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Here are pics of the Didler sickle bar mower I picked up last week.

Well Jdog and I were on the road today (all day I might add)......... Load #1 Load #2 More tomorrow...... **** See that big snowblower in the background.....hehe...mine!!!

hmm,gonna get rid of a 160 for a 161,too each their own

As promised!!!

I bet that stupid smart phone doesn't know... :text-worthless:

With a load like that, who cares what the cost of gas is?

the past two weeks ive spent getting the 1277 into working order for mowing duties this season. now i dont really need to use a tractor for what i have to mow, but its fun and i can so there..... . i was using the 875 with a 36 rd but its getting a bit too smoky and i feel bad so im going to give it a rest this season. i already have mowed twice with the push mower and thats not anywhere near as much fun as the so thats just not going to do for much longer. anyway, the deck on the 1277 worked ok, just a little noisy, but id never done any mowing with it except the blast in the grass on the block next to us when i first got it in the middle of winter. was impressed with the cutting abilities and the power of the k301. but when mowing last week on our lawn i noticed that blades were not cutting smooth and leaving lines on the lawn. plus the front roller was bent and was catching on every little bump in the lawn. plus there was the rusted hole in the right hand side of the deck where the solid round bar runs across the lower part of the discharge area. the bar had been cut off at the front by a po when the back mount rusted through most likely. anyway, not being happy with the quality of cut on the lawn, i pulled the deck and started to investigate. the middle spindle had taken a really good hit at some stage and had bent the deck shell where it mounted, so that was the first thing that needed to be fixed. so i dismantled it and as i was going along noticed many things that were worn, that are contributing to the noise and general crappiness of the operation of this thing. the idler pulley bearing was long gone, and the pulley was running on the side of the large hole created by no bearing. im sure this is where 90 % of the noise is coming from. belts looked a little chewed, but still doing there job. spindle bearings ok, but just a little play, so maybe replace them as well. upper bearing had most of the play, but lower seals are real hard, so all will be getting done. so i get it torn all the way down and have these things that need attention.... hole in deck bent middle spindle mount in deck various small cracks in deck shell bent front roller mount. worn deck rollers worn guide wheels worn assembly support(part that mounts to tractor, the attaching point) baffles cracked and loose where attaching to shell and some minor stuff that will be fixed as i put it back together. spindle housings and spindles are good, all pulleys, except the idler are good. needle bearings are usable but im going to replace them as they are cheap and the things apart any way... one thing i didnt realise is that the needle bearings and seals are the same part numbers as the 3/4 input shaft ones on the unidrive transmissions. 1508 for the bearing and 1303 for the seal. so i already know to order the b-1212 bearing and skf 7410 seal. the larger bearings will get replaced too as the middle spindle one had some play. so first thing after getting it all apart was to clean the deck to make it easier to work on. i didnt want to spend too much time on it, but didnt want it looking half a##ed as well. so quickest way for me was to take it to work and blast all the parts. about a hours worth of work and its way cleaner than if i spent all day on it at home, and all the rust is gone, making it easier to fix the problem areas. nice clean metal to work with..... then i set about fixing the rusted through part and getting it ready to throw some powder at it. straightened the middle spindle mount, checked the deck with a straight edge. got the front of the deck where the roller is all straight. used a bottle jack against a rigid surface to slowly get the front of the deck looking how it should. needed to reweld the roller bracket as well as it was cracked at the shell. i cut out the rusted area and made up a patch from some similar gauge plate. bent all the contours and tacked it in place from the outside. fully welding it from the underside. now my welding is a little rough as some of the thin areas of the shell were blowing through. hate welding in like this but with surface rusting thinning out the metal and wanting to get good penetration for the patch plate, theres always the chance of blow through along the way. just got to chase it as you go. hence the wobbly welding. im also using flux core as well so thats my excuses for the crappy welding..... heres the bad area to cut out. the back side is still strong outside of this cut out area, even though its rusted pretty bad. how far do you go? if i wanted to get all of it, i would be replacing the whole shell. it will be strong enough and with some paint for protection should last a while longer.... starting to tack the piece in position... fully welded up back side. you can see the rust damage on the shell near this area. i cut out what was bad and even though the area around it is heavily pitted, its still strong enough for some more years of work. just hard to weld anywhere near consistent when the shell thickness varies so much in that area...... front side ground down, the back side wasnt ground like this as its not really seen and i wanted to keep a bit of strength there... underside ready for a nice coat of powder, patched the rust hole, welded up the loose baffles, and then finished grinding down a bunch of weld spatter, (joys of flux core mig)......... hopefully make it last a few more years.... threw some bondo at it to smooth out my rough welding. also fill some of the rust pitting on the outside of the deck. make it look a little better before paint. need to clean up the rest of this stuff, paint it and install new bearings in the spindles. replace the rollers, wheels and some new blades and it should be good to mow...... thinking of trying to find some gator blades for this. thoughts anybody? :confusion-scratchheadblue:

I saw this on craigslist and had to have it. I needed a tow behind mower for my quad, however they are rather expensive. I could of built one, but I don't really have time time because of college. So instead, I bought this tow behind flail mower. It is a mott hammer knife mower. It has a briggs 8hp engine on it. I have yet to hear it run. However when I get a moment I will fiddle with it, I even contemplated the idea of re-powering it with a kohler command 11hp pull start because it would have a pressure lube engine and be better situated to operate on hill as compared to the splash lube engine. It will be likely towed behind my yamaha grizzly atv, or the powerking I am getting in a couple of weeks. This would be the engine I might re power it with:http://smallenginewarehouse.com/product.asp?PN=CH11GT-16104-1&desc=Kohler%20Engine%20%2011HP%20Command,%20Horizontal%201%22x2-1/4%22%20Shaft,%20Recoil%20Start,%20Oil%20Filter,%20Fuel%20Tank

My middle Son got his first drive/mowing time on the mighty 520H today... The indoctrination FUN begins.... Bill

Cool attachment. :thumbs:

Heres it with. comand block.

This is what i made to mount engine . 250 Aluminum plate.

Holy ##¤#"¤#" thats a lot of stuff guys...

I used 400x8 tri-ribs. Got them for $40 a pair on Here is a pic. Matt :flags-texas:

Mine's not a stack, but I made it.

The Tupper Wear guns are awsome.... but they are no 1911, IMO :flags-usa:

Starting him on that 520 is about like taking him deer hunting the first time and he ends up shooting the biggest buck you ever saw. Hooked for life!!!!!!!!!!!! :rs:

Elnora, Indiana Swap Meet . - Saturday - April 7 . - 8:00 - to - 2:00 Free admission - antique tractors & parts - antique engines & parts - antique tools & other antiques . - for a free flyer go to www.wrvaa.org. - $20. for dealer set up fee . White River Valley Antique Associtioan . Club Grounds - south of the fairgrounds . Located on the White River Valley Antique Assn. Grounds (South of the Daviess County Fairgrounds in Elnora, IN) Food & Restrooms Available Tractor Parts—Engine Parts—Lawn & Garden Tractor Parts Welcome All Farm Toy Dealers Crafts and Flea Markets $20 Dealer Set-up Fee No Early Set Up For More Information: Ben Chestnut 812-636-4209 Roger Daniel 812-876-3445 Or visit our website: www.wrvaa.org These is a good event for finding parts, tractors and friends!

That bear's got some moves! :ROTF: Matt :flags-texas:

...and take a pill. Imagine Fred Sanford clutching at his heart, sayin' ..."it's the big one Elizabeth!"

