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August 28, 1830 The first American-built locomotive, "Tom Thumb," races a horse-drawn car from the Stockton and Stokes stagecoach company from Baltimore to Ellicott Mills; due to mechanical problems, the horse wins!

Who tells chicken jokes? Comedi hens!

I guess i will keep posting my progress even though this is a Jacobsen it still contains similar components! Now im onto the Kohler K301 had to do a lot of clean up grease oil crud ect!! Now into the motor! Will change fluids on hydro when I know this machine is running@ Pulled the head and man I thought what a disaster but that's what you get pulling a tractor that's been sitting for who knows how long in a field!! Got it cleaned up and it looks pretty good over all will do a flush and valve job and then see if it runs then go from there! Here are some pics of progress!

It’s full enough to give my well a rest, and give the pool a vacuum job! Yay!

Nicely done sir.

ETHANOL: Eventually Tank Harbors Annoying, Nasty, Obstructive Lumps

I finally found out the problem and solution to my D200 rear lift issue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFWgezVlYKI

Yeah, I was thinking my Maggie could get some regular gas while it's flowing pretty fast, and then scale back to efree when it's sitting longer

Have a Great Day Howard

Marriage is like a deck of cards. At first, you need two hearts and a diamond. By the end, you just want a club and a spade.

I and others have added a anti sway device to the front of the plow frame to keep the blade centered. On mine I can also adjust the minimum blade height on this device. I use it when plowing the stone roads. Dozer blades..Keep em centered. - Implements and Attachments - RedSquare Wheel Horse Forum

Hope you’re sleeping in today Howard!

Yep dealer converted tho. True I quit Harleys and took up much cheaper horses because prices got nuts.

The crankshaft should clean up OK with a bit of muriatic acid. A non-running parts tractor I bought twenty some odd years back had a crank looked just like that and a small chip out of the bottom of the cylinder. Honed the cylinder, put a piston and rod kit in it and it ran well. Sold the tractor a few years later and the new owner loved it.

How much oil was actually in it? There are other things that can happen besides low oil. For example: Not running long enough to evaporate all the moisture in the crankcase, a little stays in the rod bearing and rusts the crank, just a little at first. Next time it runs, the rust smears off a little bit of rod alloy. Now you have a little groove, which will hold more moisture the next time you don't run it long enough. You get more rust, which smears more aluminum and makes more grooves, etc. Keep doing it, at some point enough aluminum builds up that it seizes, breaks off the big end of the rod and throws the piston to top of bore where it stays. In any case, as they say, you are here. And you know what needs to be done.

I think no matter what, you need two antennas just for the cool factor. Even if only one is hooked up, two will look cooler!

Expensive yes but hopefully worth it in the end.

A pun walked into a bar. Ten people immediately died. Pun in, ten dead.

My "Shelf of Shame."

After 1 1/2 days of raking the stones out of the grass and back on the road, I was ready for a fun project. So this afternoon I made a blade centering device for the 312H. I also wanted to stop the hydro lift from pulling the plow frame up against the front axle, so I incorporated a stop into the centering device. Two 5/8" bolts salvaged from a utility pole, a piece of a scrap electrical panel door, a piece of old fuel line, and a piece of a worn out blade scraper bar. It was even warm enough to throw on a layer of Regal Red.

Thanks. Perhaps @SylvanLakeWH can do a haiku?!

Well....it looks like I've got my winter project lined up, just picked it up today Found this one on FB and after thinking about it for a few days I contacted the seller and we made the deal. The ad listed the tractor, 5' pto mounted finish mower and possibly a push blade (if he could find it!). While I was on the road going to pick it up he texted me and mentioned they found a few more implements and I could have them if I wanted them. Heck yeah!! Included in the package was the tractor, finish mower, snow plow, Brinly disc harrow, what appears to be a Ford 3pt plow and a homemade 3pt plow, and what might be a homemade box blade although it looks pretty decent. It has the optional 15" rear wheels with rear wheel weights. The snow plow is for the B and C series tractors and the sad part is according to the seller, his father bought the blade in new condition from someone who never used it. So basically it's a brand new blade that's been sitting outside for at least 20-30 years. Oddly enough the seat looks almost brand new. It turns out every fall his dad would take the seat off and store it inside, putting it back on in the spring. The gas tank looks solid but there is a distinct possibility it will need to be boiled and then sealed inside to make it useable. The story behind the tractor is the sellers dad bought it 30 years ago and used it for 12 years before parking it, they started using a zero turn which was faster. For 11 of those 18 years that it sat outside unused. Seven years ago he moved it into his basement with the hopes of restoring it. Unfortunately he never got around to it. In theory, it was running and driving when parked. Oh yeah almost forgot, included was the original operators manual AND an original parts list. For the past few days I tried searching for a downloadable parts list and couldn't find one. I am going to scan this one and if possible upload it to the forum. Possibly someone could explain how to do the upload. One quick question, it needs mufflers, are there suitable replacements available that don't cost $603 each as shown on the Toro site. Thanks! More to come.... Edit: it also came with a 3 pt cultivator and what i thought was the operator manual is actually a service procedure manual that describes all of the new features of the new 18 HP model with detailed descriptions and pictures. The manual was intended for the mechanics that went through their service school.

