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I picked this 657 up this past fall on a whim. It was listed on Craigs List for what seemed like months for 75 bucks. I contacted the seller to arrange a look see. The engine was a Techy off a snow blower, strike one. The rear diff and the shifter were both locked solid, strike two. To make a long story short I couldn't find anything else to convince me to close my eyes and walk away so we settled on 50 bucks and I loaded it up, I got it home and dragged it in my shop. Within ten minutes the shifter was freed up. I pulled the plug on the diff and the water came out first and the sludge tried to come out. I then filled the rear diff up with kerosene and let it sit for an hour while I went inside and ate some dinner. I made my way back into the garage and what do ya know, she now rolls. Pulled the plug again and all the nasty sludge made its way out. Filled it with Kero again. I then monkey'd around with the Techy enough to get it too run. It ran ok but just like any Techy snow blower engine, kinda dizzy and kinda crappy. I ran it around for ten minutes and flushed the diff a few more times and then filled it with oil. All is well there now. The next day I tore the Techy off and put on a K141 that I had "In Stock" I wanted this tractor because I wanted a pull start tractor, a tractor I could leave outside in the coldest weather without having to worry about a battery going dead. Not too mention if I had to buy ANOTHER new battery it certainly wasn't going to go in this tractor! This old war horse starts within two pulls every single time, even if there is a foot of snow covering it. She has hauled firewood from the wood pile out back to the house all winter without a single problem. I've thought a few times about doing a total restoration on it as a reward for good behavior but there isn't really room inside to store it with all the other Horse's taking up my space. I think the only thing I'm going to do is add the proper style seat and call it done. At least that is the plan for now, when warm weather finally gets here and if I'm feelin it ya just never know....

My son did he was impressed with the black soot around the burn.

There's much to report on the little Electro! The progress has been slow but steady as I had some time. Here it is in the "service bay" getting ready to have the lift valve installed and plumbed. At that point it was almost complete. The hood had been prepped already complete with a decal for the headlights. The headlights that came in the kit were never going to look right so I tried this and it looks pleasing to me! Steering wheel ready to go. After adding the levers and neutral pedal she was done! Of course, it had to have a Harrison Elementary Garden Tractor Club logo on the rear fender. Go Huskies! I brought it to the Baton Rouge Scale Modelers meeting last night and the guys were floored! Nobody had ever seen anything like this built before. They enjoyed the stories about interacting with the people on Red Square, too. It's a world they didn't know about. So this has been an adventure that I wouldn't mind repeating. There are already plans in the works for another possible Wheel Horse project and I can't thank all the forum members enough. This couldn't have come out like it did without all the help and support. I will definitely keep checking back in to this really cool forum! See you soon!

...er ah well sort of. I bought an 18 Automatic from a fellow Redsquare member that had it (the 18) listed in the classifieds. This 18 was being job lotted together with a rear grader blade, three point hitch, rear quick attach axle bracket and rear wheel weights. I also was given free delivery!!! When the tractor arrived there was an old rusty Brinly plow on the trailer, I thought that it was for somebody somewhere else. I was surprised when one of the gentlemen delivering the tractor picked up the plow and set it down with all the other stuff. Well after I had it stored in my shed for some time while I was working on a resto/mod of my 18 I decided I would have a go at disassembling it piece by piece and sanding, primering and painting them or having my brother take them to where he works and powder coating them. (Best part about this is he does it free.). I had to get some replacement parts because the "U" bolt and clamp were missing for the coulter standard and the crank had stripped threads due to someone trying to remove both of the nuts at the same time. I also used all new hardware. Then I added the decals (Repo.). I only have one before picture of the plow. P.S. I also was given the three point hitch adapter for the plow, seems to be modified a little.

How'd you take that picture ??

