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Never thought I could land a Special 603 but today I did, no engine & rough around the edges but for sure rebuildable. So this is some of my Herd that are special 54-PT20 Walk Behind, 57-RJ35, 5-701s, 702, 1045, 34R, 78- C-161, 1st year Blackhood Fiberglass Hood, Ark 500 FEL on the only tractor I ever bought new 2004 315-8 (regrets that I traded my C141 I grew up with showing me how great WH is, wasn’t collecting than) and have to mention best deal ever was the C85 w/snow blower I won at the Big Show in 2021 at the raffle 5$ of tickets.

Today was the Vintage Sports Car Club Lakeland Trial. I was marshaling on one of the sections. Fortunately the weather stay dry and not the gale force winds we'd had for the last two days. Cold though. So here's a few photo's. Basically a steep hill climb. The camera doesn't do the steepness justice. From where I was standing to the top was about 1 in 3.

@formariz I must admit I belong to that group of individuals that doesn't know how to properly maintain a forest. In a few years I hope to have a whole new understanding of these things. @Snoopy11 YouTube is a great source of knowledge for sure but it can't beat hands on training from a professional who's there with you. Experience on the other hand is maybe even better. Since I'll be receiving wood in the near future I had to make a place to store some of it. I made that by stacking pieces of tubes dia. 800mm/31.5" x length 600mm/24" I had laying around on top of eachother. Should hold about 1,5 cubic metre or about 1.5 cubic yard of wood. Can expand if necessary.

Today was a 'just as well' day. I started out scooping up the canine mines I in the dog pen. Then I noticed the leaves built up at the base of the dog pen fence. Well, might just as well get the leaf blower out and clear them. While doing that, I noticed the window wells need cleaning. As long as the blower was out, might just as well clean them. I then noticed the leaves built up on the base of the perimeter fence. Might just as well take care of them. I noticed that there were now enough leaves in the yard that I might just as well get Morgan and the lawn sweeper out. Pulling Morgan back up to the horse shed, I noticed the snow blade next to the shed. Might just as well drop the mower deck and put the blade on Morgan. Well, with Morgan out in the yard, the tractor shed is half empty. Might just as well do some rearranging to get the deck I just took off of Morgan and a project deck and blade next to the shed into the shed while moving the tiny Toro two stroke snow blower to the front of the shed. There is a depression in my gravel driveway that has been growing all summer. The snow blade is on Morgan now, so I might just as well use it to even the driveway out before putting Morgan away. None of this was planned, but I sure got a bunch of work done today.

Got our firepit done today. Just need to get some rock for filler and a good chiropractor referral

Here is an illustration depicting the oiling differences between a Series I and a Series II

I can only imagine what that looks like, when seeing your garage/dojo being built I can tell there are way more trees around than where I live. Overhere it's mostly strips of forest or plots of land that were used to grow crops some 50 years ago. Almost all forest we have in the Netherlands but certainly in our province has been planted, man made so to say. Nothing like you have. It has multiple plus points joining this group for basically free. Lifelong membership costs €150/$155. Once joined all training by certified logging members is free. 4 hours of work you put in equals one cubic metre of logs you get to take home. Each friday- and saturday morning (08:30-12:00) during logging season you can go into the forest if you want to. State forest service marks the trees that have to be cut and oversees the club I joined in terms of safety and management of the forests. So basically free excercise, training and wood..

