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And I thought you were asking about the MPG fuel stats on Mrs Ks favorite ride.

I don’t know my birds of prey well, but I am continually attempting to improve habitats out back. As much as I don’t want mice, I know they have a place in the food chain, and they move in with the habitats I create. Along with having my chickens and cats around the place, I have more eagles, hawks, coyotes, and other predators around here. It’s a nervous balance of mine, to keep the habitat growing and keep our farm animals on the ground.

So as may of you know in September I bought a 1257. We fully rebuilt the transmission. I got a new ignition switch a few weeks ago and put that in. Then we got snow so it got pushed to the back. Today we finally brought it back in. Cleaned the points and it fired right up. More to come later today. IMG_1453.mov

I figured I should get in a ride while the getting is good because of the uncertain weather conditions nowadays. I used the Side x Side to pack roughly 6 '' of snow on the ground. The 418-A is my mowing tractor and it's nice to get behind the wheel with no mower deck and wind it up some. This was on Thursday after lunch.

January 11, 1838, First public demonstration of telegraph messages sent using dots and dashes at Speedwell Ironworks in Morristown, New Jersey by Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail.

Did some cleaning yesterday night. And came how way better then I was expecting. Still have to clean the rims and find a belt guard though. Do have some other plans for this tractor as well

As I recall, I think Mrs. K had 3 of them back in the day. One of her favorites was the one with the two small center facing third seats that could seat 4 rug rats. The rear door opened as a door for loading passengers or as a tail gate for loading 20- 4X8 sheets of plywood or drywall.

Yes you can solder the hole closed...after you get all the gas out. use a soldering gun not a torch

Tony boy does that bring back some memories good and bad. I’ve had four of these 1257 one of my favorites. It has a nice feel at the steering wheel and the foot rest. I’ve always liked sitting over the tractor not in the tractor. The engine sounds good. Nice smooth idle.

Todays adventure - rebuild the steering system. To start off I turned a portion of 5/8" stock down to 9/16" and threaded it to 12 pitch. Next drill a hole in it and tap the inside of it to 3/8-24. Then use a parting tool to cut it to length. OK, what am I building here ?? Remember the fan gear that the PO messed up by welding the drag link to it? The hole in it was too large for a heal-a-coil. So I tapped the hole in it to 9/16-12. What I made was an insert to repair the require 3/8-24 hole in the fan gear. Inserted with Loctite plus I peened the edges to ensure that it does not move. Next - take a peace of 5/8" x 4.5" stock, turn a 15/16" length of each end down to 7/16" and thread it to a 20 pitch. One new drag link. Now for the tie rod that was butchered up. First off, position the front axle and spindles so that everything is held strait. Then cut a 1" x 5/16" flat bar to length. Use a transfer punch to mark the outer holes. Drill the 1/2" holes in each end and the 3/8" hole for the drag link and test bolt things together. Looking good, now it was time to turn the two 1/2' bolts into part #3949 clevis pins. Cut to length and then drill an 1/8" hole 1" deep into the end of the bolt. Drill & tap the end to 1/4-28 to a depth of 3/8" for a grease zerk. Drill an 1/8" cross hole to meet up with the 1/8" length wise hole so that grease can get to the pivot point. Front end repaired & almost ready for some paint.

Got my latest C-160-8 to pop off today. Think she was auctioned off because starter motor was bad. Fixed some wiring issues replaced starter and she popped.. ( can't spray carb cleaner and film at the same time) This is the tractor with the unique K 431 engine.

This service work was done for a 30 year customer by me in their Master Bath installed by others. These fixtures are at least 35 years old. The tub faucets are in polished gold finish which have been very well taken care of over the years. The Symmons shower valve is brass but the trim is not. Always enjoyed working with quality Plumbing products and buying OEM parts knowing full well you could walk away and stand behind your work. I use food grade silicone grease on all parts on reassembly. In todays world you keep your fingers crossed and walk away. One of the main reasons I work for certain customers on a semi- retired basis. Lately I have been going through a LOT of stock and it bothers me to toss it out but I just will never use it all. SAD

This is true. I did the tranny a couple of years ago in order to fix a a bad 3rd gear so with a fresh engine it should be good for another 60yrs.

Not very picture heavy today. One of today's goals was to clean the engine up to prepare it for paint. Part of that goal was to investigate the oil seepage from the head gasket. When I pulled the head, this was the scene. Way too much piston wash for my tastes, not to mention the small puddle of oil laying on top. Given this knowledge, well.. this happened. Thanks to @WHX?? for helping me tear the engine down. Measurements were taken and it looks like it will need a new set of rings & some gaskets. Not a planned event in this resto but nothing that can't be fixed.

