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So many of you know that I picked up a couple of tractors and some implements that had been sitting in weeds for many years. What you may not know is that for last 4 days I have been in the hospitol. I was bitten by a dog at work and 2 days later I was so sick that I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. Sepsis is a blood infection sometimes fatal. I had a 104.3 fever an extremely low blood pressure. Apparently when you don't have a spleen and suffer a dog bite it's a pretty big deal. Soooo.... after being released from hospital today my friend came over and we installed the carb that had been soaking since before I went in. Couple of pulls and it fired right up. So after a little adjusting I sat on the seat, put in 1st gear and yesssss ... it moved. Since the tires are falling off the rims I couldn't drive it but I did put it in each gear and they all worked. Even though it isn't the original engine it is a correct one. Tecumseh H60. I have tires for the rear, I ordered a pair with tubes for the fronts. I am really excited about this one. It cleaned up good. Needs more detailing and needs a seat. Also the usual oil change, fuel line, air cleaner... etc. More to come. NEVER TAKE YOUR HEALTH FOR GRANTED !!!! I am doing well. Being pumped full of antibiotics. Here are some photos of the 500 Special.

Here’s your cure for a smoker.

Yee haw. Parade laps, maybe tomorrow!

To avoid snapping the flange you have to pull against the back of the hub.

DAY TWO: today was thankfully not quite as adventurous as yesterday (thank God!). We woke up and had a delicious leisurely breakfast at the hotel restaurant and rolled out about 9:30am headed for Traverse City. It is the middle of their National Cherry festival right now and there was a ton of activity all through the town. I loved the cool architecture of the various homes and buildings. We parked the bike close to front street and spent a couple of hours walking up and down checking out the stores. We sampled some of the delicious cherry based garnishes at “Cherry Republic” and realized that you could find all kinds of souvenirs in this town should you so desire. However, we are still on the front end of our trip and traveling with a bike, limits your cargo capacity😉. Our stomachs started to tell us it was lunch time and around that time was saw a sign up ahead for BBQ. The place was called Sparks BBQ and the food was EXCELLENT! If you ever are up in Traverse City around mealtime—I highly recommend it. After our stomachs were full it was time to hit the road again. We hopped on the Couch and headed out on M22 “the loop”. The scenery was breathtaking as we drove along the coast through town after little town culminating with a hike up Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. Claudia wasn’t a fan of the hike but she loved the views from the top. At this point, we turned our noses southward and headed towards Kalamazoo. (One of Claudia’s favorite things to see was the doe and fawn that crossed the road) We have a pastor friend in that area that we hooked up with and had lodging there. All in all, we logged about 350 miles and were very thankful to have such a solid touring bike to ride!

Some pics might help here guy but the blade should stay looked into place by itself. No spring on mine anyway. They are a tricky implement to run since no down pressure. There might be a work around to get down pressure but not that I have figured out yet. I generally just go by foot pressure on the blade and a hand on the lift lever and go by feel. Worked good for this job but not hard pack. . I think @Achto or EB @ebinmaine might be able to chime in here as they have mid blades. I forgot to add the mid blade is about the most useful implement I have but I live in sand country.

