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A few warm Feb days permitted a couple winter projects to be moved outside for painting. I made a couple corn hole boards for the boys favorite football teams. Finished the deer head and brought him outside to brush out the curing salts. And even got the new sign painted for Howards mash pole. Seems mine got destroyed during last years storm. @857 horse Where's Howard?

Frequently moving charger around to different tractors and finding a place to set it so the cord would reach the receptacle and battery without tripping on it, I decided something needed to be done. AHA, some used wire fence post and a couple of wheels solved the problem. Marv

We're still waiting for the real warmth here. Seven inches of snow this morning. This week...... toasty forecast. We buttoned up a couple things in prep for a house appraisal. New cellar stairway and finally got the siding and trim near the front door.

Today's progress. A bench full of parts and almost bear frame and transaxle. Also started some planning for hood repair. Picked a Kohler off the shelf as well.

Well I got this 401 a few weeks ago. I'm ready to get it all cleaned up and repowered with the proper 4hp kohler. Here's some photos of the tractor at the start. I'll keep more coming as I go.

Even though I bought a C-312-8 from Chris in the not too distant past, It's missing a couple of vital parts like the engine and trans, so I needed to get something I could use.. This C-101 popped up very local at quite a good price Unfortunatly the boonet/hood isn't part of the deal so anyone have a spare C/Raider bonnet going spare? The fender pan is in good condition, but once again it's not part of the deal... Another fender pan has been thrown in (no pic's of it yet) but it is missing a bit of metal from the middle and needs a bit of work.. Engine.... It has one and it is part of the deal 10hp Kohler that spins freely but had no compression! Those with sharp eye's will of noticed a couple of bit's missing from the engine... Yep no carb or... Starter motor! I might have enough incomplete carbs on the shelf to make a good one, and I'm sure I have a starter for it somewhere but so far all I've found is a starter for a Kohler twin.. Think it might of come from a KT The trans is an 8 speed which is nice.. Last Friday Rex popped in for a coffee and the engines lack of compression got the better of him and he just had to have a look.. Problem found... The exhaust valve was stuck open, that large gap shouldn't be there! Head off to have a look... Followed by lot's of penertrating oil and some gentle taps with a rubber mallet saw the valve close again.. (not quite closed in this pic) Spinning the engine with a bit of pressure on the valve soon had it moving freely up and down again.. The cylinder wall has a bit of scoring, but not too bad though the engine may be a "smoker" when it's running.. Someone has been in this engine in the not too distant past, the head has been cleaned at some point as all the crud/carbon is only a thin layer.. Other than a wipe with a cloth the piston is as found... Someone has cleaned most of it! The plan for this machine??? Find the missing parts, get the engine running and just use it

Don't now if this was posted before. Didn't find it anywhere. And it looks like the summer runners can go back on it

I'd say cause you can't get tin and fiberglass to age as nicely as a old horse does.

Why buy an older tractor?

and and Where else can you get near 24/7 help from experts for free. Some even take stuff apart to show you. Hmmmmm. Can we get amen to that.

A few more small parts. The 4 Tach-a-Matic brackets were cut from alloy sheet. At the time I had idea's of making them working units but wasn't sure of the shape of the pivoting section. A slot was cut, to be shortened later, but in the end it was decided to make them NON working. A simple drilled hole would have done instead. Both sections were rivited together at the front. A 4BA bolt and alloy tube formed the operating lever ? for want of a better description, and secured the rear. I have since seen photos of these units in pieces, but still unsure how the lever ? works. Photo's I have looked at also appear to show other holes in various places, so again a bit of guess work was used. The mule drive, again NON working, was bent up from alloy and bolted to the underside of the chassis. The pins which would have attached it to the brackets were bolts with the heads cut down and alloy spacer tubes. Knobs for the front of the removable grill were machined from small plastic balls. Drilled and tapped 4BA first with a bolt used to hold in the lathe chuck. Still need smoothing off. All these items still need painting. Too cold in my garage for spraying. I can put up with the cold but the paint objects and refuses to play nicely.

