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Been working for a month or so trying to buy this 654 finally made a deal for $150.00 and brought her home,new carb,fuel line & a good scrubbing its original skin cleaned up pretty good...

Last night I was going through some things looking for a specific manual for something. I didn't find that, but I did happen across the owner's packet that came with the 420LSE that's now in my possession. Included in the embossed vinyl pouch was the hang tags affixed to the tractor, the owner's manuals, the detailing instructions for the 48" deck, warranty card, and return envelop for the little chrome plate that attaches to the hood. Apparently you'd send the plate to Ireland Rd. with your 18 character personalization request, they'd engrave it and send it back. Thought you all might like to see this stuff. Also note the extra chrome-plated, hairpin cotter enclosed. Steve

Golf cart ...that is. Complete with beverage holder, foot control (permits drinking while driving), and heater for the cold weather duffers.

Hey all, look what I grabbed for 500 bucks! I'm out in SLC Utah and these just don't exist out here, in fact its the only one that I've ever seen. It came with a 42 inch rear discharge, and a 2 stage snow thrower. I have one other garden tractor a JD 317, and several throw-aways. My wife thinks I'm crazy, maybe a mid-life crisis or something, but I'm in love . It had been stored outside for years, the paint is bubbled, the deck spindles were frozen. I lubed them up, took a wrench to them, and presto they freed up. I drained the gas, changed the oil which smelled like gas btw, and it fired right up. The engine sounds more like a Harley than a mower which doesn't suck. I'll be going through the carb, changing plugs, and adjusting valves. It's low and mid range seem to be a bit rough. I'm also going to clean around the shrouds make sure there aren't any rats living in there. So to commemorate the 4th and wheelhorse, I put it in our neighborhood parade, and dragged the wife, kids and neighbors kids around in it. The float sign says "oh say can you see" in case it is tough to read on the pictures. I also did something I now regret, which was hook a power inverter on it and powered a smoke machine. I think I may have damage the stator. It doesn't seem to charge anymore. So I could use some help on where to start with that one. I have it on a battery tender charging it and can mow just fine, but each time I try and restart it cranks slower. I know this should be in the electrical section but I wanted to show it off here. Also, does anyone else's throttle creep down when they mow? If there is an easy fix for that it would be much appreciated. I'm planning a repaint, in fact purchased the Earlex HVLP that I saw someone mention on Red Square. Any bits of knowledge that are obvious to long term WH owners but maybe not to me are appreciated. Anyway thanks for the great community, hope you like the pics. Edit- found the forum post on how to fix the throttle

that is pretty darn cool. best part is if you hit into rough that you think is a little to thick just flip the pto and turn it into a fairway

Gorgeous ... some guys have all the luck.

here's some more oh and Neil, that bloke to the left looks awfully lot like this bloke Koen

Who is the good looking geezer in the background to the left of the picture?

Cheap no name oils will smoke. SAE 30 in Shell Rotella T1, or a nice 15w-40 diesel oil in a pinch. Set points at like 18 or so, and see if there is a knock. I will say this carefully, an oil burning kohler that does NOT knock, can still last a lifetime. But the problem is even the best maintainers can slip up and forget to check the level, or push it another 20min and she's toast. So it would be best to re-ring it.

Portage Wisconsin 3rd Annual Garden Tractor Daze - July 11-13, 2014. The guy who puts on this show promotes it on other forums, but must not be a member here. MTF show promotion link This is their third year. I've seen it advertised in LAGC magazine and have wanted to go the past two years but wasn't able to make it. I'll be there this year on Friday (and probably Saturday) Anyone else going? Portage WI is about 30 miles or so north of Madison around where I-39 splits from I-90/94. Just south east of the Wisconsin Dells.

Good looking tractor Mike

Epoxy paints come in one or two components plus a reducer. Single part epoxy paints are OK and are better than enamels for corrosion and chemical resistance but a true 2 part or 2K epoxy is best for chemical resistance. Oil refinery tanks that hold gas and components to make gas all are lined with special 2K epoxy systems. Where epoxy paints fall short is they don't do well in the sun, they chalk bad fast. That is where a 2K urethane topcoat makes an excellent system. CARC paint on Military stuff is a moisture cure or 2 K water based urethane with a 2K epoxy underneath...

That is the patina that I love in my herd for sure !!

You might just get the hard hat award without even having to go to the show.

"Quiet on the course Quiet on the course..." "what the heck is that lopey idle golf cart doing?!?"

If grounding doesn't help it, I would run a hot wire from the battery to the positive side of the coil, which will bypass the ignition switch, solonoid, etc. If it starts with the hot wire, the problem lies somewhere in the ignition system, or possibly one of the safety switches. Its worth a shot...

I hear he ate well!

Rodney Dangerfield would love this feature !!!

