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Wife and I like to sit in the middle garage bay and watch the world go by…not a whole lot actually goes by . Snagged this small wooden wire reel the other day with a real wood core, most of the time the reels have a cardboard core. Found leftover stain in the basement and slapped some on.! She’s ready to hold my cold snacks next time we do out sittin thing

The U.S. Army Reserve Birthday is marked on April 23 every year to commemorate its contributions to the Cold War, the World Wars, Vietnam, Korea, the Persian Gulf, and many other similar wars and crises around the globe. This more-than-a-century-old federal reserve force has played a very vital role in U.S. military history. There are army reserve units in all 50 U.S. states, 20 different time zones across the world, and five U.S. territories. On April 23, 1908, Congress organized a group of 160 doctors to form the Medical Reserve Corps. Its goal was to equip the nation with a team of professionally trained medical practitioners in times of national emergencies. A month later, President Theodore Roosevelt, one of the greatest citizen-soldiers of the Army Reserve, signed the bill to be law. After that through the National Defense Act of 1920, the Organized Reserves for officers was created by Congress. That reserve force today is known as the U.S. Army Reserve. It has specialized, trained, and skillful professional soldiers for use in times of war. The Army Reserve provides trained men to support leaders of the world at times of battle as well as support civil authorities in the U.S. Army Reserve has played a very important role during both World Wars, the Cold War, Vietnam, Korea, Persian Gulf War, and during conflicts with the Middle East concerning 9/11. The Organized Reserve was formed immediately after World War I. At the time the military mobilized about 90,000 Army Reserve officers of whom one-third were doctors. This accelerated the cure for the sick and wounded. More than 70 units of the Army Reserve served during the Korean War. Similarly, combat support was provided for Vietnam, the Persian Gulf wars, and post-9/11 missions. Army Reservists are not full-time members of the U.S. military and can pursue some civilian career while still serving their country. They have advanced professional skills, expertise, and education which adds fundamentally to the value of the force.

Had to do some re-organizing to fit all the tractors in my storage building so a good opportunity for a photo shot was had. Herd safely tucked away.

Got the beams leveled at all the support points so there are just some low spots to fill in on some of the beams I think I might even start laying down new floor on Saturday. Its definitely a incredible difference from what the floor was I probably had 6 inch variances in the floor to I believe I got it around 1/2"

The other day I changed the engine to chassis 9-pin connector and while in there I noticed that the instrument light panel has the same connector, and on my 416-8 it looked like this: Of course after replacing the engine connector, this one began to act up by keeping the parking light on all the time. The connector basically crumbled in my hand, was in bad shape. All replaced now.

Have a Great Day

I replace points when they can no longer be cleaned up good enough to keep the engine running well. Replace the condenser when it no longer works (usually will have trouble running above 1/2 throttle)

Well, my gamble paid off. The spuds are UP!

Happy Birthday @jimkemp, we arer all glad you were born,

They got ‘em

had to figure this thread would wind up in the

A few things to consider to possibly extend the life of both would be to make sure that you have a good water-tight seal on the points cover. That small gromet that the ground wire goes through is often maintained poorly which allows moisture into that space which corrodes the points prematurely. Those gromets are readily available and cheap. Also to clean your points, never file or sand the contacts. Instead, run a dollar bill through the gap to remove any corrosion. The other easy thing to do is position your condenser with the wire end pointed downward to keep water from gathering on top of it. Water sitting on it is no bueno.

And turkey feeders.

Continued my mission to fix the bad electrical connectors on my 416-8, this one was for the indicator light panel:

Great news! It’s got enough compression to break my wrist!

I used it last year a lot, the first time I did indeed throw the tiller belt, however I think it was due to arouting issue. I pulled the tiller off the tractor to install my snowcab/snowblower for last winter, now I’ve reinstalled it. I plan on using it today.. actually looking forward to it!

Rule of thumb is, we'd pop off the point cover every annual maintenance or oil change and inspect for oil leaks (at the breaker plunger, which by the way, if it was aluminum, would be replaced with updated steel one, as they would often wear away and leak oil) and check the contact faces for any signs of burning or pitting - one of the first indicators of condenser trouble or ground path issues. Spare gaskets (52-041-11-S) and grommets (220297-S) were often replaced even if points were not serviced. Always replace points & condenser as a set - when one's starting to fail the other ain't far behind. Grounding problems (more common on the shaker cradle engines) could be as simple as corroded battery cable connections (especially in the "invisible" areas where terminals are crimped to cables), loose bolts on a battery cable, or bolting cable to painted surfaces (leaving just a bit of bolt thread barely touching the bolt hole as the only real ground contact path) Kohler manuals generally explain the principles of operation pretty well. (Old school - we believe if you understand HOW and WHY something works - REALLY understand, it's easy to diagnose)

At the time your was built the vast majority of trucks and automobiles had an ignition system that used points and condensers. The rule of thumb at the time was to change the points, condenser, and spark plug every 15,000 miles which would be every 250 hours of operation +/-. So, I guess every 250 hours of operation would work.

This is automotive, but covers the basics.

Just wait till next week! Pretty sure I will have all the beams leveled out by the weekend so next week I should be putting the new floor down. And once it is all down, it's getting some Cabot Australian Timber Oil on it.

I encourage you to have the new piston in the machinist hands before they do the final size honing. Even Kohler pistons are now made overseas and are in my experience are not to exact 0.010 over measurements

Your not a true electrician unless you have a "Spool Table" once in your life! Friend of mine's Dad was a commercial electrical contractor. Did mostly factories and plants. Built large control panels. Well my friend got an apartment and the only furniture in it was his bed a couch, 4 lawn chairs and this giant wooden wheel table. 8 guys could play poker on it! Well as time went by when he came home from work he would empty his pockets of wire nuts , screws , wire ties ect onto the table. Eventually there was so much stuff on it yo had a hard tie looking across it. One day I came over and it was all cleaned up. I asked him where everything went and he said his father ran out of wire nuts at the shop!

