth and custom car culture and this Wheel Horse hit me right in the heart! Wild Bill in Richmond VA

Over the years I have been ...... well let's just say watched carefully by the law because of my activities on Wheel Horses! Wild Bill in Richmond VA

I think the exoskeleton (outside roll bar) should be a dead giveaway that the driving will not be on country roads and open highway. These trucks are used in fighting forest fires where pentation into the burning forest could result in a tree falling on the truck.

Bob, I have all my wheels powder coated, I also have the frame, front axle, footrest and a few other parts powder coated too. The powder coat color for my wheels is porcelain white from prismatic powders. Here is the last one I restored.

Got the newly acquired 1045 running. Considering this tractor sat for over 4 years and the points were all jacked, bad gas in carb, gas in oil and nothing but a battery hook up and new gas to get it purring like a kitten I had a great day. Hauled in some inventory and couple new tractors life is good. IMG_6279.MOV

A day of harvest here today. Peppers & tomatoes were ready so it was time to get some thing done with them. After a lot of prep work got a nice big pot of salsa. Canned this up so that we can enjoy it through out the year. After a hard afternoon of work, I was pretty hungry so I headed back out to the garden for some more peppers. For supper it was poblano peppers stuffed with cream cheese, chicken, cheese, black beans, tomato, onion & jalapeno. Topped with more cheese and cooked on the smoker.

I’m looking for some help with a 753 I got yesterday. I would like to know how the hood mounted. Bottom of my hood is gone and there isn’t any mounting mechanism. I may be missing something here or is this the way is was? Surely not. Also on the gas tank…..sigh sigh sigh, is this really a two piece gas tank and a gasket separating the two is what’s causing the leak? Oh what did I get myself into? Not a very well thought out idea and I’m certainly no genius. In general if any of you have a 753 and possible spare parts and certainly your knowledge of these guys I would most appreciate it. You scratch my back I’ll scratch your back. Thanks in advance.

Yesterday, @squonk replied to my question regarding your worst teenage job - His words "Not a teen job but probably the worst job I ever had was when I worked evenings at the hospital was doing PM's on the dish machine, (nasty), grease trap (nastier) and morque garbage disposal! (Nastiest)!" about the grease trap got me thinking.. Did you ever get into a situation where something in the vacinity reeked soooo bad, but you could do nothing about it? I think we have all been stuck in traffic behind either a garbage truck or a Rendering Company truck in the summer - not pleasant. I worked 2 jobs for a few years in the 1980's, one was doing front end work and alignments at a local Goodyear store. Two brothers owned the building but each had a seperate business - left side was the Goodyear store, the right was the Truck Department where they made and installed large truck recap tires. One hot August Saturday, i got to work and next to the alignment bay, there was a 10 wheeled Septic Pumping truck parked outside. It was there for 8 recaps in the rear and 2 new tires in the front, per law. It took the tire guys all day to change all 10 - I got home in the late afternoon and my wife wanted to know what I stepped in outside!!

Malady… Who you calling’ Malady??!!??!! Oh wait… Uhm… I’m a man I can change If I have to I guess…

I remember driving back from a fishing trip in the Upper Peninsula, Michigan (Big Bay De-noc). My friend Larry and I were just south of Green Bay, Wisconsin when we happened upon a Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road. It was a very strong Oder. I looked at Larry and said, "You know, I kind of like that smell." He started laughing hysterically and said, "Me too, but I never would have told anybody." We laughed about that for hours.

Are the Hillman bolts cup point? Ideally you want hardened alloy cup point set screw. They will cut in to the key and into the axle for the second position. (no need to grind a flat spot on the axle.

Excessive display of "Coolness"

Working on getting the trans back together. Swapped a few bearings (outboard axle shaft and input shaft) cleaned out all the gears and the case. Made a gasket. Hope to paint it this weekend along with the main frame parts. Im continuously amazed at how much space this process demands. Get everything cleaned up and organized, then within a few hours the shop looks like a tornado came through.

Thank you the metal shop I brought it to has celebrated 100 years of business this year and the family is awesome I worked for them for a short amount of time in the past. The shop has built long island stump jumpers out of 2.5 and 5 tons too

Today I picked up this RJ-58. It’s missing the pulley on the gearbox but seems otherwise complete. Kohler K91 turns by hand. Previous owner never ran it. Anything else you guys can tell me about it? I only know what I’ve found the last few days searching around. Is the hitch thing on the rear homemade? Thank you.

Rear wheel weights , anyone seen or know about these rear wheel weights ?

You might try an auto junk yard. A cigarette lighter from almost any old vehicle would work.

Well here's the thing. You are. And it's ok. Pretty near all of us here on Redsquare have the same or a similar malady. Me and my wonderful Trina have been around here for a bit over 5 years. In that time we've gone from 1 tractor to.... Near 15. There's no cure ...

I saw this on during my morning review. I've never seen one with a hand crank before! If it wasn't 2 hours away I could be tempted..... Can anyone identify the model, HP and years this model was made, The spark plug has an interesting location, looks like it is on the side of the intake valve. quite a ways from the top center of the cylinder Lots of cast iron for those few HP

McMaster has the correct square head set screws, jam nuts and 8 point sockets. Using stainless steel is fine for a trailer queen but for real work use the alloy steel fasteners.

Only thing missing now is air cleaner (which I will make probably tomorrow)... and the regulator. I may buy a starter solenoid, key switch etc... for it as well. Power has been out here since last night... running on generator power so I couldn't do anything else but work on this engine. @Evguy... I'm a little behind schedule now to bring home the Z... hopefully still looking at a couple of weeks here (3 weekends at most, I think). I'm off to gorge myself on homemade fried chicken... compliments of the female lady women here on the funny farm... (lucky that we have a gas stove)... Only thing I would change about the above song is instead of "cold beer on a Friday night" ...I would rather have "cold Coke on a Friday night" Best part of the song @Jeff-C175... I thank God for my life And for the stars and stripes May freedom forever fly, let it ring Salute the ones who died The ones that give their lives so we don't have to sacrifice All the things we love Like our chicken fried K181 carb works great... although it needed A LOT of adjustments... 100_2112.MOV Don

Apparantly my girlfriend not only took some video of me riding around at the show I visited last weekend but also took a little ride herself! Think she'll need her own tractor in the future

Road trip with @squonk for the big haul.

Had to put a clutch in a sheep farmers truck one during the heat in August. Don't want to gross anyone out but at the hospital they brought in a man who had been dead for several days. They put him in the morgue cooler. The morgue had a dedicated exhaust fan but it was a ridiculously long duct run thru half the hospital basement then up 3 floors to the roof. There was a booster fan in line in the ceiling of the break room for the sterilization crew. Lets just say there was a little bit of duct leakage at that booster fan and the rest is well history!

Thank you BDS, very helpful. I'll check those 2 wires soon, it's raining right now.I fear I may be developing a fairly severe mental issue. I can't figure out how to justify all of the satisfaction I'm getting from getting a 33 year old garden tractor running again! Everyone has been very helpful, and I really appreciate it!

@ebinmaine and BBT's 1045 on the trailer this week. Note the rare optional 4x4 pressure treated seat support--no extra charge.

That was @horsefeathers but he really didn't return on here much after that big show. Shame too because he was a fun and talented guy.

Easy..Peasy. Fit a crescent wrench just over the steel tube, below the rubber grip. Lightly tap the crescent wrench up against the grip...it'll slide off easily without damage.

Very good idea , but in my experience with stainless nuts and bolts they will and do gauld to each other, so use your favorite anti seize.

It needs a shoulder high 8 ball shifter.

Well, this is just a thought for now, but I have a White mountain electric ice cream freezer and the motor is really tired. i found a hand crank unit on Marketplace for ten bucks when all the rest were 75 and up. White mountain plus a cute little 8 horse. Just an idea for now, but I hope it works. Mom told us they used to jack up the old model t and place the crank handle in the spokes

Cited for an open straight pipe??

@ebinmaine still have my original snap on , roll punch set in the wooden slide tube , penetrating oil , 3 lb hammer , makes it seam easy , pete

I have these also and the short set too. To get the pin moving without bending work great.

The ads say 100% USA made GRACE USA 12 Pc Roll Spring Punch Set is manufactured from the highest quality High Carbon Molbendenum Tool Steel and properly heat treated to ensure long life of the punch. Each punch is hardened the entire length with tempered striking end and are certerless ground for complete accuracy. We have incorporated a reverse taper from tip of punch to help prevent punch from sticking in the work piece. The pilot point (ball on end) that fits into the hollow center of the roll pin helps prevent damage to wall of hole and pin and gives added control for driving roll pins in or out. The Grace USA Roll Pin Punch has three identiying machine marks to help distinguish between our regular pin punches. Punches are manufactured from hex stock vs. round which helps stabilize punch from rolling away from user. Sizes are 1/16", 5/64", 3/32", 1/8" 5/32", 3/16", 7/32",1/4", 5/16", 3/8", 7/16", 1/2". 100% Made in the USA.

I have Grace punches that seem to work well.

Probobly made out of Chineseium in the offshore facility...??

Although the reason why might be aggravating I think you won't regret going this route. It just works very well. One thing you might want to check is that you make sure the powder-coater uses a primer first before applying the color coat. As with paint this helps the powder stick..

Looks 👍 nice

I spent one week as a field hand picking raspberries at a local farm. Commuted by bicycle. It left me with eternal respect and concern for migrant farm workers. The work was long hours, back breaking, miserably hot, and paid pitifully. The foreman was insufferable but the workers had to put up with him and they didn't get to go home to a shower, a good meal, and a clean bed like I did. And they couldn't decide, like I did after six days with parents at home that would take care of me, that the work was not worth the pay.

Nice! Much better purchase than a second 520 in my opinion. A mid 70’s C series with a Kohler single is the perfect machine to learn some mechanical & restoration skills…and in the end you will have a desirable tractor

10. J.H. Williams Williams has been around since 1884. That’s a long time ago. To put it into perspective, Chester A. Arthur was in the White House, there were only 38 U.S. States, and Coca-Cola wouldn’t be invented for 2 more years. Acquired by Snap-On a few years back and now technically just Williams Tool Group, it now operates as SO’s industrial tool division. As you’ll see with several companies on our list, industrial brands are not typically marketed at the consumer level and their primary focus is on industrial sites, government, and military contracts etc. In all cases, this bodes well for the consumer as marketing costs only drive the cost of the tools up. Williams has a lot of good stuff and they’re certainly worth checking out. Be aware however, there are 2 Williams lines. One is USA made, while the other is Taiwan sourced, so be mindful before clicking buy if that’s an issue for you. 9. Carlyle Carlyle is the premium house brand for NAPA. They have a budget Evercraft line, but Carlyle is a step up. In the city and county garages of America, as well as many other places where tools are provided, Carlyle is a regular fixture. They are mostly imported tools, but the quality is good and prices are reasonable. Carlyle does have a lifetime warranty on all but torque wrenches, but last time I checked it did require a receipt. That’s a bummer, but I don’t typically shop for warranty. I hope to see some Carlyle tools for review in the future. I’m really digging their Power 90 ratchets and I’m not sure theres a more comprehensive hex bit socket set on the market than their 42 piece BSH42 set. Online availability is poor and you’ll probably have to go to NAPA, but you can check out their products HERE. 8. Channellock Channellock is another company thats been around since the beginning of measured time. Founded in 1886 as the Champion Bolt and Clipper Company by George B. DeArment, it is still owned by the DeArment family to this day. I know what you’re thinking, “everybody knows who Channellock is”. True, but this article isn’t about companies you’ve never heard of. In todays society where the big box stores drive the market, house brands are pushed beyond others, and fancy new multi-purpose pliers gain all the attention, it’s easy to forget about a true to their roots company like Channellock. Through the years Channellock pliers have maintained their true colors. Simple, high quality, American made, pliers. They aren’t flashy chrome, and they don’t have self adjusting capabilities or built in voltage detectors, but they work hard and last forever. I have 20 different pairs of them and wish I had more. Check them out HERE 7. Proto I routinely profess my unconditional love for Proto. I can’t help it. I got my first Proto ratchet from my dad when I was 15 and it was old then. It’s a long handled, 1/2″, J5450 I call “Big Bad John”. For my entire adult life it has gotten all the big, nasty, jobs that leave other ratchets cowering with fear, and it’s never failed. If you can’t bust a fastener with a 5450, you’d better have an impact. The other day my wife’s grandfather, who retired as a mechanic in the late 80’s, came into my garage for the first time. He immediately picked up one of my numerous Proto ratchets and commented that Proto made great tools, but you just never see them anymore. He asked me how old it was and when I told him I bought it new last year, he looked at me like I was crazy. Being 82 and out of the business for 20 years, he really doesn’t keep up on things, but his reaction isn’t all that uncommon from people who don’t work in heavy industry where Proto is still King. For the majority of the 20th century Proto (Known as Plomb until 1948) was a widely known and trusted brand in the auto shops of America, but in 1970 they turned their focus almost entirely on the industrial market and never looked back. Today’s Proto is still the high quality stuff it always was, but they just don’t market themselves to consumer level markets much. Owned by Stanley/B&D since 1984, Proto is their top shelf industrial line opposite the Mac line of premium mechanics tools (that’s where the marketing $’s go). They are predominantly USA made and import items are very few and far between. In some cases a Proto item will be near or completely identical to a Mac item in all but color, for half the price. You can view their lineup HERE 6. Armstrong Armstrong is another old brand thats still thriving. Founded in Chicago in 1890 as Armstrong Bros. Tool Company, it operated in recent history as Danaher’s industrial line opposite their Matco mechanics tool division. Armstrong was rolled into Apex Tool Group in 2010 while Matco was retained as sole property of Danaher, but the 2 lines still share many traits. As with Proto/Mac and Williams/Snap-On, Armstrong offers predominately USA made quality on par with the tool trucks in many cases, at a significantly more affordable price. Armstrong is known for their very unique looking ratchets which are excellent quality, but when you mention Armstrong, a lot of times you realize many people have forgotten they exist. I’d love to see some armstrong reviews here at TIA, but in the mean time you’ll have to check them out HERE. 5. Martin Tools When’s the last time you were on a tool forum or talking shop in your buddy’s garage and someone recommended a Martin tool? Exactly. Founded in 1951 and based in Arlington, TX, Martin is a family owned, multi-national, manufacturer who in addition to industrial hand tools, also manufactures Sprockets, Pulley/Conveyer parts, material handling, and power transmission products. I knew of none of this beyond their tools prior to this article, but all the Martin tools I’ve ever used were nice quality and USA made. Check them out HERE 4. Blackhawk If you read my article about Blackhawk a couple weeks back (If not you can read it HERE) then you know a lot of what I’m going to say here. Blackhawk has a rich history and their mid-century stuff is some of the most sought after collector tools out there. But while they days of being a mainstay in the auto part stores of the country may be gone, Blackhawk is still around and still making some great tools. Today they exist as Proto’s “budget” industrial line and offer many American made tools. Pretty much anything with a ratcheting mechanism is Taiwan sourced, but regardless of Country of Origin, it’s all good stuff. I’ve said it at least 100 times and I’ll say it once more, Blackhawk sockets and combo wrenches are the best value in their respective categories, bar none. You can get a 17 piece, USA made, set of Blackhawk combos, with ASD open ends like their Proto cousins at Zoro Tools right now for under $120 shipped. You can’t beat that anywhere for a new set. I’ve recommended them I couldn’t tell you how many times, and at least half a dozen times I’ve received follow up communications from people who are tickled to death with what the got for the price. 3. Wright Tools Founded in 1927, Barberton, OH based Wright Tool is a privately owned company that focuses on the industrial market. They produce very high quality tools on par with other high end industrial brands, but unlike most of the other industrial brands which operate as an arm of the big boys, Wright is a smaller, stand alone company. In 2010 Wright introduced their now popular WrightGrip wrench design which offers the benefits of Snap-On’s FlankDrive+ design, for a fraction of the price. They produce 100% American made tools, and in this day and time, thats something worth supporting. Wright is another company I’d love to see here at TIA, but for now you’ll have to check out their lineup HERE 2. Wilde Tool It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if you’ve never heard of Wilde Tool at all. Founded in 1922, Hiawatha, KS based Wilde Tool is a manufacturer of high quality, American made, tools. While their name may not ring a bell, if you, your father, or even your grandfather, bought tools from Sears, Montgomery Ward’s, JC Penny’s, or even Western Auto, theres a real good chance you’ve had a Wilde made tool in your hands. You see, Wilde has been the OEM for many house brand products over the years, in fact, it’s been a majority of their business. Known primarily for their quality pliers, chisels, and pry bars, Wilde offers a wide range of items. They sell products they make in house, as well as rebranded items made by others, but all are USA made quality. Affordable too. Their online catalog is worth a look. 1. Lang Tools The most unloved, yet deserving of love, company on our list is Lang Tools. Founded in 1932, Racine, Wisconsin based Lang is currently under it’s 4th generation of family ownership. They owe a little of their obscure nature to themselves though. They previously operated 4 brands, a lot of branding for a small company to handle. The best known of these was Kastar, while the other 2….well, I’ve never even heard of them. Last year they wised up and consolidated all 4 brands under the Lang banner which I feel will help boast their brand recognition. Like Wilde, even if you’ve never heard of them, you’ve used their tools. Remember those old school ratcheting box end wrenches everyone had before the ratcheting combos came out? Lang invented them, and while they seem a little antiquated now, they were hot sellers at one time. Lang also manufacturers virtually every thread restorer or “chaser” made in America. Whether you buy the 48 piece set from Sears for $65, or the 48 piece set from Mac for $125, or the 48 piece set from Snap-On for $129, they all came from the same production line and they’re all made by Lang. Don’t send me any strongly worded messages about how the Snap-On version is forged at a secret foundry in an undisclosed location near the earth’s core by holocaust surviving leprechauns and christened in unicorn tears either, because (to quote Jules Winfield) “we both know that **** ain’t the truth”. Check out Lang’s catalog HERE.

No this will stay in my collection forever.