That's kinda what I thought Steve. I've actually got two that are in about this condition. It's hard to tell in the picture but the inside half of the inner teeth look like they've had very little use which, to me, indicates the problem when I was only getting half engagement on the input gear. Now that you've got me better educated on these things I wouldn't have spent the bucks on the NOS gear considering the use the Suburban will see. But I gotta admit, it's a good feeling to have the new one in there and everything working great. It's sitting on a cart in the garage and I find myself shifting the gears when I walk past it sometimes. In spite of the new gear I promise, no snow pushing for this one Looking forward to hearing back from bunson70 to see how his goes.

I know my rights, I know my rights, I know my rights! I have seen that one and another one where the guy Pee's along the road while on a GT. Sorry to bust anyone's bubble, but it is all "staged".

neither can I...... without getting into a big story about the decals, they are getting sorted, with a very big amount of time put in by Terry to try and keep me happy......... Thank you, Terry...... (hang in there, were almost there, I hope!!!!) not ready for any pics, just yet.....

Sounds like you may have internal leakage in your hydraulic valves. SO that when you are shifting the valve the the contract position some fluid is leaking into the extend end of the cylinders and fighting against you. A couple of tests to confirm this would be to change the hoses so that they are backwards and see if the problem reverses itself or stays the same. One could also put a pressure guage on each line and record the differences between the two modes of operation. They should read nearly the same. It may also be that there is a restriction in the return line to tank (marked T on the valve) not letting fluid out fast enough.

Nice every one on the greens will be jealous. Nice work :)

Yeah, I still don't recognise him Koen, but I understand he had an amazing time at the show & he met some real nice people & he had an awesome time with the geezer in the green shirt lol

Bob, I would say that your spare #3523 gear would be Ok in a horse that is not a worker. I think it would pop out under a load like moving snow. Don't throw it away.

if real, may not have held up in court. The evidence rolled away at the end:)

yes it is leather I had the contents of my pouch in a 24x36 frame on display at the wheel horse show this year with the tractor Brian

Hey Casual, I don't think SLC harsh on equipment it's hot and dry in the summer. People complain about their cars rusting out early, but that's because the roads get salted a ton on the winter. I assumed that there weren't many Wh out here because farming isn't huge here like back east. But I honestly don't know. I picked this one up in a town called Midway which is more of a rural area. I have looked at our version of Craigslist (KSL) pretty much every day for 3 years and never seen a wheel horse. When I saw this one I jumped on it. It was Thursday and I couldn't get to midway till Sunday. I asked if she had much interest and she said not a ton. She called me back 15 min later and said that someone was coming to look. Long story short I offered to buy it sight unseen and I deposited the 500 in her bank without looking. Big gamble but it paid off. That's something about the Wh dealer on Beck. I know of several John Deer dealers in Utah, maybe they squashed them out. There isn't a large market for quality JD Garden Tractors but they do exist. Maybe just not enough room for both. Hey just a quick shout out to the moderators of this site. I've been on the other side IE green tractor forums, and this one is hands down better than any of theirs. It's much prettier nd easier to navigate. Thanks for the warm welcome all.

That would be your call Paul. With both motors in top condition I don't see where there would be any advantage in doing a double swap. The 14 is a bit more powerful so if you really wanted it in the 312-H the swap is quite easy. I'm not sure if the PTO is the same on your two and the donor but even if it isn't it still will be a direct swap. You'll have all the parts you need and things will bolt right up.

I got some wine too. It's nothing drastic... a 753 "kit" and something to hang on it. No pictures as it was literally just a pile of boxes and two three speed transmissions. I was hoping to get the tractor back together for Portage this weekend, but it appears that other time commitments are not going to let that happen. Anyone else going to the Garden Tractor Show in Portage, WI this coming weekend? I'm planning to be there Friday and Saturday at the moment... may only be Friday.

Was in Illinois visiting family for the 4th this past weekend, and took a whirlwind trip over to southern Michigan and back to pick up a tractor and attachment. Wish I would have had time to arrange to meet up with some members since I know there are a bunch of you over in that area, but it was already busy being a holiday weekend and I needed to get back for a family cookout in the evening. Anyone live near this dealer? It's at the edge of Bridgman on the corner of Lemon Creek Road and Red Arrow Highway. Just curious, as obviously the old Wheel Horse sign on the left caught my eye. Or anyone live by Nyes Apple Barn? Stopped for some fresh produce at Dutch Market Farm in South Haven... fresh blueberries and sweet cherries.... can you say yummy!!!??? Also stopped at Lemon Creek Winery just outside Berrien Springs for a few more souvenir flavors to take home. I knew Michigan had some good fruit, but have never been there to experience it first hand. As a kid grown up on orchard fruit I know there's nothing better in the world than fresh fruit. Very jealous of what you south western Michigan guys have readily at hand! I had never heard of the area being such a wine producer though.... going to have to bring the wife back for a few days and check it out more thoroughly when we can. One last memory I'll share from the trip.... at the stop when I met and got my new tractor and attachment was the parking lot of a good old Mickey D's.... you know fast food restaurants don't allow walk-ups to the drive thru.... guess that doesn't apply when the vehicle itself is walking?

