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Well here is my much anticipated bucket list tractor. Thanks to @whtractors24 for finding and giving me 1st opportunity to purchase this one, and to @CasualObserver and @smokin joe for the insight on this true original 754. Tractor is all original as far as I can tell. It has what I have never seen before, but Wheel Horse branded 6-12 ags on the back which are in rough shape, I'm hoping I can somehow save these, seat pan is completely rusted through also has hole in the tool box. This tractor sat in PO collection for about 10 years untouched, my plan is to get it running and driving and that is probably all. Enjoy as I am still trying to settle my excitement on this rare find that I though would never happen. Serial #48337 Kohler engine K161s spec#28626E

Had a fun day getting out the 876. It's my first wheel horse I ever owned and I've had it since I was 8. I got out the plow and went to work. The kohler 181 was tough and had no problem what so ever. I can't wait to do it again!

Over the last few years I've added a couple more horses ('78 C-161 & '83 C-145) to the stable but they both were in need of new mufflers as well as a lot of TLC. A friend and fellow RS member was in the same situation with his little collection. After searching all the usual online sites and keeping a close eye on CL and here on RS for used mufflers, it seemed a losing battle. The new ones were just too expensive ($230-$300) and the used were almost non-existent, and if you did find one of them they were pretty pricey AND pretty used. We knew we wanted original equipment style. Something tucked under the hood and was not going to be so loud as to upset the neighbors or their dogs!!! With that in mind, we got together with a local custom exhaust manufacturer and showed him the factory mufflers and pipes from my '76 B-100 and my friend's '79 C-160 and asked him if he could duplicate that type system. He said he had never worked on anything that small but would give it a go. After three or four prototypes we finally got a final product that was well built and looked and sounded the way it should. The muffler is aluminized steel and has internal baffles. The exhaust pipe is made of 16 gauge aluminized steel also. The muffler has a tab welded on the lower side so it can be used on engines with or without the cradle mount. For us, it was well worth the time and effort to get the mufflers we wanted at an affordable price, and just a few bucks more than a used one!!! We now have O.E. Style mufflers that will work on my 10hp, 14hp and 16hp and also my friends 12hp and 16hp Kohler engines and a few extras on the shelf. I've included some pictures. Third pic is on my C-145, forth pic is on the C-161 and the last pic is of the plumbing.

Tractor had been sitting for a month or so and would have cranked a long time before starting. With the primer, I pumped it until it felt hard then just touched the key to start and the machine roared to life. This is the test machine. If it works properly then I will install one on all of my 520's. Fuel line is long in this picture. If primer is to be permanent I will properly shorten the line. Cleat

Ya got me for sure Steve. I didn't scroll down far enough to see your last statement before I was scrolling back up to look at it again. I was thinking "why would he say that". That's a dandy Tom. As nice and straight as you're likely to find an original one.

That is the wrong belt guard on that horse. Got cha... Very nice find Tom.

Or it could be the ign module. Next time it stalls, check for spark right away to see if it is electrical.

Having bought a 312-8 in the UK last year for the princely sum of 135GBP I am now looking to put it to work around our property. Lots of ground work spring and autumn, snow ploughing come winter.... 850hrs on the horse, runs really well. I gave it the once over stripped down the carb, new fuel lines etc. New oils. Before winter is out I will be building a snow plough and grader. I have a 500l water tank to use for the blades.... Also need to convert an old horse drawn two bottom plough. Just on with making a clevis hitch and some lead wheel weights.... This site has given me plenty of ideas and I hope to be able to contribute in the near future!! Cheers Jody www.rideczech.com

Youtube video of my 1979 Wheel Horse C-161 throwing some snow!

We had a mobile home set up on our property for my mother-in-law. She passed away December, 2015. We have been using it for storage since, but it's in bad shape and is an eyesore. So we going to tear it down. So we needed to move some things out of it yesterday. So I hooked my HF 4 x 8 trailer to the 416 and moved some things from the mobile home to one of my sheds in the backyard. After I was done, I snapped this picture before I put the tractor away.

I think that one's on a lot of bucket lists, Tom. Nice score!!

