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EDIT My father passed away just before midnight. Thank you for all you support and reaching out. He was in great spirits right up til the very end. My Ole Man @Qball Bruce was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer a few years ago. He's been fighting the good fight and doing so for all his worth. The past few days have been quite a challenge for him. He went to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston over the weekend and they are hoping to bring him home tuesday. Some of you have met my father or parents. Believe it or not, there are decent folk even though they raised me. They are Protestant and would love to see your prayers or thoughts. I don't do Facebook or know how it works but if there is such a thing as a page I can share I will do so. I do encourage you folks to share this page by "mentioning" people or a link or whatever. The more the merrier. They would love to hear from you.

Dodging T storms. Got the first load up to the Steam Pageant.

Yeah. Got the little pusher out for it's once a year run!

have also dealt with the wheel horse seat issues , basically took every stage apart , and improved on its cramped set up , often refer to look at how anything is saposed to function , constantly looked back at the change detailing made , last image note heavy isolation pad on top of spring , to seat bottom . stabilized seat base , the raised height also , gets seat out of fender base area. like the bolt on coil springs , was looking for firm solid seating , like hi seat , for back support . kept looking at side view , for leg room , just slight gains brought it all together .have this set up on 3 horses also used W/H seat base and , flat under seat spring . pete

Hey guys, I just started on a new book which has really grabbed my interest. I thought it would be good to ask what folks out there recommend as a good read or reference book. Makes you marvel at the courage and pluck of all the men and women who came into the armed forces to defeat the axis powers. Mick

We got through another close call here, RedZ, North Florida, and all you Georgia/Carolina members watch this storm carefully! We have had 12" of rain in about 36 hours, damn near treading water here. Be safe and prepare for worst, and hope for best.

So a couple of things followed us home today! I got a Gravely walk behind tractor with a snow plow. And the bug thing I brought home was this Mid 80s Ford 1200 tractor! The tractor has 4 wheel drive 3 point hitch, rear pto, front pto, mower deck, snow plow, and a 2 cylinder Shibuara diesel engine. The tractor is a little taken apart right now the the previous owner said it started to make a noise and he took it apart but never got around to fixing it. The engine had no oil in it when we got there and didn’t spin over. It’s going to be a nice project!

How big are your feet? You must be related to that French pole vaulter in some way and need the extra space in a couple of places! LOL https://www.dailydot.com/memes/french-pole-vaulter-bulge-memes/ Maybe possible to shorten that space a little? Just and a couple of jokes!

Try and not operate the tractor too heavy to avoid further possible damage to hubs or keyways. Absolutely use new hardware.

A simple weld should be sufficient. It looks like one end is in that bolt hole. Find the other end and drill it out, just needs to be a small hole, but it needs to be round. If you don't, even after the welding the crack can continue to spread. Drilling it will stop the spread.

I have not. I do have an axle seal that needs replacing so i am going to do both and i guess i will get new set screws also. Thank you

God, thank you for the life lessons Bruce has taught his family and others throughout his life. Their lives and love for him are a reflection of Your love for Bruce. Please be with him as he awaits the day that Your Son, Jesus Christ, will open the gates to Hevan and beckon him to come home. We confess that we don’t understand why things happen the way they do. We don’t understand why illness comes into our lives, but we do know that you walk every path of life with us. Remind Bruce’s loved ones that you are walking with him right now. Give them your strength as they care for Bruce. God, we are thankful that you never leave us, that you never forsake us, but you love us. We trust you, and pray this in your name. Amen

Do I see mowing stripes in that grass?? I like it!

How comfortable are you with wiring? I built my own replacement wiring harness from scratch with mostly new wires. I kept the wires that go to the clutch switch as I didn't have a good source for those 90° terminals. I based my wiring on a 1982 C165. Very simple wiring with just the basic safety switch, seat, clutch and PTO. Since my tractor has a Magnum engine I used a 5 pin relay to kill the engine.

@Mickwhitt interesting reading , regularly get ww 2 , reading , like the constant insight into , generals views / ratings , reading , TO THE END OF THE EARTH , downfall of japan , john c mcmanus , boy scouts , we were stationed at a VFW hall in the bronx , ny city . your B 17 strike picture , memories , there was a small guy , salvatore ghitchio , 27 missions , tail gunner , B17 , DFC , SILVER STAR , PURPLE HARTS , air medal , etc , those guys were always there to help us out , pete

Battery positive to switch. From switch to coil positive. From neg coil terminal to points. Also condenser to coil negative. Battery negative to tractor frame or engine block.

The second rear axle could be two 1 1/8" shafts supported by four pillow blocks. The assembly would probably want to be mounted on a pair of spring loaded swing arms to allow for uneven terrain reducing the potential for the drive wheels being lifted off the ground. Just a thought, don't want to complicate your build too much.

Not one long belt. 3 shorter belts and 2 jack shafts.

I don't have to have the rear axle under the bed. I could easily move it forward 30 inches. I don't have any real tight areas of my yard that I would need the dump truck for so turning radius would not be a problem. I have 2 1/2 acres to turn around if I need to.

Wheel base is probably the reason why every time I go to build another truck it turns into something else. I prefer short and maneuverable because I don't live on a farm. Akermann steering angles for the steering is important to gain the most turning radius and keep the front wheels on track. Wheel base length is going to determine the radius so the shorter it is the tighter the radius can be. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackermann_steering_geometry

Don, Thanks for the comment. The blades do come so close that I really don’t think I could squeeze a piece of 16 GA between them. Having never had my eyes on what WH created, I thought I would just create a notch / opening at the blade collision area and wall off above. This Revision will be fun to make. Steve

I don’t need the $$ and don’t care if all 8 plows stay here forever.. but a guy asked if I had a 48” for sale. Said sure, why not let one go, struck a deal and he showed up a couple hours later for it IN THIS TRUCK ! That teeny-tiny red micro truck is mine

My prayers are with you and family. Going through what I am going now with my father in the very advanced stage of multiple myeloma, something I have also been diagnosed with now but in very early stages I fully understand your feelings. Regardless of which religious affiliation , all prayers will be delivered and heard even across those affiliations. A trying and challenging time for everyone involved but it’s the way life goes. It tells us what we are going to do and not the other way around. Stay strong.

Thank you for the link. I am going to replace both set screws guess i thought they wouldnt go bad. My bad on that. Also have a leaky axle seal so will be doing both of them also. Thanks

New set screws would help. Don't use regular bolts The cup on the end of the set screw is what digs in and holds. https://www.mcmaster.com/products/set-screws/alloy-steel-square-head-cup-point-set-screws/?s=square+head+set+screw

The 350 diesel earned its reputation. It was a novel idea built on a platform that wasn't meant to do what was asked of it.

Music to my ears! The newer tractors in the family have the safeties but my 854 has only my attentiveness to keep me safe, so.....so what was the point I wanted to make?

I love it when people do it right

I totally get that and this is why I plan to replace all the safety switches at some point. It's just that the previous owner cut them out of the system and rearranged wires to make them work on the wrong ignition. I have a new, correct ignition switch coming so I'm trying to get all the main wires connected first just to get it running. Then I'll go back and do the switches one at a time. Thanks, Smitty

Any of (or any combination of): - the PTO switch (PTO engaged--the tan/purple connection), or - the pedal interlock (pedal not depressed) or - the low oil relay (not enough oil in the engine) will prevent the starter solenoid from energizing. Any bypass of these adds risk to both the operator and the engine.

Did you mow before you set up?

When I went through the heart problems a couple years ago, my wife set up an account on a site called "Caring Bridge" where people could get health updates from her and send messages to me. It was great for her so she didn't have to worry about who she told what to. Plus, I think it was free

Condenser can connect at the points. You will need a different spark plug wire that will connect to the new coil. Magneto can stay along for the ride.

Buy a fuse holder while you are at it.

Moving the rear forward and shortening the frame could make it easier to tip the bed.

Remember that gravity is the same, whether there is a drop or not. You still have to pull the fuel up the difference between the tank and the carb.

No, I’m going back out to the shop tomorrow and I’ll take some pictures of the solenoids and show you guys, my assumption is that it started at the ignition switch, I’ve ordered a new one, as well as a volt meter. I think somewhere in this old horses life it’s been rewired as they were all yellow at the key switch, when I unplugged the ignition switch there was a bunch of grass/ debris between the switch and plug.. I can’t think that grass would be much of a conductor. Anyhow I’m fortunate enough to have an extra wiring harness that I pulled from a donor 160 a year or so ago. I’ll report back tomorrow evening. Thanks to all you guys who posted great information.

But it took up the ENTIRE width of the street after it left the driveway!

We now have a new definition of OVERKILL.

Spray paint and a rubber pad sounds like a good enough ideas, or you could prime it and then use plasti dip coating.

I think you mentioned this once before and I adopted the idea and then added a rubber strip to the cross-bar as well

Rattle paint then a sheet of rubber to help with vibration

Floorboard and seat frame mocked up. Also the position of the motor and front axle mocked up. Nothing is welded in place just tacked or clamped.

@Sparky did you make sure that load was properly balanced and secured??? I am concerned @Pullstart's hauling guidelines weren't followed...

Adjustable brackets so you can adjust to the sweet spot https://www.surpluscenter.com/Truck-Trailer/Seats/Seat-Belts-Hardware/900-Pair-Adjustable-Seat-Slides-Black-Talon-900000BK-1-3550.axd

It does. She's right around "half a Bear" in size. On the rare occasion she moves one of my rigs she just sets forward on the edge of the seat.

You know EB, seat placement alone warrants you and BBT having your own fleets…

Colleen stopped by for my birthday party

Meet johnny cash, a one peice at a time tractor. First mock-up on its own wheels. Tons to do but it feels like progress.