For those of you that don’t like wordy threads, close this one and pick a different one😉 For those of you that don’t mind my story telling, stick around and I’ll weave you a tale of a motorcycle that I’ve owned since the week I met Kelli, many trips across mid America, and now a special trip with my favorite princess... Way back in 1998, I got the itch to purchase a new motorcycle. I was the perfect candidate for A Harley but at that time it was nearly impossible to purchase a new one. I went into our local dealership and they said that they could put me on an order list and I should have my bike in about 18 months! NO DEAL KIMOSABE! 18 months when you are in your early 20’s seems like forever and so I kept hunting around. I came across this Kawasaki Vulcan at our local Rice Dealership and struck a bargain. I spent the next two years adding all the accessories for style but mostly for function as I was driving it all the time! I put on 12,000 miles the summer of 1999! these two pics were taken that year with me and my younger brother. Believe it or not we took this little bike and rode two up around the Great Lakes! It was the adventure of a lifetime for us... Notice the old “Discman” in Nate’s right hand😂 Good Times. ”Big gap in the story here-I’ll come back to that later...” As happens to many bikers that get married and have kids, the motorcycle became a very occasional means of travel until 2012. I used it to travel on a construction missions trip to northern IL and the chain/sprockets were so worn, I wasn’t sure I’d make it home. I was going to fix it up that winter but life got in the way. finally in 2018, my daughter Claudia asks me, “Are you going to get this motorcycle running before I become an adult, get a career, get married, and move on with life or what?” Well said. So, I decided to do some upgrades in the process. Back in the early 2000’s, aftermarket parts were readily available for these bikes but Kawasaki discontinued this model in about 2006 and now it is nearly impossible to find much for them. I’ll detail this later but these are a few of the parts that I recently put on it after much searching to find them: Kuryakyn Procharger Cobra Slash Cut pipes Mondo Belt Drive Kuryakyn Passenger floor boards and a host of tune up items... That brings us to yesterday. Claudia and I packed up for a Daddy/Daughter run to the great river road on Western Wisconsin... She is so excited and so am I. I never thought back in the late 90’s that one day I would be road tripping with my teenage daughter on this same motorcycle!!!!

Mark, I am going to take out your phone number...remember this is still social media. Instead, send your phone number to Ed in a PM. Go to the top of the main page, click on the envelope icon, click on compose new...Type in Ed Kennell type your message and hit send.

Eye irritant. Please keep away from @pullstart!

Parade lap proof! @PeacemakerJack

If that is what Pacer is doing, you only need to pop one...and if you have a choice, pop the brake drum side (left side). That way you can open the trans with the shallow side down, take apart the differential, un-snap the other ring and pull out the other axle.

to the Mark. I have a pair of 6" fronts with tires. $30/pair plus shipping.

Welcome to Red Square. Go to our Vendor Section below on the main page...look for A-Z tractors.

The limiting factor is traction. if you use a hydro it will push the blade down but if the soil is hard you will just lift the rear wheels and loose traction.

Well heck, I better get updating then eh? Heres a few pics showing head work in rough in stage- they were angle milled .045 to retain some chamber size for flow and get the squish where I wanted it above the piston, then unshrouded a bit. Compression ratio 8:1 instead of in the 6s. Intake was split and ported, and made an adapter to run a Kohler command 25hp carb which is much larger, and has an accelerator pump. Some small mods to the pump circuit has it working awesome! Made my first attempt at a 2:1 pipe and collector, and it came out great. ( I also built a shorty muffler for it, more on that later.) Ignition timing was bumped up 2 degrees as well. The engine is in the machine and has been flawless! The power and throttle response are incredible- much more of both than ever expected! Stay tuned and I'll put up a video.

I decided to put our bins out last night, a day early to see if anyone caught the bug and put theirs out. Turns out four of my neighbours don't know what day it is 🤣

The 418 came a long good today, I removed the upper portion of the dash attached to the steering wheel and took the dash plate off with the volt meter and hour meter on it. I labeled all the wiring and took apart the firewall area as well. Also took off the rest of the engine covers, revealing more oil which I pressure washed off and I picked up the front end of the chassis and pressured washed it as well. All nice and clean. The loose drain plug really made a mess. I started removing decals and I will have to finish that tomorrow. So far so good! Also @JCM The tractor looks great nice job. I also have a high back seat with arm rests to put on mine when it gets all done!

1986 417-A series ll kohler with 48" deck and almost 800hrs. The original owner is asking $600 and I am thinking that's a fair price but am I wrong? I would say condition is good (6+/10) after 35yrs. Have not gone to see yet but did talk to owner and nothing wrong except deck needs bearings. What are the opinions good/bad on this limited model run?

Busy day today at The Tweety Bird Ranch!

