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Spent a little time with my 953 today. I acquired this tractor from @PeacemakerJack roughly about 3yrs ago, parked it in storage and hadn't done any thing with it until last weekend when I drug it out of storage. I found out that there was some issues with the starter/gen when I tried to start it but couldn't let a little thing like that stop me from seeing if I could make it run. 1 - Check to see that there was oil in it. 2 - rebuild the carb. Every thing cleaned to hospital sterilization. New kit, throttle shaft bushings, and reassembled. 3 - Make sure that I have power to the coil. 4 - Clean points and verify spark. 5 - Strap on an IV bottle. 6 - Wrap a rope around the S/G pulley & give 'er a pull. Second pull it fired up & runs well. Smokes a bit, stearing kind of works but that's OK for now. Transmission works well in all gears. Hydraulic pump also works well. Next step, tear it all apart to prep it for a resto.

10HP with 42” blade, C-85 w/cab & 42” Snow Blower, 315-8 w/Ark Loader. Ready for some snow ❄️. Last year had up to 14” in Ohio. Snow cab windows were fogged up bad and I used MeGuires PlastX, this stuff was easy, apply like wax, rubbing it in and wipe off, amazing how it cleared that plastic window up.

Did my black Friday shopping a day late. All parts units except the 314 at the front. Truck is full of 42" & 48" snow plows. One of the 48's is new ( one of the latest designs with the insulated cable and the funky multi-bend handle ) . The 314 is the one that bothers me : while it has some hours on it , it has very little wear on it, a super nice 42 " recycler deck, runs like new, and 4 brand new tires, it was left outside uncovered for the last 2-3 years and is completely sun bleached, original seat is toasted......

Got the seat put on Wally Digger the backhoe tractor. Messed around with it a little in the yard and then put it in its new home under the left shed overhang of the new barn. Seems to be pretty happy there.

Put the new solid engine mounts on the C-161 tonight, ( the tuykey & pie wore off & coffee kicked in, lol ). These have been hanging on my workbench for 3 years, too many other 's wanting my attention. These are the Bee's Knees.

How about a Comet saw from the 60s ? This thing is a BEAST ! April fools. Just thought it would be funny to take a pic with it there

Thanks for bringing me in Jimbo. Edit: just realized this post is a bit lengthy but I want to give as much information as possible. Of note: My own usage and purchase of saws is VERY strictly limited by my @)#($+&!! fibromyalgia. I can't handle the vibration of a gas engine on my forearms for very long. The weight of a saw is a MUCH more important consideration now. All above posts make valid points. We have 7 chainsaws. 1. An older corded electric maybe 12", 14" bar? It's... usable... for wood up to 3" or 4". Rarely used now because of saw #7. 2, 3. A couple older Craftsmen made by Homelite that were given to us. No chain brakes. Not going to be used on a regular basis by us. 4. The only gas saw I've bought new. Echo CS 490. 49cc. 18" bar. Excellent saw. My go-to worker for felling trees and sectioning trunks larger than 12" or so. It could be a tad more powerful but it's a perfectly good worker, just a little slow. (I bought it a little small on purpose because my ridiculous body can't handle a larger saw for more than about 10 to 15 minutes.) 5. Echo 33cc about early 2000s vintage. 16" bar. VERY low hour saw. It was close to new when I got it in a parts pile of Horse stuff from a local fella. Absolute best cutting chain I've ever had or seen. 6. 12 to 15 years old Stihl MS180C. 31.8cc. 16" bar. Another VERY low hours saw. Both the Stihl and smaller Echo are excellent for felling/sectioning trees under about 10" -12" and all limbing. They are my go-to saws for most cutting. Well balanced. Lightweight. Lower vibration. 7. Trina's 2022 MODEL YEAR Kobalt battery powered chainsaw. 16" bar I think... Before THIS model year I would not have recommended a battery powered chainsaw because of short battery life. With a season of use behind us I'm impressed. It cuts great for its size. Well balanced. MUCH quieter. Not silent mind you... MUCH lower vibration. I can honestly say having used it a few times and comparing it to both of my smaller gasoline saws I highly recommend it GIVEN THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES. Trina and I have compared her run time to mine with a fully charged battery vs a tank of gas. It's about the same. Batteries are expensive... But... You don't buy gas. I've not compared costs for the electricity to charge the battery vs gasoline. You WILL need a fully charged spare/extra battery for every tank of gas you'd expect to use from a petrol saw. $$$$ Trina will not likely get another battery because our habits don't dictate the need at this time. @lynnmor raises an excellent point. Will it have a long term service life such as we expect from the Echos or Stihl? We. DON'T. Know. Trina bought her Kobalt because at the time of purchase the DeWalt was a LOT more expensive. Carefully consider your own current cutting habits. How many tanks of fuel can you use in a day? You need THAT many batteries. Is vibration a concern? Is noise a concern? Most important: Do you honestly expect and desire this purchase to be a permanent piece of machinery? If yes, I can't recommend a battery powered chainsaw.... Yet. So what brand of gasoline saw? Echo has come a long way and makes a great saw. They are less expensive than either a Husqvarna or Stihl... BUT... What do the LOGGERS use?? Ahhhhh..... Now there's your ultimate answer. Stihl. Hands down. Husqvarna is a reasonable second place. Bear. Out. 🐻. 🤪