I have this Economy Jim Dandy that I bought in 1985 when I was 15 years old. I used to drive it around the neighborhood as it was quite a bit faster than my Work Horse. It has been in my basement now for 29 years. Occasionally I take out the spark plug and drip some Marvel Mystery Oil in the hole, and spin it over by hand. This is the only tractor that I own that is not a Wheel Horse. I’d like to sell it because I realize that I’m not going to restore or even use it. I also have the mower deck for it. I’m not sure of the exact year, but I think it’s early 60’s ?

I have a pile of floats. I could send you one.

Went for a drive to visit our friend yesterday. Got some lunch and went for a nice woods walk. Fresh squirrel tracks. These stone walls are very unusual in our area for several reasons. The height is extreme at about 4 feet in the middle but the length doesn't justify that for any obvious reason. It's only a few dozen feet long and also follows a pretty steep downhill. And... the rocks are flat!

What a lot of folks do not realize is that Symmons will replace all the tub & shower parts, except the brass body, for free as long as you own it. I remodeled my bath in 1985 and installed their Model B unit. About 8 years later, the hot side would not shut off tight. I could not remove the metal 3 flute knob! I called their Customer Service, and a VERY knowledgeable person told me the exact steps to cut it apart and remove it. I received a new loaded valve stem, gaskets, new style plastic knob, and snap-in cover. Shipped to my house - for the bubble.

Hey folks , I haven't been as active here as I once was ( apologies ) . I have been busy . This happened to me this week and I remembered there are "birders" on this forum . Last Wednesday while at work , myself and two coworkers were just shooting the breeze out in our drop lot when something caught our eyes . It was a seemingly injured bird hopping along the fence line. Birds of prey are very common in the city . They hunt the pigeons that nest nearby. We decided to call the SPCA and they forwarded us to the DEC. About 1/2 hour later a woman from the DEC shows up and she can't catch him. My 2 coworkers had left and I decided to help her as she was about to give up . She threw a blanket to me over the fence and told me what to do . I managed to toss the blanket over him and get ahold of both his feet .I carried the bundled injured little guy over to her Jeep and slid it into a pet carrier. He looked in pretty rough shape to my untrained eye . I gave the woman my info and asked if she would keep me updated. This afternoon I get a call . The bird was taken to our SPCA and is doing "quite well". She sent me a pic . He's about a 1 year old Coopers Hawk. He's gorgeous.

No yours went through a spindle off resto and got donated to a tractor for the less fortunate. Page 18

Ya know we really shouldn't talk about Wallfish like that in front of him ...

But what if you only need lunch?

A "Brass Flotilla??", Mike?

Gas dryer has a screaming idler pulley, so replacing the idler, drum rollers, and belt. I much prefer working on tractors opposed to appliances.

Throttle knob ready to install. I like the T style knobs the best. Hair dryer used to heat knob for easier installation and so knob does not crack. This little hair dryer is used a lot in the shop whenever I feel the heat gun might cause damage. Block of wood and dead blow hammer used to tap knob into position. Throttle knob installed.

Lift. PTO, and Tach grips ready to install. Mid tach latch ready for grip to be installed. Mid tach latch grip installed. PTO lever ready for grip to be installed. PTO lever grip installed. You will note that the grips used are the older style as I don't care for the larger new style ones. Hydraulic valve control handle ready for grip to be installed. Hydraulic valve control handle silicone applied to retain grip. Hydraulic valve control handle grip installed.

Foot control pedal assembly ready to install. Foot control rod end ready for Heim joint. Foot control rod end Heim joint jamb nut screwed on fully. Foot control rod end threads greased. Foot control rod end Heim joint screwed on fully (this will be adjusted later). Foot control pedal slid onto shaft. Foot control pedal retainer installed . Retainer is just a large nut drilled out and a set screw added. Heim joint bolted to foot pedal. Heim joint bolted to foot pedal with temporary non locking nut (a nyloc nut will be installed once final adjustments are complete).

...- . .-. -.-- / -.-. --- --- .-..

I love my 1257, had it since my dad gave it to me 10 years ago. My favorite WH tractor. Yours looks like a solid rig 👍.

I only modeled the hydraulic surfaces from the intake to the discharge. So I never got involved with the size or shape of the upper and lower reservoirs. I only needed the max and min water levels and the flow rates to conduct the model tests. There was one TVA project where the prototype index test showed 4.5% less HP output than the model test. After extensive testing and inspection of the new runners we supplied and of the modifications we made to the draft tube shapes, we determined the turbine was not seeing the correct flow. Divers were sent down upstream of the intake and discovered a silt build up that was blocking a lower corner of the intake. Using a Garmin depth/fish finder with GPS I made a map of the silt and installed the same scaled down obstruction on the model. The model test now matched the lower output of the prototype. There is a lot of reluctance to disturb these silt deposits. I do not know if TVA ever removed the silt or just lived with the reduced output.

