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You need proof too?

Came across these pics @ Thigh Highs, High Heels & Hot Rods Thought you you might enjoy them Craig... I did ... along with the Thigh Highs & High Heel pics...

Just received my March/April Lawn & Garden Tractor Magazine AND the 2014 Truck & Tractor Show guide. A very nice article from Scott on his Fall Meet & Greet. As I was reading and looking at the photos from Scotts 2013 M & G I saw me plowing! Proof to my wife that I really did go up there!

I'm sure they're out there. Past member RickV had a bunch of NOS tractors which have since been sold off at auction. Wether or not the new owners oiled and fueled them is yet to be seen. If Rick could find them i'm sure there is more. If you watch shows like American Pickers you see a teeny tiny glimpse of whats out there hidden in forgotten about homes, garages, warehouses, sheds and barns all across America. My family and I spent six weeks three years ago camping across the country. I almost got whiplash looking at all the abandon buildings, homes and barns on almost every road we where on. Definitely makes you wonder!

An idle speed lower than 1100 rpm will kill your engine due to poor lubrication. The upper part of the engine gets lubrication from the slinger on the bottom of the connecting rod cap throwing oil up to the top of the crankcase. The engine needs at least 1100 rpm to properly sling the oil.

Finally got the floor mat material for 520 number 2 ( back one in the pictures). Cut it out and contact cemented the rubber mats down. These foot rests were made at my plant years ago since the originals rusted out from too much salt. Cleat

For those of us interested in Military Historical Art and weaponry... http://www.buzzfeed.com/bennyjohnson/inside-the-armys-spectacular-hidden-treasure-room

Unfortunately we've seen this type of post happen many times in the past! Reminds me of the post a few years back by some new guy who said he ran into a woman, who's dad or grand father was a dealer in the early 50's and had a Senior, Junior and some others brand new in the crates. He was supposed to go back to look at them in a few days after posting. We all posted for weeks looking for an update and never heard another word. Until I see it, I will never believe it!

Partstree.com, They may not be the cheapest, but the longest it's ever taken from the time I ordered until the time I received the parts was 4 days, most times it's been 3 days and a couple of times it's been 2 days.

support your local toro dealer!!!

I can not count how many times I've been asked about will this engine fit, or will this oil pan fit?? most times the first question I ask is what style block do you have ?? large or small base ?? BUT there is one exception to that rule I will cover that later. I'm writing this post to help clear up that question, first this only applies to 10, 12, 14 and 16 HP Kohlers, they used two style blocks commonly referred to as large or small base blocks. We will start with the large base or eared block used on most WH tractors from 1967 to the last Magnum about 1987, these blocks use the bigger oil pan, and the pan bolts on from the top side through ears on the block, this style oil pan is the one that bolts directly to the frame, the two bolts on the right side that hold it to the frame go from under the frame into blind bolt holes in the bottom of the pan, the pan will hang over the frame some on that side, with the mounting ears on the pan NOT being used. This is a large base block and pan, note how long the pan is and where it bolts to the block Here you can see where the pan hangs over the frame, at this point under the frame is where the bolts go from the bottom in to the blind holes in the pan. The holes outlined in red are the blind holes used to bolt the pan to the frame from the bottom, the holes in green are the ones that hang over the frame. Here you can see the bolts that hold the pan on, going through the ears in the block. That pretty much covers the large base blocks. Next is the small base block used on the shaker plate engines, and some of the mid 60's 10hp engines in WH tractors, this style block is also common in Cub tractors, and others but we are talking WH here. The small base block the oil pan bolts on from the bottom of the engine, it does not have ears on the block, the pan is closer to a square in shape than the large base block, here is a pic of a small base block and oil pan. There are many many styles of oil pans to fit the small base block, other brands of tractors use pans in all shapes, and depths so when swapping this style pan you have to watch how long the oil dipper is on the bottom of the connecting rod, it can be cut to fit a shallower pan, WH used two basic pans on this engine a very shallow pan on the early 10 hp and a mid depth on the shaker plate engines. This pan is a shaker style pan used in the late 70's early 80's on the shaker engines This pan is the flat bottom style used on the 1045, 1055, 1075 and 1046 also used on many Cub engines and other brands, the dipper on the connecting rod is very short on the engines that use this pan. This is a deep pan on a Cub engine, I do beleive it uses the same dipper as the large base blocks with the big oil pan. Here is a shot of both styles together, to give you a idea of how the blocks look side by side, note on the large base block the cut outs at each end, I will be talking about them and the 4 holes you see where a small base oil pan could fit with a few mods. Here are the pan gaskets side by side and over top of each other. Ok now we will talk about how a small base oil pan can be used on a large base block, note the red circles they point out the cut outs in the block where the small oil pan will not seal, this area can be filled up with JB weld or other compound that will stick to metal and take the heat, then note the green circles they show the holes that will need to be tapped to bolt the pan to, so far all blocks I have seen have the holes but are not tapped, with these mods a small pan can be used on this block, also if needed you could cut most of the ears off the block. Now some blocks (very few) are set up from the factory to except both style oil pans, most common found on JD tractors as they use a shaker mount set up that uses the ears on the block to mount it but still uses a small oil pan, here is a duel pan style block note is does not have the cut outs in the block like a normal large base block does. Just remember to check the dipper on the rod, to long and it will hit the pan, to short and it may not splash lube properly. I hope this helps clear up a few questions about block styles and how they differ

My friend has a 312 that he is in the process of making into a puller. He has started extending the front end (?). It has the stock briggs & stratton engine and he wants to use it since it seems to be in good shape. Is this engine okay for a puller, and what can be done to it for more power? If anyone has any suggestions or info, please let me know, pictures would be great . I am obviously completely ignorant on this subject so any help will be appreciated.

Not much of a close up but this may help! This shows the drive belt and three pulleys with the guards off . I was installing my front cutter bar on the 1958 RJ.

Is it ok to RedSquare on a round stool?

worked on joining the inlet manifold back together today. firstly i had to clean off all that crud and corrosion..... then both pieces were subjected to a scotchbrite rubbing all over, while my fingers were subjected to getting worn out just a little more........ then i gave both pieces a good wash with brake cleaner and got some rivets and permatex #2 for sealing. i use ultra black for sealing just about everything but supposedly it isn't recommended to use on parts subjected to gasoline..... put a nice flat bead all around the sealing area on both pieces...... placed both pieces together and now time to rivet...... used 1/8 aluminum rivets to join the halves back together..... finally i cleaned all the excess sealer off to make it look pretty..... thats all for today though, sitting inside red squaring.......

Ive never heard of any XI series falling short in any way. I personally never was a huge fan of them because of the lack of interchangeability with the earlier horses. That was until I drove a 523XI 2 years ago. I should have never left that tractor get away from me. It was for sale at a local dealer that took it in on trade for a 30 horse 4x4 Kubota compact utility tractor/loader. The 523 came with a snowplow which looked much bigger than a 48", 44" 2 stage blower, 52" deck and powered rear bagging system that dumped on its own. The power steering was amazing and a quick trip around the lot had me in love with the 2 speed rear end. For 4 thousand I thought it was a bit steep and I didn't pull the trigger. He told me he could come down to $3500 and I waited 3 days to get back to him. SOLD when I called him…my stupid ideas..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uukZgfHZIoc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HraQ00qbZ94

"No one in CT has a pair" now, that's just crazy talk. Somebody there has to have a set.

What? The vast network of WH owners in CT and no one has a pair? Steal them off Stevebo's Chevy!

I am feeling a little tired today and I may resume work on the 417A after going out to lunch. I cannot find the belt guide that attaches to the engine closure plate, I'll look for it after lunch. If I continue I should be able to get the tins installed and engine mounted to the tractor.

I went to the bi-annual Mount Gilead Ohio Farm Auction today at a moments notice. I got a call yesterday about the auction and found out it was today!! So no prep time on this auction. Didn't even have time to empty out my van! I figured it would be cold and windy and muddy as all get out. It was all of the above! They had several Wheel Horse's, Cubs, Sears and even a old Bush Hog tractor that was pretty old and cool. I had my eye on a couple WH's and most of them went for cheap! One was a 1970's C120-8 Speed, it went for a very good price of $175.00 with deck and all original paint, a very nice machine. There was a 1968 Lawn Ranger in good original condition with mower deck, it went for a mere $110.00! I didn't see the price of the 312-8 Speed w/snow blade or the Bush Hog. I bid on a descent 1056 with a Briggs motor instead of the 10 hp Kohler and a rare 1962 WH snow blade was on it. It got over my budget of $120, by one bid so it went for $125.00! The best tractor of the bunch was a very nice running 1972ish Charger 12 Automatic with a nice mowing deck. The seller was there running the machine most of the day. I talked to him and he got it 2 years ago with a house he bought. He mowed with it for 2 years and got a new mower because he didn't like the large turning radius of the WH. It was the very last tractor in the auction(ain't it always like that?!!) The auctioneer started off low and at about $50.00 I had to ask him what tractor they were auctioning right now? He stopped the entire auction and said to me, THE WHEEL HORSE!! Everybody looked at me like I was stupid but nobody was bidding on it. It got a few more slow bids and I bid on it at $100.00. There was 2 other bidders and everybody else was talking and carrying on and they didn't realize the nice WH that was up for bids! So I got it for $175.00 when the gavel fell! The seller didn't even know they were selling his machine and not many people knew that it was over until they saw me shut the tractor off. A few guys asked me what I just bought and I said with pride, that nice WH right here! They couldn't believe they missed out on it, since they had been waiting on it all day long! So I got lucky on it and was prepared to bid up to $250.00. The seat was in mint condition until the seller parked it in his garage a day before the auction and his Boxer dog chewed it to pieces! He said the dog got a good thumping after that! KJ

