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Some interesting facts I learned when I approached retirement. According to the USB of statistics, I would die at age 77. If I stayed on schedule, regardless if I took full SS at 67 or partial at 62, In total I would receive within $100 the total amount I had paid into SS for 50 years. I actually took SS at 65 when I enrolled in medicare. So, being one of the lucky retirees that lived longer than expected, I have profited from the $300,000+ I have paid into the SS system. Then here is my 100 yo MIL beside me...she really beat the system.

Appreciate Your Social Security Check Day is held annually on January 31 to celebrate the checks that are sent out to retired and disabled recipients across America. Apart from commemorating the actual benefits themselves, this day also celebrates the workers who ensure that the recipients receive his or her benefits. In 1940 the First Social Security Check went to Ida May Fuller on January 31, which amounts to $22.54; she started collecting benefits at age 65 and did so until her passing at age 100.

Trying hard to keep inside the Forum guidelines here. The decision about SS timing is even more fraught than ever, given the cloudy forecast for the trust fund, the recent addition of previously ineligible recipients, and a government that rarely tackles any difficult issue it can kick down the road. Waiting until I reached age 70 made sense in my situation at the time.

Next up was new brakes on the 52O-8…a bit tough to get the remaining brake material off but eventually got it. Hopefully 24 hours from now when I remove the clothespins the brake material doesn’t “fall out” Thanks Bob @rmaynard for the quality brake lining!

Trina and I are starting a 3 month gym membership tonight. Goal. 16 weeks @ 1.5 lbs/week loss is 24 lbs. Bear is 272 lbs today... 248 by Memorial Day. This won't be easy. Definitely doable.

Brake shaft oil seal replaced on the 520-8

Finished up 2 more Translogic tube station motor plates to install next month.

Just to clarify. The rivets or screws are not meant to attach the plastic part of the dash to the metal back-plate. Many of the plastic dash plate have a piece of double-sided tape on the back to keep it aligned during the final assembly. The entire dash assembly is finally attached to the dash housing with a 102168 black panhead sheet metal screw into a 5442 speed nut.

Hello, I have recovered a 1977 Wheel Horse C-160/ Kohler K301S, 12hp, nb 47421d serial nb 7382379 equiped with a 3 blades landmower. There is no need to send here a picture as it is such bad condition. Nevertheless, i wish to put is it back on its wheel. I have started to check what is needed as spare parts: - a clean air box and filter is missing. And idea of what parts number/ references are needed ? - the carburator bottom tank is leaking. Where to find a new one in France? - the friction cluch disc is worn. What size ( Diam.) and thickness shall i put in? - the oil filter? No idea where this is located nor what part number to use. Any advise? And is it still possible to find a sketch of the landmower ? Thank you very much in advance to whom may help me Regarrds

@pascal Plancke Any picture of a tractor is a good picture, condition has nothing to do with it. Also helps us to see what you're working with and better diagnosis what it needs.

Power was out for about 60 minutes…perfect workout

Big Brother knows when your SS will end and bases the amount on that date. If you're a gambler and stay healthy, you win.

Right now I am dumping it on a concrete pad I have. And eventually I will borrow or rent a dump trailer and I can use a skidsteer to load that up, and take it to one of many gravel places around me. Most of them will take clean concrete for free.

Yep, whatever WH used to stick those linings on is tenacious! I recently replaced the lining on the 854 and since I have a spare brake drum I clamped the band around that while the adhesive cured. All worked great, except after putting the band back on, one corner of the lining is very lightly touching the drum even when the brake is off causing a brake squeal in reverse! Need to either bend the band a bit or else shave off a bit of lining when I have the opportunity. Right now I’m thinking of it as a sort of “backup beeper”! BTW, stopping is now limited by traction and not brake force!

A wheel horse isn't going to break the chain OP's is going with. There's just not enough traction available.

Have I ever shared this one? Just a couple expired license plates…

As mentioned the rivets are 3/16". I've used button head stainless 10-32 several times. This Dino dash has the rivets and I saw no need to change them but the rivets will get black paint to look better.

Picked this up today! I know it's not a Wheel Horse but I always wanted one. It runs too! Chrysler made them initially for the military in 1979. Sold publicly 1979-early 1981. It will break down & can be packed up. Weighs only 70lbs. I already ordered a high performance sprocket, clutch, muffler, & exhaust which should make it faster to accelerate & double top speed!

