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Last August the front of my property looked like this. It had these kind of pines and undergrowth. My house is directly behind me. The township came a long last August and asked if they could take out the dead and weak scrub pines that were near the street. My wife said yes. You can see a sample below of the stumps I had. I had 38 of them. They ranged in size from 1 inch to about 8 inches. I rented a stump grinder and my son and I ground down all 38 stumps. I used this tool here below on the back of my C-175 and turned over the soil twice in criss crossing directions. The moldboard plow yanked out all of the undergrowths root system. Next came my mid mount grader shown below. This implement has earned it's keep many times over. This section of ground was very uneven. One side was a foot higher than the other side. I had the grader on my C-85 with manual lift. I could adjust the depth of the grader with the lift and feel of the lever. I could go deep or just feather some debris off the top. I developed a good feel of the grader. Then came the trenching machine for the sprinkler system. I'm convinced you can't have a nice lawn without underground irrigation. I installed 15 stainless Hunter heads on 3 zones. After all the trenching and piping was done I came back over the trenches with the grader to fill it all in. If you keep your feet on the grader you can really move that blade left and right with ease. I then used a wooden pallet with a board attached that had dozens of nails driven through that I drug around to make seed beds.So around the middle of September I was ready for seed, lime, iron, straw and fertilizer. This is how it looks below in mid May. There is some annual blue grass in there which is in the process of dying and there is some straw growing from the seed that was in the straw. Straw is not supposed to have seed. I was hoping the winter would kill the straw but it didn't. It looks to be dying now. Straw is an annual and should die. I don't have 100 % coverage but it is pretty good. It is filling in and I bought a 25 pound sack of Kentucky Bluegrass Supreme. $120 for 25 lbs. There is 3 different kinds of premium bluegrass seed in this mixture. I'll over seed in the fall and do my other section of lawns with it. Those raised flower beds? Well they were made with my grade blade. I just kept shaping them by driving in circles and pushing dirt up on to them. This spring I aerated with my new Brinly core aerator. Works great. I'll aerate again in the fall. The only tools used to make this lawn was my C-85, C-175, Mid-mount grader, moldboard plow, trenching machine, stump grinder and trencher. No rakes. No shovels. The only hard labor was the stump grinder which I shared the duty with my son and the trencher which was done by my other son. The shovel and rakes weren't used until the shrubs and mulch was done.

I'm at the end of the road..over the next couple of weeks I will pull the wheels again and repaint them and do some cosmetic work to the mower deck ,it is fully cleaned, lubricated etc...rust holes are repaired, it still needs two new side wheels....other than that it's time to cut grass ! Over the past week or two I repainted the hood and rear fender assy and some black here and there... We are very pleased, the 25 year old 310-8 runs great and now looks pretty darn good ! I learned a ton here from several members in my two earlier threads... many thanks ! back then now

I promised myself I would not buy another one until I sold 1 or 2 and my plan was to not even look to avoid temptation. Well, like the addicts we are with no self control, I checked Craigslist, saw this, and without hesitation or remorse my reflexes took over and I immediately contacted the seller. There was absolutely no hesitation on this one and it was only 1 hour away. It was listed for $500. Out of respect for the brand and not wanting to lose it I called the guy and said $500 is too low I will give you $600. He said OK so I immediately went to pay him the cash and sign a bill of sale to lock it up and I told him I will be back in two days with my trailer to pick it up.This was a situation where if it remained on Craigslist it would be gone. My trailer was at another property at the time with another horse on it that I could not resist for $100 (another self control failure). The unit had been dealer serviced since new but was neglected for a year or two when the grandson inherited it. The blower did not work and the throttle cable was stuck. The seller thought there was a blown relay preventing the blower from working and he disconnected the throttle cable from the dash to loosen it up and work it with pliers. The ONAN has 702 hours on it and starts and runs beautifully. When I got it home I found a small stone stuck under one of the blades of the second stage impeller and the blower works fine. The arm that holds the chute crank is missing but is still available from Toro. It did not look pretty where it sat so I cleaned it up on the way home with some fantastic and WD 40. It has the 44 inch 2 stage blower, 48 inch SD deck, cast iron wheel weights on the back wheels, and front hub caps. It came with the original manual for the tractor and the manual for the deck. I have another 2 stage blower and original manual. It needs a little TLC and has some surface rust here and there but overall everything is solid. I have a 1989 520 HC which was one if the first 520s with the swept front axle and now I have this 1997 which was the last. Here she is.

Hey folks, here is a brief video description of the sod cutter. Hope it helps for those of you who had some interest:

I hope you feel better soon Neil. I'm pretty damn proud of you, you are a mans man.