It was 80 F on Thursday. Mid 30’s yesterday. Last night I checked the weather at bedtime and the skies were clear with a slight chance of flurries overnight. Woke up to an honest 6” on the ground here in southern Illinois. Too deep for the dog to do her business without me first shoveling a spot. The weather people usually do a good job, but they missed this one. Mom and Dad - 30 miles North as the crow flies - got nothing. I do like winter but I wasn’t ready for it. Glad I put a blanket of mulch over the garlic the other day. Steve

It's been a great leaf mulching season in Upstate NY. But the weather is changing and time to take the deck off and install the blower. When the deck comes off it's time for some preventive maintenance. This is what the deck looks like right off the tractor. Did not scrape anything. Leaves do a good job of blasting. Powder trapped under the wing thingys Removing the insert reveals powder trapped. This all just brushed out and the remains blew out with leaf blower. I haven't had to touch the inside of the deck since I've had it I wire wheeled the inside of the insert. Both the deck and insert will get touched up with Rust Reformer and then coated with Rust-Oleum Spray on Bedliner. The wing thingys will get the same treatment.

Almost time to switch out the bucket for the blade 😢

I should add that the vehicles had to reverse down as no room to turn at the top. Passengers had to disembark and walk down. One did roll but driver and car OK.

Kt is a K-series twin cylinder Mt would be a magnum-series but that did not happen M18 was the next twin

Forgot about this ... really strange weather here for this time of year. Record breaking 70 but today in the 30s. Took the nice weather to turn the garden with a 1067 and a 8 incher that was having some flash rust. As long as I had her out and before greasing the share might as well drop her in the junior field... which never did get done at plow day you light weights... They had no qualms about reaming my rear for opening up the field on the sides instead of the middle @Stormin but never offered to help correct my bad!

I bought this 1040 Farmall H that had a belt pulley attachment. The belt pulley was kind of "ratty restored", so I found another that was in a little better shape and restored it. These look like they are made of compressed wood of some sort, interesting design. The one I installed I left original except for painting the metal. The belt portion I just hit with paste wax. This is the best tractor related forum ever, so I can't move even @nylyon if I wanted to. Go red

https://www.wheels.ca/guides/how-to-protect-your-car-against-road-salt-and-prevent-rust always been against rust / neglect to any metal surface, been doing this for years . to all my stuff . that also includes to my regular , lubricant based paint rub downs . get oil into any body seam , mineral oil is also very good , once you see how easy it is to do , its just a regular reaction . only do this , is you do not like rust . just a suggestion . pete

Don

No argument from me Don. But the M12 in my 312H has served me well with no issues.

Bullet proof as a 37 yo tractor can be.

Swapped seat plate to the older style as I like it better and it works better with the lift cylinder to lift the seat without jamming it into the steering wheel. This is how it was. This is how it is now. Minor detail but it makes me happy.

No issues. The first 312’s use the same Kohler K-301 as the C125’s and the C-120’s before that. Same with the transmission…tried and true hi/low tranny that’s had been used for years.

Where I live we have no dense forests but many properties have substantial wooded areas. They are of course entirely and totally neglected. The biggest problem are the ones in hills or slopes. Being left alone without knowledgeable trimming and thinning, there is no sunlight for the undergrowth to thrive. In addition due to over building the deer population is confined to small areas decimating what ever little undergrowth there is. The result are unhealthy woods where the soil constantly erodes from the lack of vegetation. Many large trees just topple over from erosion and root exposure. Of course those owner will spend countless amounts on maintaining their lawns manicured and green. Another example of today's uninformed and irresponsible society.They cannot see their world crumbling around them.

I learned something new today! Back to bed!

