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You can set your watch by it. Put the snow plow or blower on then wait. And wait. and wait some more. Finally get some snow. Not a lot but like 3-4 inches. So I have to take my coonhound Bella for her walk that she demands every morning. I decide by the amount of snow on the ground I will plow the driveway when we get back. Besides it's a good idea to clean the carbunkles out of the tractor once in a while. The excitement builds as I crank over the K321 on the 953. It has sat since late Oct. when I put the plow on. It put puts to life! let it warm up. Put my plowing coat on and merrily head out to make a few passes. Mostly for where my wife parks and the sidewalk so she doesn't have to plod thru the snow and to keep the potential for ice build up down. Make a few passes and all of a sudden I notice the plow won't go down all the way. In fact if I hold the lever in the down position, it starts to go up! I'm like What in the Wide Wide World of Sports is a goin on here? Did one of those @WHX?? or @elcamino/wheelhorse put a hex on this tractor? So back into the shop I go. The left arm is all the way down but the chain is tight??? One in a million shot. Didn't get a pic but the pin on the hydraulic cylinder can move in and out and it moved enough to catch a link midway on the chain. The chain got wedged on the pin pretty good. Took a lot of prying to get it off. I added a spacer to the opposite side of the pin to keep it from getting close to that chain. The worst that ever happened was when I was snow blowing with Marvin the C145 I had. The T bar for the mower deck was still on and the nut for the bolt that held the bar to the lift chain backed off. I was going along and that bar caught a side walk crack and lifted the whole rear of the tractor off the ground! Had to drag the jack thru the snow to get that one remedied!

Received my fender pan back from the body shop this week. This pan had a bit of a journey from the Big Show in PA to CT and then to Maine. Credit goes to @Sparky for the selection, who knows how many he picked through, but this pan was in very nice condition. I think it's been here for 3 years and finally got to have it stripped and painted. It was painted with single stage and clear coated. The one that is on the 420 now will be transferred to the 418-A to give that one a bit of an upgrade. Thanks again Mike

I had a Kohler #30 carb for my own C160-8 Cinnamon Horse on the bench today. This one's been soaking in the lacquer thinner for several weeks along with quite a few sessions in the ultrasonic cleaner. Here's a couple "before" pics. I use a combination of the above soak & ultrasonic cleaner intermixed with wire brushing by hand and machine. VERY.... CAREFUL.... USAGE.... of the machine spun brush. I also use a small pick and/or screwdriver and/or whatever's to hand for cleaning the grit and muck from orifices and corners. After the greatest part of the grime is gone I use a series of drills in the Dremel tool to bore a 1/8" hole in the welch plug on the side. Pop that out with whatever levering tool is close and works. More cleaning. More scraping. More brushing. Repeat. Repeat. Intermix as needed. Be sure to get in the area behind the welch plug and clean carefully. Also clean the tiny holes the feed fuel to the main bore. I use a tiny drill bit. Carefully. All the small pieces also need de-grubbing and anti tarnish treatment. I use a 3-48 tap to clean the threads of all 4 holes from the throttle and choke shafts. Once the body is clean.. I start reassembly. Here's the complete exploded parts assortment sans the 3/8" welch plug I forgot to set there. Welch plug hole shown empty. Plug setting in but not driven/flattened. Post flatten. I use the bit that's on the carb to indent the plug. Anything roundish and 1/4" or so diameter can be used. The larger bar in my hand is the "hammer/ hammah". Procedure for driving in the upper throttle shaft bore repair washer is similar. One of two in place. Both set in. Here's a closeup. You can see the two washers stacked and stuffed. Now I move to installing the throttle and choke shafts and blades. I use Blue Loctite. Brand name only. Four new screws. These are usually 3-48. Just the tiniest little dab of Loctite on each screw. Get the screws in place loosely then verify proper movement and placement of the blades. Each blade will usually need a little coaxing to set just right. Once that's satisfactory, tighten the screws. Now I install the 3 exterior screws. 1. Idle speed control. Small silver colored one. I always start high and adjust the RPM down later. 2. Upper RPM mixture. Coincidentally that's also the uppermost positioned screw. 3. Low RPM or idle air mixture screw. Be sure to set the above screws to the factory settings before starting the engine. The fuel inlet seat is threaded in next. I have a special nut driver I've modified by grinding down the circumference so it fits in the limited space. Drop the needle in and slide the float pin through. Check the adjustment. I set floats for these carbs about parallel with the body. Install the bowl gasket, then the fuel baffle. Center the bowl. Install the gasket and bowl retaining nut. Snug that up well but use caution to not overtighten particularly on original aluminum bowls. I most often replace the bowl with a Briggs and Stratton steel bowl. The older aluminum bowls are almost always crushed and deformed around the bolt hole. A few more pictures as completed.

