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Got one side panel, foot rest, fender pan and the seat mounted up today. New double bulb taillights as well. I’m getting closer! New drive belt should be in today, then I can install that and put the right side panel and foot rest on. Sorry the pictures are cloudy, I need a new phone case!!

The Gravely Tractor The Gravely is to garden tractors what the Swiss Army Knife is to cutlery; ruggedly built, versatile, well designed, and loved by millions of people. With over eighty attachments it could do everything and the owner had just one piece of machinery they could use year-round. Benjamen Franklin Gravely was a successful portrait photographer in Charleston, West Virginia who also enjoyed gardening and loved to tinker. He was always looking for opportunities to improve anything he worked with and was awarded sixty five patents, most of them related to photography. However, the ones we celebrate are the garden tractor patents and products that Mr. Gravely can take credit for. Gravely didn’t really start out with the intention of manufacturing garden tractors, he just wanted to motorize his cultivator, a new concept at the time. His first attempt in 1911 featured a Maytag washing machine engine mounted on a hand-pushed cultivator with a modified wheel for traction. The Maytag was a bit underwhelming where power was concerned so an Indian Motorcycle engine was adapted to his cultivator. Once Mr. Gravely had achieved success with his Motor Plow, he continued innovating the design until he made his first prototype of the modern Gravely tractor of today. This was a powered hand plow on a single spiked steel wheel powered by a gasoline engine. Following five years perfecting his new inventio Gravely received the patent for his single-wheel tractor plow in 1916. Much of the development of the Gravely garden tractor took place in Ohio but Mr. Gravely had deep roots in the Appellation Mountains of West Verginia and wanted to have his manufacturing facility there. By setting up the factory in Dunbar, Gravely made a significant impact on the local community by creating job opportunities and contributing to the economic development of the area. Benjamin Gravely eventually obtained business investors from Charleston to provide $200,000 in start-up money for the Gravely Motor Plow and Cultivator Company. The company plant was built in Dunbar, West Virginia, where the first Model D single-wheeled cultivators rolled off the factory floor in 1922, costing customers $150 apiece. Gravely tractors were made by hand until 1927, each employee was building about one tractor per day by hand. The company turned a profit for the first time in 1928 but with the Great Depression on the horizon profitability was short lived. Improvements were made to the Model D tractor and the first mowing attachment was introduced, with more attachments being introduced throughout the next seven years. 1933 brought an all new Gravely, the Model “L”, it had a five and a half horsepower engine, two wheels, all ger drive with two forward speeds and reverse and a two speed gear drive power take off to power front mounted implements. You could now choose from steel cleated wheels or pneumatic rubber tires. Power driven items like a rotary mower, a garden tiller or a snow blower could now be added to their previous towed implements. In spite of the Great Depression sales of the “L” were brisk, increasing every year. Over the next three decades the list of implements grew to fifty and power ratings went up to 7.6 horsepower. Profitability resumed in 1935 and in 1937 Gravely retired from day-to-day management of the company and sold his interest to his business partner D. Ray Hall. Model D and Model L tractors played an important role in helping to cultivate farms and victory gardens during World War Two. High demand called for creative thinking. The company launched a Buy in Advance program where customers would place an order with a deposit to be placed on a list when the equipment was produced and available. The demand became even higher when the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRAA) ordered over 1,000 tractors in 1945. With increased sales the company needed to think expansion. In 1956 Gravely Tractor, Inc built a plant in Albany, Georgia, making that the second plant with the original plant and headquarters remaining in Dunbar, West Virginia. Sales hit over $5 million, the Model D was discontinued, and production focused on the Model L as demand increased. In 1960 Hall sold the company to Studebaker for a reported $12.5 million. Studebaker looked to Gravely as a way to diversify products and began developing the first 4-wheel tractor, the Gravely Westchester. Unfortunately, the tractor was plagued with numerous issues to the point where they issued a buy-back program. Due to the versatility of the two-wheel tractors, they remained in production until 1976. Perhaps the biggest obstacle to repeat customers for Gravely was that they were so well built they just wouldn’t wear out. The company changed hands a few more times ultimately being bought by Ariens in 1982. Under Ariens ownership the Gravely name lives on in the form of zero-turn mowers and utility vehicles.

