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Yesterday, I was invited to bring a tractor to the Soo Line 1003 steam train run. Made for some great pictures.

My 875 developed a leak a while back. Sometimes big sometimes small. ATF isn't cheap anymore and it was keeping the transaxle from ever developing rust spots. Degunked it once and searched for the source. Then the frame broke also and repairing that finally found the leak source. The control shaft seal. I would like to thank @pfrederi and @daveoman1966 for their assistance and insight. The actual repair was simple but the journey was not. Reminded me of working on a K Car in the early 80's. Things weren't adding up as you will see. Learned a little on the way. Also got the hydro control to stay put and not move on it's own. As I found out. 65 and 66 Hydro's are 310077 "Wheel a Matics and are different than the later Hydrogears. First the leak. You can see the fresh oil on the frame under the control arm ATF cleans well: The control lever has to come out and the tensioner pulley has to come out anyway to fix those. And might as well de gunk it again. The bushings in the sheet metal and control lever were in great shape for a 60 yr. old machine Plastic cam was in good shape but the screws and tension plates have left the chat Used 4 long 3/8 bolts in place of the 4 trans to frame bolts and slid the trans back. This exposes the hole you use a 7/32 punch in to drive out a roll pin that holds the control arm on. Control arm with neutral adjustment eccentric. In theory I won't have to adjust this. Aluminum housing for the slide plate had these spline drive screws holding it on. I needed a 1/4 12 pt socket to fit them which I didn't have. Good thing I had a 7MM that fit. 1 screw wasn't super tight. More on that later There is a recess in the back of that housing that an o-ring seal fits in. Seal was worn square and was a little " stiffy!" Now this is where the K Car reference kicks in. The Hydrogear manual shows a 2nd o ring seal on the shaft. The was no evidence or remains of this o-ring. The o ring I got from Paul was too big. Paul noted the "Wheel a Matic diagram did not show the o ring. Contacted Dave and he confirmed that and sent me this pic of the later used Hydrogear. I put it together with just the 1 o ring. I replaced those spline bolts with allen head bolts. 1 bolt hex was a bit worn and I couldn't get it real tight. Slid the trans back together. Cleaned up the control arm and tensioner shaft bushings. Lubed them with dry graphite. Replaced the plastic cam tensioner plates, added a couple of flat washers for more tension and replaced the slotted screws with 8/32 allen head screws. put the belt back on and guard. Started it up and after about 10 minutes I had a good sized leak still. Downloaded the " Wheel A Matic" manual. It talked about those spline screws and how later they switched to allen head bolts. It also said if a leak develops at the shaft tightening the bolts to 70 inch pounds would cure it. I found another allen bolt in my used parts so I had to tear it all back apart to not only replace that 1 bolt I couldn't get real tight but tighten the rest of the bolts. I probably went to 90 inch lbs. but what the heck. Put it all back together and ran it for 20 minutes with the wheels off the ground then another 10 minutes up and down the road. Dry as a bone. I think it's FIXED!!!

Made a visit to Racinbob to pick up my new one. Had a great trip. Post more later. Steve the steering wheel is in my jeep. I know someone was going to ask. Lol

As a retired meat cutter (butcher) for 30 years I can tell you a quality set of knives is one of the best things a home kitchen can have. They don't have to cost $200 or more either, for at least the last 35 years the majority of meat departments use Victorinox Fibrox knives and basically that's just three knives. 8" breaking knife, the go to work horse in the shop that can last you for 25 years if you keep it sharpened properly. 6" or 7" semi flexible boning knife, straight or curved, we use both but for most of us we use the curved more., add a their 8" chief knife add a sharpener and a quality steel and you have pretty much all you need. All of this well cost you less the $150, these are not sold in your retail stores kitchen section. One more VERY important thing, STOP using hard non porous cutting boards, they are the worst thing you can do to your knives, also quality knives don't go in the dishwasher especially wooden handle ones Now for my third cup of coffee

With the exception of a few small things My 1978 C-141 Frankenstein is done. I would like to thank everyone who chimed in to assist in getting it running and painted. @ebinmaine @953 nut @pfrederi definitely contributed to getting the tractor going especially the wiring. There were many more contributions by other members as well. Just for you late arrivals it went from this, to this. In 3 1/2 months. THANKS!!!

