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Why Georga went nuts? For several generations cotton had been king in the south. In 1915, the boll weevil reached Georga. Many cotton crops were destroyed, and the local farmers struggled financially. The whole area fell into a slump. H.M. Sessions, an Enterprise, GA businessman, decided something needed to be done about the boll weevil problem. He felt that peanuts would fare well in the region. Enterprise farmer, C.W. Baston, planted peanuts for one year at the request of Mr. Sessions. Mr. Sessions offered Mr. Baston the peanuts to plant, someone to harvest them, and $1 per bushel. Mr. Baston, whose cotton had been severely damaged by the boll weevil, took him up on his offer. Mr. Baston's crop of peanuts did well in its first year. He was able to pay off his debts and still have some money in the bank. He produced 8,000 bushels of peanuts in his first year. His great success caused many other struggling farmers to become interested in peanuts. Mr. Baston's harvest was used as seed for other local farmers who were eager to get into the peanut business. Many farmers grew nothing except peanuts. The great success of the peanuts proved beneficial to the state. Many farmers diversified even further and planted other crops. Cotton was still planted, but was not the sole focus of Georga’s farming efforts. According to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the U.S. peanut crop in 2022 was estimated at 5.57 billion pounds. Georga accounting for more than 50 percent of all U.S. peanut production. Once viewed primarily as a cotton state, Georgia now consistently ranks first in the nation’s production of poultry and eggs and is also a top producer of peanuts, pecans, tobacco, blueberries, and peaches. Overall, the state accounts for 2 percent of total U.S. agricultural sales.

And of course that bit of history gave way to our southern specialty...."boiled peanuts". A true southern delicacy! Years ago my mom was visiting from up in Iowa and we took a road trip to the Florida beaches. On the way we stopped in south GA and picked up some fresh "boiled peanuts". I handed the bag to my mom and told her to try them while I visited the mens room. When I came back I asked her what she thought. She had an unpleasant look on her face but tried to be optimistic.....well she said they are kind of a strange crunchy thing....I had to clarify....we still remove the peanuts from the shell

Married up the frame and tranny on the C-160 renovation. Startling to get back together.

Yes... Many times... 1st gear No problem Sometimes reverse worked better, but didn't bog at all... C-105 10 hp.

You're closer than you know......... Wheelhorse Parts Department: Closer......

Eric, I have a 417A with a 48" SD deck, 18" tires on front of tractor and 8" wheels on back of deck. With this setup, I can get mower blades 5 1/2" off the ground. With the automatic transmission, I can run WOT and creep through grass taller than the hood on the tractor. Sharp blades help a lot.

The front mount mower does better as the grass is not pressed down by the tractors front wheels.

The previous owner of my Horror Fright lift welded up an extension to give it a wider stance for stability and installed some locking swivel casters. You can see one peeking out in this pic. Also you can buy a Handy Lift side extension kit (which mine has) and add it to the lift to make it wider. Take em off when not in use. I can store the entire lift under my Power King so it's out of the way.

Perhaps a cut and recut process. First pass is a crawl in low-low with the deck raised and WOT. Look over the terrain prior to second cut to remove obstructions. Second cut is with the deck lowered - but - set to a tall cut. Start on the left so as to rechop the clippings on progressive passes.... AND watch out for SD projectiles!!

Love peanuts!

If you have the HP and stall the deck you have about 3 seconds to get the PTO out of gear before it destroys the belts.

Almost ashamed to post this... I completely missed something on this build. Nearly every nut, bolt, and seal has been replaced on this tractor. I always do an OSI (obvious, um stuff inspection) before any project. And I did with this one. I checked the axle spindles, and they were nice and snug. What never occurred to my tiny mind was big tires + 500lbs of tractor will multiply "snug" considerably. This thing had the heaviest steering I've ever seen. So today I fixed it. The thrust bearings in the axle were so gunked up that they were almost unrecognizable. The grease had dried out, so no amount of lube could reach them. And they were worn to the point that the axle rubbed the knuckle on top. So I picked up a new set, cleaned everything and installed them. I picked the two best "old" races and put them in the bottom as .030 shims. Gap created is just large enough to have no contact now. Pumped full of grease and installed top caps. It steers so much better! Doesn't feel heavy at all now. I may still add reduction steering. Not sure yet. Of course I feel like a dummy for missing something like that, but fixed is fixed!

