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Some of you members who go to the Wheel Horse show, know my Grandson Mason. Well on December 14, we had our first snow, and Mason has his first time driving in it. Unfortunately, he and his Subaru Outback had an untimely meeting with an F-350 pickup truck, his own. This was in the driveway. The F-350 won. He was quite upset but said that it would be back on the road in time for reopening of schools. So, Mason did not want to report it to insurance for obvious reasons, and he did not want to take it to a body shop, so he proceeded to disassemble it. After determining there was no frame or engine damage, he started his search for parts. He found a bumper cover, left fender, and hood, all the same color. He purchased a new core support and radiator, two new headlights, and a grill. He brought the car over to my house yesterday. The whole job was done outside in 15 to 35 degree weather. Total cost? $1400. That's perseverance.

The right-rear axle seal in my 522xi failed rather suddenly, as evidenced by the oil slick that appeared overnight on the garage floor. I jacked up the rear end and checked for play in the bearing, as well as end play in the axle. All was snug and smooth, so I figured that the rubber portion of the seal probably split or became detached from its metal ring. So, off with the hub. I loosened the set-screw jam nuts, heated the set screws just enough to soften up the factory-applied thread-locking compound, and removed them, using a 3/8” square (4-point) socket. I was going to use a three-jaw puller to remove the hub, as shown in the service manual. However, the hub appears to be cast iron, and I saw that some forum members had broken a hub flange with a puller. I could have used a bearing separator to pull the hub by flipping the jaws front-to-back and placing it directly right behind the flange, contacting the hub reasonably close to the center, but I opted for a more ‘elegant’ solution: I made a custom hub-puller that I could use again for future repairs if/when needed. It didn't take long to make. I traced the wheel hole pattern onto a scrap piece of 3/8" steel plate, drilled five 15/32” holes (for 7/16” bolts), drilled a 25/32” hole in the center, and welded a 3/4” grade 8 nut to the plate. I would have made the plate round, but I didn't have a wide enough piece of 3/8" plate, so it's in the shape of a pentagon. I figured that pulling from five points instead of three, and with those points closer to the center of the hub than its edge, there wasn’t much chance of breaking the casting. Also, before applying any pulling force, I snugged up all five of the 7/16” bolts finger-tight to make sure it would pull evenly from all five points. It worked “slick as snot on a glass doorknob,” as an old employer of mine used to say. As I suspected, the rubber portion of the seal had partially separated from its steel outer ring. I pried the seal out, being careful not to scratch the axle or transmission mating surfaces. I also checked for burrs on the axle, to avoid scratching the new seal when installing it. I made a simple seal installation tool by turning down a piece of schedule 80 PVC pipe in my lathe, which worked fine for installing the new seal. I’ll improve that tool later by inserting a thin sleeve inside it for a closer fit over the axle. Here's my hub service 'kit,' consisting of the puller, the 3/8" square socket, and the plastic seal installer, which I'll keep together in a bin for later use. I re-installed the original plastic thrust washer, which had a few thousandths of wear, but was still in good condition. I also installed a new key, even though the old one looked fine, and I cleaned and dried the set screw threads in the hub, so that the Loctite would work properly. The hub was still a snug fit on the axle, and I tapped it into place with a dead-blow plastic hammer to the point where there was only about .002 or .003 inch of end play in the axle (in other words, I tapped the hub far enough on to the axle to make up for the slight wear in the plastic thrust washer). I then installed new grade 8 square-head set screws with Loctite 271, torqued them per the service manual specs (28-32 ft. lbs.) and tightened the jam nuts. Done, no leaks, and I have a tool that will make any future hub work easier.

We have made it to the end of 2025, prepare to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Toast to the past and look forward to the future with friends and loved ones. Party hats, confetti, and champagne, let's celebrate the arrival of a brand new year! The celebration of New Year’s Eve has a history dating back thousands of years. The holiday’s origins can be traced back to ancient civilizations, such as the Babylonians and the Romans, who marked the beginning of the new year with religious festivals and celebrations.

