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just picked this up Friday.

Bechthold tractor service in Lodi, California, out in the almond fields and whatever else they grow out there is a Wheel Horse dealership AND YES, THEY HAVE A RJ-58! I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story ...... Wild Bill in Richmond VA

Hello everyone. I just picked up my first personal wheel horse purchase. I got a 1988 520-H. It has good compression numbers but its a bit smokey after using it today. When I was a kid, my parents had an (I believe) 1986 414-8. I have many fond memories cutting our 5 acre yard and using the snow blower in the winter. I loved our 414-8, but I remember going to our local dealership for parts and seeing the big boss 520 models. So, now that I have a house with a yard that doesn’t justify a lawn tractor, I scored a used one. I am pretty mechanically inclined, so a rebuild of this Onan would not scare me. Except maybe the price. Attached is a picture from today. Thank you!

Ok, kind of a lame topic. But cleaning up in the garage and shed on this Labor Day holiday and I discovered I have quite a few rear hitches. Couple different ones so why not share with pics. I know folks have been modding the rear draw hitch since the first one was produced a zillion years ago. The one on my 308 musta had a bagger support piece that some lazy fellow just cut off!

Kohler recommends no more than 3600 rpm, that may have caused your problems

More pictures.

My daughter already wanted a picture on it. I am clearly a glutton for mechanical punishment by owning a VW turbo diesel AND a Ducati motorcycle and doing my own work on both lol.

Mental note... Change my address.

How about using Glitter ? LOL That crap is HORRIBLE https://shipyourenemiesglitter.com/item/The-Glitter-Bomb-54

My wife oh so enjoys the offers that come with a "No Postage Necessary" return envelope. She STUFFS that envelope with everyone elses advertising and sends it back. I had to draw the line at her wanting to include used kitty litter from the cat box though...

I use the junk mail advertising cards that appear in my mailbox every couple weeks.

Way back in the mid 80's Wheel Horse offered a factory pulling kit that you can make a tractor puller from, it only came with a few parts, but it did have VIN on a data tag on the rear fender (the decal type). The son of my local Wheel Horse dealership ordered the kit and built himself a Bad A$$ Wheel Horse pullin' tractor. It was the best in state of Virginia! He brought this pullin' tractor up to the Wheel Horse Show one year and let me take it for a ride, now let me tell ya' this 16hp Kohler was built ... I mean BUILT I know it had a Chevrolet big block piston and ran on methanol, but I do not know the rest of the engine specs. Any how he told me to hold on the steering wheel tight because the tractor will drive out from underneath you when you step on the gas !!! Now y'all know where I stand to announce the parade, I drove that tractor from that spot up to 30 feet from the auditorium and back and burned 1/2 gallon of methanol ! I know of this Wheel Horse and one in North Carolina that are authentic factory Wheel Horse pullin' tractors that still have the VIN tag. Wild Bill in Richmond VA

Years ago, this "staged" photo was taken with Brandon Pfeiffer and I for a little fun and was put on the rear cover of Lawn and Garden Collector magazine and also a framed copy hangs on Brandon's office wall. Now Brandon has always been a big John Deere man and I don't think anybody on Red Square questions my heritage so any time Brandon and I get together ..... something is going to happen. Now take a close look at the photo and you will see the rag tied to the chain to mark the more powerful tractor is on the Wheel Horse side of the painted white line .... oh yes, the Wheel Horse just pulled that John Deere backwards!!!! Welllll ...... I kinda' did say this was a staged photo but did I really make sure the rag was over on the Wheel Horse side of the line when the picture was taken without Brandon knowing? I will never tell! And as you can see in the second photo and y'all know how much of a gentleman I am that I helped push the John Deere back where it came from. Wild Bill in Richmond VA

Thank you! I think $700 with a 42” and no dead rear cylinder is a decent score. 1100 hours is a bit high, but it is almost as old as I am.

Got this setup on my 702.

