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Picked this 312-8 up this morning! Might be the nicest original one I ever bought! Has a bagger and a plow thats just as nice. Got it running after a carb clean and new fuel lines. I was just gonna flip it, but I don't know about that now. It works pretty great! 20260801_170738.mp4

Tire/wheel swaps on the 520 today…B-80 used to haul it all away.

August 2, 1943, a Japanese destroyer rams an American PT (patrol torpedo) boat, No. 109, slicing it in two. The destruction is so massive other American PT boats in the area assume the crew is dead. Two crewmen were, in fact, killed, but 11 survived, including Lt. John F. Kennedy.

So you bought the seat and got the rest for free. BUT< YOU MAY HAVE OVERPAID.

Today I finally made a hold down for the battery. It’s a little overkill as I used 3/8 threaded rod and thicker steel for the bracket side, but it’ll do the job. Battery doesn’t bounce around anymore.

Well, before you posted that I was thinking of replying to @953 nut‘s post with some words from The Maestro himself, Alan Greasepan, in testimony to Congress about meeting those obligations, but will refrain from doing so in light of this celebratory occasion that you should be enjoying . Instead, I’ll just say: “Congratulations!!!” Posting a video of that old coot here would be like dropping a deuce in the Wheelhorse whiskey punch bowl.

Spent 41 years planning for a living... did pretty well... including for my and my wife's financial well being in retirement... we're good. I would like to just enjoy sipping my Wheel Horse bourbon whilst wearing my new Wheel Horse shirt on a nice Sunday afternoon... the first one as a retiree... Talk of the SS trust fund makes me feel like I spilled my drink... Of course i didn't, so no worries...

That plan will come back to haunt you when you apply for Social Security.

I didn't have a disc with the arm so I made one.

Spent the last few days making my tractor more Wisconsin. Now I need to get it some cheese curds. I put the wheelweights I bought from @WHX?? at the show on and went through the RM-425 deck I got from @Achto and put it on too. This deck was the nicest deck I've ever gone though so far. None of the bearings were seized and all of the grease looked good but I still cleaned it up and put some fresh Lucas green in it. The nla double-d blades looked like they had either never been sharpened or sharpened very little.

This 1054 hasn’t been mine for more than a year, almost 2 I think. Today it went home. I added in the trailer because I was a bit heavy. The 54” plow I traded him for some other stuff and the walk behind snowblower was a freebie to me and on to him.

I figured it out. My points had somehow fallen out of spec. Cleaned them, readjusted, she just fired up strong. And as I closed the hood, just when I thought I'd mow again here comes the thunderstorm 😂😭 Thanks again all, this forum is such a gem of knowledge

Transaxle case numbers are different between your unit and the later hydro gears. And hydro gear case number for left side are different than later piston to piston units.. It might be easier to p[ck up a transaxle from any sunstrand hydro gear. (Chargers Electros etc).. Your hydro pump will bolt on to it.

And the message relayed was carved into a coconut... that momento sat on his desk while President.

If you can find one, their still out there, some members here sell them stay with an original Wheel Horse (Toro belts) their aren't cheap but there is a good chance the belts on your 35+ year old 312 are the original ones. Your drive belt (to the transmission) original belt number is 78-7100 it was later replaced by Toro 7473, it is 5/8" x81.9 anything you buy now are 5/8"x 82" does that 0.1" make a difference obviously it did the engineers who designed this things. The TSC huskee belt would be my aftermarket choice, they are about half the price of an original, so you can change it once and still come out ahead. Sorry, didn't mean to ramble on but I took my meds early today and I'm on my 3rd cup of coffee .

That spot is white paint over the red, I'd live to know what happened there lol

I think that may be a Walbro carb. Had one on the 1988, 312-8 I sold last year. Any pictures of the carb? Tried to replace it with a Kohler carb before I sold it, but the air cleaner plate was different.

Bought a rebuilt starter from DB Electrical Thanks for the recommendation @Achto a year ago and it finally decided to quit, of course no where near the shop..So it was time to release the belt and SLOWLY PUSH THE ROUGHLY 800 LB Tractor with SDdeck towards the shop. Can't complain it's been noisy since I bought it around 6 or 7 years ago. The starter is an easy replacement but fortunately I had removed all the bolts and put never seize on them that hold the tins on. Putting the tins back on is a slight pain in the rear. Super quiet now.

Nice score on that 312-8. Mine is my go to mowing machine, so I definitely agree with you,

Absolutely.We bought three grab bars and will install at least two. The wall I was dealing with is an outside wall so i left it intact as possible and used hardwood for maximum hold. Drilling an undersize hole so the threads grab without splitting. The other walls will get solid blocking and a block for a third grab bar in case there is need for a caretaker within the shower. this house was bought in case we would have to take care of a parent, but its only two miles from here and the need for an easier property for us is a possibility. It is a step in shower that fits a five foot opening. Its nice and rigid and solid Vickerel where the cplor goes all the way through

Inside work is all done except putting the shelves and books/knickknacks back in place.

