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What a great week it has been. Wednesday night we were interviewed by our local newspaper. They put our club on the front page and did a very nice article on the kids. We are very thankful for the opportunity to share about our project with others. On hand for the event was another reporter of a online local paper. The article was finally posted late last night. There are a few goofs in the article itself, but you can get the idea. It was great having this opportunity to tell our story. I am not real comfortable being video taped, so bear with me. You can see the interview and article here: http://www.staceypageonline.com/2014/05/02/harrison-celebrates-new-tractor-club-building/ Late Wednesday night I received word that the kids had their essay chosen and are now proud owners of a B-80 donated by Mr. Barrett and sponsored by the LAGT magazine. They were excited to hear the news the next morning at school. Now it looks like I will be seeing all of you next month out in PA! Finally I arrived home last night to find my issue of LAGT magazine in the mailbox. The kids are now honored in the magazine with a very nice article. Thank you Kate for asking for a story on them. So what a week! We now have a bunch of work to do! Stay tuned!

It was a great day and the rain held off. The Auction service did a fantastic job getting through all the stuff. Owner bought new batteries for all the runners so they started. I thought most of the stuff went high. $200 for a beat up 520 roller with no motor a half torn apart trans a swept axle but no gear reduction. A view from the end of the mower rows with my B-I-L haming it up! I did score a decent RD deck. Battle of the Titans! Elvis, Here's your sign!

had to remove the spindles and pulleys from this 42" deck, well the pulleys did not want to come off . heat, banging, heat, penetrating oil, banging,, heat, ect, ect, ect. they would not budge, so i looked on the forum for similar problem and saw the pulleys had no keys in them. so i took the old belt (bad) and cut it. tied one end to the heighth adjuster, wrapped around the pulley twice, then pulled it around the other side of the deck in a way i could get a good grip and pull it tight. already had the blade off, so an impact wrench on the blade side of the spindle and a bit of tugging on the belt and presto, the pulleys spun off with no damage. i might make a tool that would be a belt with hook on one end a couple feet of belt and a bar bolted on the other end of belt where it could be jammed somewhere on the deck and pulled tight with the bar as a handle. that would squeeze pretty tight on the pulley and get a grip, the impact worked well. then again there probably already is such a tool somewhere. hope this helps someone else out there.

Was browsing some new mowers and they were guaranteeing the FRAME for 2 years! Give me a break. If they have to say something about the frame it will probably not be around in 10.

was so nice out i wheeled the 416-8 outside in the sun for some pics. click on them and make them big, looks so much better..... right now I'm working on cleaning up some small stuff that needs doing, throttle and choke cables, gauges, ignition light switch. i also got the idiot light center all cleaned up and fitted. heres the pics. out in the sun..... cleaned up originals....... the volt meter face is faded and didn't come up as nice as the hour meter, may get replaced with new, still on the fence though. i had to paint the bezel on the hour meter as the black was worn through in places. i didn't do the volt meter yet..... ignition and light switch were good so they just got a clean too, the tractor had the toro key and still was in good shape, just needed some good cleaning..... the throttle cable lever was painted black and the oem plating cleaned up well with just a polish.....

It's not unheard of a main seal spinning or moving with the crankshaft. Not so much as spinning as fast as the crank but actually rotating somewhat. Even though it's pressed in. I had this happen on a couple of K rebuilds. I talked with a very experienced small engine re-builder and he showed me a old service bulletin from Kohler on this very subject. All Kohler recommended was using some of the orange sealant on the outside of the seal to the block. Not very much just enough to keep it in place in case it decides to move. I never would have thought after a press fit that it would move. All the K's I have rebuilt this only happened on two of them, so it must just be a small percentage. Wonder if it was the seals, block or what that cause's this. All I know is it can make a big mess in a hurry.

Just received my May/June issue of Lawn & Garden Tractor magazine and read the article by Scott explaining this new club to the readers. Scott, you have done a wonderful thing for these kids, and the folks that have helped with donations are also top notch! Thanks for your good work. No wonder your Fall M & G is well attended, as you are the best!

Got a call about 2 weeks ago asking if I wanted to buy a entire collection, mostly WH stuff, lots of parts and about 10 tractors, so after work the next day I drove the 40 miles to take a peek at them, I spent over a hour looking at the piles and boxes of parts, checking the tractors over, trying to come to a price, the owner might agree on, we haggled a little and both agreed on one, well that as I said was 2 weeks ago, today I go to pick everything up, yes lots of pics to follow, later today and tomorrow, pretty sure it will be a few loads to get it all, here is a few teaser shots from when I looked the first time.

