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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!

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.

Picked up an early Raider 12 just before Christmas. Seller said he had rebuilt the trans but it stopped moving while he was plowing snow and he thought he snapped the input shaft. That didn't sound quite right to me and I suspected the key for the drive pulley was a more likely suspect. We agreed on a price delivered. The tractor came with a 42" snow blade mounted, a 42" mower deck with only one small rust hole, and extra pair of rear wheels and tires and tire chains. He also threw in a Harbor Freight 20 Ton press. He dropped it off and while I was pushing it to the shed the left rear wheel and hub came off. I immediately thought that might be its mobility issue. I got the wheel back on and pushed it in the shed. I finally got to work on it today after work. I picked up a couple Woodruff keys and stuck one in, it also needed a battery. It starts easy, runs pretty good with no smoke or obnoxious noises AND it moves in all gears. It's seeping a little where the case halves meet and it has a catch going into reverse so I'll open it back up and take care of those items. The drive belt is in pretty rough shape too and when I put a load on it, it stopped moving until I let it sit for a minute for the belt to cool so I have a new one on the way. Plan is for this one to be my new mower and the blade will go on my old Raider 9 after an engine transplant. This is the seller's pic from the ad, not much to look at but it's all there and functional....

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:

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

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!

Here ya go EB ... I ain't gonna tell ya some bozo threw this one on the scrap pile at my old shop...

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.

Finished transaxle drain and refill on the 12hp-8 No Name today. New shifter boot, magnetic drain plug and swapped the 8.50’s for some 10.50’s on back. Oh yeah installed bolts/studs on back wheels. Made mounting the loaded Carlisle alot easier.

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

I built a hub puller a couple of weeks ago, which worked great (see below), but I thought I could improve upon it, so I fabbed up a new version, which has two advantages over the first one: It has a cavity for the hub spigot, so it can be bolted flat against the hub flange, which can add some rigidity to the flange, and it can be used with hubs that have been retrofitted with studs, as well as those that are still using lug bolts. Mine still has lug bolts, but I used a separate set of bolts and washers with the puller, rather than the lug bolts, in order to prevent any damage to the puller plate or to the tapered part of the lug bolts. The center bolt is longer than it needs to be, but that's what I had on hand. I put a dab of anti-seize on the center bolt threads. Previous version of hub puller: New version: Back of puller (I dressed the weld a bit, just for the heck of it): Front of puller:

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.

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.

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

About 2 years ago, I was informed that I had a cataract, and it was time i should start considering getting it taken care of. We'll, at the time that didn't really fit in with what all we had going on. Well, last year's eye exam showed a big degradation in my left eye. Last summer, I noticed that my short range depth preseption was off - the finish nails I drove to flush were actually standing about 1/4" proud. Bolts on machinery i was working on were farther away than where my eyes told me to put the wrench. I was having trouble getting a good sight picture of the pop can target when shooting my Daisy Red Ryder. Bunch of little things, but enough was enough. 3 weeks ago, I had my left (dominant) eye operated on, as it was the worst. Wonderful improvement! Yesterday, I had my right eye operated on. It is still dilated and not focusing quite right at reading range, but a noticable improvement in distance sight. The most impressive thing is how sharp and vivid the colors are now. If anybody out there is considering cataract surgery, I'll encourage you to go get it done. The procedure (outpatient) itself is a breeze, involving just enough knock out drugs to relax and enjoy the 'light show'. I think my reply to the "how are you doing?" question in recovery was "that was a pretty cool trip". Had a special lens installed yesterday that corrected an astigmatism. While discussing this with the surgeon pre-op, I asked him if the lens also had a .010" eyecrometer scale - he got a chuckle out of that one.

The other brothers story. Pretty cool history and always good reading.

January 7, 1968, U.S. space probe Surveyor 7 was launched and, a few days later, made a soft landing on the Moon.

I still like a 16 Oz hammer for framing. Going in tomorrow for a rebuild on my right hand eyeball tomorrow. Opted for the de-luxe replacement lens with astigmatism correction. If it turns out as well as the left eye rebuild, it will make my accuracy much better when using the 16 Oz framing hammer.

I never did care much for the look of the plastic seat pan/fenders, although this one is flawless no cracks or breaks. I put the wheels and tires of a 520 and I gotta say it makes the plastic look pretty good now. Lol!! I might keep it for a while this way before I throw a metal seat pan on it.

I'll chip in 82.

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

More expensive more like original and holds on pretty well.

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”!

I would suggest putting a shut off valve on it so that you can run the carb dry when you park it for extended times. A battery tender would also be a good idea. They do help extend battery life.

I'd like to add I'm one of those liars at the restaurant table ...

More sheet metal repair. The bolt hole in the seat was busted out, fact it was so big the the head of a 1/2 carriage bolt would drop right through it. I used a hole saw to make a washer out of 10ga sheet metal. Welded this washer in place plus took care of a couple of stress cracks. Ground all the welds smooth, Squared the hole to fit a 1/2" carriage bolt. The seat and front rims then made a trip through the blast cabinet. Moved on to the hood which had some cracks around the front mounting hole, plus plenty of dents. Spent a couple hours with a hammer in my hand bouncing back & forth between the anvil, a sand bag, and some hand dollies to get it as straight as I could. It will still need some minor body filler work to be perfect. After it was straitened out I drilled some holes at the end of the cracks, beveled the cracks out, weld & grind. Other than that all I have to show is a bucket full of sand blasted parts.

Not only is there a wealth of information available and freely given. There is also the friendly bantering and camaraderie. it's not unlike sitting around the liars table at the local restaurant. Good group and well run organization.

