Leaderboard

Earlier this Summer we renovated our bathroom. Had to make new jambs and casings for the new pocket doors to match rest of house, and of course all with hand tools. Vanity also matching the beaded details throughout house all made with my Grandfather’s 98 year old plane. Woodwork is to be painted so I used clear pine which is always a pleasure to work with. I don’t use door stops or nailed on casings but rather make split jambs and casings in one assembled piece with no fasteners visible. All edges jointed straight and square by hand. All faces dressed with hand plane Beads made with Grandpa’s plane . One full bead requires planing board from face and from edge . “Secret” to my signature corner detail on jambs is a hidden precisely cut rabbet on back of one of beaded boards. This is done with a moving filister plane. Lock side of jamb for pocket door is recessed for privacy. I almost never use nailed on stops. Recess is plowed using a shoulder plane riding against a guide. My signature detail on jambs Everything is dry fitted prior to gluing and assembling in one piece. Once finished there are no visible fasteners to deal with yet one side is completely removable to allow for to be removed if needed. It can then be reinstalled without any damage to it. All pieces hand cut for dry fitting prior to assembly. After cutting the miters with miter box they are trimmed perfectly with the “guillotine”. Vanity also with beaded panels.

Of all the years making videos, I let one rip while on camera the other night. First time ever, believe it or not. Editing the footage, I was falling over laughing!

We didn’t know what we were getting, we just knew it was free to us. And small. My memory told me it was red, but maybe dark green. It had been 8-10 years since I had seen it.

@Pullstart Kevin if you need any information or assistance with that car I have my very close friends Tony and Carol in West Virginia that are experts on it. They collect them, fix them and show them.

Been awhile since my last overhaul...I am fortunate to have a quality machine shop to do the machining. He has also did one of my big tractors and 230ci engine in my M37. But like everything else it is getting costlier....Bore and hone .010 over $100 Grind crank $75 Insert and size valve guide $50 valve job $20

Are you a Horse-A-Holic? Of course you are or you wouldn’t be reading this! The man responsible for our addiction to silly little red tractors was born 127 years ago on November 13, 1898. Elmer Pond received an eighth-grade education and went on to found one of the most successful lawn and garden equipment companies in the United States. The Pond Tractor Company had its humble beginnings in a 20’ X 22’ garage where Elmer Pond would paint and assemble Speedex walk behind Garden Tractors for his brother Harold. Elmer and his son Cecil soon made the decision that they could build a better-quality garden tractor and set about designing a four wheeled small tractor in 1946. Since the Pond name was already in use by Harold Pond a new name was needed. Since the wheel horse on horse-drawn equipment was always the strongest horse Cecil deemed that Wheel Horse was an appropriate name. At the time all of their tractors were hand built by father and son in the same garage and several variations occurred depending on parts availability. The earliest models of the Pond riding tractor had lever steering (probably about 50 were made). Ford Model A drivetrain parts were used on the “Ride Away” as was the case with many early garden tractor manufacturers of that time. In 1948 they moved into their new 28’ by 80’ factory and sales office and a two wheeled walk behind tractor was added to the line and the riding tractor got an upgrade to the newer Ford V8 transmission and a more powerful 8.3 HP Wisconsen engine from the previous 6.1 HP unit. With the growth of the company came the task of developing a dealership network. Cecil Pond added a platform to his 1935 Ford and would deliver two wheeled tractors to interested dealers, primarily feed stores and hardware stores, as well a county fairs. In 1954 the Ponds added a reversing device to the walk-behind tractors and began development of a smaller riding garden tractor. The “Ride-Away Jr” was the result and the prototype debuted at the 1954 Chicago Trade Show. The Ride-Away Jr was the hit of the show and they had so many orders that it was difficult to meet the demand. Elmer and Cecil Pond both mortgaged their homes to come up with the money needed for additional production space. The rapid growth of Wheel Horse necessitated an even larger production facility and in 1961 Wheel Horse moved to their new state of the art factory. In 1969 they initiated more new products than any other year in Wheel Horse history. Wheel Horse’s first 14 horsepower tractor called the GT-14 was at the top of the line. It was a large frame tractor with big15’ rear tires. A new series of tractors using vertical shaft engines and a new vertical input transaxle was introduced. The spring of 1969 saw the opening of a new plant in Geel, Belgium called Amnor N. V. Wheel Horse lawn tractors are known for their standardization across the years. In the 1986, Wheel Horse was purchased by Toro. Toro continued to build garden tractors using the Wheel Horse name until 2007. Elmer Pond went to be with the Lord in 1977 leaving behind a legacy of honest dealing, integrity, and having created the little red tractors we all love.

