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How to be forgiven for buying another tractor? Tell her it's hers!

Just doing a little work on the newly acquired 1979 C-141 Automatic

Next task on the C175 is to replace the hoses and rebuild the lift valve. Valve is leaking like a faucet. Parts from WheelHorsePartsandMore. I’m sure this is going to be a fun task.

Trina's friend has a birthday coming up. That friend likes sandpipers. Yesterday Trina got a piece of hemlock from our firewood and split it into several pieces. She chose the flattest one and sanded it on her power band sander. This morning Trina found a pic of a sandpiper and hand copied that in pencil on to the wood. Then she used her wood burner to cut in the lines. All the background work is hand drawn then burned. Some coats of poly and it'll be done.

I have to admit, I never really cared for black hoods - that is until I got one. A facebook friend told me about a Facebook friend of his who was looking to find a good home for a Wheel Horse that he'd owned for more than 40 years. I wasn't looking for a new tractor, but I've often found that's when good things happen. So I got a C-175, 48" deck, so-so snow blade and great blower for $150. And I made a good Facebook friend. A few months later I made the 400 mile round trip again to see him perform with his blues band. When I saw a local collector put the C-145 up for sale, I decided to jump on it and ask forgiveness instead of permission from the wife. I'm thinking the next tractor I buy will be 'hers' too!

Had a marathon night in the garage last night working til well past midnight and then up at 5:30 to continue working on Alex’s puller project. I was out of work all week with a knee injury and went stir crazy so getting out there last night felt great. Haven’t had a stretch like that in a long time. The smiles on his face made it well worth it. I made a post in pullers if anyone wants to see it.

Switched seats around from my 416 to the 314 mowing/... tractor. Seems more proportional to the higher gear reduction steering on this 314. MUCH more comfortable than an oem seat! I'll be on the look out for a 4-5 series adjustable seat soon. (Bottom pic is newer, higher seat)

@sqrlgtr @Sodaking27 Hey guys, I bought mine from Harbor Freight. I waited until it went on sale, I think it was around $500. I have a bad back and let me tell you this thing is a godsend. My only regret is not buying it sooner! It’s not wide enough from the factory so I doubled up some 3/4” plywood to make it wider. Furniture grade oak plywood from Home Depot was cheaper than regular CDX plywood and there was no knots to fill. Of course I had to paint it and add the logo! No more bending over to work on my tractors, now I can stand up and work like a gentleman! The only thing I have not figured out is a good ramp, for now I just use two 4x6” blocks and two 40” long pieces of scaffold plank.

@WheelHorse_Kid has been wanting to build a puller. Summer has been busy but even with my bum knee this past week we managed to get a puller built. From my dad machining parts for a hitch to my friend helping weld when I couldn’t and a weight bar that I designed that actually worked (I’m shocked). He pulled in the 900lb class first finishing his last full pull being 1600lbs of weight and battled to the end with a tricked out wheel horse but ending with second. In the 1000lb class he took third pulling 2000lbs as his last full pull. He had a belt slipping issue at 2050lbs that knocked him out but he took third. We took a shot and weighted up for the 1200lb class and I added another spring to give us more pull on the idler and tension on the belt. First hook he took off the line great but the engine problems we battled all day finally decided to rear their head right in the middle of his pull. He moved 2100lbs 6 feet this time before the engine problems. The C-105 was a beast still. Successful day and he’s hooked. Already talking about building it better. Now to drain the gas check for stuff in it and water and redo the full fuel system to see if we can get it running right again. not a bad day for never pulling anything other than stock class.

Scored a 1985 312-8 today for only $450. It’s 1 owner & only has 600 hours !! This will be my backup machine to my 315-8 . What a nice machine!!

