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Picked this up over the weekend. It was made by a local gentleman who passed away probably 10 years ago. It has an American Austin 4 cylinder engine that runs, but not happily. Has the transmission and rear end off the same vehicle. It smokes like a freight train, but is fun to drive. He made a gear reduction for it to keep the speed down. What's the chances anyone here knows anything at all about American Austin cars that could help me with parts for the engine? 😂 20261028_181856.mp4

October 29, 1960, Cassius Clay [Muhammad Ali], in his first professional fight, beats Tunney Hunsaker on points in 6 rounds in Louisville, Kentucky.

Cool little tractor !! Looks very well constructed. I only know one thing about those cars. There once was a man from Boston Who went out & bought an Austin There was room for his *** & a gallon of gas But his b***'s hung so low that he lost 'em Probably not much help.

Cool mower. A first for me, never seen a WH push mower before. Closest thing to WH push mower Ive seen around here is when I run one of my tractors out of fuel and had to push it back to shop .

Made right here in Butler< Pa. from 1929 - 1941. My neighbor has one that looks like a 3/4 size model A Ford. If you have a specific question, I can ask him.

You would need to check and validate the hardness of the blade before and after annealing and finish tempering. Without knowing the exact metalurgy of the blade material - that is a crapshoot at best. Sorry, unless you have extensive blacksmithing experience, that is not a proven backyard "here, hold my beer" process. Those blades are best relegated to be wall hangers.

Austin and Bantam in Ohio were the predecessors of the Jeep protype. I would think replacement parts would be available. Very cool tractor! Dave

@Ed Kennell definitely had the style of the era , in todays world , a turbo 4 would absolutely make that , lots of related make up parts , seen a few in vegas , weekly parking lot car shows , and related storage warehouses , were stuffed with Duesenberg's , etc of the era. incredible original , solid rust free cars . pete

A while back I would this guy in the weeds of a retiring small engine mechanic. It was completely seized up when I got it, but a few buddies and I got it freed up. I have never seen a spark plug more corroded than this one! It's a chain-driven Front Wheel Drive, and only one lever controls the cutting height by raising or lowering all four wheels at the same time. Any information on the Wheel Horse push mowers would be greatly appreciated!

Your old blades do have a home! You can give them to your local blacksmith! ******* Yes, blacksmiths and bladesmiths do use old lawn mower blades, though opinions vary on their quality for higUse Mower Blades Free and Accessible: Old mower blades are easy to salvage from discarded or broken lawn mowers. Tough Steel Composition: Most blades are made from medium-carbon or low-alloy spring steel (often around 1040–1045 or similar grades) designed to absorb impact without shattering when hitting rocks. Practice Material: Many smiths use them for beginner practice, learning how to flatten, shape, and heat-treat scrap metal. According to blacksmith communities like I Forge Iron, old mower blades are frequently repurposed into: [ Basic utility knives and machetes Garden tools (trowels and small hoes) Shop tools (punches, drifts, and hot/cold cuts) Hardware and decor (shelf brackets, hinges, hooks, and wind chimes) Soft Steel: As discussed on BladeForums, many mower blades are intentionally softer (around 45–50 RC) so they bend or deform instead of breaking. This means they may not hold a fine edge as well as high-carbon steel files or dedicated knife steels. Inconsistent Quality: The exact alloy varies by manufacturer, meaning some blades harden well while others will not harden at all.

@Stepney Awesomeness!

Autumn is best enjoyed in all her glory. Unfortunately, the police officers who arrested me outside her window didn't agree.

An interresting build. I must say that I have never seen a double lever steering setup where each wheel is steered by a common shaft and no tierod between them. Nice touch with the Heim joints - Pete would approve.... @peter lena ??

I think I have my answer now. It's got the older steering wheel, and from what I am reading from others that makes it a 1987 31-16K803

Heard something on the news about Elon Musk giving one share of "Spacex" stock to every child under 18, I'm too old and had to buy my own Spacex stock.

