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This RJ-35 belongs to a friend from work. He traded a vertical shaft engine for it twenty years ago. He and I were talking about garden tractors a year ago when the topic of Wheel Horse and Pond came up. He said he had one but wasnt sure what year it was exactly. Is there a tag on these somewhere like the later RJs? It is definitely a survivor minus the engine.

Number one grandson gave me this prezzie for my birthday.

For those of you that have followed the "Iron Horse" restoration thread, you know about the history of this tractor with our family! Judge had been asking to drive it and so I gave him the opportunity to do so... I don't think there is an easier tractor to drive and he had a blast. It is hard to believe that it was 33 years ago that I was driving the same machine at his age! Here I am driving it in the Fourth of July parade 2017

We had the same problem with people walking their dogs and letting them crap in our yard. My grandchildren and the neighborhood kids play out there! Now I keep a close eye whenever I see people with their dogs. So far I took MY dogs 3 different times in the car right to their house and walked them in their front yard. When they came out asking what was going on, I explained that this is where I'm letting my dogs crap just like you do to me. That's 3 less people who walk their dogs anywhere near our front yard!

I don't think my wife would want to wear that!

Look what I picked up today. This is going to be puller for my father-in law. Soon grandson and grandpa will be battling it out. Its crazy to see what people do to their tractors. I have some work ahead of me. I'm sure I'll be in the classifieds section looking for parts shortly.

I know that it is perfect original patina but send it to buckrancher have him put a new face and internals in it. As far as the one thread i could only recommend an electrical conduit locking nut for 3/4 metal conduit? Hope it works out for you

I WIN!!!!

Soooo....tried the welded nut trick but the nut snapped off😡 . Ended up drilling it out until it was wafer thin....then ran a 3/8x16 tap into her which was a slow painful process. The tap actually cleaned the remnants of the bolt out and cleaned the threads. WHEW!!

The fuel tank, non working, was bent up around a scrap wood former. The measurements were again supplied by my man with the tape, Iain, along with good side view photo's which showed the radius of each corner ! Although the base of the tank was wider than the top, all corners were the same radius. The original idea was to bend the alloy around the former then remove it which left the question, how to fix it all together. The obvious solution, apart from alloy welding, was to screw the panels to the wood which would be left in place hidden from sight. Odd bits of wood were dug out, cut to size, and screwed together after first using the ends to mark out and cut the alloy outer plates. These were bolted to the wood with countersunk BA bolts, the heads blended in with filler. The main panel was cut to size and after carefully lining up, was screwed to the underside of the former. Then it was bent around one face at a time, securing with screws before moving on to the next, and finishing on the underside. Where else. All the screw holes were countersunk, the screws again being blended in with filler. The filler neck was a short piece of alloy bar, screwed into place, and finished off with a cap from an oil can. Rubber edge trim was fitted after painting.

Sorry that my pics aren't so great, but it was getting late. Emory had been asking Dad to ride a horse with him for a long time. Dad finally decided he would take out my worker GT14. He's had both knees replaced, so getting on and off was a little tough for him. They had a ball! Emory was on his Lawn Ranger from @limited12, Dad on the GT14, and I decided to follow on the 701 I bought at the Big Show. All 3 of us enjoyed the night!

Here are a few more pics from a few days ago the last week of September...I recently put a first coat of Rust-o-leum metallic speck red paint on the sheet metal parts. These pictures do not do justice to metallic red paint. The sparkle in the red is pretty cool in the sunlight. I also mounted the Predator motor. This hot rod tractor build is still a work in progress, but now that I am finally back on it, I like where this is going.

A worthy project, the Horse will repay you for your labor.

Speaking of greasing that block. I recently bumped the foundation of my house with a 520 frt. tire. Popped the gears all out of wack. Took it all apart and added a shim. Went to grease the block and let’s just say I got more grease on my hand than in the block. That’s with a new fitting in the block. I ended up taking the dash trim off my and applied grease directly on the gear teeth. What a difference It made with the steering effort.

Back when I owned my 1990 520-H, I had the same problem and the pictures show the old one while I was attempting to adjust it. That was the one year that had the swept front axle but not the steering reduction. The larger tires on the front probably added to the wear. It was only cured by replacing the steering block. A majority of original owners fail to grease this one zerk fitting due to the fact on some tractors it is really tucked away.and then the hole for the steering shaft gets wallowed out. Even though the steering shaft gear was worn, replacing the steering block was sufficient. Either drill the steering block to accept a sleeve bushing, or replace the block. Instead of using the cotter pin, I used a 3/4" locking collar with a set screw. I could never get the slack out by using the cotter pin.

This tractor has worked so hard throughout its 50 plus year existence that we feel it has earned a deserved rest. But that doesn't mean that it will be tucked away in the stable, never to see the light of day! NO WAY! It will be driven by all of Dad's grandkids and get taken to shows and parades where others can also enjoy it. It is so fun to share verbally many of the stories that are in written form in the above link. Thank you to everyone who took the restoration journey with me. I enjoy this hobby very much and will restore other tractors in the future but none will mean as much to me as that one--not just because of the length of time it has been in the family but mainly because of the memories associated with it and the members of the family. So, this thread will be a place for those interested in following the future of Dad's "Iron Horse" as new memories are made...