A “Sparky”

Exhaust covers and air deflector ready to be installed. Engine ready for exhaust covers to be installed. Right exhaust cover tucked under side cover as it was originally. Right engine lifting lug loosely bolted through exhaust and side covers. Both lifting lug bolts have never seize applied to threads. Left engine lifting lug loosely bolted through exhaust and side covers. Note the exhaust cover is on top of the side cover on this side. Both engine lifting lugs loosely bolted through exhaust and side covers. Air deflector sat on muffler and loosely bolted to exhaust covers. Chrome muffler cover attached loosely with the two center screws. Chrome muffler cover attached to muffler with all 6 screws, this also firmly attaches the air deflector to the muffler. Note, all screws have never seize on the threads. Air deflector bolts tightened making sure that there is no contact between the exhaust covers and the intake manifold. Exhaust covers and air deflector installed.

Thats a fantastic rescue story, well done for showing such care and responsibility by doing the right thing. We have all kinds of problems over here for our birds of prey. From road collisions killing owls as they hunt and gamekeepers poisoning hawks to stop them taking game birds. But we have success stories too with reintroduction of some species that had been extinct in some areas. We are only a tiny country and space is in great demand for housing and other building projects, so our government ignore wildlife at every turn and only pay lip service to nature conservation. Look after your wildlife, while you still have it.

Once you're to that point during the restore of a whole tractor, it isn't the worst thing that could happen. Plus you'll be glad you did it once it's all done. The worst thing about that is it's going to be tougher to yank! LOL

A buddy who is a scrapper called about this hood he picked up with some other scrap metal. Thankfully he called to see if we wanted it. I don't have a use for it but couldn't see letting it get crushed. Pretty straight, no latch or wiring.

again. Fuel milage on those wagons was what - 6 to 8 around town and 12 to 14 on the highway?

Wonder where the rest of the tractor is?????

Yes, but.... You say the hole is on the bottom.... caused by having the float set too low and it was spanking the bowl?? If so, that needs to be addressed. You may need to solder two holes. Notice the soldered over hole on the top of the float near the pivot. It is there up top for a reason. The float is made from 3 pieces - the upper half, the lower and the tab. Soldering the tab to the upper is easy, not so doing the middle seam. Without the vent hole, the assembled float becomes pressurized, blowing out the last bit of solder. Better to have to go over the vent a few times to get it right. Also, opening up the vent allows you to use low pressure compressed air to purge the insides. Is all this worth it - probably not. Replacements are plentiful and reasonably priced...

Can you push the tractor with the tow valve closed? Lift means the Charge pump is working OK. Mark the axle ends make sure the axles an wheel are turning together . no sheared woodruff key on the axle.

If you don't have a problem with the colors I've bought a couple of these when they go on sale for under 9 bucks. Four-Way Trailer Wiring Connection Kit, 25 ft. They separate easily and are very flexible. I do keep some red and black for certain things.

Stevasaurus would say that ...

Oh man. Like I need more bad ideas.

@WHX?? sold me a 1257 with a HY2 unit installed. Brought it back with me from the Big Show in PA. and it is awesome. Have a 48" snow plow on it. You will love it. To quote @WHX?? from another thread, "Just sumin special about looking down the long square hood of a 60's model Wheel Horse". May not be exact quote but close enough for guberment work. @TonyToro Jr. hard to tell in pic but does it have the 15" steering wheel also.

Good looking rig! I’ve got a soft spot for the 60’s square hoods

Doing some mid season maint/inspection on the 702. Relocated exhaust because it was originally turned down towards the snowblower controls. Used whatever pipe/connectors I had. Didn't wanna drive out in the rain to get parts......all the cars are washed & clean in garage 😆 Also installed some rear wheel weights that I cant even remember where they came from. There's only 2 bolt holes in weights & of course only 1 hole lines up. They really fit well into the rim tightly so I think just the 1 bolt is enough because they they fit so good.

Nice save! Glad you got it running again!

Keep us posted on what you come up with. This one's in the shop now for multiple hydraulic leaks. Maybe try and clean up some hose mess. I think it was @Handy Don was asking about hard lines once and at the time I thought he was nutz. He ain't lookin too crazy now. Also fuel delivery issues including either electric pump or your route.