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Made our first trout stocking this morning.

Unfortunately I forgot to take any before pictures. I got this years ago when I bought a barn full tools and equipment from an elderly gentleman. It was bent quite badly likely from someone putting a pipe on the handle for some reason. I heated and straightened it then cleaned and sanded it. The jaws are in great shape so it just needed some paint at this point. Of course it was painted IH red to match my Wheel Horses.

Russell horse-drawn grader Drive by any road construction firm and you are likely to see an antiquer horse-drawn road grader used as yard art. These were state of the art machines in their time. If you look closely, you will find that today’s road graders possess all the functions of their century old predecessors. Hand cranks and manual rack and pinion adjustments have been replaced by hydraulic cylinders; mechanical power has replaced human Armstrong power but the basic principles of operation are largely unchanged. Road building at the dawn of the twentieth century was becoming a greater priority because of the automobile and a burgeoning industrial economy. People were relocating to cities and traveling to places they had only read about. Specialized equipment for road maintenance and construction was needed. In 1903 Richard Russell and C.K. Stockland formed Russell Grader Manufacturing. They had already been involved in road-maintenance equipment and wanted to manufacture graders and other road-building machines to their own designs. Their first product was a horse-drawn elevating-type grader with a gasoline engine to drive the conveyor. As tractors replaced horses the pull-type graders became larger, heavier, and much stronger as steel frames replaced wooden frames. It took a crew of two to operate the grader, a tractor operator and a grader operator who stood on a platform on the rear of the grader. Because hand control was tiresome and could be dangerous if the blade hit a solid object, Russell offered power controls by the early 1920s with a small gasoline engine providing the power. Russell added a small horse drawn road blade grader to its product line in 1908 called the Simplex with a price of $105 to $150 depending on size. Several more blade grader models were added over time. Russell’s first motor grader was produced in 1919. The "Motor Patrol" was available for sale the following year consisting of an Allis Chalmers tractor with a grader frame built around the tractor. Russell released their first “Motor Patrol” with a Caterpillar track-type vehicle for propulsion in 1926. The origin of Caterpillar's involvement in the motor grader industry can be traced back over 120 years ago when Russell built the first horse-drawn elevating grader. Russell graders were frequently pulled by Caterpillar tractors, Russell and Caterpillar leaders explored opportunities to expand their product lines together. As a result, on December 4, 1928, Caterpillar Tractor Co. acquired the Russell Grader Manufacturing Company and created a new "Road Machinery Division" to handle blade grader production and motor grader development. In April 1931, the Road Machinery Division introduced the industry's first true motor grader - the Auto Patrol - different from motor patrols in that it was designed as one machine instead of a separate tractor with a grader frame fitted around it. This was Caterpillar's first venture into a new product line since the company's establishment three years earlier. At first Caterpillar sold the former Russell elevating and blade grader models under its own brand name but, within a few years, completely redesigned and modernized Russell's original graders. The "No.10 Auto Patrol" of 1931 was one of the first graders with major Caterpillar input, tipping the scales at 13,460 pounds and powered by a Cat 40-hp gas engine. During the 1930s, an entire new range was developed, the forerunner of today's line of Caterpillar motor graders. @davem1111 may have something to add.

I love looking for and buying old tools. I found a pretty good deal on a set of old greenland tools taps & dies set. Someone took the time to coat everything in grease and wrap everything in cellophane many yrs ago ,that was now disintegrating. It took me over a hr to clean everything up with Diesel and a wire brush. There was no rust to be found “it worked “ 😆 I think they came out like new , few are missing but for 12 bucks Im not complaining. Someone must of loved this set and knew the value of them 👍

Spoiler alert: all of the torque. Amazing.

Horse pulls....every day out my kitchen window.

I like an original as well. That being said, down here in NC we're lucky to find a tractor at all. Original machines are extremely rare. Absolutely none of my tractors would even be usable if I didn't implement a few mods. Several of my tractors that are very good machines are at best Frankenstein monsters. Of course I have a tendency to "upgrade" where I think it deserves improvement. Short version: I prefer original tractors, and am jealous of the folks up north in that respect. But when my choice is running and working vs originality- I'm gonna lean towards the former. I think they were meant to be enjoyed, and am open to whatever it takes to keep them going.