I wonder what the guy was expecting from it? I have a 520Xi with the 52" deck and I love it.

Dude ... you got skills !!! I see that just by the way you marked the valves location... good tip for newbie re-builders. Nice paint job as well...Cool build ...keep the pics coming

That's amazing Jim, thanks for sharing.

I personally don't think you will be happy with the horse/blower combo. And garden tractors don't have the same performance as pro line walk behinds for cutting because they were designed to do many different tasks. I doubt you could tow 2000lbs of rock behind a pro line mower or run a 36" tiller. I have three tractors (possibly 4 this week) and MUCH less than $1k invested in all of them. Personally, I think it will end up breaking and being blamed on the fact that you bought a '15 year old tier 2' tractor when nothing was designed for what you are trying to do. These tractors are essentially solid cast iron, and while not flawless, are generally more durable than most late model garden tractors. You still have to move slow into large piles even though the extra weight is of some advantage. You will need weights, chains and a cab at a minimum to meet your expectations. Even on a tractor you will end up looking like a snowman without a cab. And the 'rest of the year' you have to be sure you are doing maintenance on it or anything you buy will break down. "it starts & runs like a horse is touted to" only if it is treated well and taken care of. (Yearly) Change engine oil, transmission oil less often, air cleaner, clean and wash, stabilize gas, grease joints, oil blower chain, keep things painted and not rusty, and repairs will still be necessary. If you can manage just blowing normal snow (not frozen into an iceberg), and doing the maintenance then you found the right place. These guys are awesome and can help with anything. If you want to start attacking piles of frozen snow I would start looking into dozer or dumptruck/plow combos.

Hmmmmm, I've been looking for a set for my dump cart for a yr. now too match the full set I have on my son's 854. Did someone say bidding war?

at this point it is too late to start my engine, but... I think I used 1.5 quarts instead of 1.5 pints - so hopefully I will know more tomorrow. You guys have forgotten more than I will ever know.

If it's just for looking around, the iPad is fine, but being interactive I find it cumbersome to use. For me it's not going to replace my Macbook!

AWESOME!!! Just hope I can pay for every thing ( for the ex, thx grant co courts ) and still keep all my horses! Apparently they mean more to me than my ex, so she said. That said...guess some thing are easier replaced.

All we need now is a history museum.

Turned the big 4O today!! Had a great day as I took today off and spent most of the day working on my loader. Then went to pick gabby from school and we went to a very nice dinner with family and friends. It was very nice and the day went better then planed! So I stated off nice and early and got the brackets welded on the bucket. Then started to make up some brackets to hold the new stainless line on the loader Started to make up the new lines Ran out of stainless tubing, so I pulled the tractor over to chain fall and lifted up the loader with the new bucket on to see how it looked It goes a little higher then I want, so I'm going to remove 2" out of the lift cylinder rods. This is the hight that I want it to be. Not to bad for 6 hours of work

Cool video Guys- My Great--,--,---.Great Grandfather carried this Shotgun from Pennsylvania/ Maryland to Ohio, then Indiana where they settled after the Civil War. I'm doing some Genealogy searches to find out more-it's very interesting-Thanks-Al Sorry I dont have better pictures-

Amazes me how many people come along. 1st time posters, asking questions and advice on things they know nothing about. The dam shame of it is,,,,,,,,,whats it take of them to say, THANK YOU. My feelings to me anyway.

According to your signature, you're the specialist, But if it was me I'd look at the wear pattern on the rag joint, you will find that the shaft couplers are at 90* to each other and that they bolt up to the longer side of the rag joint lugs to allow for maximum movement. Loosen the set screws on the shaft flanges until the pump and engine are lined up and tightened down, then center the coupler so that their is minimum flex in the coupler and then tighten down the set screws. Make sure that the keys are fully engaged with the couplers.

an incredible basement? I love stuff like this.

I figured it out, so now you can view the pics. Thanks JimD for the IMG hint! Thanks for looking and your comments are welcome....Keith

Trust me, them 520's will blow some snow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX4qUILtQ1Y

I think it is time to throw in the towel and just send my C160 over to Martin's for a Magic Carpet Ride!