Agreed, all thread is probably grade 2 and is not a suitable choice, unfortunately it's what I had on hand that was long enough. Due to the hubs being about 7-3/8" in diameter and my steel disks being 8-1/2', about the largest diameter bolt that I can use is 1/2". Also, due to the thickness of the metal plates and bearing separator I would need 1/2" bolts that are 10" long or longer. I just checked McMaster Carr and they carry grade 8 1/2-13 x 10" bolts but they are $10 each, add in shipping and I'm looking at $40 just for the bolts with no guarantee they would work. I don't think I can find any 10" bolts locally but I'll check just to be sure. I recently bought a 3/4-10 x 5" grade 8 bolt with two nuts from Tractor Supply and the total was $10 Since one front wheel was toast and the other one not far behind I decided to go in a slightly different route for putting wheels on the front. I purchased a pair of Club Car front wheel hub kits and will be using 8" x 7" wheels with a 4 on 4 bolt pattern. Below is a picture where I used a section of pipe to mock up the spacers I think I'll need to position the hubs properly. Until I get the wheels delivered the size of the spacer is still in question. My initial plan is to position the outer wheel bearing just slightly short of the end of the spindle and use thin shims between the washer and the bearing to create the required preload. Needless to say, this is a work in progress. The goal is to have the wheels positioned on the spindle in the same relative location as original. The original wheels have a neutral or zero offset so the hubs just have to be placed in the same location as the originals using spacers and shim.

I drilled 1/8" holes every 1/2" and use a washer and hairpin clip to set the blade height.

When I bought mine from the previous owner it leaked gas from a carburetor o-ring, so he installed a shutoff valve after the fuel filter. I located an owners manual online that said ethanol degrades rubber, so I asked him what gas he ran in it. He said the cheapest he could find. I installed a new o-ring and run only ethanol free gas now.

Yes, smooth at the bottom. Threads will wear--both the hole and the rod. You’d need very sturdy through pins in this application to handle the shear forces. Alternatively, you could weld a flange onto the bottom end of the rod (under the plow frame) and do the adjusting with nuts on a few threads at the upper end (above the bracket on the attach-a-matic adaptor). That way, the plow frame floats on the smooth part of the rod and not the threaded part. Note that a minimum height setup is great on the level, but dips or rises on the driveway are another matter!

Mostly non E but during the heavy mowing season those horses may get regular. The 418 and the GT1848 are gas hogs so 5 gallons doesn't last much more than a week. But late September (when Rod Stewart was supposed to be back in school ) they start getting non E so that will set in them over the winter.

The bolts in my set up pictured above were GR8 5/8" Most all thread is Gr 2

Definitely agreed. If I can find a decent looking metal single antenna that works ok - on the mirror bracket - for a low price - two could happen. From what I'm reading that could be a tough catch. Good signal needs to happen above the vehicle roof line. I wouldn't even be using the radio that often but the particular person I am would want something capable.

My first k181 did this. I knew it used oil, but it had been about 1/4 qt across the whole of the summer. It apparently got much worse very quickly. I had it running to warm the oil before a change and had to go deal with some kid thing. It sounded 100% normal when I walked away. The guy across the street said he heard a loud pop, and then it shut off.

