TT-(Moderator) 1,131 #76 Posted January 29, 2012 Nice job on the wheel! (and the rest of the tractor too!) The centers of the two-spoke wheels get "egged" from the spokes being pushed down when getting on & off of the tractor. My little "trick" to make them round again is put the wheel face-up in a press, supported only at the intersection of the spoke and rim on both sides. Using a piece of round stock against the exposed steel of the center hub, push it down until the center cap hole becomes round again. I do use a heat gun to warm up the "plastic" coating. Before I got access to a bigger press, I straightened a few using wooden blocks and a small bottle jack placed under my truck. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,131 #77 Posted January 29, 2012 tt, what your saying really makes sense. explains why some start to crack underneath at the rim/spoke intersection as well. the method you used would certainly get the whole wheel back how it should be. i find these square hoods are awkward to get on and off, theres really nothing to grab onto or lean on as you do so. my 1054 is a little easier, but when you have nice paint you dont want to be putting weight on the seat pan. sort of need to take a running jump into the seat, much like they do onto horses in the old westerns............ im happy how my first two spoke wheel turned out. really not much work-about 5 hours or so, but i have two more larger ones that need a lot of fill work and reshaping. really need to come upon some material to match the plastic type material they used. need to do some rs searching. i know ive read some posts about filling these things, somewhere........ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The toymaker 22 #78 Posted January 30, 2012 Hey Martin, I'm pretty sure you're right that that's a short frame wheel. I sure would like to be able to cast these old wheels. I wish there was more info on the web about it. Here is a link on the topic, but that wheel doesn't have a frame http://www.alumilite.com/howtos/MoldingSteeringWheel.cfm If I wasn't tied down, I'd go work for this place awhile, then we'd be good to go.http://minnkotarepair.com/steeringwheel.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sorekiwi 761 #79 Posted January 30, 2012 I'll find out what the stuff is that we use on our reproduction wheels at work. We do brown and black ones and they end up really shiney, but so does a wheel horse wheel when its been rubbed on. BTW my 1276 and 1267 both have 13" diameter steering wheels, the 1276 is a 2 spoker and the 1267 is a 3, I've always assumed that its the wrong wheel on the 1267 but I dont know for sure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,131 #80 Posted January 30, 2012 that would be great mike...... thankyou..... as long as the shiny matched the finished wheel i think that would work. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TT-(Moderator) 1,131 #81 Posted January 30, 2012 I'm pretty sure you're right that that's a short frame wheel. That is actually the correct wheel for a 1056 - which is a long-frame tractor. @Martin: I'm sending you a PM :thumbs2: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The toymaker 22 #82 Posted January 30, 2012 Just looked at the 1057 manual and it has the same wheel as my 1077's, which are larger than the one your working with. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sorekiwi 761 #83 Posted January 31, 2012 I'll find out what the stuff is that we use on our reproduction wheels at work. OK, the stuff we use for building reproduction wheels is made by "Smooth-on". http://www.smooth-on...1206/index.html We have 3 different compounds on the shelf, 326 (60 minute cure) and 327 (2 to 4 hour cure) and "Smooth Cast Onyx" (3 minute cure). (Cure times off the labels). The 327 and 326 need color added to them when mixing. The stuff stays in resin form till it kicks, and doesnt go to a useable "putty" stage so for repairs you will have to build a dam around the bit you want to repair, and pour in the liquid, let it cure and then shape it to what you want. The cured product is best shaped with files and samdpaper, its very easy to get the stuff too hot with power tools (even a buffer) and it will start to melt. After shaping, its sanded with finer and finer sand paper until it can be polished. (pretty much what you did with the original wheel). Small voids and pits repaired later are undetectable after polishing. I've never actually done it, but I have seen it done a few times. We make wheels that have a cast aluminum core that is put into a mold and then the plastic goopy poured in to form the grip around the outside. The whole thing done under vacuum. The guy that does it did warn me that the 3 minute stuff does go off quick, often while you are still mixing it up. We have gallon cans on the shelf, but I see they offer a "Trial Size" that seems like it might be perfect for our (tractor) uses. This isnt one of our wheels, but it is this is what we reproduce: Hope this is of help. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The toymaker 22 #84 Posted January 31, 2012 Sorekiwi, you guys ought to make repro WH wheels. Does your work have a website? Btw there is a slower onyx available I think. I'll look in the catalog tonight. Vacuum degassing capability is what stopped me from getting further into making steering wheels. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sorekiwi 761 #85 Posted January 31, 2012 Sorekiwi, you guys ought to make repro WH wheels. Does your work have a website? I dont think that Wheel Horse enthusiasts fit into their "target market"!! The website is: http://www.ghostparts.com/index.htm 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,131 #86 Posted January 31, 2012 sounds like an awesome job...... so what do you do, mike? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sorekiwi 761 #87 Posted January 31, 2012 sounds like an awesome job...... so what do you do, mike? As little as possible?? Mechanic, pull cars apart, put them together, a little bit of service work, rebuild of gearboxes, rear ends etc. We are as busy as hell, the economy obviously hasnt hit the wealthy as hard as its hit the "little people". Its not as much fun as watching Indycars go round and round, but at least I get to stay home and watch my daughter grow up instead of spending my life in airports and hotel rooms. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,131 #88 Posted February 4, 2012 been working on it a little through the week. got the first coat on the seat pan, still needs a bunch of work in the center section where the seat is mounted. its basically all covered by the seat but i would like it to look a bit smoother than it does now.most of the exposed areas are almost there, just a few areas with really small areas of surface pitting to work out and the odd small dent. wanted to make sure that it fits well before spending a bunch of time making it look better. still learning on the whole multiple coat thing with powder. its a whole different animal than wet spray. also made a start on straightening the hood. it wasnt ever fitting well before and looked like somebody had been ramming into things head first with the tractor. i bent up a piece of flat bar that would fit behind in the slats to the profile of a good grill (my 875 has a nice straight grill, so it was a good pattern). then went about straightening by beating on the bar with a hammer spreading out the blows to slowly work it back into shape. the grill has a slight curve so i had to try and get it out more in the middle to get it looking right. some of the before and the piece of bar...... an idea of how out of shape it was. i put a tighter bend on each end of the bar so the ends wouldnt put marks in the metal while it was getting beat on. getting there, lower part needed some more dent removing ..... back side. the best part about using a form of some sort is it hardly marks the metal, if you were beating on the metal itself there would be a lot more marks to fix once its straight... looking better now, now the grill is close to the curve of the form. major work done. still needs some minor stuff and some cracking fixed and reinforced where the upper hood and grill meet. seeing how it fits...its almost looking like a tractor again..... also got the tank and battery tray done. thats all for now..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jake Kuhn 1,554 #89 Posted February 4, 2012 It looks great Martin! :handgestures-thumbup: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WH4ME 6 #90 Posted February 4, 2012 Looking good Martin! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
condo630 6 #91 Posted February 4, 2012 Nice work. I really enjoy reading your threads! I think if I ever do another garden tractor, I'll powdercoat it. There's a place that does blasting and coating very $reasonably$ in my area. Will be a lot faster than stripping and painting each piece myself ... Should hold up better than paint as well, shouldn't it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,131 #92 Posted February 4, 2012 Nice work. I really enjoy reading your threads! I think if I ever do another garden tractor, I'll powdercoat it. There's a place that does blasting and coating very $reasonably$ in my area. Will be a lot faster than stripping and painting each piece myself ... Should hold up better than paint as well, shouldn't it? yes, its definitely a fast way to get one done. really helps if the parts are in very good condition and dont require any fixing of worn out areas or rust, damage etc. if you have a lot of surgery to do on the metal parts, unless you have a shop that will work with you and strip them and then you get them back, fix anything and then send them back to be painted, it usually creates more work. most places dont want to be bothered with any sort of fixing etc so if you send the stuff in with any thing not right, then it usually comes back looking the same only now its got color, its shiny and its bloody hard to remove if you dont want some paint in places. as far as durability goes, hard to scratch, damage etc. good for rust protection, but not as good a finish as you will get with wet spray. more orange peel and not as deep a shine. dont get me wrong, it looks awesome straight out of the oven, and painted parts are ready to bolt together as soon as they cool down, but after some time in the weather powder will fade with out some tlc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AMC RULES 37,126 #93 Posted February 4, 2012 as far as durability goes, hard to scratch, damage etc. good for rust protection, but not as good a finish as you will get with wet spray. more orange peel and not as deep a shine. dont get me wrong, it looks awesome straight out of the oven, and painted parts are ready to bolt together as soon as they cool down, but after some time in the weather powder will fade with out some tlc. Interesting Martin, I've never heard about the long term fade out in weather. Is it possible to color sand and polish powder after curing, to remove the orange peel? :scratchead: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,131 #94 Posted February 5, 2012 ive been trying out color sanding and it seems to work ok. not sure if its detrimental to the paint in any way. as far as the weather goes, ive had some stuff painted that has been ok after some time outside, but for the most part darker colors are showing fading after a few seasons. the uv protection isnt that high on some types of powders. epoxy powder is the worst as far as weather goes, but offers superior corrosion protection and resistance to chemicals. polyester is better for outdoor use and chemical resistance but not as good as epoxy with the corrosion protection. the corrosion protection all depends on how porous the powder is. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,131 #95 Posted February 5, 2012 made a little more progress in some things. got all the carb/governor linkage painted and on, coil and choke bracket done, actually most of that end of the engine is now done other than the points wire and coil, and fuel line from tank to pump. also got the drive belt/idler done, cleaned up the old belt as its relatively new. not sure about new throttle and choke cables, heard some problems with the throttle knob twisting off after limited use, need some input here on what to get, i dont have any good used ones so i need to buy new, are the toro ones any better than the stens ebay ones? thats my biggest holdup now with the dash. got a new ignition switch and gen light. these things cost a little more than i really would like to pay but they are new and ready to go. the ignition switch is the heavy duty one that came on these tractors (used without a solenoid) and both of them are cole hersee products, which they originally came with. ended up using the cig lighter insert from my 875 as it looked correct and was in really nice condition, just needed a good cleanup and polish.. cleaned up the outer from this tractor and painted the shield/ nut red. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sorekiwi 761 #96 Posted February 5, 2012 I hate the last set of Stens cables I got. The Choke cable is a little too short to go under the blower housing like I wanted. And the throttle cable doesnt lock securely enough. I havent tried the Toro ones, I assume you've checked availability and price? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,131 #97 Posted February 5, 2012 toro ones show up on my dealers web site, usually they have everything they list prices for. prices are about double the stens, but my dealer usually gives me a break. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chris hall 5 #98 Posted February 6, 2012 i just bought a set from killians in hickory. they are not toro brand but, have oregon on them. they have a part # but, i dont remeber what it was. you cut them to fit .nice work on the tractor !!!! i really want a bigger tractor someday. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chris hall 5 #99 Posted February 7, 2012 i just bought a set from killians in hickory. they are not toro brand but, have oregon on them. they have a part # but, i dont remeber what it was. you cut them to fit .nice work on the tractor !!!! i really want a bigger tractor someday. my dad installed the cables i bought at killians today and they work great. just alittle over $10.00 a piece for them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,131 #100 Posted February 7, 2012 do they look the same as the wheelhorse/toro ones? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
