What have you done to your Wheel Horse today?

[peter lena 9,596]

@Dan 312-8 recently got a set of those straps , was skeptical   of grip  against chains , but have to say  they are  very  good  at the job , and without the  asphalt  scratching , somethin added  was tractor supply  welded rings at wheel centers for  added extension springs  , the recommended  tight  fitting  , with a  long  thin flat screwdriver , made  spring additions simple easy.  btw  like everything else , spring prices are  nuts , bought a couple  of  long 3/8 x 12"  + springs  and made a few of my own.  pete      

[rjg854 12,688]

2 hours ago, Handy Don said:

Finished the fuel pump job

And just where are the pictures of this so called fuel pump job 

[sqrlgtr 1,567]

On 12/23/2025 at 7:02 PM, sqrlgtr said:

Kinda disappointed in the then and now auto kit (missing gaskets) and the top cover gasket is not included in kit although is in picture 

Just wanted touch base and say then and now mailed me missing gaskets and got in mail today. I had already made some and put back together the fuel pump, but they did make it right.

[ebinmaine 76,142]

9 minutes ago, sqrlgtr said:

Just wanted touch base and say then and now mailed me missing gaskets and got in mail today. I had already made some and put back together the fuel pump, but they did make it right.

 

 

Good to know. 

[Handy Don 15,382]

2 hours ago, rjg854 said:

And just where are the pictures of this so called fuel pump job 

Yikes! I was entertaining two grandchildren in the shop (i.e. keeping them from hurting themselves or breaking something) while I did the work and pictures were not on my mind.

[ebinmaine 76,142]

11 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

Yikes! I was entertaining two grandchildren in the shop (i.e. keeping them from hurting themselves or breaking something) while I did the work and pictures were not on my mind.

 

Get the kids to do the phone thing. 📱 

[Lane Ranger 11,691]

On 12/28/2025 at 4:59 PM, Handy Don said:

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. 

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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Blue Chips 457]

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:

 

 

 

 

Edited yesterday at 03:50 AM by Blue Chips

[Red Stallion 212]

Tried to stayed optimistic... that's the outcome of today.

[Bill D 2,468]

1 hour ago, Red Stallion said:

Tried to stayed optimistic... that's the outcome of today.

Is there an automotive machine shop nearby?  Oversized valve seats are available.  The block can be welded and machined for a new valve seat. @lynnmor may have some ideas.

 

If repair is not an option look for a good P216.  They generally have less problems and you probably won't miss the 4 HP.

[Bar Nuthin 1,938]

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!

 

[sqrlgtr 1,567]

47 minutes ago, Bar Nuthin said:

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!

 

Who is wearing the snow plow and what size is it, 48 or ? and has it got a plastic cutting edge? Inquiring minds want to know.

Edited yesterday at 10:04 PM by sqrlgtr

[lynnmor 8,304]

14 hours ago, Red Stallion said:

Tried to stayed optimistic... that's the outcome of today.

 

 

OUCH!  Remove the valve and seat then take some more photos.  Maybe we can offer better advice.  Often a good automotive machine shop can repair seats.  This site did offer oversize seats.

Edited 22 hours ago by lynnmor

[953 nut 63,339]

@sqrlgtr,           please kill that bug on your posts, I have finger smudges all over my screen trying to kill it.        

[Bar Nuthin 1,938]

3 hours ago, sqrlgtr said:

Who is wearing the snow plow and what size is it, 48 or ? and has it got a plastic cutting edge? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

The C-120 was my original choice for the 48" plow, but axle and hub failure mid-plowing got the plow moved over to the C-141. My original plan was to have the snow thrower on it for standby. But I didn't feel like swapping them out, so I just moved the front weights over. Maybe if it warms up, I'll make the switch. Or if I pick up hydraulic lines for the 16-Auto, I might move it there.

Yes, that's 6" strip of HDPE plastic.

 

 

Edited 20 hours ago by Bar Nuthin
typo

[sqrlgtr 1,567]

31 minutes ago, Bar Nuthin said:

Yes, that's 6" strip of HDPE plastic.

 

@Bar NuthinI have been thinking about doing that to my plow, just in case i need to plow a concrete driveway. Where would be good source for sumin like that?

[sqrlgtr 1,567]

2 hours ago, 953 nut said:

@sqrlgtr,           please kill that bug on your posts, I have finger smudges all over my screen trying to kill it.        

