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Osborne Farm Implements Aubern, NY, was the home of Osborne Farm Implements Company when it was formed in the 1860s. Aubern was, and still is, a relatively small town, not what would be considered an industrial hub although direct access to the Erie Canal and railroads gave it a shipping advantage not enjoyed by many communities its size. At the beginning of the twentieth century more than 2600 people (about 10% of the population) were directly employed by Osborn and the company was responsible for over 40% of the community’s economic vitality. Osborne bought the Cayuga Chief Machinery Company in 1875, thus becoming Auburn’s largest industry. Osborne pioneered a lightweight, all-steel grain binder shortly after and in 1890, built the first successful corn binder. Osborne later acquired the Kirby, Forbush and Ketcham mower patents which left most mower manufacturers no choice but to pay royalties to Osborne, or to Cyrus McCormick, who controlled the remaining patents. This was a time in America’s history when mergers and buyouts resulted in huge monopolies that later would be broken up by the US Government. One such conglomerate was the International Harvester Company which was formed in 1902 with the merger of McCormick Harvesting Machine Company and Deering Harvester Company, Milwaukee, Champion, and Osborne. The Osborne acquisition wasn’t completed until 1904 giving them time to settle accounts receivable payments. IHC controlled 85% of the farm machinery market in the United States and in many areas offered farm implements under the International Harvester, McCormick, Deering, Milwaukee, Champion, and Osborne brands giving the appearance of open competition. Many other farm machinery dealers including John Deere sold IH or their subsidiary brands at their outlets because of their market domination. The Sherman Anti-Trust Act and the federal government’s “Trust Busters” brought action against International Harvester Company and after years of litigation finally signed the Consent Decree of 1918. Under the terms of the decree, IHC agreed to divest itself of several machinery lines, including Osborne, Champion, and Milwaukee. Also, International Harvester Company was prohibited and enjoined from having more than one representative or agent in any city or town for the sale of harvesting machines and other agricultural implements. IH was required to offer for sale to responsible manufacturers of agricultural implements, the harvesting machine lines made and sold by it under the trade names of Osborne, Milwaukee, and Champion. As a result, Emerson-Brantingham Company acquired the famous Osborne implement line in October 1918. The Osborne acquisition had been beneficial for International Harvester because it provided them with an excellent eastern factory, shipping point, and parts depot. The previously established Osborne export connections, especially to the European companies enhanced International Harvester’s position in the export market. Emerson-Brantingham continued the Osborne line because it was well respected by farmers. When J.I. Case bought the Emerson-Brantingham company they too used the Osborn name as Case- Osborne for several years. The Auburn, NY, manufacturing facility remained in operation well into the 1950s. Tomorrow we will take a look at the Emerson-Brantingham Company and learn how they became an eligible suitor for Osborne. Also, in following days we will get to know a bit more about the Champion Machine Company and the Milwaukee Hay Tool Company that International Harvester was forced to sell as part of the Anti-Trust decree.

The seat on my 312-8 has seen better days so I decided to reupholster it myself. Expecting this project to take me some time to complete a temporary seat has been put in place. On CL I found an architect's desk chair for $10. Removing the seat it has been mounted to the seat bracket of the 312-8 to keep the tractor usable until I can complete my project. As I do the job I will take photos and outline what I do and how.

I can not believe how many times I have found bailng twine in deck spindles. This is a deck off a parts machine I picked up a couple weeks ago. The twine completely wore the bottom off including the snap ring groove. Got to pick that stuff up people! Shania Twine Weed Wacker String in this one.

Fellow enthusiasts, I acquired my 416-8 with under 1000-hours about three years ago. I have three low-hour 300-series machines and wanted one with an Onan twin engine. The 300's are in storage and will probably become inventory in the estate sale. The 416's hours did not concern me because the seller was the original 30-year owner. He said that he changed oil and filter three times per season which calculated to about every 10-hours. I wanted the machine as a tow tractor and a toy. After reading member's improvements, I decided to post mine. They may be of value or amusement. - Cut a piece of 1x wood to fit under the battery to reinforce the tray; - Replaced the factory tail light bulbs with LED strobes/flashers that are plug and play; The bulbs will either flash continuously or be in the normal "On" mode. - Strapped a small LED strobing flash light to the top of the hood; I want the strobe on when I am on the street. - Installed an Oregon in-line fuel shut-off in the line above the clutch The oil drain piping started leaking. It required loosening the engine mounting bolts to lift the engine less than an inch so that the elbow would clear for removal. I bought new 3/8-inch npt pipe nipples and elbow at a local home improvement store for under $10. I applied paste-type thread sealer and screwed the new nipple into the engine base and then the elbow and second nipple to complete the new drain pipe assembly. Months later and no leaks Next on my list: - Convert rear wheel to studs (Thanks to the many comments from other Forum members) - Install Kevlar drive belt Thanks to others for sharing their successes and lessons learned Richard, a retiree from the big green tractor company

New switches & ig switch harness. Old ig switch cleaned up and checked good. Choke & throttle rusted tight. Managed to save one but had to replace the other.