See too many at big box stores looking at stamped frame lawn riding things. Tractors? Not! Better deals at the scrap yard. Would rather repair a hurt Horse. The Horse will work, be your Stallion forever. I offered to haul, for free, a 1641 2-cyl Briggs Work Horse. Was in a barn for 10 years, not being used. No Charge. Had a new 48" deck. Got that too. Of course, needed TLC but not much. I even had the TSC seat in my barn!

My latest purchase, I was told it was started once and ran for about 2 minuets in 1993 so it’s not technically new anymore but close enough. Now I need to figure out what it’s going in

A lawnmower and a garden tractor are not related in any way, shape or form...depends on your needs . a good lawnmower should last 6-7 years before you throw it away.. a wheel horse garden tractor should last 60 plus years with some maintenance. Oh, and it also mows grass..

Great idea but I’ve got this roller I may use.

What I thought. He was trying to get more and shaft me. Not the way to be a reputable seller. I felt like he didn't want to accept the auction price and it looks like he's fixing to do the same thing to the next high bidder. Just not a good way to do business. Put it on with no reserve and you should be obligated (morally) to take what it sells for!

Lowell was definitely a savior for me with my pump issue. I was quite sure that I had turned my hydro pump into a boat anchor. We finally had a day above 30 on a weekend day so I decided to put a fresh coat of red paint on the floor of the shop. I even managed to get a little paint on some of my parts. I have most of the ruff and small parts painted. These parts got 1 coat of self etching primer, 2 coats of VanSickle 171 red oxide primer, and 3 coats of VanSickle acrylic enamel paint with gloss hardener added.

It’s a 654, the 10 hp would fit as I did a test fit with another engine awhile back

I think your wings are mounted backwards or not correct.. I am only about 15 miles away if you need anything

Sign me up to get paid to haul it away.That'd be the only thing better than a free Horse.Woowoo.......

Never used stainless lug bolts. I do use lots of stainless hardware, including bolts, nuts, washers, lock washers. Use Never-Seez on all hardware. All at Lowes, excellent hardware section, stainless steel. Always change lug bolts to lug nuts. All my happy working Horses have lug nuts, for years. Threadlocker Blue only on the threads that'll live in the hub, 7/16-20 x 1 1/2" long. Open ended acorn lug nuts on the shelf at most auto stores. Some might query the acorn angle, always used off the shelf lug nuts. Never looked or asked. Always worked great.

Not a very good business model he has going there. It has one bid at the opening price of $ 70.93, $ 57 or so shy of what he turned down. If he turns that down I guess his next move will be to pay someone to come and get it!

OK Jason, you passed the test. Now you can change your name to ..... Excellent Observer.

Wished I knew a fraction of what you guys know about painting! Reducers, flash times, hardeners is all Greek to me! Next time you paint Dan I would like to be a fly on the wall just to watch!

Kinda like this...red and black it might fit in with the ..., Good luck with your engine/project, Jeff.

During my hibernation, I finished the mount and found a place on the wall.

One advantage to using their 171 primer is the fact that you don't have to wait for it to dry & wet sand it before you paint. Spray the primer, wait 30 min then top coat. a big plus when painting multible small parts. The 30 min wait for the primer is about perfect too, as that is how long the induction period wait is after adding the hardener to the paint. With a temp of about 65 degrees in the shop today it was about 15 to 20 min between coats of paint, or in my case with multiple parts I could pretty much spray paint non stop until all 3 coats were applied. I check my tack time by touching a spot that won't be seen or touch masking tape that has had a full coat of paint on it. Tacky paint that does not transfer color to your finger is ready for another coat.

the sheriff from smoky and the bandit's tractor eric j

maybe that's the compact model

Went to the show Saturday and saw several familiar faces from the Big Show and from Red Square. Said hi to Kate and renewed My Lawn and Garden Tractor Magazine. There was a huge turn out for the show, I guess the big tractor auction helped a lot. Here's some pictures from the show, no Wheel Horses just mostly the big boys.