 

 @953 nut my teenage niece put that on there and I just about wore my screen out trying to kill it also until I figured out it wasn't alive.

[Bar Nuthin 1,938]

2 hours ago, sqrlgtr said:

Where would be good source for sumin like that?

 

I'll have to dig into my memory bank and see if I can remember where I got it.  

Cut-to-Size Plastic | Polycarbonate, Plexiglass, HDPE | ShapesPlastics

I stand corrected on the size. FREE shipping.

Edited 17 hours ago by Bar Nuthin

[Blue Chips 457]

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.
 

 

 

Edited 6 hours ago by Blue Chips

[Red Stallion 212]

18 hours ago, lynnmor said:

 

OUCH!  Remove the valve and seat then take some more photos.  Maybe we can offer better advice.  Often a good automotive machine shop can repair seats.  This site did offer oversize seats.

Thanks, but looks like its all sold out!

I'll keep am eye.on them in case the lack of stock is temporary.  But frieghy to Australia is gping to kill me again!

[WHX?? 53,484]

2 hours ago, Blue Chips said:

3/8” square (4-point) socket.

I need to get me one of them. 3/8 combo wrenches are just too small and can't gettem goodentite. Be sure to recheck them for tight ness after a couple of laps. 

2 hours ago, Blue Chips said:

members had broken a hub flange with a puller.

That style you needn't worry about it's the older "star" style hubs that are a bit fragiley. Looks like you got a nice puller should the need arise. 

 

[ranger 1,832]

3 hours ago, Blue Chips said:

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.
 

 

 

Very nice👍 I have not had to remove a stuck hub yet, but I have often thought of something along these lines. One thing I think I would probably do would be to bore the centre of the puller to suit the diameter of the hub spigot, and then weld something across to carry the forcing screw. Or insert a suitable wheel spacer between the hub and the puller. The idea being to provide a continuous support around the whole hub face?

[Treepep 949]

 

 

 

 

Is it just my femputer or does anyone else see the moving uh squiggle on post 25168, 25170, and possibly this post since I quoted???

[Blue Chips 457]

1 hour ago, ranger said:

Very nice👍 I have not had to remove a stuck hub yet, but I have often thought of something along these lines. One thing I think I would probably do would be to bore the centre of the puller to suit the diameter of the hub spigot, and then weld something across to carry the forcing screw. Or insert a suitable wheel spacer between the hub and the puller. The idea being to provide a continuous support around the whole hub face?

 

I think the pulling force is fairly well equalized if all five of the 7/16" bolts are snugged up finger tight before pulling, but I have an idea for an improvement to the puller that incorporates a structure similar to what you suggested, which would place the surface of the puller flat against the face of the hub, and which would work for hubs that have been converted to studs as well as for hubs that still are set up for tapered bolts. It would involve a thick ring with five holes for 7/16" bolts (or studs), a large circular cutout in the center, a short section of pipe...maybe an inch long...with a diameter to match the cutout and welded on, a circular plate welded to the pipe, a hole drilled in the plate, a 3/4" nut welded to the plate, and a long 3/4" bolt. The shape of the puller would sort of resemble a top hat. If I can find some time I may give it a shot.

 

 

Edited 1 hour ago by Blue Chips

[ranger 1,832]

41 minutes ago, Blue Chips said:

 

I think the pulling force is fairly well equalized if all five of the 7/16" bolts are snugged up finger tight before pulling, but I have an idea for an improvement to the puller that incorporates a structure similar to what you suggested, which would place the surface of the puller flat against the face of the hub, and which would work for hubs that have been converted to studs as well as for hubs that still are set up for tapered bolts. It would involve a thick ring with five holes for 7/16" bolts (or studs), a large circular cutout in the center, a short section of pipe...maybe an inch long...with a diameter to match the cutout and welded on, a circular plate welded to the pipe, a hole drilled in the plate, a 3/4" nut welded to the plate, and a long 3/4" bolt. The shape of the puller would sort of resemble a top hat. If I can find some time I may give it a shot.

 

 

Yes, that’s what I was getting at, having solid contact across the hub flange and puller faces, so when all wheel bolts? are tight, there is no gap between the hub and puller. The hub flange then becomes effectively much more rigid. A spacer to match his puller, but bored to clear the hub spigot would work, as he already has the puller made, but as you say, if you were building one from scratch, then your suggestion, in my opinion, would be the way to go.