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No where in this post did Sparky mention that he did not buy that tractor. I wonder

Well we've been pretty on the past edge of ridiculous busy for a few days but we've got a few more things done on the Millie tractor. Here's the mid mount hitch sent up by @Lee1977 Trina got a few small parts painted and installed such as this belt guard she repaired with spare parts off the shelf. Also above is the choke bracket we borrowed from another engine while we find one for this. Trina got the brake and clutch linkage all corrected and back on. One bolt broke so we'll have to address that when we get back from Zagray. Also seen above is the location of the starter solenoid. I've been working on building a whole new wiring harness over the last couple weeks. I like to use plenty of zip ties to keep it in place and away from other pieces. Trina added the fuel filter and lines. We got the fuel tank in place this evening. Next session we'll finish connecting that. In order to get this tractor in the 5 x 8 trailer we'll have to set it in sideways across the back. To reduce width and length we changed the rear tires for a set of fronts I keep for Cinnamon Horse. That uses 5 lug rims. At the show(s) we'll pop the other set back on. Note the BBT "half face" selfie.....

I once asked a friend of mine who has a big lawn, "How long does it take to mow your lawn?" His answer was "Usually about 6 beers" In Wisconsin talk that's about 2hrs.

Well since nobody else has got the stones to bring it up but these mowers contributed to the demise of our beloved . Even with the cheaper Toro branded verts could they couldn't compete. As we all know tho horses were better built with our granddads steel.

Let’s say Joe Homeowner buys this to mow grass and nuttin else: With proper maintenance etc .. this should last 10 years at least before something catastrophic happens. So back when this was an $800 -$1000 machine (pre-Covid, not that many years ago) you could say it cost ya $80-$100 a year to mow your lawn if you got just 10 years service from it. But at $1980 we are now talking about $198 a year to mow your yard. Not such a great deal anymore. That’s how I tend to calculate whether something is a great deal. A guy at work was bragging about the “great deal” he got on a used truck in a private sale. But 4 months later the auto tranny blew, so that great deal wasn’t great anymore once you calculate how much use he got out of it.

I made a friend happy today. Someone cobbled her exhaust pretty bad. Yes, she wanted straight pipes.

Actually that's really not a bad price given what a pound of beef is nowadays. Prolly would last a couple of years ya took care of it. We'll find out in fifty years when Sparky starts a yard machines forum...

You sure? If I hear folks from Minnesota tell it, 6 beers in Wisconsin is like 45.minutes!

I once had a foot that was grinded No sandals on Wheel Horse I finded For pain did ensue Causing painful red goo Now in boots or in shoes I'm reminded

Ok .So your mower died. I assume that you took the blades out of gear before trying to start it up? Easy to forget and commonly happens when you run out of gas or stall under load.

The amp meter is in the start circuit, so when the meter fails there is no start voltage to the solenoid. Placing both wires on the same post eliminates the meter from the circuit. If it starts, you know the meter is the issue. Then you can decide on a permanent solution.

I should really roll mine. This is a roller that @dclarke built and give to Dan and I. Made from a propane cylinder I think and filled with sand which makes it a chore to move between his place and mine. Hi test pillow block bearings!

I don’t have specific info on WH tiller tines. Generally, though, tiller tines are are given some degree of heat treatment hardness. The degree factors hugely in the wear but also in how brittle they are. The type of steel alloy used also affects strength, hardening options, and cost. The most sophisticated tines have varying hardness for different areas of the tine and in some cases extra built up metal on the cutting edge. Lots of hardness gives long wear but at the risk of breaking when hitting a big rock. Less hardness wears quicker but survives rock hits better. WH tillers tend to have a lot of oomph behind them and a heavy tractor with lots of inertia assuring that a rock hit will be forceful. So my guess is WH tines were made of a moderately priced and capable grade of steel and are not as hardened as they would be on lower-powered and lighter tillers and so they wear faster.