The common denominator appears to be heat. When was the last time the engine covers were removed for a thorough cleaning of the cooling fins? When was the valve tappet clearance last checked? Valves get longer with heat and if there is not sufficient tappet clearance to accept the expansion the valve ends up not seating and you lose compression. Cools down, valve shrinks and compression is restored so it runs again. Garry

On the way home finally, thought I'd share a pic of my bucket list tractor I picked up today. found a couple strays along the way

Okay, Figured with the long break in any significant weather I'd go ahead a tear this thing down and freshen her up! Started with a 42" dozer blade, frame and self fab'd extension setup which was made of new stock as well as modifying my old standard blade angle adjust level to fit the swept front end tractors. The frame was rough and came with my 1990 520h/ 1995 312-8s (S= swept front axle I added). There weren't any stickers on the plow frame and blade which was a 48". But I bent that and picked up a really nice 42" that did have numbers. Not sure if they are legit but I will post them later. Blade and new wear bar. (3/8" x 4" ) Disassembled and sanded down... Some shots of last of the rust that I was only able to hit with a wire wheel. Then hit with Rust Fix which will turn this stuff into a black primer. Same thing I used on my 520h Rims. Quick peek of what this stuff does on the right side of the photo... More to come... Stay tuned...

Just picked this up this weekend. I have mostly wheel horse but Always wanted one of these.

Just got this 701 home. Nice addition to my collection. Always wanted one.

Found this today trolling the internet . . It states that it's a 1958 model ( wouldn't that look great next to a RJ ) , the gas tank is in the handle , and is missing some parts . I've never seen one . I'd like to add it to the collection but I have to many projects . Just thought I'd share a cool piece of history .

No problem Howard, Just keep your head covered.

6 Foot pipe handle....!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ed!!!!!! I will peek over the edge until its all better,,,,,, Duckin low in Va.......the land of no Snow

Like roadapples said a little at a time

Nice cab... Is that a heat collector on the right side? Is the belt guard vented? I just captured the heat behind the PTO and mine stays 30F warmer than outside temp.

Paul, I think I have your answer, but to know for sure...somebody is going to have to do this that has those transmissions. The answer is "yes" you can swap the differentials. After doing some research with part numbers and schematics and Service Bulletin #252...here is what I find:: This concerns transmissions 6 & 8 speeds from 1967 to 1973. In going from a 10 pinion differential to an 8 pinion differential, the bulletin has you take the best of the 2 axles (short or long) and procure a matching axle...so you have 2 the same length. The bulletin also has you change out your 11/44 toothed gear from a 1 piece to a 2 piece. (the difference being the 11 toothed pinion is not machined the full length in the 10 pinion differential). It looks like the 8 pinion differentials come with the 2 piece 11/44 toothed gear and the machining goes down all the way. WHY:: Because in the 10 pinion differential, the bull gear is 3/4" off center to the left. When you change to the 8 pinion differential, you move the bull gear to the center and if you have the 1 piece 11/44 toothed gear, the bull gear teeth will be hitting the part of the pinion shaft that is not machined. I think I remember some guys getting around this by suggesting grinding off the teeth on the right side of the bull gear. Now to make it simple...if you have an 8 speed transmission with an 8 pinion differential, you should have the 2 piece 11/44 toothed gear. I don't think you would have to put a 1 piece 11/44 toothed gear in to go to the 10 pinion differential...that machining is already there. So to go from an 8 pinion to a 10 pinion differential it should go right in. To be correct, your axles should be 3/4" different. There is one issue to consider though (and this might be more pointed towards @daveoman1966. I think this would work also in the Sundstrand Hydros (like Dave wants to do). The one thing that bothers me here is if you are trying to do this with one differential that uses the #1533 bearing to hold the carriage and another differential that uses the #111199 bearing. Paul is also going to have to see what 8 speed he has on the shelf. I don't know, it may not make a difference either.

You're right Mike but for me I just would like to see if it can be done. I'd actually prefer the 8 pinion over the 10 but this gets brought up fairly often. I wish I had the parts here to check it out.

Buy another tractor for Summer use and just use this one in the Winter.All kidding aside,sounds like the ignition coil may be getting hot causing the stalling problem.Next time it stalls,have some ice in a plastic bag handy,hold it against the coil for a few minutes and see what happens.

Both of these end caps in ALDON's pic above have a BEARING RACES (8052) which are either Heat-Shrunk-fit or somehow bonded to the differential end caps. The SHORT end cap (1.875") (on top) is part # 8051 and the TALLER cap (2.625") (lower) is part # 8050. Here are a few pics showing dims. End caps 8050 and 8051 can have either the bearing race 8052 as shown or the Roller Bearing 1533 that we are all familiar with.