As of today February 23 2024 I'm the proud owner of a C595. It's a 1984 complete with a 3 point hitch and a pto. Took some work and determination but it's sweet and well worth the effort.

Found a couple more. I wonder how many lost tools I really have.

Back in the 80's and 90's I used to go to auctions several times a week. I've accumulated lots of my tools there. I bought a lot of old Ridgid pipe wrenches at these auctions and I still use them today. I have all sizes from 6 inch up to about 36 inches and I got them cheap.

This is the rest that I have left. 2- 24" ridgid aluminum 2- 18" ridgid aluminum 2- 10" ridgid aluminum 1- 8" no name iron 2- ridgid strap wrenches 18" aluminum 3- vice grip chain wrenches I sold the 36" and 48" ridgid aluminum ones that I had when I retired.

Nothing bites and holds like a Rigid . In addition to pipe, nuts and bolt work, I also use mine for metal bending and straightening. I use aluminum jaw covers for bending. Oh, and can't count the number of times the Rigid has loosened a stuck Sundstrand tow valve. Here's my 14 and 24. A 10 and 6 would be nice to have.

Where I worked in the 1980's building Gundrills, they switched from the heavy cast iron Rigid pipe wrenches to the newer aluminum ones. They were going to throw all the cast iron ones out to the dumpster!! I told the foreman to throw one my way, I'll take that 2 foot long one home. He told me "here you go, and there is a new spare set of replacable jaws taped to it". Still got it.

Hello everybody, it's been awhile since I've posted, but I've just sanded down the hood on the 1969 charger 12 to look like patina, don't know how good of a job I did, but the idler pulley also went, so I replaced that as well. Got some chains put on it for the remaining months of winter too.

Except for the handle grip...its done. I went with a gloss black hammered finish, its got a subtle Argent tint to it, not a hard black, but not industrial grey.

Watch the horse pulls at the PA Farm Show every January. That is horsepower on display.

I sold my T/A in December and picked up this ol girl from Arkansas. 79 F100, 3 on the tree. My dad owned two when I was young and I owned 2 as well when in my 20s. My Chevy towed it and did very well from New York to Arkansas and back.

As many of you know I have repowered my 312-8. I chose to purchase an engine from https://repowerspecialists.com/ as they had a replacement listed for a similar Wheelhorse. From start to finish working with them was a good experience. Not only do they have a recommended engine for the tractor, but the support they provide would be the envy of any company. Both of the extra work they provided for me were free of charge and quickly handled. Even the return of the engine mounting plate was done with a prepaid mailer provided by them. When the wiring on my WH was not correct for the engine to run they had a wiring harness work around in my hands three days later. If you are looking to buy a new engine RePower is a great place to start.

Yessir. Trina's been a horse lover since she was a teen. We see em pull at the Ossipee Valley Fair every year or two. Gotta have Fried Dough, maybe an ice cream.. Definitely watch the horses. Everything else is optional. Just incredible powerful beautiful beasts.

Bought a John Deere x300 several years ago. It had the 'no cut in reverse' feature. I immediately disabled it. I get it that someone sued somebody because they were stupid and backed over someone, but why should a manufacturer be forced to ruin a good thing just because of a few stupid people. I think most of us older guys can say we didn't ride bikes with helmets and knee pads, and we lived to meet another day. I will mow in reverse because I am careful.

Love the neck tie on the operator!!! Ahhh... those good old days when OSHA was just a small town in Wisconsin... somewhere near @Achto and @WHX?? if I recall correctly...

Nothing wrong with the old iron pipe wrenches other than weight. Ridgid has the best jaws of any pipe wrenches I have ever used. All the rest of my pipe wrenches are aluminum but the little 6" is so small it really would not make a difference with it.

If you play your cards (or statements) right you can have a month of freedom before you get chewed on!

That depends on how badly you want them. If you plan on getting them in good enough condition to resell at a profit I wouldn't go more than about $ 300. The owner obviously doesn't consider them to be valuable or they wouldn't be stuck out in the weeds. None-runners can be a real crapshoot especially if they are a hydro.