It finally stopped raining long enough to get the pics of the 312 Hydro I got last Saturday. Just got the new front tires on, it has the chrome hubcaps also, I have them in the basement trying to get the rust off.

If it is creeping backwards, it needs an adjustment. I had to do mine twice on the 520xi because I had it right but then after driving it and it was warm, it still crept a bit backwards.

Bob, if you've any interest in my 2 cents worth.... I've a friend who owns a "1937" Ford pickup with the flathead V8 engine in it. he has been street rodding for probably 40 years...plenty of knowledge when it comes to the old Fords. he has looked at both of my Seniors, and in his opinion, the rear and transmission are identical to the ones in his truck. consequently, I have acquired various gaskets and parts for my tractors from a catalog put out by "Mac's" antique auto parts. you can find them online, then if you like, order their catalog to order parts as needed. I've purchased the rear axle housing gaskets there........ you'll want to order the .010 thickness gaskets because upon measuring the originals, I found they were that size. although it is not as critical as say in a higher speed vehicle, the backlash of the ring and pinion should not be altered. I've also got the torque tube rear gasket from them. also, if memory serves me well, I got a universal gasket set for the transmission. you'll find things like the rubber seals for the drag link and tie rods in their catalog. things like the brake lining are also in there catalog, it just may take a bit of research to figure out exactly what you may need. as for the vintage of the Senior, I agree with Bob R. 100%..... the Seniors use the V8 tranny and rear, and the Lever steers use the Rockford clutch and the model A tranny..... probably uses the model A rear also? I'm certainly by no means an expert on the Seniors, but after researching and tinkering with them since 1998. I've come to know a little bit about them. hope this offers a bit of insight for you. Good luck! Dan

$5047!!!??? I would pay that in a minute for that tractor with those attachments!

Well I opted not to replace the OEM Fuse Block with another block due to space constraints. I replaced all three fuses with individual fuse holders with caps to keep the clippings out of them. The 30 and 20 amp fuse holders are bridged per the schematic. The 15 amp light circuit is not fed from the other two. The wiring wasn't messed with under there at all. The original owner did replace two wires in the lower harness connection that were broken off but that is it. The old fuse block wasn't burnt or melted. Just the contacts that held the 30 amp fuse. (They were burnt/corroded and would not hold the fuse tight at all). I also replaced the relay and bought another so I actually had two relays per the schematic. (NAPA Replacement Parts). I went over all the wiring I could see under and around the steering column and steering fan also. No concerns. With that, we fired it up. It had a hiccup or two but seems to be firing right away now although in my opinion, I feel there is some hesitation from the initial turn of the key until the starter engages. Since I used fuse holders, I have access to the fuses without having to remove the battery. I'll keep an eye on the 30 and 20 amp fuses for awhile looking for any heating/melting of the fuse body. I may replace the key switch though I know TT did have a new one in there. I re-hooked the safety switches to the parking brake indicator and the clutch pedal. The rest were already bypassed due to broken switches. Idiot lights all work as they did before the fix so I didn't mess something else up fixing another issue as sometimes happens when jerking 22 year old wire harnesses around. Now time will tell if this got it or it falls back to where it was. Several times I thought I had this fixed only to have it not fire again. Thanks for all the comments and fixes for this!

If you change the tranny fluid, be prepared to spend a long time refilling it. It holds 6 quarts, but refill is only 4. However, the fluid has to go down the same narrow tube that the escaping air must come out. I recommend getting the new fluid nice and warm and it may go faster. I did mine in late October one year. That was a mistake!

Just got back with the second load, but here is a few pics of the first one. Back of the wifes van had them hanging out the sides Back of my suburban Can you see 5 complete tractors in the pic ?? they are even all in one piece 2 suburbans, a lawn Ranger, a Simplicity, and a Anniversary edition WH plus LOTS more I'll get pics of the rest in a bit, I need to eat been on the go from 6am, it's 2:30 now

Here's a copy of the previous owners receipt for my 314 H. $4761 plus tax. This included a deck and blower. Sent from my tractor seat using Tapatalk 2

If anyone has the info, I would be curious as to what a 312-8 cost in 1985. Also the price for a 2007 42" SD mower deck.

You did an awesome job in the video Scott! This story and what you're doing is incredible.

Bob, how many levers and seniors have you ushered through your place now? Among you, Larry, and Dave p. it's probably been the bulk of them made. I always enjoy your inputs on these dinosaurs! Steve

I have sales receipt from my 1992 or 94 314h somewhere. Believe it was about $4k plus $900 for 42" RD AND $900 for single stage blower. I paid $1500 for it 3 years ago with the deck. It just turned 200 hours.

