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55 years ago when I was in the Boy Scouts some of us had a chance to spend a long weekend camping with Rangers on Eglin A.F.B. We had to have a signed permission paper from our parents, that should of been an indication of what this 14 year old boy was about to experience. My mom didn't want to sign it for my brother and I but my dad said give me that with a grin on his face and signed it. Part of the deal was we only had what they killed and cooked to eat, it wasn't road kill it was northwest Florida SWAMP KILL. By Saturday afternoon non of it smell that bad and when your fourteen and hungry you do what you got to do. I can tell you most of it does taste like chicken, but the Possum and palm hearts stew was really greasy but when you cold and hungry, well I had a second helping.

After many years of camping, from tent to pop-ups to tag-along 24' trailer, Mrs. M and I decided that the money we would spend on a new trailer or motorhome, along with the fuel and repairs, would be better spent staying in luxury hotels. I rest my case....

The 42in RD is finished, thanks everybody for your help along the way. I would've preferred the original paint but it was too much already lost to rust. I'm hoping I can cut some grass with it in the next few days

Happy 80th Birthday @chev0545, we are glad you were born.

The only "Road Kill" I have eaten was a gator tail. The road to the power plant in Homestead, FL is a bit desolate and has a swamp to the south. One evening on the way in to work the Midnight Shift one of my coworkers hit an alligator, we were rather early for work so had time to harvest the tail. My coworker took it home, cubed it, marinated it in milk for a couple of days, and breaded it. We fried it off at work and shared it with the whole crew.

Need help identifying age of this tractor

National Roadkill Day takes place every year on September 25. Although you may assume that National Roadkill Day is about raising awareness about the dangers of roadkill or how it’s an issue that so many animals die on the roads, this would be the wrong assumption. National Roadkill Day is actually about raising awareness about roadkill as an immediate and no-waste alternative to help feed many hungry Americans.

The thing that totally pizzes me off about this whole thing is that the seller knew you were coming from a long ways away. They knew you were driving it back, they knew it was basically not roadworthy and dangerous. And yet they didn't say anything and let you hit the road. I would have a hard time letting that go. Fortunately you made it home safely. As far as what to do with it. Good or bad you have it. As already mentioned, you are very capable of fixing most anything on it. Personally I would first make it roadworthy. Then attack the other issues as you go. Who knows, maybe somewhere along the road you'll start liking it as you improve things and before you know it you'll become enthused about making it the way you want it. I've had things like that happen to me.

Throttle/choke are hook up and works great my fuel parts didn't make it today should be here tomorrow I hope

The day ended well:

I did a little tree trimming on the live oak yesterday, today I'm taking it easy.

One of our favorite restaurants in Bloomfield Michigan...

Didn't eat there, but just visited while driving Route 66 on vacation.

Under hood fuel tanks... I have yet to find one that wasn't really faded and/ or really nasty looking. So I did something silly: I took my little orbital sander and knocked all the grunge off this one, and put a light coat of red paint on it. At least it'll be the same color where it shows on the sides. I really wish I'd taken a before pic. It was multicolored and nasty. Looks much better now.

Series II can come with no oil filter (My 417-8 doesnt have one either) From the sounds of it I'd be suspecting the ignition coil.. carry a spark tester or spare spark plug with you and pre-test to be sure you can see the spark when engine's cold (It may start while testing unless you unhook both plugs) and then when it shuts down , test for spark and if you have no spark, your coil is likely breaking down when hot - It isn't uncommon - new coils are readily available on Amazon (I got an aftermarket one, works just fine though the supplied wires needed a little "tweaking" to shift the boots far enough that wires will seat fully in coil) also be sure the bracket (and condenser mounted to it typically) have a good solid ground (not rusty/corroded) - if getting a new coil, I'd opt to put in new points and condenser too, but that's just me... (and be sure you get OEM Genuine Kohler points, even though they're considerably more expensive - that aftermarket crap just don't work right when it comes to points & condenser for them)

has anyone tried to put a sleeve hitch on a gt14? i dont have a 3pt and want to get to the plow day coming up.

When they said they were leaving to go where they did, that would have been a HUGE red flag to me right away.