Some years back a friend bought a TR6 and insisted I take it for a spin. It was pretty darned cramped and uncomfortable for this 6’2” guy. At the end, I needed help to get out of it.

Time is money in that business. You are paying both for a service and the experience with the proper tools to get it done right.

Over square engine The main advantage of a short-stroke engine is its ability to achieve higher RPMs, which results in more horsepower. This is because the piston travels a shorter distance, allowing it to rev faster and reducing wear at high speeds. Additionally, their larger bore allows for larger intake and exhaust valves, leading to better airflow. Under square engine The main advantage of a long stroke engine is improved low-end torque and thermal efficiency, making it good for applications like heavy loads and cruising. They are more fuel-efficient and provide smoother power delivery, but generally lack high-revving power. Square engine. Normally my favorite, unless I really need more torque. A square engine, with equal bore and stroke, offers a balance between torque and high-RPM power and can have advantages in compactness and reduced vibrations, especially in certain configurations. This balance makes it a versatile design suitable for a wide range of applications, from performance to general use. Kohler K181 and K301 are pretty close to being a square engine. The rest of the K models are over square. A lot of the old Wisconsin engines are under square.

I'm almost done refurbishing my GT18. I added fresh fuel today, changed all of the oil and filters, and took it for a longer test drive. The fresh fuel eliminated the slight lag from idle to a sudden wide-open throttle, and it's running great. I slipped an old seat cover over the original seat, which is still in pretty good shape, with only a couple of small hairline cracks that don't go all the way through. I may try some vinyl conditioner on it to see if it softens up a bit. There are still a few tweaks left to do on it: I need to make the final adjustments to the brake and motion-control linkages. The battery light is always on (it's charging fine) so I need to address that, either with a different battery light module or going to a voltmeter instead of a warning light. There's a wobble in the left front wheel, which I plan to replace with a rim that I got from @JoeM. I haven't decided about decals yet. It's a GT18, but I believe I've bumped up the CH18 to 20HP, so I don't know if I want a GT18 decal or not. Maybe I'll just skip the decals.

Well worth it. My last 2 K181's. I had my local shop hit the seats and set the lash on the new valves. $20 cash for the coffee fund. $40 if I wanted to pay by check with a receipt.

I make no secret about how I feel on aftermarket carburetors. I've had several fail. I will not use another one. IMHO And experience you have two options. 1. Contact Brian Badman @76c12091520h 2. CALL Lincoln at A to Z Tractor in PA.

Thanks Eric

Believe it or not that's probably original to the Kohler factory. I have a 16 horse that looks just like that. I posted a picture of it here. I showed those pictures to my own small engine guy that rebuilds quite a lot of engines. Nobody had a problem with it.

National Dream Destination Day, celebrated on November 13, was founded by Meg von Haartman, the owner of luxury travel company Traveler Ooh La La. This day is dedicated to inspiring individuals to plan and embark on the travel adventure of their dreams. Whether you have a bucket-list destination or want to discover something new, National Dream Destination Day reminds you that the world is full of awe-inspiring places just waiting to be explored. From luxurious resorts to historical cities, this holiday encourages you to start planning your next great escape and turn those travel dreams into reality. For me the dream destination is the South Mountain Fairgrounds the weekend following Fathers’ Day, how about you?

Guaranteed to leave you stranded by the side of the road with an empty wallet!

Same here. Several of them are smart bulbs. I tell Alexa good morning, and my home office lights come on at 30% brightness. Once I get my **** together and some coffee in my system, I tell her "bright light" and they bump up to full brightness. I have LEDs in my shop, but I kept one 6 bulb bank of fluorescents in the center of the shop. I was resizing and polishing my wedding band one day and thought I had it perfect - until I walked under the fluorescents. I could clearly see some tooling marks that I didn't get polished out. Under the LED's they were invisible. Evidently, something in the color spectrum. So now when I'm looking at something with regards to surface finish, I always make sure to check under various lighting.

The previous owner had it for 12-15 years, untouched. It was last registered in 2004 in Illinois. I got it to run yesterday on spray! It sounds great and there is bright hope!

