Leaderboard

This is another one of those "family history" things I felt inclined to share. I saw the image below for the first time a few days ago. It was in a box of old slides I was going through with my mom. She and my dad (both 81) recently moved from their house of 50 years to a new, albeit smaller place and I've been helping them clear out old stuff. I know I'm biased, but I think this is pretty damn near a perfect photo. If it has a flaw, it is only that I am not the boy in it. The image shows my grandfather on a pristine Ford 8N tractor, alongside my older brother Mike sitting astride an equally shiny (although slightly smaller) mount of his own. There is no date on the photo, but my best guess puts it around 1960. To give you a little history, my grandfather came to Richmond a Scottish immigrant in the early 1930's, hired by a prominent Richmond family as the farm manager of their large estate just north of the city called Brook Hill. The property ownership dates back to 1714 and the manor house was built in 1731. Although today all of the farmland has succumbed to urban sprawl, the house and remaining acreage is still in the hands of descendents of the original owners. The house in this photo is not "the big house", but is the one my grandparents lived in. It is part of the Brook Hill property, and has it's own historic roadside marker. Appropriately called the "Toll House", it dates back to pre-Civil War times where it literally served as a toll gate when roads were privately maintained. My grandfather was a man loved and respected by all, from the farm-hands he supervised to the "old money" family who owned the property. He was a quiet man who spoke with a soft Scottish brough; quick to laugh and never had a harsh word to say about anyone. He was the kind of man who would come in out of the fields, drive to our house, pick up my brother and take him back to farm just to show him the family of raccoons or other creatures he had discovered. My brother worshiped the ground he walked on. One of my greatest regrets is that I have no memory of him. He died from cancer at the age of 63 the day before JFK was killed in 1963. I was 18 months old, my brother was nearly 8. This photo holds special value for a number of reasons. Obviously the tractors -- both the shiny, original 8N and the vintage pedal-tractor. Add that to the great period clothing, hats, red shoes, and you get an image right out of 1950's Hollywood central-casting. Because our family has never been great picture-takers, finding something like this is all the more remarkable. Finally, and most importantly, I don't believe my brother has ever seen this before. He has no idea that I have the slide, that I had it professionally scanned, that I cleaned it up in Photoshop, printed it and framed it to give to him on his birthday the 25th of this month. Honestly, I'm not sure I can wait that long to give it to him because I can't wait to see the look on his face! I'll report back and let you know how it goes. So without further ado, here's the photo: (you may need to click on it to see it at full size) And my framing job...

I'm with Lane on this one. When someone states "I like Lucas" and stops talking, that is just an opinion / personal preference and without further clarification, remains just an opinion. Manufacturers love to play Jedi mind tricks on the weak minded by advertising a product with bright colors that stand out on a store shelf or hope you like the "advertising" provided by a bikini clad model on a Saturday sales commercial masquerading as a hot rod show. She does try so hard to show us how to get the best performance out of a "rear end" or correct "sagging front end parts". Doesn't she? Next up is "because my friend says he gets more runs of a transmission when he uses it". Now we are getting somewhere and at least have an argument to be made for its use. Of course the argument is based on here say, but you do have my attention. I'm still listening for a reason this is so. Could it just as easily be attributed to a metallurgy change in the diff gears, not the lube? Could it be your friend is now better at setting up the diff's than before? Or gets a better 1 - 2 shift off with out jolting the diff as hard. Too many unknown variables for me to attribute the change in performance to just on factor. If you hear a statement like "Lucas puts XYZ additive in their product which has been "race" proven to allow ABC to happen, then I ask myself "No doubt then it is a benefit to racers. Do I realize ANY benefit by using a product twice to three times the cost of a product that lasted 10 - 40 years in the original transmission I'm tearing apart?" What you have here is a niche specific benefit. Prime examples are race-proven engine oils. I don't think racers are leaving this oil in their engines for 3000+ miles and for over 6 months. Ok. Synthetics are used by UPS. Interesting. Now I put down my Sunday paper down and you have my full attention. Lower viscosity weight oils in the rear axles you say. The whole fleet you say? I'm of the opinion someone ran the numbers on this changeover and saw a benefit. A fleet manager's reputation and career depend on such accurate analysis of the facts. Even if the benefit was 0.1 MPG more per truck than without this change - with the miles UPS travels, that's a no cost, profit generating addition after several thousand miles. They are on it like a dog on a bone. But they are still going to change out the oil before it ages and has a chance to collect condensation in the axle assy. Sooooo..... I ask myself is this any benefit to me in a LGT transaxle scenario. It may make you feel good 'cause you are using the stuff the big boys use, but unfortunately you're not using the WAY the big boys use it. If you want my hard earned dollars, show me (by the numbers or example - no opinions pleeeez ) a product that can provide long term resistance against absorbing water after exposure to condensation. Add to that at least the same or better protection than the original product provided. Those are attributes I can really use - and will pay for. Something that protects infrequently used assemblies subjected to adverse exposure to changing levels of temperature and humidity. Until then, I will probably just drain out the "regular" oil at $8 quart on a regular schedule versus hope the $20 quart "race proven product" gives me some as yet unidentified or proven benefit.