Have also used Dave`s method. Do one side at a time, no need to remove trans., And you don`t need a welder...

Update. It appears that the reason for the "Smokestack Lightnin" was the timing was waaaay advanced. Also explains the purple ends on my chrome stack. Oops. Anywho, I appreciate greatly the input from you fellas that chimed in. I had made up my mind that the carb was leaned out. You guys kept me from heading off the wrong direction. I regret that I didn't get a smokestack lightnin video for ya. Thanks again, Gentlemen. Mark.

Alright. Engine bored .010 over and reinstalled. @stevasaurus came through once again with some help and pictures. It's amazing how many pictures you take, you don't seem to have the one you need. She fired right up and purrs like a kitten. Very pleased with the outcome. Considered swapping the drive pulley for the PTO pulley, but didn't have a belt that would work. Not sure what a half inch would have got me anyway. Had to cant the pipe forward a bit. The lever to pivot the snow blade needs a tad bit more room. Hoping that will do it. The high heat red caliper paint didn't hold up at all, so repainted with the white high heat paint. Didn't refinish the steering wheel as I couldn't get the blasted thing off!!! May have to drape everything and try doing the best I can with it on..... Very pleased. Now onto the next one!!! Already have a project in the works for my D-180..............

Picked up a tall chute today. It's going to need some TLC to get it looking better. Price was reasonable. Going to go completely over it in the summer so it's ready for next winter. Time to start studying all the snow blower threads on the site. Model is 79-360. Auger doesn't look to bad. Side panels are on wrong and bent inward.

Regarding the 520xi, are you sure that it is 2,889 hours or 288.9 hours? There is a .10th hour digit on the meter. Also the hour meter only registers with the engine running. It is in series with the oil pressure sensor. A puff of smoke at startup is common for the Kohler Command twin. Hydro noise is also common in the cold.

We;ll,,you saw it here first folks,,,, when yeah wanna crack a few eggs you drop the hammer. and pick up a pipe wrench accuracy or your money back !!!!!! and Ed don't hollar "FOUR" be for he swings.....!!!!!

Oh that many...... hopefully ther are are few more survivors out ther then.

This topic of the C-171 has been discussed before and I believe the common consensus was that it was never produced. I was lucky enough to inherit a 1978 C-161 twin automatic that is still going strong, it's not my most beautiful tractor but knowing its history makes me happy to have it. I'm also fortunate enough to have C-161 8 speed and C-161 automatic as well as several other C's. Life is good!

Use the bend on the front of the wing as a template. That angle should be the same as the flange angle. It may help to clamp a backer bar on each side of the flange to get a complete straight bend. I have also used a 24" pipe wrench with a 6' pipe handle extension to make some bends. The challenge is to securely clamp the stationary part to a solid immovable object. I have used the 6X6 post in my pole barn for many of these bends. Of course, if you have an acetylene torch, no problem. Just don't cook the bearings.

Large adjustable wrench.. a little at a time...

If the valve clearance changes as you rotate the tappet, the surfaces are worn where the adjuster meets the valve or where the tappet meets the cam. If it is where the tappet meets the cam, both will need replacement.

Drill presses - older is better in my opinion . I picked up 2 recently , a 1930's Delta DP-220 in very good condition and a 1952 ?? Clausing 18" 1810 model . The Clausing is old enough to be an Acme in reality and even has the original 1hp/3ph Acme ball bearing motor - all 100lbs of it . The little bench model Delta is a stout 110lbs , the Clausing has a huge production t-slot table on it and clocks north of 650lbs - it is an amazing amount of solid iron for sure and took 6 men to get it into the basement here . Both need some minor work , but have adjustments for the head/spindle sleeves so wear can be compensated and keep them true with zero play . Newer junk is some pretty crappy castings of low quality (yes , even Taiwan) and very small spindle shafts . Bearings can be a challenge on some of the older models but they are so overbuilt compared to today's equipment it's no joke that they can literally run for 100+yrs easily . Despite it's age and living in a High School shop in Chicago - the Clausing has less than .003" play in the head , which I've adjusted to below .001" with only .0005" runout in the main spindle shaft . That's on an industrial unit with a very long nose and 6.5" of stroke at the quill . Find anything close to those specs today will cost north of $3,000+ , a good one is about $5,000 . Keep your eyes open and don't discount old equipment , even 3 phase if you don't have it available . Replacement single phase motors can be swapped in as long as you pay close attention to shaft size and rpm's . You won't have as much torque , but at least they will run good enough to do far more work than most here would ever need . Just be prepared to deal with the weight , some of these old machines can be over 1,000lbs easily and require some mechanical help to load and move them . Just for a reference , here's a comparison of a 10yr old Craftsman 17" heavy duty drill press quill shaft alongside the Clausing 1810's shaft - note how the Clausing uses a second heavy roller bearing on top of it's main drive pulley - this thing is so smooth it's disgusting... I've replaced that spindle shaft twice now in the Craftsman - just from using hole saws and other light duty cutting applications , the thing is just built far too light . Repairing the shaft didn't work - it wasn't properly hardened and once it bent there was a bad soft spot - it just bent again easily in the same spot . The bearings in it are tiny in comparison...you get the idea here ... This was New Year's Eve , 2016 the night we got it home , 2hr drive and $400 lighter - head lowered for transport/safety . Oh , and that belt guard is a 3 piece deal - opens in a clamshell fashion like an antique car , just oozes cool....lol . I'm finishing up the electrical work now - using an electronic variable frequency drive converter to run the 3ph motor off 220v single phase power . I'll post pics when it's all done and running in the shop in the Tools and Equipment section later...

I had that problem with a 312-8 years ago, the fuel cap vent wasn't working and as the fuel level went down it caused a vacuum in the tank and eventually the fuel pump couldn't overcome it. Replaced the cap and the problem went away.

sounds like it may be a fuel problem, like its vapor locking, check to see if your fuel line is close to a heat source anywheres or if the carb is somehow getting heat directed to it. could also be something electrical is heating up and shutting it down then when it cools down it will restart

Well it was a nice day. And the sun shining through the snow. Makes for a nicer video and whole lot more fun than blowin through a blizzard! I hope you'll agree. Video of clearing out snow after the storm with my Wheel Horse C-161 manual 8 speed with Snow Thrower Attachment

So I posted in "what's in your mirror" this nice original 1989 520 HC. It came with a really clean 60" deck. I broke the nipple off the fuel pump when as I was changing the fuel line so $14 bucks later the new one arrived in the mail today. Put it on and fired it up. It was too cold today to degrease and pressure wash it but I was able to start buffing the hood with a high cutting compound and it is going to clean up real nice. Good news is the tranny is strong but bad news is the engine runs real strong but puffs a bit. Good news is I have another low hour Onan on the shelf that I can swap out. Hopefully tomorrow it warms up enough that I can pressure wash it. We shall see.

Another one........or two???? Dr.Trimble you have The Disease really bad. The symptoms continually keep getting worse.

Nice haul! I keep thinking id like to grab one of those A series units. And you you can never have enough GT14's i just picked up another one today.

I put down 3 - 4 inches of grass around all my plants. Keeps the weeds down good. In the winter I cover my carrots with about a foot of leaves and then cover with plastic. The ground is just as soft as it is in the summer and when I take the leaves off in the spring the carrots that didn't get picked start growing again. This is the garden I build at the last place. 8' high with rabbit guard around the bottom and electric fence at the top with solar charger. No one got in. I'm going to put up an 8' high fence around the front of the property here - about 3 acres.

The limited slip differentials in the GT14 have side plates on the bull gear that are different width than the ones on the standard 8 speeds. They are both different. Meaning both left and right side differ. On the 8 speed these two pieces are same size. On the GT14 Hydro the axles are 5/8" different in length. I would assume same on c160 but I have not yet disassembled one. i sincerely doubt that 5/8" makes much difference. In fact on one of the GT14's the axles were identical in length at just over 14 inches. I am going by memory but I think they were each 14 1/8". as long as the hub key way engages the woodruff key all should operate fine. axles from all models seem to have similar machined end that the drive gear slides over. Just different finished lengths. As such using 8 speed axles in hydros seems acceptable. Edit( as long as you have enough clearance between tire and fender) using limited slip differential in an 8 speed will depend on as Rob indicated whether it will align correctly. With some minor machining you could use the side pieces from 8 speed on the guts of limited slip differential. I just don't have the tooling currently to do that. Not even a drill press at the moment. i did keep both limited slip assemblies as I do plan to modify to run in 8 speed.

Now I'm not sure about this and I don't know if it's really been answered. As long as it lines up on the bull gear wouldn't you want the different length axles due to the differential itself sitting more to one side?

I'm seeing no blue flame.