Do you know the model number of this deck and the serial number? This may apply The spindles should stay in good alignment on the 48" decks because of the heavy reinforcement plate on top of the deck pan. Possibly a spindle assembly has been replaced with one a little different? Garry

You measure the cutting height from the ground to the cutting edge. Any other way will result in error. With the deck mounted to the tractor, parked on a flat smooth surface, and set at mid height, measure right side v. left side. Then on each side measuring the same end of each blade, measure front height and rear height. You must use the same end of the blade on the front to back measurement to account for a bent blade. It is pretty difficult to get accurate measurements so I have made gauge blocks in 1/8 inch increments and I just slide them under blade. With all the other problems you have going on here, you may have just some worn out parts that need replacing first. The deck might be sprung, but if you are the original or even long time owner and it has not been doing the uneven cut for its entire life, I would suspect a worn out part or maybe a broken spindle housing (or a housing that has been corroded away so not all the mounting bolts are there)

Now that looks like one "HAPPY HORSE". You should start a thread in the electrical forum for help on the charging issue. Detailed info will come on how to locate the problem. Hopefully it is a bad regulator ..... a $20 five minute replacement.

Looks like a tourist to me Neil... how 'bout them other "blokes", under the canopy on the right? Who are they?

Any member know what a good current oil seal part number may be for a replacement for the #4398 original oil seal???

I'll be sure to let you know when I make it back over there Jake... never had such fresh blueberries before... they were pretty awesome. Appears to be the prime of your season... are you busy harvesting?

Ahhhhh!!! She runs! And it's awesome - we got new tires, 6.5 width but they fit - we couldn't find any original size - our starter has a soft spot so were looking for a new one, if anyone has a rebuildable one ... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The C-165 is a shaker plate mounted motor. Check for a GOOD ground between the engine and shaker plate to frame. A bad ground will give you a weak spark...at best. You can try running a separate ground from motor to neg. side of battery too.

Thanks for posting that one up Koen! I'm a tad camera shy so Steve had to coerce me into stepping in front of the laptop.......glad I did now ! Mike.......

Sounds like you have it figured out. Yes, sometimes that is all it takes is a few pieces of wire stuck in the right pace, Glad you found it and figured it out...you should be good now. Let us know if that works for you.

I was blown away with all of the new old stock parts available! I know what I am going to be going for next year! The main things I was wanting this year was some belts, a solid link for the grader blade (found for $5 bucks!), and a steering wheel. I brought my 42" RD deck to sell but ended up trading it for the set of new old stock hub caps, and a 40" grader blade. I also really enjoyed looking through the original assembly manual for the 876 that I got. Finds: Here is the parts tractor I picked up. Hopefully I can get the steering wheel off.

I spent 18 years at Toro, and watched the last classic get crated and shipped out. It WAS a sad day!

You can avoid trying to take up slop with shims by taking up any slop with a split shaft collar. And you won't have to trust to a flimsy C clip to hold the wheel on. I switched to these collars some years ago on my two "C" chassis; one of the niftiest ideas obtained here in Red Square. http://www.usabearingsandbelts.com/m7/1SC-075--3-4-single-split-shaft-collar.html

I just wanted to let you know that I replaced the transmission & transaxle with one I bought on ebay. It took a little while, since I was alone, but the results are great! My Wheel Horse is up and running like a charm! Thanks for all your help with the manual and service bulletin. Hoping I get another 20+ years of service from my tractor!

There is an adjustment nut and dog screw on the front of the case that puts pressure on the shift lever. Remove the top shift plate cover and the bottom cover to gain access. Loosen the lock nut and tighten the dog screw down. Back the dog screw off a quarter turn or so. Test the shifter for tightness. When you have it to the point is shifting smoother , tighten the locking nut. Someone with more experience may be able to better describe the process. Sent from my tractor seat.

So after I got my 310-8. I scanned thru this forum quite a bit, because I needed to split the transmission, but after that, I kept checking up and observing different things. Before being here, I had no idea that a dirt plow could be attached to these tractors, or really, all that much else about them. I really have learned quite a bit from being here. So, after researching, and getting a plow and a disc, and doing some planting, I have a garden that is coming along great! I have a little bit of everything growing in it, and learning things here and there about it. I am just so excited that I was able to go thru and make a garden this year! If I had told myself two years ago that I'd have a garden growing at this time, I wouldn't have believed it! but hey, things interest you, and you get into it! Here is my garden, as of 3 days ago: I have to do some de-weeding tomorrow I think!

Chopping and stretching is half the fun. This should be neat!

CHROME???? A truck driver / boat captain use chrome or stainless??? Why ever would you ask??!! lol HELL YEA!!!

Roger, I heard that Terry's shop is getting really busy again so he may not be checking the forum regularly. If you go directly to his web site (ReDoYourHorse.com), you may get a quicker reply. I can tell you, though, that his decals are of the best quality you'll find anywhere! Duff :thumbs: