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Today’s letter is “P” planning and patience yielded perfection Planet Jr walk-behind garden tractor Company founder S.L. Allen had a variety of interests including astronomy, winter sports and agriculture. As a young man he worked on a farm owned by his father and developed many labor-saving devices to reduce the drudgery of seeding and weeding. In 1868, after winning his first two patents for the No. 1 and No. 2 Planet Jr. seed drills, Allen launched his own company, S.L. Allen & Co., Philadelphia. The Planet Jr. line got its name from Allen’s interest in astronomy. Allen was a prolific inventor and good businessman being awarded more than 300 patents. Within 13 years his Planet Jr. became a leader in human powered farm and garden implements here and abroad. The Planet Jr. line was displayed at the Centennial International Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876 and the 1889 International Exposition in Paris. Their target market was the “one-horse farmer,” at that time the U.S. had between 6 and 7 million farms and 40% of the total U.S. population lived on farms. Also in 1889, Allen won a patent for the Flexible Flyer sled. Motivated by a life-long passion for winter sports and the desire to avoid seasonal factory layoffs, Allen expanded his product line. The rights to manufacture this sled have changed hands a few times since then but you can still buy a Flexible Flyer today! Although S.L. Allen & Co. started in the wheel hoe business (human-powered and horse drawn wheeled weeding and seeding equipment) and the Planet Jr. walk behind garden tractor, first introduced in 1930, was a natural extension. It featured a small gasoline engine, two large spiked steel wheels placed so the tractor could straddle a row of plants and a detachable toolbar for cultivating tools. Planet Jr. wasn’t the only walk-behind cultivating tractor, but it became the most popular along the Atlantic coast and the Great Lakes area, where small family farms and large vegetable farms were abundant. Successive models of the Planet Jr. tractor added a wide variety of implements including fertilizer hoppers and seeders to their liner. My father used a Planet Jr. walk-behind tractor like the one pictured below until 1957, I was too young to operate it because of its size but remember it well.

Can't say "No" if your not given the opportunity. What happens when you say I'm not going to buy any more tractors??? For some odd reason things still keep showing up at your door. Today I found this little gem in my yard when I got home from work. Even though it has a Techy, it's still pretty cool looking. NOW, what the heck am I going to do with it???

That was also used for PTO driven grass/leaf vacuums. The inside pulley on the PTO runs the mower deck and the outside runs the vacuum. There’s an additional set of pulleys that would mount to the tractor inside the rear wheel. The additional holes in the footrest are for the belt guard.

Is there a pulling class for a skinny mower with a comfortable seat?

That is cool!!!

@cleat The correct colors are 1971 Lincoln-Mercury Pewter Metallic Enamel for the 1982,83 models and 1982 Lincoln Light Pewter Enamel for the 1984 model. I thought about using the metallic paint but I wanted to keep it correct for the year and the way it was when I actually drove it off and the dealer showroom floor in 1984 ! I ordered my paint through a body shop. Also, you probably know this but that tractor should have 8” front wheels on it not 6” as pictured. As you can probably tell, I like my restorations to look the way the tractor left the factory or better! Once at the Big Show Cecil Pond himself was looking at the C-121 that I restored he said to me “You know it didn’t look this good when it left the factory don’t you!” After that I was smiling for days!

We got our bike trailer put together for hauling in gear when we camp at a remote site. Canoe carrier base. Vehicle cargo basket. Home shop modified bike trailer tongue setup. All held together with 5/16" U-bolts. And amongst other things Trina's been working on moving the small wood shed from above the side deck to below it.

It is a pretty nice looking survivor, will most likely get it running "even though Techy's are my nemesis" and pass it on to someone who will give it some love.

My 50 year old B-80 Wheel Horse and 36 inch mower is still doing a pretty good job on my front lawn! A really nice day to mow!

Picked up a C-85 yesterday and noticed it has what looks like a factory cutout in the floorboard. I’ve never seen it before. Anyone know if it’s factory and what it’s for?

I was dodging the Apple Blossom Festival Riff-Raff!

Steady rain this AM, but a warm 55F. The 200+ Kids had their doughnuts and were ready to catch fish at 8AM.

Early tillers used a drive belt that went through there. Surprised to see the cutout on a C-85 which is 1980 and newer.

ABSOLUTELY AGREED

And you're staying right there...

I'll always have an appreciation for the older tube frame Ariens like that. The first machine of any kind I drove solo was a 60s vintage with a tiller steer. If I recall correctly.. I was the ripe old age of 6.

Loaded up the 1277 to fab up compressor and tank mounts.

Relax yo-self into that ridiculously big comfy seat and...... mow stuff.

My C-145 has the same cut out in the running board. I also have a guard for it. The fade line shows where the guard was mounted at one time.

This was on Thursday, never had any luck at estate auctions but I did this time. Grille is out for battery access.

Setup a wheeline today at the other plot.

Not for the tiller or the rear blower. The blower instructions move the footrest out to a 2nd set of holes.

The new knob came in, here is a pic.

I hear your Volvo dealer stocks rear view mirrors just for you. for some reason they crack when you back your car up!

