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Hello, It’s been a while since I posted… Getting started on the restoration of my 1976 Wheelhorse C160, which is about 30% underway… Decided to finish off the year with some new seat cushions for the old style metal seat-pan/back, and member Matt Castagno made me a beautiful replacement. They are so much better than the original cushions, but look absolutely original installed. Such a pleasure to deal with Matt, and arrived in less than a week to California. Spoke to Matt about sharing his email…here it is…Matt’s contact info is: grnlark@gmail.com Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and holidays. I’ll be posting more in the new year of the restoration. Best, Jason

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.

We were aboard the U.S.S. Missouri a little while back, just after our visit to the U.S.S. Arizona memorial. Aircraft carrier U.S.S. Nimitz came into port. I muted the majority of the audio, and chose to enjoy some waves. Some of the mindless chatter behind me seemed to take away from the moment. I thank each and every service member, from the bottom of my heart.

Maybe not. Looked out in the back yard last night to see a black bear working on the bird feeders. Opened the door and asked him to leave ... he wandered off but was back 10 minutes later.. Today I went out to find the feeders and see where he had been. We are having some work done and the contractor has a dumpster and a porta-potty. set up. Bear tracks went right up to the door of the porta-potty

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...

Made sure my plow rig was ready for tomorrow’s possible snow event. Won’t be a deep snow but still needs to be cleared off the driveway. One headlight…but like most of ya’ll I have spare old/used ones kicking around. My 510-8, half the horsepower but twice the dependability!!!

Hey guys, Well, greetings from way out here on the West Coast in California. Not too many members out here. I don’t think, seems like there weren’t a ton of our tractors here although mine is an original one owner Tractor before me who purchased it in Escondido California. (I’ve owned it for a decade). I have all of the records of everything, including the original bill of sale. It’s wonderful. Anyhow, today was day-one of disassembly, and as this has been a working Tractor for several years now, everything came apart beautifully. No frozen nuts. It has basically been effortless. So, all of my experience is with the restoration I did on CASE 444 tractor, But the nice thing is the similarities between the two for many things. I plan on upgrading the steering arms using Heim joints instead of the ball and socket joints… It was a huge improvement on my CASE. I’m sure I’ll have some questions going down the road, but the beautiful thing is I am finding almost zero corrosion, except the panel area inside… is that aluminum or magnesium? It’s got some powdery corrosion on it. Best to you all, Jason

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.

She plows! Still need to work on the lift stuff. Try to get another inch of lift, check which lift holes were used etc. Cruised down to the old shed to see if I have any “trapped” mice (aka, DEAD!)

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

Only got a dusting in Tennessee

It was my maternal grandfather "Grampa" that deserves credit/blame for my initial fascination with Garden Tractors. He had an IHC Cub Cadet of the yellow and white variety back in the 70s. Then around 1980 they bought a new (?) IHC 682. A few weeks ago I was perusing the interwebs for an entirely different reason and found a model of just that.

The wisdom shared on this site is astounding...

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!

Swapped a few things around here. Workhorse GT1800 outta the workshop space. That's staying by the firewood until @OldWorkHorse gets a day to stop by. After Millie was done plowing snow she went in the workshop. Millie needs both belts. S/G and main drive. Gotta diagnose why it's already eaten a main drive belt. May be normal usage. May be a burr on the belt guard. Also did some experimentation with the Super Scooper on the front of my '75 C160 Automatic. I've posted a video in the Implements Section. Got The Ugly Bruce tractor out for a bit to play in the snow too.

December thirteenth is the U.S. National Guard’s Birthday. The U.S. National Guard’s birthday is a significant event, marking the establishment of America’s oldest military organization. It honors the establishment of the National Guard in 1636. The Guard plays a critical role in both community and national security. This day honors the brave people who serve in the National Guard, showcasing their dedication and contributions to the nation. By celebrating this day, we acknowledge the vital role of the National Guard in maintaining peace and stability across the United States a The Massachusetts Bay Colony organized its local militias into three permanent regiments, forming the first militia units in North America. These early militias were essential for protecting the colonies from threats. They set the foundation for today’s National Guard. Over time, the Guard evolved, but its core mission remained the same. Guard members continued to serve both local communities and the nation, responding to emergencies and participating in military operations.