633 Starts first pull runs and drives perfect Commando 8 has spark but no compression 606 tecumseh no head and valves don't move

Had a knock on the gate last night by a 13 year old boy who was fishing , saying that 3 youths had pushed him in the fishing lake and then threw his fishing tackle in after him . So i went to challange these 3 youths & to get the younge boy his fishing tackle back , when i was also attacked & punched to the ground and repeatedly kicked in the head & body by these youths. I say youths but police have told me that there ages were all 21 so i guess they were men really. The police fortunately caught them at a local YMCA & they are now in cells. As a result of the good weather arriving it now brings along other troubles to our area with these drunken idiots that just want to bully younge kids an beat up older guys. Luckily i did manage to give one of the youths a broken nose , so the police have told me . What next ?

As most folks know the history about Memorial Day, most do not realize that it was originally known at Decoration Day to commemorate the fallen soldiers from the American Civil War. Memorial Day is not to be confused with Veterans Day: Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving, while Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans, living or dead. For those who payed the ultimate sacrifice: We will never forget and we salute you! :flags-waveusa:

This would have been on a Toro Whirlwind walk behind mower around a 1967 year. My family's business sold these mowers new back then and they were great. I was about 6 years old and my job was to put these together, which mainly was to put the handles together. I can still smell the paint from opening the boxes these came in! The oil fill was always confusing. I forget just how the oil reservoir worked, but it had to do with watching the bubbles when you pushed the button to let the oil into the engine. This is the only thing that was bad about that mower though! Here's what I'm still using and I love these mowers, these are 1968"s! They used the famous Toro S blade, which I have stocked up on because they've long since been obsolete. These mowers will blast through most any grass and just blow it out because they were not built with any rock guards, and that's at near idle engine speed as that is usually what I run them at! I don't have to run them fast to get them to cut grass and I think that is part of why they've lasted so long. I also wash them after every use from top to bottom. These mowers are very light weight and great to use. They don't have any safety anything on them, and that's fine with me, I learned how to use mowers before we had all that stuff on them! I think you would have to buy a commercial mower to get this kind of quality today, but they would be a lot heavier, these are very light weight and tough! Please don't toss this engine out, it is a true chunk of history and should probably be in a museum!

Pretty good guess on the weight Bob. I have a B,C,D service manual that lists the dry weight of a D-160 as 875lbs (a D-200 is listed at 1025lbs).

606 Commando 8

I think if you are talking about the 1980-1990's series 400 machines, the answer is yes, it will drop right in. Also, trans from the mid 80 and later to do not have the dreaded 1533 bearings. This week I was a bit brave and had two trannys, one from the late 1970's with a trashed needle bearing on the right side and a trashed 1533 on the same side. I also had a mid 80's trans with a bad needle bearing on the input shaft. So, I took the good halves from each one and put them together. I pulled the differential from the 1980's tranny and measured the diameter where it fits into the 1533 bearing. There was .003 difference, so I hope it will be ok. I could have just replaced the input shaft bearing on the mid 80's tranny, but I did not want to go thru the hassle of removing all the gears to get to this bearing. Of course, I did not throw out the two bad halves, just bolted them together and tucked it into a corner of the garage. You just never know when you might need something (or you are looking for a good winter project

Mike: Hmmmmm, Where is the left arm rest? Is that your bail out side????!!!??? I also like your rottenecard: reminds me of a button a friend of mine had back in the 80"s: "you don't love me anymore since I ate your dog"

I like the Super Whoopie seats instead of the std. replacement seat if it's a worker. If I'm planting my kiester on something that's going to shake rattle and roll all summer I want it comfy. I tried a cheaper seat once and boy was I miserable. (OK more miserable than I all ready am.) If it doesn't bolt on I make a plate or bracket so it does. I like the adjustable models so your not sitting on the steering wheel and I use seat springs to get them off of the fender pan.

The Police have just been to take some photographs, and i may have to go to an ID parade this afternoon. Went out early this morning an managed to recover the Boys fishing tackle , his face was a picture when he knocked on my gate again this morniong when i told him to look behing the gate and there was all his fishingt gear retreaved from the bottom of the lake. The Thugs are still locked up at the moment , i just hope that the British justice system doesnt fail me & the boy , But it probabley will. Having trouble breathing at the moment and my whole body aches . Apperently the police said that the thugs nose doesnt look too pretty from where i caught him with a right hander. Thanks for kind words chaps , means a lot .

Neil, you're the man. Very proud of you!