Today i checked in to attending some museums since its cold this morning again. The Train Museum, The North Texas Museum, and the Sheppard Air Force Base/Call Field History Museums never reopened after Covid! Ba-Humbug! But a Jenny to Jet displays moved to the Regnal Airport nearby. IN 1917 before WW1 Call Field was established at Wichita Falls as an Army Air Corps Jenny Pilot Training Base.. Training Air Craft Mechanics was added when the war began and the need ramped up. The base was deactivated after the end of the war. In the spring of 1941 with war in Europe underway, the Air Force was looking to expand and land next to the old Call Field was obtained. Initially it was intended for Aviation Mechanic training.. By January 1942 its mission again expanded to pilot training. Today it is the largest Air Force Jet Pilot Training Base and also includes Jet Pilot Training for our NATO Allies. today their are roughly 20,000 military and civilian personnel on the base. This restored T38 is showcase as one of the jet trainers previously used at the base. today the base includes pilot training for multiple jet aircraft from fighters to air tankers. This afternoon i did some more drill bit sharpening. Then got into polishing some steering wheels. Not a great picture, but on this Suburban wheel you can see the high point on the bottom side of the wheel are worn the worst, with a dull spot about the size of a small button. I had already done a general one over polish on the wheel before this picture. After polishing with white tripoli, then red rouge compound dull spots are gone. The wheel has a few larger scratches that I didn't try to sand/ polish out due to their size. So on the left is the completed WH suburban wheel and the wheel to my Mayrath. On the right is another later style WH wheel that I've done part of. Below are the polishing wheels I've been using in my drill. (Doing this with a true shop stand mounted buffer wheel sure would be easier than holding the wheel in my lap or between my knees). But is sure kept me occupied this afternoon while my wife was training.

(It feels like) I’m moving. Moving in… finally… after 7 years being here! I have felt like I haven’t used the potential of the walls, due to the previous owner being family, and them never really moving out it feels. I have finally decided if it isn’t needed by now, it’s as good as useless to them. So, I’ve got a good pile in the scrap hopper, I’ve been filling my dumpster, and I’m making it count. I’ve been decorating. There’s lots of signage that I’ve had to hang up, just in piles. Tonka toys, race memorabilia, deer heads, tractors, etc. probably more to come there. I’ve hung a good handful of lights, and now believe I could use even more in certain areas. I have finally replaced every standard shop bulb with LED. Now, I’m getting into tool organization. Since being here, I have not had a shop vice. Can you believe that? I had this bench buried out back, and decided it needed to get into the shop. The racking I’ve stuffed stuff on for 3-4 years was emptied and moved out. Yesterday, the bench moved in. Not without issue, of course! I tried to skid it with the snowmobile sled (an old S10 hood), but it sunk a caster wheel into the drive and dumped over. Standing it back up on the concrete, I felt like I ripped my right peck a little. We happened to go bowling last night. It’s feeling ok today.

And once again we've proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that this website has..... Gone nuts.

A_Z Tractor has one on a 312 for sale on eBay. It's only money.

I sickle bar mowers are handy for around ponds especially those with a slope and rocks like what you describe but they shake a lot on the smaller garden tractors. .

When I was a kid we would mow our front pasture (under half an acre) to keep it down so the steers could keep up with it (grazing). We would usually do it twice a summer. We used the C160 with a 48 inch side discharge deck in low range. I remember it taking a long time as a kid! I'm guessing our grass was 12-20 inches high, maybe a bit higher in places.

I added another light for visibility, and am now sorting sockets, drive tools, etc. I have plenty of spares, and they will find a home back in the tool box. Hopefully though, the tool box will be wheeled away for just in case stuff, but out of the main area.

20231229_152412.mp4

Or somwhere in the last Car? 😎😂

new pillow blocks are cheap ?? One other thing about the air flow. you have to find the sweet spot in the rpm to the outlet size. Making the largest discharge end possible will allow max air flow. I think an large low oval would give the best results. No sense in choking it down and not taking advantage of it's potential cfm's,

late to this party but enjoyed catching up. Absolutely love this build. You have given me a bunch of ideas since @WheelHorse_Kid is getting into pulling. Incredible job on your tractor.

Where's the 10 mm?

Tuesday adventure started with it being 35 degrees, where has my Texas spring gone to? Do I working on my taxes inside for the morning. Awhile back I picked up a small torch set at an estate sale. I did some practice brazing on my Horse shoe nail cross projects. I had bought a mini torch of Amazon, but it just didn’t put out enough heat for the nails size. So I went back to my regular torch. But I have trouble with the torch pressure pushing the little pieces around. I sort of got one out of 4 brazed together and stopped for the day. The city has about 20 mile of concrete trail not quite in a full circle yet. I took the electric assist bike and rode about 8 miles. The “assist” featuresite is nice on the rolling up an down the river bank sections The Wichita river is always sandy reddish brown color from the red soil found here. It is a shot river that flows into the Red River that separates Texas and Oklahoma. Another project I brought along was a drill bit sharpener and a bunch of drill bits. It does a good job, but I wonder if it will last through all of them.

A few more things done today. Engine oil added. Kinetix HD30. 1.5 qts. Dropped the transmission oil. Changed the filter. Test fit the hood.

Old thread, but this is a good example of the difference between "cool" (6000) and "warm" (4500) PAR 36 LEDs. And for all the non-believers, that bright thing in the background is afternoon sunlight. These things are bright in daylight!

Added my own tweak on the park brake. Modified a thumb throttle lever from an ATV... Pressed in a steel bushing for a little more strength. Works great. Brake is set in the pic, hence the nose up position.