I’m converting my 314-8 to electric

For years I've just had my sockets in drawers assorted by driver size. In many cases, I have three or more sockets of the same size and point making it difficult to find the size I need. I know a person can purchase holders but I wanted something that fit my drawers and needs. These socket sets seldom, if ever, leave the shop as I have other smaller sets I carry in the pickup. I used scraps of wood and the pictures show what I came up with. I can add more pins for additional sockets as needed. The spares I wired into "necklaces" and hung them on screws out of the way. I've got a couple of lifetimes of sockets. In a few weeks, I'll bring the 520H into the shop for it's annual going over and hopefully I won't have to dig among the sockets scattered in drawers.

This showed up today unexpectedly. 12hp Raider with a box full of parts. Guy I bought Workhorse from felt bad bout motor being bad. Last week we spoke & he offered up the 12hp & 8sp if I wanted them. He said they could offset the cost of replacement engine. Thought it was a nice gesture. Shows up today with the entire tractor!

My 312H came with rubber chains. Using Locally made steel vee bars for years, I was expecting that I would never keep these. I was surprised and amazed. They were as good as the steel except on ice. They were better on the bare pavement. They are still on my 312H.

Yup. Got them on the blade and blower tractors. A must to protect our long asphalt drive. After using them I like them as well and probably better than steel. I do quite a bit of dirt work with the blade in the summer and they are great in the dirt too.

Cataract removal ...another modern medical miracle. When they removed my patched eye and I left the office, I could not find my wife's gray dodge mini van. Finally I heard a horn blow and saw my wife in a tan van that we had been driving for over ten years. I just got home from a 4 day vacation in the York Wellspan Hospital where I experienced another medical miracle. Seems an artery in my upper sigmoid colon ruptured on Monday causing immediate massive blood loss. Got me in the tube for a CT scan that was able to locate the exact artery. Then got me stable enough to go in with the endoscope, find and cauterize the leak with the laser. Enjoy every day guys. Ya never know when a hydraulic line may rupture.

Great tractor the 312-8. The one pictured I bought new in 1989, My ex wife hated when I bought the 520-H because I then had 2. Got rid of her 21 years ago.

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.

That oily grunge works exceeding well to control rust and corrosion. Several of my machines have that protection. Almost none of my equipment will ever rust out from the bottom up

@Ed Kennell says they work great. Was always gonna get a set But believe it or not just plain turfs with weights is workin pretty good. Those fronts Mike are the exact same as what @Achto has on his sno pusher.

Last night I put an electric fuel pump on the 855 and still had issues. It only ran for about a minute before dying and refusing to re-fire. I worked on it for another hour before giving up, tired, cold, and mad. I messaged @ebinmaine and got some advice that got me going in the right direction. New spark plug and now it runs again.

Mods, if this is misplaced please move. Just want to wish each and everyone here a Blessed Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year, and remember,the reason for Christmas is Easter ! Bob

Well, in between house projects for the wife, I’ve managed to get pretty deep into the disassembly on the C160. It’s crazy… I have not come across one single frozen bolt yet! Gotta love that. I sanded down the front of the frame, primer’d it and painted a little section to see what my paint choice looked like for once the other components all get ready for paint. I think I’m going to go with Sunrise Red Rustoleum. I painted the mower deck and fenders and seat pan that color back when I was just tinkering with the beginning of the restoration and I like the look of it. For the rims, I am thinking about Rustoleum Antique White. From what I’ve read here on the forummany of you guys have used it and it looks pretty good… That nice creamy off-white look almost like Ford Wimbledon white. lol, even though I’m a pretty confident Mechanic after all my experience with the case tractors, I have been videotaping the important segments of disassembly and labeling a lot of parts just to be safe. Best, Jason

Thank you to @stevasaurus for letting us know of the passing of Butch a long time member of RedSquare, on October 4, 2025. Rest in peace Butch. https://www.radzieta.com/obituaries/Harold-Luigi-Delaney?obId=45851880

I was hoping I didn't have to put a plow on one of the 's this winter but no such luck. It's started to warm up on & off around here enough to turn the nice base I had built up with the snowblower into slop & the snow on the garage roof to start sliding off. It's supposed to be even warmer tomorrow & rain all day so I spent yesterday switching the ag tires out for a set of 9.5" turfs with chains on one of the C-81's. Dug out the brand new 48" plow I bought from a guy about five years ago, it came with his when he bought it from the dealer & never put it on. So today after work I got her out to see how she liked moving slop without wheel weights... She didn't, after two stabs at the roof pile she was back in the shop getting the the weights put on. (in my mind this was an experiment,not laziness). Round Two... Success! It's amazing what 8 hp, gears & traction will do...

