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The first notes are on papyrus ... that's an indication of how long @ebinmaine's been "working " on it... Trail cam of Eric ordering the first parts list...

The only tractor that was designed and built in Texas is this Jacques Mighty Mite model MM and the subsequent model 10. They were built between 1946-49 in Denison Tx. I believe @oldiron has a model Jaques model 10. I've had one of these on my someday list for quite a while. A special thanks to @Chrishar for finding and helping me haul it to the farm for short term storage. Since it was built in Texas, it's kind of on the level of a Pond RS83 to me. I think it is roughly the size of a Pond, and some what similar in design. They don't have the following that a Pond has, so thankfully they are not in that price range. I've read somewhere between 35500 to 5000 were built under a couple of different names/owners The angled bracket on the rear hitch was a plow mounting bracket. The front wheels are a 2 piece split rim, the same as on a David Bradley 2 wheel tractor or an early Sears/David Bradley The front axle has Jaques Mighty Mite cast into it. The original engine would have been a Briggs 23 or some later ones had twin cylinder Wisconsin's. Someone did a nice job of retrofitting an electric start Kohler K301 into it some wherein the past. The clutch linkage is stuck, but looks complete. I need to learn if this is the original "Twin-Disc" clutch o that was done when the Kohler was installed. It has the original foot and hand clutch, but the hand clutch handle has been modified I need to figure out was transmission this is. it is a 3 speed with reverse and a top access gearbox. The rear axle is a shortened Ford Model T "Banjo" axle. The rear axle has drop boxes on it made by Jaques, then looks like it uses the Ford Brakes and Hubs. Lots to do to get it working.

I have created several Xcel spreadsheets so it is easy to easily look up P/Ns rather than comb thru manuals.

Yesterday we got some snow. Saturday I put the blade on the c-145 since my C-120 that is supposed to have a plow on it is in pieces. Yesterday morning put a new scraper blade from a public works snowplow on. That should last awhile! Then it was time to shine. Love plowing fluffy snow! And today did a bit more cleanup. IMG_1281.mov

December sixteenth is the day to celebrate National Chocolate Covered Anything Day. Indulge in a chocolate fountain or fondue to dunk any treats you fancy or drizzle your favorite desserts in delicious sauce and syrup. National Chocolate Covered Everything Day is here to answer these questions and encourage the celebration of this delectable dessert accessory!

I gave up on using any kind of easy to use pins there, now I use only cotter pins and bend them both ways. I replace them as needed.

The only record keeping that I do is an inventory. I have a USB stick that is on a key chain, this has pictures, serial numbers, & approximate value of each tractor that I own. Should I kick the bucket, my wife or son will at least have some idea of what they need to get rid of. For maintenance, I put an hour meter on every tractor that I have. Every 25hrs they get an oil change and a good looking over. 100hrs includes a change of transmission fluid & filter if applicable.

Must be a real long list for Colossus.

Looks like I got here before him For ag tires there really isn’t many you can get for 24/12/12. But the new thing for tires all over pulling clubs are called Cheng Shin. They are cheap and man these tires have been great. We’ve been using them I think 3 seasons now. And the good part is they don’t take as much power as say the firestones do. https://www.millertire.com/23x10-50-12-cheng-shin-tractor-lug-4-ply-tire/

Personally I would tap the holes but another way is to buy a pair of self tapping screws.

Definitely. Part of my being neurodiverse is a terrible short term memory. I use a couple phone apps to help with many things. Calendar 📅 Notes 📝 I keep a list of "To-do" for every tractor (and many other tasks).

Well I'm going have to start doing sumin I changed the oil twice in one week on one (trans and motor) and still havnt made it to the right machine that needs it. Me thinks I'm going to start journal and start writing things down about each machine, initial cost, seals replaced, problems fixed, problems that need fixin, maintenance schedule, etc. etc. I never thought about doing this in my younger years. Dat gum I hadn't even thought about the different pieces of equipment. Might even help if/when you go to sell/trade sumin. I'm not complaining, I'm blessed to have this "problem". Now what was I going to do, Oh yeah buy more oil.

