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Finally got one of these junkyard engines together. Much Thanks to @oldredrider for the needed parts. And @rjg854 for the Kabitzing. Couldn't run it long as it's still early Sunday morning. A little noisy due to bad genny bearings. It isn't charging either going to have to look into that. Also the China carb needs some tuning. Plan on breaking this engine in on this stand then putting it on the shelf.

Had a great time visiting @19richie66 and Karen today with the Stertz Gang! It was HOT and sticky outside but we still managed some seat time on several of Richie’s machines… Zach enjoying another GT-14 besides Blackbeard! Skittles is a sweet machine! Judge liked Karen’s Tractor—that M20 has some power for sure! I drove several including the Heston articulated machine. The cab/sunshade was really nice today👍🏻 Caleb is reunited with Skittles after three years. It brought back a lot of memories from our visit to the BS back in 2018! Thanks Richie for being a great host! The fellowship was wonderful and the whole family enjoyed ice cream at the Creamery! Always fun to connect with fellow RS members🙌🏻😎. Already looking forward to our next visit…

Hello, I'm new to the forum and to Wheelhorse so please correct the model if I've mislabeled. This was my wife's grandfather's tractor and has been sitting in her dad's garage for the past 21 years. Unfortunately her dad passed away last year and lot of the history of this tractor went with him. He and I did attempt to get it to start before he passed but we figured out there were several things that needed fixed. work done so far: replaced spark plug, points & condenser, ignition coil, fuel sediment bowl, cleaned & rebuilt carburetor - it was pretty nasty with debris inside. I verified spark by grounding the plug to the frame and can see a spark in daylight when I turn the pulley and the magneto fires. I'm also getting fuel to the carburetor. Fuel had been leaking at the sediment bowl. current known issue: 0 psi compression according to my meter. I also put my thumb over the plug hole and while turning the pulley I don't feel any pressure. I poured a little oil down into the plug hole and it came pouring out of the exhaust. After doing this the pulley flywheel spun much easier when I wound and pulled the rope. I tried starter fluid and can get a pop once in a while but the engine won't fire. I'm not very experienced with taking apart engines so any advice or test ideas are welcome. There are a few implements I'll post pictures of: plow, cultivator, and a broken harrow. All anyone else can remember about this tractor was her dad needed to pull start it with his Ford 9N. Thanks! Mike

Not to worry my wife and I are enjoying the 15 minutes of fame this tractor has caused. And I know her dad & grandfather would have an appreciation for all of the offers and collectors saying how nice it is. Maybe we can meet at a show someday if I can get it running. I won't paint although it looks like someone did some touch up work - I see some paint splatter on the front tire that looks like it was from a sprayer. I'm only going to give it a gentle cleaning. Here are some implements that I think are for this tractor but if I'm wrong please correct me. The smaller cultivator may be from something else. There's also a harrow half buried in the field that I know has a broken lift mechanism. I'll try to get it dug out and a picture.

I meant no harm in my comment "I'm already in PA and could be there in 4 hours" I was merely letting you know what a highly desirable tractor you have and I'm sure @Gregor feels the same way! Enjoy your tractor and above all take very good care of it. They are no longer made and becoming more rare especially in that condition. Don't paint it, preserve it, they are only original once and very difficult to return to that patina once painted!

Just need some Rislone. Haven't you ever heard, all the good it can do?

What a wonderful gift to remember your wife's grandfather by. That is one of the best looking RS-83 survivors I have ever seen. I would suggest you turn the crank until the piston is near TDC (top dead center) and then fill the cylinder with some MMO. Let it set for a day or two and it may free up the rings and valves. I have had good results with it.

I notice it is backward on your shirt Craig. Maybe, if Mike put that into his engine backwards, that would explain it all. He should drain it all and turn it around, then his engine would be OK.

@Mike Van Eman, in case you haven't been following this forum for long, two things for a "new guy" to notice: 1. We are easily distracted and take well-meaning threads on all kinds of tangents 2. There is a lot of humor but it can take a while to get the hang of it (it sure did for me, anyway). Take the offers to take that unit off your hands, for example, as indications of how treasurable that model is and how interested the group will be in your getting it going and showing it off.

I was just thinking, if anyone could make that happen, it would be you.

I could do a lot to that bus with 59k. Of course I’m thrifty

Drain oil. Put in 2 qts of Kerosene. Set engine on the back of a Harley and let Harley idle for an hour. Drain kerosene on the ground to clean ground. Fill engine and run Harley at idle again. Drain engine again and refill. Engine is now clean inside. Clean up Kerosene. (I suggested a Harley, If you can find a paint shaker big enough, use that!)

I doubt that there is a VARNISH build up, though it seems that way. The term "varnish build up" is somewhat misleading as there isn't any resin in engine oil. When I was working in a service station, while in high school, we had a customer who was told he had a varnish build up in his engine. He want to the hardware store and bought a quart of varnish remover, added it to his oil and drove the car a couple of days until the knocking became deafening. The engine smelled awful and was obviously beyond repair. Out of curiosity we put it on the lift and removed the oil pan. There were strings of stuff hanging from the internals and chunks floating in the oil that hadn't drained because of the crud in the pan.

If by chance you become overwhelmingly frustrated with it ! Ready to pull your hair out ! Don't want to fight it anymore ! Hit your thumb with a hammer while working on it, and generally just don't want to mess with it ! I could probably drive to PA and take it off your hands. Compensating you of course for the time and headaches you have already invested in it. Am I a nice guy or what?

I made some progress today. Most of the fab work to mount the deck is done. Gauge wheel bar is finished. I have to pick up two 1/2" Heim joints to connect the height adjuster to the gauge wheel bar. I'm fighting with a spindle that won't come apart at the moment. I plan to rebuild them with new bearings at some point. For now I plan to take the spindles apart and remove the inner grease seals from the bearing and add grease fittings to the spindles. For some reason Bobcat doesn't want you to be able to grease their spindles. Next up is new pulleys and front anti scalp roller brackets.