I'd amend that just a hair. The wheel weights in the C120 are $200 a set up here. The plows here, are worth about twice your price. I'd figure a grand or so. IF the Implements can be saved.

I have a 2004 315-8 in the shop, cleaning up, repairing the wiring / electrical issues and service. What an amazing difference in this machine as compared to ones a few years older. The bones are the same, angle frame, HD 8 speed, steering an so on. But boy has the safety safari dipped their self into this one. Start out with a magnetic neutral switch. Functions if the gear lever is moved from neutral with the park brake on it shuts off. (I will say that I have drove a gear drive with the brake on myself) might be ok. Of course the standard it won't crank with the seat switch off. PTO if on she no crank. As a surprise, no clutch switch. And then comes a very complex no mow in reverse system. I figure the complexity of this is to incorporate warning lights etc. Surly makes it more of a process to run and work on the thing. Wires and relay everywhere! Had to make a map.

Looks familiar. Decal on mine is not in good shape. Got it at flea market a few years ago.

Picked up this Horror Fright lift table a couple of weeks ago. Has Handy Lift side extensions and has been converted to an air hydraulic jack so no crappy foot pedal. Previous owner updated one end with better casters and a wider footprint. As an added bonus I can take the sides off and store the whole shi-bang under my Power King! @Horsin' round The average WH tires sit on the edges of the original table so there isn't much weight applied there.

The good and bad of the answer is simple. The good is that most newer engines use breakerless ignition, so the electrical portion is fairly easy- though in the case of a 520-X you will lose some dash functionality (vacuum, RPM, etc). Of course these can be replaced with other functions like oil pressure and temp, which may be more useful regardless. The bad side is some engines require a degree of fabrication to place the PTO shaft in the exact location of the original. I don't have experience with Honda engines, but Vanguards need to be elevated about 1/2 inch to line up correctly, and thier bolt pattern is different. A quick run through the website shows they primarily use Honda engines, but they also offer Kohler and Vanguard V twins for certain machines.

I purchased a Harbor freight lift table a few years ago and widened the top. Honestly this is one of the best tools I’ve ever bought. It’s a real game changer for me as I have a bad back. I can raise it up, leave it and it might drop an inch in a week. There’s a locking bar that you can lower it onto, when it’s fully raised then it definitely can’t drop. I would highly recommend this, as my only regret is not buying it sooner!!

Sounds like you have a plane. Just take your time with it and most of all ENJOY THE RIDE. I did this a few years ago because the p/o only did the out side it basically had three shades of red. Did not want to do this but it looks better than three shades of red.

Well I got the C-175 running good, and it operates as it should. I started tearing it down and quickly realized it is going to need a lot of work. I’m still on the fence about doing a full blown restoration on this tractor. As some of you know, it’s a lot of work to do it properly. It would be nice however to have it done as it is the feature tractor for the big show. I was fairly certain my buddy had the front mower carrier, but he informed me that he sold it a few years ago. @Tonytoro416 said he has a nice one, maybe we can work something out? One thing I do have is several 48” decks that also need to be restored. So really all I need to re-create the picture is to restore my tractor and mower deck. Find a mower carrier, a yellow Members Only jacket, polyester pants and those brown shoes!! Basically if I am going to try and pull this off I’m going to need to devote all of my free time to getting it done! I ask myself why on earth am I even thinking about doing this! I have been dropping subtle hints to the treasurer that we may be incurring some unexpected costs over the next few months. I didn’t get a full on green light, however I didn’t get a red light either. I feel as if I’m operating under a yellow caution light 😂 Stay tuned………

I got all this for free a couple of years ago. P.O even delivered it to my house ! Sat outside for 10 yrs. Wife told him it had to go. New coil, points, battery, front tires, and gas and it fired right up. I cleaned it up, did a little paint work and sold it. Great machine,built like a Sherman tank. Wouldn't mind owning another. Case 224. Not sure of the model you have pictured. Regardless of the model the condition of it dosnt make it worth all that much.

Mine is starting to look like a motor. Head tin stays off until bench running and torque check.

