What have you done to your Wheel Horse today?

[lynnmor 8,539]

22 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

s     I was looking at Jims washers Lynn.

 

 

Sorry about that, it is hard to identify the players without a program.

[Sparky-(Admin) 24,494]

4 hours ago, WHX?? said:

 

All depends on the hardware store to find them. I lucked out and found one that had them in all lengths but yes not full threads past 1 1/2. 

 

What's your theory with the star washers? I used thick flat washers to get them to seat flush. 

 

I like those spacers Mike ... source? 

 

 
Needed 2” full thread, not available at stores but McMaster Carr had em and shipped me 10. Star washers?? Not sure the were needed but I installed em anyway. They were cheap, unlike the bolts.

  And the spacers, they were sitting on a guys table for sale at a tractor show and my son grabbed em. No brand name on them that I could find. 

[Blue Chips 634]

7 hours ago, Racinbob said:

I'm thinking the lock washers are more for getting around that little taper on the bolt. I've countersank them in the past. 

 

Agreed. For a threaded-hole situation like that, I would usually (as you mentioned) countersink the hole a bit to provide clearance for the little radius (fillet) between the underside of the bolt head and the bolt shank. Of course a washer would also do the trick.

 

 

Edited Thursday at 10:26 PM by Blue Chips

[8ntruck 8,572]

I wrassaled the 48" deck i picked up last weekend out of my truck, strapped on the 2 wheel hand cart and wheeled it through the trails that I cut in the snow with the tiny Toro two stroke snow blower to the tractor shed.  That will let Morgan, the 14-8; and Clyde, the C-195 make friends with it while it is waiting for a refresh sometime this spring.

[Sparky-(Admin) 24,494]

  Mounted up these cast weights I bought last year. Seemed heavier than all my usual 50 pounders, turns out they’re 70 pounds apiece! 
  Came with hardware that’ll need an inch or so cut off. 
 

 

 

[CD Long Jr 176]

39 minutes ago, Sparky said:

  Mounted up these cast weights I bought last year. Seemed heavier than all my usual 50 pounders, turns out they’re 70 pounds apiece! 
  Came with hardware that’ll need an inch or so cut off. 
 

 

 

8 inch carriage bolts were perfect for my 55 lb Sears weights. Now to find round Wheel Horse decals.

[lynnmor 8,539]

9 minutes ago, CD Long Jr said:

8 inch carriage bolts were perfect for my 55 lb Sears weights. Now to find round Wheel Horse decals.

 

Here ya go.

[Blue Chips 634]

Oops. Ran into a bit of a glitch in painting my 522xi fender. It looked reasonably good until I noticed some areas where the paint wrinkled and/or orange-peeled a bit. I had allowed extra drying/curing time for the primer to make up for the relatively low temperatures in the shop, but I guess it wasn't quite enough time. I'll be more patient this time and wait at least a week before I wet sand the rough spots, plus at least an additional week before applying a second application. I'll set the shop temperature a few degrees warmer as well. On the plus side, the next coat(s) should be even smoother, and there's no big rush, since there are several other parts of the tractor that I can work on in the meantime. 

 

 

If it had been a bigger paint job, I might have used 2K primer and paint. Maybe some other time.

 

 

 

 

Edited 11 hours ago by Blue Chips

[JoeM 9,526]

1 hour ago, Blue Chips said:

I might have used 2K primer and paint. Maybe some other time

I like the 2k primer that gassing problem goes away.

 

my bad and this one

 

I don't know if you ever tried this on single stage paint, I like putting two coats of clear enamel on as two final coat of color. Apply 10 minutes or so after the last color coat. It can be buffed and adds UV protection too. 

Only available in spray cans tho.

 

[ebinmaine 76,999]

On 2/2/2026 at 11:11 PM, oliver2-44 said:

Spoken like a true Southerner. 

 

And a guy from Maine too!!

 

 

[ebinmaine 76,999]

On 2/5/2026 at 10:27 AM, WHX?? said:

The thick flats can be hard to find too. Really no need for locks other than a spacer.  Once the nut is on they ain't going nowhere. If one can find the thicks in 3/8 they work great for head bolts. 

 

 

Bolt Depot in Hingham MA has em. 

Order online. 

 

Those thick washers and the studs and nuts for wheels are part of our constant stock in the Parts department here. 

 

 

 

[ebinmaine 76,999]

19 hours ago, Sparky said:

cast weights I bought last year. Seemed heavier than all my usual 50 pounders, turns out they’re 70 pounds apiece! 

 

Got a set o' those here too. They were in the pile when we picked up the Workhorse GT1800 we built for our friends.  

 

They now set on The Ugly Bruce tractor. 

 

Excellent traction aids. 

 

[Ed Kennell 44,552]

21 hours ago, Sparky said:

turns out they’re 70 pounds apiece! 

I have these plastic  coated 70 pounders on the  520H.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Blue Chips 634]

10 hours ago, JoeM said:

 

I don't know if you ever tried this on single stage paint, I like putting two coats of clear enamel on as two final coat of color. Apply 10 minutes or so after the last color coat. It can be buffed and adds UV protection too. 

Only available in spray cans tho.

 

I've used various types of clear coat, both single-stage and catalyzed, for a variety of projects, mostly automotive. It is a good way to add some smoothness, gloss, and depth to the finish, as well as some extra UV resistance, as you mentioned.

 

2K primer is nice, since its rapid cure avoids off-gassing or softening the topcoat, which can happen with single-stage primers that are not completely dry/cured.

 

I didn't see any bubbles in the red paint, so I don't think there was any off-gassing from the primer, but rather just enough residual solvent in the primer to soften the red paint and cause it to wrinkle and warp a bit in places.

 

In this case, I was in too big of a hurry to apply the red paint over the single-stage primer before the primer was hard and dry enough. I used two different primers on this fender, since I ran out of one type, and the second primer that I used in a few places was a slower drying type. I should have tested all of the spots where I used that primer for hardness before painting. As mentioned, I just needed to be more patient. It shouldn't take much to sand those spots, since they affect only a small portion of the area of the fender, but it's a delay that could have been avoided. 

 

It recalls the old saying, "The hurrier I go, the behinder I get."

 

 

 

 

Edited 11 minutes ago by Blue Chips