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December seventh is National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. A solemn remembrance of a pivotal historical event that forged resilience and unity in the face of adversity, inspiring generations. The following day in an address to congress President Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke these words. “Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan,” There is a beautiful lagoon in the Hawaiian Islands that is named for the lustrous jewel that is formed when a piece of sand irritates a clam into coating it to protect itself, Pearl Harbor. This harbor also houses the headquarters of the United States Pacific Fleet, and has been an important part of the American Naval placement in the Pacific Ocean since 1887. Little did anyone know at that time that an attack on this harbor would bring the entire might of the American Military into a war it was desperately seeking to avoid. National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day honors the men and women who died in the Japanese attack on this beautiful harbor one December day in 1941.

Well, the normal snowfall this season to date is just under 6". So far we've had just over 28". A sign of the winter to come? I'm an optimist. It's just getting it out of it's system and the rest of the winter will be mild. I'm an optimist. It's just getting it out of it's system and the rest of the winter will be mild. I'm an optimist. It's just getting it out of it's system and the rest of the winter will be mild. I'm an optimist. It's just getting it out of it's system and the rest of the winter will be mild. Do I have to write that 100 times teacher?

I got several things I need to get finished, but my Bronco has been marking it's territory in my garage. One axle seal was leaking quite a bit, and I had not seen it because of how it was previously parked. Guess I should get it out more, right? As is usually the case, a leaky axle seal left alone long enough made the hub removal super easy. Didn't even need my puller for it (lucky since I couldn't find the darn thing). Anyway the hub came right off with some wiggles. Made a couple small dings in the metal face of the new seals because it was crazy tight but it shouldn't affect it. The axle and bearing seems fine. A couple hours after and no leaks yet. I'll try to get it out over the holidays and see for sure, but so far so good.

So my father called all excited today about a 702 tractor he sold to a guy down in Long Island NY. Apparently, the guy he sold it to then sold it to a purchaser for Ralph Lauren. Now that 702 is in the window display at their flagship store on Madison Ave in NYC. Here's a pic of it

Sorry for the long post, but this story needs to be told. My oldest Grandson Reed has a fellowship granted for his Astro Physics PHD at Lehigh University. He has been there for 2 years and has 2-3 years left. Last year he got tired of paying the college town land lords rent and bought one of the row houses to house himself and a couple room mates. His Dad Mike operates a HVAC/ Plumbing business so he installed a new gas furnace and a new Mini Split air/heat pump System. The existing gas hot water heater was only 2 years old and tested good so it was not replaced. Mike also installed smoke and carbon monoxide detectors as required for a rental property. About two weeks ago a CO detector tripped. Reed reset it and all was OK, but Mike sent him a second CO detector as a back up. Friday when Reed came home the CO detectors were sounding and when reset they kept tripping. He called his dad and Mike told him to disconnect the main breaker, open the doors, go out and wait in his car till he got there. Mike called the local fire company and left for the 2 hour trip to Bethlehem. He suspected the gas hot water heater that he did not replace could be the problem. When Mike got there, the fire company had allready checked Reeds house and appliances and could not find the source of the CO. They went to the attached row house and found the house was filled with CO from a faulty furnace and the family of five were all sick with flu like symptoms. Thankfully the loose stone basement foundation wall allowed the CO to leak into Reeds basement and trip the alarms and thankfully Reed did not come home for the weekend and was there to hear the alarms or the outcome would have been much different. Per the fire company, the family would not have survived the night. Sometimes we get lucky. Don't rely on luck...install smoke and CO detectors for everyone you care about.