The 314-H has an Eaton 1100, and what is behind the dash is the hydraulic lift, which runs on a separate coaxial pump. It has nothing to do with the drive side of the hydrostatic other than they share the same sump. That being said if your tractor has the motion control under the steering wheel you are correct- part of the linkages are behind the dash. It is a mechanical connection and bleeding air from the system won't affect wheel motion. My only question would be if the oil level is full, and if the tranny has been serviced regularly. The filter (if OEM or at least correct) has no bypass and will restrict oil flow if not serviced. Of course that is only one possibility and would be very bad news as well. Just for giggles, I would check if you have slop between the motion control lever and the cam on the transmission. It takes only a small amount to reduce the effectiveness of input vs response. The first time my 520-H acted up I thought my transmission was going bad. Turned out to be a loose nut that robbed cam travel.

The longer this thread gets the less I’m interested in owning the complexities of a camper trailer!

7.9 mpg going through the mountains and plains home including 10 hour genny time didn’t seem terrible to me. Slow to 62-65 from 70, and I bet I’ll get pretty good (relative) mileage anyway!

Pretty much yes. I found that most in the 90-95 years were trashed and they were giving them away. Harleys in the same year range the same. One could buy a full bagger in running driving for a couple of grand. Much like our tractors worth more in parts. Not to say one wouldn't happen to get lucky and find one that was well taken care of but also a lot of tire kicking and boots to the ground to find it. 2000 -2010 yes higher in price but it seemed these years were being taken better care of. I've seen ads where they were touted as being kept or wintered inside. Dan keeps his pop up camper inside and is in excellent shape for the year. There again I found late models that were trashed ... people with too much money and not enough know how? That hinges on many things ... mainly how much does she like it? How much does it need. Does it have good bones? Are you willing to have another money pit? Are you going to just run local RV parks, campgrounds and shows or need to have a reliable rig to see national parks nation wide? Pretty much only you and T can decide.

Plastigage is a must. Top, bottom and sides of the crank journal should all be checked for clearance when a new rod is being installed. I would rather buy another rod than install one that wasn't within tolerance for lubrication and have it fail.

I towed my heavy tandem axle 28' camper with an F-250 crew cab. I had around 400 lbs on the hitch with the equalizer bars and it handled great including several trips to Florida at 65 mph. Then one day I didn't bother connecting the equalizer bars or the brakes for the 3 mile trip to the inspection garage. At around 40 mph it went into a violent fish tailing that nearly rolled the truck. When I braked it got worse and I had to coast to a stop. Be careful out there. Bad things can happen.

And is that fixed idler an added or original feature? Looks beneficial to address belt slap over the longest run between pulleys...

One of those technical terms that perfectly describes what you are talking about

Absolutely, that’s why something like this is critical https://www.powerwatchdog.com/surge-protectors it will shutoff power if it drops too low, or goes too high protecting the equipment.

You can probably do a series on YouTube on fixing up the "Pig in a Poke Motorized Palace" I have no doubt that you can overcome the mechanical and cosmetic issues and keep us all entertained in the process. By the way; has Colleen met the new bus? Hope she doesn't get too jealous.

Possibly, I know both the hosts have their own channels on Youtube. Both do variations on the Roadkill formula. I used to watch Roadkill before Motor Trend moved it to their own service behind a paywall. As an alternative to Roadkill on Youtube, There is Pole Barn Garage and Junk Yard Digs to name a few they basically do the same thing that Roadkill did. I also remember the T-shirts from the Roadkill Cafe in the late 80’s/90’s.

For those who are getting paint mixed for the1983 and 1984 Workhorse's here is the paint that was used, 1982 Ford Light Pewter Paint Code 18. Auto paint suppliers and some parts stores will make spray cans if that's your paint choice.

Understood. My spouse was ok on the pop-up camper itself, but never enjoyed the “close and communal atmosphere” of the campgrounds. I got the message. Sold the popup and it’s been “nice” hotels (and an occasional splurge on luxury) ever since!

Larry - welcome! Use an inline xenon bulb spark checker. Install it when the engine is cold, run it and watch the bulb. It should rapidly flash each time the coil fires the plug. That is for single cylinder engines, a two banger you would need to pick one. Run it until it dies - then watch the checker as you crank it. No spark, it's the coil. Got spark? The problem is most likely fuel related - but - it could be an oil fouled spark plug. My FIL's tired 702 will plow snow for over an hour or more - shut it off to refuel, it will not restart yet it has spark. I need to remove & clean the fouled plug.

I’ve been camping for a very long time, started when dad came home with a 1967 Coachman 12’ pickup camper. When my kids were born I got a 19’ Antigua hybrid camper, basically hard sided with pop-up bunk ends, then worked our way up to a 43’ 5th wheel. Obviously as you go up it get’s more expensive, but I find that setting up on the larger campers to be far easier than our old hybrid. The Jayco we have now is like the Jetson’s car, press a button and it does everything for you.