My 520HC got puffing blue smoke and it turned out to be a loose welch plug allowing air to be sucked into the crankcase. This made the breather blow too much air into the air cleaner and it passed oil with it which the engine then burned. Also, it made the air filter get oil soaked. When you clean the carb, is there any oil in the air cleaner ?

As this is the second axle you have broken it begs the question as to why they are going bad. Do you have dual rear wheels? If you do, the air pressure in the outer tires should be run very low to reduce the load on the axles. With a loader the more weight you can attach to the wheels the less strain the axles will feel. If you have a weight box loaded up and drive over uneven ground that can put a lot of load on the axle too.

DISCLAIMER: YOU CANNOT SWAP THE AXLES OUT OF A GT14 TRANSAXLE INTO AN EATON 1100 TRANSAXLE. BUT...... you can if you use a D160 axle and an Eaton 1100 axle. So I finally got all my transmission gaskets and seals in so I thought I would tackle that today. Split it back apart and tacked up my gaskets and replaced the brake shaft seal. Put a little grease on the seals and slid it together. Got to looking at it and seemed like one axle was sticking out farther than the other. So back to measuring and found a 5 inch difference. Now this is with the gt14 axles in the eaton 8 pinion differential. A 520 has the same end caps on the diff whereas the gt14's are different and offset to one side. So back out and flipped it around to test it the other way.Better but still stuck out farther on one side. Measured the 520 axles and there was a 3" difference in length. Measuring the gt14's axles and there was only one inch difference in length. So I started lining up axles on the bench to try and get the 3" like the original 520 axles since that was the case they were going in. Remembered I had a D160 axle laying on the floor. Grabbed it and measured some combinations and got what I needed. The D160 axle was 3-3/8" longer than the long axle out of the eaton. Other than the keyway being different, it's the same diameter and would work. Put them in and it was just a hair too long. Consulted Aldon, the Swami of GT14 's and he said it should be good to go. I am already too far in it to quit. So I cut 3/8" off of the D axle and got my needed width the same on both sides. I knew i saved that axle for a reason. Dont have a lot of photos because my hands were covered in gasket tack and oil. But I got some. What a day. New seals #6449 and #7443 520 axle this side...............................D160 this side 👍 Cut 3/8" off the D axle ✔️ Polished smooth and chamfered ✔️ Was going to do the black trans and chassis but decided it needed to be red. I have several ideas for paint.

Turn a threaded adapter and weld it in

I ahve a pair....10 and 13" . Which do you need?

It's just keeps the dirt out of the grease.

That is great news. All of your responsibility to your family is more important than hobby tractors, my friend. One of my tenants in a rental property called and told me that his check bounced and he said that he would sell a gun to cover it. The amount he was behind was not the entire rent check, so I offered to bail him out of that amount and that saved him from 3 more bounced checks. That is the kind of thing that can really put you behind, so i got him $300.00 as a loan and he signed the Beretta to me as collateral and paid it off over a few months. Sure,it was nice of me to do it, but the loan was 100% collateralized. We then had enough respect and trust for each other that i sold him the house on land contract at 0% down and increased the interest a bit to accommodate the risk. Now he is going places and it is a win-win business deal as his equity grows and my concern over losing a good tenant has all but evaporated. The house he is in was a pain in the butt to rent as two apartments, but it was easily converted back to a single family and he is in a town and school that is good for his family. The point that I am trying to make is that there are far too many people living paycheck to paycheck because of the bankers taking us down the river in 2008 and the little guys are paying for it in hidden costs and inflation rates lied about by our government. Look at your shrinking bar of soap, skinny toilet paper and a half gallon of ice cream that is one pint short and stuff like that as examples. Anyway, we went outside the system and did our own banking to a great result.. So hang in there FJD. I will keep you in my thoughts, and you can PM me anytime if you need to let off a little steam

Rather than grinding get a 1/4 NC (20 TPI) Dog Point Set screw

Never were they Tecumseh powered. Regardless, awesome survivor. .

Very early 55 for sure Tank stand and aluminum wheel plus the rare two piece front wheels In the pictures it is unclear if it has the one piece front axle stop or none . also does it still have the cable steering set up? and are the rear wheels held on with a snap ring or a cotter pin? I believe what someone told me about early cable steer models being converted to later style solid linkage and that the rear snap ring was replaced with a cotter pin It would have had the brass stop button also. No tag or serial number on tractor Nice find!

Your steering support block is either worn (hole the shaft goes into) or is broken. There is a shim under the fan gear where the shaft to the front mounts. it's all held together with a cotter pin. You could try adding a thin shim to tighten the gear clearance if the hole in the support is wallowed out.

I have a C-Pap machine so I don't snore....anymore....but I don't ever get into that "deep" sleep mode either! That is another story..........

Try adding a good dose of Seafoam to your gas tank. It cured about 85% of my 520's surging issues.