Craig, I don't know about Suburbans, but here's a trick we used to do with an L 157 Ranger. If you notice the tin plate surrounding the gear shift lever on this model you can see it has an angle to it. To make a tool pocket, flip the tin upside down and push it towards the bottom of the frame rails. Now you have a tool pocket and no grass can get in. Works like a champ :)

I wonder if there is a striping kit available, maybe could be modified to fit our decks? :scratchead:

there is a bunch of internal parts for d rearend on ebay right now. seems fair on the buy it now price too, if you need parts

I can't say what the "value" might be....depends on what tractor you are going to put it on...and does it come with the COMPLETE mounting hardware including a belt?......but I can tell you what I paid for one about 8years ago.....lets say it would take 5 big bills to buy it...it was almost a NOS unit until the shipping company almost destroyed it.....but it still works and I use it on the farm once in a while....its handy when you don' that any elec "out on the back 40". I have it mounted on a C-100 . and it will probably stay dedicated to that tractor. If I wanted a portable unit, I probably buy a small Honda unit....light and quiet and not a gas hog like the C-100 running at about 3/4 throttle! But I wanted the Wheel Horse generator "just because"!!....you guys know how that works!!

Matt, There is one in the old picture gallery.

Dad bought the tractor new in the spring of 76 and it is a 75. I grew up on this tractor and that how the addiction got started.

Well it's not a mirror shot but out the back window......

i put 7 hours on my 518 today had 3 different decks on it, it has 1548 hours on it now , the first thing i did this morning was to cut in a louvered pannel in the belt guard. you guys scared me on the hours & exhaust.valve seat problem. that said, you would be amaized at the amount of heat, dust & grass clippings came through the louver! Jay

Refracman brings up a good point in regard to the P220 Onan. Again, it's a great industrial motor that was used in many different applications. I think we see the issue more in Toro/Wheelhorse's use of them "COULD" be attributed to the belt guard in combination with the oil filter placement. Any Onan unless factory equipped with an external oil filter has that spin-on filter inside the tin of the rear or #2 cylinder. Other manufacturers mounted their Onan straight on with the crank coming out the back to run a shaft where WH/Toro has their's mounted sideways to utilize their simple and effective PTO belt drive. That belt guard obstructs some air moving through the rear cylinder fins. This and the oil filter obstruction and the extra heat from it contribute to more failures on our Wheelhorses than other industrial and commercial uses the engine was used on. I do notice a lot of failed Onans on the green machines too but the way they are mounted makes a difference. Just my humble unsolicited opinion. Not wanting to hijack Gsinal's original post subject, run that 520 like you would any tractor you had before. Just keep what we hashed around here in the back of your mind and keep it well maintained.

I just got this picture of the 656 today-showing off it's "new" stack! Its a motorcycle muffler-came from a garage sale-given to me by a friend from Michigan. I'll post a video later-youve got to hear how nice and DEEP this thing sounds-Al

Sweet 520HC! The 1989 Commercial should have the forward swept axles, the motion control lever location is different from the 520H, it's a bit faster and heaver. You really should keep her clean, the rear cylinder problems are no joke so keeping the big Onan cool is a must. I recommend you modify your belt guard for better air flow across the rear cylinder. That and all the rest of the fuel system advice that you have already received. Oh yea btw now be careful because these Horses are addictive everyone seems to end up with a herd sooner or latter. BEN

Thanks Craig i was looking for the original muffler about a year ago thought i found it when it came to my house this is what it looked like not the original like the site i bought it from showed kept it any way and made a stack not bad though was going to get a larger one from tractor supply but said the heck with it look ok?

Jeff, the oval brass bezel is 1 1/16" tall at the tallest point & 1 1/2" wide. The main switch that slides into the bezel is 13/16" across or wide. The switch is 13/16" overall high from base of switch to top of the button. Let me know if anymore info is needed & sorry for the late response. Clay

Nice day to plow a garden. Terry in Indiana

carbon deposits are caused by unburnt gas. If you have a high compression engine then a higher octane is needed but if its a low compression engine then the low octane is best. A high octane gas doesn't burn as well as lower octane. A higher octane can be compressed into a much better burn by a higher compression engine but wont ignite in a lower compression engine therefore leaving unburnt fuel in the cylinder causing carbon build up. And if running to low a octane in a high compression engine will cause the fuel/air mixer to ignite before its supposed to causing engine to knock. If your finding that an engine runs better on a higher octane than its was designed for then your starting to carbon up, The carbon deposits are giving you a higher compression ratio. To many times I have seen engines carboned up cause the owner believed more is better. JMEO

Heres my restored 1946 Lever Steer with original turning brakes!