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My wife recently went to Milwaukee to visit our son and took a trip north of there to Brillion and visited the somewhat new Ariens Museum and it was great. My family used to be a outdoor power equipment dealer and along with Wheel Horse we also were a large Ariens dealer. Many years ago I went to a few Ariens service schools out in Brillion, but back then they didn't have this museum, so this was great to see and it brought back a lot of memories. We sold a lot of all the Ariens products, especially their snow blowers. I told the attendant there that I was probably one of a few people that she'll meet that has actually ridden an Ariens snowmobile! Who would have ever guess that we'd end up in their walk in snow globe! If you're ever in Wisconsin, please stop by the Ariens Museum, I bet you'll be glad you did! C-85

No gouging here....I'm paying the same for a package of burger as I did a year ago.

Went to Tractor Supply today to get chicken feed and I always do a drive by in the small engine section. Well they had 3 tractor seats sale price tag on the shelf 109.99 got to register and it rung up 129.00 cashier got the manager. She let me have it for sale price then ripped the tag off shelf. Then cashier said I had a $10 credit. So everything worked out good. $99 is still high I think Got tired of looking at this ugly seat. Lights have been blinking in the house. Storms coming up the east coast a couple tornado warnings 40 miles north of me Dont want to see that

What was I thinking about? Oh yeah, it seems like I need to have more of a routine. The other day, a drawer in my bolt cabinet was on tilt. Upon further review the guide was bent. During the repair, and of course having to empty the drawer, reviled 3 bags of 3/8" bolts under an inch long that never got put away. It is like, I knew the supply was low and every time I went to the store I tried to replenish and fell short of putting them away. I have become proficient at hiding stuff from myself. There were the two front tires that I bought last spring. They were a bargain and fit a future job. But when the time came.....where are they? Maybe I didn't buy them? In the eleventh hour, right before clicking buy, (of course for 30 percent more this year), I look up and see in plain site this box. Sure enough two tires are in it. If I made a list, probably could not find the list! Might not want to. It's just routine!

Have you ever made list before you went to buy stuff , get to store , can't find the list , get home and find the list in your pocket . Don't ask , has happened more than once .

Fellas maybe it’s part of the Horse fever. I’m not that old, but forget plenty of what I’m heading to do or say, where I put that future part or just in case part… Last night I toted Rylee to another town to get her friend, then back to our town for Youth Group and back home. Just an hour and a half later when I left to get them,I found myself halfway to her friend’s town before I realized I never picked ‘em up! I bought two K&B Horse Parts fuel sediment bowls just in case. I needed one a while back, but have zero clue where I stuck ‘em. Once they show up, I’m sure it’ll be an oh yeah! Moment.

If the house is really quiet, you can almost hear things like the bolts & tires snickering at you as you look for them in frustration.....

So I picked up a $50 417-A the other day (along with a more expensive 416-h lol). I have about 5 or 6 Diesel engines just sitting around and I think it’s time to put one on a tractor again. What do you guys think? Oh and I also pulled my “Honda horse” 520-8 out of winter hibernation.

Wow Just caught thise thread ... now I gotta go back and do all the You guys have all seen these before but what the halibut....

Quick recap and summary of Post #40 in this thread... The exhaust port had badly rusted and would not accept a pipe nipple. An attempt to clean it up with a Dremel (wire wheel and light grind) confirmed the damage. I asked for and got several useful suggestions--thanks again! I chose to go with creating new threads with JB Weld and a 1" NPT tap. Spoiler alert: it worked. How do you spell relief? T H R E A D S Long story, with pictures. I couldn't find a tap to borrow (everyone had dies, no one had taps) so I bought one. Started with this. Barely visible threading on sides and top only. Stuffed a rag in the back of the port, lubed the tap and port and started in. Was able to catch the beginning of the original thread to keep it aligned. Slowly ran the tap in ½ turn then back ¼ turn repeat until it hit the seat at the back of the port (I'd also measured the depth beforehand and penciled a line on the tap as a double test). It took very little effort so I knew it wasn't cutting much metal. Yielded this. some faint threading that let the muffler nipple go all the way in, but with gaps around it and not a secure feeling that it'd stand up to regular use. So on to Part Two of Plan A. I carefully Dremel wire brushed the inside of the port then applied a layer of Steel JB Weld around the inside. Allowed it to cure for 36 hours. (Edit: This epoxy is rated to 600º which I felt was adequate. "Extreme Heat" ceramic-impregnated epoxies can handle much higher heat but are more brittle. Choose which suits your preferences.) As you can see, I went a little overboard with the JB weld. I couldn't even start the tap so I started slowly grinding away the epoxy to enlarge the hole at the front edge until I was able to start the tap. I thought briefly about drilling it out but I don't have a 1-5/32" drill and I doubted I could keep it properly centered even if I did. I used a caliper check the diameter and the Mark 1 Eyeball (corrected), to judge the circularity. BTW, I discovered that grinding JB Weld is a very smelly job--like dead fish smelly . Eventually I was able to start the tap, get it in a half turn or so and then feel very strong resistance. I could see that the tap was butting up against the ridge of epoxy. That led to iterations of grind, vacuum, tap for a half turn or so, vacuum, repeat. But I was making progress and I could see threads. The last thing I wanted to do was blow out those threads by putting too much torque on the tap. Finally, I reached the pencil marks on the tap indicating I was in as far as I could safely drive the tap (I didn't have a blind-style tap--the first parts of the cutters taper in). I backed it out nearly three full turns, vacuumed the dust and... I had threads! Testing the muffler, I got to almost three turns before getting stopped with just hand pressure. It is strong, it looks like a good seal all around, and the epoxy is rated to temps well above what this K181 will throw off. Thankfully did not have to go to Plan B, drilling the block to accept a flange. I'm calling it a win.

