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So, the VP of the company I work for see's this little table I made and she falls in love with it. It winds up in the Presidents conference room and the President asks me to make another one. I mentioned I'd like to do something different. No problem. Apparently things like this are popular with designer's. Who knew? I did use some I.H. resto red on the rims of the second one. The company I work for is owned by the Knoll Furniture company, they have been around for a very long time. Maybe I'm onto something? Since these pics I lowered the gray table 2 inches. It was too high if it was going to be used as a coffee type table. Myself, I like my second table better, sooner or later it is going to come home to my house. I've begun making plans for a third one, I want to add glass to this one.

Just like there ain't no substitute for cubic inches......There ain't no substitute for a good set of chains. Its not all about the tread design either, the tread design can look super agressive but if the tires are wide and made out of a super hard compound they won't be nearly as good as a set of chains. I feel the best tire for our Wheel Horse's if you aren't going to use chains are the narrow 6x12 snow tire treads. (if you find a set you can put studs in?) They are almost like the old Firestone Town & Country tires. Now that was a legendary tire. I had a 1970 Olds Cutlass back 25 yrs. ago. I threw a new set of Town and Country's on the Olds and that thing was unstoppable. I live on a mountain, I can remember a time when we had a serious snow storm, 4x4's couldn't make it up the hill. I told them to get outta my way because I was coming up the hill. They thought I was nuts. (I am) I made it up no problem, I held it to the floor to show boat a little, the glass pack mufflers were mighty loud. My tires were awesome, theirs sucked. I had a set of small block Chevy heads for weight in the trunk. My brother in law has worked for Firestone for almost 30 yrs. He told me one reason they stopped making Town & Country tires is because they were too good. I'm not too sure how true that is? Like TT said, no tire will get good traction on ice.

well i had only one sett of chains so i had to get me another sett of chains.. and i found those chains here. was not the cheapest but i just had to have them, those are working really good whit agg tires.. got them in the po to day so i had to put em on and ill also put on some weight i had in my shop they are about 55 lbs each. Well here are some pict of them.. Those chains there are going to give a smooth ride.. cant wait to test em out.. just have to wait on the snow on sunday and monday Lars

Martin...if you had more fun then Kent at Charlotte... :happy-jumpeveryone: :woohoo: Just came in from moving snow...what a riot...it is about time I and the horses got to spend some quality time together. Thank You Snow...made an Angle in the snow when I was done.

No shadow today for the famous Punxsutawney Phil as well. Looks like I can just put away the snow tools and get on with packing up for the WHCC show. But then again, wait. I believe it's snowing outside......Maybe I better rethink this... :scratchead:

Something tells me the neighbors are used to seeing a big drunken dinosaur riding around the sidewalks in that town....

Well, here is a couple of short videos of me and my nephew smashing up my Samsung 46inch DLP TV. This thing cost me $2200 when I bought it, and now would cost me $800 to fix it. (I bought a new tv instead). I tried to sell it but it wouldn't sell. My nephew rides a 70's Craftsman Suburban, 10hp-8speed. Aftere we collided, I pushed him like he wasn't even there. :ychain:

As some may remember I bought a1966 Lawn Ranger last year and he threw in a complete but otherwise abandoned 67 ranger parts.From all accord it was found under a tree on the property and been there for decades.I loved the 66 so much I got smitten on the 67.I really want a suburban or similar so I decided to create one.I began by changing hearts,from h60 to K181.The motor ran after tinkering and was put on a recycled ariens snowblower btw.I cut and welded the tins,added a tool box and fenders from an rj,put 6x12 rear tires on.I then had a couple 36" common decks givin to me and with all the smalls I had laying around and the wealth of knowledge learned here I continued.I fit a mid mount tach a matic.I added a front mule drive(early raider/charger upgrade)and custom made a pulley/pto assembly as the drive pulley/pto/clutch retainer sleeve doesnt exsist.I had the narrow stock front axle w/ 8" skinnys but they wouldnt clear the deck or mule drive so I had to swap for a wider electro front with 6" tires,tie rods and spindles to boot.I also incuded a pic of the relocated battery location and the best use of the other half of a tool tray!Only thing left to do is recondition the deck and wait for the grass to grow,then bring it to the big show and tell lies about how high the grass was that it mowed!

This snow is not even worth the trouble, but the B-100 was not running good the other day. The main fuel jet was clogged. So I figured I would take a trip around the block and make sure she was running good just in case we ever get that big snow. Just click on the picture...hope you enjoy...listen to this 10 hsp Kohler.

Yeah I have a couple of other tractors that I could use. That's a great idea. However, the reason why I was suspecting low compression was because it was always difficult to start the motor since I rebuilt it. But it turns out the spark plug is just faulty and wasn't consistently firing. I replaced the plug today with an older one and now the motor starts right up even when the motor is cold.