Some "D" models were equipped with optional 15" rims and all "C-195" came with six lug 15" rims. WW-105 fits outside the 15" rim and is probably what you would want, IF you can find them.

In Florida the mowing season is about ten months and blades need sharpening about three times a season, by then the back uplift lip is gone and you are mowing with thin knives. Over the years I added compost to the yard and the sand wasn't a problem anymore.

Where did the peeping Tom go when he fell out of a tree and broke his foot? The I. C. U.

Is the speed reduction chain drive? The Gear drive to the generator and gear drive to the distributer is a bit unusual, I like it. Ford used the double pitman arm steering for years, some others may have too.

No luck finding a pulley locally, but Bob Rock has one and is meeting me at the plow day! Steve Oh Two helped pull it into the trailer, now I need to tie down and prep the motorhome for the weekend!

if the transaxle has been drained and new filter, I believe you can go with either Dex/Merc or Type F and be fine. Maybe schedule your next change out a little sooner than normal just for peace of mind. I run Dex/Merc in my 16-Auto based on a recommendation I got from someone here. If wanted to do a thorough flush, you could convert over to 10W30. Opinions vary on all 3.

An ugly, scrawny man was riding his horse through the woods and came across a bottle. He rubbed it and a genie came out saying he'd grant the man three wishes. "My first wish is that I want to be as handsome as Clark Gable, my second is that I want to be as buff as Arnold Schwarzenegger, and my third is to have huge privates exactly like the horse I'm riding." The genie tells him to go home and look in the mirror. He gets home, looks in the mirror, and sees that his face is as handsome as Clark Gable. He takes off his shirt and see that he is just as muscular as Arnold Schwarzenegger. He drops his pants and realizes that he was riding the mare.

Most Wheel Horse parts are interchangeable so if you can't find the exact year there isn't too much to worry about. A 416-8 is a great tractor.

Well that says it all. I'm a nice guy, but not THAT nice (ask my kids). Your nephew needs to procure a new set of blades for you. Even if they are NLA. A little "Visual Reinforcement" of the money leaving his wallet does wonders. Seriously, blades are tempered - they bend once, then fracture & break if force is applied in the opposite direction. Not worth the damage they can cause. Reminds me of Ralph Nader's book on the Corvair - Unsafe at Any Speed... DO check the accompanying spindle for being bent too....

Years ago, I was on the Tire & Rim Association Wheel Weight Subcommittee. We were working on standards to insure that clip on balance weights and the flange contours on steel and aluminum rims would play well together. With that background, I was kind of wondering why you wanted to balance the wheels on your tractor. Then the light came on you were wanting traction weights, not balance weights.

This one?

After this year’s spring plow day, I couldn’t keep a belt on the Speedex, it kept jumping off! The Lever Steer started to bother my shoulder at Uncle Jim’s the other weekend and I haven’t fixed the steering either, so I decided to do some work on Speedy tonight. I thought that the set screw style trunion that adjusts the clutch throw (sliding engine) was slipping, so I pulled it off and put a 7/16”-20 die over it. Now I will have positive affirmation of the adjustment.

Only one of them was mine!

Hey Mike, you really need to start putting some oil in your engines! LOL

We don't really get any "free" money. My daughter did get one of the $250 grants from the Dell Foundation, but both are much too old to qualify for the $1000 seed from the treasury dept. A uniform transfer to minor investment account would likely be better, but for as old as my kids are already most differences between the various types of investments a not likely to exceed $100 before they turn 18.

Some more great plowing today in Polo, IL. Hosted by John Boelens and a bunch of Cub Cadet guys. Still some good representation by Wheel Horse. My wife was able to come along and had a great time. I guess now I need a second plow tractor!

I'm with TT on this one. Get em both up and running. I have both and like em for differant chores. My hydro tractor with hydraulic lift is the only tractor I will sno-blow with but for heavy hauling like firewood/stonewall stone, etc... I prefer my 8 speeds. Mike.............