Just wanted to update my post so you guys didn't think that I gave up yet. Mostly been tinkering around some with all of the custom work and fabrication that needs done. Got my order back from McMaster-Carr with most of the bearings and such that I needed, so I have been busy fitting, reaming, and pressing bearings along with fabricating of a few other parts. Still have a long way to go and quite a few more places that I intend on placing bearings that I need to address yet. This work is tedious and time consuming for me, especially having to do a lot of the work by hand not always having the right tools for the job. So far everything has been turning out OK (I hope) but takes me a lot longer to finish up compared to having a fully equipped machine shop to do the work. I am fortunate to have an old worn out LeBlond lathe for turning a few simple parts, but I wouldn't trust it enough for anything requiring any amount of precision. Oh well, I guess this is supposed to be a hobby/pastime that I hopefully can be proud of in the end. Still waiting for the weather to break also, as my hands are tied until I can get a lot of this stuff painted in my hillbilly paint booth (outdoors) before I can do very much reassembly work. Urethane paint is nasty enough stuff on its own without even considering doing any of that in my basement! Anyway, here are a couple more pics just to keep you all updated on my progress. Made up a couple of new tie rods: Also made a new axle pivot pin: I had mentioned earlier that the bolt had come out at some point, therefore, my frame cross piece was wallowed out on both ends where the pin was rotating in the frame. My fix was to go to Lowes and buy a generic 3/4" x 1" x 2" steel bushing and cut off two pieces as inserts. I fitted and brazed these into both areas of the frame, which I reamed out to accept 1" O.D. of the bushings on each end. Here is a pic: That's about all for now, I'll keep you all updated as best I can. Hopefully by this time next year, I might have a tractor again! And that is not to even mention that I have not even begun to do anything with the mower deck yet! I'm sure that part of the project alone will be proof that we need to start that thread of "fun with bushings" as @WHX14 so correctly mentioned earlier.

Hmmm, Wonder what my Foot collection is worth? BIG FOOT The SCHNOOZ Mr HOPE ZEE BROS INGRO The Gang

Used a multimeter on DCV to the battery with the original regulator still in the tractor. When running at about 1500 rpm the reading was 15.2 volts. Switched regulators to a spare from a 1988 and the same test showed 14.3. I think this regulator needs to be replaced. Ordered a replacement today.

You guys talking about a snow plow got it all wrong......You put a blower on that puppy, even in the wind, the snow would never make it back to the operator, it would melt from the exhaust before it ever got back to ya.... Even got a place to put a revolving light on the roll cage... Richie, you'd need a months worth of cardboard to make the lambo hood hinge templates for this, you'd be eating pizza for weeks. Chris

This photo goes to post #61 RJ -Suburban and modified Suburban

Wow! Thanks guys! That clears it up nicely. I will take a look at the wings and top extension and see if I can set those right. Thank you Racinbob for confirming the fitments. Thanks Ed for pointing out the changes I will need to make pfrederi: I will take you up on the offer of help if I get jammed up. Mike

Doesn't @rmaynard have/sell replacement valves & rubber bungs?

I shut all my small engines off by turning off the gas and waiting a few minutes for the system to (mostly) empty for 2 reasons. ... 1. Until recently I was using ethanol gas and wanted as little as possible left in the system. I switched over to "real gas" but.... 2. I still like the idea of saving myself from potential spills due to a leak I didn't know about. It's only happened a few times in 3 decades or whatever but it's just an old habit I'll likely not change.

It's fine. ...that's so... you can read it no matter which way you're pointed. ...

Excellent video and she is purring like a kitten.

I'll have to bring you in when I spray the sheet metal. Could use an extra guy for wet sanding.

The now extinct Valspar Restoration series enamel was great - 2 decent coats got full color depth but the stuff they replaced it with takes 4-5 and seems to never properly harden, ugh. What I'm curious about with the VanSickle paint is how well it flows out - flash to "set" time to achieve it's gloss . A lot of this stuff requires different thinner when using hardener , otherwise it comes out very rough and dull but it can back fire on you and take forever to fully cure. The Magik branded stuff at TSC is notorious for that - 6 months later, even with hardener added you can scratch it off with a fingernail easily. In the last few years since the demise of the Valspar I've switched to using reducers from the auto parts stores - they have varying grades to slow down the flash off and allow the paint to flow out better to produce a much nicer gloss that doesn't need a lot of buffing work after drying. Some types are referenced by heat range, others by time grade, they work very well for paints that don't want to play nice. These reducers are also a big help when dealing with hotter temps during the summer when conditions are less than ideal . I've been able to lay paint in high heat and humidity with predictable results - prior to using the stuff it was really taking a chance. I need to pick up a quart of the VanSickle this summer and just try it on something - plenty of projects coming if I have the time and much of that stuff is attachment parts that can easily be blasted clean again if it doesn't work out. Sarge

How about a digital camera with a USB cord or an SD card?