Hello All outdoor power people!! Been hectic with spraying, planting, mowing and gravel work but have a bit of good news. 38 years ago I was taught how to drive my first truck, a 1972 Loadstar 1600. My uncle's owned Brauer Oil and Asphalt. This being said, I always played around the shop on loaders, graders, rollers, trucks, EVERYTHING that would get me dirty and sometimes a whipping... So, one Saturday morning, my dad dropped me off at Aunt Mary and Uncle Chuck's house since I was only 7 years old and couldn't go to the Lariat Club for steak and chicken that night. No problem!! Plenty of things to do involving picking apples, raking leaves, chasing the dog with a rake and a visit to the equipment yard. I was called in for lunch when my two uncles came over and usually it's a riot listening to them arguing with each other but that afternoon I never heard so much cursing and learned a lot of new phrases that are still used today! There was three roads needing finished and only two people. One spraying oil, on spreading pea gravel and the other on a Galion roller. Sitting at the table with two men cursing and arguing about work made me laugh at those bad, filthy words I knew would get my hyde tanned. Aunt Mary said that I should go with them and help. Cursing stopped and two leathery, sun baked men was staring at me. I excused myself from the table and tried to sneak off but Uncle Harold blocked the stairwell outside. They both knew I plowed and disked with Dad's D21. Both knew I mowed hay with a 1468 and ran the 715 combine for wheat that year. Guess who is going to work?...😮. Sitting between them two on the way over to the asphalt plant was not the pleasant ride it used to be. I've been told by many other kids including their own about the shouting and getting the belt while working and didn't want any part of it 😕. Uncle Harold had me get in and he said to watch what he did. Easy!! We headed down the road and turned around, returned to the shop. He said "Your turn". I climbed behind the wheel, hit the key. So far so good. Couldn't see over the steering wheel but a phone book was slid under me. Better. "Go"! Dumped clutch and died. Forgot to push parking brake ahead. Restarted, put in gear, finally rolling. "Shift"! I did, into neutral. This happened too many times to count but got it down. Uncle Chuck loaded me with pea gravel and I followed Uncle Harold since he did the oiling and Uncle Chuck was following on the roller. Driving was easy. Nobody told me I was going to drive backwards and spread gravel.... That's not part of the deal! However, there was a coal shovel that was my new best friend until I figured out how to spread. After basically shoveling a 6 ton load by hand, I was sent by myself back to load up with another 6 ton load and hurry back. From that day on, if I wasn't farming, I was gating gravel. 1986 - 92 I was the gravel grunt and in charge of greasing equipment, oil changes, welding and whatever else those cantankerous men said. Uncle Chuck sold out in 1993 and everything was either scrapped or sold as is with a tail light guarantee. No more Loadstar, no more gravel, nothing. Which brings me to July 29, 2024. I found the Loadstar, in the same shape it was years ago. It since has been transformed into a spotter tractor at a local shop. Hasn't been ran in 5 years and I now own it after agreeing to maintain the property I found it on. This truck Will be at the Chillicothe car show in September on the 9th along with a few garden tractors. Its something how you feel like a kid again and all the memories flood the mind. Never thought I would be 7 in a 45 year old body.... Forgive the long post but I do miss those days and the grouchy old men that taught me

Finished mocking up the seats and dash today. Now to figure out the steering column support and build the transmission mounting plate.

@jay bee I find this funny because I have the same tractor, same lift table, and the same floor jack!

Ours is kind of "What did you do FOR your Wheelhorses today?" We spent a few hours putting a new tarp over the 13 x 20 portable garage. The front side is tied to the original Shelter Logic front strap. The back has 4 straps crossing diagonally and several lengths of paracord. There's a row of rocks down each side at the base. Hopefully this will hold for another 2 years or so.

Worked my 414-8 with a 42” RD hard today. Mowed the in-laws place in preparation of an upcoming house sale. Had to mow the back twice to get it knocked down and looking good. If ya blow up the pic you can just see my WH waaay out back. She got a well deserved Rotella oil change when we got home.

You will if it falls off a plumber's truck.

Whilst I messed around with my C160-8 Tecumseh Horse a fair amount, Trina created an overhead wood rack for us to store the pine siding of the barn. She also made a present for her friend and started a repaint on this yard ornament deer for my mom.

Both sides of the nearly complete '74 C160-8 Tecumseh Horse. Our newly aquired tractor Trina has named after my recently passed father. The "UGLY BRUCE".

As Don and Sylvan Lake says, the lift is from Harbor Freight and then get some plywood and get after it. I made mine so all the wood is fixed but removable, even on the ramp if need be. For me just a little red paint and a couple white stripes to help guide me on. Not quite as nice as Don’s and I see he uses his for dog grooming also.

I've often found the same. Several vehicles have done this to me. Of the dozen plus tractors here between me n BBT I think we've been searching for maybe 2 or 3. In fact speaking of BBT. ... she n I.... were NOT looking for any other person when she literally walked into my life.

Love the Black Hoods!!!

You guys are lightweights. I lose tools or whatever WHILE I'M HOLDING THEM!!!

ha ha Sorry wrong garage must be @c-series don,s garage .