Evening, In my Quest to learn as much as I can about the mechanical and electrical workings of my new to me 1966 856 8HP Kohler Wheelhorse… can someone direct me to a very simple video explaining points and condensers. My tractor runs good.. but how do I know when the points are condenser need work or replacing… do they have a general maintenance schedule… do they have a general life span for the parts? Coming from a wanna learn more mechanical… understand not much about electrical kinda person Thank you

Mike, as you may know, those are used in phone company and power company implications. Lucky for you, those companies usually through them out, but some states reuse them and log the reel numbers and seek out where they have dissappeared to. I have had a couple of them and have had Security show up and inquire about how I received them. They took them away and did not press any charges...but the warning was there. I'm sorry, I can't scam you any longer! The reel looks great and will last a life time. I did work for Ill Bell and the ones I have came from Com Ed. No one will visit you and ask about the reel. They do make excellent lawn furnature and last forever. The cardboard ones had drop wire and such on them.

Looks good Kevin, can’t wait to see it! I did hear the engine run before I bought it, the gentleman I got it from started it on the floor of his shop. But that has been several years ago.

Surprisingly, a PTO clutch plate perfectly bolts to the top of the carb. I found an air filter that will fit down over the carb. So, a little cutting and welding magicery should allow it all to work in conjunction with each other.

All of the numbers you see on the trans mean nothing that helps identify what trans it is. They are part numbers, maybe a casting date, that's it. Just figure it is a #5086. The #110996 is the same trans as the #5086, it is just the number TORO changed to after 1986. If you think that trans is 1986 or newer, call it a #110996. One thing that may be different between these two tranies may be axle length. If they are not the same, pull up IDP's for both horses that used these trans and check axle part numbers...then compare with our axle length list that is "Pinned" at the top of this trans section.

Reading over this makes me think the points in my Galaxie are probably due to be replaced........

Ah, but re-gapping the points due to rubbing block wear was required about every 5000 miles. Some were easy (Chevy V8), some were a PIA (slant six). Look at the old points for metal transfer from one contact to the other.... if there is no transfer, just pitting - consider NOT changing the condenser, as it is perfectly matched....

I made a list of things to accomplish on the belt guard. One major issue is the air filter. There is about 7/8” between the carb top and the hood. I have an idea.

Hope you have a quiet day!!!

The Kohler K-series service manual explains each system used well

Weigh in this morning. 255.0 lbs. 17.6 lbs down. For about 3 weeks now I've been just trying to maintain current weight. Floating between 257 and 259. For most days I cut the fasting time periods back to 10 to 14 hours. Because of my shoulder bothering me quite a bit I had to stop going to the gym about a month ago for fear of causing further damage. I'm happy to say that I can now restart some lighter duty resistance training. For five or six days now I've been slowly increasing the fasting time ⏳️ lengths again. Combining a calorie deficit with longer periods of fasting I should be able to keep losing more fat. By increasing protein and decreasing carbs I should be able to keep muscle mass and possibly even build some.

One of the key pieces is using a brake rod from a Raider 10 or 12 hp tractor. The brake band mounts "backwards" from the 4 speed..... See file picture.

Today I drove 6 hours, round trip, to pickup a rototiller for my 414-8. I'll power wash it and disassemble far enough to replace the leaky shaft seal. (Suggestions for parts sourcing?) I also connected the throttle linkage & governor on the Troy Bilt tiller, and tweaked the carb. It's purring away. I guess I have no more excuses to delay Donna's garden expansion any longer!

They really are not hard to work on. Ours was like 12 years old...which means it is not worth having a guy come and fix it. I watched the videos, some also showed the kit I would need. I took a chance and ordered the parts, they were correct. Take pictures and keep parts seperate. It runs like brand new and it's been 2 years now. That little door on the bottom left of my picture has my pump in it. There is a valve there you can open to empty the water in the drum. You just may need to clean the pump or hose out.

Bill is correct. Google your washer, I found all kinds of help vidios and tore down my front loader and replaced the bearings and seals in the drum and the door seal...parts were $40 with all tools that I have.

I think this will flow!

I decided to play a little last night. After all, this is the 60th anniversary of the 875, the first hydro!

Well the wheel horse commando 8 is slowly but surely going back together I only started this project in December unfortunately time and other things have really slowed the project down but it’s going back together now and that’s all that matters. I have a complete forum titled “commando 8 restoration” but i don’t think many people are seeing it because of how long its been around and how inactive I have been on it so if you’d like go check that out but here’s some pictures

I appreciate all the comments and possible solutions! I have fuel lines, squeeze bulb, and new spark plugs coming in tomorrow to give a try. The wheel horse is a 414-8 with the fuel tank under the seat. My model number is very faded so hard to read however from my research it looks like it’s a 88’ or 89. I took apart the fuel pump which the diaphragm and spring look pretty good. side note: the current spark plug gets black tipped pretty quick and I’m suspecting I may need piston rings. Does anyone know where to find these as well as head gaskets? Compression test is next on my to do list. And any tips before doing this work would be appreciated.

Happy Birthday!!!

AND try to get the genuine Kohler parts - some of the aftermarket cheap stuff is garbage...

16" on my C-121 which would be the same.

Deestone 23x10.5x12 ag tires. Hardly used. $50 for the pair. Cast rear wheel weights. 75.00 I’ll be at the show most of the day on Thursday & Friday.

The tub cart is 66" from the back to the tip of the hitch. I put one in the bed of my Tacoma with a 60" bed. All I did was turn the cart up side down and flip the tongue. Then the total length is 60".

And it begins...