No (well maybe)…but in this pic I was running some snake oil thru it. I expected the smoke and made sure my camera was on

Here's my advice Look for a decent running used one to buy now so you can get rolling doing the chores. For the 308-8 -- Spend some time with your son resurrecting his grandfather's machine. He'll have more appreciation for it and learn more about machines and how they work. Then you can decide to sell it, keep it, give it to your son etc. Look for a garden tractor like your 308-8 but nothing wrong going bigger more powerful. Yes you could easily find someone here to take it for free. As far as sitting, I just recently picked up a B-80 that was sitting in an open front shed for 25+ years. (Maybe even more) Had it started up and driving in less than 2 days. It's not necessarily ready for working hard yet and still needs some maintenance things done and checked but these machines are tough

My kid’s boyfriend just got a full time job at the local property management company. Hardscapes, rocks, mowing, etc. his first time mowing for them yesterday, he buried a zero turn next to a pond. He told the 19 year old manager on the job he hadn’t mowed before and got off easy

I also have had spinal fusion in the lumbar region about nine years ago. Don't sit for longer that a half hour at a time, walking and moving as much as you can is the best advice I can give. Dear Lord, Peter Lena will be undergoing delicate spinal surgery soon. Please guide the surgeon's hands to be steady and effective to do the task at hand, and not create any further damage We pray against any infection or complications. Calm the heart of his family. Give Peter your peace so his body can heal under the best conditions. In the name of Jesus, bless him to be healthier after this procedure than before. Lord allow this temporary trial to bring this family closer to you and each other. When he is coming out of surgery, let the side effects be minimal. Work a miracle in this whole situation and bless it from beginning to end. Thank you Lord for your blessing on this family. We praise you as we know we are in good hands- the very hands of God. In Jesus name, we thank you for each day. Amen.

Pulled out the gang to clean them up a bit and Changed the oil in one. Since I had them out figured I would clime the Electrical pole and get a Birds Eye pic…lol JK 😝 Looking forward to the big show coming up !

I think everyone has overlooked the most obvious first step here. Assess the existing machine. Yes, it needs tires, but throw a little fuel in it, get it hooked up to some power, and see if she'll fire. I pulled my 855 out of a barn where it sat, WITH FUEL IN IT, for 10 years. Cleaned tank, fresh fuel, new spark plug, new battery, and it started.

Welcome!! Hard to go wrong with a properly preserved Wheel Horse... DO look over the compiled Document about New to Herd WH Tractor Checklist. Full of Do's and Dont's for a new owner....

Growing up in the 60's I lived in a section of the village that had a lot of large yards including ours. My next door neighbor and the guy across the street had these old Gravely's with sulkys. Every Sat. morning it was "Gravely Wars" They were loud with a distinct sound. They would start mowing as soon as I turned on the Bugs Bunny show. They also had "dog eater' snowblowers for them and yes they would throw snow over the power lines. The guy next door would throw the snow right over the state highway into the field across from his house! One year he bought a brand new tractor with a 16HP Kohler with electric start. Kept the old sulky though. Looked kinda weird together. Now for a funny Gravely story. I worked with an old guy named Ted at the Napa store. He had a cabin in the Adirondacks. So he wanted to take his Gravely with the "dog eater" up to clear away some path's one winter. He had an old Datsun "Lil Hustler" pick up so he loaded up the tractor and headed up. Ted was hard of hearing. He loaded the Gravely blower first into the truck. Apparently at some point the spare tire mounted on the side of the bed fell off it's mount and hit the starter button! The truck was noisy so Ted didn't hear anything unusual through the din of the truck noise. He gets off the NYS Thruway and stops for gas and pee break. Shuts off the truck and hears all of this noise in back. The Gravely was running not only in gear but the PTO was engaged as well. That dog eater had chewed through the front end of the bed and was starting in on the cab right behind his seat!