So that made me have to search it. "The Street Elbow The Street Elbow... where did it get its name? Back in the day (and even to this day) the water main running down your street had a TEE fitting in front of each house, from which the supply could be tapped in order to supply water to the home. The natural geometry of things dictated that the supply pipe for each house came off at a 90-degree angle from the main, and a pipe (of typically smaller diameter than that of the main itself) should be fitted to the house. It was only natural, therefore, that the elbow fitting used for this purpose would have a male thread to screw into the [upward- or downward-oriented] tap of the tee in the main, and a female fitment facing toward the house, into which the house's supply pipe could be fitted. Thus we have the "Street Elbow." It's a male-to-female elbow, and it's out there at the edge of the street, doing it's job, 24-seven, bringing water to your home. The Street Elbow. Every street has them."

Wow I got get me one. Just one question for @jay bee how did you get that pic of my wife thats hanging on your garage wall, very suspicious...

I’m 80 and couldn’t work on this stuff without it. It’s not only for tractors, anything else I would have to get down on my knees for. I use it for everything.

All Work Horse models came with a Briggs and Stratton engine.

Hood sanded and spot putty applied to final level where holes were welded in and where there were dents. It is raining on and off for the next couple of days so I can't paint right now.

Thank you all for your help. I have replaced the idler bar, pulley, and spring with new OEM parts. Brand new belt as well. The old belt was more like a piece of rope, it was rubbing on something. Hopefully I will get many more years of use out of it!

I agree with @squonk. That's a very weak connection between a 1000+ lb tractor and twice that in dragged weight. If the officials try to say the chain is super heavy duty or whatever remind them that there's a HUGE difference between STATIC weight DYNAMIC weight.

Not to be a downer but is that all that's hooked to the sled a Clevis? No safety's? If that let's loose the driver is going to get hurt!

Stalker!

Funny how the public is still gullible today, more than ever.

That's how ya do it!! I bet @SylvanLakeWH Jim would like to see more details on that black hood.

LAST OUT.......FIRST IN When you took the engine apart the governor was the last thing to come out and needs to be the first thing to go back in. @prondzy did an outstanding job of documenting an engine rebuild, read it from start to finish and follow his advice.

Sooo.. was it dry?

I have a 416-8 with Kohler Magnum 16.. runs great. Needs some TLC.

Very common to find a Kohler swapped into a Work Horse body. Mine:

here is the one i made 3/4 plate with a handle cant wait to try it out

I've got 2 42" RD's, one with a recycler baffle and the other is completely naked. I've been using Gator G3 90 Blades from Jack's Small Engines, Part# 90-643 and I think they are great for my needs. I run 6 blades (3 Gators and 3 non Gators)under the recycler specifically for mulching leaves in the Fall. The grass deck only has Gators. Good luck!

Good call. I will point that out on on the ones who run the pulls.

I’m refurbishing a 48” WH 78631 deck at the moment and I do plan on putting Gator blades on it. After that, I have a 42” deck to restore and I plan to do the same with it; so it would be interesting to see how it works out for you if you decide to try it. Oh, and as for which Gator blades to get, I just find the ones of the same length. Sometimes you can find a set of three, sometimes individually; and sometimes a pair which isn’t ideal, but maybe a pair and a single. As long as they’re the right length you should be good. G1 is standard, G3 is better and G5 is best/toughest/thickest. But G3’s are certainly tough enough (G1’s probably are too, I just don’t own any of those).

Fresh ethanol gas from the pump that morning. Our only option here in Mass. we will be running non ethanol in it from this point forward. We run av gas in all our small engines for the fire department and I can purchase that when we fill cans for the department also if I want to. Fuel system was on the list to replace anyway. Did not get to do it yet besides the tank was flushed. From the tank we are going to do a new grommet and petcock, fuel lines and filter clean the pump out and replace if needed and diagnose what is up with the carburetor.

You will end up having a fair amount of weight hanging off from a few threads on the pipe. I have used a black iron "T" with a plug at the bottom which is drilled and tapped to 1/4-20 to brace the stack. Properly supporting the weight will prevent problems later on.

Great father son day. Hope your knee is healing up quickly.

I agree 💯! After the whopping she got there was no doubt an oil change was earned.

hi sparky, always makes me feel good to put fresh oil in an engine. oil/grease is cheap and easy, so why not! regards mike

I waste that much time looking for my cameras that was in my hand 10 minutes before.

I added a front hitch to the 310-8. I have one on the 312 that is centered on the mule drive, but it is not visible from the seat. I wanted one that was visible from the drivers seat for exact positioning when hooking up. This worked out really well and doesn't interfere with the deck, mule drive, steering, or hood opening.