I write hours and date on oil filters if equipped. Same on the air filter ring. Grease at the start of the year, in the middle of summer and in the fall. The older Kohlers stuff gets a fall service, I really don't run those very much. Take some pics and catalog bigger jobs. No formal records. Maybe some could switch to cubs and save the record keeping!

Yup. I generally do the spring - fall oil changes, when I do the implement & tire swap. Grease the moving parts. While the rears are off, check the grub screws on the hubs. Pull the Unidrive dipstick to verify fluid condition & level. AND - check the Kohler oil level before each use.... Seems to work for a couple of decades so far.

Do labels under the hood and on all the filters count? If so, then yeah most definitely I do.

I use primer bulbs on all mine unless there is evidence the fuel pump is failing. Then I go directly to an e-pump with an on/off switch. Both work well for instant starts. You do need to buy the expensive bulbs. The cheapos get hard and rot at the fittings.

Those are the same just a different branding. They are sold under upmteen different names. Those would make great pulling tires for just for fun. I got nothing but good remarks in the plow field with those. I ran out of belt grab way before traction.

1985 312-8 would have a K301 with points and condenser. Have another condenser you could try? Have you checked the valve clearances? They do not need it often but if never done a 1985 model is due. Have had success adding a shot of Marvel Mystery oil to the fuel or 2-stroke oil if you have it. Lubricates the valve stems in case they are lazy at closing. Do one thing at a time so you know what the fix is.

26-12-12 Firestones would be the best pick in my opinion. Should only have to jack the fenders up about 1/2" to get enough clearance. At least that is all I had to do with my C101/1257/etc.

But back on topic - yes, I keep a "to do" list for each tractor that serves as the "done" list after cross outs...

I don't know about the rest of you, but those screws in mine are self-tapping. They look like this: That chamfer in the end of the screw tip is a self-tapping feature, these can be turned into an un-tapped hole and will cut their own threads as they go. Most people are more familiar with this style: This is self-tapping, but also self-drilling, it will make it's own hole and cut it's own threads. They other style will only cut threads. There is also this style, which is mainly found in automotive applications post 2000: The end is triangle shaped, they self-center and self-tap but should not be used with power tools, especially if being put into an already tapped hole as it is easy to put a second set of threads in it.

The opposite actually. Cold air is denser so more can get in. Cold fuel doesn't atomize (spray) as well either. Sort of a double negative. More air and less effective fuel spray means you're likely running lean. Not the best for an engine.... Try turning the adjustment screw(s) Just a tad... out. Experiment and report back.

I would be all over them cheng shin if they came in 24's. Looks like the Land Trac's for the money and availability in 24's are going to be hard to beat. Hope someone comes along and elaborates more on the "Jeep" spring upgrade. @TonyToro Jr. is that a 14HP Magnum Kohler with an electric fan? Nice

So Eric you have C R S. ? Many of us have this chronic problem and don’t even know it. No what? Lol.

I don't know how much I would change on that machine, just a time capsule right down to the 8 ball shift knob.

On my '74 C160-8 Cinnamon Horse I had that problem back in 2019 & 20 after I first built the whole tractor. I used a new replacement Toro 108035 clutch spring. Didn't grab quite enough for the loads I was pulling. I wrapped another spring around the existing OE spring. No issues since.

If you go with self tapping screws, just be sure not to use screws that are too big in diameter. The threads should be all that "cut" into the aluminum. Otherwise you can crack the body of the carb. If the air cleaner attaches to the carb with 3 screws instead of just two- you really don't need the side support anyway.

I drilled out an old gas cap then screwed in a hose barb fitting. I was then able to use a piece of hose connected to a primer bulb that I use to pressurize the tank a bit with air until I see the fuel filter fill up. Tractor will then usually start right up. Best thing is that you only need one and once the engine is running you can just remove it so it is not in the way. This works with all of my wheel horses iregardless of engine type. I have 10 tractors now so many of them sit for long periods of time. I don't think a check valve matters much because I think that over time the fuel just evaporates out of the carb. Actually I think it evaporates a bit from the tank as well because they always seem very low on fuel after sitting for a long time especially in the heat of the summer.

I cannot find a usable preventive maintenance app for a smartphone. There is an endless list of apps for folks that want full time entertainment.

Fillister head is what was in mine.