Mechanical portion is all done, i hung 275lbs off the arms and nothing gave but the front end was starting to come up. I put 250 on the drawbar and it held it. Now ive got to take it all off, clean up some welds and paint it. I missed my goal of Cat 0 standard 20" spacing between the arms, got 19" down and 18.75 fully raised. If needed i can heat the arms and put a bit of a dogleg in them. The drawbar and drop stop are repurposed deck hangers off of a deere deck that i scrapped last year but kept the lift links/hangers because thats some stiff steel.

Gravity has been working for millions of years

It’s all about the implements! Im interested in the C120. My buddies going to take the 518. I have a feeling the briggs is gonna be for sale. Me, personally: its alright if the wheelhorses have some shine to em, i will wipe it off and take care of it… but it fine if the C120s got work clothes on, then its ready for whatever! Gotta make em pretty to sell them!!

Ed - at best. Once Mother Nature has sunk her claws into it for some time - - treasure becomes trash. SAD.

I'll take a stab at it. I pay $150 for rollers 3x150 $450 deck projects 50x2 $100 snow plows 75x2 $150 junk tiller $050 $750 dollars worth of projects

Had this rear axle tiller/ dozer mount that looked like it was sitting on the bottom of the ocean. Cleaned all rust off. Going to primer and paint it. One of the locking levers is busted but it will still work.

Another plus, the byproduct from the exhaust end 🐎 is great for the garden! We have a gardener lady who takes most of ours, for her clients gardens!

Pipe wrenches I find are usually used in pairs and that is why I have two of most sizes. However, the use of threaded pipe is getting to be less and less at residential level so mine sit unused most of the time. When I worked for DuPont as a millwright in the SUVA, FREON plant I used my pipe wrenches every day. They shut the plant down and moved operations to China but 30 years pulling on 36" and 48" every day I was ready for a change.

@cleat have a number of pipe wrenches , also have 1" I/D steel piping . that combo has more often than not easily moved the most stubborn anything , have also welded a 6 - 10 " extension on smaller pipe wrenches , for tight spots . also impact point with a 3 lb hammer is just behind the jaw swivel nut , thats the impact , move point . worked with a pipe fighter / fitter for years , that where you wear how to use a pipe wrench . small wrenches get into the tight spots , add leverage to that for removal . pete

Started on a new diet and exercise program that does not involve fasting. Weight this morning 226. Just to elaborate a bit. I gave up on the fasting. It's not for me. The holidays were a killer. We are a family of eaters. Then came the week of Christmas. The wife and I started feeling sick on December 20th. Low grade fevers, sinus problems, and a cough. Covid-19 negative. We toughed it out through 12/27 when my wife went to the doctor because she was having trouble breathing. Seems we both tested negative again for covid, and positive for RSV. 12/28 she ends up in the ER (breathing). Back home that night, but for both of us we were miserable. RSV finally subsided and on 1/2/24 we declared ourselves healthy again. We had 17 good days, until 1/25/24 when we both tested positive for Covid. My 3rd time, her 1st. And yes, we were both fully vaccinated and boosted. Mine didn't last long (6 days), hers took 14 days. I've had Covid 3 times since being vaccinated. Anyway, to make a long story shorter, on February 4th, we both again declared ourselves well. After doctor visits on the 15th, all is well except my triglycerides and LDL cholesterol is high. Hence the new diet. High in fiber, low in saturated fat, plenty of fish, and 30 almonds per day. I limit my caloric intake to 2000 or less per day. I'm back to briskly walking 1.5 to 2.5 miles per day.

Honestly Bill, I didn’t put a gauge on it. When I removed the plugs I held my thumb over the hole and I couldn’t hold it tight so I figured I had good compression. Now that you’ve said that though, I probably will test it just to see what it has. I’m thinking about pulling the motor over the weekend.

This is good to know info! I've been aware of them for a while, but hadn't seen anyone from our group with experience. Glad it worked out! Do they still run Vanguards? I know someone with a repowered 520-H that had one of thier kits installed, but he bought the tractor after the conversion. But, it's still going strong years later. I've converted several now to Vanguard, but did it myself. Plug and play would be nice!

Not today, as such. But a friend of mine took a photo of my brother and his wife, on his birthday in the summer of 2023 on an analogue camera and I love that it looks so timeless like it could be any time from the 70s to today