And I got into some trannys stuff today. A spare transmission I had laying around with welded on hubs. A real struggle getting those of. After all that grinding, they looked horrible, but cleaned them up as good as I could Of course, in the progress the c clip on the axle inside the tranny came loose. So I had to open it.

I've done exactly the same thing with the bolts. I have plenty of 3/8 x 1-1/4(?) now. It wasn't tires for me though. Tubes it was. I bought a set of rear tubes for Colossus. Went to have them installed and filled. Weren't to be found. Ordered another set. Went to put those where I KNEW I'd find em later. THERE WAS THE OTHER SET.

I changed the head and head gasket changed on my 754 Wheel Horse yesterday. The old head had a problem - only a couple threads still in the spark plug hole and the head gasket was leaking. I bought this in Florida and my friend Rodney Burger had a replacement head that I used. Bought some new grade 8 bolts for the head and torqued them down with 15 to 20 ponds torque as specified by Kohler. Adjusted carb a little after putting on the air cleaner and my hood. I ran it around and she runs great for a 58 year old tractor. It has a special brass door knob shifter too! Newark Board of Education in Essex County.

So you get pop tarts and snicker bar ice cream, then get the monolog from the wife about that not being a food group!

But - the older I get does beat the alternative .....

You know that tool that tightens the do-hickey that holds your grinder wheel in a 4 1/2" grinder. I know it is in the garage somewhere...and I will find it this Spring when cleaning out the garage, but in the meantime...I needed to use my grinder. So...I made this...works great !! I keep this one in the box with the grinder.

I have restored or reconfigured several RJs over the last 15 years. But one stands out as a bigger job than others. Still not 100% done but it will be soon. I bought an RJ that was pretty rough in March 2021 from a guy moving that needed to clean out his garage. He had bought RJ to restore but never got around to doing it. I reworked, frame, hood, transmission and put a four hp Kohler from my supply of motors. Put a chopped hood on at first and as AMC _Rules said just did it cut it! So I had two old RJ hoods melded into one good one. Not this best of redos but another RJ save!

I'm sad when I cannot find the $20 I was sure I had. But I'm delighted when I find it in a pair of pants I haven't worn in a year!

Yup, we don't want to complain about getting old. So many have not had this opportunity....

You canaries want help from me you is barkin up the wrong tree!

I've been hiding stuff from myself for years.

You have a good excuse that was years ago!

Just enjoy it. Life is one big scavangrer hunt ...searching thru coat pockets, retracing steps, and the satisfaction when after hours of searching you finally win the game. a

A Haiku… Ah Forgetfulness Vast past experiences Who knows what we know

I'm the oddest thing in my shed, just ask my wife.

If you are rebuilding an older model Kohler engine with the two piece ASA (Automatic Spark Advance) camshaft you may feel like it is an imposable task. Unlike the ACR (Automatic Compression Release) cam the ASA cam is a two piece unit and none of the manuals I've read give you any guidance on their installation. The portion of the camshaft that operates the valves and fuel pump is separate from the portion that opens the ignition points. There is a pair of flyweights and associated springs on the cam gear that will advance the ignition timing once the engine comes up to speed. The gear and the ignition actuator cam have markings so you won't put it together 180 out. (see first picture) The ignition cam slips over the two flyweights and the small springs ride on the outside. So far so good. Now comes the tricky part, sliding the cam into place without dislodging the ignition cam. I have found that a 7/16" drill bit is just right for the job. You slip the drill bit into the hallow camshaft assembly, lower it into place. As you push the shaft your cam rides on into place it pushes the drill bit out the other end and both pieces are where they belong. There are a couple ways to determine what camshaft you have. Presuming the camshaft in your engine is the one it was born with the data plate on the engine has a suffix that can tell you what camshaft was used. The table below will tell you the suffix applicable to your engine. The other way to determine what camshaft you have is to remove the cam gear cover and take a look. If you see a mechanism attached to the cam gear it is the ACR cam. The following engines have the spark advance camshaft; K-141, Suffix prior to “C” K-161, Suffix prior to “J” K-181, Suffix prior to “D” K-241, Suffix prior to “D”