Now that we have confirmed that your solenoid is working as it should we can backtrack from there. Is the START light illuminated when the key is in the start position? The LOW OIL relay has four wires going to it. Orange, Black, Light Blue, and Purple. The Black wire needs to be grounded. If the Orange wire has 12 volts on it while the key is in the start position your engine is low on oil (Oil light should be on if oil is low) or the switch in the engine is bad. You should have 12 volts on the Light Blue wire of the LOW OIL relay with the ignition switch in the start position. If you do have 12 volts on the Light Blue wire but did not have 12 volts on the Purple wire the Low Oil relay has 12 volts to the Orange Wire or the relay is defective. If the Light Blue wire has 12 volts on it we can move to the Neutral Switch, the Neutral light should be on with the key in Start. If not, you may need to locate the switch and adjust it where it will respond to the direction control being in neutral. Next in line will be the PTO switch, the PTO light should be on with the PTO disengaged and the key in the start position. If not, you may need to locate the switch and adjust it where it will respond to the PTO being disengaged.

Yes, i never had AC in the shop so I am looking forward to that. I had a propane furnace but I am getting tired of paying for the tank rental and just buying propane in general. I am hoping the heat pump can keep up in the winter but if not I have a 5000 watt heater for backup. The house is getting a new heat pump with an electric air handler for air circulation and backup as well. The house central AC unit has been on the way out for a few years now and this summer the furnace blower went out and it is $1200 just for the part so I am just getting rid of the whole setup. I hope that I am not making a big mistake putting these in. I will let you know next year how they work.. These are both high seer inverter units that are supposed to be very efficient and work in the cold.

When I first saw Dusty in the barn the first thing I did was to see if the engine would turn by hand. Barely!! Upon closer inspection the PTO pulley was stuck, the mule drive pulleys were stuck and the spindles were stuck. Yanking the deck off freed up all but the spindles. Using my old pitman arm puller and some spacers I was able to remove the blocks that the blades mount on I was able to dig out the farm Caa Caa that was binding things up. Got the tension slider working, So now it's off to Billy Bob the Welder for some patch work.

Hole to get fixed.

I have two fenders primed although one of them needs more sanding and a re-prime. Two hoods are stripped and ready for sand and prime. I am getting a heat pump installed in the shop so it is a mess right now.

Another rainy day do I started dismantling the engine for cleanup. I do not believe it needs a full tear down as it ran quiet and smooth. I took some picture of the tin work so I can put it back together properly. Choke and throttle linkage as found. Flywheel ready to be pulled Flywheel puller installed after chasing the threads for the puller bolts. Flywheel pulled and very dirty inside. Alternator coil is remarkably clean as compared to the flywheel for some reason.

Good news no holes in the block Small chunk chipped out of cylinder end Obviously oil related failure. Now do I blame nephew?? How long would an engine have to run to get this bad. I got her in 2016 and she was on snow plow duty then went to my brother also some snow pow duty (2019). Came home to me after 4 years when my brother went to long term care. He didn't use it much and I used to make sure there was oil in it when I visited...But don't think it was changed very often. Nephew got it in spring 2025 mowed half acre that year and this year up until late June. He say he didn't hear anything. Sorry but I don't like it when a machine breaks because of an oil issue...

I would always adjust the carburetor so that you know the mixture, idle mixture, idle speed and maximum RPM is correct. We had a Cub Cadet dealer that always set for the leanest mixture possible, they ran well till they didn't. I replaced the valves he burned.

August 27, 1940, Bugs Bunny Debuts: The iconic character makes his official debut in the animated cartoon A Wild Hare.

Good idea thanks!

Yes well there were no others at the time on ebay better and I didn't know about A to Z tractor then and wanted to mow my lawn.

None. The only thing I touched on the carb was look at the air filter.

That might have been a company standard, or government regulation. Trina has a pull start Horse here that @Sparky once owned. She can sit in the seat and tug the rope just fine. The first cold start of a day is a challenge. After that it's a one pull machine.

Finally I have it installed , all the pieces are there (almost), works as it should. I have to tweak some things here and there, I probably oil rusty parts, I am not going to paint it. Pivot points needed some grease. There is connection bar with holes, I don't know, maybe chain links are better? I installed plow just to check if everything works. .

Agreed. I wouldn't even do that. If I needed to transplant a non Kohler engine, I would find another Kohler instead of using ANY of the "inexpensive imports."

I get this . I have only a few pics, plow is paid and waiting for delivery from NL , so maybe in 2-3 weeks I will have it at my place. Serial # 11164 @sqrlgtr I think that all pieces are there

Isn't that the way it's supposed to work? Switch is open until you mash the pedal down?