Couple more…back end of my 1054 and 867. Plus I have a couple spare 8 speeds here with the hitch still on em!

Playing with my new toy this morning. Mounted a rock rake to use on the camp road

Don. I will tell ya' .... Years ago, we were at a big tractor show in Indiana and the featured garden tractor model was Gravely, so the Gravely folks got this huge tent set up and their head Gravely guy was giving a speech and just talkin' it up about all the attachments Gravely has, so much more than any other manufacturer. So, at this point my temperature is starting to rise, my blood is beginning to boil and I'm gonna' blow a gasket! Ain't nobody gonna" tell me about all the attachments there brand has, well at this point we are telling each other "well Gravely has a welder attachment" and me saying "yes Wheel Horse has one too" so we go all the way down the list and finally the Gravely guy says "Gravely has a attachment that you can use on the roof of a building to take shingles off" .... Huh??? I could not Imageon lugging a heavy Gravely up on roof to take shingle off but then I told him "Well Wheel Horse has a cup holder and an AM radio!" I then smiled and I got out of there fast before I got my butt kicked! Wild Bill in Richmond VA

I cleaned the 753 up a bit. I believe this to be a survivor original with the exception of the lights. It needs some TLC for sure but will be back in service soon enough. The 1045 gets out of the stable finally and let run through it’s paces to check everything over. Cheers!

It’s been pretty hot lately so have been doing much in the garage. I did manage a panel light for the ignition.Key on it lights up.

Call it whatever it wants to be identified as... Just don't paint it green....

Welcome this won't be your only one just to let you know now lol

I played carburetor repair 🐻 today. Finished disassembly of my own Tecumsehorse carb off the 1974 C160-8 OHV160. That's soaking for a few days. I took this pic just for my own reference on how the float spring sets. For a member's Kohler carb I removed the throttle shaft blade, hand planed both ends and top, finished clean up, added washers to the body where the shaft goes through, then reassembled the whole carb. After that I started disassembly on another #30 carb for a K341. It's FILTHY. This carb had been apart in the distant past. Used thoroughly again. 2 lifetimes of wear on this one. The throttle shaft was not only worn out but broken at the top point of attachment. I'll replace that and the choke shaft with the pictures spares (in red). The Welch plug has been out in the past as well. As you can see it isn't flush and it's some nasty behind it. When done it'll be swapped out for the one on a C160 when I need it next. I believe I'll have 2 spares. Anyone tell me how to get this bushing out?

I cut a hole in the 953s seat pan to remove the fuel tank. The tank looks good on the inside, but has one small rust thru from the outside. I'll solder that closed then test for leaks. I'll make a bolt on cover plate so the tank can easily be removed in the future. I cleaned and set the points and plug, and added an IV fuel tank. Couple squirts of fuel in the carb and she lit up. She doesn't smoke....that's the muffler burning the insulation off the jumper cables.

But I think it's worth the time and effort to go ahead and paint the insides before the tires get mounted. That and then using the cards makes for a good outcome in my opinion.

753’s are great tractors. I have one that is my round hood worker. I mow, plow and use it to tow my heavy firewood trailer. My gas tank does seep out which I know I need to figure out soon. But other than that it’s a great little beast.

I might recommend a consultation with @peter lena prior to attempting that

When I moved into my current house with 2 acres to mow. The grass was seriously 5-6' tall. I put the 312-8 in 2lo....drove over the grass, ....let r eat.... Don't believe me, ask my wife and son and neighbors. ( All of them laughed at me at the time, but now tell me how much better this place looks) 😊👍🏼 Took me 4 times of mowing and 2 sets of mower belts. But I got r done. That's what lo range is for lmao 😂 I now have a 520-8 with a 60" deck to mow with. I use the 312 for firewood and snow plowing.

I run 30 W oil as well. Put gasoline in the tank and try 30 W, if it still uses much oil and smokes (all Onans smoke at startup and use a small amount of oil), replace the rings and valve guides.