At least it's being offered is to some one for free rather than scraping it.

i have a couple more ! Both old brass specialty door knobs!

well after about 3 years of procrastinating finally got this 48" deck done this originally came with my 76 C 120 when I bought it .when to my local WH dealer today and bought the 5 plastic roller wheels new gas gauge for in the tank air filter and deck belt and belt deck to motor which were oem toro WH parts and walked out of there with a bill of almost 200 bucks . theses parts not getting any cheaper lol . this deck had all the brackets wallered out i welded all the wallered out holes and redrilled them and bought new bushings now this thing is solid . I have some touch up to do once I get it on tractor

I mowed the grass for a wealthy family on the other side of town. Around ALL the trees with the push mower and the whole back yard with the tube-frame Ariens. Then had to bring the shiny new steering wheel Ariens up to the back door and leave it running. Lady of the house came out, got on, and mowed the front yard (where all the neighbors could see her) and brought it back for me to wash and put away. It was a great gig since they paid well!

Big Ariens fan here myself. The snowblower pictured was purchased I believe in 1973 with the electric start option for $ 430 and I sold it for $ 400 to a friend in 2003. The same dealer that it was purchased from offered to buy it back for $ 400. The rider was also bought new for around $ 1100. They were solid and rugged back then, much different now unfortunately.

My Grandfather had this model. I came home from college in 78 to visit and he's got a brand new Toro snow blower in the garage and he hates it! I asked him why he bought a new one and he says he stripped out the spark plug hole. I tell him I could have fixed it and he says "Aw Shucks" ( Not EXACTLY what he said!)

Glad to see it's "back on its wheels" Was about to ask which door is missing its doorknob, but thought better of it....

I'll not ask where the air supply comes from. The visual is bad enough.

Quit puttin yer pants on backwards. Who do you think you are? Buck Owens?

Looks like lightning stuck the 416 and blew off the rear pan lights and went through the seat! Front tires are 6's and the rears look like cub rim / tire set up with the valve stem on the outside??? Lots of good stuff and fixable for sure.

Nice load! A few things caught my eye on the 416. Seems like the rear rims are not as wide as they aught to be, are turned inward and what is the story on those wheel weights? The deck looks like it came from a vertical shaft , is it operable like that? Also, got to ask, What the heck is that yellow bar sticking up at the rear? Is it a lightning rod?

I think that you are absolutely correct!! I sure like my diesel powered tractor. Tons of power & runs forever on a cup of fuel. I would not worry too much about the tranny, plenty of other manufacturers put diesels in their tractors behind the same transmission that they used on their gas tractors. The Eaton 1100 should hold up just fine.

If it bothers you that they're a little boogered-up you can send them my way and i'll skim them on the lathe for you. If you take care of shipping costs i'll do it for

Ummmm... wasnt there a thread running about .... forgetting things, could have sworn there was and now I cant find it, I wanted to .... say something ... Aw crap, I done forgot what it was

Nice Pic Lane! That knob is cool too! (but the only old board of education I remember had holes drilled in it)

You forgot MM's all colors every food group included.

When I visited I noticed a couple very nice, complete units and asked about them. Lincoln told me that they do keep the best ones whole, sometimes doing minor repairs, and sell them as runners. He also has decks, blades, and soil plows. If you have a particular model/setup in mind, you should let him know!

That seat looks familiar.

That tube framed rear engine rider in the fifth picture down is basically what I "learned to drive" on when I was 6 years old back in 1977. Super cool. Thanks for the memories there.

I figured two-way postage on a tap woulda been most of the cost of the purchase so I didn't ask about any long-distance loans--but I appreciate the offer! I used the Steel JB which is supposed to hold up to 600º F and, from what I could find in my research, the block temp should stay below 500º (the exhaust gas gets hotter but apparently the block dissipates the heat). I know we've all seen glowing exhaust pipes hotter than 600º on a lean running engines but these don't have a heat sink. If it does fail, I'll at least know how to redo the sequence using one of the more exotic "extreme heat" epoxies!

Ok up to speed here Don and wished I'd been sooner. I have a 1" NPT tap I coulda loaned ya. Not to be debby downer on the JB but I tried it on a exhaust once and it didn't hold up to the heat. Actually melted off but maybe your using a different type of JB? Ok just caught that. Let us know how it shakes.

I was thinking the same. That particular case it looks like Ben bought a seat and got a free tractor with it. 😀

That's what SWMBO says about me.