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I'd like to add I'm one of those liars at the restaurant table ...

I would suggest putting a shut off valve on it so that you can run the carb dry when you park it for extended times. A battery tender would also be a good idea. They do help extend battery life.

January 5, 1933, In San Francisco construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge, a suspension bridge that once boasted the longest main span in the world and that has been celebrated for the magnificence of its setting.

Ed, quit exaggerating, you won't be 82 for a couple more days. I have only owned Wheel Horses for about 35 years. In 1957 we went to a lawn and garden show and I tried to convince my Dad we needed that RJ-35 so I could ride and mow. He ended up buying a walk behind mower and a walk behind tiller. I did a lot of walking.

Here is one:

I'll chip in 82.

came to start my Suburban 400 and I really struggled. Convinced myself it was fuel, then carb - took it apart and messed about. Finally put the drill on the flywheel and it just about ran, but died. Pressed the clutch pedal and tried again and it ran like a dream! Not used to these little 4hp engines, nor the fact that the 90W gear oil is like glue when it is -8 dec C. I think even the straight 30 in the engines is a bit gloopy too! Tried the 551, that wouldn't crank either and pressing the clutch make all the difference too! I'll remember that in future.... Maybe someone could invent an oil that isn't as thick when cold Maybe I stick to bigger engines with electric start!

As I get older, I'm beginning to understand why folks retire to moderate temp locations when they can!

Lots of runnin' today so it was a walk by, spray, hammer kinda day. I've been known to be abusive with hammers, so I got my little one.

My 314-8 and the 520H did not have seat support cylinders. So, after consulting with Red Green and Rube Goldberg; The 314 And the 520

There is a group of ROMEOs at our local diner. (Retired Old Men Eating Out). A close friend was among them but when I asked if I could join I was told I’d have to be at least 75 to get invited!

Last time I went across that bridge, I was busy rubber necking & blew right through the toll booth. Got a bill in the mail 2 weeks later for $45. .

You CAN do a leak down test. You have to have the piston at TDC on the compression stroke and use a couple of pipe wrenches to hold the crank from moving. Done it many times. The compression release only holds the valve open as the piston starts moving up in the bore. It's closed at TDC. If it isn't, good luck getting the engine to start!

More sheet metal repair. The bolt hole in the seat was busted out, fact it was so big the the head of a 1/2 carriage bolt would drop right through it. I used a hole saw to make a washer out of 10ga sheet metal. Welded this washer in place plus took care of a couple of stress cracks. Ground all the welds smooth, Squared the hole to fit a 1/2" carriage bolt. The seat and front rims then made a trip through the blast cabinet. Moved on to the hood which had some cracks around the front mounting hole, plus plenty of dents. Spent a couple hours with a hammer in my hand bouncing back & forth between the anvil, a sand bag, and some hand dollies to get it as straight as I could. It will still need some minor body filler work to be perfect. After it was straitened out I drilled some holes at the end of the cracks, beveled the cracks out, weld & grind. Other than that all I have to show is a bucket full of sand blasted parts.

Started transaxle change after pressure washing all the garden dust off the 12hp no name. Going to let her drain overnight. New shifter boot, Engine oil and brake drum seal next on the list..

I had a piece custom cut of 1/2" PVC with a slit up the side that I would slide over the shaft until I finally broke down and bought a par, one for the 310-8 and one for the 418-C.

Aw heck no! Too cold for these old bones...

Next on the list for the project is some front traction aid. Since we have been using the machine also as a tug for non-running equipment, I realized that the limited slip makes for an awesome tow/tug rig, with the only issue being lack of front traction. Fabricated a dual purpose front weight bracket/bumper and tow/tug assembly. The idea would be not only to use it for weight but also to attach some recovery/tow hardware to it, and maybe even a small winch if it looks like that's doable. Making it for the Raider was pretty easy, but I went the extra length and made it a bolt on for our 520, with the Attach-A-Matic bracket and mule drive still intact. That took quite a bit more work, but I'm really happy that we have a bracket now that will fit without needing to remove the plow or any of the Attach-A-Matic stuff. Will keep adding/modifying to the assembly as we spend some more time with it. I'd really like to gusset it more closer to the frame attachment points, as a lot of material was removed to clear things. It handles a top-down load easily, the side-load is what I want to strengthen. The weights on it now came off an Exmark walk behind and are bolt-on. Everything clears: Hood open/close Plow lift/angle left and right Engine mounting bolts (on Onan, not pictured) Front axle Attach-A-Matic bracket (not pictured) Attach-A-Matic mule drive (not pictured) Excited to put it to use in recovery situations. We do a lot of that here as a small engine shop. Next for traction aids are loaded fronts and some #40 chain. 😊

At least on our two, the seat will not stay up without a working gas cylinder. For a while I was using a custom cut piece of scrap wood that I kept in the shed. Filling the gas tank while holding the seat up was not enjoyable.