Installed 3d printed chute retainers and motor cover on the XI

Today we pay honor to the citizens who were killed when Japan sprung their surprise attack. This date results in World War Two, as the United States declared war on Japan on the following day. On this day, organizations across the United States hold tributes to honor the memory of Pearl Harbor. There are also a lot of reunions and survivors share their stories as well. Traditionally, the United States flag will be flown at half-staff until sunset. This is an act that honors the people who lost their lives while they were serving for the U.S. at Pearl Harbor. Today, there are a number of different sites at Pearl Harbor that have been created in memory of those who served during the bombing. Pearl Harbor is the final resting place for a lot of the crew of USS Oklahoma, USS Arizona, and USS Utah. The memorials here serve as a place of honor to the service members who lost their lives during the attack. They also act as a touching and emotional reminder of war and the loss that it causes. At Pearl Harbor, you will find the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, which pays honor to the American submarine that sunk 44 ships during World War Two. There is also the USS Utah Memorial. This is in remembrance of the former battleship, which in 1931 was converted into a target ship. It was sunk in an attack on the 7th of December in 1941. Another site is the USS Oklahoma Memorial, which pays tribute to the battleship that was also sunk on this date, resulting in 429 men losing their lives. There is also a marble memorial that goes over sunken battleship USS Arizona, which is in tribute of the 1,177 crew members who died. The attack was devastating, killing over 2,400 citizens of the United States from the time it began at 7:48am Hawaiian time and ended just 90 minutes later, making the attack incredibly devastating. Multiple ships were lost during the attack, though things could have been much worse. Intelligence gathered after the attack indicated that there was intended to be a third-wave of attacks to hit the island, complete with an invasion fleet intended to take the island and prevent it from being used as an American base of operation. The purpose behind this surprise attack? America was well positioned in the Pacific to interfere with Japanese fleet maneuvering, and it was hoped that by launching this assault they would cripple the US Pacific Presence and be able to control the ocean unhindered. As early as 1984, National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day was officially declared by President Ronald Reagan. Then, in 1994, the United States Congress agreed jointly that this event would be celebrated each year going forward. The attack on Pearl Harbor sparked a wave of patriotic creativity in American culture. The slogan “Remember Pearl Harbor” became a popular rallying cry, inspiring songs like Sammy Kaye’s “Remember Pearl Harbor” that climbed music charts in 1941. Several ships were salvaged and returned to service. The USS West Virginia, sunk during the attack, was raised, repaired, and rejoined the Pacific Fleet in 1944. Similarly, the USS California and USS Nevada were also restored and fought in key battles later in the war.

It is very difficult to get the front two mounting bolts hooked up on a K-181 on an 856/commando frame. You can't get good access to the under side of the frame to get the bolt up through or hold a nut if you bring the bolt down from the top. After a half hour of frustration I had a brain fart. With the engine slid back you can work the bolt up from the bottom. So I got two 3/8" E clips slipped them over the bolt on the top side of the frame. Held the bolt in place while I lowered the engine over them. Just catch the lock washer and nut then use a pry bar lift the engine and with a small hook you can pull the E clip off.

This morning Trina and I started the cleanup of the recently found "Tripp" graveyard. We brought up a couple hand tools and started by cutting the smaller saplings in and around the small metal enclosure. We'll continue with the project through the winter and into spring. Quite a good workout to get there. 1.4 miles each way and about half of that was through 8+ inches of snow.

We've been in Maine for 18 years, and the last 'big' snowstorm that I remember was ten years ago, when we owned a house in Alna. What you see in this photo is the exhaust stack of my 1953 Ford NAA tractor, and yes, there's a full-size tractor under it. Here's the same storm, with snow drifting up against my shipping containers. Interestingly, the wind didn't deposit any snow on my loader/backhoe. I hope we don't have a repeat of that weather, or any more nasty ice storms, even if the ice on the trees can be kind of pretty. The photo below is from 2013:

The others have mentioned the potential changes depending on what engine you get for it. If it's a K-Series it might even have the tapped holes in the bottom of the oil pan already. I purchased a new 1976 B-80. Here it is in it's original form. A short time later I picked up a new K-341 from WW Grainger when Kohler phased out the K-Series. In 76 and 77 the B and C series were identical as far as frame, transmission, etc. with just a few differences to economize the B's and of course the engine. Going from a K-181 to a K-341 was pretty cut and dry. The new engine did have the mounting holes drilled and tapped. The bearing race in the PTO had to be changed from a 1" ID to a 1.125". The OD is the same on both. The upper PTO bracket is a little different but the small block bracket was easily modified to match the mounting holes on the big block. Going from K to K made it really simple. In my case perhaps the biggest issue was the starter. The welded on bracket on the new engine was what I called a low mount. The mounting holes were above the starter body. The original spec engine had a high mount, the holes were below the starter. This created a little interference with the battery but it was easily handled. It ran like this for 40+ years. Recently, I decided to convert it back to a B-80. It is now dedicated to snow blade all year. The conversion back actually brought back some memories of the original swap. Search for Reborn B80 here and you'll find a thread I did on it. There might be some things in that to help you. As she sits now.

This jolly ol’ feller and his bride needed a fire engine ride to go see all the littles at the hall.

@Ed Kennell has made a couple and those inspired me to make this one. Ed’s also include weight holders for helping keep the front on the ground and steerable! The key is to limit side-to-side motion within the Attach-a-Matic (I used washers welded to the ends of the rod) and not extend the reinforcement downward too far to impeded lifting the plow. Adding a decal to the front plate is optional--I just haven’t come up with a nifty idea yet! Others have made their down-rod align with holes one of the plow frame side rails.