Lucy at work again.

Bah Humbug ... let's just get this holiday nonsense over with so I can get down to some serious tractorin.

The transmission and frame are together

@953 nut my teenage niece put that on there and I just about wore my screen out trying to kill it also until I figured out it wasn't alive.

Not exactly sure what was going on there. @WHX?? ???? 2lbs pork sausage 2lbs crispy cooked bacon, crumbled 2lbs raw thick cut bacon Your favorite BBQ rub Your favorite BBQ sauce, Lace the raw thick cut bacon into a matt. Secret hack - place parchment paper over the bacon mat. Pat the sausage out on the bacon mat, so that it is the same size as the mat. Spread the cooked crumbled bacon over the sausage. Sprinkle BBQ rub over that & drizzle some BBQ sauce over that. Here is where the parchment paper helps to separate the sausage from the bacon mat. Roll the sausage up into a tight roll. Now use the bacon mat to wrap the sausage roll up tight to seal it with bacon. Brush some BBQ sauce over it & put it on the grill or smoker at 225 degrees. Cook until internal temp of the roll is 185 degrees. Cut into slices to serve = nice looking spiral slices of goodness.

Grandpa, you can choose to not give me what I want to eat today, But remember I will be making the decision for your long term care!

The leads going to the cruise control electromagnet on my 522xi showed definite signs of having served as a meal or nesting material for a mouse or some small furry critter. All but one or two strands of the wire were chewed through: Not a difficult repair job. Cut/strip/crimp: First layer of heat-shrink tubing: Second layer of heat-shrink tubing: Wires fixed. I managed to clean and save most of the original outer jacket/loom: Electromagnet reinstalled: Rounded up the usual suspects, but had to let this one go for lack of evidence:

Went ahead and fixed it for Don...

Not my dogs, but I spent the last 5 days babysitting for them while my neighbors were in Long Island. Every year, I'm in charge of creating their family Christmas cards. During the summer, the big one on the left, comes and gets me around sunset to chase bats in the backyard.

The C-120 was my original choice for the 48" plow, but axle and hub failure mid-plowing got the plow moved over to the C-141. My original plan was to have the snow thrower on it for standby. But I didn't feel like swapping them out, so I just moved the front weights over. Maybe if it warms up, I'll make the switch. Or if I pick up hydraulic lines for the 16-Auto, I might move it there. Yes, that's 6" strip of HDPE plastic.

@sqrlgtr, please kill that bug on your posts, I have finger smudges all over my screen trying to kill it.

My New Years resolutions seem to go in one year and out the other. Wishing a safe prosperous new year for you and yours.

Put juice to my new headlights on 1257 today. Halogen bulbs and pretty bright, 2nd pic is in shop and pitch dark. Dont remember what the watts are. Thought about going with led bulbs but IDK if it would be worth the extra coin.

Hey Don.... Do you ever do anything or is it all Lucy?

We’ve been taking care of my son’s dog Dirk over Christmas. His wife trains dogs and is certified to trading attack dogs. They will raise and train pups to 1 year old. Then sell the to police departments who do the final training either dog and officer. Dirk had competed and won several Attack competitions. His attack commands are in a foreign language so he is not confused by surrounding talking. The 3” x 18” Oak log is his chew and catch toy. He destroys any kind of rubber toy. He can catch the log mid air. Can you imagine him jumping Ang grabbing your arm like he casually catches that log

This from the guy with no idea how many tractors he has? BTW I'm not hoarding. I'm..... ummm. Carefully storing some stuff.

That's my biggest gripe about FB. I'll see something, then I'll never find it again.

I'll have to dig into my memory bank and see if I can remember where I got it. Cut-to-Size Plastic | Polycarbonate, Plexiglass, HDPE | ShapesPlastics I stand corrected on the size. FREE shipping.

Sounds like AI everybody I know with a Wheel Horse would properly strap it down.

Fabricated some Heim joints for my steering upgrade. Always a good day when you get to spark up the welder. Will be nice to have some adjustability.