I picked up this 633 from Charles this past fall. All I have really done since I got it is change the rear diff. fluid and add an 8hp Kohler under the hood. I do have the original 6hp Kohler for it but I haven't been able to find a coil for it yet. It has been sitting in the storage tent not being used very much. I had a little extra energy so I decided to do a little refurb on it. The only part of the tractor that really had any paint left on it was the hood. If the hood matched the rest of the tractor I might have left it alone but it was looking pretty sad. I spent three days tearing it down cleaning, sanding and painting it. I use the tractor for light snow and I plan to cut grass and tow a small cart for firewood so she is a worker and not any type of show tractor. With that said it does look pretty good. I used Rustoleum Regal red on it. Total investment for paint, six pack of Coors and a few cigars was less than 75 bucks. All work was done in my little 8x8 workshop off the side of my garage. I'm going to do a little redo on the snow blade as well.

God is good- I was trying to sell the 656 for funds for the Foster Kids and couldn't. THEN-I got a call for a guy who lives in South Bend about my craigslist ad. He said he was looking for an older wheel horse because they were made so tough. We talked-he saw my posts about how I had rebuilt it-and was impressed- To make a long story short-I sold it. I had a tear in my eye when it left-it had certainly come along way-from a bunch of parts in boxes to a good looking , hard working tractor. The guy even talked me out of my snow plow. Now we have our funding-and he has what he was looking for, he is the type of guy that will keep it maintained. I'm attaching some pics- His name is Don-I gave him this web-site as a place to get advice etc. Thanks a lot guys-I know you will help him as you have helped me, if he comes by. Al

Planted onions a couple of weeks ago. Planting red potatoes tomorrow. Just wanted to drop by and show off my new garden gate sign that my kids and grand kids gave me for Christmas. It was cut and power coated.

We got snow in Sc tonight. Had to break out the 953 and play a little. My driveway is too short for any real fun so I plowed the road.

Hey Guys-I just had to post this-The new owner of my 656 has already started improving things and finishing things I hadn't got done yet! What a Gorgeous Tractor! Hope he has luck with it-he says he's praying for some snow to try it out!-Thanks for looking-Al

Thanks for the compliments guys! Bob it is a Mrs. Buckrancer seat cover, they are the best! I hope she has some for sale at the show as I need to grab a few. Yup only one six pack guys, I had a few left in the fridge from last weekend. Denny, the shed door I made out of an old pallet, The inside decor is mostly old pallet wood.

Kelly.......IM SORRY. Saw your remark in the lights section about "cutting a good hood". She was blind.......so I lead her out back, gave her a kiss on the emblem, and put her down. I told her it was the right thing to do and with her well being in mind I got my weapon out. She let out a "whinny" but didnt fight to much.......... Light pod fit in there nicely. Need to weld it in and do some body work. I think it looks pretty slick and should look great when its all done. Done for tonight.......got to get the Heart of this horse back together!

http://www.quakeracreswest.com/Tractorshow.pdf This is an all breed show MTF is having a meet and greet there also, Should turn out to be a good show I know I'll be there. Going to be a GT pull . Looking to do an off the lawn class so anything can hook not just all out pullers. Should be a good turn out Any questions about the pull PM me and I'll try to help Duane tractors can be driven on the show grounds (1st gear only)

kevin, hows this? Just cut your pipe to length and install the flapper.

