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Hello everyone. I already posted a couple posts and became a supporter, so I figured I should introduce myself. My name is Brett but everyone calls me Buck. Nickname from my childhood and now I’m 47 and still have it. I used to be in the hobby big time. My dad, uncles, and cousins all had wheel horse tractors. I had 36 of them. Between all of my family members and I, we had over 200. I bought a house, got married, and had a daughter. The tractors sat and didn’t get ran so I sold them all except three. That was in 2016. This spring, the boy was out in the shed and wanted to get one of them out and running. Well we got all three of them running and he was hooked and it all came back to me! So in the last month or two, I’ve bought a 753 that I rescued from someone’s woods, a 500 special and a B-80 out of a barn, and a 701 at the big show! So I’m back collecting and searching. I get to do it all with my boy and get to meet great people who enjoy the same things! Thank you for having this group!

During the WHCC show at the fairgrounds, there was another show just 20 minutes away in Gettysburg!

June 30, 1953, workers at a Chevrolet plant in Flint, Michigan, watch as the first completed Corvette, a two-seater sports car that would become an American icon, rolls off the assembly line. It was one of just 300 Corvettes made that year.

And then there is the guy who goes to the junk yard, removes a couple tires from a crown vic and never has any issues! I know when pulling with a load I stop every couple hours and put my hand on the tires and hubs checking for excessive heat. There was one time i found a hot one and it was under inflated. must have missed it when I was doing the pre-trip. I had one of those cheep o compressors and 20 minutes later good to go, next stop no heat.

Ah, but how old are the tires on the rental???!!

I run Goodyear and change every 5 years or so... Plus I think anecdotally, the quality is not what it used to be... I am actually thinking of selling my trailer and just renting one when I need it... 2-3 times a year ain't worth tires bearings and storage... probably won't but ...

The newest addition to my team needed a transmission fluid change pronto! “1978 C-81”

Once I’m done servicing the C-81 it’ll get the new “racing” 23’s

That's no problem long hauls I always throw a torque wrench in. It's the collateral damage when running the mayblow brand. That's what @Andy N. said once now lookit what he bought. He showed up more than once at show with a u haul. It's actually not a bad idea for the 2-3 but I come from the I need it it's there school. And who checks the tire pressure lug nuts?!? I typically run 5 psi less than max figuring going to max when running the interstate at 70 and 90 out.

I did try to bend it back in line a few times.. almost but not quite. I bought that used set off ebay cheap, and now its lined up almost perfect.

That's why you see the tire cover booties on motorhomes & campers. There is no excuse not to check & adjust the cold tire pressures before heading out.... and being adequately prepared to loose one (or two) along the way. Besides, do you really want to listen to your better half constructively carring on (whining) while you change a flat??

I have also experienced the dreaded blow out and "collateral damage". I bit the bullet and got the Endurance for both my trailers that get used most often but put chinesium's on the travel trailer that we don't move from our property possibly two to three times a year. Difficult for me to replace a tire at three or five years that shows little or no wear, but I guess that's the price we pay for peace of mind. I feel better on the highway towing with the Goodyears. We had a flat then a blowout on travel trailer (spare was really old) and thought "Good Sam" roadside would save us. They quoted $795.00 and three hour wait to bring me a Walmart trailer tire. So remember to upgrade spare as well.

YUP - does it have over 1100 hours on it? That seems to start the countdown clock on them to the issue at hand.

Might just be the valve seat let go. Is it the rear cylinder that’s at 0 psi?

Here is the main part of the speed problem. The throttle cable is on the bottom, goes to the black spring which goes to the governor arm which goes to the throttle plate. You push on the gas pedal and it is 2/3 of the way before the throttle moves. Top rpm is around 2300, idle is 1400 rpm. I pulled the spring and put stiff wire in, that livened things up. 4200 rpm and no governor at half throttle pedal. That got me to about 20 mph. Looks like a shorter spring might work.

