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A tip I learned from my Amish neighbor. Put a dab of peanut butter every couple of feet on the wire. They stick their tongue on the wire one time and never return.

I love cutting with my 40 year old mower. I hopped on my son’s Z turn the other day to finish up a section and did not care for it. Parked it and got back on the horse.

Latest of my build the bed still not done

I'm very partial to the 76-77 B series. They are identical to the C series of those years other than a few minor basically cosmetic things. In 78 the B's became light duty lawn tractors. I much prefer the older style steering tower for access to things 'inside', the underhood fuel tank although the rear mount does make sense but is causes other issues and the lack of engine wobble mounts. In my opinion those two years were Wheel Horses finest. I purchased mine brand new just after the blizzard of 78. It was a leftover model sitting on the floor of Chandlers Wheel Horse in South Bend. Shortly after that I converted it to a 'B'-160 and it spent a large amount of its life that way tilling, pushing dirt gravel and gravel, blowing snow and of course, mowing. I worked the snot out of it and never heard a single complaint. Here it is with the K341. I recently converted it back to a B-80 and dedicated it to a snowblade year round.

Here's Denali "working"...

Just get a diesel, or run premium gasoline… then you’ll never get that drastic fall in prices before it goes back up

I've wrapped up some projects with my hydro-lift and my chipper/shredder. Tonight, I was looking at my yard and thought the back could use a mow. I started to head for my zero turn, then thought - you know what, lets slap the deck on the Wheel Horse and make it a joy ride. Man, this thing sure cuts nice for a 50 year old machine!

Another guy here that’s fond of the B-80. This is my ‘77 with the 8 speed. I run a 36” RD on it a few times in the summer. and she goes to a few tractor shows. Doesn’t see winter duty though.

Preparing for a vacation on the lower Chesapeake. Repaired some crabbing gear and loaded up. Then put Barry in charge of keeping the crows out of my tomatoes and squash.

Posting today because the work was last week at my son and daughter’s extremely remote and off-the-grid camp. “Clyde” (the camp tractor) needed some attention—reports from the field declared it was hard-starting, had grown loud, and was running poorly, requiring some choke always. I brought a replacement muffler, carb, and other parts it might need. Muffler had a number of rust-through holes. Replaced it and gained a 5 or 6db drop in sound level. Fuel was draining back from carb to tank after only a couple days. Added a primer bulb and starts are instantaneous. Rough running cause was revealed during the muffler swap—the Welch plug on the carb had fallen out. Amazingly, it was still there on top of the engine and I was able to clean out its port, wrangle it back into place and secure it. Going forward, I’ll be adding ⅜” Welch plugs to my spares kit as a guarantee that I’ll never need another one! Greased everything in sight and a lot of stuff that wasn’t. Topped up the oil in the engine and transaxle My “shop away from home.” A step up from relying on a shade tree. The tarp was a lifesaver when I inevitably dropped a nut, bolt, or washer. I took some heat about bringing a shop stool but by the end of the week all the assistants were converts. Sharpening one of the 80 knives on the flail mower. Had to replace six knives broken or lost due to overly enthusiastic attacks on saplings—I had some words for the operators on that 😉. Milwaukee’s ¾” x 18” M12 Bandfile is exactly the right tool for this job. I made a removable boom to fit into the 2” receiver of the front lift to help with moving around some heavy and awkward things. Until now, the lift was only used for the flail. Hoist.mov

It may be a dog-eat-dog world out there, which can force you to work like a dog even during the dog days of summer! Work Like a Dog Day, which is celebrated on August 5, honors people who put in that extra bit of hard work. This quirky day is inspired by the reputed strong work ethic of canines, especially service dogs. Today, pause to appreciate the hard workers who inspire (or in some cases, frustrate) you. There’s no other day like this one so stick around because we’re sharing some fun ideas for the hard-working canine in you!

Seems the last couple years I’ve had some unwelcome guests helping themselves to my sweet corn in my micro garden…so this year I decided to put up some resistance by installing an electric fence. The neighbors are seeing the little masked bandits helping themselves to their gardens…but so far my sweet corn is untouched. I guess time will tell …

I don’t see any family resemblance, thank goodness!