Rearranged my horses in the garage in order of likelihood of them seeing use. Mounted a set of tri-ribs for the C-141 and stole the front weights off the C-120 and put on it. Moved Johnny over to the cold side of the garage until I get some hydraulic lines for the lift. First time all 3 tractors have been up and going at the same time!

There are way too many "lower life forms" that sell WH parts on CL and FB Marketplace. They are not one bit interested in preserving the hobby, just the color of folding money. I have had mostly decent transactions on Fleabay - but the most accurate, knowledgeable and honest are the folks here on Red Square....

Don one winter on my old 854 after snowplow. I checked gas tank and it was a lot lower than when i filled 3/4 up. Started looking around and i felt under the two piece gas tank and found a leak. i bought this 854 from a guy i knew and i helped him fix the tank! So i kew we sealed good and i recalled we pit bigger sheet metal screws in the bottom with the new seal. i got real luck as only two or three loosened up. I placed in garage and warmed tractor up and retightened the screws. By some pure luck as i added no more permatex or other sealant it never leaked again! At least for the three or four more years i had it! I sold this one at the Big Show this year!

This is what I did. Larger diameter plates with the five bolts to the outside of the hub would let it work with studs but just back them out if you need to remove the hub. I've got another blank plate to make a backer that can fit behind the entire hub but I haven't needed that so it's not drilled out. I will if the need arises or I just feel like it. Sometimes there isn’t the clearance between the hub and tranny case.

Happy new year to each of you and your families!

Happy New Year to all!!!

@ebinmaine Lucy pretty much runs the show, at work and at home. She lets me come with her everywhere she goes 😂 When we go to the firehouse most of the guys know her and say hi to her well before me!! My daughter said to me the other day “Do you know you’re Lucy’s bit_ _” 🤣🤣

Was out around 7am clearing driveway with the 702. Snow was lighter so it didnt do too bad. 7hp is still not a lot to run a blower. I was having fun playing out there. Fortunately, no issues with drive belt this time........🤞 20251231_072629.mp4

I'm a huge fan of LEDs. That being said, so long as the regular bulbs don't over tax your charging system- I'd just use them as they are. They look plenty bright enough.

Touche

@SylvanLakeWH VERY nicely done sir.

He did the best he could all things considered. He doesn't have any welding equipment, but his dad's garage is like a hardware store.

Wishing you all a healthy and happy New Year.

@855project Always good to have another cheese head here. @Achto and I are just a little north of you and have some parts. Yes pics please!!! Holy crap Bear more than a few ... now that is hoarding! You see all those Dan?!?!? All is needed Project is one of those and a hitch pin for tub pulling. Just a 3/4 rod ... easy to make. Guys just cheat and use a 3/4 bolt too. Send him some spacers too EB bet you hoard them as well ...

Governor control assembly and wire clip ready to be installed to blower housing. Governor control assembly ready to be installed to blower housing. Blower housing ready for governor control assembly to be installed. Cable bracket installed to blower housing with the bolt ran down finger tight. Flat washer and bushing sat on cable bracket. Governor control arm placed onto bushing then a flat washer was placed on top then the bolt was installed. Both bolts then tightened. Wire clip ready to be installed to blower housing. Note the different threads on this bolt. Blower housing ready for wire clip to be installed. Wire clip installed to blower housing. Governor control assembly and wire clip installed to blower housing.

I knew 953 wrote this before I even looked. Nanny, Grandpa gave me this extra scoop of Ice cream, I didn't ask for it!

Yeah, I think that redoing it from scratch is the way to go, since adding a spacer might make the puller plate too thick to use with a hub that has been converted to studs, unless I cut some countersinks. I'm up to my elbows with projects at the moment, but if I find some breathing room I'll see if I can crank one out some evening. Thanks for your input.

OE was spot welded. He drilled them out and bolted the replacement.

The way you hoard ... not ... I may have some Project.

Glad it went back to you Chris!

Same dude that said we don't need no education... or thought control...

Go ahead..... make my day.....

Is that one of them there walk B-hinds