I don’t recall seeing a bucket of these on your trailer at the last show?!

No truer words have ever been spoken For once I DO believe you

when i first got a few blackhoods 3-4 yrs ago i wasn't sure i liked the plastic pan design but quickly became a fan - - they offer a distinctive different look - and along with the black hood it makes them different than the traditional design -- sorta gives them a special unique character

I never did care much for the look of the plastic seat pan/fenders, although this one is flawless no cracks or breaks. I put the wheels and tires of a 520 and I gotta say it makes the plastic look pretty good now. Lol!! I might keep it for a while this way before I throw a metal seat pan on it.

I’d like to add 42 years owning, using, fixing, restoring, and collecting Wheel Horse tractors and implements 👍🏻🙂

Got this for my 520-HC works great https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093BKZX4V?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_2

Not only is there a wealth of information available and freely given. There is also the friendly bantering and camaraderie. it's not unlike sitting around the liars table at the local restaurant. Good group and well run organization.

Hmmm... better to find a bent dipstick than half a dipstick....

I actually have replaced the wheel bearings on the unit already, though I'll have to look back and see if we used Stens or Rotary. I think they were Rotary, and not as nice as the ones you show in that picture. Really sweet set of rigs you have there. I'm a big fan of the Vanguard twins as well. Have two Cubs with them, they are an easy staring, easy maintenance, reliable engine that sips the fuel is light and smooth.

In the Army, we always referred to those as ROGHFs, or "retired old grey-headed umm... fellas" Sounds like you were addressed directly by the ROGHFIC. The IC meaning "in charge"...

So THAT is what those are for!

I do love fabrication work, especially what most would consider an upgrade. I would suggest making sure your spindles are in good shape (no gouges), and get some Stens front wheel bearings. They are available on Amazon. They are very sturdy compared to standard bearings- provided your spindles are undamaged and round. Then add whatever reasonable weight you can (wheel weights or fill) and it will add some front stability. Having repowered several tractors with Vanguards, I completely understand how much lighter these machines get up front. Mowing isn't affected much, but put some weight behind you and it shows rather quickly! Making a weight set that doesn't interfere with the mule drive is smart. Well done!

Ahh... different design then all the black hoods... perhaps the engineering folks should have not "improved" this aspect of the seat design and kept it functional for free... Thanks for the clarification.

I figure there is a guy on here @Ed Kennell might have one of those parts or mule drives you need in a bucket.?? Might cross paths, his prices are fair too.

Yeah, I get that. Of course then the engine, once running nicely and warmed up, would wonder why it now has to spin that cold cranky compressor!

Fuel tank ready to install. Tank has had the bottom threaded bolting locations cleaned out with a bottoming tap. Fuel tank has been treated with "back to black". Fuel tank slid into position. Fuel tank bolted into place. Fuel line cut to proper length then connected to tank shutoff valve. Fuel tank and line assembly complete. This is the tool I use to cut fuel line. I like a nice square cut and this tool delivers.

I'm glad I live where I do, being in NY, all these big snow storms are just mere miles away. I have maybe 3" on the ground.

Just talked with my cousin who lives in Pompye, NY on the old family farm. The got three feet of snow but he has a six foot PTO driven snow blower on on of the tractors now so the milk truck will be able to make it to the barn with no problem. He said he cleared a double pass on the farm road (about a mile) and a double pass a couple miles on the main road before he met the state blower doing the road. Glad I don't live up there anymore.

The most effective way out of your dilemma in my opinion would be to buy a 103-990 ignition switch and a solenoid and follow the diagram below. Hope this is what you need, let us know if you have other questions.

