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Some of you members who go to the Wheel Horse show, know my Grandson Mason. Well on December 14, we had our first snow, and Mason has his first time driving in it. Unfortunately, he and his Subaru Outback had an untimely meeting with an F-350 pickup truck, his own. This was in the driveway. The F-350 won. He was quite upset but said that it would be back on the road in time for reopening of schools. So, Mason did not want to report it to insurance for obvious reasons, and he did not want to take it to a body shop, so he proceeded to disassemble it. After determining there was no frame or engine damage, he started his search for parts. He found a bumper cover, left fender, and hood, all the same color. He purchased a new core support and radiator, two new headlights, and a grill. He brought the car over to my house yesterday. The whole job was done outside in 15 to 35 degree weather. Total cost? $1400. That's perseverance.

Did something crazy today! Drove 735 miles from Andover Ct to Shippensburg Pa (round trip) took me 13 hours and 10 minutes, spending $130.24 on fuel…to come home with a C-145 Hydro. My wife packed me a lunch, snacks and a couple waters so I only had to purchase a coffee. Left my house at 5:30am and pulled back into my driveway at 6:40pm. Was supposed to be a clear day…hardly! Hit snow on I84 west headed to Scranton Pa, and hit it again on the way home . But no hiccups or truck issues so I’ll say it was a win!

Here I go again. As the title says, this years project is a 401 Suburban. Will start off with some ground 0 pics. Next step that I was happy about was my Christmas Miracle. The steering wheel came off without special tools or much resistance. When I bought the tractor it had a Nova ignition module on it. Starting it was sometimes a challenge so I wanted to switch it back to points before disassembly. Happy to say that it starts much better on points than it did with the Nova module. With this accomplished it was time to move on to tear down. A couple of hours later & I had a pile of parts. I went through the transmission shortly after I bought the tractor because it had a 3rd gear issue, so that will not have to come apart again. The engine runs good with no smoke, so hopefully it will not need a rebuild. It does appear to be seeping oil from the head gasket, so I will pull the head to change the gasket. Will also inspect cylinder condition as long as it's open. Now for some P.O. surprises. Lets just say that some people should not be allowed to play with welders. First, when a lock collar cracks I guess one should grab the welder & tack it in place. Drag link issue?? Lets burn that in place too. I'm sure there will be a few more surprises. Feel free to come along for the show.

The right-rear axle seal in my 522xi failed rather suddenly, as evidenced by the oil slick that appeared overnight on the garage floor. I jacked up the rear end and checked for play in the bearing, as well as end play in the axle. All was snug and smooth, so I figured that the rubber portion of the seal probably split or became detached from its metal ring. So, off with the hub. I loosened the set-screw jam nuts, heated the set screws just enough to soften up the factory-applied thread-locking compound, and removed them, using a 3/8” square (4-point) socket. I was going to use a three-jaw puller to remove the hub, as shown in the service manual. However, the hub appears to be cast iron, and I saw that some forum members had broken a hub flange with a puller. I could have used a bearing separator to pull the hub by flipping the jaws front-to-back and placing it directly right behind the flange, contacting the hub reasonably close to the center, but I opted for a more ‘elegant’ solution: I made a custom hub-puller that I could use again for future repairs if/when needed. It didn't take long to make. I traced the wheel hole pattern onto a scrap piece of 3/8" steel plate, drilled five 15/32” holes (for 7/16” bolts), drilled a 25/32” hole in the center, and welded a 3/4” grade 8 nut to the plate. I would have made the plate round, but I didn't have a wide enough piece of 3/8" plate, so it's in the shape of a pentagon. I figured that pulling from five points instead of three, and with those points closer to the center of the hub than its edge, there wasn’t much chance of breaking the casting. Also, before applying any pulling force, I snugged up all five of the 7/16” bolts finger-tight to make sure it would pull evenly from all five points. It worked “slick as snot on a glass doorknob,” as an old employer of mine used to say. As I suspected, the rubber portion of the seal had partially separated from its steel outer ring. I pried the seal out, being careful not to scratch the axle or transmission mating surfaces. I also checked for burrs on the axle, to avoid scratching the new seal when installing it. I made a simple seal installation tool by turning down a piece of schedule 80 PVC pipe in my lathe, which worked fine for installing the new seal. I’ll improve that tool later by inserting a thin sleeve inside it for a closer fit over the axle. Here's my hub service 'kit,' consisting of the puller, the 3/8" square socket, and the plastic seal installer, which I'll keep together in a bin for later use. I re-installed the original plastic thrust washer, which had a few thousandths of wear, but was still in good condition. I also installed a new key, even though the old one looked fine, and I cleaned and dried the set screw threads in the hub, so that the Loctite would work properly. The hub was still a snug fit on the axle, and I tapped it into place with a dead-blow plastic hammer to the point where there was only about .002 or .003 inch of end play in the axle (in other words, I tapped the hub far enough on to the axle to make up for the slight wear in the plastic thrust washer). I then installed new grade 8 square-head set screws with Loctite 271, torqued them per the service manual specs (28-32 ft. lbs.) and tightened the jam nuts. Done, no leaks, and I have a tool that will make any future hub work easier.