Buy it! I purchased mine @ 1100 hours with a factory loader. It didn't go over 4mph. Every nut and bolt on the pedal linkage was loose. One nut had even fallen off. Remove the sheet metal, rear fender, foot rest, driveshaft cover. Buy a tube of loctite and start wrenching. I'm confident you'll be fine. My steering linkage was just as sloppy. You wouldn't even know its the same machine. Concerning the cam. If the the tractor isn't creeping don't touch it. At 1000+ hours as a word of caution I would completely drain and refill trans oil. Obviously replace the filter as well. Hope this helps Kevin I have a 5xi service service manual. Unfortunately it's at the other house. I'm pretty sure I downloaded it and printed at no charge. Even @ $10-20 it's money well spent.

I would just replace it. resonable priced seats can be found. Glenn

My strategy is spare decks.

Just added it to the notes of this file Hydraulic pump belt - Wheel Horse 1591 nla Use Toro 83-2900, Gates 6748 3/8"x48", Napa 3L480W 3/8"x48". Garry

If it doesn't work I have a plan to weld a ripper tooth on the bottom of the deck lift linkage. When you pull back it anchors the tractor to the ground. The harder to tries to get away, the deeper it digs in. Just kidding. lol The plan calls for two rippers. lol

It took me nearly three weeks to get time in the garage to see where the oil was leaking from my recent engine overhaul. The tins, fins and block were damp with slinging oil enough that the grass clipping stuck fast to everything and made a real mess. I cleaned everything off with cleaner and compressed air, reinstalled the flywheel and stator, then ran he engine several minutes to determine the oil leaks origin. After I removed the flywheel the second time, thinking I was going to find a leaking cam plug, I was surprised to learn it was the flywheel side crankshaft seal that had leaked. More cleaning, removed the old seal with a hook shaped pick, ran silicon around the new seal and installed it to the depth of 0.0315 below the blocks surface. So far it appears to be holding. I am glad! We've had so many flood level rains the grass here is almost out of control, my next day off will provide the needed seat time. My next project is to replace the six deck arbor bearings and install three new "wheel horse" brand cutting blades. I hope y'all are doing well with your tractors - hot weather is just ahead for us.

Looks like I have bunch of entries to add to the list!! I'll get to them guys just not this minute. There's no need to post follow up duplicate entries... I haven't been here to read them! I'm just coming off an extremely busy winter work season, and I'll get to them as soon as I can, but in the meantime, please keep them coming!

My Cart is now finished and done, now I'm making room for my next project that will arrive home on Saturday! Eeeek!

Greetings gsummers, I'm new here too, only a month and a few days since I got my 312-8, paid the same price for it, love it. Great place here, tons of good info and what not, but watch out that WHA (Wheel Horse Addiction) is strong stuff. I just got my 2nd tractor, an old rusted 1974 B-80.

Just got it home! I think I did good. The seller is a great guy too. The serial # is gone. Once I get to that point I'm thinking I'll see if vinylguy can modify the overlay to just say Suburban 400 instead of SER. NO. As I mentioned, I need to find a crankshaft and the tranny gear but I want to get it torn down to confirm what I need. After I flush out the tranny I'll tear everything apart and do a complete restoration. Sheetmetal work is my weak link but this one won't be a problem. The hitch will be replaced with an era correct slot hitch. The cable is there. I'll be able to rebuild the throttle/choke controls I want to find a new steering wheel but this one will do until that happens. There's a lot of little things but I can't type fast enough to list them all and I'm sure you folks will see some I haven't mentioned. I did ask the seller if by some chance he had the guard and shield. No luck. He winters down here and lives in upstate New York in the summer. He was debating taking this back so he'd have more potential buyers but he didn't have the room to haul it. This is going to be so much fun. It won't be 100% original. I'll use a lot of stainless hardware and tweak a few things. Of course I'll post my progress but it will be a long process. My wife is happy for me but said last night "Just don't let the projects around the house come to a halt". Gotta do my best to keep her happy.

Well the posty has been Plans to make, stuff to do, back soon....

I always wondered what Joe's Power Equipment facility looked like -- he's the guy on eBay that sells all the parts from one Wheel Horse, hundreds, nearly every week on eBay, and who a lot of us have purchased parts from. He has a informational site on the RedSquare sister site; GardenTtractorTalk: http://gardentractortalk.com/forums/topic/12358-a-visit-to-joes-outdoor-power/ Interesting to see how clean, neat and organized his facilities are in the two dozen photos here, and understand how they operate there. Glen