With a littlebit of care they be reliable workers. and they look sharp.

I like my tractors like women: 1. Beautiful, but strong. 2. Dependable 3. Easy to work with. 4. Not afraid to get dirty. 5. Able to carry my whipped @ss back to the house when I do something stupid... 6. And just for fun- they don't mind if I have more than one tractor... I'm joking of course. I have three adult daughters, and my only sibling (my sister)- so I've had many years of training on how to rile them up over nothing.

Thanks very much everyone! Evanloock: I appreciate you helping me out. The last part is purchased! I have had the tractor restored by a fellow near where I live. He rebored the original engine which we thought was a Tecumseh but is a Lausen, replaced piston and rings (one bought in Texas and the other in Pennsylvania) sandblasted/repainted, new rubber, new decals, rebuilt starter +++ and exactly 14 months to complete. The guy keeps asking me why I want to put so much $ into a “garden tractor” as he mostly restores larger farm tractors. I say to him that it was the tractor I grew up riding on as a kid and has been with us for 60+ years and…it’s beautiful! It was parked in a shed 50 years ago and was going to be “recycled” before I saved it. Can’t wait to pick it up.

Took rat rod on 1st big shake down ride around neighborhood. Made it back without any issues.

After I assume room temperature... hopefully in a few years.

L497 crosses to Napa/Gates 4L970W Tractor Supply 4L970K

A much needed bath for the new addition. Discovered it’s missing a bolt and washers from the control on the trans. Hopefully someone will have a junk trans that they would be willing to sell me the missing parts.

@JoeM very rare to see any maintenance / care / interest on a deck , that led me to regular look / see what's going on under there ? break the GRUNGE CYCLE , get that deck standing up on its rear , wheel area , supported with a hold on the top side lift linkage , angle it to the sun , for scrape down , and hot oil soaking , if you want to recover something , you have to , remove it from the neglect its been living . change what's not working , into recovery mode , 3 decks , with this set up , pete

Joe. I have four would like to have more but we do have newer vehicles. I have 14 tool boxes with one of a kind tools. So that takes up a lot of space in the garage.It all fits. So happy with four. Enjoy the ride.

They are strong… they are simple… but maybe more importantly…sexy!

https://www.curbsideclassic.com/design-3/pony-wagons/#more-510143 Did we miss out? Should they have been done? Are you glad they were NOT?

The BBT Lead Assembly Technician and Incharge Do-all Manager got QUITE a fair amount accomplished today. Here's proof. HER hands: I helped a wee bit when I got home from work. The PTO lever is back in, tightened up. The engine crankshaft was sanded. She straightened out the inner lever bracket some too. Complete PTO with sleeve and bell cleaned and installed. I even put a brake on the PTO. Figured it would be a decent idea because I don't know who'll be around while the Ole Man's mowing or whatever else... All sheet metal is back on. Can anybody tell me why there's a spring on the PTO connecting rod? Wheres it connected to? Here's a passel o' pics:

About Wheel Horse tractors. I think there are two things in my mind that contribute the most. One is the simplicity of design. Easy to work on. The next is value. Even with the high price tags when new, they have a high level of unpaired soundness.

Remember when you could easily tell the difference? Even cars from the same manufacturer. Most could instantly tell the difference between a Camaro and a Chevelle or a Mustang and a Fairlane, etc etc etc. Now you can't tell the difference, no matter what it is. Import or homegrown.

I use a Dayco L497 for 36 or 42 inch rd decks.

If your deck has the std sliding idler deck pulley like a 42" RD deck has I don't see why you can't run a Tractor Supply 1/2 X 97 belt on it. I run a TSC on mine and I believe it's 97"

We have critters in the pasture, so hay bales are just part of the scenery. My kids continually look at me like I'm crazy when I gripe about them leaving baling twine on the ground. I don't want to teach them by removing some from a deck spindle. I know no way better, but I don't want a ruined mower!

I don't mine the twine... it's the chunks of wire! Who is it that leaves that stuff out in the yard?!?

The charging circuit ( Stator, regulator and associated wiring ) is completely separate from the ignition circuit. The only thing common and connected to both is the ground side of the battery. So unplugging the regulator in itself could not affect spark. Something else got messed with if it had spark and was running before that. Follow and test all the + wiring to make sure there's 12v at the + side of the coil. Verify there's a good ground for all the wiring

Excellent list and fully agreed. I believe I've done well in life accomplishing that list. #6. BBT not only don't mind. She has 5½ of her own! On your end... seems to me there was a recent mention that you tend to need the "carrying" help near to daily. Hence, to accommodate your #5 a female woman person would really need to accel at the second half of #1.

This question is primarily about a late seventies c121 Hydro 36-in RD deck Drive belt. Looks to me like it's supposed to be a standard rubber type 1/2 in wide 96.5 or 96.7 inches in length. Is there an aftermarket belt other than the Gates Blade Runner that I can use? Will a normal average everyday ½ by 97 drive this okay? Are these the same belts used on Long frame tractors for other sizes of mower decks as well?