The leads going to the cruise control electromagnet on my 522xi showed definite signs of having served as a meal or nesting material for a mouse or some small furry critter. All but one or two strands of the wire were chewed through: Not a difficult repair job. Cut/strip/crimp: First layer of heat-shrink tubing: Second layer of heat-shrink tubing: Wires fixed. I managed to clean and save most of the original outer jacket/loom: Electromagnet reinstalled: Rounded up the usual suspects, but had to let this one go for lack of evidence:

Don't want to jinx anyone here in Maine but have not seen piles of snow here this high in a few years. This was cleaned up with multiple machines. Good ole time Maine Wintah.

All: Having "moved" both spindle bores when I machined it for bushings, I realized I now needed slightly shorter length Tierods. I have used regular 1080 Cold Rolled material for another set, but the quality of the machined threads was lacking. This set I switched to 12L14 "leaded" hexstock - per the certificate it has .27% lead in the alloy. This allows easier machining with a superior finish. Cost is just a couple of bucks more than 1080. The threads shown are done with an adjustable thread cutting die - 3 passes needed to get the proper shaft to nut fit. Shown is the die from the final pass - the chips look like angel hair Also shown is the old trick of having a starting pilot diameter for the die - it is removed once the threading is done. The 12L14 material is safe to work with, but sanding, grinding and welding are NOT recommended...

Changed out the powered worm gear snowblower chute with a powered chain drive.

Just recycle them into trailers....

The doc told me a few bacon bits on my salad is fine.

I’m absolutely loving the 520hc with the 2 stage!

I love your AI paint job, and it inspired me. I've been having some fun playing with Photoshop and AI, and I thought I'd see what my GT18 would look like if it had a small V8 with a four-barrel, headers, mags, and racing slicks. Current (real) condition: After some AI-assisted modifications and a bunch more tweaking in Photoshop: And of course, it would be irresistible to the local bears:

There are way too many "lower life forms" that sell WH parts on CL and FB Marketplace. They are not one bit interested in preserving the hobby, just the color of folding money. I have had mostly decent transactions on Fleabay - but the most accurate, knowledgeable and honest are the folks here on Red Square....

Decided ol' Johnny needed spruced up a bit, so I slapped a quick paint job on him. AI paint job, that is.

Happy New Year everyone !!! With the day off I figured I'd take advantage of getting paid to work on my own stuff. A little progress report for y'all. First off I degreased the parts so that they would be ready for the blast cabinet. With the dishes done it was time to move on to repairs. First off get the drag link that a PO welded to the fan gear removed. Hood stand had some fatigue cracks that needed to be addressed. Tool box also had some fatigue cracks. Drilled some holes at the end of the cracks, beveled them out & welded them up. @AlexR was recently asking about spindle repairs. The spindles on this tractor had some pretty severe wear. I welded these then trimmed them back down to size with a grinder & a file. Bearing now fits snug on the spindle. That's all for today.