Kind of an odd ball size there. I did find a few options but don't know if they run true to size. https://www.millertire.com/24x12-00-12-air-loc-super-lug-6-ply/ These have more of the 23 degree angle like the Firestones but the lugs are kind of narrow. https://www.giga-tires.com/24-12.00-12/kenda-tires/k472/tirecode/10472128AB1 I like the squareness of the tread on the OTR's https://lawnmowertirestore.com/24x12-00-12-4-ply-lawn-trac-1.html I would look for a harder tire with more ply's this helps keep the lugs from folding over under load. The club that I pull with allows 26-12-12, even actual pulling tires in the stock class. They do require us to drop hitch height by 1" if we run pulling tires instead of AGs. I'm running Firestone 26-12-12 that I have cut the tread on.

Good memory, LOL. I seem to recall that was popular for a time in “middle” Michigan and “high” Maine.

Made one of my faves that I learned to like while in Austria. My pork schnitzel with sour cream gravy.

If it was me and I didn't want to tap holes I would just not worry about them . You can always go back and tap them at a later date. They should be easy to tap (soft metal), but I would use a "bottom" tap that are designed to tap blind holes.

I got one step closer to putting the snowblower on my 522xi. I replaced the flaky old PTO clutch (which slipped intermittently when it was warmed up) with a new aftermarket unit. As far as I can tell, the build/fit/finish looks as good as the old clutch, which I assume is the original, since the machine had very low hours on it when I bought it years ago. The only difference I noticed is that the new clutch hub doesn't extend as far forward as the old one, making it a bit harder to get a good grip on it with a 1-1/2" wrench. The new clutch came with a 1/4-inch-thick washer to make up for it (based, I suppose, on the assumption that the user would install a replacement bolt of the same length as the old one), but instead of using the thick washer, I opted for a 1/4-inch shorter replacement bolt of the same grade as the original and torqued per the service manual instructions. After installing the clutch, in hindsight it occurred to me that I 'might' have been able to swap the old hub for the new one to make it easier to get a wrench on it, but it's in now and working fine, so it will stay that way.

Man your 4x4 tractors would be awesome at ploughing! Awesome work tractor looks great!

Got some shop time today. Popped a couple 520H tie rods off for a fellow Redsquare member. Trina got the Military Tribute Tractor "Millie" in for a couple belts. The S/G belt was so worn the unit was barely charging. The drive belt was also well worn. We did some investigating here and found that the universal transmission pulley was too wide and also too deep. 68" belt is far too short. 70" too long... Unfortunately the middle option of 69" belt was also about two hairs too long. This tractor has a 6 speed that had no pulley with it. I believe the best course would be to get a bushing from 3/4" down to 5/8" so she can use the original 3 speed pulley. We do need to figure out how to find that bushing/ adapter. @Achto @kpinnc or others? We also found the belt guard is bent and/or has a broken section near the engine. Trina filed that down.

Sunday December 14, 2025 after the big and cold snowstorm! 6 inches of snow and about ten degrees this am. I cleaned off my driveway and my neighbors! The 1974 Wheel Horse 8 hp B-80 worked great! When i went to my neighbors to plow the angle rod push pin fell out of the rod! Went back to the garage to retrieve another! Back in business. I really like the snowplow i have. Only 42 inches wide but years ago i put a five hole sector section in the plow for more flexibility on the angles. I can angle my plow five ways!

There's a set under The Ugly Bruce tractor. I wanna say these are 1 inch thick.

Only got a dusting in Tennessee

Mine got a work out this morning and they performed great. I got nearly 4 hours of seat time clearing 4 inches of wet snow from 7 driveways and mail boxes.

One of the advantages of working at a large company (DuPont) and having my site shut down after cutting the maintenance department down to just me as the sole millwright is I got to take home truckloads of hardware. This is a bit of it.

That carry on would produce an interesting image on the x ray machine.

Put custom decal from @Vinylguy on this morning. I wanted a decal that matched the seat latch decal and think he done a great job.

He should reproduce more and sell them on here

Added a lift assist spring for snowblower on the 702. Made it definitely easier to raise up. With my lower back issues I need any help I can.

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 stuck 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 cement 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.

I used to work witha guy who flew scout helicopters for the Army in the middle east. One of his sayings was "spare parts are life".