This is a long story so bear with me. My wife and I go to my brother's Elks lodge for Friday dinner quite often. The last time we went a little over a month ago, sitting at my brother's table was a man named Bob Shinsing. Quite a friendly fellow and we quickly learned he had been an aircraft mechanic during the Korean war. As we talked he told us about his hobby of making airplane bird feeders. He showed us some pics of them all with different themes. I got thinking he probably could do a plane but I didn't want to ask. After we left the first thing he says to my brother is, "Do you think they would like one of my planes?" Of course my brother said yes and suggested the theme. Fast forward to yesterday and a certain Dino finding a box of VCR tapes of old monster movies on his step. What a surprise!! A giant "Saurus sitting in a lawn chair in his basement with a TV tray full of chips and his mug watching B movies. On my birthday no less Today I get home late after a really long week. sitting on my porch is this airplane bird feeder with emblems on the tail! .I tried to think of who could have sent it as I only got to know Bob for like an hour. Then I saw the card inside from my brother and it all came back. Needless to say I was shocked! I called my brother and he got a big kick out of it. Gotta figure out how to get on next year's calendar! Enjoy the pics!

Lots of folks need them - some folks can make them and others will need to buy them. I'm assuming the average guy doesn't wish to invest $100 - $200 into supplies and tools to re-create a C series wire harness in a professional manner, What price would you be willing to pay for a complete C series harness ? Not a 520H, Lawn Ranger, or 416, but a C SERIES harness. all new connectors all new tin plated terminals heavier duty marine grade wire heatshrink and soldered terminals dielectric grease on all terminals tested, packed and shipped to your door. What's that worth? Is it profitable for someone to take on the task of becoming a vendor of new wiring harnesses?

I've had trouble with the knob on my throttle cable spinning on the shaft when I try to lock it in position so I drilled a hole and put a roll pin in it. I'm hoping that will cure the problem.

Must've been signed by Cecil at some point.

I got this finished up today, overall I'm pretty happy with how it turned out considering I painted this one myself.

He called a half hour ago and "I will be out front at your place in two minutes. Get your coat on and come outside." I said I will be there. I go outside and what do I see a newly gathered RJ! He got a K91 motor with it (but not on the tractor) ,. A little rough but $300 and he is on to another restore project. A gave him a points cover and a recoil cup to help him on his way!

Installed the foot rests, cover, and guards on the rear 520. Front 520 rear wheel in the tire changer showing protective tape on edge of rim. Rear tires assembled, leak checked, and installed on front 520. Cleat

As always pics would help but it doesn't sound like a bad deal to me. The Electro 12's are one of my favorites for getting the job done. I just wish I still had one! I traded mine off to a loving home a few yrs. ago. I'm always on the look out for another one, they are a very capable snow pusher as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSbaHkb0OqY

Now , what are the chances of you making a scale model of ME so I can ride it ??? J K ^ . Stunning !

Congragulations on the new project. I'm happy to hear your boys will have a wrench in their hands.

After Cecil signed my first tractor at the first show W.H. Show he attended someone standing next to me said WOW do you know how much you just increased the value of your tractor ? This was in no way, shape , or form the reason I wanted Mr.Pond to sign my tractor. I just thought man holy cow I got one of my tractors signed by the man himself, how cool is that ! The next show he came to he signed another one of my tractors and the signatures don't look the same. Now I did not get pictures of him signing them but I don't care because I know they are real and I feel very fortunate to have them. God bless this man who inadvertently gave so many of us such a good clean hobby that can be shared by all age groups.

I have already done that a few times

I took the sickle bar off and put the mower deck on this morning. I bought this with the intent to make it a worker, I'll use it to mulch leaves this fall then put the snow blower on it for the winter. I've been tinkering with Wheel Horses for a few years now and I finally have one that I can use. This is what it looked like when I brought it home.

Hey everyone, here is the article that we ran in LAGT, Volume 3, Issue 5. A lot of controversy about this. Very interesting story though. Enjoy!

Took the windolph out in the snow to pull logs.