I have the Dewalt battery saw. Hi My name is Sylvia, not Sally, and i have the Dewalt battery saw... I won't change, even if i have to, i guess... It is a great saw, but has its purpose based on blade size and power. Use it all the time and it will easily handle up to 6"... blade / chain is excellent. All i need. No it is not same as tank of gas per battery. I have all Dewalt battery yard stuff so 5 extra batteries - just have them charged and by the tree - swap out as needed. I also have their pole saw and it is perfect. Light, easy to use with 15' pole. For true production tree work i'd have kept my Stihl and use the Dewalt for all trim work.

That's the problem with driving on the wrong side of the road.

Cut some 1/2" SBR, drilled my impeller blades and attached with some stainless steel straps, bolts and nuts. Snug against the inside of the chamber but I can rotate by hand easy enough.

Hey guys, checking back in to report my 314 is all squared away now, here's the after-action report... I installed a primer bulb, replaced all the fuel line, the filter, the tank grommet, took the fuel pump off broke it down inspected the diaphragm and check valves, the diaphragm was still soft, supple and flexible, the output side check valve was leaking by a little bit, even after I'd cleaned it a couple of times, but since the new primer bulb has a check in it, I decide it was clean enough. I figured while I had him in shop and was already on a roll, I went ahead and did a complete service I changed the oil, took the carb off shot it through with lots of carb spray and compressed air, put in a fresh air filter and spark plug, shot all the zerks full of the lucus green grease. And since the OE seat pan had just popped another nut loose, I replaced the seat too. So far the long crank time issue appears to be cleared up, I did the fuel system first so it's had a couple of overnight periods where I could check it from a stone cold first start and it's much improved, it's back in the shed now I'll crank it in week or 2 and see how it responds. I can say this thanksgiving break was not boring in the least Thanks everybody for the replies and tips.

With those "forks", it's looks like a nice lawn chair carrier.

I had a craftsman that was faithful for years, but later became a problem. I sold it an bought this Atlas 40V. I bought the 40V saw over the 80V because it's less prone to overheating as I saw in some Tube videos. I have an 80V string trimmer, so I can also use the battery from that (40/80V). With those two batteries I can cut wood for hours or cut enough that I have to deal with it before cutting more. I have a gas Stihl WoodBoss as a backup. I will never be without a battery chainsaw now that I have one. Zero issues. Fill it with oil, adjust the chain, that's it. What I like is you can continuously cut and sit it down without either letting it run or restating all the time. I also like if I just need to cut something minor, I can do it in minutes, no need to screw around with gas and starting. I chose Atlas because I liked the blower. It is also 80V and blows better than my old Stihl blower. However, don't pay full price for Atlas. I bought a package with free c\charger, plus they were running a sale, plus I had another discount available, so it was worth it. Ego was my second choice, but I couldn't justify the battery cost. Don't get me wrong, like I said I keep the Stihl for a reason. It's got a longer bar in case a large tree comes down.

I detached the 2 stage from my grandfathers old 1848. I haven’t had time to figure out the no start issue with it. I reattached it to the bronco 14 which happens to be the same grandfathers. I think I’ve got it all hooked up right minus a couple springs and the belt. Of course the bronco14 ran out of gas right there and when I went to look for the gas can the boys had used all my gas in the 4 wheeler and never told me. yes that’s another 2 stage in the background sticking up to the left of the chute. That’s a ber-vac. I bought it for 50 bucks and it works great. This is the first year of having a wheel horse 2 stage and I figured I’d give this one a try and see how it does compared to the other.