3 down one to go.....I've got the bug. http://s737.photobucket.com/user/LenHaduck/media/image-33.jpg.html

WHA aka Wheel Horse Addiction is not curable. Once infected this is a life long ailment. The first symptom is a purchase of an unneeded 2nd Stallion. The addiction will increase in severity if a third Horse is brought in to keep #'s 1 & 2 company. There is no known cure for the addiction however, symptoms can be minimized: 1) Stockpile motor oil, gear lube, spray lubricants, spare belts, etc. 2) Load your paint cabinet with WH touch up paint; never ever show rust! 3) Clean and bathe the Herd regularly, drying after each treatment. 4) Gather detailed literature pertaining to the Herd. 5) Collect more literature considering additions and upgrades for the Herd. 6) Stockpile clean, working implements and attachments regardless of the intended use. 7) Attend Farm Equipment Shows even in foul weather (wear protective clothing as required). 8) Mow 'n tow using the Stallions even is not necessary. More Horse seat time is better! 9) Post pic's here at Red Square (start a 2nd, 3rd, 4th photo album ~ more is better!). 10) Always keep serviceable shoes on the Horses along with spares ~ just in case! There are many more points, reader input required. This is a social disease, join in the forums and chat 'bout the "problem." Help is here in the Red Square. Get the family involved regardless of sex, males and females can become infected with WHA (Wheel Horse Addiction) regardless of age (younger is better)!

Here's my solution! note brush screen sans grass clippings. plus no PTO engaged so the Onan is all you hear!

Got to love these WH tillers. Helped a friend break some ground for a new garden last month and before we got started he is telling me about a tasty import he had in the fridge. I told him I would be glad to try it after I'm done. Well he comes out and hands it to me about half way thru and I had no choice but to take it - he already popped the top! Finished it off before I finished the garden and never spilled a drop. Try that with a walk behind Oh, and I wasn't sore - actually a bit relaxed!

SO MOTE IT BE My brother, approach the East.

Couldn't stand to see it become a Toyota! Thats really funny! Good save!

I found it under 10 tons (+/- of scrap at the local scrap yard a couple weeks ago, The hood I had to straiten last night just to make it kinda fit. Not much of a story to it, Just couldn't stand to see it become a Toyota.

It's a little of both. If you go to the show with something specific in mind, you can look, feel, touch, and then find the best deal if there is more than one. It's always better to buy when you have choices. You don't always get the lowest price at the show, but there is nothing like shopping there. Just my 2 cents worth on why things haven't sold. Unless someone has money to burn (and how many of us do?), only necessities are being purchased by the average guy. The economy is not getting better in my opinion. Just look at the price of gas and more than that, the price of groceries. Since I retired, I have been doing more of the grocery shopping. I refuse to pay $5.00 for a loaf of bread, or $4.00 for a can of shaving cream. . The cost of healthcare is going up, and the real unemployment rate is closer to 14% than the reported 7.6%. If someone can honestly tell me that $3.50 for a gallon of gas today compared to $1.70 in 2009 is a sign of a better economy, I will eat my new linen beige RedSqaure hat. So having ranted on the economy, I will say this. Look the comments. "I am just hard pressed for cash", or "unfortunately, I don't have $400 I can spare right now", "if I could figure a way to justify a 200 mile road trip", "times are real tight with cash right now". These are all signs of the times, and I don't think it's going to get better any time soon. So don't feel insulted that you haven't gotten any offers. Just take a look around and you will see the reason why. Good luck. I hope that someone with big bucks comes your way!

Phew,I was beginning to think my ugly ducklings had cooties or something.I wondered if I was asking too much or that I may be the only unibody enthusiast.I am gonna bring the heavy grills to the show and not coming home with them.The ranger I have had sellers remorse before it left.I am takin it off the market.I had too much time to think about it!You guys know how to make a wheel horse feel pretty!Shucks

Its a haul for me too. Plus I have run out of room for anything else. Really I am going to have to construct another building before I can buy another thing with wheels and tires.

BTW, the specs on that bearing are: 0.75 ID 1.781 OD 0.61 H Believe it or not, Timken (and others) have a tapered wheel bearing set WITH a seal that is the exact dimensions. It consists of three parts: LM11949 Inner race LM11910 Outer race LM11900EA Seal The three parts together can probably be had for less than the Toro OEM bearing. Perhaps this is because it is the same bearing set that is used on MILLIONS of HD motorcycles on the front wheel. I've got half a mind (so my wife says anyway) to buy one and try it. If it don't work, I'm out $20.

I'll have to give him a call! Ok, so here she is decked out in her work attire. I've already taken one trip around the lawn, the deck cuts nice, and I haven't even sharpened the blades yet! Yes, I know dirty!

i will be there for the fourth time & this time im bringing a newbe. Wheel-N-It ! don't think i will bring a tractor ,or just throw a clone on the ranger, or just buy one to ride! need to buy a good 16-20 onan though. looking forward to seeing you all, or those of you from Pa. younse. Jay