I should really know better, but this morning I was modifying some galvanised hinges off my shed. Mig cranked up at 150 amps and holding the two pieces of clean, but galvanised steel together. Pressed the button and pow!! Massive crack and molten metal spatters everywhere. The result being a black and burnt finger.... Next time I'll clean the zinc off :hide:

This was approved by Karl. My local Toro WH dealer is selling out. There are lots of tractors, chassis', engines, transmissions, and parts new and used. Buy some or Buy all! He will be selling stuff before the auction. Saturday, May 3, 2014, 10:00 a.m., Morgan's Small Engine Repair 18173 Route 6 Mansfield, PA 16933 - Commercial Real Estate - 2.8 acres w/ mobile home, Commercial shop/retail building, 24x40 pole building (Subject to prior sale - United Country Realty Pioneers - Dusty Jelliff 570-418-0935) 1997 Dodge pickup w/snowplow, 15+/- reconditioned lawn tractors, small forklift, dozens of parts lawn tractors, HUGE quantity of new & used parts, shop tools & equipment, chain saws, weed eaters, much more!! Photos coming soon.

Lookie what I won for $55 on a local online auction site over in Grand Rapids.... Can't tell if the dark spots are rusted through or just wet but the rest looks in great shape. I can't wait to go pick it up tomorrow.

the epoxy should be chemical resistant, just clean it up in the parts cleaner and dry it off with a blow gun. I have done it many times with no problems. It is a good time to check if any magnets are loose also. you can reinstall loose ones with JB weld.

disassemble the carb first, I don't soak the floats, just spritz them off with the aerosol carb cleaner. after soaking the carb parts and washing them off blow dry them with compressed air, then grab your carb cleaner and install the straw on the nozzle and spray down thru all of the small passages and carefully watch to see that they are clear and flow lots of cleaner relative to their size, then blow out with more air before assembly. I have to disagree with Daveoman DO NOT USE TIP CLEANERS or any other solid object like a drill bit or ice pick in any of the internal passages in the carb. al of the small holes are precisely calibrated and accidentally modifying them will probably result in a carb that won't perform properly and can't be adjusted to make the engine run right.

Of course, its energy efficient, good for the environment and you don't spill your beer :D

You're right, Mike. I had two "Kenosha Cadillacs" back in the '70's. By that time other than the engine and body, AMC was more of an "assembler." They were good cars though, plus I was buying locally! I still have my factory manuals too. A guy up the road about 1 1/2 miles away has two AWD Eagles and a Hornet. I would love to have an Eagle SX/4 for winter driving. A '67-'69 AMX is out of reach!

Yes the Electro 12 is a great capable tractor. It has become indispensible around here. Probably most noticeable pushing snow since it is effortless with it and it is FAST.Very important when backing up to the driveway after pushing snnow across street. Can be a bit pricey to repair the electric components specially the ignition on the 69 if something goes wrong but in my opinion well worth it.We named ours Kenny. Hey Ken just realized it looking at the video, you forgot to leave the hubcaps! Believe me, it is all that and more. It gets respect from everyone with that exhaust.

This is a great idea, BUT I sell a lot of parts, and get asked about harness's, many tractors are not the same, even how the wires are routed are not, so a harness on the shelf might only fit a few machines, most will have to be custom built, and from experience selling stuff, I bet you will not sell many if the price is above $50 sad to say, and I bet you will have $25 in parts for a common harness, plus labor

The biggie is if that electric PTO is in good shape. I got well used Electro 2 yrs. ago right out of the middle of the snow belt. Some one had converted it to a manual PTO. Had a worn out cab, worn out blower, nice deck,snow blade and rear weights. I wanted the weights more than anything. Sold the cab to one guy. Scrapped the blower. Sold the deck to one friend and sold the tractor and blade to his brother. Ended up owning the weights for free! .Here's Jack oiling it down on the "Retail Ready'" line at last years Steam Pageant

Very true, which is why I highlited the C Series statement. Supplying individual replacement wires is also a possibily' If your ignition wires burn up, maybe a 2 or 3 piece replacement kit could be made available. If you choose to rewire just your seat switch, maybe just supply replacements to the original spec's. This method would still save the buyer time and $$$ in searching out and buying bulk quantities of wire, terminals and connectors.

Beautiful work. Now, a built to scale... little RJ and tub cart sitting along side it would be the cherry on top.

Seems like some should be a little more or less, depending on complexity.

Doing good Chaz - just can't wait to wake up one of these mornings and not have the thermometer still be below 0F. C'mon man, it's March already!!