Already working hard! I did a second story water heater install yesterday, and we are heading to a car show today!

That machine was certainly someone's pride and joy.

When I built our house I put in a LOT of blocking in all the shower walls. When it came time to install the grab bars I used foam double stick tape to hold them in place while drilling and mounting.

I couldn’t decide so, a two fer….for SSS.

This may or may not be true, AT THIS TIME, however SS is a pyramid scheme and it is currently undergoing a population inversion for the first time in it's existence. I would rather plan around it not being there, and be wrong about that than the other way around.

My existing financial plans, and retirement contributions assume that SS will not be around. I have that category set to 0 in my existing plan, I am tracking at 96% of my goal, figuring current expenses, which at time of retirement should be less the +$2000 a month we lay out for the mortgage.

That "we can get by on less" plan could bite you in the butt when social security time rolls around. Your 35 highest income years will be used to calculate your SS income when you retire. If you are only planning to work part time for the last 8 years you will be missing out on those highest pay years and greatly reduce the amount of income you will get. Also, remember that Medicare is deducted from your SS, doesn't matter how little you are making, they will deduct it up front. My wife and I both were able to retire at 60 but we were debt free, had employer paid health insurance to age 65 and had stashed away enough money to cover more than five years expenses factoring in an average of 3% inflation. There is a big difference between what we want to do and what we can afford to do. Get with a financial planner and start investing all you can in the stock market. Don't just go with the minimum 401K contribution and think it will be enough, buy in personnel brokerage accounts too, you will need it.

The surest way is to look up the model number of the potential donor and check the parts listing. And that assumes it was not transplanted at some point To add to the confusion if you want to put an 8 pinion into a 10 pinion tranny you have to make sure you have the 2 piece mushroom gear

My GT-14 had a transplant going from aluminum to cast iron end plates a few years ago when I replaced an axle I snapped of while it still had the aluminum plates, that is when I discovered the Torrington B-348 bearing deal that took place in '70. I have a 418-C which has an Eaton 1100 and 8 pinion differential that I plow snow with and the GT-14 with the ten pinion limited slip with a new spring that has a loader. The amount of wheel spin on the two is about the same, nearly nonexistent. The GT-14 has over 100 pounds of weights per tire, liquid filled tires and chains. The 418 has 80 pounds of weight per tire, liquid filled tires and chains. I have never had a problem with the 10 pinion but I understand that the people who do pulling tractors prefer the eight pinion for their durability.

I was on you tube a few weeks ago, and I found this page that had a case dealership in Connecticut I believe.. He had this new tool that I’ve never heard about how to safely clean the top end of the engine and the head. It’s nylon attached to steel that you can put in your drill or whatever. You spray it down with like fantastic or some kind of household cleaner, but let it sit for about 10 minutes. These nylon attachments made the whole head and top of the engine clean within a 10 minutes. I was truly impressed on that. The other bonus it doesn’t leave any scratches or gouging of the material which according to this video it’s the first place where carbon will build up. So here’s a couple pics before and after this was about 10 minutes worth of work. The orange is course this kit came with two others gray, which is a medium grit and I believe the blue is a fine grit. I’m sold on this so far much easier. I used to use steel but at left a lot of scratches.

@ Mikes Horse Barn, great pick up on that ! regular for me on any pick up . is to , quickly / easily get a paint save going on ? like a penetrating oil spray down , let it soak in a few days , then wipe it down with a , soft clean cloth , next stage , rubit down with clean miner oiled cloth , that paint condition , should pop right thru , any grunge . preserving / enhancing what you have is , is vital , after that , a clean mineral oiled cloth rub down , will keep it looking fresh . those plows , really really come to life , with QUADRANT SWING ACTION , DETAILING , SQUESE LEVER START, DETAILING , very easy , luck you ! pete

Just can not find the like Richard. I am Computer illiterate. I just get buy.

There's actually two. The second one is hidden in the pic.That disc has to move. The added arm is relieved to clear the brass nut, the holes tapped to, I think 4-40, JB Welded to together, bolts have Loctite, then ground flush on the backside for clearance.

I know, I know....... one of these days.... During Covid, my job was threatened and I was getting things together TO retire. Well, long story short, I survived, got a BIG raise, and am still doing what I've been doing. I like doing what I'm doing and have a pretty unique niche compared to others in my position, so I'll stick around maybe a couple of more years. Keeping an eye on some investments, if they reach a certain level I have in mind, I might convert them to income-producing investments, retire, and start taking my pension. If some other things change, we might move things up.

