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Steam Pageant prep has begun. Penetrol Flood on the rear half of the 551. Painting the 953 wheels I got from @19richie66. 3 coats of Rust-Oleum Almond and 2 coats of Rust-Oleum Chrystal Clear.

Getting a little closer to the new shoes. Going to let these 90+ degrees days bake the paint. Sprayed with Rust O canvas white.

Those fuse holders are junk. Just cut it out and go with a weatherproof holder.

Acme Fuses QA / QC Department hidden camera:

Got the Brinley hitch I bought at the big show on the 953. This weekend there's a large antique engine & tractor show near me. Plan to go tomorrow. Just deciding what tractor to take????? My car can only really tow 1 tractor. Mostly I'm going there cause I'm looking for a hit/miss engine.

Pipe dream scroll saw I came acrost an article for a home built electric powered scroll saw whose base is made from standard iron pipe and fittings. There was no date given but it was probably from the depression era. The powerful scroll saw cuts 1"+ stock with ease at 1400 strokes per minute, and is designed to be used with either the heavy saber type blades, or finer jewelers type blades. If you have an old sewing machine and a 1/4 HP motor, the total cost will be very low.

Hopefully Lowell has made some changes to his 701 dashes. The one that I got had several problems. The plastic around the hole for the ignition switch was too thick. The four holes to attach it did not line up with the threaded holes in the tank. And the plastic used needs some UV protection. Mine turned very dark in only one year, and most of that time it was inside the building. Glen Pettits dash installed in 2012. Lowells dash after one year I know Lowell was experimenting with different materials. I hope that mine was just a one-off. I did modify it to accommodate the switch, elongated the mounting holes, and before bringing it to the big show this year, I bead-blasted it and sprayed with an anti-UV clear coat.

Reuse the old hardware. It's much better quality than anything made today. You will probably get 99-100% of those old 1960 bolts and nuts apart without much of a problem at all whereas you might get 30-40% or even less off 2002 machine without stripping and cutting them off. If you change all the hardware keep it all, send it to me and I'll pay shipping.

Remember this machine would have come with the plastic fender. That steel one might be a bit mismatched, but well worth the upgrade in my book

I know it must have had something to do with the accounting department, BUT, why did Wheel Horse put the fuses and other connectors right under the battery where they would be subjected to acid fumes when the battery is being charged?

Cut the yard. The grass is drying and dying. High today… 98… heat index right now…104…brown spots appearing. I don’t mind. I’m just glad I did not fall out. Yesterday went on a little bar-hopping ride with some bros… sometimes it’s too hot for that , and yesterday it was… but we went anyways. What would Willie, Waylon, Johnny, and Kris do ?

That is true on our side of the pond too. When millions of dollars are spend to win a two year term in office that pays $ 174,000 a year you know that something isn't adding up in favor of the average voter. With that said, we still have it so much better than the majority of the worlds population.

No such lists as far as I know. Many of the IPLs do list thread & length sizes. Acto and I favor stainless on our restos. Obviously not orginal and 'Fish has a valid point about today's hardware. Even our stainless can show signs of rust. Also since Dan is a hardware hoarder from work often times what we have in the bins is what gets used.

We got about half of the deck boards tacked in place on the deck project today. 4th of July dinner of grilled hot dogs, corn on the cob, and potato salad. At dusk, we ran the pontoon out to the middle of the lake, threw the anchor over, and watched as the other residents around the lake sent their hard earned dollars up in smoke and pretty sparks. Now we are back in the house, watching (per our tradition) Independance Day.

1989 312-8 Great tractor.

Don't you love reassembling after an overhaul.... put in the gasket and two .005 spacers (as directed by the manual) Use your aligning pins get the bearing plate back on. Torque it down to 30 ftlbs find no end play (well less than .002) then have to set up your puller to get the plate back off put in the spacer and reassemble. Think from now on 3 spacers crank end play spec is pretty broad.

After mowing I waited for it to cool off… never did… Then I took the ‘94 520H and the ‘84 Work Horse GT-1600 for a spin. I have 25 hours on the clock on the 520H. Time for an oil change. Then I sprayed some Round Up… pooped and done.

Got the rear yard project finished at last. glad to have got the hardest part done now. Hopefully the weekend will be a relaxing one for me. went for a look at a new car, well a new to me car. Nissan Cube, bit of a rarity and an icon. It's a good price and in very good condition. Draws a lot of attention despite being a 13 year old car. Apparently sold in America too, any one got any views on it?

I offered him $200 and he took it. Looks in good condition but needs a couple knives which I have left over from the other mower.

When I buy nuts and bolts I buy extra. Go to a place that sells it by the pound. When buying stainless, be aware stainless nuts and bolts don't like each other. They gall easily and if it happens as you are installing one, you're cutting it off. They lock up tighter than a crick rock I had the bright idea of installing some 7/8" stainless bolts and nuts on a new pump installation at work. I figured when it's time to overhaul the pump, it will come right apart. Well the supplier installed the wrong impeller. So as I was removing the bolts, all 4 galled and locked up. Mr. Flame Wrench had to come out!

Got out early again this morning, but the humidity was already upon us! Managed a 12+ miles ride. Couple foggy spots made for good pics. As of now I have pedaled 174.3 miles this spring/summer.

The switch is not trivial. The hardest part is probably the rock shaft swap (assuming you still want a lifting capability). Body tins, lift lever height limiter, etc. are needed. Removing the cylinder, control valve, etc. is straightforward. As for plumbing, you must re-route the charge pump output that is now going to the lift control valve to plumb it directly to the filter input (the one on the transaxle). With proper fittings and protection, a simple hydraulic hose would be fine as there will be very low pressure (< 50 psi is my guess) in that circuit because it is no longer being called on to lift something heavy (when the pressure can go up to 700 psi)! That flow of fluid is essential to the proper operation of the hydro pump/motor for motion. It may be possible to simply join the remaining hoses (using a coupler) that go to and from the control valve after the valve and the cylinder (with its hoses) have been removed!

In my opinion buying individual fasteners for each specific job is a waste of time and money. If you are only going to do this one job and never go into your shop to do anything in the future then I guess it would work out for you but who does that! I have bins of various size fasteners in my shop, some are new but most are salvaged older nuts and cap screws from parts tractors. Probably some of that stuff has been with me for more than twenty years awaiting the right opportunity to save the day. If I need something for a repair it is right there in the shop. If I am running low I buy a box, not just one piece. Start by buying a box each of 1/4-20, 5/16-18 and 3/8-16 nuts. Add a box of each size cap screws in one inch and two inch length and you will have what you need for the majority of your work.

@Horsin'round I have a spreadsheet in the works for the suburban 400 I just need to finish it one of the hot afternoons.

I have a 1980 Wheel Horse C165 that is almost like new. It's been garage and not used for about 25 years. Does anyone have an idea of what it is worth?

Looking on CL this morning I saw this add for free grill that needs repair. So I went and picked it up. Spent all morning cleaning it. It was so dirty. Took 2 bottles of simple green and a lot of elbow grease to get it so I could even touch it without getting greasy dirty. Needs a new grease bucket and a heating rod. It's a Trager Tailgater Wood Pellet Smoker / Grill. They go for like 450. Hot Rod cost me 12 bucks. Elbow grease was free. I can't wait to get the heating rod in and smoke me some meat !!!

Those wheels look fantastic Mike!

The other Southern Border problem...

I have replaced most of the hardware on my resto's but have never bothered to catalog it. Might have to take it into consideration on the next one.

You would be better off changing the hoses and rebuilding the lift cylinder. Getting the rock shaft apart is going to be nearly impossible.

Correct! The steel seat pan was a factory thing in 84, and yep that’s a WH logo seat.

That number helps a lot. If you feel like diving deeply into Kohler and Walbro carbs, check out this manual: Engine Kohler Carburetor reference #TP-2377-E.pdf - Kohler - RedSquare Wheel Horse Forum Your carb is a 1" fully adjustable Walbro, you'll see a parts breakdown on pages 3.8 and 3.9, and it looks like the repair kit is 25 757 08. Genuine Kohler is pricey, $54 from OPE Engines, but that's what I would get if I needed a complete kit. But it's also possible you don't need a full kit. I would certainly go ahead and replace ALL the fuel lines, and install a fuel filter if you don't have one. And the fact that you have to use the choke to keep it running indicates that it may just be running lean, you may just have to adjust the two needles to get it running well again. I would probably start by removing the needles and cleaning them thoroughly with some carb cleaner or brake cleaner, including the tiny holes in the main needle if there are any, and then re-install them and adjust them to the initial settings specified in the manual, and adjust from there if necessary. While you're at it, check the throttle shaft for any play, just get a hold of it and wiggle it gently back and forth in its bore. If there's any movement there, you can add a couple of bushings to eliminate it, it adds some complexity to the process, but it's well worth it. AND, check out this recent thread for some different points of view: Magnum Carb - Engines - RedSquare Wheel Horse Forum

I made this one before I found the ones I mentioned in post above. Still contemplating getting one of their repos though.

The fender has been replaced. Can't see the Wheel Horse Logo on the seat It may have been replaced. I would put an once or so of Marvel Mystery oil in the cylinder and let it sit for a couple of days before I checked to see if it will turn over by hand. If it hasn't been started in 25 years that cylinder has to be bone dry.

Happy 4th July guys. We seem to have hijacked your day for a general election in our country. Looks like we are having a mini revolution here, a landslide victory for the opposition party. 14 years ago I remember the current ruling party saying the same things when they won a landslide over the current opposition. We just seem to lurch from one to the other, neither lives up to their promises, neither makes people's lives better, both just seek to enrich themselves or cling to power. Politics is pretty much a foul business all round. We ordinary people just spectate. Here endeth the lesson...

Agreed! And fuse holders facing up so they can get water in em.

I put a new muffler I had for the sears I was going to put together.. but I needed to find a way to quiet down his tractor so he didn't need his headset. Don't worry i fixed the light lol. Now one of the leads came off the s/g and need to figure out what post it goes to because I can remember.

Unless its MICHIGAN Go Blue

I've got one from HF on the top shelf in my shop. I store it in the original box to keep it dust free between very occasional uses. I imagine that the laser cutters and CNC routers now available to homeowners are starting to take over many of the jobs that scroll saws used to be the go to tool for.

I have used this forum for a number of years, and it never ceases to amaze me, the depth of knowledge within. Given the type of people, and their attention to detail that I have observed on RedSquare, it would seem to me that there would be hardware lists pertaining to specific tractors. For instance, if " my friend " were restoring his ( her) suburban 400, and wanted to use, say, stainless or grade-8 nuts and bolts, there would be a list of what to purchase- sizes, TPI, type of nut, quantity, etc.. It seems that this would be a useful tool for many here. I would expect that these lists exist, if only in members notebooks. Is this a resource that could be shared within this forum? Thank you!

I’m not aware of any published temperatures for small engines. But 1112F on that muffler is HOT in my opinion. Sometimes running the engine with the carb adjusted to lean can cause an extra hot exhaust. Go to the Kohler manual and adjust the carb the way it describes.

This is a noble idea. On the face, it looks too big to tackle but I suspect that it lacks only someone (hint, hint) to create an example for one model or implement and then coordinate volunteers to take on doing the takeoffs using the IPLs from individual year/models. I’ll bet that @gwest_ca would be happy to extend his very functional naming system to incorporate the added files as appendices to the IPLs. It definitely does NOT solve the problem of finding the right bolt, nut, washer, or whatever amidst the coffee cans/jars/boxes!

Well worth 1000 in my book. More if you get it running.

I apologize for not having the color version of the wiring uploaded. It is now so download that one. Have you determined the ignition switch has failed? If not - What I would do is identify each relay and label them. Suspect the only way to do that is to use the wire colors going to each relay. Then with a test light or voltmeter follow the wiring from battery to ignition switch and ignition switch to relays and then starter. Follow the circuit point to point across each component. The important thing is do not allow any battery power to get to the white ignition wire at the kill relay. That's the one that will release the smoke. Let us know what you find.

Hot wire is a bad term. Your ignition requires no battery power and if it gets some it will go up in smoke. The ignition works when the ignition wire is not connected to anything. Ground the ignition wire to shut the ignition off. Download this file. Each circuit has it's own diagram so you can follow the circuits from start to finish.