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We took a 4 day outing up to The White Mountain National Forest on the Maine/ NH border off Route 113. Awesome trip! Here's a pile o' pics...

Megan didn’t buy her house this year, so I guess I am stuck with the 310-8 I got for her. A short time ago, I picked up a beautiful plow (barely used) so I decided to put it on the 310-8. Debating whether I want to put on my craftsman wheel weights or not? If I had a spare set of WH weights I would do it, but Craftsman?? The HD spindles and thrust bearings make steering like there is nothing up front.

Hope you all have a safe and fun filled Halloween!

I recently acquired a use for a garden tractor, and have wanted a Wheel Horse since I was a kid. A little shopping and luck brought this old girl home. Rebuilt the fuel pump to get her running, and she runs great!! I'm sitting here now while the transmission drains so I can give her another 50 years of service 😎

You know this place makes the addiction worse. It's akin to holding AA meetings at the strip club during happy hour.

Everyone should have dedicated tractors, especially us old codgers.

Started another one a little while ago. Again all entirely done without using any power tools . I am continually asked why . Sometimes it sounds like people think I like to torture myself but it’s much deeper than that. Besides the cultural aspect of it, if I don’t use what was handed to me the way it was handed, it will be lost first by me and consequently by others not having the opportunity to see what is possible without relying on machinery . On a deeper level I like to feel what they felt and to decipher not only the why but also the how of the parts they didn’t have the chance to teach me. Many of those are not even possible with power tools. When that happens they are many times outright emotional moments of accomplishment unequaled by any other time. With your indulgence like before I’ll continue posting its progress as I go along. It all starts with some ideas and a drawing. Always with strong influences from the ones before modified to reflect my own ideas but still respecting and acknowledging the originals. The material comes next. Carefully selected and guarded for many years waiting for this moment. Ash the traditional species used for this due to its strength and flexibility under load or stress. As is from the mill from now on no power tools will touch it. Flattened , straightened , unwound , and reduced into a certain thickness to start the process. a template is made of drawing to choose the best area of plank to use and to layout all the cutouts. Important to choose area of plank carefully since much of end product may have very thin or delicate areas which will be prone to cracking if not done so.

Just a small job today. The plastic instrument panel cover/lens of the GT18 was a bit yellowed and cloudy to say the least. Here's how it looked before cleaning: After about 30 minutes of rubbing compound, polish, wax...and elbow grease...it turned out pretty decent. Not quite as clear as glass, but not bad: I run out of elbow grease once in a while, but usually a hot shower, a favorite libation or two, and a good night's sleep replenishes the supply.

I don't sleep on the ground. Never did. We've tried MANY ways to compensate for my fibromyalgia and related pains. This most recent tenting bedding setup has been the best. Far and away. We were using two cots zip tied together with a nice air mattress over them. Quite comfortable. The new camper setup.... even better. A LOT better. Trina bought a California King sized 8" thick 3 section memory foam mattress. It's wonderful. It's lovely. It's incredibly comfortable. I got THE BEST sleep I have in many years. We will be ordering an identical mattress for the home.

The Boys lined up this morning.

Well the trusty 312-8 and me mowed the lawn. I think I am down to one more cutting. Caught the sun perfectly just as I finished, less than 5 minutes later the window closed.

Replaced cutting edge on snow/dozer blade and got it mounted on 1257 with the hydraulic lift. Wow how much easier it is to lift and lower plow . Just had to drill and extra hole in lift link to get sufficient ground clearance. Still has enough movement to barely lift front tires off ground. Also have option of moving link to the slotted hole for a float plow situation .

Two years ago Kevin @Pullstartbrought me a truckload of Ipê and Ash scraps to the show. It has become a source of many projects . Here are just two of the latest. The first a new piece for the leg vise on my bench and the other one done by my son Alex, two planters for some vegetables built like a cage so they can survive the deer onslaught.

Repaired where the seat support brace connects on the 315-8. This was one of the worst I’ve seen. Good to go now. Planning to use the 315 as my plow tractor this winter.

Guess you could say I ‘poached’ a Deere. Had a plywood tailgate when I got it on the cheap. A piece of chain link fence top rail and a coupling cut in half make the fabbed tailgate work pretty much like the real one did.

Work Horse that was completed in the spring of 2025 hitched to wagon.

Finished fabbing the 3 point parts today. I think it'll work OK. Testing will have to wait for my top link, and it's delayed per tracking until next week. Anyway... Don (Lee1977) came by today, and dropped some common sense on me. I've grumbled about the drag links for a while because I just don't like how narrow they are due to the tiny bends in them. My acetylene torch is broken and nothing else will get hot enough to bend the 3/8 steel arms. Don suggested cutting them almost all the way and bending them to whatever I want and weld them back. As he said, nothing I can possibly pull with a 500lb tractor will break them. They turned out nice and the pic below is the top of one and the bottom of the other- just comparing to make sure they are the same now. I also fabbed up the top part of the hitch. Both lift links and top link will connect to it. And it installs with a 5/8 pin just like the drag links. It will be quick to remove and reinstall. Full up and down clear everything and still give decent amount of lift. It actually turned out pretty good. And finally a dash of red makes it look better, so tomorrow will be assembly and initial testing.

Happy Halloween!! Looks like even the undead like Wheel Horse.

Credit to Pullstarts wife for the senior tractor in this photo.

Little picture overload hard to pick out my favorites

Old guy I used to work with was a prankster. He had this old 50's Ford truck that he put a Briggs recoil on the grill. He also had a starter button hidden right next to it. He would stall the stuck out in front of people and then climb out and pull the recoil and hit the starter button at the same time. Folks thought it was a rope start!