That will happen 2 days after I pass away. Enjoy your retirement. Maybe pick up a hobby like fixing little tractors or something You ll figure it out!

April 1958 transmission casting date, so April-May build 1958 RJ-58.

I use an autoformer after seeing voltage as low as 99 volts. Without the autoformer it would be use the generator or disconnect the power. At a minimum, get a voltmeter and plug it in where it is easily seen, you can get this pair for $13.

I liked the vid and alway thought those old retired fogies rollin down the highway with a chase vehicle getting 4 MPG belching black smoke were freakin nuts. Now I get it being older and can't do it on a bike with a trailer no more. Good times with the better half ...

Years ago, long before the internet, we had a "social media" of sorts. It was well known that the local volunteer fire company had a lot of hunters, and farmers. People would call the local number of the fire hall and report that a deer had been struck. Phone calls would be made to a "clean-up" crew, and before the body was cold, it was picked up. I never questioned where the deer went, who butchered it, or if anyone profited from it. I personally don't eat venison or any roadkill myself.

looks great but why didn't you replace the gage casters (wheels) with the proper height ones, you can buy them with the shoulder bolts for less than $50. They will correct the said catawampus and give you the correct cutting height when adjusting you height quadrant.

There is a low-level brake plug on the controller I am going to attempt to use. I will probably try to hook it up so when I bottom out the brake pedal, it will signal to the motor to turn off. If it doesn't work out, I am not severely worried about it as this motor is way weaker than the original engine. With a brand-new brake lining, I should be able to simply overpower the motor by applying the brake in an emergency.

I am a bit late to the party but glad to see the @stevasaurus Dino tractor looking so good.

We drove 250 miles total yesterday and looked at a few different busses. We had to know: A: do all busses of this era need major repairs in this general price bracket? and B: Would we be best off trying to make a project to salvage this dream? There’s a real nice one in Kalamazoo. It was taken very good care of, but the roof is terrible and the floor is wet in numerous areas. The owner is sadly in a physical state that he cannot keep up on the coach. We thought about making an offer, but Mrs. P does not love it. She would rather keep the toy hauler on the road for now. That’s always an option. Otherwise, we’re best off keeping what we have for now. I found a local RV parts supply that is currently E-commerce only, during their move. Eventually, they will allow local pick up after an online order. No storefront if you will. $51, and the track bar bushings I need so badly will be here today. Pictured is the good side, or what is left of that!

The Road Kill is our meeting place when I visit my family in Bedford County.

I ain't heard that since my dad was alive! Good one Lynn

It should have a compression release, but that does seem a bit low. Any chance the muffler is clogged? It could be affecting your reading. @ebinmainemay have a carb.

Typically a new travel trailer is sold with the cheapest thing they can call a battery, usually the dealer chooses it. The best setup is a pair of 6 volt golf cart batteries, another good option is a 12 volt true deep cycle, not the usual marine battery. I wish you the best dealing with Camping World, many have been sorry. Be sure to check absolutely everything, the RV industry is not known for quality.

RV Fridges (unless advancements have been made ) are horrible on 12V. You get the unit cold on 120v or LP then maintain the temp with 12V when traveling. I made quite a few $$$ and ate well also about 30 years ago. My wife worked at a large State park and she would call me with "Camper issues" 90% of the calls were for the fridge. One guy had this 35ft. Airstream trailer done in Mahogany with tuffed leather. It was the 4th of July and hot. Place was full and everyone was running the AC units. Campgrounds are notorious for crappy electrical service. His fridge was stocked and it wasn't holding temp. I told him to switch to gas. He says "What??" He had this thing for years and didn't even know it would run on propane. I showed him how to do it and he drags this giant roast out of the fridge and he tosses it on the grill to heat it up. Had all the fixin's too. He says sit and eat! About an hour later we check the fridge and it's back to normal. He hands me a Franklin and gives me a Grant for the wife. Saved quite a few more food supplies and stopped a fire from starting on one unit by getting the electrical load down.

Terry's decals are freaking awesome...

Welcome to RedSquare. This particular tractor has hit the forum before, here’s the previous post:

Finally had some time to put more together, it started and ran😁 Only problem was it would not shut off and I had to pull the plug wire. I did cut the harness down so🤷‍♂️