Put some bushing in a hydro belt take up. The old ones were shot. Got some bunting flange bearings at Amazon. reamed out the hole with a 5/8 drill, but started in straight with a step drill first. Worked okay was trying to keep it simple. I did add a keeper bolt threaded in the end to keep it all together due to eliminating the e clips on the shaft to accept the thicker flange bearings. Bearing were $3 and change each.

When I got the 312-8, I searched for Wheel Horse forums. I picked this one & I'm glad I did! Lots of great folks here and there must be a couple hundred years of combined knowledge, I greatly appreciate all the help & guidance I am receiving. Thank you!

Update: It’s a 1984 and has the original/correct Kohler 14 under the hood. Hubcaps are off and undergoing a cleaning (they will be up for sale soon). It’s nice to buy a tractor that has no rips in the seat, a battery that’s still good after you get it home, tires that aren’t flat after you get home, working head and tail lights (LED tail lights ) Wheels will definitely need to be cleaned up and painted.

This is a good spot for this. You may remember me struggling to get a lug bolt out of a wheel a while back. It was a regular 7/16" bolt apparently driven in with an impact wrench WAAAAAY too tight. It was from a 68 Raider 9 that I have parted out. I tried everything up to welding a nut on it that was my last attempt at failing before I just set it aside to regain some form of sanity. Even though I doubt that I will be needing them I try real hard to save wheels that have the correct setback for Wheel Horses. They are a bit of an oddball. The same goes for saving hubs. These especially as they are the heavy hubs with factory double setscrews. Over the weeks of it just sitting in the garage I decided that the hubs were more important if I couldn't save both. I already had the bolt drilled out to something under 3/8". This morning I went ahead and drilled it to 3/8" which was as far as I wanted with hoped of not damaging the threads. It looked like this. I set it on 4x4's and smacked the hub opposite of the stuck bolt. It actually didn't take much. It snapped off clean and the culprit came right out. The hub threads didn't look bad at all. I chased them all with a 7/16" tap and a 3/8" for the setscrews and these hubs are in dandy shape! An added bonus is that the wheel is fine as well. You can see where the jammed bolt was but it's not harmed. Bottom hole. My only New Years resolution is to never make resolutions. But I'd say this is a good start. Happy New Years!

I’ve had this for about three years now. I decided on a fall assembly. I started cleaning one part at a time that’s how I do things. I clean everything by hand. So I’ve been working on and off on this one for that much time. Did multiple restorations on other tractors over the last few years to by and sell,and this one sat in a corner so I decided to start working on it this winter to finalize assembly. Either keep it or sell it not sure yet. The last few pics are the day I bought it. The last picture is the lineup of the one I just bought. Also dockwheelhorse . I believe wallfish in there also AKA- Sparky and his son Bradley tractor. This was in a dirt pit where very old from the 30s 40s and up,in a pit in Colchester at Zachary farm in Connecticut. Hope you enjoyed the pictures.

This one is from years back on the road to the family farm in upstate NY.

January 1, 1959, Johnny Cash played his first of many free prison concerts at San Quentin State Prison on January 1, 1959, a pivotal event that inspired a young Merle Haggard, then an inmate, to pursue music, kicking off Cash's lifelong advocacy for prisoners and leading to iconic albums like At Folsom Prison and At San Quentin.

Grandpa, you can choose to not give me what I want to eat today, But remember I will be making the decision for your long term care!

Rearranged my horses in the garage in order of likelihood of them seeing use. Mounted a set of tri-ribs for the C-141 and stole the front weights off the C-120 and put on it. Moved Johnny over to the cold side of the garage until I get some hydraulic lines for the lift. First time all 3 tractors have been up and going at the same time!

I made the belt tensioner last week. Originally was using the existing v-pulley from the factory belt tensioner but then decided to use the flat pulley from the mower deck tensioner to get a better wrap around the drive pulley to prevent slipping. I have 3 different drive pulleys to try, 4” that matches original engine, 3-1/2 that I have installed, and a 3” pulley.

