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…. but this was given to me today. It’s a B-80 with the 8 speed tranny!! She runs perfect and all the gears work. Even has headlights. My neighbor and friend @Docwheelhorse comes driving down my driveway with it and says “Merry Christmas ..it’s yours now”! Long story short, he is trying to get all his nice machines into indoor storage. This B-80 was stored inside but he has a new 416 that he wants inside and so the B lost its spot. But he couldn’t bear to leave it outside in the elements, and he knows all mine live inside so I now have it. Last pic is in my shed.

our annual GT Christmas Picture…yea it’s a yellow one this year. However, this is the machine that is responsible for my interest in the hobby. I’ve owned it for 12 years now and with the Kubota D640B diesel, it’s a good worker! Merry Christmas from our family to yours🎄🎁

You're right. You DON'T deserve it! Tony must've still been dizzy from the spiked eggnog or sumtin.

When I was 8 years old my parents asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I said, "a soldering iron". I realized at a young age that if I could do things myself I would save a lot of money, growing up poor helped in that realization! I went on to get a degree in electronic engineering. I worked on the first top secret military computers, got several patents, built, plumbed and wired a house, fixed and welded more things than me and my neighbors can count and even designed lots of stuff. Today I have a nice size home machine shop, a full electronics lab, a watch bench and two villages with tower clocks that I repair and maintain. I'm not dirt poor anymore but I just fixed up a WH 314-8 that had a broken tie rod end that my neighbor gave me for free, the way it looks it won't be my last one. I'll be doing this kinda stuff till the day I die, next April that soldering iron will be 70 years old, it's still in the basement. I figure over my life I've saved easily over a million dollars doing all this stuff myself. I'll never tire of the immense joy I get out of seeing something come back to life that other people never saw the value in.

I think my neighbors and friends need to step their game up.

Today would have been @JimD,s birthday, he was taken from us much too soon. Jim served as a moderator on Red Square and always shared his sense of humor. for several years Jim would find unusual photos and post them with the title "Caption this" to bring out the humorous side of others. You are missed Jim.

Our Christmas blizzard is finally over & after plowing all day in my truck I finally got to come home & try out the snow cab. It was still a bit windy & anywhere between 1 to 2 feet of snow in the driveway & yard. Gave the old girl quite a workout, & for the first time ever I wasn't covered in snow, absolutely love it ! It's supposed to be up to 50 degrees by Thursday, so I put the plow on the C-160 while I had her out for when the base turns to slop. Best Christmas ever.

I began photography with a "Point and Shoot" camera; the Canon S5-IS. I was amazed at what I was able to capture in Macro Mode. Then I discovered a $45 clip on lens that converted the zoom to serious magnification.

Absolutely agreed. Trina in particular gets HUGE satisfaction out of creating things. Learning new skills. Accomplishing a task she's never tried. It's like watching a little girl who just learned to ride a bike or roller skate. Every. Single. Time. Her latest was working on the sheet metal that's shaped like a 1975 C160 hood. When she started it had several dents and warpage with lots of rust pits. The front bars were spread. The hood hinges and their mounts badly twisted. Not even comparable now. She's still working on it. Here's a few pics in it's current state.

A little bit late, but Merry Christmas to all.... My WHEELHORSE ORNAMENT is on the tree...EVERY YEAR. My sister Marcia did the wall painting for me (us) last summer.

Been hearing a rumor for the past couple years that Harbor Freigt was coming to a local town, but never figured it would happen. But finally after 2 years of hearing the rumor, the new store finally opened up last Tuesday. Went over there yesterday on my day off just to look around and maybe pick up some stuff to throw in the truck for working on tractors out in the field. I'm not sure if it's just me or if it affects everyone, but I have this disease that makes it almost impossible to buy the one thing I came for in Harbor Freight (or any other tool store for that matter) and I ended up walking out of there with a new welding machine. I opted for the Titanium Ultimate 140. Ive been looking into purchasing a new welder for smaller projects around the shop for some time. Guys I work with hate it when something around the shop needs welded and I fire up the old Miller on the back of the truck (I think they are complaining about the sound of an old CCK Onan with dual straight pipes, though I can't hear them well enough to know for sure) This welder will be prominently used as a MIG machine, but the other features will be handy to have. I have never TIG welded, but always wanted to try it, so this was an inexpensive way to try it out, with the possibility of later down the road buying a higher end model once I get the hang of it. Took the welder out to the shop after Christmas dinner this afternoon and loaded it up with a 2 LB spool of .030 Flux core and tried it out. I must say I was impressed...does it run as good as a Miller? Of course not...I never expected it to, but for what it is it lays a nice bead. One thing I did notice is the recommended settings for Voltage and Wire Feed are WAY OFF, not a deal breaker just takes some getting used to setting it up. Gonna go to the welding supply up the road tomorrow and pick up a bottle of 75/25 mix to try it out running solid wire. Once I use it enough I will update everyone here with my findings, as well as probably have a video review on my YouTube channel for those of you who follow that

Welcome to my world... I walk out with everything but what I went in for!