Here is the steering system. In the second picture the tie rod comes from the front through the hole in the middle of the picture, goes to the lever which swivels at the top of the picture then heads toward the on the bottom tie rod. The third picture shows the rear tie rod attach point, also the articulation "hinge". The last picture shows the rear tie rod and the swivel.

This was my first time back since 2002. It was just like I remember except more tractors and more great people. My wife, son, and I had a great time! I really enjoyed every minute of it with them and meeting some new people. I talked to Wild Bill quite a bit and caught up from 20+ years ago. Just everything was great about it! To all the people who volunteered, worked, or did anything to make it happen, THANK YOU! We will be back next year!

Welcome! We're happy you're here.

So the enclosed trailer that @Achto and I took out to the BS needs new shoes in ST205-75R 15 but on the fence about what to get. If money was no object I would get Goodyear Endurance but at $186 a tire it's a tough pill to swallow for a trailer that sits most of the time. Or go with a cheaper probably offshore one. The price range on tires is so wide... $70 apiece to $190. No matter what brand load range D speed rating 80 minimums. Keep in mind I have three tandems to keep shoes on plus two singles. Camper toy hauler always gets the premiums do to the damage that is possible with a blow out. @Pullstart and @jeremi3210 might know a thing or two about that. Trailer gurus say change tires every three years with better ones every five years. I do generally carry a spare especially on long hauls. Pics for attention.

Why don't you quit screwing around and step it right up to a 24. Imagine all that extra speed.

SKF seal #9815 is the seal that you need for the brake drum, it is the same as the axle seals on 1 inch axles.

Happy Birthday @meadowfield, we are all glad you were born.

More to come on my newest addition. Picked it up last Saturday and have made decent progress so far. It's the one in the background.

It has a Salisbury torque converter on it. I pulled the part off the engine for a clean and lube.

Brad, I'm very glad that you were able to make a worker out of that B-100. Here is what it looked like when I found it - PO said it had been sitting for a "couple of years".... I like the new muffler you put on her.

For real old school look, IMHO nothing beats a set of chrome reverse rims & a set of baby moons.....

At first glance, it looks like the engine-to-deck belt might be the right length but looks to me to be not the right width (or else it is extremely worn). A properly fitted belt should, when new, ride with the outer surface of the belt being very slightly above the edges of the V pulley.

to the forum. Make sure that your pulley bearings and center mower shaft bearings are not sloppy and spin freely. Working from memory here, I think that the pulley spacers on the mule drive shaft are different lengths. If you get them in the wrong place, belt alignment will be a bit off. Sorry, but I don't remember right now which one goes where. Belt tension should be in the neighborhood of having about 1/2" belt flex on each side of the belt halfway between the PTO and mule drive. A remote possibility is that the mule drive shaft might be bent. This would certainly mess with pulley alignment. Good luck. Please, when you find the solution, post it - share the knowledge.

There is about 32 shows in TX I try and go to 12 to 14 shows a year

Is is not only nice to see younger folks get an interest in the hobby, but imperative that the old iron get into the hands of folks capable of caring for them.....

We donated the onsite build tractor to the raffle so 2 kids would get a tractor from the raffle and it was also another B-80 Wish we had known the original tractor had some minor issues and couldn't be started. Gas couldn't be added due to a tank leak from the grommet. We could've fixed that one up too! The 8 year old boy that was present got to choose and he chose the build tractor. He took off full throttle in third gear with a huge smile on his face and kept going until we couldn't see him any more.

I have had several inquiries about welding in the Reinforcement Plate I make for both the short and long frame tractors. Even though the frame on my latest C81 was undamaged, I decided to add one and weld it in. I prefer to weld the plate in from the Unidrive mating side, by adding six holes to the "F" plate, bolting the plate in place using the Unidrive holes, and plug welding the two together, Grind the welds, prime & paint - good to go. Tried something different too - the plate was powder coated prior to welding - no issues if you follow common sense... The last picture is a front view with the optional removable braces installed.