Mike looks good. It will be a beast when done. 16 hp. wow. Take your time and enjoy every moment with your kids may be do some video of the project? This will be good for you in years to come when old and gray!!!!! Gary B.....

Sounds like a fuel pump issue to me. Thats gonna cost you $40. The Craftsman seat I could live with on a worker as long as its in good shape. If a new fuel pump solves the oil in the crankcase problem then $400 (roughly) for the tractor with all the other goodies thrown in is a good investment.

Yes Craig, of course you're right. They put it on a stack of books or movie cases so it was elevated up out of the signal, so it just broke the glass instead.

You're right Bob we all have the right to change our minds. All the questioning could have been alleviated with a courteous post saying, "Guys I have changed my mind, these tractors are too close to my heart and aim not going to sell them. Sorry for getting anyones hopes up. I hope you guys understand"

Bob hit it straight. I wondered when someone would look at the original post. I had nothing to do with the sale just posted the info where it would be seen. And yes there are more new Wheel Horses out there. I've tried for yrs to get a new C175 I know of Heck in central VA area there is a 95 520 with a two stage snowblower that has never been off since new I hauled it down there 7 yrs ago And thats all it does is snowblow. When I was there last summer it had 14hrs on it and is mint

Looking really good Gazza you must be very proud of what you've achieved there! Andy

Well, the best way for me to shop for parts is to shop around. E bay, Parts tree, Pat's Small Engine up here in MN and some others. As far as my local Toro Dealer….a waste of time. My local small engine shop is limited ,but they're helpful and can order me parts and tell me if its a good deal or if I can get it cheaper else ware . As a whole, I think all of the Wheel Horse and small engine stuff is getting very spendy. I think it's just a sign of the times. So my advice is check around before you buy…and if you find a good deal,buy two or more if you think you'll need it again some day.

good progress . looking forward to seeing the rebuild , will give the cider vinegar a go

...and how.

Solution to pouring thinner from a metal can without sloping it everywhere. Cut a hole In the side of a plastic quart container. Fasten it on with a rubber o ring. Presto, hands free operation.

Well I must admit the crimpers are borrowed. I asked the electricians and Bio-med guys at work and they had none. So I stopped at my auto mechanics garage who I have known since childhood and he had them in one of his toolchests. He had them since he worked at Yenko Chevrolet many many years ago. He said he hardly uses them at all any more.

Ramps or an embankment to raise the front wheels of the truck will help too... lowers the approach angle of the loading ramps into the bed of the truck(less incline is safer) You never want to stand beside the tractor while it's going up into the bed, if it slips and falls, bet your bippy...it'll be on top of you. I typically use first gear and goodly amount of throttle to ensure it gets up the ramps, into the bed the first time, and I walk up behind, following the tractor up the ramps makes it easier to get to the key as soon as the rear wheels leave the ramps into the bed. No slapping it into neutral, and then turning off the key either. Just turn it off in gear...stops dead. Seems to me it would be safer backing it up the ramps too, but I have yet to experiment with that thought.

Finally got the Hood done and ready to go back on. I have a few days off after Christmas and hope to get some work done on it. But according to the weatherman the garage is gonna be cold.

I have a large work shop all to myself where I work. I also work on parts and what not at lunch time, and on the weekends. I refurbed this Economy tractor in the shop at work. The Boss loved it! Your tractor is coming along nicely!

Just busy at work Mike, been spending way too much time in this thing.

Denny, about your question on the etank of the gas tank. I have never tried to etank the inside of anything, but if you try, you will have to put the donor rod down in the tank and make sure it doesn't touch the sides. Let us know if you try it and how it works. Typically, I just put rocks with kerosene in the tank and shake it until I think it is clean. Others have used similar approaches, but suspended it in a cement mixer or cloths drier to rotate the tank for a while. The 857 was my first garden tractor. The 8 hp Kohler has a lot of torque and the short wheel base works great in smaller yards. My son has mine now for his yard. I have tried to upgrade him to others, but it is the one he learned to drive in the late 80's and grew up with, so, he wouldn't have any other. Ours is still a worker and has never let us down. Have fun!!