Congrats @Sparky! @Docwheelhorse I have a crappy neighbor. I think you should move in there… and you know… I have a pretty good sized barn… you know….

You need anymore neighbors!?!?

It’ll definitely make it to shows. With the huge muffler it has a nice low tone exhaust sound. Perfect for crowds! But, it might see a bit of work like hauling firewood tomorrow

Some dew drops and snow flake.

My 417A series II is a dedicated mower with a 48"SD. My 520H is a dedicated snow machine with a heated cab and 54" blade. Both are beasts, but Kohler parts are more readily available and less costly than the Onan. If all else is equal and the KT17 is a series II, the 417A would be my choice.

Merry Christmas (day after) gents🎄🎁❤️ I trust you all had a wonderful day with family/friends and I hope you took a few minutes (especially being Sunday) to reflect on the Greatest Gift given about 2000 years ago. He, is after all, the Reason that we celebrate this day all these years later! I know that I’m not as much of a regular on here lately but I still try to keep an eye on things when I can. However, this project on Blackbeard will throw me back into the hobby for a few weeks and I am thankful. I love the shop time with my kiddos. Zach is my youngest and yet he has always enjoyed all things mechanical. He told me a month ago that he didn’t want anything for Christmas except a tool box and basic tools to work on his tractor!!! Guess what he got for Christmas? I’ll post pictures later of him using those tools on his tractor. Anyway, Saturday we started the disassembly on Blackbeard… the right hand tires were completely shot and I finally got around to ordering up a new set. Should be here today or tomorrow. One of the great anomalies with this tractor is how well it was taken care of for so month years but then it sat for a couple of years outside behind a garage and it wrecked the paint. Notice the difference between the top of the fender and the bottom… Everything that the sun/moisture didn’t hit is in amazing condition for being 50 years old. Many of the bolts that Zach is taking apart haven’t been cracked since their assembly 50 years ago in South Bend… He is such a joy to work with and he wants to do everything himself. we are going to make up new metal plates for the dash and tunnel cover. I’ll have to get together with Terry @Vinylguy to make up some new stickers. Still haven’t found the correct double pulley for his tiller…one of these days🧐 I was explaining to Zach the value of his cigarette lighter that is fully functional and unused (as far as I can tell by a visual inspection)…still not sure if he completely understands. We are not doing a “complete” restoration at this time. This is more of a repaint/refurbish. Zach wants it fully functional for work but also looking good. I’m convinced that we can make that happen. So much of this machine is in great shape that it shouldn’t take too much to make it the worker that he desires. “tagging and bagging” is something that I want Zach to learn for future work as well as this project. “Let all things be done decently and in order…” are words found in the greatest Book or all time. Good principle even for a GT refurbish! Parts set aside that need to be repainted…

@Sparky... you know it was really Doc's wife's idea... right.... Don

Wow, what an original beauty! I love the ag's & tri ribs on her! Just proves how tight our communuty is. You now have another blessing to count & a truly selfless jesture indeed !!!

Series 2 KT17 is an excellent engine more than enough power. The 520 has a whole lot of nonessential electrical gizmos that can fail..just look at the Electrical forum here...520 series are over represented.

I prefer the Kohler motor over that Onan 20. Plus all the extra “goodies” on the 520 are just things to fail at some point

Good for smaller jobs where duty cycle isn't a problem. Years back I worked on a jobsite with a Kohler powered Lincoln welder mounted on a Cushman three wheeler. Whenever I could I would park it outside and run the stinger inside but on those occasions where I had to run it in the building the noise was deafening, it had spark arrestor mufflers but they did nothing to quiet it down.

I think I have that, but it spread to my Horse shoppin’ muscle too! congrats Bryce, where’s the picture of the beads?

A trip up to Pennsylvania to my parent's house for Christmas and the subject came up on what to do with the B-80 Wheel Horse. Now unfortunately they are no longer able to use this B-80 so a call was made to my nephews to see if they could the B-80 with mower deck and snowplow and they declined because they had some heavier machinery. Now some history about this Wheel Horse B-80, about 20 years ago my parents owned a Bolens garden tractor that came with the house they bought in 1969. I grew up on the Bolens and it had been welded, sections cut out of the hood and a Chevrolet hi beam headlight welded to the hood, it was worn out and the Bolens was traded for a hood for the B-80 up at Ray's Mower Shop in Boyertown, PA. I gave Dad and Mom the Wheel Horse B-80 ..... I mean why would I let my parents use any other brand! This B-80 was purchased by me from a farmer who used to run a big tractor show every summer and it was in rough shape but repairable. So, in 4-degree weather pulled the B-80 out of the shed, not an easy task being the right front tire was flat ..... that's frozen flat, I could not fill the tire up with air because the tire was off the rim bead and frozen that way. I had to jack the B-80 up and remove the wheel and put inside the house by the heater so it would thaw out and get back into shape. This gave me time to find out that nobody had checked the oil and the oil level was low. Filled the oil up to the full mark and put a charger on the battery. I was told the B-80 was started about 2 years ago so I was optimistic about it running again without major adjustments but in 4-degree weather nuttin' wants to start! With the help of a little either the Kohler 8hp finally started but it would only idle and as soon as the clutch pedal was let up and the drive belt turned the Unidrive drive pulley the engine cut off, the transmission oil was that dang cold! This kept up until the engine finally warmed up, it also helped to back out the carburetor adjustment screws 1/2 turn. The ignition tune up I put on the Kohler 8hp back in 2003 still was good and will start every time with a charged battery. I might use this B-80 for snowplow duty or just to cut the lawn. Wild Bill in Richmond VA