another long one for ya Well my dad has finally joined me in the woods again this year. He hasn’t been able to hunt due to work. He can’t pull a bow back so he got the permit to use crossbow here in Mass 2 years ago. Never bought a cross bow. Well his friend surprised him with one this summer for all the random projects my dad has done for him over the years. I’m happy to say after almost 20 years since his last deer he connected on a beautiful 4 pointer yesterday. Just feet from my stand where I’ve been telling him to go all season. At some point I had a glitch with my phone yesterday morning so I was the last person to find out that he had shot at this deer and presumed that he missed it. That was around 9:30. I prodded him to search for the bolt and at 12:30 he called me ecstatic to say he found the bolt and it had blood on it. With tropical rains less than 2 hours away I raced home from work to help him take up the track. It was a short track and I found him piled up not far from the spot he shot it. No blood on the ground and in my dads defense where he shot it from the deer dropped into a ravine and came out the other side but where my dad couldn’t see and piled up. When I yelled “hey he’s over here” I thought my dad was going to cry. So awesome being there to help him recover the first deer in almost 20 years. He’s on cloud 9. I made him call all his hunting friends to tell them but I think the best call of all was him calling my son Aiden (who’s with His mom this weekend) to tell him. Hearing them both super excited over the phone was just priceless. He’s the man who taught me so much about hunting. All the years of texts to me while I was hunting saying “well?” Or “have you seen anything?” Or since he knows this mountain better than anyone I know “have you tried over by the high wall yet? How about my spot behind the swamp?” He’s always been my first call or text when I’m successful and yesterday it was awesome that he finally got to be. Making memories.

Thanks for elaborating on that @formariz. I did'nt know there were different types of chains for different sawing operations. Goes to show that I really should'nt be touching wood That being said, I joined a group of certified loggers/treefallers last week as an apprentice. That way I'm able to learn how to manage woods/forests and how (and which) tree to cut down properly. Excited to learn this new skill.

I made some room for more indoor storage today…. Took up 40’ of space for the camper and found an entire hallway from back wall to door practically!

Oh wait... I represent that...

Money field @Achto just goes out and throws out hand fulls of quarters out for fertilizer... then throws out his phone so he gets a call when it's a good crop...

It was with with the foot lever hoobie doo stuff that engages the deck Dino. The tractor came with a deck and a front plow but the plow seems complete and works like a champ. I have yet to try and fit the deck up. Leaning towards this gal being a dedicated plow rig. Not a fender brace Bob nor a drift cutter Bill. The rest of you are about as useful as t1ts on a bull...

I’m not sure what that is, should I watch it? I managed to drag it a bit, rock it a bit, then break the rear tires loose. The valve stems are frozen and I can’t get any air in them right now. I’ll address that soon. One thing’s for sure. There’s enough moss on this to compete with @Achto’s Rat Fink Suburban for the greenest tractor on the forum!

Niiiiice!!

Better than me... with all the stuff I have to do around here... all I did today was play in the snow with my tractors and the golf cart... drifting around on our paths! I don't remember a time when I got nothing done, and had so much fun doing it... Hey, gotta have fun sometime! Don

@Brockport Bill That 'cover' piece - or lack of - is the way I've always used to tell which is which. Cause the series 1 does not have it.

Unfortunately, to adjust those they need to be ground. The tappets are not adjustable. Hmmm... "messed with" is not a term I would use to describe adjusting the points. Sounds like a hacker term. I would adjust them with a timing light.

Ok, I went this morning and got a series 2 Kohler 17 for $30!!!!!😀 it has an occasional backfire at full throttle. I’m going to adjust the valves? He said he messed with the points and cleaned the carb. I’m going to change the oil, replace points, condenser, coil and adjust the valves.

Same here sparky! I’m not ready one bit

I definitely agree with Jeff... that price is on the high side of things. As a 418-8... it is a great machine though... My observation, however small, is that the front tires do not match the rear. If I'm going to pay that much money for a machine... it needs to be pristine. Judging from the half-painted shifters... (half red, half black) that is a sign that this machine may not have been completely disassembled... and 'ground up' restored... so there could be hiding vulnerabilities... I'd be interested in seeing more in-depth pictures of the machine, underneath around the transmission area... under the mowing deck, etc. It would be nice to know if it has a new shifter boot, new gear oil, if the pulley bearings have been packed... if it has new mowing blades... things like that... On a positive note... GOSH that's a beautiful machine!!!! Just my Welcome to Redsquare! Don

I have an area similar to that, below. It is in the field, behind the trees from the lawn. Was spread out a little far, encroaching on the field grass, which is cropped for hay, annually, so took the deck off and refitted my plough blade today, and pushed it back a bit. It would have been more effective with the tractor wheels fitted, but I was lazy, and left the lawn wheels on, causing me to keep slipping, as it built up in front of me. Quick job for tomorrow I suppose. Haven't made a baffle for the cub cadet rear discharge chute yet. Can't find anything appropriate, but I'll keep thinking. Lawns are pretty clear right now, but very surprisingly, for mid November, there is still an awful lot of leaves in the trees, still to come down.