December twenty eighth is Pledge of Allegiance Day. On this day, the calendar lights up with Pledge of Allegiance Day. It’s a special time to reflect on the powerful words that bind the country’s ideals of freedom and unity. Pledge of Allegiance Day is not just about honoring these words. It’s a day to celebrate our collective identity and the principles that define us as Americans. It encourages us to delve into the Pledge’s history, understand its significance, and appreciate the sacrifices made by those who serve our country. The story of Pledge of Allegiance Day begins with Francis Bellamy’s creation of the pledge in 1892. It was first published in “The Youth’s Companion” magazine to encourage patriotism among young Americans. The original text was simple, focusing on loyalty to the flag and the country. Over the years, the Pledge saw changes, like the addition of “the Flag of the United States of America” in 1923 and “under God” in 1954, reflecting the nation’s evolving identity and values. The idea of a dedicated day for the Pledge ties back to its significance as a unifying and patriotic statement.

Today I was gazing over what I hope to be a mushroom patch. For the past two years I have been able to harvest a few mushrooms but this year I stepped up the process. Starting about four years ago as I found morel mushrooms, I'd bring them home and wash them then pour the mushroom spore laden water in the area pictured below. A couple of years ago I found four and this past year I think I found six or seven. Last spring, I read about making a slurry with mushroom spore water, flour, and karo syrup. A fellow puts the spore water, pieces of mushroom and the afore mention ingredients in a blender for a few seconds then transfers to a bucket, aerate it for 24 to 48 hours, dilute in additional buckets then pour on target areas. I spread up and down the fence row and in the asparagus patch. The articles said it may take 3 or four years to be productive with maybe 40% chance of success. We ended the year 3 1/2 below normal rain fall. December was one of the driest on record. This past summer I watered the mushroom patch. I guess I'll know next spring. In the meanwhile, I had fresh pork shoulder, cured it this past week and smoked it today.

More expensive more like original and holds on pretty well.

My nephew and I displayed at the Badger Steam and Gas show this year, he went into the swap meet unattended and came back with this 855 horse, I'm not the best documentor and we have it partially torn down now, but after using the site to get the wiring and voltage regulator sorted out I figured maybe you guys would like to see what we are up to.

I see a new handle in your future ... SparkyX??

I’ve been missing my tractor family! I started a “job” volunteer coaching the girls’ wrestling team. It’s a bunch of fun and I’m getting another work out in when I need to grapple with un-partnered kids. For being only about 3 hours of my day, I feel like I accomplish nothing throughout the rest of the day! I’ve released less videos to YouTube and spent less time doing shop and tractor stuff. It’s rewarding though, when you hear the simple words “thanks coach”!

Cereal box and an Exacto Knife

Put juice to my new headlights on 1257 today. Halogen bulbs and pretty bright, 2nd pic is in shop and pitch dark. Dont remember what the watts are. Thought about going with led bulbs but IDK if it would be worth the extra coin.

Don one winter on my old 854 after snowplow. I checked gas tank and it was a lot lower than when i filled 3/4 up. Started looking around and i felt under the two piece gas tank and found a leak. i bought this 854 from a guy i knew and i helped him fix the tank! So i kew we sealed good and i recalled we pit bigger sheet metal screws in the bottom with the new seal. i got real luck as only two or three loosened up. I placed in garage and warmed tractor up and retightened the screws. By some pure luck as i added no more permatex or other sealant it never leaked again! At least for the three or four more years i had it! I sold this one at the Big Show this year!

Finished the fuel pump job. I had the oil drain on the tilted tractor open all night to be sure all the tainted oil was out of the crankcase. Closed it (per “note to self” since the threads were already well lubed ) and filled the case. Ran it for about 10 minutes and no sign of leaking. Whew! Noticed the voltage was a bit high (14.8 - 15.0) so while the hood was off anyway, I tweaked the regulator back to 14.4.

Got a different tire and new tube waited a day to make sure everything held air. Getting the 68.5lbs weight back on is a real PIA. Came up with this based on something posted here a few weeks ago. Worked great. The wood plate was what I used to use for WH tranny swaps before i got a tranny jack.

Soaked it with Sea Foam Deep Creep a week before trying. Roll pin drove out easily. Turned the wheel all the way to the left, gave an extra nudge and it spun on the shaft. Spun it a few times on the shaft & it pulled right off. Easy peasy.