The things a guy keeps for way too long…

Here is the completed hitch. Forgive the aluminum tube but my top link isn't here yet so it's just to hold the drag links out... Full travel- needs adjusted up some but that's easy. Is very smooth. I was afraid it would be hard to lift empty but it's like nothing is even back there. And I'm really glad I listened to Don and changed the drag links. They look much better and have more sway travel.

Got ready for trick or treaters

1989, 414-8

@Pullstart would be so proud! I think this one goes into the "What could possibly go wrong?" catagory... Look at the left rear tire twitching... https://www.facebook.com/reel/798946695880620

Today is Election Day. Please vote. Regardless of your political beliefs. Billions of people around the world do not have a say in how they are governed. We do. Millions of Americans have lost their lives defending our right to vote. Honor that. A Republic, if we can keep it. Ben Franklin

The atom is, by volume, 90% empty space. It looks like you have a lot of empty space in there, it's just in small pockets scattered everywhere across the floor. Try arranging your particles in a denser formation.

This morning before Sunday School Class started we were just sitting around shooting the breeze. One of our members drives for Amish clans in the area--and he stays quite busy I might add. Rodger was telling that he was hauling a family when they pass an Amish buggy with no top or cab and it was a cold morning. The wife asked her husband "Why isn't that family not using the enclosed buggy? The husband's reply was "They don't believe in enclosed buggies." The wife's reply was "I couldn't live like that!" Our class decided it was all about one's perspective. Roger said that he will be staying with an Amish family on an upcoming trip. It's really unusual invitation into the privacy of their home and an example of how they have accepted him. Rodger is in his late 70's and looks the part with white full beard. I'm not sure if he hauls folks daily to work but I know he has taken groups to visit historic sites in Kansas City. He has hauled them to other states for weddings and reunions. Rodger's wife often times joins them but they are not normally allowed to attend functions and are put up in hotel rooms. Rodger indicated he wasn't going to cut the top off of his vehicle to carry the non-enclosed clan.

These things still impresses me of just how often it's useful. Let's see your loaders in action.

I would avoid impact wrenches..Cast iron can be somewhat brittle. I use a reciprocating saw make a lengthwise cut in the bottm of the nipple until you just start to see threads then the pipe wrench will the usually collapse the nipple a bit so it will come out.

Going to use my B-80 this winter for plowing the driveway. Put new bright LED bulbs in light and painted the snowplow and turned the wear bar!

I used mine at least 2-3 times a week. from gravel to using it as a saw horse. one the best builds. Wood Haul dead 518 snow removal just one scoop please

I got it far enough last night about 2am to finally take it for a drive. I have replaced every piece of the fueling system. I have replaced all of the wiring and all of the electronics except the stator and regulator including converting it from triggerless to battery points. I put new front tires on it which are holding air without tubes which is surprising due to the amount of rust I took off of the inside of the wheels before I painted them. There is still a lot left to do but I am happy to get to this point with it for something that had been sitting a really long time with a transaxle full of water and half of the wiring burnt out of it. There are still a couple of issues left to deal with. The transaxle needs rebuilt because the one of the cap bearings has corroded through and most of the seals leak. The steering is super heavy and whatever the fan looking steer gear assembly is looks to be pretty worn out with a lot of play in the shaft. It won't run with the points cover on so I need to adjust that setup a little bit. This was the first time I kicked the blades on and it made some racket, I haven't even looked under the deck yet so who knows that is. I had to grind off the phillips head screws off of the screen covering the fan and was only able to get two of them out. I managed to break off a drill bit in one and a tap in the other one so that probably won't be going back on.

I mount all of my canister mufflers pointed forward. It won't eliminate sharp tones but at least they are pointed away from the driver.

They ain't green and that's all that counts around here!

Definitely a great accomplishment using incredible technology. The greatest accomplishment is however the ability to have one's hands create what is in one's mind, most times creating something that perhaps no one else can imitate or duplicate.Something that leaves you in awe wondering how it is possible. A testament to the vision, skill, patience and determination of what an individual can accomplish. This is something that comes from one's heart and soul and rarely learned. You either have it or you don't. I still don't know what I did to deserve to look at this everyday but I am eternally grateful.

I do not have great pictures. Not my strong point

There is nothing more terrifying than old moldy food in the fridge, and that is why Haunted Refrigerator Night on October 30 is such a great holiday, a night for ghostly occurrences and hauntings. This night fits right into the spirit of the Halloween festival, which is the next day. October 30 is also Mischief Night, Cabbage Night, or the Night of the Devil, and is a fun way to remove the lurking dangers lying in wait at the back of your fridge.

The C-105 is ready as always. Dedicated snow machine with winch lift. New this year is the C-125 with winch lift back blade. I'll be adding a front blade I picked up from Pullstart to it as well shortly. It also has York rake and single bottom plow attachments, although I'll only plow snow with the Brinly if it's in @Pullstart's front lawn...

Oh yeah just about forgot had such good luck rebuilding fuel pump on 857, I started rebuilding fuel pump off of 701. I couldn’t believe how much junk was in these pumps and I thought I had fuel systems clean . Letting it soak a day or two first.

I added springs to my 857 and 875 and what a difference it made on the ride!

What started out as a transaxle gasket replacement on Frankenhorse, has devolved into a much deeper adventure. Once I saw this ex-filter, I decided to go ahead and do a deeper dive. Now, I'm reading up on @daveoman1966's literature.

@Lil’ Pullstart Have a Happy Sweet 16! Love ya kid! PS Don’t tell @Achto I’m letting drive a Dodge! IMG_7912.mov IMG_7919.mov IMG_7920.mov

Today I added decals from Redo your Horse(Terry) to the C-141.