I’m a Harley guy. My wife and I love our rubber mounted Roadglide. Anyway I started my restored C161 tonight prior to removing the battery for winter. Dang if that thing ain’t as cool as a Harley! IMG_4038.MOV

This was after the fact…

I'm late to the party, but here's the Kennell Clans Black Friday Thanksgiving. The Clan Mark smoked two birds and they were picked clean Mrs. Ks desert table My 97 yo MIL with her first Great Granddaughter. Finally after six Great Grandson.

That wouldn't have happened ifn..................... Well you know!

I currently have four saws in the herd not counting the ones for cutting ice. Favorites are the old Homelites... @wallfish and @lynnmor knows but they ain't exactly lite. Built like tanks and always if start if fueled right...and if yer back can take it. Go to is either a Husky 445 which I don't go out in the woods without or a older Stihl which never fails me either. Don't be a sally and cross anything battery powered off the list off the list unless you are Clark Griswold and just want to trim the newell post... well might be handy for limbing right @ebinmaine? 'Course I'm sitting in 80 deg with 10 outside...

I have a craftsman (that I hate)... and an x-bull 60cc with 20 inch bar (that I love). I actually have 2 x-bull chainsaws. Never had a problem with them, extremely powerful... and if you haven't seen the work I did at the pond, and on the pile that was made when the pond was dug... those chainsaws survived the ridiculous amount of work I did... and will fire right up today. Don

I have a Husky 440 with a 16" bar. Nice when it runs, but I've had to take the carb out a few times for a good cleaning, which may not be unusual for any machine in the conditions these run in. I also have an Echo 18", don't remember the model. It got better reviews than the Husky. I wouldn't fault anyone doing any tree work having a battery powered machine as a "second machine", unless you're only doing really light stuff. Heck, I usually take my Sawzall along for smaller branches and such. But I wouldn't go battery powered for anything serious or running into hours of cutting. Last fall I was working on a downed Ash tree that's about 3 feet in diameter, and wishing for a bigger machine than the Echo. And now I'm down to the lower part of the trunk that I left for this year, that's closer to 4 feet. Not really looking forward to tackling that part. Will be getting some smaller stuff first.

Found on marketplace...418-A with a loader, bet that is a handful with a few hundred pounds in the bucket

I'm currently using a 20+ year old Craftsman 18" saw. It works OK, but it is a hard starter when hot. In the near future, I will be doing a lot of chainsaw work in our woods. The old Craftsman does not give warm and fuzzy vibes for use like this. So, I am considering a new saw. I'm thinking along the lines of a Sthil MS 250 or a Husquvarna 440. Comments? Opinions? Love? Hate? Anybody out there have a DeWalt battery powered saw? Would it be worth taking one of those out into the woods with the expectation of getting similar performance from a battery pack as from a tank of gas in t gas saw? Come on, folks. Let's get a good argument discussion going here.

I'll have to be more careful with my wording in the future. LOL

Got the C-161 back together, new ammeter, new mounts work greatI Started to put the snow cab on.

I just got off the phone with Stevasaurus; what a friendly and helpful guy. We determined that my c-160 has 105875 axles regardless of what my parts manual shows. So I know what to get. I have my parts shopping list and will be ordering my parts.

Spent a decent amount of time cleaning and moving tractors around today in my big shed. Still a few things to move around but should give the boys ample room for their new tractors we pick up next weekend. If all goes well these 2 wheeler and made a deal for 5 wheel horses and attachments/ accessories. I’m sure Alex will fill you all in when it happens.

You might not want to use that starter.

You know what it really sounds like? It sounds like the broken glass in a thermos. Ask me how I know??

That axle would be OK if it is not messed up where the outer bearing sits. You need to check that. The end plate of the differential sits in the large ball bearing and that looks OK. You could lightly file all the gears (removing burrs) including those pinions and should be OK. I just mow grass and move snow with mine...I would go with what you have, but, I would be on the look out for parts or another transmission for the shelf. If you get parts for it now, I would save the old ones just incase. If you want another axle...all 1 1/8" axles will work...you need the right length. Measure the axle and that's the one you want.

Don't be rushing things Randy. Sometimes you have to think about stuff for a few days, months, years before you really tackle it.