Lucky that part of his face was covered.

Had to bring 654 to perform mowing duty at my parents house. They have 2 acres to mow. Dad has an old Craftsman that he insists on using to mow. He has a Troy Bilt GTX20 that also has a mower deck. He hit something with Craftsman so it's shaking when blades engage. Electric pto on Troy Bilt won't turn on.

Did a little cleaning to a Kohler M12 that I removed from a 312...I think it was a little overdue... This will be a replacement engine in @RandyLittrell C120 he sold me that has a tecky!

Common issue. Get under the tractor and shim the lower steering rod like this: For the up/down of the steering column, (1) open the hood (2) loosen the 3/4" ID collar on the column and (3) move it up to be tight against the dash housing. Put some grease in there too.

Have you picked it yet Are you at least on the way Dont let some other clown beat you to it now that we know where it is

So I did some research on Partstree looking at multiple Wheel Horse spec Kohler engines of each size and come up with these crankshaft part numbers K341 crankshaft 45 142 21-s k321 crankshaft 45 142 21-s k301 crankshaft 47 142 16-s k241 crankshaft 47 142 02-s So this indicates the k341 and k321 use the same crank. The K301 having a different part number isn’t fully conclusive that it’s actually a different crank. My inquisitive mind wants to find a picture of a K301 crank. The k241 was the most expensive @ $1076.

Your colour looks awesome. I will go to NAPA (the only paint supplier in town) and see if they can mix me up some 1982 Lincoln Light Pewter Enamel.

Thank You Very Much for the PDF File, Greatly Appreciated. "Book 'em DanO"

Kohler K301, K321, & K341 all share the same crank with a stroke of 3.250" A K321 block can be bored to 3.75" to make it a 16HP. Many pullers use the 14hp block to build a 16hp engine. The 14hp block is preferred because the crank shaft is centered with the bore. The crank of a K341 16hp block is offset slightly from the center of the bore. Dynamic or static balancing the crank to the piston & rod can be accomplished by drilling holes in the counter weights, or welding existing holes shut.

Vernon Perry and I had a great time yesterday at the Tri-State Engine Club Spring Swap Meet held in Portland , Indiana! I got to see a lot of Wheel Horse buddies from Indians, Arkansas, Ohio , etc. I did not sell much but the weather was great! Always a good time visiting with old friends many of who indicated they would be attending the Big Wheel Horse Collectors Club Show in Pennsylvania in June!

Not in Wayne County NYS! https://williamson-abf.com/

Did they all pull over when they heard you were coming?

Small show but like 20 minutes from home so I’ll be there. @wallfish 24 Hyde Avenue (Route 30), Vernon, CT 06066

The sled in the picture looks almost identical to the old sled I had as a kid. I'm pretty sure that it was my dad's.

Get it cleaned up and running, and maybe you could put a Benjamin in your pocket, selling it.

I m currently working on one now I have a 854 that got me hooked on the shorter frame tractors. Amazed with the power it has pushing snow. I have a spare mowing deck that I might part with so you can mow with it. Your not far from me I'm 30 miles west of Cleveland.

Some time ago I picked up a parts K321 at an old farm repair shop that had originally been some type of blower motor. No spec decal left, so Guessing maybe for a grain silo dryer. Interesting flywheel with no fins as the blower wheel provided the cooling air flow through the custom housing. The crank, head and oil pan had been robbed off it. The piston was stuck in the bore but didn’t take much to remove. I cleaned the bore and ran a quick hone through it to see what I had. The bore measures well within spec but has some pitting from sitting outdoors with the piston in it. So it will need to be bored. It is a narrow base block. It does not have a hole for an oil dip stick, so that would have to be in the oil pan. I went through my parts and found/cleaned up everything I need to rebuild it. The crank rod journal will need grinding but otherwise it is in good condition. I have a question to make sure this is the correct crank for a K321. As I don’t know what it originally came from. I know the large block Kohler cranks have different size counter weights per HP, but searched and couldn’t find any good information. so does this look like the correct crank for a k321. This is a 13 fin block if I’m counting right, so I think it also could be bored to a k341 if that turned out to be a k341 crank. Theirs no model identifier cast into the side of the block, it just says F/6. I recently found a machine shop that still machines old engines and the grind crankshafts. It’s 3 hours from home. But it’s 1:15 from the farm. I guess I’ll be adding a stop to or from going to see Mom. I appreciate any comments.

Given the parts you have I'd think that's the best option. What's the chances of finding a correct sized pulley? Maybe off a Briggs 18/hydro or is there another engine with a small crank used with a hydro?

Look for a sheared roll pin at the lower steering (if not welded) and the fan gear on the lower shaft. A fairly common problem....

My niece as a youngster experienced a fox needing to find more food. She was walking a young pup on a leash along the sidewalk and a fox came out and attacked the dog. She picked the dog up and the fox then jump up on her after the dog. She was scratched and then treated for rabies as a precaution. BTW the dog lived a long and happy life. So some caution is warranted.

My father did his first mowing on the C121 Automatic Trina and I built for him.

Sewed up waiting for discharge.