So glad to see it getting the treatment it deserves. Keep up the great work.

I retired at 62.5 and used COBRA for 1.5 years. Still had to buy health insurance for 1 year before I was eligible for Medicare. Mrs.K is a few months younger than me. I asked my insurance guy what to do when I took Medicare and Mrs.K was not eligible? His answer...wrap her in bubble wrap. BTW, that one year that I had to buy health insurance cost 4X what I paid for my first house.

Couple a pics of C160 with the new to me rear wheel weights.

I wouldn't knock yourself out looking for VR1 oil over Rotella. These are lawn mowers. Not Indy cars or space ships!

Same here. I retired with 42 years of service, only because I needed more time off for myself and my family. The day after I retired I continued working as a consultant for another 7 years.....on my own schedule Retirement is great, but I would love to have 25 years to go.

I really enjoyed most of the jobs I had during my working career and retired somewhat reluctantly. I’ve gotten used to it, though.

Put down some stripes this afternoon with my ‘02 - 315-8. Wish all my mowing machines had cup holders

To answer you source question, Little Red Barn bought out I Save and is a reliable source. https://www.ebay.com/str/lilredbarnpowerequipmentsupply Safety switches will not cause your problem, please do not molest them! Have you been using gasoline that has alcohol in it, if so STOP that stuff deteriorates fuel systems. you can find a gas station that sells alcohol free gas at this website. https://www.pure-gas.org/. Place the shift lever in neutral and block the rear wheels to be sure the tractor will not move while you are working on it. Starting at your gas tank, clean and/or replace the fuel shut off valve and its screen, replace your fuel lines and filter and be sure fuel flows freely from the tank to the end of the hose where it connects to the fuel pump. After the fuel line has been connected to the pump turn the engine over to see if the fuel is being pumped out, if not then inspect the pump. If a kit is needed contact Then and Now https://www.thenandnowautomotive.com/antique-auto-parts-store/AC-4S-K-Kohler-Fuel-Pump-Kit-p816753504 or consider using a low pressure electric pump. Once the fuel pump is working then the carburetor is the next place to go. The cheap aftermarket units are generally unsatisfactory, rebuilding the one you have is not difficult. Hope this has been helpful.

Got the carb cleaned up and gone through and was able to start it. After that, I had to mess around with the drive pulley to get it to go on all of the way. The surging in the video is because I forgot I had my gas turned off at the tank. I was able to drive it around a little bit tonight. I put about a quart of an unopened thing of ATF that I found in the back of my grandma's garage that I think is older than me but I figured it's good enough for temporary to help flush the tranny. Tomorrow I need to swap the wide front axle onto our 1257 and take the narrow axle I put on the 1257 onto my 845. I also need to mess with the governor some.

Possibly. I don’t claim to know for sure.

I've had a financial planner since I was 26yrs old.

Definitely. Collateral damage (tradeoff) for going to direct injection on gas engines. Spectacular technology for drivability, power, and fuel economy but unfortunate it results in soot. If the inevitable transition to EVs takes long enough maybe we’ll eventually see particulate traps on gas vehicles. I am surprised diesel is still maintaining the dominance it has in the big pickup truck market. The big diesels are so powerful they don’t get full advantage of the fuel efficiency gains and they are incredibly expensive options. Operating costs due to higher relative fuel prices and more costly maintenance are also higher. I realize they provide effortless towing for the relative few who use their capability but it’s hard to imagine that 2/3 of all heavy duty truck buyers are actually using them as intended or needed. I’m not offended by this, it’s just surprising given the huge cost delta. i think a rational case can be made for the straight six diesel GM puts in their half ton models. Aside from some reliability quirks, it’s plenty strong and very fuel efficient. And very pleasant in operation. It seems like a good example of where the market could have gone. Due to a couple of projects I’ve managed at work where we’re building equipment with small diesels, I’ve had to become somewhat acquainted with emissions restrictions and their impact on engine availability and reliability. For many applications there is no viable substitute technology, but the walls are slowly closing in for mainstream conventional applications where increased cost can’t be easily buried in the final product. Not sure where things go, but I bet construction, ag, and industrial equipment fleets look a lot different in 10-15 years. Electrification will happen in some instances, but I’d bet there is a transition back to gasoline in many others. Steve

Congratulations on your retirement! I am 63, will post 45 years with IBM on Monday. Retirement is looking better and better every day. This "workin' for a livin'" gets in the way of a LOT of stuff we want to do!

Yup, seems the waterless wonder could not pass US Emissions, so enter the "New Beetle"....