The plastic front ‘bumper’ (for lack of a better term) of my 522xi had a chunk broken out of it and several cracks radiating from that spot. Fortunately, I had the missing piece, which made the repair a little easier. After thoroughly cleaning and degreasing the area around the breakage, I glued the piece back in and cemented the cracks with a water-thin plastic solvent cement that had good capillary action to flow into the cracks. Here’s the back view of the breakage area after applying a few applications of the cement. It seemed to work very well. Even though the cracks were completely welded shut, I shifted into my usual over-engineering mode and decided to reinforce the back of the repair with a few layers of thin fiberglass cloth. I wanted a molecular bond between the fiberglass cloth and the plastic, rather than mechanical, so instead of something like epoxy or polyester resin, I used a thickened plastic cement that exhibited some solvent action on the plastic. Here's the back of the bumper with at least three layers of fiberglass cloth adhered with the plastic solvent cement and with a coat of red paint over it. This part of the bumper won't be visible. Here's the front after gluing, sanding, and a coat of clear “Adhesion Promoter” primer: And the damaged area after the first coat of Regal Red paint (two more coats to go). The color looks a bit off because the photo was taken in the shade. Note: The red bumper is made of PC-PET plastic (a blend of polycarbonate and polyethylene terephthalate). The black bumpers on similar models (such as my New Holland GT18 / 518xi clone) are made of ABS plastic. However, the cements that I used were actually designed to be used with other types of plastic, such as acrylic or PVC, but they still had a solvent action on the bumper and seemed (to me) to work fine. I guess time will tell.

That's what scares me, I have a half empty 30' x 40' foot barn and a 40' x 50' shop that still has a little room in it

That snowfall amount must be because you’re close to the mountains. I think we’ve got something like 4 or 5 inches here. It’s interesting, because in years past according to my Facebook memories, we’ve had snow in October/November in recent years. Last year was interesting, as we got snow but it left as fast as it came. It was going to be 50/50 whether we were going to have snow on Christmas.It seems to be staying longer so far this year.

Lectric fuel pump?

Zero here in SC Pa. Selling my Ber Vac didn't bring a blizzard...YET.

Just hang around.... and build a bigger shed.

Hmm...I didn't have the addiction until I got here so I'm somewhat conflicted as to what to do

I replaced a Kohler with a Magnum and used the original ignition switch and wiring. I had to add a relay, I found the info on how to do the modification on this site. Much easier than changing the wiring and switch. I did one like that too.

Thanks for the heads up. I just bought the blower and didn't know that the side panels are on backwards. At least it's an easy fix!

I'm partial to heat. I figure I can slow down enough to stay cool but I can't speed up enough to stay warm. By the time I bundled up to stay warm in coveralls and the like, I could barely bend over to drive nails. During the heat of summer, we'd start to work at sunrise and finish about noon. In the winter, we'd start mid morning to allow it to warm up a bit. That old worm drive skill saw was slow to come up to speed in cold weather. Now that I'm retired I just need warm enough coat to get from house to shop.

Nice, but like many blowers, the side wings are on backwards. The small bent leading edges should be parallel to each other.

Battle ready!

😁 yeah, you and @JCM… Just when I thought I was out, I get pulled back in…..,

Hi. My name is Eric and I am Justin's enabler.

AA has a 12 step process for freeing yourself from addiction, If you have come here seeking help to free yourself from being a Hors-A-Holic you have come to the wrong place. We are just a group of enablers that will drag you further into the depths of your addiction.

My name is Justin and I’m a Horseaholic……. @BradKahler just wait until you have a herd. It’s the only illness that doesn’t hurt anything but your wallet.😁

Code here requires CO detectors on all floors, including basement. Smoke alarms outside each bedroom & kitchen. I like the 10 year LI style - can't steal the 9V battery for some kid's toy...

With the welder's ground lead on the block any current has to flow through the stud to get to the block when welding a nut to the stud. Usually resistance between the stud and the block will result in heat being created right where you need it. That is the hottest corner of the head next to the exhaust valve so you need that stud.

Wow... All involved were very fortunate. Past work life I was in many many rentals and it was routine to see smoke and co detectors disabled by tenants who got tired of the "chirps" and removed batteries instead of installing new ones... No excuse around here - many fire departments will provide them and install them free of charge. I just replaced three new co detectors with digital displays near our three prime co sources.