The 414 Haban was made specifically for Wheel Horse tractor application. I had one one summer on a B-100 8 speed. Worked very nice. I would say much better than the Wheel Horse sickles Bob. The unit was made for Wheel Horse and no fabrication needed by me. I did change a pulley or two and new belts. I liked the Haban cutter bar much better than the Wheel Horse version. Just a stronger knife blade setup. I sold mine to DJ Harrison. He sold to a guy in South Dakota! There was a bargain at the Wheel Horse Big Show this year! I walked around this thing three times wanting to buy but no way to haul! Had an original guard on it too. Tractor and Haban $800! Haban was worth $800 in my opinion. There is also another rare sickle that was made for Wheel Horse, the Didier which has hydraulics on it . I have only seen two or three of these . see pics at. A good 42 inch Wheel Horse sickle mower on a 854 tractor will do the job ok and and no fabricating needed! Those Wheel Horse sickles are still hiding in barns in northern Indiana. A friend just traded a Farmall full size tractor for an 854 with a Wheel Horse sickle with an extra knife blade in Plymouth. I am still working on rebuilding a 42 inch one for a friend. There has to be almost five hundred parts in a Wheel Horse sickle!

It'll work. Here's proof.

Note that it bent the square tubing (Heavy wall)

Little more work from last night after I made the previous post.

I've done something a couple times in the past that eludes to your direction but isn't quite the same. I've taken the set screws out and filled the small cavity with penetrating oil. Heat the rest of the outside of the hub. Repeat. Repeat. Add the puller into the mix and get pressure going. Heat, lubricate, heat, lubricate,... After a few cycles you can see the penetrating oil coming out of the hub in different places so you KNOW it's working. After that it's just a matter of patience and time. I've taken as much as two or three weeks to get a stubborn hub off.

Use it in all my flatheads.

Yup, crosshatch and new rings. Worked for me in my 54 year old Tecumseh V60. Burned oil like crazy. Nothing afterwards.

If you could fabricate a 2 piece plate to go behind the hub it would be better. and a hex on the puller screw to use a breaker bar or big impact.

Might try a wanted add in the classified section. Another member may be able to help you out.

After following this thread's instructions, our K241's threaded nipple came out in less than 12 minutes. Thanks to all !! Kelsey

OK. So. Been thinking if ways to mount a petrol hedge trimmer on the C-125 so I can sickle cut grass and weeds by the path edge. Needed something that was height adjustable and that keeps the cutter bar horizontal. Came up with an arm which swings up and down but maintains the orientation of the end fixture. Made a model of it to test the theory and manufacture method. Then made the mounting bracket to fit to the plow frame for extra versatility. Its only part done but I think it will be ok. I made it swivel on a slew ring so I can stow it for road travel. The arm on the photos is the model just so I could see what it would work like. I will make up the real one and then work out how to attach the powered trimmer to it. Mick

Make him help mount tires too... and whatever other real greasy chore you got ! When Cindy and I did that trip Jack we took the boat ride then up and across the big bridge to the UP. then wound our way down. Did some rough camping along the way and was great. You should have stopped somewhere north for one of MI's famous pasties!

Suburban with a 5th wheel hitch... Pop out the back window and it’s practically a truck!

See ya in an hour or so Josh! I grabbed the belt and we’ll be ready to get the Lemony Banana back on the road ASAP!

Straight line are usually 15 amp regulators 2 up one down are usually 10 amp. (You can use a 15 amp regulator on a 10 amp stator but not a good idea to go the other way) Yes you can wire it individually The two terminal marked AC tot eh two white wires from engine the other to the ignition switch.. .

OOhhhh I like them tires Kev! He filled us in on the whole story yesterday Jack so will I tell you we had a few laughs on your expense... I called the Kawi a lemon Kev called it a banana!! I told him he might not get the bike back you get used to that cruise control and plush seating arraignment for Claudia! Should have warned you about staying off the back of the ship on that Missouri boat ride. The coal ash from her stacks is quite unpleasant!

I have a friend who was a hard core Harley rider. 5yrs ago he put down his cross bar and shield and switch to Indian motorcycles. Claims that the ride & power is so much better that he will probably never go back. He has a few Indians now, a couple Chiefs and a Scout.