After today every thing for this project is painted. Now to find time to put it all together.

So a local tractor club is fixing up a '69 Charger 12 hydro for a benefit raffle . Dan @Achto has graciously donated labor to paint so I need to up the anti and was asked to provide a missing belt guard. No biggy I have stack of them but problem is I don't know which one that might be correct. Anyone got pics of the right one? I have no idea what the correct one would look like. These guards came on a pallet of parts at auction. I can get a PN but none are labeled.

Wanted to introduce myself and thank the moderators for allowing me. I am in sepa with my third Wheel Horse a 98 one year wonder 73540 520xi. I started back in 95 with an 85 417a with plow, 48 mower, and trac vac and used that for 9 years and 300 hrs. It was a great machine wish I had pics of that one, it was pretty sweet. Then moved on to a very nice 520H anniversary which had a 48 deck 48 plow and 42 snowblower stout machine feels premium really nails the classic look. Didn’t put a lot of hours on it but had set it up the way I like. And now the main event. I had to sell the 52-H as I was in a bind and couldn’t store it the way it deserved. Then recently got the itch to try out an xi before there to far gone. I found this on marketplace it looked ok but like zero info on tractor, took a leap of faith. It has a 48 that has been welded but should clean up after a grinder and paint.It has 816hr and looks right to me. I cleaned it up a bit but picked up yesterday.

While this isn't a huge tractor show it is a good time and friendly folks, and maybe a stop in the old country store for a cold Pivo, a Burger or they might even have BBQ and a tour of of a historic painted church There are also 2 Wineries there that are a nice stop. I plan to be there with 1 or 2 of my garden tractors. It would be great to meet some of the Texas Garden Tractor crowd there. @Chrishar @motor12 @bob's toy @bowtiebutler956 @jelijah @Bassquack @Djstone @i44troll @817bsgs73 @samiam @Boots I grew up in Fayette County and have a some family living near Moravia In my youth, my grandfather from nearby Schulenburg would drive to the Moravia store for a cold " Pivo" and to play dominoes with friends Us kids would play pool or run around outside....good memories. Moravia is a old German Czech settlement "spot" in the road between Schulenburg and Hallettsville,Tx It is about 2+/- hours from Houston, San Antonio and Austin The historic Moravia Catholic Church is also very nearby and is one of the "Painted Churches of Texas". The interior is hand painted to look like marble columns, angels, saints and Jesus on the ceiling, it's worth a visit even without a tractor show <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g56640-d2460464-i144486386-Painted_Churches_Tour-Schulenburg_Texas.html#144486386"><img alt="" src="https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/08/9c/af/f2/painted-churches-tour.jpg"/></a><br/>This photo of Painted Churches Tour is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Btw EB ... I read your palm as long as it was showin... looks like either yer old lady is pregnant or there is another in your future... congrats either way...

Yes, you know how it is these days… everyone gets a participation trophy…

Had a break in the crazy rain and wind having around here so went out and grabbed some sheet steel and cut a piece out and covered up the dump cart tailgate. Next chance I'll get going to mount the hardware and make it operational. Also I have learned when you don't have a tailgate you don't notice things out of square, looks like the PO hauled a ton of rocks or somthing cuz 1 side will need some adjusting and persuading. @ebinmaine

I am old so slow is normal.

Last night I applied some Chelsea Leather Food I have imported from Kettering, England to my Harley Davidson riding boots. ( Instructions say apply and let sit overnight ) Today after work I polished them. Then I figured my Harley Davidson Engineer’s riding boots ( @Pullstart ) and the Florsheim Wing Tips could use a little elbow grease too… So I put some Chelsea Leather Food, imported from Kettering, England on them as well. Tomorrow after work I will buff them. Which got me to thinking… “Seriously, how often do you really look at a man’s shoes?” Who knows what movie the above quote is from, and what character said it ? No cheating…

It was the Heathersgill Vintage Rally this weekend. Friday was a decent day and warm as we started setting up. Saturday was b****y cold. Sunday the actual rally day was wet first thing but came fine just before noon. Turned out well with plenty of entries and members of the public. Below are a few photo's. Some Americana. Monster truck. Nice DAF. Some stationary engines. Working scale models. Tractor, thresher and baler. Also crawler and plough amd combine harvester. Ex-RAF tug. Miniature steam wagon. Some motorcycles. Some of the cars. This 1920s Wolseley belongs to a good friend of mine. My B-80 and Sears GT16. First and third in class respectively. Nice Clydesdale's.

Wasn't the gas cap. Fuel runs freely. And I replaced the cap, just to be sure. Will replace condenser and report back.

Spend $5 bux to replace the condenser. When they get warm...after years and years.... this part fails. Very Common.

I got tired of too many fifty year old front tires not holding aa flat ir. I did buy a stash of tubes for them a year or two ago. Time for action. This wheel was one with a glued on tire with gobs of dried on fix a flat. It was so bad that the tire had to be cut from the rim. I happened to watch a repair blog about a female owned small engine business and she was having a bad day because she made a customer angry when the hardened fix a flat punched a hole in a tire tube she put in. I thought " hold my beer and y will show you how to clean a rim". That old tire sealant is hard as a rock but is still flammable and melts or burns off pretty easily.nI went the extra mile and used solvent and brake cleaner and it was plenty clean for the inside of a wheel. .After inserting a tube I was able to apply evenly a coat of rust converter sealing the rust pits and etching the rest for Rust-Oleum damp metal primer. Simply the best. It was easy to get it applied over the inside and after the fire was back on it was left uninflated to paint the outside edge of the wheel. I usually spray my wheels, but rotating it on an axle did a nice job

Zip ties. The " bailing wire" of the 21st Century!

You guys like pics well here's ya some.

I don't get out much anymore...

Loving every minute of it too.

All true stuff there…

That 1984 sign, it’s reminding me of

That helps Dan ... there are many out ther but steers me in the right direction. I think what I will do is just give them all I got Captain and see what works.

Here is a pretty good pic from tractor data, Jim.

Nope. Wild Bill doesn't set-up in a building. He is basically free-range.

, but you are correct that the Big Show just wouldn't be the same without @Wild Bill in VA.

You just had to turn those tires over didn’t ya’… I knew it when I seen the brake lights and you were gonna pull it out !

Ask Dan @Achto... he ordered a bunch and gave me some. One of those jungle things where you gotta buy a bunch and make some friends. Be nice and he may toss a few in a envelope for ya. They are the good ones too with the dimple in the middle that really grabs the cable.

@rmaynard .. Is this the guy in the first building that always has lots of parts for sale And there’s a woman with a couple birds in the building, same building Eric Johnson sets up in?

They say use what ya got… I had some pipe. These seem to work quite well for the chickens!

On the other hand... I bet everyone of us has used zip ties to good use for shall we say dubious purposes??? Zip ties don't rust... fast... easy... brainless... Not defending box store junk... just sayin...

@DevonianHorse okay sir we are definitely going to need pictures of said pub shed!!! I already want one!

I thought she was one of “Bob’s Beauties “….

I just read through this whole post, and I am, to say the least, highly impressed at this young man’s ability, and willingness to see it through to near completion. Blackbeard looks great ! Zach has basically assured that Blackbeard will be sailing the seven seas for many more decades… Shiver me Timbers !

My first thought was wondering if the air gap distance is correct from BOTH trigger pins to the coil's pickup. What RPM are you trying to get spark? I sold auto parts for about 12 years. One of the most valuable lessons to learn is: NEVER assume a NEW part is a WORKING part. Given that it's their own kit they should really be able to help more than most. Likely it's something small and simple enough.

If you happen to have D-series there is room for 2 drink holders. Add lights in case you are mowing after dark.