Here are pics I took back in November. My mom lives about 40 miles east of SB and my route takes me on SR 20 bypass which goes right by the old plant. You know there is a room somewhere in there with misc. random WH parts that no one there knows what to do with.

Putting in the work 💪 🙌 nice don!!!

I think Mike was going for the dramatic reveal, the smoke clears and before your eyes a vintage Wheel Horse appears.

Within the past couple of months a photo of a crushed AC unit outside someone's home was posted here. Well that got me thinking and yesterday I took a step so my children and neighbors will not be able to point their fingers and say "Look at what that dumb old guy did." Fences make good neighbors.

Trina started adding shelves in between the trusses upstairs. Official storage space of camping gear now.

Well help me understand...?? I was on an Oliver 88 pulling a ten foot disc through the field at age eight and using the brakes to turn at the end of the field. A few years later, in order to plow with a non hydraulic plow ,it was one foot covering the clutch, one on the brake one hand reaching back to pull the trip rope to pull the plow out of the ground, and the other hand steering around the corner. No power steering either. I guess back then that boys were men and men were gods. My grandpa was known for being able to lift a hogshead of tobacco somehow or other. But then he started out faming with horses.

Nothing big to report. Just bead blasting and painting a lot of little parts. Here are a few. I have several boxes filled with little parts that have been restored and bagged. Just getting painting done now so it will be well set by next winter for assembly.

Having cookout later w/family. Decided to pull a few tractors out as part of Memorial Day display w/flags.

I love South Bend. I lived there for a while and still regret moving away. Of all the places I’ve lived, it’s still my favorite. I dug up a post from a couple years ago so am pasting it here: Most of the WH sites are vastly changed from the old days when Elmer and Cecil were chunking out future collectibles. The Ireland Road and Metalmation buildings are still there, but obviously have adapted to their new owners since closing the the 1990’s. The company I used to work for looked into buying the Ireland Rd plant when Toro put it up for sale. Apparently came pretty close to a deal. But there were some serious on-site environmental problems and they couldn’t afford to risk liability from them. Lockjoint is bigger with deeper pockets and I guess the risk was less for them. As as an aside, near Lockjoint’s old location in the northwestern edge of downtown near the river, legend has it that when the railroad abandoned one set of tracks they buried an old locomotive in place. The old Dixieway north plant was on the corner of Auten Rd and US31 (SR933). There is an osco drug (might be a CVS or Walgreens...don’t recall) on the location now. Still standing just to be west of the drugstore is an old building that was part of the Pond operation. Across the street on the south side of Auten is pond street where I think the old Elmer household and first garage is/was. Next door to he drugstore on the north side was Chandlers. The first Wheel Horse dealership. They closed within the last couple of years and I think Duke Horsefixer cleaned them out of several of their old treasures. I don’t know if he or someone else got hold of the Lever steer they had in one of the pole barns. Jim B, the most recent owner of Chandler’s, told me to “watch the obituaries and talk to my wife” when I inquired if he wanted to sell the Lever. 😎 when Toro moved from Ireland Rd, the bulk of the collection of their on-site museum went to storage at The Studebaker National museum. But about ten years ago Toro sent their trucks returning from the Indy Speedway to retrieve their artifacts. So, the Museum now just has a few privately owned WH treasures. A few blocks to the west of the Ireland rd plant is an old salvage yard. That was apparently the final destination for all the stuff Toro couldn’t haul to Minneapolis when they left south bend in the rear view mirror. Several guy related to me how many unidrives and d250 parts they pitched. The unidrives were evidently a bunch of warranty replacements from early troubles with the sundstrand Hydros. South Bend has a lot to offer. Aside from winter being a little long, the weather is great. Summer is wonderful and spring and fall are great. Lots to do and a lot of places to fish 🎣. With Notre Dame being there, there are great opportunities that you otherwise wouldn’t see in a 200k metro area. I’d move back there tomorrow given the opportunity.