I had to have dual hydraulics with a gear drive.

So this weekend I turned 40. On Friday afternoon, Mrs. P surprised me with an opportunity to jump out of a plane at 17,000 feet in Grand Haven, MI. It was a blast! No regerts, no hesitations! We dropped 12,000 feet in 85 seconds. It was quick, but totally awesome! Yes, she jumped too! I

It’s a paddle type manure spreader. Crappy topic, eh? The paddles and chain drives were pulled out. The back “gate” swings up, and I could sell it to my siblings in law as a seat belt for the littles!

Went down to Niles, MI today and struck a deal. The honey wagon jumped on after heading home. New kid hauler?

My stuff is all in the 60-year range, and I don't think I've ever had a nicer cut. There are a few spots where my grass gets very thick and I have to go in 1st gear, and sometimes make two passes, but the end product is so nice.

A little maintenence on the "Sparky" tractor. @Sparky The new owner has decided that new more aggressive shoes are acceptable. Needed a new shifter boot. Also doing a transmission fluid change. Our workshop smells like old gear ⚙️ oil 🛢

Finally got those roosting bars up. Only thing I had to buy was the self tapping screws all this galvanized pipe was water lines from the barn and house. I am thinking about maybe getting some pipe insulation to put on the pipes and wrapping it tightly with ducktape just to make it easier for the chickens to hold on.

Finished up some keyracks. I need to add the “lighter knob” and “generator light bezel” on the next batch.

I have chatted with Eric offline and I think I will rebuild the tranny versus a swap. Thanks for all the help guys!!!! Randy

No problem. WH used both 1 and 1-1/8 shaft electric PTOs. Your rewound coil should fit the 1 " pulley set I have 1" pulleys if you want one.

Kevin is a walking accident

Considering the tuition cost at Harvard I guess they applied their own theory, price it as high as customers are willing to pay.

She's purdy!!! Can't wait to see if that seat makes my butt look fat...

Not sure if it will be a problem, but I would prefer to see that long brake rod in tension rather than compression.

I drove through town after walking the dog and saw that no lead was $2.86 at the gas station. That was about 1pm. When I went back into town about 5pm, no lead at that same gas station is now $3.39! That is a 53 cent increase or 18% increase that happened in 4 hours. I just don't understand! Edit Folks - i'm venting here. Please don't take this thread into politics. The lack of politics in Red Square one of the things I really enjoy.

Take those little $h!t$ for a ride so I guess it's still the same thing! Spreading cheer! LOL Looks like a nice beefy trailer

Thank you to the membership for your support on the 312 h rescue. I’m glad to report that all tractor system is working as they should, on my first tractor ride today. Your support means a lot, again thank you for your valuable assistance. I will be using this tractor as a support tractor to get a feel on how it’s going to run and work out any possible issues. Now to move on to the mower deck repair.

According to the Google machine, diesel is taxed at the federal level at 6 cents more per gallon than gasoline. States vary, but here in MO they are both taxed at the same rate. I didn’t find anything online for the county or municipality here. The pump prices of the two across the highway from me right now differ by 52 cents; diesel being more expensive. So 11% of the difference is due to taxation. Not quite noise level, but pretty low. I get no heartburn blaming my brilliant leaders for things, but there must be more to this than merely the taxation that you assert. Steve

I agree that the 6-speed repair might well take less time and effort than a 6- to 8-speed swap and lead to a better outcome.

@Pullstart has done it successfully. You will need to modify the brake linkage. Just an fyi. I tried this on a plow tractor where I was near to constant back up go forward back up go forward and I was not at all happy with the end result. IMHO and experience, you're better off to pop out the 6-speed and crack it open. You won't need to modify the linkage and you will still have the limited slip. If this is a tractor that does not need to shift a lot, you'll be fine using the 8-speed.