I'm pretty sure that the KT series II engines are full pressure oil systems. The KT steries I engines had a drip oiling system for the big ends of the rods with an oil pump pumping the oil to the crankshaft journals and through the camshaft that has the 'drip ports' to distribute the oil to the rods. The series II engines added oil passages in the crank to oil the rods.

If here it would end up being a knee brace for the shelving out in the shed.

In your picture is shown the splined shaft coming out of the hydro --- and it 'appears' to have that dreaded damage that I mentioned. The hole drilled in it is not standard, that is a jury rigged method to get more life out of it by putting a bolt through. It rarely lasts long.... Check this out closely, you really dont want to put another connector on that and quickly strip it also. When you slide the metal part @squonk shows onto the shaft it should not have ANY slop there.

Becoming a supporting member generally takes care of that issue. It helps the site stay alive and opens up a few cool perks for ya too! https://www.wheelhorseforum.com/store/

Series II were built with AND without oil filters.

That is very strong money for a Wheel Horse that hasn't had the engine rebuilt with new internals. It is very good looking and you have the right idea by doing a compression check. If you absolutely love the 418-8 and it is your must have then buy it. You won't remember how much you paid for it if it is a no-regrets buy. I have a 418-C (automatic) and it is my go-to snow mover. The twin cylinder Kohler magnum is a great engine and although I have much less than that in it I did turn down a $ 1,500 offer. Not nearly a beautiful as the one you are looking at but would be hard to replace at that price. It is also a great leaf blower!

Here in the Northeast US that would be an invaluable piece of knowledge. Maine in particular. We're the most densely forested state in the nation. Logging is, as you can imagine, a HUGE industry. The ability to properly choose timber even for your own firewood is a great skill.

Do you fellas wipe the grease off, or is that your fertilizer for the money tree?

Not to hijack your post but something on the subject of gifts and giving. We are a time that when presenting someone with a gift for whatever the occasion may be, the "norm" is to buy something and even a so called gift certificate. Specifically those ,they are a very impersonal ,almost obligation gesture. When one thinks about it they are really meaningless. However the thought of creating something specifically for someone with our hands and our time, reflects not only the importance of the recipient but more importantly the character of the donor. It does not have to be a work of art although Trina's certainly is, but it is from the heart. Young children do that when giving us parents, and grandparents gifts. Somehow that genuine feeling seems to disappear when they become adults. Its a shame that happens but it is refreshing when we see an adult do that. We constantly remind our own of the importance of such gesture not only for the recipients but also for themselves and their feelings of fulfillment. Our place is plastered with such gifts some from my son's when they were children. Unlike something bought they were never discarded.

Ya, Zeek's down here but he is still 400 miles one way from where Sparky is. Lots of folks don't realize how large Florida is, it 835 miles from my house to Key West

Good morning….slept for 10-1/2 hours last night! Ahhhh, that felt great!

Wheels off today.. I had already installed some setscrews in the hubs but they proved to be too small. The hubs were loose on the axle after my last testdrive. To combat that I redrilled the thread to M8 (0.3") while also adding an extra threaded hole at 90° from the first hole (yes I learned that trick on this forum). Now the wheels should hold firmly on the axle. And finally, after what felt like an hour with the diegrinder I got the holes to fit the nut for the wheelweight bracket. Testfit you say? Ofcourse! Fits Now all I have to is get my blasting cabinet running and blast and paint the wheelweights and that's another thing done. Probably going to work on the 3-point again next.