I bet if you asked nicely, Chuck would call them off. :ROTF:

The worn / smushed areas on the reverse idler and some gears on the countershaft are just evidence of someone trying to shift without allowing the trans inners to reach a full stop. When you hear gears grinding in an unsynchronized trans, you now know what happens to the trans internals. The chocolate cream filling you found is normal for gear lube exposed to water over the years. The smushed areas on the edges of the gears can be cleaned up with a small jewelers file. Don't try to correct the taper of the gear ends but don't be afraid to deburr any interference in the valleys between gear teeth (both on the reverse idler and the countershaft gears. If you have a bench grinder with a wire wheel, finish off the deburring by allowing the wirewheel to travel parallel to the teeth to put a final smooth finish on the gears. Inspect all the gears for any loose rust flakes which may be stuck in the gear teeth valley. To address your main issue, concentrate more on general cleanup and the movement of the shifter forks than the condition of the gears. To resolve the restricted travel of the shifter forks, soak the shifter forks and all loose components in either lacquer thinner or paint thinner. You will be surprised how much easier the gears mesh once they are cleaned up. The shifter forks can also be cleaned on a wire wheel. The polished areas near the shifter rail detents may require a further cleanup with metal polish. The holes which support the shifter forks should also be cleaned with spray brake cleaner or carb cleaner. If the inner surfaces of the shift fork holes are rusted, they can be polished out with metal polish on a rag. Get those holes clean and shiny so the shifter forks glide thru the holes without any resistance. The last one I refurbed required polishing with a dremel tool / felt rotary pad / FLITZ metal polish combo. Reassemble the shifter forks using new detent ball bearings, spring and shaft spacer rod. You will notice the shifter forks will now move between detent positions with just a bump from a screwdriver instead of requiring a prybar. Don't forget to disassemble the HI LO shifter detent assy and clean all the internal components. Spray brake cleaner inside the roller bearings and slowly rotate the bearings. You will be surprised on the amount of schmutz that comes out of the bearings. Spray brake cleaner into the large bearings that support the differential / axles. Rotate the ball bearings back and forth to remove any hidden oil buildup. Once the brake cleaner runs clean from the bearing assemblies, place a few drops of gear lube into the bearings and rotate the bearings to lube the balls and race. You will need to determine if these bearings are in decent shape. If not, replacements will cost upward of $140 for the two. They are a "Toro only" piece and the price reflects that fact. At this stage of your repair, elbow grease and brake cleaner are your best hope of recovering this trans. Even if someone sends you gears (which may be very close to the condition of the ones you removed) you still need to invest significant time into cleanup.

The WH manual for the Arc Loader used on the D series says that you should not use fluid in the tires and that you should place no more than 165 lbs 74.8 kg in the rear weight box. Threatens that more weight will void transmission warranty. Also says you should not use the turning brakes while teh loader is filled.

I don't even bother. I take them to local OPE shop. They laugh at me and charge me 5 bucks! :)

You mean to me you spent $ 5 on paint and materials??? :ychain:

Yea I know, aww crap! Last Saturday my computer lost the ability to connect to the internet. I've been jonesin' for a whole week to get back on here. Talk about withdrawal. Man oh man. I got nowhere with a repair guy and had to buy a new puter. I got a Gateway desktop with 500 gig hard drive and 4 gb memory. Not top of the line but a pretty nice little unit for a guy on a budget. It uses windows 8, so I'm learning how to use a computer all over again. Way different from XP. It should do everything I will ever need out of a computer. Wish me luck! :ROTF:

yaa i know sorry i dont know how to put the txt next to the pic. but the reverse idler gear is a little warn/smushed on the top of the gears. and the gear cluster like u said on the left is a little rough. but my brother said if i take the time and clean it really good i could probably put it back together and it would work. but the top shifter fork (1st and rev, which is where i had the problem) was stuck in and we had to pry it out with a pry bar so that might have been the problem.

With out seeing pics, and knowing more info, I'd say it's a bit high, it's a early hydro, before paying that much I'd want to drive it a lot to get the trans warm, and make sure it's good, has it been repainted, seat in good shape, lots of questions to be asked, and just to buy to trade off I don't think it's a very good deal, if it is real clean and orig. or a nice repaint, and you want a tractor to keep, it might be worth it.

I just recently purchased the same lights at Walmart.....they look great and can't wait to get them on my daughters tractor and try them out! Well worth the price!