This is from a friends house last year just north of Oneida Lake

Scored a 1992 Wheel Horse 312-8 today with deck & front blade for 100 bucks. I got homework to do. Engine has no spark plug wire or left side engine cover. Engine does turn over by hand & seems to have compression. Can't get the PTO to engage, the shaft isn't sliding in. Choke cable stuck, throttle cable operates. Deck has minor rot on the right side, but I bought the tractor for snow plowing, I will sell the deck. I had 60s & 70s Cub Cadets & John Deere tractors. I know decks & mule drives were pricey in 2019 when I sold all my garden tractors & bought a new Cub cadet XT1 LT42 with rear bagger, brush guard & arm rests. I missed a garden tractor to plow with. A walk behind snowblower just don't get it done. Snowblower for her is in the future too. Maybe even a sleeve hitch and tiller.

We have made it to the end of 2025, prepare to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Toast to the past and look forward to the future with friends and loved ones. Party hats, confetti, and champagne, let's celebrate the arrival of a brand new year! The celebration of New Year’s Eve has a history dating back thousands of years. The holiday’s origins can be traced back to ancient civilizations, such as the Babylonians and the Romans, who marked the beginning of the new year with religious festivals and celebrations.

I need to say thanks for our guidelines on Classified posts for including need to state price, location, ect. Facebook Wheel Horse Parts group doesn't stipulate and many posts a fishing expedition it seems.

January 2, 1987, Aretha Franklin became the first woman voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. More than 80 other women have entered the hall since her induction was announced on this day in 1987.

I bought this commando 8 back in 2015 at a auction it was my second wheel horse to own I did parades and shows with it until the rod went through the block so I sold it to Oliver 2-44 years ago and just bought it back from him can't wait to enjoy some seat time again it will be a spring time project

I don't know what "GP lube" is but you're probably better off cleaning all of the sticky stuff and go with a dry lube like graphite or one of the dry lube sprays. https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/crc-dry-graphite-lube-10-oz-03094/11318483-P

Once had an idea to try building a hybrid tractor but I just don't have the electrical knowledge needed to pull it off. Maybe I'll have the time to research and learn once retired. Basically all self contained so it could charge and also run off the small gas engine. Did an electric one a long time ago but used a starter generator motor. Definitely not as efficient or powerful as that motor. But it could cruise around for about an hour off one 12v deep cycle battery. It was built for a friend's daughter so it was also a fish tank "powered" tractor.

Bad news. Good news. So-so news. Yesterday only a couple minutes after I started up the tractor to do some touch-up plowing, I saw something leaking from near the carb on the 854. I quickly parked it and shut the fuel petcock to await time for diagnostics. This afternoon I had a couple of free hours (company went sightseeing in NYC!) Bad news: Started it up easily and within a minute or so saw gas-laced oil dripping from the breather and the governor shaft. Fuel pump diaphragm was the suspect. Drained the crankcase and stashed the output for the hazardous chemical pickup day. (Also the dots connected: yesterday after the 1st session I had a little fuel on the bottom of the tank but when I went to top off before starting the second session, it was dry. Duh, it was dripping into the crankcase!) Removed the fuel pump and with output plugged could easily blow through the (definitely holed) diaphragm. Good news: Had a spare diaphragm and put it in after touching up flatness of the mating pump halves. Garage was 30º but with the heat gun I was able to gently warm the fuel lines to get them back onto the pump without damage. So-so news: Went to grab the 30w oil off the shelf and I only had 10W-30. Yeah, that’d be ok for the next cold months, but I’ll just as soon be patient for a day until I can get my preferred stuff.

Put new 24-12-12 tires on C160. They are Horseshoe brand will try and post more info on them in lets talk tire thread.

Some of us might bump that estimate up another hundred or so - individually!!

This afternoon at work I was helping one of the junior techs with a particularly stubborn brake job when I lost my grip on the torch and let the flame pass over my face. I'm fine, but I burnt off half an eyebrow (the other half was under my torch glasses). Just waiting for the wife to notice. Remember kids, wear eye protection when doing dumb things.

Lucy at work again.