On National Knife Day on August 24, we celebrate one of humankind’s very first tools. This is the day to appreciate the knives that we use on a daily basis. Knives have been made of bone, stone, and flint, and today, they are made using titanium, bronze, iron, and steel. We use knives for cooking, eating, fishing, hunting, and a host of other tasks. The day is celebrated by showing off your chopping skills, buying a new set of knives, and even comparing and swapping your knives with other like-minded people. Doesn’t matter if you are a skilled fisherman or a chef, National Knife Day is a celebration for everyone who’s ever used the tool.

Doing some cleaning in garage. Hopefully by end of September I'll have a designated Wheel Horse shed built. Going thru approval process w/city since I'm gonna need a variance. 🤞

Finished a new front hitch. Total cost $30.

Thanks for the positivity guys I appreciate it!! I am definitely spending more time on this hood, then I thought I would. But I also realize its the focal point of these tractors, it's also what has the most paint showing. So today got all of the paint stripped off, cleaned it really good and got some bondo on it. It's been a little while since I did bondo last, so it might take a little more sanding, but it's also hard to get it on the small curved areas as well. Shiny hood!!! I was slightly tempted to clear coat it and leave it as is, lol!

was one of may favorites as a kid and now I know why! Good old days!

Dirty, but ready to work!

C-85 cleaning is essentially done…back on all fours wheels. This one might actually get waxed!

Mowing w/654 & had to do a temporary repair on front axle pin. Plate broke off the end of it. Big bolt & 2 nuts to keep it locked in place. 🤞 Axle almost pulled out. This will do till I order the correct part......

Boys and their toys… The rental on this Bobcat was covered by doing the tailgate latch work on his dump truck last week. A major backyard overhaul is in the works and big and small equipment will be employed here. That Ohio Steel dump trailer works awesome!

It's my 60th birthday tomorrow, so we went to watch a game of cricket at my home stadium of the Yorkshire County Cricket Club which is 50 odd miles away in Leeds. It was a treat for me to watch a couple of top teams with international players going at it hammer and tongs. It's all sport here at the moment as we have the women's rugby union world cup just starting. The first game was on Friday and the English team beat the USA pretty convincingly. But we are number 1 in the world at present.

Been a while since I posted anything about this setup. Also quite a bit has changed on it. I drug it back out because my WH 48 is still not finished. It has some additional mods to work out, so this one is headed for duty. This thing mows like a mountain goat on Crack. It's gonna be fun. I borrowed the adjuster quadrant from the deck I got from @Bill D, and it works great. Only problem is this thing is deep front to rear, and getting it under the tractor is a bit of fun to say the least. Still got some minor adjustments to make, but it's gonna be mowing later this week like it sits.

How much of a shin buster will that front hitch be? Mabe one needs to whack each shin a couple three times before remembering to walk by with adequate clearance?

Three years ago I decided to rebuild a K301, that came with a broken rod, that I got when buying a deck for parts. The guy said you have to take the tractor (1267) too. I had never opened up a small engine before and it sounds like you have a lot more mechanical experience than I. Point is ‘you can do it’! Follow the Kohler manual and check all the helpful videos here. Be meticulous, call Kohler if you feel unsure about anything. Their support staff was fantastic and very patient. Ask the guys here, there is a wealth of knowledge and experience members share for the asking. My rebuild turned out great , fired right up and has been a beast of a worker with few issues ever since.

Today I finished up some loose ends on the C-141 and took a group photo.

She’s together, quick spin around the yard and back into the shed for today.

Laid down some stripes with the 315-8. For the first time ever it started hard and ran rough, might have to yank the carb off it and go through it. It eventually straightened out, but after sitting for a bit I went to put it away and again it was running lousy. This is also my only rig with a drink holder, what a nice feature

I disassembled and cleaned both and surprisingly the original Craftsman 3 prong grounded cords and restraining grommets are like new.. Very pliable and no sign of cracking.