God bless you,your a great man for doing that.

please DON'T use a 3 jaw puller on cast iron hubs that are stuck. all you will do is crack & break them. a pickel fork on the air chizzel works well, so does using another hub. Jay

I am lucky to have a 56' by 76' garden. I enclosed it with a fence. I have ten, free standing, raised rows...each 60' long with two feet foot paths between each row. I left 5' clear at each end. And I put in a pvc water line across the length of one end with on/off valve for each row. Works great. I started with five rows so I bet yours will get larger also. Just cant beat a good garden. Dayton

I HATE doing recoil springs. I've seen the video of that winder and it looks slick. The last one I did was for a Briggs and the new spring came with a little plastic tool thingy that fitted in the middle. Dont really remember the details, but it wasnt too much of a pain. I'll have to have a think and try to remember the details. The Tecumseh and Kohler ones I've done were a huge PITA.

It was just a wonderful thing you did selling the tractor to care for the kids Al. God Bless You. :)

Al, Its guys like you, that puts others needs before yours, that this country needs more of. God bless Chas

got the transmission back together yesterday

Al, Your first three words say it all - God is Good. I've been where you are, fostered, adopted, and had to forgo some things, but I'm sure you realize you're really not giving up anything, you're actually gaining things you can't buy. Stay focused and what really matters and keep up the good work!!

Sounds like a Grand Slam! OK with you and wonderful for the kids you're so generously supporting. God Bless you and the youngsters. I'm readin' this post, for the umteenth time, God Bless. A wonderful thing you did Al. I'm nicknamin' you, "Al with the BIG heart."

Al, It's obvious how much this tractor ment to you but what is more obvious is how much the kids mean to you. I have fostered for several years as well and even adopted a wonderful blessing permanently into my life. The impact people like you make on childrens lives can't be overstated. Sorry for your loss (the tractor) but I'm sure you will sleep well at night with your decision!

Bob, I can only think of one thing other than a terrier type dog and a underground fence to keep him free roaming on your property. I think I would try a couple of salt/Mineral blocks for livestock around the property. I am not saying it will cure your problem completely because rodents have got to chew to keep there incisors from overgrowing,But they also chew on antlers and bone looking for salt and minerals,salt from your hands on steering wheel and knobs, Also you may ask your nieghbor to replace the peanuts with hard kernel corn, hickory nuts and walnuts. The Squirrells are getting to eat all the want on the peanut but they are not able to keep thier teeth in check on them so they are FORCED to chew on something to keep their teeth wore down. I am pretty sure this easy food source is the problem but I am not sure what the cure is. Bottom line is the neighbor may think he is being good to the squirrells when actually he is doing them a misfavor.

wouldn't be any mistake who owns this one in a line up thanks guy's

Now you asked about what trans fluid to use, I am guessing but you said your GT was a 71' era. I would say you trans fluid will probably be 10w30 motor oil. I will also suggest that you need to use the Wheel Horse filter for this tractor. I am also guessing that you have points in that tractor. The early GT14's used an electronic ignition (breakerless). I was thinking that the point gap should be around nineteen thousandths. They are Great Tractors I think I have either five or six. My first one was my Dad's, so it will be the last to leave. Like I said Good Luck!!

i mentioned in another thread that mike (squonk) and ken b werent the only ones who have naughty beagles..... well i wanted to start a thread on all the nonsense that our beagle 'max' gets up to. tonight he gave me a real good one to start off with. see, we have a keurig coffee machine that uses the k cups. up until about an hour ago we kept the k cups in a bowl on the table in our kitchen. here is the bowl... seems that somebody developed a taste for them....... now we are about to go to bed and he's not looking the best. he got 4 of them from what i can find. anybody find it easy to go to bed on 4 cups of coffee???

No, thank you Sir for your service. As a member of an armed force, we will always be a member and look upon our brothers in other services with pride. All of us have been there and done that.

Man you got it right, I grew up in mostly snow belt type areas and scoff every time they let school out early, shut down roads, and almost do work stoppage with the slightest bit of ground cover. Not to be real negative about folks down here but it sounds like war on the scanners with all the wrecks and mishaps during a simple rain. Not to scold the younger generation but some people just will not slow down and think tailgateing only pertains to football or Nascar parking lot BBQ. And you know THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY, stay warm and safe. 'course that gooes for all, no mater branch, year, station, and all in Nemo's grasp>

Theres another project idea for you Brian.

Last project of 2012

Been using one for the past 2 years and love it. Makes working on a tractor so much easier.