You guys are nuts I thought they were waaayyy overpriced. Yeah I was floored ... I have the the same 753 with the same HY and I paid 400. Not rare at all EB ... sometimes a little hard to find but good things come to those who wait. Paid 350 for TWO 953's. Sure not restoed but running and driving. A mid mount blade went for for 700?? I got one on a 857 plus three other tractors with blowers & tillers & decks for 800. I think @Achto paid 70 for one. Did anyone notice the same bidder got most of the horse pieces and a few others? Both horses going to for 1017.50?? Not quite a coincidence. Thing that really floored me was the Massy 10 going for 2800! We have a expert Massey collector in our bunch that said less that half that for a immaculate restored one. Now lets add on the 10% buyers fee and another 5 if plastic used. I kinda had my eye on the reel mower & disc and really wanted @Streetrodchev to get the mower. He was throwing a few numbers on it @Andy N. Really hoping get him turned from the dark side ... Hoping @oliver2-44 was to take the 953 home for a fair price. He lives in no man's land. I have an idea who the 5109 guy with the deep pockets was. Auction smoktion ... you guys can have them. Thanks for posting PWL I didn't have the stones.

Picture of the Northern Lights

Terry (Vinylguy in the vendor section) can make you some decals any way you like, and everyone here can vouch for his work and how nice the decals are. Almost everything I've purchased from him has been custom work. I think he has some 5xi stuff anyway, so he already has size templates to work with. Your tractor looks great! Even if it isn't red it is still a beauty!

The joys of hub pulling......

GT-18+

I made this one for pulling C series hubs. Still did not budge the one I had to split the case on.....

Definitely 👍 The appearance of the grind didn’t matter, only speed and result. Look at how coarse a wheel was used! Had a piecework job during a school summer vacation. It didn’t take me long to learn the standards, get fast, avoid scrap, and not waste a single motion. I wanted to make any money.

Got the fruit trees all trimmed and the downed tree cut up.

Now that I look closer at the pics, I wonder if those grinder marks are from the foundry? Note that they are right on the casting seam. Might even be where the sprue and riser were cut off. If that's the case, the guy running the grinder at the foundry didn't care much what they looked like, as long as they passed inspection so that he could make his piece rate.

K-181crank just back from the machine shop .010 under..... Never paid attention before to the scuff marks...

Yep. About sums it up!

Yes they didn't get carried away on making it pretty

Lucas electrics??? Haha - don't get it wet!!!

May be, he's in competition with Eric on who can take the longest to complete a project.

Congratulations! You need to understand that nearly all campers cannot handle subfreezing temperatures without damage. There are some tricks about using water, such as using washer fluid to flush the toilet and dishpans in the sinks to catch water to be poured outside. Let us know what you are up to, maybe some of us have suggestions.

These won’t jump the track since I use commercial hardware. Bearings are locked within track, but if they need servicing that is the only way to get to them.

I am pretty much LED everything across the board. Theyre cheap and reliable, plus a huge upgrade typically. House, cars and trucks, tractors, etc...

Wife got some better outside pictures for me today. This time of year is rough for me doing anything outside, because I'm leaving for work a little before sunrise, and I get home about 10 minutes before dark, if that. She gets to work from home at least three days a week.

Hauled some brush with the C-121 today

I have set a map gas torch on the floor pointed at the hub for ten minutes or so with the puller in place snugging it and giving the head of the puller bolt a love tap. Your changing the seal anyway so the heat is not an issue there. I use an old hub that I drilled out the threat to allow the 7/16 bolts to pass through.

Mice with dentures??

We are definitely glad you were "borned" on this day, Elmer!

I have dozens of them which I use all the time. Here however space is small and they are bulky. Also they would damage tile is one is dropped.

Well, at least no blood was spilled. You're getting better,

I have one that works great with my 414-8. it came with a lift spring attachment for the front attach a matic. Both springs connect to the blower housign on the bottom with small turnbuckles. Keep a spare turnbuckle as these seem to take a lot of abuse over time and if one breaks it will not lift straight. As far as the gear box in the back, mine is open on top and the chain gets lubed with bar and chain oil before each use. not sure if its supposed to be filled with gear oil, manual says to add chain lube on last page. I also had to make a chute rotator handle, i made it out of pieces of ridgid conduit i had laying around and pins for easy removal. I dont have a dedicated tractor for this but i wish i did. takes a little bit with the lift rod and handle bolts etc. The sheer bolts are readily available as well as the shoes. I run mine on the outside pto pulley as the belt tends to rub against the hood sometimes. I dont have a belt guard nor have i ever seen one. I have the weight attachment in the back as well and that works great balancing the load. I do suggest a snow cab cause any slight wind and you will be covered. I dont have one and wear ski goggles. spray the chute and everything with lube. wet snow will clog. however light snow will go 50+ ft with 14 hp

Not I, I watched the 953 but it really jumped $$ the last afternoon

Last night the Austin, TX 10pm news had pictures from viewers looking north across lake Buchanan that were amazing for this far South. We would be about at the bottom of the green zone just below the TX on the viewing area map JoeM posted.