ineedanother 1,365 #1 Posted January 29, 2023 Well, I've been off the grid for a bit but am glad to be back in NC and catching up. I had the good fortune to walk right back in to meeting with @Farmer Bill who had a couple in his barns (literally) that needed a new home. Very timely for me and it was great to meet with him. This might help me finally get "Rudy" into the shop for an overdue rehab and still do what I need to do on the property this spring. These have been sitting a while but look to be original and I'm really glad to add a second k-341 to the stable. I might have to repower the 312-8 if history proves true, not a huge issue, but the 165 and tiller look to be very promising. 5 9 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 59,529 #2 Posted January 29, 2023 (edited) Nice find, congrats! That 165 looks like it’s got a Kohler factory replacement. Hopefully it’s new enough and we’ll kept! Edited January 29, 2023 by Pullstart 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ineedanother 1,365 #3 Posted January 29, 2023 7 minutes ago, Pullstart said: Nice find, congrats! That 165 looks like it’s got a Kohler factory replacement. Hopefully it’s new enough and we’ll kept! Interesting. I would have never suspected it. What clued you into that? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thor27 720 #4 Posted January 29, 2023 Grey painted tins. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 59,529 #5 Posted January 29, 2023 3 hours ago, Thor27 said: Grey painted tins. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peter lena 8,032 #6 Posted January 29, 2023 @ineedanother nice, how I see it , perfect opportunity to give every painted surface a lubrication spray down , thats it , just let the lubricant soak into and cling onto the paint . was that difficult ? a few days later , wipe them down with a clean lubricated cloth , till dry . if nothing else , you just saved the patina ! usually do it a couple of times , for that wate rshedding oil look finish . from that stage I have 6" electric palm buffed with cleaned wax amazing clear deep paint , like this . tell me this does not work , pete 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peter lena 8,032 #7 Posted January 29, 2023 @Pullstart find that so easy to do , while you are thinking about what to do on your recent purchase , the penetrating oil can be recovering your paint ! getting another one next week , will take as picked up picture , and another as I go along . easy / simple . pete 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ineedanother 1,365 #8 Posted January 29, 2023 6 hours ago, Thor27 said: Grey painted tins. They're actually black. Everything was covered with a film of dust that I've knocked off now 3 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
c-series don 7,772 #9 Posted January 29, 2023 1 hour ago, ineedanother said: They're actually black. Everything was covered with a film of dust that I've knocked off now Okay so now we are going to need more pictures! These guys can’t get enough pictures. And by these guys I mean me!😂 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ineedanother 1,365 #10 Posted January 29, 2023 I went over to the shop this morning and dropped the deck, drained the fuel, changed the oil and put her on charge. She had sat for a couple years but runs like a top! Sounds great. The gear box is smooth as silk. I need to get a shifter boot, battery, mount some tires and do a few other things but she should be tilling ground soon! 5 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 59,529 #11 Posted January 30, 2023 Ok, I retract my statement. It looked like a grey Kohler replacement! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blasterdad 2,523 #12 Posted January 30, 2023 55 minutes ago, Pullstart said: Ok, I retract my statement. It looked like a grey Kohler replacement! I thought the same thing but was hesitant because of the grass screen, mine is plastic & is bigger than the shroud. I'm not saying they're all like that because I don't know... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ineedanother 1,365 #13 Posted January 30, 2023 2 hours ago, Pullstart said: Ok, I retract my statement. It looked like a grey Kohler replacement! It definitely looked gray in that picture but I think everything is original. This is my first shaker plate and they seem to be okay but I suspect they're dry rotted so I ordered a set of solid mounts today and contacted Lowell about a rock shaft. 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blasterdad 2,523 #14 Posted January 30, 2023 1 minute ago, ineedanother said: It definitely looked gray in that picture but I think everything is original. This is my first shaker plate and they seem to be okay but I suspect they're dry rotted so I ordered a set of solid mounts today and contacted Lowell about a rock shaft. You're going to love those new mounts, they make a big difference! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ineedanother 1,365 #15 Posted January 30, 2023 4 minutes ago, Blasterdad said: You're going to love those new mounts, they make a big difference! Yeah, I can't really understand why went that direction when solid mounts are maintenance free and soft mounts probably offered little benefit. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blasterdad 2,523 #16 Posted January 30, 2023 1 minute ago, ineedanother said: Yeah, I can't really understand why went that direction when solid mounts are maintenance free and soft mounts probably offered little benefit. I think they were just following suit, I heard other brands started using them around the same time, until they all figured out they were a bad idea. Possibly an ex Ford engineer with "a better Idea". Lol. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ineedanother 1,365 #17 Posted January 30, 2023 I dug through storage this evening and found a whole set of Carlisle ags for the 165 and a mounted pair of Duro ags and some aggressive Carlisle front tires for the 312. I think I'll be paying a visit to Discount Tire this week I also found a set of tubes and a pair of 1 1/8" hubs so I think I'll run some studs into those and take care of all of that now since I'll likely be adding ballast all around. 3 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ineedanother 1,365 #18 Posted February 3, 2023 It's been a busy week at work but I made some progress with gathering stuff. This will likely be a worker (talking 165, the 312-8 has yet to be turned over) rather than a resto though. I think I might be getting too old for that these days anyway but we'll see. I talked to Lowell today and have a rock shaft and belt for the tiller on the way. I had a lightly used tiller PTO here so I packed the bearings with some Lucas Red and have it ready to bolt on. I picked up a new battery and the solid mounts for the shaker plate showed up The set screws and lock nuts came in from McMaster-Carr so I chased the threads on the hubs. If the studs and lug nuts don't get here before Discount tire has the new shoes ready to go on I'll probably just hit up Ace and O'Reilly's and move on. 1 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blasterdad 2,523 #19 Posted February 3, 2023 I love new parts day, pics MUST be taken. 1 7 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kpinnc 10,667 #20 Posted February 3, 2023 8 minutes ago, Blasterdad said: I love new parts day, pics MUST be taken. Makes me feel like a kid at Christmas! Got a few parts to order myself! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blasterdad 2,523 #21 Posted February 3, 2023 19 minutes ago, kpinnc said: Makes me feel like a kid at Christmas! Got a few parts to order myself! I totally agree... 1 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peter lena 8,032 #22 Posted February 3, 2023 @ineedanotherlove the red grease pulley repack ! that is so important ! also grease detail in the pulley frame mount areas, especially good on snow blower idler set up . your reference to engine " TINS " , note the the rectifier is mounted on that , and its poorly grounded , with rust / paint blocking that . erratic charging , add a cable from battery ground bolt , to engine corner / frame spot , next to clutch pedal , last picture , battery cable ground to engine corner / ensures rectifier operation , loosen all tin bolts , dielectric spray , retighten . also note , battery tender plug in . top picture is washers added to start of PTO LEVER . you are right there , pete 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ineedanother 1,365 #23 Posted February 5, 2023 It was kind of an up an down day but that's the way it goes sometimes. Had some tires mounted and I'm getting some paint on the rears now. One of the new tubes for the rear had a pin hole when they checked it and since they don't patch tubes or stock that size, it took an extra day of back and forth. They also did a poor job with the tubes on the fronts and I'm just not going to deal with the valve stems the way they are. They'll be tubeless come Monday which is no big deal since ballast in the front doesn't amount to much anyway. I still think $22 a corner beats wrestling those things on my HF tire changers. 3 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ineedanother 1,365 #24 Posted February 5, 2023 (edited) I focused more time on the 312 than any of the others today. It hasn't run in several years but it has to be a roller so that's where I started. I had some NOS front shoes that needed to be mounted so Discount Tire is gonna wrestle those onto the 6" rims. They'll be ready Monday. I got a box of lug nuts from the jungle the other day and went by Ace this morning to pick up ten 1 1/2" grade 8 fine thread bolts. I figured while I pull the rears I might just as well get those installed since this will be used for something even if the motor has to be swapped out. I had picked up two pairs of these Duro Ags last year in SC figuring they would be good for something at some point, especially at $50 a pair They look pretty good but I definitely need to get better a getting pics. Edited February 5, 2023 by ineedanother edited for grammer :-) 4 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ineedanother 1,365 #25 Posted February 5, 2023 After I went as far as I could with the tires and wheels this morning I thought I should get to looking at the K301. The story is that it has sat for more than 6 years and needs a head gasket. Nothing further on that which I find to be an odd mystery. My general impression is that it turns over by hand, I hit it with compressed air and pushed a half bushel or so of hay out from under the shroud, and there's visible gasket sealer of some sort visible where the block and oil pan join. Other than that, it's what I would expect from something sitting in a barn for several years. I pulled the air filter and blew it out. It was relatively clean. I drained the oil which there wasn't much of. It was black but no obvious metal or other scary stuff. I refilled it with 30w and started cleaning and tightening wire connections and fuses. The fuel tank was dry and clean so I figured I could move forward with some fresh gas. I installed a new battery and the gauges get power but the solenoid is bad so I just turned the key on and jumped it. No spark. I suspect that the critters in the shroud might have done some damage but that's just a guess. There may be bigger fish to fry so moving on... I pulled the plug to see if by chance it pumped fuel. Nothing, but I'm not surprised, I hadn't even dropped the bowl on the carb yet Since the plug was out I figured I would at least stick my thumb where it doesn't belong and see if there was any compression at all. None. I suspect that might be a stuck valve so I stopped there until I pull the head and valve cover to see what more I might be dealing with. Small bites of the elephant and tomorrow is another day. 2 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