I'll post with all the details of the swap, but yes the Tecumseh raised plate raises the Command a hair too high for the crankshaft centerline to remain the same, and also causes the valve cover to contact the hood. I've determined that if I keep the crank centerline and fore-aft location the same, the Command will clear by about 1/4" between the hood and the valve cover. This will require a custom mounting plate, but no big deal. There should be ample room to change the oil filter, there is clear access to the oil drains and the air filter assembly. Need to get it fully mocked up to see how it interacts with the drive belt guide and battery tray area. The crankshaft diameter difference (Command is 1.000" and the Tecumseh is 1.125") should be easily dealt with a custom crankshaft sleeve and key. I'll get some pics and measurements as we move forward. Excited to keep it as original as possible. I believe the original style control cables, electrical system (although we will rewire it because it is really pooched) fuel system, and muffler will all swap over to keep it as original as possible. I've owned a lot of the single cylinder Commands, and they are a really fantastic little engine.

Techy engines have a raised mounting plate without that you may find your Kohler lines up better

In my book, there’s nothing like a B80 8 speed 8 hp great engines do days work and still have fuel left over. I’ve had a couple of them. I’ve had also the four speeds and I miss them all.

I have a few thoughts on this matter. 1) Limp mode most likely means codes. Even if the light hasn't shown up yet, drive it until one does. Then get codes. He needs to do this BEFORE panicking or jumping to the conclusion that he "killed" it. Slipping or harsh engagements are caused by issues that can be brought on, or exacerbated by fluid changes. Limp modes are typically electronics issues, sensors or something. 2) 60K is too long for a trans service interval. I know most manufacturers spec a much longer interval, I don't let mine got past 30K. 3) I do not believe in the idea that changing the transmission fluid kills the transmission. It may hasten its demise, but it is not what kills it. My theory is that particular myth comes from people bringing vehicles in with shift concerns, and the shop doing a fluid change to try and free the valve body, but it was really leaking internal seals, and the new fluid, with its high detergent content cleans away the crap holding the seal together and now the transmission is worse. The owner says "well that transmission service killed my transmission" when it was really on borrowed time already. The filters on these "sealed" transmissions don't really trap sludge, unless things are already starting to burn up. They are there to keep metallic particulate out of the pump, the clutch material typically stays suspended in the fluid.

Thanks EB. Here is what I ran into. The exhaust elbow is one piece and the OD is a bit larger than the standard nipple, The nipple part is angled down too. .Doesn't make for a nice setup. Still working on it.

@squonk put me up to it!

Took the grinder with the wire wheel to the front wheels only one of them was bad it's pretty pitted. Would never hold air as a tubeless but with tubes should be ok. Popped the rear tires off the rims those are awesome on the inside Took the seat off the spare pan and the springs off. Looked like the cross pieces put on to get a different seat, was barely welded on so banged on it with a hammer a couple times. Didn't give, so turned it around. And found this looks like I will have to grind the welds off. New seat pan needs work Old seat pan on the right side new one on the left I think there will be some mix and match + welding to get a good seat pan.

20 years ago I was 3X as old as you. Now I'm only 2X. I hope you catch me some day.

Yes, and any other moving parts except the starter bendix.

I was wondering if anyone uses 6203-ZZ bearings when rebuilding their spindles? I usually use 6203-2RS bearings and remove one seal. Unfortunately, when filling with grease I often blow out the other seal. Would installing a 6203-ZZ bearing with one shield removed help stop the blowout when greasing?

Well that's a first for me! Put a bolt in it. But you should probably drop that oil pan and get the cast metal pieces out if they're still in there. Someone must've buried a bolt into the hole too deep and cracked open the inside of the block. A bolt will seal it.

In the Transmission Section there's a thread pinned to the top. Click the link below, then see the 3rd line from the bottom in the first pic. They're readily available on the aftermarket.

Or, in other words - 'because we can'. I don't think that Pacifica mini vans come in diesel versions in the US. Might be able to find a grey market European model.....

Happy Birthday Sir and thank you for your contributions to the hobby!!

I clean out after every mowing, there is always considerable buildup. Since the 60" deck on my zero turn flips up to a vertical position, cleaning is rather easy. My 60" Wheel Horse deck builds up the same but all I can easily do is run it up a ramp and hose it out. While I try to mow only dry grass I did mow one time this year with a wet lawn and it even rained while doing it, I had the least amount of buildup ever. There is no such thing as soaking steel with oil of any kind, ask yourself how would they keep it in the can.

Use a square nut and a slot or phillips head bolt. The square nut will sort of self lock against strap.