@Sparky my Kawasaki is gonna be with me for life unless Claudia can convince me that she absolutely MUST have it (she’s been trying to convince me that it is hers once she has her license). But, for touring, it is hard to beat a touring bike. I’ve been thinking about it for several years now—A Road Glide, Kawasaki Voyager 1700, or the top of the list a Victory Cross Country Tour. 🧐 I know—I’m too young to be that old!😂

I get the attachment to the Kawasaki…but has this given you the itch for a touring bike?

I took mine apart, and fitted a piece of rubber in there to tighten up the lock mechanism. Seems to have done the trick keeping the blade locked in place. I have been known to stand on the blade of my grader to get it to bite a little better, but it's probably not recommended 1st gear and very slow. I sometimes often wait until the drive softens up after a good soaking rain, that helps also on hard packed stone.

@Torrence20 The boys above have you headed the right direction. We have a mid mount grader set up on Trina's 867. She's the only one that uses it. Does all our driveway maintenance with it. The rear of the tractor has 110 lbs steel weight added. Much needed since Trina's fairly small. These blades are most certainly a bit of a workout to use. As stated above they aren't made to scrape deeply, especially in hardpack. She and I will be adding a scarifier at some point. Trina is a little "athletic". You'll see her referred to as BBT here and there. Black belt. Even with all her years of training it's some work to keep enough down pressure on a mid mount grader blade. She is well known to keep both feet on the blade to create the down. That's NOT advisable for others to do.

Update: has been awhile. The snap peas once again did not disappoint. I harvested about 5lbs of red potatoes- a third of last years crop. The beets, rutabagas, bunch onions failed again. The marigolds at the row ends are barely even growing. I changed sprinkler timer settings and made a mistake, the water ran for what I guess about 3 days, flooded the garden and ran the 50ft well dry. A week later the pump in my main home well decided to crap out, and it is 400ft down. Luckily the garden well refilled in a few days, and I am back feeding the home from the pump house spigot, tied into the garden well, until I have the energy to pull the main pump and replace. Disappointment s an understatement but is to be expected since I am only there once a week lately. I have decided to call it quits until (if ever) I am there on a daily basis to take care of things. In the mean time, it will be a fun play area for Hoss to jerk the plow around.

We have certain tractors for offroading and this is one. The trans twisted forward before so the extra bracket was added.

Yep for hard stuff a guy almost needs a box blade with scarcifier teeth on it.

WHX24 reminded me of my early time with the mid mount. Left foot on the lift arm for down pressure. If it kicks no pain

USE THEM BELTS there Jiminy, that's what they're for! Hard to imagine people bitching about the post office. Mailed around noon on Saturday, 3 July, arrived today July 6. Over a holiday weekend, New York to Wisconsin in three days. Reminds me...this guy came into the Post office to drop of his 4 month late check for his post office box he's had for over 50 years. Was all indignant and pissed off because because they had the nerve to close his account and asked him to fill out a request to reapply for another one. Young kid behind the counter, so professional, had to take that abuse. Terrible behavior from a guy obviously old enough to know better. I told the kid what a great job he was doing, ignore that a hole, and how much I appreciate my postal service.

Brought the brand new TLB home today. Almost sold off my collection of attachments and will obviously be keeping the 315-8 for mowing, along with a dozer blade and snowblower. Im happy thats for sure

800 Special should have a Peerless transaxle. I know little about them, except that I am told they were pretty light-duty compared to other WH trannies, and that I don't like the one I have. In fact, I picked up a Uni-Drive at the show, and as soon as I get time to fab up a bracket I'm swapping it into my 800. Most of my issues/complaints with that tractor relate to the transmission.

Claudia and I had a great time finishing out our short trip late last night. Claudia’s only regret was that we didn’t take more time and so next year we will plan a 5 day trip instead of 2. smoothies and lemonade is great when it is 95 degrees outside... I visited this Cabela’s in Prairie du Chien in 2001 on the same motorcycle with Kelli and my parents. It was surreal to be here with Claudia! it was a great couple of days with my sweetie and I thank God for the opportunity to live in a FREE country where this is possible...have a great 4th of July my friends

As much pork butt as you smoke Dan... I completely understand why you would be in Needham and Dedham for a whole week!