Be sure to adjust the nose of the deck just slightly lower for blade relief. If level or leaning back, the blades are cutting all the way around. It definitely places higher load on everything, and causes RPM droop more often.

141" belt on, spring on, massaged the rear idler into perfect alignment...gear oil drained and changed. I tilled for a good 45 minutes with no drama at all. The only drama came from my 5gallon bucket of 85w140 gear oil and the manual bucket pump...it had no hose clamp on the hose, and there wasn't one provided..so about the 3rd pump, i painted the shed wall with gear oil. Tomorrow hopefully C100 gear oil swap, and 702 gear oil swap. Saving the 312 for last because its going to make a mess.

Maybe this would be in the right price range?

Have I ever mentioned how much of a cheapskate Trina is?

Thank all! Here's a photo of the tractor?

I’m thinking of using this method!!!

Ground clearance will be your main issue.. and they really don't like working in anything over 8-12" high. Max working height of the deck still only gets you about 6" off the ground, and it's easy to wreck a spindle like that. Tried working my Raider in the new field when the 9n was down, far more tame situation than I remember your lower area being, and it sounded like a war zone as I constantly whacked into rocks.. I do wonder how some of your oversized tire machines may fare, but the deck may hit the oversized tread diameter before you even get that far. This is what the sickle mowers were best at, keep the machine 4-5' further out of a wet area, worst case you bust a knife.. but finding a SMS to use is another problem. I had a Jari 26" walking sickle bar mower we used for many years. It would cut anything from grass to a 1" sapling and not blink an eye, go right through mud or rocks. If you could find one of those it's a really safe alternative compared to a rotary mower.

The Wheel Horse decks will not mow very high so you would mow in the highest position to avoid the rocks and other debris. The deflector that came with the decks should be adequate for safety, trouble is that most are discarded. If the weeds are going to be thick you will need sharp blades to keep the horsepower requirements down, so those rocks need to be removed for that reason as well. Now would be a good time to treat the BBT to a nice new rake.

the 42 rear discharge recycler is model # 78355 if you want to look it up -- from 1994-98

here is what 42 " recycler mower deck looks like from bottom - - also note the end of the deck from top side view there is a decal that says "recycler"

https://mothers.com/products/back-to-black-trim-and-plastic-restorer-06112 been using this on all my black car trim , like a saving solution , for a dark / slick surface , 12 oz bottle , also use RAIN X on my wipers , glass for a rain slid off and very smooth wiper action , got it on sale , local WALMART .none of my trims are faded black / grey , like to keep the areas looking fresh . will also get after plastic horse dash , with an application soak , to enhance effects , pete

For the tensioner system Bob, how about taking the triangulation out of your Horse mount and allow those arms to pivot? You can utilize a snowblower flag to push the frame forward to tension or back to neutral.

On the 4 ears that mount to the frame there is 2 long bolts that go from one side of the frame to the other To hold them on . You could however use 4 bolts which would work fine . As far as your lift link there is a link that connects from the left front deck support arm to the lift handle . That lift link has a threaded rod with a jam nut which is adjustable and will hit the top of the frame . This will allow you do adjust your deck cutting height .

We roll yearly here in Indiana and just last week we had a big down pour of rain and there was tons of night crawlers in the yard. Maybe it depends on your soil type but I can’t say I fully agree with that ideal

When I was at work as a millwright in a fairly large chemical factory they let me work on tractor parts in my spare time and they had a bead blast machine, spray booth, and had welders working there that loved to weld up my projects so long as I got everything ready for them. But now I am retired so I have lots of time and bought a small bead blaster and my neighbor is a welder, and also paints my hoods, fenders.

Believe me, this guy can do it in his sleep. We go back to high school and he's been banging tin as long as I've been twisting wires so he's definitely old school and I've seen his work. He had a stroke last summer and I haven't talked to him about this project yet. He's made what seems to be a 100% recovery but I still want to be sure he's up to more banging.

Yep, those are what I have coming

Starting to look like something. These are nice for the sockets.

There is a dark blue wire (or a black wire with a dark blue line on it) that goes to a plug heading to the engine. That plug has wires for the charging system and low oil switch. Check the condition of the dark blue wire going both ways from the plug, probably have a broken spot on it. If you don't find a bad spot then you may want to test the "M" terminal on the switch by grounding it with a small jumper connected to ground.

I’d like to add a place for more air tools that don’t have hoses, and I ordered a 8 piece 176 socket organizer kit. It’ll hold shallow and deep well, metric and standard, 1/4”, 3/8”, and 1/2” drives. I hope they will fit in the little shelf behind the bench. Current status of the new work bench:

Now, I’ve been laying out, organizing, prioritizing tools, etc. I have a top/bench top tool box that I’m contemplating using. Many of the drawers in my current tool boxes are broken or bent. I’m emptying my boxes, hoping to downsize those and maybe I’ll part a box out to repair the damaged ones. This. Feels. Great!

When you live out in the middle of nowhere like I do, seems like EVERYTHING is at least a 3.5 hr drive