There is no wrong place to wish our fellow Horse-A-Holics a Blessed Christmas and a Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

Just a casual observation, lately we have covered topics including plugged drain field, stopped up septic tanks, where a bear defecates and the venerable out house. All are necessary and seem to garner a lot of input but can we get back to talkin' tractors please.

As a fellow Bear I can assure we DO 💩 in the woods. And porta potties. Never under a bird feeder though.

Upper steering shaft ready for pre-install. I will slide on an O ring to prevent washers and bushing from sliding down too far on initial setup. Upper steering shaft shim washers ready to be slid on. Upper steering shaft O ring, shim washers, and bushing slid on. Upper steering shaft installed into steering support block. Console ready to be installed. Console temporarily installed. Cotter pin just slid into hole with just enough shim washers to take up any free play. Console removed and stackup of shim washers above cotter cotter pin thickness measured to find a proper thickness washer. Upper steering shaft greased on all contact areas. Lower steering shaft fan gear greased. Lower steering shaft set perfectly level. Upper steering shaft installed with a 1/4" pin punch in steering wheel wheel roll pin hole and aligned so punch sits level while ensuring lower steering shaft stays level. This ensures proper gear mesh so steering wheel will be straight. Upper steering shaft cotter pin installed and one leg bent to hold it in position. Washers (of thickness determined earlier) and bushing slid on. Console placed back on ensuring bushing is properly seated and the Left side bolt screwed in finger tight. Right side front bolt installed finger tight. This will be how this bolt will stay for now as it has ground wires and a clip to go under it as well at a later date. PTO stop ready to be installed. This gets bolted in to the Right side rear of console. PTO stop installed. Rear console bolts both tightened. Console is now installed. Overview as of today.

Been working on my 520H this fall installing motors for chute rotation & deflection. Had two 5" wet snowfalls this so far this year. Gave me a chance to work the bugs out of system. Backkground: Had a few wheel horse tractors over the last 40 years. The last one was a 88 520h I built up for snow. Added motor for chute rotation, but had no way to automatically stop rotation when at end of gear teeth. Posted on here in 2020 for help, but sold tractor because we bought a house in florida for the winter. Sold house this year and back in Michigan full time Started buying tractor, cab, snowthrower this summer to be set for winter. looked back at old posts on this forum and found schematic for limit switches for chute motor (Can't find name of person who posted it} Have everything tested working now. Most of the electrical parts were purchased on Amazon or what I had on hand The switch panel is too large & gets in the way when steering and F/R lever, another job for next summer D03F27C8858A20251130120906_album_local_cache.MP4

Must be a real long list for Colossus.

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

Yes I just did, home depot sells them 8 inches long just like the OEM tube length is. Works perfect.

As posted in my restore thread, I put down the last of the colour for my bonnet with the black detail. Clear coating later this week. Now that its starting to warm up down here, painting is getting easier.

Picked up these rubber tire chains at this summers Wheel Horse Show. Anyone use them? Thoughts? Might set up a second plow rig with these on it, see how they “grip”

Started another fuel pump rebuild. This one came off of the C160. Will let this soak until my kit gets here. Still cant get over how much junk is in these fuel pumps. Was going to try and just clean pump out and put back together but tore diaphragm right when I was almost done taking apart

Glad I’ve never done anything silly to be in this thread….

Added a fuel pump to the C-105 snow plow tractor... wow what a difference... Primer bulb worked great for a few years but this year I was doing the "on the fly prime" to many times while plowing snow... so Game changer. Separate switch to operate...

I assume you didn't open the door...

Here is was I got. Just 3 inch flexible duct that is positioned to catch the high volume of warm air that flows between the cylinder cooling fins and the valve chamber cooling fins. Keeps everything in the cab warm except for my feet. Lol.

Not much snow at a time lately but it doesn't melt and blows back in every day. A balmy 16 this morning. The Charger 12 with plastic blade does the pavers in front of the garage

The Greasy Pete patina protectant, And those spots on the floor are constant reminders to check the oil levels.