Very nice photos showing your work. We have to be very skilled when it comes to our tractor hobby. I bought the same fluid installation valve, but haven't used it.....I bought it AFTER I loaded my 1st set of tires!

A great catch! It would have been 90 miles one way for me to even go and give a look. Then I would have need to arrange transportation. Post some pix after the clean -up Don

well, maybe not that much fun, but i was in wh heaven for a little while.......

As previously mentioned, narrow tires mean more weight in a concentrated area, which equals more traction - and the ability to dig down to something to grip more quickly. I remember how all of the guys with lifted trucks would take the tall/wide tires off and put the little tires back on for winter. Even with just a light snow, my old J-10 Jeep wouldn't back out of a level driveway without being in 4WD - and it only had 31X10.50's My 416-H has 9.50's on it this winter, but that's because I didn't feel like digging out the 8.50's and changing them around. :hide:

I can't honestly say. I have never checked any when turning them over with the starter motor. The preferred method to check for internal issues on these engines is a leakdown tester. Do you have a second tractor and a long V belt? You can hook them up PTO pulley to PTO pulley by twisting the belt into a "figure 8". The "power" engine only has to run at idle speed to overcome the ACR on the "test" engine.

I started packing the minute I got home from last years show! :banana-rock:

I see that it's still standard bore, so at least it can be machined in the future. It's a 50/50 shot as to what you'll have once it's running. You've got nothing to lose but the cost of a head gasket and your time. I've bought $15 dollar yard sale engines that looked rough but worked like new. Maybe you'll get lucky. :confusion-shrug:

nice vid there steve, just came in myself from doing the driveways and all the neighbor hood sidewalks. we got just a little more than an inch.....was out there on my 1848 for about 2 hours, best fun ive had for quite a while!!!!!

There's a convenience store about a block and a half from me. Hmmm DOUGHNUT RUN!!

today is the first day this year i used the plow on my 1848..... not much to plow, but what if you do the whole neighborhood........

Here's some pictures of my latest acquisition. Had to travel through three states to get (nearly 36 miles!). No spark, missing a screw on the exhaust cover and some rust on the hubcaps. But I think it will clean up nice! It's a 1990 with a 48" deck

http://www.savagechickens.com/2013/02/prediction.html

No drinking while on the horse guys. No problem with being on the sidewalks either, as long as I am moving snow...I would not take the horse seven blocks down the road to go to the store...that might be asking for trouble. In other words, I do not abuse the privilege. Vince, about 10 years ago, it would take a few days to go around the block ...but the neighborhood has changed a little since then. Guess what...we got almost 2" of the white stuff last night...looks like some blade fun in a little bit. Thanks for the comments guys, glad you liked the video.

Ya, that little rodent predicted an early spring. :no: :no:

Are these the tires you are talking about Ken? I havent tried these out in the snow, at 45 years old I'm sure the rubber is a little harder than it used to be. I havent looked recently, but Miller Tire had them in their catalog a few years ago.

Steve... I case the neighborhood with my RJ35 from time to time... the only difference is... for the same amount of distance as your ride, it takes me apprx 5 days not 5+ minutes, :happy-jumpeveryone:

I don't think that the tread pattern on HDAP tires will negate the need for chains. With a little ice in the mix, there won't be any difference between them and regular turf tires. My cousin lives in snow country and has a set on his quad. He still uses chains when pushing snow. I wouldn't waste my money. Get a good set of chains. :twocents-twocents:

Nice score Perry! Here are a few pics of my spitller. It was totally scratch built by my brothers friends father in law who is 100% Russian. He made it here in CT. while staying over for the summer. Its a beast with a low hr 10 hp Kohler on it. It is supposedly made like they make them in Russia. I must say, the old timer knew what he was doing! The ram speed is just right, it has auto return, it has knock off bars and it hasn't met a log yet that got the better of it. Almost makes me wish I had some wood to split!

HDAP = "Heavy Duty All Purpose". I should have known it was just a modern-day acronym for something that's been around for years. I used to see lots of those tires on the back of three wheelers in the 80's. As for how they work on a garden tractor, ask Sparky: I run V bar chains on weighted turf tires and have for years. I have yet to see any tread design on a rubber tire get traction on ice.

Well, Ill put it this way. A 5XI while it is a rugged machine, it is really nothing more than a garden tractor. As Kevin said before me. Yes they are capable, however a compact will always have its advantages. Diesel engine (better fuel economy), 4wd (more traction), more lift capability whether it is from the three point or a loader. I have a power king, which is a really big garden tractor, however as you will see in the pictures garden tractors are limited as to what they can do.

must be the roc-n-rye :laughing-rolling:

Jake, Steve did that on his last (dry) run as well. :scratchead:

Very cool video steve! I noticed you drove throught a stop sign though, what happened? Think your license needs to be taken away! :ROTF:

Looks like your having a hard time staying under that 30mph speed limit Steve :greetings-wavegreen:

I drive around the block after making carb adjustments or repairs. There's 2 little yappy dogs that go banana's when I go by. It's worth the trip as they wind up their chains! :)

maybe you should buy some sand to push around Steve

The Rock and Rye Express rides again!!! Come on Steve, are you sure you just didn't spray some of that "Snow in a can" stuff all over the ground? :rolleyes:

Don... that really helped, and may have to repeat several times. Sealed at least 3/4 of leakat first try with bouncin' on concrete after reinflate. Brought em in to keep warm and will try again!