Be safe. Be happy. Do fun things. Every day!

I finally got to get the 857 out and blade 1 1/2" of the white stuff. Horse started right up, let it warm up, bladed the snow...15 minutes was back in the barn. A perfact, no issues run. Knock on wood !!

This is the C121 Automatic "The Ugly Bruce" before the rebuild. And here's a couple partial side shots.

I've gotten several questions and requests for information over the years about this small shed. Here's a video 'splainin it.

Got a couple of inches of snow today. C-145 still isn’t winter ready but will put the blower on this week However the C-121 has been ready since thanksgiving and has already been used twice this snow season. So once again used that. And got a pretty cool pic with it too IMG_0028.mov

Having fun- Check! Perfect way to spend the first few hours of winter! IMG_0028.mov 7B26A65D-467C-4108-9C00-E75750D71616.mov

Plowed bout 8-10" of snow today. Again, I'm impressed at how much snow that little 654 will push. VID_20241221_140052.mp4

On tonight's menu we have: hydro pedal and reciever hitch install, with 2 sides of foot rest repair, not the correct red, but red and close enough to keep this unit working.

@squonk I know I didn't put the evil eye on your horse, as for @WHX?? There was a picture of him blowing snow, but the hairy beast in the cab looked like Big Foot. I think the metal rooster that guards the Tweety Bird Ranch messed with your tractor. The rooster was getting back at you for leaving him out in the cold freezing his nuggets off, while you were laying in your recliner covered by a blanket and two dogs.

Hey guys, not sure if this is the right place but just wanted to make a post to thank you all for helping me out with my literal hundreds of questions I've asked here! Buying this old horse, I was really nervous as I couldn't find any manuals or information online. Well, you all are such a wealth of knowledge, and have answered my questions and given me advice so quickly. Good, fast and cheap - they say you can only have two. Well, you guys have helped me free of charge so I know which two you all are! I will be searching on here how to support the site and would like to join the club too. The money is nothing compared to how much help you all have been and what a source of information this forum is. Thank you again!! Really appreciate it!

I always love the shortest day light day of the year!! It proves my theory that we were always a hybernating species. Warm me up with an Egg Nog and Bourbon and go back to bed. Happy Winter to All, and to All, a Good Night !!

Your questions helped many others without you knowing it. Thanks for becoming a support member. It's worth the $20. And when I saw the picture you just posted, I thought I was looking at my own back yard. Will post a picture as soon as the sun comes out.

Day 21 SUCCESSSSSSSSS WOOHOOOO We finally figured out the wiring gremlins. All we had was 2 wires backwards on the kill relay. Swapped those and she purrs like a kitten! IMG_0040.mov

@WHX????? He gets around...

Between me and the township pushing stones into he yard the answer is!!

For years I dreaded the back breaking task of hand raking the stones out of the grass back on to the stone road. Now when I see a thaw coming, I plow the snow back onto the road to melt and deposit the stones where they belong. Saves about 90% of the hand raking.

I'm staying inside on this one and just enjoying the view. It will be in the 40's in a couple days and go away.

Oh yeah totally fixable...

Well, those balance gears struck again! It would appear that the upper balance gear, closest to the piston skirt actually came into contact with the skirt and busted it. The last tooth on the balance gear is missing, so that’s why I say this. Anywho here are some photos. The connecting rod is fine, the bore is fine and the crank is as well.. I’m pretty fortunate, all I need is a rod a piston and a set of rings as well as an oil pan gasket and I’ll be back in business! Btw .. I removed the balance gears by tapping the rod inward and then replacing the rod. IMG_2877.mov

Sounds like a plan. 29F and 20MPH West winds. I'll stay in and watch my neighbor this morning. Then for a couple BIG 10 wins this afternoon. WE ARE.

Wiring connected to gauges and switches. Edge trim installed on back of hood stand to protect wiring. Hydraulic valve handle installed. Speed nuts installed into hood stand for plate attaching screws. Hood stand plate installed. Back of hood stand plate showing wiring to ignition and light switches. Light switch wire is up by the steering bearing so no moving parts to contact it and cause issues.

Hoodstand plate ready to assemble. Gauges installed. Hoodstand plate fully assembled ready to be installed.

Going through loose leaf binders today that I keep a lot of WH info in I came across these adds and thought I'd pass it along. These were back in 2010 & 2012. I'll call these the one's that slipped away. After relocating to Maine the WH funds were almost non existent and I just couldn't pull it together. The 2 420's and the 418-A were reasonably priced I thought. The 516-H was mint. Original owner who I knew always stored and maintained and kept in a heated garage on battery tenders. The only reason I didn't pull the trigger on that one was the Eaton was a 700 not 1100. Word has it it was getting a bit week, something I didn't want to mess with. It was used to mow grass on a Christmas tree farm and never saw snow. What do you guy's think about the custom exhaust on the 516 ? A Midas muffler job.

Zip ties, WD40, and Duct Tape -- three great inventions

Good thing the trailer was full, else that Electrak in the back ground might have come home with him too. Course it would have received some red paint & some different decals.

No. You want the bottom hole so the top of the plow is leaning away from the tractor, with the bottom closer to the tractor... that way the blade is dragging not digging... less vertical. Like this

@Alrashid2 There's no need to reinvent the wheel on a PTO setup that had worked great for decades and, in my opinion is the best one Wheel Horse has ever used. That hitch pin will rattle with the PTO disengaged. It stops when you engage it because that puts tension on it. I noticed that on my 1976 over 45 years ago. It was annoying. Digging deep into my rocket scientist, engineering brain surgeon type noggin I came up with this complex fix. That was supposed to be an experimental temporary fix to see if it worked. I did that in the 70's. Annoying rattle gone. Go figure. An electrician using electrical tape. I did coat it with something but I don't remember what. I'm still experimenting though. I'm testing the lifespan of the complex fix. +/- 45 years and counting. .

I had the painful experience of having to drive on of these when the dealer gave it to me as a loaner. What a dog. And it rode like a Bronco...my back still hurts.

Looking at the photo from our manuals section posted below I think those wires were once connected to the PTO switch. The smaller black with a tracer color wires would go to the idiot lights. Your starter solenoid signal feed passes through the low oil level relay, it is probably a metal can relay. There is a five wire connector (with only four wires) that goes to your engine, two of these wires will activate the relay on low oil level. If you unplug this connector for testing purposes it will take the low oil switch out of the equation. The other two wires are an ignition kill wire and a charging system wire and won't interfere with the solenoid signal. I will follow along to see what you find.

Excellent work!!! Looks great & sounds great too!

89 312-8 still here , 93 520-H sold. Both great tractors.

Well, I ended up doing the mod. And it was successful! Photos attached. First shows the new 5th hole I drilled - obviously not for plowing, but just for keeping it in "Storage Mode" while traversing bumpy woodland ground. Other photos show before/after of the plow angle and the subsequent ground clearance gain of nearly 3".

@Alrashid2 Your name looks great in RED!

Dug a couple of amber marker lamps out of a bucket of old tractor lights I was given and decided to throw a wig-wag controller on them to go with the fronts. They have to be 40+ years old. I'll speed up the flash once I get some LED replacement bulbs to put in them.

PPG Victory Red

I saw this beautiful machine back in 2011 or 2012 at the Big Show. It was a creation of the imagination of Eldon Gladfelter (kj4kicks). I believe it was bought by another RedSquare member David Cline several years later. I don't know where it is now.

Should I be embarrassed to say it's fun? 🙄 I've had gravel driveways. I always ran shoes on my snow plows & raised the skids on my snowblower so they didnt pick up the gravel.

We never get enough snow here to do that. Doesn’t help that my driveway is gravel… Looks like a lot of fun!

So, I only had a few minutes to test this out, but came up with a simple solution! I zip tied the clevis pin to the swing mount. That tightened up the movemenr of the pin and little bracket piece and seemed to have stopped the rattling!

Thanks, you had me worried.

Sounds like it is time to do a little deferred maintenance. Clean and tighten ALL electrical connections including grounds.

While your dedication to restoring the tractor is incredible, your dedication to documenting and photographing everything is equally impressive!