Dipstick change was in the 1986 model year

Always good to tap and die the all holes in head and bolts. Or for that matter I do all areas that look like there is build up grease or foreign material.

I buy mine at a truck topper dealer. He has 5 gallon buckets full from old topper lift gates at $5 each

Yeah, I'm one. 73 yo.

So, ya think they would be a good seller at the SHOW?

Thank you very much sir!

I live in Lapel Indiana, can anyone near me recommend someone to rebuild my K301 47460 12HP Kohler. It only carries 70PSI on a compression test. After I did the compression test and came up with the 70 PSI, I added some 30w oil to the cylinder and the compression came up to 130PSI, so I figured on the rings being bad. I had the head off and put gas around the valves and thy were sealed good. I had installed a new head gasket.

My winter truck (2005 Duramax powered Chevy) has no glow plug circuit, nor a working block heater. It’s a bit stubborn too come these temps. Sometimes if it doesn’t fire, I’ll crank it for maybe 10 seconds, let it heat soak a bit and rest the batteries, repeat.

These motors have Automatic Compression Release (ACR) so it makes it hard to get a true compression reading. There’s a way to do it, don’t know it myself but someone here will. And…Welcome To Red Square!!

One other trick is to attempt to tighten the bolt a bit more, they were only torqued to 45 foot pounds by Kohler so there will be some room to go without fear of breaking.

Use bolts long enough to have some unthreaded shank where it passes through all the metal hinges. That way time will not be wearing on the threads of the bolt making the fix short lived. Add washers to expose just the threads for the nut and cut off extra threads. If you can find plastic or nylon washers even better. Snug the nut up so the pivot is under tension - rattles likely disappear. You may have room to put a washer between the hinge halves.

If you qualify for membership in the American Legion (When you served) or the VFW (Where you served) I would highly recommend becoming a member, for the sole fact that you can make the organization your service rep. I did mine on my own and got extremely lucky, although I couldn’t tell you a thing about the process because I was kinda ushered through it. I just nodded my head and signed my name. If you make one of the Serivice Organizations your rep, they’ll have a smaller case load than the actual VA reps and be able to go over things in more detail with you. I belive other VSOs have reps as well, it’s worth to check around with any and all the organizations that you’re eligible for, such as Fleet Reserve, Marine Corps League, DAV, etc. *Afterthought* It may be harder for you to claim things. The longer you’re out, the more proof they’re going to want that it’s service connected. There is a way to request your medical records through the VAs file storage in St Louis. I would suggest requesting those to have copies on hand. Always, always, always make multiple copies of everything. Treat each thing you give them as homework; you’re not gunna get it back once it’s turned in. My cousin just helped her father in law get through the process. He was rushed through it because he was on his third bout of cancer, and it was right after the added Agent Orange to the presumptives list. He was a special case, because when they applied, he needed treatment yesterday, so they rushed him through so that he could start treatment. They won’t work that fast if your not in a life threatening situation. Go into it expecting nothing. That’s what I did and I got awarded 60% service connected disability (I had the same job as you, but in the Corps). I know a guy that was really torn up, went in expecting to get a high rating, started laying back and spending money cause “pay day is coming” and he got awarded 10%..... at the end of the day your at the mercy of who Evers desk your file lands on. Mine took 11 months to process, that’s an extremely short time, but expect it taking up to 36 months. Mine was one of the thousands they pushed through to clear the backlog a few years ago. Once you get your rating, you will get back paid to the date you submitted your claim. I actually got the deposit In my account before I even got my awards letter. If you want/need anymore help or assistance, I’d be happy to help in anyway I can. *After After thought* I got awarded 20% initially, then two weeks later I got another deposit that was massive and didn’t know where it came from. They had adjusted me up to 60%... just know that they may change it. Also, if you’re not 100%T&P (Total And permanent) you will be subject to review every 5 years. That means that every five years you run the risk of a decrease or loss of benefits. There was a story a few years ago about a couple double amputees that gotletters saying that their ratings were reversed, because they had prosthetics, they were therefore no longer “disabled”. It caused a huge $&!¥ storm, (as it should’ve), and the VA eventually awarded them their ratings again, but just know that it’s not permanent unless you end up with 100%T&P, and that’s the holy grail of ratings, short of either dozens of little issues piling up, or one or two massive issues, you won’t ever get that, but no one ever really tells you that it’s subject to review.