I think many - perhaps most - of us on this board are collectors of some sort or another. In addition to having redundant tractors, we probably have a lot of other stuff floating around in our shops for backups. It's just in our blood to have a contingency plan. i mean really, how many cordless drills and push brooms does a guy need? And we like the easy-to-work-on nature of our simple, old machines. Which is nice, because it seems like they require frequent piddling to file points, fix a leak, replace a fouled plug, scrape the schmutz off an old battery terminal, etc. I've seen a lot of guys in this hobby eventually migrate to a compact utility or subcompact utility class tractor. At some point, many get tired of the NEED for a backup machine which is practically a fact of life when you're running an antique that's been around the world a time or two. Your 5xi's may still be "new" enough that you don't have the occasional letdowns, so they can probably continue soldiering on for a while with minimal issues. So these comments may not yet apply. Part of this common migration usually passes through a classic farm tractor. And it's obvious why: They're a sixth the cost of a new machine. But, they too suffer from years of wear and have personality traits that can make them hard to start. Most were built really well, but technology and years of use have their limits to make them reliable 50 years later. It seems like most time this arc finishes with the guy who started with a brace of Wheel Horses ending up buying a new (or new-ish) diesel compact tractor. The reliability is usually better and these machines can perform an amazing amount of work in a short time compared to a GT. Granted, attachments can cost more but the 3pt mounted variety are pretty much universal. Which means you don't need to spring $2500 on a Deere rototiller, you can buy a $400, used "king cutter" tiller from Craigslist. Or a $150 rear blade to move snow. Anyway, if I had the need and the means, I'd only want to rely on a single multipurpose tractor. I'd keep my Wheel Horse because they're toys that I like to relax with. The Subcompacts are small, light, and powerful enough to operate close to the house without taking out a row of your wife's rose bushes. Yet, with a loader or blade, they can clear a driveway a lot faster than any 'Horse with a plow. And, they are much more reliable - in my experience - than older GT's. I live in town now, but my last house had a giant yard so I had more need for a real tractor. My solution wasn't actually that expensive: a 1981 Ford 1700 diesel utility ($2500). I used a 1987 72" rear Deere finish mower to mow the lawn ($900), a 5' Howse bush hog for the field ($150), and a 6' blade on the driveway (I think it was less than $200 new). That tractor worked great. One time I had a breakdown when my waterpump seized up. I did have to wait for the part for maybe a week and mowed the yard with a C160/42" deck and it drove me nuts with all the noise, shaking, and excruciating pace. But, I got it mowed. Eventually, a zero turn stole the lawn mowing chores away from the Ford. But I still used it for the field and for miscellaneous things. My dad is on his second Kubota BX subcompact and loves being able to turn the key at any time and start working right now. The one he used to have was a BX2200 with 60" deck and loader. This one is a BX24 (I think) with a 60" deck, loader, and backhoe (Dad is a tree and plant afficionado and is constantly planting or digging up something). Somewhere, I have a picture of dad's BX parked next to my D250 and one of my 5xi's. The Kubota is just a touch bigger than both of them, but it can mount multiple implements at one time and run them each independently, which is a time saver since you don't need to drop the mower to use the loader or till the garden as examples. The irony of this that I'm seeing as I type this saga is that the migration to a single, multipurpose machine mirrors the whole point of Wheel Horse's marketing strategy in the first place. But the size is larger. And, the reliability can be better. Reliablilty costs something. It can be money (like a new CUT) or space and time (old GT's). Your milage may vary, Steve

Just tube it. Thats what I do on all tires... new or used. If you ever have to take the tire off, what a mess that stuff makes.

Early axle/steering: later design:

Welcome to RS Woodbird, I'm just south across the border in Goshen & have snuck quite a few Horses out of the Kzoo area.

The table would look good with an old Hit N Miss engine popping away on it. Matt :flags-texas:

Here is a few pics of the 656 plowing snow!

Another fall picture of my 1964 604 . :)

Here's a few of my favorites! KJ

This is a picture of my son's 61 Suburban. It's dressed in original paint. The pull start is a NOS kohler piece that I found locally. He's only 4 1/2, but he's really proud of his tractor. Don't worry, he rides on my lap and drives, but really enjoys every minute!

It's a 1962 552, but the pics are cool Gotta get rid of that muffler though . . .