My opinion... Plow: Handles wet sloppy slush Faster than a blower for snow amounts < 9" Requires a place to put the snow alongside the plowed area Can mark pavements/sidewalks Can dig up gravel/dirt driveways unless using skids Blower: LOVES dry snow up to 12-14" Tosses the snow well away from the cleared area Can clog with wet or slushy stuff unless kept nicely “loaded" Less marking of pavement/sidewalks In my area we are getting smaller, wetter snowfalls. I switched to a WH plow last year from a walk-behind 2-stage blower. I don’t think I’ll be going back.

These are the two parts that I don't see in the pictures. They tend to get misplaced when a plow is removed from a tractor.

Hydraulic valve cleaned up. Here are the fittings as found showing correct angles. Valve has new Viton #111 O rings installed and all port openings are sealed off. Valve will be painted soon.

After adjusting the valves and tweaking the carb, it seems to be running okay 🤞. No more popping at the moment. A7AACEC4-2A15-4EF6-82B8-264CC5A0D668.mov

Wheel Horse Parts and More has cutting edges for plow. However you may be better off and it may be cheaper trying to source one local.

You and Trina make it your own. Which is good not the same old same old stuff.

Yeah, that’s the plan, now to figure out what do do with it.😁

And gain another 30-40 years of service. Not a bad trade!

It's sorta scattered over three threads. It's changed alot over time. In the end, adding a Wheel Horse deck hanger and wheel setup worked like a charm. But it is a tight fit!

I've had quite a few people ask me and/or Trina why we spend so much time restoring a tractor just to go get it scratched and dirty again. Her favorite response: "I know where to buy paint". These are not million dollar one of a kind machines. They're MEANT to work. IMHO Doing a great quality restoration is all about proper maintenance and stewardship of the piece. Getting it back to it's intended use is the entire mission.

Pete, I'm currently rebuilding the deck, and have already replaced all the bearings. I did not see any cracks in the deck either, which from what I understand is common at the cradle mounts on these decks. Also this mower will not get much use. I bought the tractor mainly for snow plowing, and pulling a wagon and leaf sweeper.

I think you're on the right track replacing the belt with a Toro belt even if it looks good. I had the same issue when I purchased my 2005 Classic back in 2009. I'm blaming the lawyer approved clutch damper for it because it caused it to have a terrible 'feel' to the clutch engagement as well as pulsing it. Somehow the damper fell off but the clutch still pulsed quite a bit. I posted the issue here because the belt looked fine but a new belt was suggested. Put the new OEM belt on and everything was peachy.

$150 would this fit my c-105 I will need rear axle mounts. I don’t have those

I have been getting some work done around the house. Got two decks done and had a retaining wall and landscaping done, now I get to play with the York rake. Works great, need some weight up front. When this thing digs in it's hard to steer.

If you have access to a torque wrench and a piston ring compressor you can do the rest with common shop tools. You will need to enlist the aid of a machine shop anyway so let them do the measuring, valve seat cutting and valve installation for you. The grenade gears have gotta' go! This thread will give you some valuable information about the process.

Lookin’ good @Sparky Great job Mike! You know I like em nice and clean in my collection! Thanks!! 🤣

Looks good Sparky. A might uncomfortable to ride maybe, but purdy.

The biggest thing now is finding quality engine parts. I just did 3 k181's and got everything from I Save Tractors but he's no longer in business. Pay close attention to the top of the piston closest to the exhaust valve for erosion. Read these threads!

I did very little to the WHs today. The new fuel pump diaphragms from @buckrancherarrived in the mail today. Bruce (my son) rebuilt the fuel pump. I supervised the rebuild and the reassembly of the engine. Then we filled the fuel and waited to see if any ran out of the oil drain, we had nothing after a little while, so we filled it up and fired it. After running for a minute the idle settled and it ran better than it has since I owned it.

Trans oil / chocolate shake... Tried this method to make adding oil faster... worked like charm.

Today’s progress, just decals, throttle and choke handles with some fine tuning now. Inching closer to the finish but it’s now a runner.