If you jack up the tractor and tip it slightly so that the brake shaft is facing up a tad, no issue.Remove the drum and the key, determine if the seal is flush with the casting or inset a bit - remove the seal. CLEAN the shaft and use a piece of tape lengthwise to close the keyseat - this allows the seal to go over the sharp edges of the keyseat without damage. Apply light lube to the taped shaft and start the seal with a twisting motion. Push it inward beyond the tape and stop. Remove the tape, clean the inner face of the drum, and use it without the key to seat the new seal - if the old one was flush, you are good - if it was inset a bit, use a piece of PVC pipe to tap it in GENTLY. Remove the drum, install the Woodruff key and the drum with its retainer. Done several this way - no issues. @ebinmaine brings up a good point - if the fluid looks dirty or milky, drain it first. You need to elevate the front of the tractor about a foot or so to drain the Unidrive completely... Bill

I replaced them on my C-161 when I had it few years ago. One of the best mods I ever did to it and wished I did it sooner.

I bought a Stihl. Had it about 10 years now. Never a problem.

My newest of my seven Homelite chainsaws is 43 years old. Take a look at the 43 year old battery power tools and ask yourself if that is what you want. Wait! Even the 10 year old tools are in the trash.

Hello my fine people. Some of you know that I have been working on a 718-Z with the Kohler Magnum 18. It has a Walboro carb on it. Well, after all the work I have done, I cranked it up today, ran it for 5 minutes and it lost mid and high RPM power, it would only idle. SO... I knew that the carburetor was gummed up. I took it apart, luckily for me I had a carburetor kit in stock to replace all the gaskets and such. Anyway, I didn't have any carburetor cleaner on hand... and I didn't feel like running to the part's store... So... I decided to test a theory that I have thought about for a while. The plain, good old-fashioned water hose. I was able to flush the inside of the carburetor out, completely rinsing all the gunk, holding the hose close to the jet area to clean it out... etc. It seemed to work exceptionally well and upon drying the carburetor with my heat gun and reassembly, my problems were completely gone. I just thought I would share this... it really worked for me and I didn't have to use any special cleaners or tools. In the past, I have used compressed air, carburetor tools, etc... and I could have used either of those methods, but I decided to give the water hose a shot. I can't really think of any reason that it can't be recommended, but wanted to post it here for all of your consideration and thoughts... as it may be something I do again in the future preferably over the other methods... Don

Got all my parts ordered! I'm glad that those axles turned out to be 105875's I couldn't find 102764's. Thanks for all the help you guy's and Trina. The hard part is over. I'll keep you posted.

Don't say it Jeff! Keep yer fingers off the keyboard! Good choice Joe! Editing out the word "shaft" ... Ahm only talkin' 'bout Shaft... can ya dig it? Right on...

Yes he is. I measured my axles and they are definitely 11 5/8" x 1 1/8" with 17 splines. Which is a 105875 rather than a 102764 (that my parts manual shows.) by the info on A to Z Tractor. I guess my transaxle may have been changed to the shorter or originally the shorter shaft.

You bet it is! I got it mounted today. Hadda cut the side mounts off the original seat bracket... But it fits great! Slides up and down nicely! Don

Excellent. Steve's pretty alright ain't he?

Wow, great thread. LOVE the c/k 10s guys!

To us old pros it does. However, it can be done, and I did it when I was a young novice. I did the entire job of removing and replacing a brake shaft seal with the tire on and said "never again".

I almost exclusively use the Husquvarna pre-mixed canned fuel. I think maybe once or twice I bought a non-Husky can from Menards or someplace, but only under duress. I haven't mixed my own 2-stroke fuel in many years. I assume that the cans have no ethanol in them... So here we're talking about no ethanol and probably having to service the carbs every other year at least. Too many gasoline engines, too many carbs to keep clean. Which reminds me, I need to make the rounds with the STA-BIL. Generators, tractors, push mowers, etc.

A weight box behind the rear axle would help.

Excellent point. I did the same thing. Also found that out while swapping homemade plow brackets. I've since saved a case from a bad hydro transmission to use as a welding jig.

If you are making a 2" receiver hitch for them the frame for the hydro has to be wider. I cut the metal for my hydro the same width I used for the 312- 8 and it wouldn't fit. I have another one half made for an 8 speed.

Post pics here when you get them herded up. Would like to see them Horses. Although some are wild and harder to corral 😉

I spent a couple of hours wandering through our woods. Got into some spots I have not been in before. Pictures: Images ordered panorama style, left to right. This is an area that my wife suggested I check out as a possible house site. The edge of the hill drops down maybe 15 feet to an intermittent stream. What do y'all think about the location? I'm going to have to get my GPS unit there to see where that spot falls on the property. We have 2 adjacent lots. The lot line is somewhere in that area. Might have to combine the two lots into one, or move the lot line somehow. Both should be possible, since we own both lots.