I'd just do it as a Joke anyway! Check your mailbox! LoL

Mental note... Don't irritate Mr Wallfish.

That’s a lawn tractor…not a garden tractor. Personally I would keep looking for a garden tractor…it’s gets you a heavier machine and bigger and better brakes (a must if your using it as a tow rig).

Didn't even break a sweat....

Inclusion and diversity in action

Not much today but it was nice to have the day out of the office for the holiday. I did order a set of wheel bearings and a couple other things but got sidetracked with this mess. I'm a bit frugal and not very tolerant of poor engineering and design so several years ago I repurposed a hose reel from one of those carts that don't have enough wheelbase to support the hose and stay upright. Yeah, those ones. The problem with that is that I just bolted it to a couple PT balusters pounded into the ground a couple feet. Sturdy enough for the past several years but one of the legs finally gave way. Not well done on my part when I hang 100' of heavy garden hose on it. Fixed now with some repurposed 2" aluminum channel from an old sign post. The cross pieces are just clamped and will be removed once the concrete sets (if the rain holds off long enough) and I'll be good to go again

Picked up some new shoes for the horse from market place, hopefully not too aggressive.

1-2 low… They are brush hogs as well!!!

You could shove a cat through it!

Nothing special but a couple ready for a fresh coat of paint...

Nice haul!!

We've looked at those. Several years ago we decided to cut n split our firewood at the site of the tree drop. One of the primary reasons is I don't like mud and stones in my chainsaws. We thought about using an arch and a dolly for the far end too. Too much heavy lifting.

I did this yesterday with my 520-8

Hopefully after the hubs are removed and we can see the condition of the key and keyways, we may understand the intention of this unique modification. I still wonder if there was any indication that the bolt was loctited to the axle . Some of these bonding products work well and could along with the face friction created on the end of the axle, would certainly add strength to hub/axle torque connection.

You might want to check the aluminum head for flatness. Many of us hand surgace them using wet dry sandpaper on a piece of glass. Rotate the head in a figure 8

Got the trans back together, sand blasted a bunch of parts, and made a deal for a snowblower for my B-80. I’ll be picking that up in the morning.

You might want to check the cylinder bore while you have it apart. The attached thread is a great way to verify wear not seen by the naked eye.

Some new upholstery for my C-141 today. Old. New. Fortunately for me I live in a town with a Milsco factory so seats seem to show up at rummage sales from time to time. Picked this one up for $15. It has a blemish on the left hand side of the seat & it's missing the insert for the drain hole, but it's good enough for who it's for.

Unfortunately for the public and fortunately for many companies we are now essentially brainwashed into looking to buy cheap goods , having a disposal mentality and having less and less skills which are conducive to knowing and buying a good tool regardless of cost. The realization of the cost of a good tool lasts only a few seconds as one pays for it. It is soon forgotten as one enjoys its quality, service and dependability while it is used. It is cherished and always looked at with pleasure even when not used. I even sometimes just pick up a tool and sit down with a cup of coffee looking at it and appreciating its quality and the thoughtfulness and responsibility that went into making it. The cheap tool on the other hand always reminds us of its cost as it frustrates and wastes our time as we attempt to perform any task. Even when we put or throw them aside the mere occasional sight of them reminds us of the actual cost which is always more than what we paid for them. I remember when I was rather young perhaps around 10 my grandfather has a Stanley #2 smoothing plane and an Arkansas sharpening stone . Those two items came at a REAL STEEP price over there . Those two items were treated with an almost religious reverence everyone being absolutely forbidden to touch them but him. They are now in my possession over 100 years later being used on a regular basis ,and will be in my great grandchildren’s possession another 100 years from now. Many companies are taking advantage of the “made in USA” lure to dishonestly increase their profits. Some are caught many are not. It is a smear on the good name and reputation of not only this Country but also on its people who innovated and produced perhaps the very best and most ingenious tools ever produced regardless of their application. I was not born in this country but regard their actions as an insult and never go away quietly when I am the victim of such fraud.