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

Controller, Alltrax AC2, was little bigger than I was expecting but got it mounted

Glad you made it home safely Mike. Now you know the rules, we are going to need plenty of pictures of that tractor once you get it off loaded. But judging from the pictures so far it looks like you got yourself a nice tractor! 👍🏻

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.

Cereal box and an Exacto Knife

I worked in the oil patch & refineries my entire career. When I started trying to take it apart, that little guy inside said you're peein' in the wind. When I had Liquid Wrench comin' out the bottom of the nut and it wasn't turnin' I KNEW I was in trouble. Two 18inch pipe wrenches and a 4lb hammer later, it's apart. Threads in nut are flat. Useless, but it's apart. I listened to you guys and feel good!

So kinda funny story. I've been working/playing with the C160-8 and 12hp-6 tractors last couple a days. Keep in mind the 160 has separate clutch and brake pedals and the 12hp has clutch and brake on one pedal. I was going down steep grade on the 12hp and clutch spring broke. So, I essentially had a runaway horse going straight for the pond . I went a pretty good ways down the hill before I realized the brake was on the left foot instead of the right. Had to check my bloomers when I got stopped. Never had a clutch spring break before and they will not hold back if there is no spring on there, you can hold pedal back with the heel of your foot but still exciting trying to stop thinking the brake was on my right hand side foot. I was in 3rd on the high side so was moving along pretty good.

@Bill D I believe it was. Recommended tapping on to the positive side of the coil feed. That way the fuel pump is connected to any safety switches that may be in play also, it gets power during the starting and running phases of the ignition switch.

I just wanna say you guys made a believer outta me! Look at the head bolts, they have Liquid wrench the entire length. That spray, hammer every time you walk by a wait a few days really works! Head bolts all seemed to be the same tightness. 2 whacks with the heel of my hand and they came loose. Put a pick under the head gasket & it popped right off. Exhaust valve has a lot of debris around it. Cylinder walls are smooth, no nicks or gouges. The mule pulley guard nut came off with the same technic. Pulleys spin freely. I don't understand why the belt wouldn't come thru them. Haven't tried the tension adjuster yet. Found the regulator mounting bolts are loose.

Started transaxle change after pressure washing all the garden dust off the 12hp no name. Going to let her drain overnight. New shifter boot, Engine oil and brake drum seal next on the list..

Ed, quit exaggerating, you won't be 82 for a couple more days. I have only owned Wheel Horses for about 35 years. In 1957 we went to a lawn and garden show and I tried to convince my Dad we needed that RJ-35 so I could ride and mow. He ended up buying a walk behind mower and a walk behind tiller. I did a lot of walking.

Here is one:

January 5, 1933, In San Francisco construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge, a suspension bridge that once boasted the longest main span in the world and that has been celebrated for the magnificence of its setting.

January 4, 1847. Samuel Colt sells his first revolver pistol to the United States government. This marked a significant moment for his company, which was initially struggling. The first sale was for 1,000 of the newly developed .44 caliber Walker revolvers.

Congrats !!!!!!!!! ---- Really like the black hood C series - have two of the c175s --- and now trying to save a C165 which grandson and I rescued but likely needs engine rebuild --- have been looking for a C145 for few yrs - - hard to find - prefer the H model -- drove 3 hrs to see one in Pennsylvania 2 yrs ago expecting to bring it home, only to find when i got there a frame crack in the frame plate connection to the tranny -- decided not to take it - probably would have been worth the time and cost to repair the crack.

I'm a fan of a wider track width. Better stability. IMHO looks better too. Was it me I'd get spacers for behind the wheel as mentioned above. Can you cut the spindles? Sure.....

Old black hoods, I call them rattle hoods, I think are some of the best machines WH made. The C series with larger rear axles and the big Kohler engines, pound for pound, just plain tough. I guess my question, at what point in the trip did you say "what am I doing?" I know I have been there! Every tractor has a story and my C145, that still have, is a good one. About an hour trip to pick up. Myself and a friend went to look and buy a c145 that lived it's life moving boats. It was at the owners home and went to take a look. It ran great, but had the old plastic seat pan broken and it was weathered a bit. Did a little negotiating and was at a stalemate. Real close tho. It was a hot evening and I noticed the guy had just came back with a box of long-necks and put them on the porch when we show up. I told him to throw in a couple of the beers and he has a deal. Oh he was real happy. went down and put the case in the yard and we had us a couple. My friend told me we need to go or we are staying. So we got another tractor and made a friend. Picture from a 50/50 redo.

Don't know what this one is ... and I ain't gonna go out to the barn & measure ...in my jammies and too cold out...

Tell him Don. I coulda picked it up (61 mile) and stored it till the Big Show.

Snow Plowing Action! My first time using a WH to plow. That limited slip must work at least a little, it really grips.

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.

Gotta tell ya Keith my first blower was a short chute single on a 520. Had a blast with it & thought I gotta get me a deuce. Really let her fly with one of those. So I found one for short money that was missing alot of parts but found those with the help of the guys here. DId all the mods... rubber paddle extensions, center support, ball bearings on the auger. Lotta fun stuffing it in a big drift and hearing that Onan get on the governor and the belt squealing. After a couple of years with little to no snow and no use for it. I got a 520 with a tall single and all the goodies. Electric chute, lights, cab wiper...actually did a nicer job than a big heavy deuce. This year lots of snow so out came the the old deuce ... reset up for off road use with double link v bar chains heavy duty skids & just a ton of weight. Let the good times roll ... again! Out to the wood lot and deer pasture. Don't tell The Pullstart but I actually try and get it stuck.