I know, was so excited that you and Karen would have it, but WHCC beat us out.

There is always so much work that goes on behind the scenes, and the club never fails to put on a good show.

I had a good time, friendly folks, good priced food, layout, etc. I just wish I introduced myself to more people, just didn’t wanna be that guy to just run up and say “I’m thegearhead0324” while they’re in conversation or enjoying themselves. Always next year, the WHCC put on a very awesome event. Thank you .

to the

Welcome, fellow Mainer. All of the above comments are worth considering. Post a picture or two if you can. Make sure the photos show how you're routing the belts. This thread is reminding me that our front lawn is getting deep enough to hide a large groundhog and needs some attention from my mowing deck.

Yup. It was a bit tricky gettin on and off with the flag pole on the back but it was nice driving a full size round hood again!

Trust me, I understand. See below for what I started with... Alot of stuff got replaced...

Went ahead and put the hood on for now. The paint looks pretty good minus a couple issues I'll fix later. Even with hardener this Rustoleum is soft enough to make a print in if you really bear down on it so I'll fix the couple spots in a month or so. But it does have enough shine for a reflection as it is. I'll take it!

No Unfortunately he can't make the show as it turns out he's been a busy guy. Lets just say prayers for his wife.

That's all I could talk @Raven AKA my significant other into posting a lot of pics this evening. I was in Mass and she headed to N.H to hang out with her sister. We met up with @Bill D and @Brockport Bill at the New York border last Saturday. We left at 5 30 am and returned home to Maine at 5 pm. Long day and haven't stopped working on it since. Will keep you guy's updated on the progress. By the way you meet the nicest people on Red Square. Two great members. Bill and Bill.

I definitely had some concerns. It's been a minute since I properly rebuilt a Kohler, and this was my first small block. This engine got the full treatment. New bore, reground crank, and valves and seats recut. I stayed with the original smaller cylinder bore (at .010 over), but it all worked out. I will say this: the engine runs great but this old K161 has a sharper muffler report than a K181. I had noticed it watching some old YouTube videos of 701s put up by various owners, and wondered if mine would do the same. It's not bad, but it has a "pop" where a K181 has a lower tone. No biggie, but it is noticeable. I just hope it gives another few decades of service now!

Well, it's late and I smell like gasoline and thread sealer, but she's alive and kicking with no smoke. Fired within 3 seconds of adding gas. Scared the crap out of me because it was so quick! I know some will not like the voltmeter, but I prefer them to ammeters. And mine is outputting just over 13V on a 100% fully charged battery. One more thing checked off the list. Almost there. Funny side note: my wife bought this machine for me 20 years ago. Even though you think they have no interest in it, she was the first to remind me that it only took me over 20 years to get it running...

Went ahead and applied the first coat on the hood... probably gonna do about 3 coats.

ya know I may have my pumps mixed up and the vacuum may have came off the 856. I rebuilt 3 in a row ( 701,856, and c160)and every one of them where a different style .

Was debating stripping the hood completely, but I'm glad I did. There were hundreds of little rust bubbles under the paint. All clean now and red oxide primed. Also I have looked for several days for my generator belt brackets. So I just made a set. Once I get them installed I'll probably find the originals. And I'm strongly considering using an electric fuel pump. I have for over a month now played phone and email tag with Newandoldparts. I'll decide tomorrow...

I hate sheetmetal work. Some idiot apparently used my 701 belt guard on a low mount starter engine. They cut a path for the belt to pass and screwed a screen on the front with self tapping screws. Welding sheetmetal is a pain, but I was able to make it look decent. Not perfect but at least it was on the bottom. My hood was torn all up where it meets the frame up front. So I cut the bad spot out, added a new bottom plate, then made a 1/8 tab that wraps into the sides for extra support. Needs a little filler in the weld gaps but it won't be visible when finished. At least these parts will fit right now. A little more work and they will look good enough.