I’ll snap a pic tomorrow for ya. I think it’s the full size muffler like is used on the single cylinder black hoods. On the little 8’s it really “muffles”

That would make a nice show cruiser with that little 8 horse!

The fix is to have a tractor for each piece of equipment so you don't have to change it .My 312 is set up for the grader blade with a solid link. Two other tractors have mower decks.

Looks like a great learning project. Good to see Zach out there wrenching on it. If you need any assistance making the new parts for the dash & center counsel let me know. Even if it is as simple as needing me throw a piece in a break to get it bent. I have access to some 16ga or thicker steel or aluminum at a good price as well.

@ebinmaine agree with that lift / hold set up , also did some washer detailing / lube to stop the sloppy connection set up , been thinking of a heim joint refit , male / female 90 working off the bolt thread point . combination of available fittings , just tinkering , pete

Yup. I miss him too. Never forget him falling out of his chair with laughter on a Skype call one night.

Any coolant jug from a Renault will probably be melted! Figure out how much room you got and find something of an econo box car. How much coolant is pushing out? If it's a lot you got bigger issues

The B80s came from factory with the big can muffler... this muffler came off a C81... it was minty and baffles are perfect. It sounds very nice even at full roar. Original "big can" muffler was shot and has gone to iron pile.

I’ve had a 44” two stage blower on my 417-A for over ten years. Some of the storms we’ve had dumped anywhere from 20”-30” of snow. The series two 17 hp has been nothing but impressive! If the moisture content of the snow is right this thing will throw snow to the phone wires!!

Oh, and @Retired Wrencher .. you might recognize this one

Just out of curiosity how many of you guys (and Ladies) built Heathkits!

@ebinmaine I would not put that in the oven in the house. Maybe the toaster oven in the basement on 150. Or just set in front of a portable electric space heater in the basement. We used to use as citrus based electrical cleaner on the hydro generator windings back at the dams. When the generator went on line after the outage the powerhouse smelled like oranges for a week. So , put it in the house oven and that citrus paint remover will have you smelling oranges for a month

Hope you don't ever walk into a Victoria's Secret store!

If I get time today I'm gonna play around with it some more and I'll get some pictures then...kind of embarrassed to show what I did yesterday...we were in the wife's pickup when we came over here instead of my welding truck, so I didn't have my good hood with me...used the one at the shop but my blind eyes can't see to weld real well without my cheaters

You can also move the trunnion forward for more lift.

@Ed729 If you use a solid lift link there’s no adjustment necessary and you can have down pressure as well. If you have hydraulic lift it will lift the front wheels off the ground! I don’t have a picture handy but I’m sure someone does and I believe one of our vendors sells them.

Couldn't have said it better.

Isn't it fantastic when we get to the point in life that we can use tools and equipment that we WANT to ... Like an old Horse or vintage tools or a certain level of quality.... Makes doing "chores/work" in to FUN TIME.

Park the machine on level flat hard ground. Connect the rear (pivoting) point. Use blocks under the blade or frame to hold the plow up as high as possible. Hold it HIGHER than you actually want it. It'll settle down a bit. Adjust the nut and link while the plow frame is held in its max upward position.

Could you use a deep socket and a ratchet to locate the nut on the rod?

Thought some of you folks would be interested to see what the chickens are up to this cold morning. Mid teens temperature. They like to peck the snow.

On my c series the panel below the dash comes off very easily with four screws and allows easy access to that adjustment.

Probably a stupid question so I apologize in advance. I’m trying to adjust the lift height to get my snow plow up as high as possible on a 312-8. While fine tuning the height I’m moving the nut up and down in my picture. The only way I can move the nut is by removing the pin and pulling it out, moving the nut with a wrench, then putting it back in the tractor. This seems inefficient and is very difficult to reinstall due to tight spaces and big hands. Is there an easier way? Thanks

Most Chemical reactions increase with warmth. May I suggest. 1 Cover the pan with 1-2. Layers of clear plastic wrap to seal in the vapors which help do the work. 2. Put the pan in a (safe) warm area. I can’t say I remember a lot from chemistry class, but I do recall many chemical reactions double with each 10 deg C. Increase in temperature.

This hood Trina had some great learning on. Hammer n dolly. Dent filling. Filler Primer. She's done a LOT of work on it.