D-250... pict here for reference.

Heating what is left of the bolt will make it expand - most times breaking the rust bond between the two parts . I will add to that - just after welding the nut , use a little paraffin wax melted into the joint . Just make sure to keep it out of the cylinder - I'd roll the piston to the bottom and cover the hole with a piece of sheet metal to keep weld spatter off the piston and the wax away from the rings . Let it cool and it should unscrew easily . If not , start soaking it a few times a day with acetone/ATF mixture - that will penetrate nearly anything . Trying to heat the block area around those bolts enough to expand the cast iron will likely destroy the fins and probably damage the cylinder bore - so getting a stuck/broken head bolt out can be tougher than most and serious care must be taken here . Take your time and be patient - it will eventually come out . Sarge

I think it's a good plan - getting tired of drilling tiny holes through the handles/cable and putting a pin in every replacement locking (older) style throttle cable - the knobs always work loose in short order and won't let the throttle lock . There is nothing worse than a new part that doesn't work as it should - you'd think someone could make a new cable that worked correctly - even at a higher price it would be worth it . No wonder good looking/working used parts are creeping up in price... Sarge

Weld a nut on with an electric welder, let it cool and you can likely turn it out with your fingers. Know why? Garry

Thanks. The older I get, the more important I realize how important to make those memories while we can. I loved my Mom dearly and miss her daily. Her passing has drawn Dad and I even closer. I try to make all of the memories I can with him and Emory while we are still together. Becca is just starting down this road and is really struggling. She cried herself to sleep last night and didn't say a word. Today she will go to church for the first time without her daddy. Sorry to be so down, but life smacks us back to reality really quickly, that's why it is important to have our hobby as a release!

my 701 has the taryl fixes all fix for the fuel pump. well lately after a while running it would start running like crap. well i ordered a new carb one those cheap ones. well during installation i noticed that the line from fitting to pump for pulse was collapsed. so i had some used gas line laying around thats a little hard from age but still good. so i put a bit of that on it low and be hold runs strong. so now i have the original carb on bench and ill probably drain it and put it away for future project (like the 754 maybe). i ran the 701 moving dirt for about 20 minutes no hickups.

dells68 You are blessed. To have a Son and you Dad enjoying the day together is priceless. Good memories for you.

I picked these up yesterday. They were all scrap yard bound. Ended up with a good snow blower, 3 good rear ends and some other parts. So it was worth it for me. The guy pulled the motors off all 3 and was gonna junk the rest. I left the decks cause they were beyond repair or anything salvageable. All 3 tractors were used until they had motors ripped off. They look kinda rough. But that's cause they never been stored inside. Atleast not for the last several years. I also got the gas tank and steering wheel and steering shaft for the 552. The C-120 is a 1976. I'm unsure of what exactly the black hood was. The serial number is wore right off.

You're right Ed, the guy unloading that tractor off of the truck is insane....

Mike, if you keep pointing at it like that, by tomorrow... it'll probably come out with little to no fight at all.

I’ve had great luck with 2 of those inexpensive carbs off EBay. No complaints here.

Been shooting it with PB Blaster for a few hours now in preparation for tomorrow.

Try the old man's trick. Heat it a little bit and push some wax onto the stud. That will draw the wax onto the threads, giving them just enough lube to let the stud turn out. Have not ever tried this myuself, but told that it works.

I honestly am gonna salvage everything possible on it. The 8 speed rearend is good. I initially went for the 552. But seen the c120 and blackhood, and couldn't leave them behind.

OK, here's my experience with the criminal justice system. Many years ago, more than I care to remember, I was called to jury duty on an assault and robbery case. The female victim was assaulted and robbed of her wallet. by a male on a city street. A suspect fitting the description was spotted several blocks away and was detained while the victim was brought to the victim and she made a positive ID. During the trial, the defense was.. The suspect was not wearing a black puffy vest as the victim testified, it was a gray charcoal color. There was no witnesses, it was his word vs her word. It was impossible for the defendant to get from the crime scene to the point he was apprehended based on the timing of the victims 911 call and the police call that they had a suspect. The jury only had an hour and could not make a decision that day, but it was clear the female jury foreman was pressing for a quick acquittal and had a 8-3 vote. I was one of the 3 that voted guilty. I live in the country, but worked in the city near where this crime took place, so that evening I got a city map, marked the to spots in question and walked briskly from the crime scene to the arrest site. It took me 47 seconds less than the phone calls showed. Next day as the jury convened, I caused a major uproar when I presented my map and stop watch findings to the jury. The foreman screamed mistrial, you can't present evidence. and made the statement " you don't have to live in the city, but I do". I am pleased to report...he was convicted. Speak up, do the right thing and the system may just work.

Some shifters came with a welded donut. Others used a roll pin to keep it on place. Yours was the roll pin type. Roll pin broke.

Could use one of those here too.

Don't chance it . Weld a nut onto it ! I didn't and it wound up costing me 300 beaver pelts for a new engine last year

RATFINK!

I think the one on right might be a bit jerky when engaging. I had never looked inside an Electric PTO before...Interesting