Sort'a like go'n too deep in the field with bus.

Tried this trick on a K181 with a really stuck Nelson muffler. The muffler almost fell off!

Getting back to the loose flywheel triple check that bad boy carefully for cracks around the taper. It happens. Use a new key for sure & torque to spec. Off a 701 161 now a door stop.

13 (3184) Stud - Double groove pulley 14 (3157) Bracket - Clutch link

Bahh, he knew better. It just one more swipe a little closer? Stuck.

been dealing with spinal decompression lumbar , bone marrow issue , using GLOBUS ROBOTIC ASSISTANCE , to insure work. titanium grid mount , insures angularity and holding of bone marrow to assure connection growth , very common back correction today . had robotic work done on my knees 16 years ago , been solid no issues , going robotic , let you know , when back . neighbor helping me on lawn . keep up with issues , makes it easier to respond to problems , pete

The industrial revolution lightened the burden of the farmer and allowed us to have more leisure time. Young people left the farm for more lucrative manufacturing jobs and the good life. Young men didn't have to work as hard as previous generations and weren't as strong. Now we seem to be going from a manufacturing economy to a service economy. Once AI is doing everything for us and we don't even have to think anymore our brains will become as weak as our bodies. OK, I'm through venting, for now!

Did you use Plastigage for the crank measurement? In my opinion the Green Plastigage is the most accurate way to check rod/crank clearance.

Our garden is now heading into its 3rd season. Creating a usable garden space here in the New England mountains is an extreme challenge involving a lot of extra work in comparison to most areas of the country. The entire region was once covered by ice over a mile thick. When the glaciers departed, the mountains were destroyed and tremendous rock waste fields left behind. We all joke about having rocks and stones in the soil. Here, it's a little (seriously little) soil.. in with the rocks. Over the last several years we cleared an area of forest. 3+ years ago we had an excavator come in to clear the ground surface and make it somewhat level. After that we added 14+ yards of loam, all by hand, tractors and small trailers, load by load, moved a couple hundred feet from the driveway to the garden. Since then we've been picking out rocks sticks etc using an 856 tractor with the ripper or by hand. @Handy Don and I have texted more than once about the possibilities involving the use of a single tooth ripper in our garden area to pop out the rocks sticks roots etc as they rise every year from the frost. In the future I would like to be able to use a rototiller but for now there's too many rocks and sticks. It seems the ripper is a feasible solution for the time being. This weekend we used my heavier 1974 C160-8 Cinnamon Horse for the ripper work. Wanting to be conservative at the beginning, I started poking into the soil about 2" and immediately realized that could be a little deeper. I tried a 4" cut. That was the ticket. I worked back n forth at many angles. Started at the fence all the way around. Pulled every which way but loose. We learned that the pulled materials really have a tendency to stack up towards the middle of the area, logically. We also learned that we could likely use 2 ripper teeth. Maybe 3 (??) 3 might be too much. (With only one tooth there were multiple occasions where the tractor was "high centered" on rocks.) Some of those rocks were pulled out. At least 2 or 3 are too big.

My B-115 came from a dealer in Lodi, CA in 1980. They were Bechtold tractor.

I suspecct you left a .0 of when you typed .034 as your measurement. If that were correct it would knock very badly This chart in my copy of the Kohler manual shows rod to crank pin max wear limit at 0.0025.

Those old timers, they were built out of sterner stuff. At age 87 my grandfather was stronger than I have ever been. At age 95 my great aunt had more energy, and was seemingly in better shape than I was at age 35.

Have ‘em drill and tap a 1/4”-28 thread for you, somewhere you can toss in a grease zerk to keep you going!

Maybe put one on the other nipple instead of taking that one off!