Paul, I can relate to that... I bought a cheap 9/16" 6 point 3/8" drive socket for that purpose. I ground one side flat parallel to one of the socket flats. I left about .030 wall... I use that socket with an extension to hold the hexnut from below while installing the bolt from above. Your method works fine without the added cost...

I”ve recently become a fan of fingerless gloves that extend up past my wrist. A bunch of blood vessels are very close to the surface at your wrist so keeping those inches covered makes a big difference. This NASA study is a favorite. Absolutely chock-a-block with impenetrable language. Summary: Warming wrists when the rest of the body was a bit cool helped keep fingers warmer during spacewalks.

Beautiful pic of the ice....but much rather have snow than ice...

That looks correct to me. I added a chunk of rubber to stiffen each spring. I also add a piece of rubber for the springs to rest on. Make sure you leave a hole for the seat switch.

And much like this year, Dec 7, 1941 was a Sunday.

Mebee. Its rare for us to get any snow before January. Tuesday we had a full on storm with sliding and accidents, and a guy sideways in the lane.

B62 is the industrial belt sizing - A = 1/2" wide B = 5/8" wide. The 62 is what engineers use to design belt drives for a specific speed. I believe it is the circumference of the cords running around the belt which are inside the rubber so there lies the difference. They don't care what covers the cords which are carrying the load. For commercial belts add 2" to the A belts and 3" to the B belts. Some manufacturers have mixed the two sizing systems. They will call a belt a B belt because it is 5/8" wide but their length is 62". Very confusing. Best to check the actual belt length unless you trust the supplier's description. You will never find a B62 belt at Gates that is 62" long. You may have noticed odd pulley dimensions for sheaves (pulleys) that industry uses. That dimension is where the belt cords run so when used with the A and B belts their calculations are accurate when designing machinery speeds.

The way winter is starting out, it looks as though we may have an old-fashioned winter. We haven't had cold and snow like this for many years. I don't see much change coming in the near future. So, bundle up and we may actually get some seat time this year.

I can get that this morning. Thw frames don't bend but the entire assembly can absolutely be sent sideways some. Many people make a bracket limiting side motion at the front.

I'm back on the Wheelhorse wagon now that winter has passed. Finished up the last of my painting, and started putting it all back together... But now I can't remember how it all goes together! Anyone got a picture of their seat pan and seat assembly? I don't think my springs are right.

Appears to be a 520-H. I believe that was added by someone. May have been a light switch because the rocker type on the dash failed.

If the old and new engine have the same ignition type, and the 12HP has the correct oil pan, the swap itself is easy. You will likely need a new drive pulley (1.125 ID) and the associated PTO bearing race. If the 12hp has any oil pan other than what is in the pic below, you'll have some degree of fabrication to do. Even if it is of this type, if it didn't come from a Wheel Horse you'll have to drill and tap the PTO side bolt holes or use J bolts. Many of us have repowered these old tractors so it isn't impossible no matter what fits if you want to swap it. Just makes it easier if you start with the right stuff.

Back on the wagon! Now that winter is over, and I have some more enthusiasm for life, I'm back into finishing the repaint. Managed to find someone in Australia with the right colour paint, so bought up 4 tins just to be sure! Seat pan has had a couple of coats of clear, and I'll put one coat on the bottom side for shits and giggles. And the bonnet got a much needed 3rd coat. I'll have to mask off the black section and get that painted next. Now to remember how it all went back together!!

This works... atv winch from Harbor Freight.

On my B100 automatic the hydro worked but my axles and hubs were trashed and I didn't see the point on spending money on 1" axles so I got some spare hydros and am running a older hydro with 1 1/8" axles probably from a charger, on my B100 the only thing that really is different is the free roll valve is in a different place.

Nice looking rig! My first machine was a B100A. Bought it used and I ran the original engine until it was just tuckered out. Replaced with a new 12HP that I got from Northern at a decent price. It was like a timex, just kept on ticking. Only trans issue was a striped axle key and ended up changing an axle and hub. Seemed like it was a lot cheaper to fix then. Pullstart was here on his way home from a pick up and had one on his truck. I tried to talk him into selling it to me but no go. Might get another one someday or not, who knows. Spent a lot of seat time to plowing snow, dirt and cutting grass. It also survived two teenagers.

...... or didn't want to deal with older machines. My own local small engine shop will still fix what ya bring unless it's a basket case. That said, they do certainly need to prioritize the work. Later model machines have better parts availability and often less rust or other issues. Some (most?) shops are leaning more and more away from older rigs specifically because of the need to make money on faster repairs to keep the sequence moving.

The BBT got her Millie going and moved snow