If you're thinking of painting it... IMO don't! It looks beautiful just as it sits.

to the Mike. You are in posession of one of rarest most sought Wheel Horses. It appears to be an all origonal. Please do not alter the tractor or risk damage with starting fluid. As Richard and Don have advised, try to loosen the rings and valves by soaking with MMO. We will all be anxious to see this gem running at the 2022 Wheel Horse Collectors Club Show next spring in Arendtsville, Pa. You are only 4 hours away.

Parade pictures, @WHX?? noe go back to work. Shoulda, coulda wawawawawa

Few teasers

I seen this at a local show a few weeks ago. The owner did a very nice job on it. He was driving it around and it was impressive.

You want to use 90 wt if you can find it. About 2 qts. 80/90 wt is fine also. Tractor Supply, and most auto stores will have it. Welcome to Red Square.

Sweat Baby Ray's BBQ Smoked Hickory...I forgot about that. You can flush transmissions with that stuff. You can flush engines and make them whole. You can treat your gas and make it good for 5 years. You can fill your tires and walk through snow drifts. It's happens to be great on Ribs and Pulled Pork and Beef Brisket also. Check out their Web Site.

Don't let pullhosen see this!

@squonk Put some BBQ saute on those bearings it will sound better and make it smell better.

I stopped by yesterday, but you weren't home. I was wondering if you got that engine together yet. Well now I know . Ready to start on the next one yet? Seeing you had so much fun with this one

@pullstart I watched your video from inside the bus and the fist thing I remembered was that by age 16 I was hitting my head on the ceilings of school buses. I know you and Mrs. Pullstart (and your two other contributors) will spend a lot of time checking out what others have done, adding your own requirements, and distilling that all down to something unique, cool, appropriate, and elegant! Good luck!

And here I thought I was "pushing the envelope"!

Yup it's an optical illusion. I thought the same thing for a minute but an engine won't run backwards without a backwards ground camshaft

Don't look now, but unless it is an optical illusion, I think your engine is running backwards.

You running Rislone in that thing?

Rod or the balance gears are ready to exit the confines of the block. DO NOT RUN ANYMORE!

Great seeing you all and meeting the rest of the family. Hopefully next time it won’t be so hot and we can fire up the smoker too! If not, we’ll hit a good BBQ joint. It true….. you meet the best people with these little red things. Hope the rest of your journey goes well. Safe travels to you all.

Always better to repower these machines rather than junk them. I have as many with the "wrong" engine on them as not. Plus, sometimes a repower allows plenty of time to rebuild the original engine while still getting use from the tractor. Either way keeps the tractor in use. Not many here would complain about that. Even if someone does, it's your tractor to do with as you please. I've been told Kawasaki makes a good engine. Never owned one myself, but know a few friends with them on a zero turn, and they love them.

I feel for your sadness at losing some of the history of this tractor but it is great that you still have it! I hope you are able to gently coax it back into operation. A stuck exhaust valve does sound like the culprit and since it appears this machine was stored dry and under cover it may not be all that bad. Soaking the combustion area (via the spark plug hole) with a penetrating lubricant like Marvel Mystery Oil and leaving it to work is a good opening gambit. You won't be able to put much in without it coming out the exhaust, so several small doses over several days (or even weeks!) is the way to go. Patience will be key to not doing any new damage. You have a model that many members here admire.

@WHX?? the camp Nazi stopped by and was wondering when your showing up??

Ok, so the M16 was on a Massey Ferguson….. wrong motor.. as is was supposed to be an Onan 20hp. And, the M16 had a Wheelhorse red clutch on it!! Well, I traded the M16 for about 3 hours worth of work!! It’s going back on a Wheelhorse😀!!! SO… Now for the bad part… the motor has been sitting outside with no air filter on it. That means just carburetor + rain = rust on the inside of the motor. I know, I know! It turns over smooth. First thing I’m going to do is drain the oil and see how much water is in it, and I’m going to remove the head, and see how it is in there; along with a new head gasket. The motor is covered up by a tarp at this point! The motor will be used for snowblowing, (I’m sure!) and other things. The snowblower is gonna put the biggest tax on it!! Any other known problems with the M16? As you can tell I’m excited to get into the build!!😀

It looks like a clean installation. Was it a lot of work?

That one too...

There, I fixed that for ya!

Here's betting... Rislone could fix that too!

I just use a 3/8 drill bit and the small end of a square file. Goes pretty quick. I think 1/2 and 3/8 bolts are what is mostly used on the deck. Same for the whole tractor really...

I would suggest staying away from the ones with the little "cup" on top. Just another place to hold water and/or crud. Potential spot to start rusting.

Nothing wrong with that, But we do need to see some pictures.

Local antique days. One load ready to head up town. All lined up and pretty. Even threw in a Lawn Boy for a splash of blue. Can you guess which tractor got it's picture taken the most?

When you put on the new helicoil make sure you coat the threads with high temp RTV as described in the directions. Since it isn't included in the kits many people skip that step... and as you have seen that can be an issue. You should re torque the head bolts after the engine has run about 15 minutes, shut down and allowed to cool.

I would remove all the engine tins, bound to be some critters nesting in there under the tarp. Do this before you bring it in the shop so the critters don't have a nice new home. Check for spark, sand the rust off the flywheel and magnets. Block off the fuel pump opening and get an electric fuel pump.

I prefer the RD decks because the fit better into smaller spaces, with equal clearance on both sides. Also, grass is one of only two things I am allergic to, so not having it flying all over is a plus for me.