I had a stamped frame Huskee do the same thing - we had a custom race shop so it got a sub frame installed - that one will never bend again, lol...it was from using the blade a but, uh, aggressively. None of the newer stamped sheet metal crap can keep up - son in law's 1067 came out of the scrap pile, aside from the obvious scratches it survived being tossed on there by the grappling hook - we had it running that afternoon and it still runs today just fine. Same with his new-looking 48" deck he found at the same place the next week , but they had crushed the C series it was mounted under with the magnet a little too far to save it - looked better than that Husqvarna in the picture though....lol. Sarge

Got the exhaust fitted today. I now have a Wheel Horse with a Cherry Bomb!!

Little guy looks tough with the ags on all four corners. Thinking that pink seat cover will have to go though.

It's up to you - but I'd hold the idiot accountable. It's not so much about him being banned but more about keeping the place honest and from what I've seen as the years go by there is a lot more of this going on than ever before - especially the inflated shipping games or hidden "handling fees" . It's making the site worthless and CL is worse in my opinion. I do not like some of the site's business practices, but at least by making them handle it properly it keeps more of the dishonest idiots off of there - as they should. Not to mention - you may end up with a problem at your end by having an "unpaid cart item" permanently stuck on your profile - it can limit what you can bid on later - as I found out the hard way. Took a few calls and a lot of my time to get that corrected and removed - it was their system's mistake on an auction that the seller cancelled due to an item being suddenly (so-called) "found out of stock" by the seller. Imagine to my surprise (NOT) that 2wks later , there it was again listed the same exact way - they had simply re-listed it at a higher price like yours. The phone calls resulted in that seller being removed after they investigated it - this seller had pulled this several times on the parts he was finding and evidently didn't know how to use Google to research pricing. That's pure bs, he got caught and removed to never try to rip anyone else off. I get it , it's not a nice thing to do to someone you don't know when it's not a big deal of money - but given what the seller has done - that's not so nice on his end either. It's your choice, I'm out and done with the opinion. I will make note of that seller and put them on the list on the desk of those not to buy parts or otherwise... I'm not out to ever lecture here, but folks that burn others this way need to go away - they give us all a sour taste and can hurt what we've built. I've done business on Ebay for over 15yrs now, only had a few small issues but as time goes by it's getting worse and needs to stop - it's a decent resource for us for parts and reasonably easy to find stuff. Market can drive pricing of course, but having to research every seller for issues is nuts. To each his own I suppose...glad we have the great community that we have here and the adult enough attitude to vent our issues as well as ways to deal with problems. I think it's what truly makes us a family and everyone has an opinion - but overall I'd gladly rely on the advice from the members here - love this place and what it stands for. Don't feel bad about bringing it up here, I for one appreciate the heads up on folks that treat others that way - it can help someone else down the road avoid a problem like yours. Ebay needs to step up and do the right thing with this seller - I'd imagine he's on their watch list now, another wrong move and he's probably gone anyway. It's too bad about the tractor - I know you would have given it a good, proper home too. Sarge

You need to forward what he's communicated with you to Ebay - they are very strict about people not honoring auctions and will remove him to prevent it from happening to someone else. His trying to raise the price with a new listing should have set off their alerts, once it sells on an auction that is a binding, legal contract and he has to either let it go or refund the buyer. Ebay will seriously either penalize him or ban him for trying to skirt their rules and he could be in legal trouble as well. I've had one idiot do that - I just forwarded his emails as he was trying to skirt their listing/auction fees after a sale, banned for life. Selling something on an auction, then withdrawing to re-list at a higher price is not allowed, ever. Technically, he should have not been allowed to re-list the item anyway - they will take care of it and appreciate your help, it will also help keep the site a safer place to do business. It's not about being nasty, or revenge, it's about protecting the system and preventing yourself and others in the future from being ripped off. You really should go in the Resolution Center and give them a chance - who knows, maybe he will wise up once they go after him....? Sarge