Got the sheet metal painted yesterday for my C-175 restoration.After much preparation we were finally ready to paint. We have a little thing worked out, he sprays, I sand!! He will not paint until the primer is sanded perfectly, so I sand and sand! I think on the hood alone I sanded over two hours. I really have to thank my brother for this, without him this restoration would not turn out the way it’s going to. We (by that I mean he!) will paint the black on the hood next weekend. I’d like to use gloss, he wants semi gloss, but the proper color is satin. I’ll probably go with his recommendation. By the way this is Rustoleum Sunrise Red which he hates spraying but I can’t really afford to go with a two stage PPG paint. I’d love to but it’s EXPENSIVE. Anyway I’m super happy with the results!

Throttle and choke knobs broke on my B-80. Ordered some reproduction ones, in the mean time I made up some from some copper tee’s with a wood dowel fit into the bull of the tee’s. slotted the dowel to match the levers, and contact cemented them in place. I’ll see how they hold up. But they look pretty cool, if you ask me.

Spent my morning at the office:

Hello! I am a new member looking for advice to get a working Wheel Horse back in my life. When I was about 7 or 8, my dad got the family a new 308-8. Within a few years, I joined my brothers in using the tractor for mowing chores. It got a mix of abuse, maintenance, and neglect for 24 years or so, and never let us down. Since then, family commitments have gotten in the way and it's been pure neglect for old horse. The maintenance of my mom's property has fallen to landscapers whose fees were at first reasonable, and are now absurdly high (she lives in an area that has been largely taken over by NYC weekenders and remote-workers, which has driven up rates). I now have a little more time and a son who is getting into his 'mowing years'. I want a functional garden tractor for my mom's property again. It would be used for regular mowing, what I'll call 'rough mowing' (keeping brush I've cleared recently down), and pulling a cart. I considered a few different options before recognizing that I won't be satisfied or happy using a different kind of garden tractor. My first thought was to fix up the old one (it was run dry, stored in a garage, and it was always easily brought back to life in the past). The obvious problem is that it needs 4 new tires. New that seems like a few hundred bucks unless the rims are too rusted. I found a listing for 4 used rims and tires for 100. The next problem is I don't really know how much will have gone wrong after it sitting for 10 years. Now I'm looking at used listings, and it looks like working Wheel Horses can be had for 500 and up, most of which are more powerful than our old one. The second option seems more sensible to me, but I am open to advice on the topic. Can someone point me to a post describing what a good pre purchase inspection should include? Will I find someone here to give the old one to (free) to save it from the scrapyard? Any models to avoid for reliability or parts availability concerns? Thanks for taking the time to read this and for any advice!

I think the wife might object if I try that.

Good lawd man! You're dropping a cliffhanger season finale on us!

Not on my watch anyway...we think he has a Farah Fawcett one too... Stainless hardware Don?

Not sure if it's just on my phone but that diagram is very fuzzy. I can't make out what 13 or 14 might be.

I knew they were pretty versatile but I had no concept whatsoever it was that high. Great info.

i used a micrometer and telescoping gauges to measure, but i think i have some plastigauge around here somewhere that i could double check with.

enjoy those gas powered engines while you can out there in California.

Interesting bunch of sun catchers you've got there.

IMO -- 9 times outta 10 there isn't a need to do the cold water quench anyway. The expansion of the steel from heating to cherry red will typically break the bond. So try that first and maybe quench the stubborn stuff if need be. I wouldn't do it on cast parts either

Eric those mid mount blades do great work. Nice and level grading. Worth every $$ you pay for them. Great video also I enjoyed it very much.

Here in this county, there is only one rock: about 6 inches deep everywhere... It's not uncommon to see boulders here in someone's yard the size of a Volkswagen. Point being, I understand how much work a garden can be. I also know how protective a person can get over a good spot. My hat is off to Eric (ebinmaine) and all the work that goes into that garden!

Spreading some #57 crushed riverstone in prayer garden for my girlfriend. Also putting it a few other places in yard. Started with 1 ton of stone. The 953 pulled all that weight without too much trouble. Front end was a little light when I was loaded full & going uphill into backyard. Probably gotta get at least another ton tomorrow.