Does your cable hook directly to the throttle wheel or does it hook to an arm sticking off from the wheel? I had one small block that the cable hooked into the wheel, it had a real short movement on the cable. I actually welded an arm on to the wheel to get more throttle cable movement.

A great thought! For me, it was the grey plastic cladding on the wheel wells and rocker panels. I really dislike the contrast with most of the body colors that were available. Hence our newest car is an Onyx black wagon (with tinted windows, no less). My son kids me that it’s the car Darth Vader drives to pick up his kids after soccer practice.

It also doesn't help that most of the new cars & trucks are all painted white, black, or some shade of gray. Have we become so boring that we're afraid of stand out colors???

I admire the attention and care put in by all aspects of the company: design, engineering, manufacturing, QC, marketing, and finance. The ensemble created and produced excellent products.

I'm not familiar with this person. I should mention another often overlooked aerodynamic tweak--the air dam under the nose. With smaller front ends, the grills and radiators have had to shrink. But t’s still critical to get enough airflow for cooling. the air dam forces some air that would go under the car to go up through the radiator and that changed flow causes a low pressure area behind and below the radiator which further helps cooling airflow. At highway speeds, depending on the vehicle, the low pressure area can also add downforce to improve handling.

How about those old flat front trucks? That was like pushing 2 sheets of plywood down the road

One word - aerodynamics. Pretty much everybody's wind tunnel converges on very similar solutions.

You guys are awesome!

That's an easy one it just goes trough both sides of the hood stand.

I'll have a part number for you in a couple of minutes I get my belts from Advance auto.

Some of those tension bars have two different holes for the idler pulley.

Model number decal is wiped clean unfortunately.

The bracket under the cam plate has two studs welded to it. Unfortunately yours is missing one. You could really use this bracket and the tension washers. I have lots of tension washers due to converting to foot control but I don't have the bracket.

I have rebuilt several two cushion seats, but never a molded seat. Very interested to see this project.

My thoughts exactly.....

You actually run KROIL OIL in the fuel of 2 stroke engines? Instead of 2 stroke oil or along with it? Interesting Heavily treated fuel for a 2 stroke might foul the plug and or not burn off completely leaving deposits in the chamber or the exhaust so I wouldn't run them for a long time like that. Plus plenty of smoke too. Not sure how hazardous the burning vapors for that stuff can be either. The exhaust is typically directed away from the user for string trimmers and saws but the majority of little 2 stroke powered tools I have it isn't. But still you shouldn't be standing there breathing the exhaust vapors either! Could running that stuff actually wash out any or all of the regular 2 stroke oil lube by what's leftover after burning it? Like it's too thin. Or possibly leave a sticky substance? I've never tried it and probably never will. Maybe it works but I'd stick with running it in short bursts unless you know for sure. I do run 2 strokes a little heavy on the oil side for a 1/3 - 1/2 tank with the proper oil on an unknown engine that has sat for a long time, just to supply some extra lube while it washes anything out. because old 2 stroke oil will gum after the gas evaporates. And a side note, Use specifically designed air cooled 2 stroke oil on air cooled engines too, marine or outboard oil is a different formula and many engine manufacturers will state not to use it.

So close! I am finding more concrete in this place than I’ve ever seen! I’m sure the trash service has been loving me lately too . That 1.5 yard dumpster hasn’t been this full, this often, in quite some time! It feels good to purge so much, but I’ve about worn the bristles off my broom…

They predicted sunny skies 3 days ago. I knew when they cancelled school for the day we were done for. The kiss of death is closing schools for a weather event. so we were socked in pretty good with clouds. But it got REALLY DARK at 3:22 PM! Here is a picture my son sent from Buffalo

Whew, parts costs are shooting through the roof. I've bought whole Suburban tractors with a belt guard on them for close to that.

Excessive heat would be if you can't hold your hand on it. Clutch slip or belt slip will heat them up fairly quickly and HOT too

Sometimes things get tuh buggin' yuh... We .. me anyway. I noticed a few weeks ago that the PTO lever was loosey goosey and floppity. I figured on putting new bushings on the ends where it travels through the upper steering tower. This evening we tackled the disassembly portion of that repair. Not having ever ripped into a rig of this vintage there's challenges to knowing what goes where etc... The "most fun" part was getting the bolts out of the bracket that holds the inner end of the lever. The one closer to the battery was severely rusted. The second "most fun" part was getting a VERY stuck/broken cotter pin out from the inner end of the lever. I ground the rusted stubs off and took a few minutes to find the right punch through some experimentation. Got that popped out then wire brushed the whole thing. Here's a before and after of the lever. While I was poking around, Trina got the rest if the lift handle and rock shaft all in. A few other pics:

Seems to be... I have a Magnaflow setup similar to his on the 854 8 speed...

Guess Cindy wants you to hang around a bit longer, so do we. I will add you to my prayer list for healing and Cindy for putting up with you.