Leave a space or two between your text and the PB link, or hit enter a couple times and put the link below your text. Also be sure you are using the IMG link and not one of the others.

Photobucket site. I have done it that way for years but sometimes it doesn't work for unknown reasons. ???

for all those complaining about no updates, heres one........ got the wiring harness all sorted this morning. it had the typical problems for these models, burnt terminals in molex connectors and the 30 amp fuse terminals were also burnt into the plastic fuse block. so purchased a new fuse block (del city part #73895 $4.14ea) and i used a few molex connectors from the kit i purchased earlier on for 416#1. i went through one area at a time, pulling and cleaning all the terminals or replacing if they were corroded or burnt. the ignition switch plug was also changed out for a good one as it wasn't holding the terminals correctly. all the wiring and plugs that were reused were given a good scrub to get them looking better...... heres a typical problem with the fuse blocks, too much electrical heat causes the terminals to burn or melt into the holder. I've had fuses welded to the terminals as well. new fuse block i used just about all the standard harness, cutting off the terminals that were bad and crimping new ones on. here the old fuse terminals have been removed and replaced with new, pushed home into fuse block. the factory fuse holder has the same bridged terminals as the replacement. the 30 and 25 amp fuses are both fed by a bridged terminal with one wire from the starter. i thought it would be better to run two independent wires from the starter to each fused circuit rather than run all through the one. the 1995 416-8 harness only runs one wire oem, but i noticed that my 1991 416H has two wires....so they did do it at one stage. i just think that running all the current for these 2 circuits through one wire is why this area has a problem in the first place.... this is the two wire fuse bridged terminals, the single wire bridged terminal fell apart from corrosion and being burnt. these are the replacement ones, they come in a strip of 4 but i already cut them for this application. since i changed my mind and went with single terminals, these weren't needed anymore. the strip also makes it impossible to crimp with the tool i have so the two wire single method worked better for me. since i wanted to run two wires to feed two circuits here i needed to use a circuit through the engine harness connector.... there are two spare so that is no problem. i picked the one that the engine harness side of the plug has the white wire that runs to the starter. this wire isn't needed on this model, so i will leave this one out and replace with a red power wire. the empty position is in the middle. this is the tractor side of the harness and not the engine side..... the engine side has a white wire from this center position. so this plug was swapped out, terminals cleaned or replaced and the red wire added..... this is the white wire at the starter end of the engine harness..... typical reason why checking these terminals can avoid future problems..... harness getting there. made up the pto safety switch assembly, two new switches and replated bracket with new fasteners..... harness taking shape on hood stand. also started to clean up the engine ready to go back together. also got some more parts painted.....

Yep, same process here. I love the plastic.

I noticed that my 2 stage blower was throwing slower over the past few storms. It never really preformed like I thought it should ever since it was hooked up. It would clog up and slow down as it got loaded with heavier snow but the engine didn't sound like it was under load. No burning belt smell or clutch lining stink. Changed the belt anyway but no change so I pulled off the PTO bell. I could see that the lining was glazed and only contacting about 20% of the surface of the bell. So, I took my grinder to the bell to flatten and scuff the surface and used a flat block with 150 grit paper to smooth the clutch lining. WHAT a difference! It will throw that wet heavy snow over the trees now! It's hooked up to a 418 C If your blower is not performing as it should, this may be what you need to do. Single or 2 stage.

I can only speak from experience, but I have a 44" two stage on a 417-A and when I threw snow over the phone wires I was pretty confident it had enough horsepower, and I am not talking powder snow. I have an F-350 with a plow as I am in the snow plowing business and still use my ole' 417 to clear my driveway because it just makes me smile !!!!!!!

I drove 10 hrs to get one with 85 hrs on it or 20hrs if i can believe the PO about the " kid was playin on it & left the key on" " dog ate my home work" ect.etc. Gotta just wait it out, they'll show up

Replaced the coil and it's working well. The wires were chipped and worn in various spots especially where they passed through the slit in the blower housing. Thanks

Yes and the SMS-50 and SMS-505 have a different mounting plate and lift assy. than that used on the long frame tractors.

Wonder, is frame width the difference between a SML and a SMS-50" mower?

I have chains mounted but no weights. So far I have had good traction with just the chains. I got most of the area cleaned up tonight. Here is a picture of the horse sheltered under a friendly wing. Casey C-100 Casey C-100

This is the one I bring when I go to the city, for protection. She is our Airedale Ellie. We have 3 Goldens also which my son will post later.-Dennis