I retired when I was 61 and started drawing reduced SS at 62. At that time you could unenroll when you reached FULL RETIREMENT AGE and pay back the amount you had received and then reenroll at full pay. That was the plan but a couple months before I turned 65 Congress changed the rules and eliminated this little sweetheart deal. Much like Ed @Ed Kennell my wife and I have beaten the odds and are collecting enough more to pay for the gas to go to our doctors' appointments. Ah, the Golden Age!

Here is a manual...there is more in our manual library.

Started drawing SS at 62. Deposited it into savings account until we needed it.

I watch my neighbors' lights... none of them have generators...

Been meaning to run my generator for the last couple months, keep forgetting. Well power went out 15 minutes ago so what better time to give it a workout! Fired right up with that full tank of e-free I get from a station in New Hampshire . That switch is on my kitchen counter and it’s a double pole single throw, each pole getting power from each of the hot legs coming into my house, but before my whole house transfer switch, When those lights go on I know street power is back.

This method is useful when you need to control the extent of the breaking up. Power concrete cutters need water to keep the blade cool and I suspect that water and the underlying wood supports would not get along in your situation.

Doing the ss dance right now deciding when to start... Interesting when you run the numbers... for me it would take 14 years before I start "making money" if I claim at 67 vs 62... I'd be 74 before the increased amount by waiting catches up with money in the bank if I start at age 62... that's straight with no investment assumptions on the ss $$$ each year. if invested even nominally, it's hard to make the case to wait... especially given ss's status in 10 years or so and my life expectancy. Now if @Ed Kennell would return some of that largesse maybe I'd change my mind...

If you're dead set on running chain, id at least use a damper over the chain on the non-working end, if it does break maybe it will slow it down some.

I'm just gonna drop this right here....

Totally agree when working on a mechanical only refresh. If I go with new hardware I'll throw all the old fasteners in a ice crème buck for possible use later on a petina project. I don't think grade 5s are necessary but i do use them on the frame to tranny point. I'll second that and on the cost thing more than once has the clerk at Ace commented on what an expensive little bag of stainless hardware is.. Lets not forget about McMaster Carr for hardware. Especially for weird ones they have it all.

It was one of my more fun and easier being that there is no bodywork priming involved. Just smoothed up some of the old paint and hammered clear coat to it! A total of 9 coats on the tin work. Quick tune up on the k181 and found a broken flywheel too. All back together and running like a top! My youngest (4), named it and my oldest (7), wrote its name on the belt guard. Always fun getting them to help out!

Our local Giant Food Bakery makes a round version of these. They call it a Cronut. A flaky layered croissant dough shaped like a round doughnut.

Great work improving the wildlife habitat. Maybe it's time to add another feature to your rabbit hunting. If I were still in the business, you would get a couple of these.

At first I thought "oh man... pullstart's finally gone off the deep end and bought something not red and decidedly less capable than a ...

I’ve got an exciting feature “growing” in the field! There is a massive ground clearing project a few miles down the road. I saw them hauling these stumps out of the property and decided to go ask where they were going. Ends up they were dumping them in a gravel pit less than a mile away. My guess is they were being charged by the load. I offered my field for wildlife shelter and improvements and they jumped right on it! Free/free = win/win! When this grass strip between this plot and the trail gets filled up, we’ll find another spot to add a wind block and rabbit hut to.

The 48" deck shell and spindles are all the same for C or D series. The lift hardware for the D is different but can easily be swapped out....may have to drill a couple holes in the deck from a C series. Here are two 48" decks...one with lift hdwe for D and the other for C series.

Back on the food topic. When visiting Austria, do try the sweinsaxle (pigs foot) soup and lard bread at Herr Pflegers. You will never forget it.....no matter how hard you try.

I contacted miller tire through Fleabay regarding the V6 tires and when they may be available. Response below : ETA is February/March is what we are told.

If you are inquiring about your 877 then your tractor is a 1967 model.

Great name! Too bad you have to work in such a small garage

The C-Series used different methods of fastening the throttle and choke controls to the steel back plate. Some parts diagrams show a #10-24 screw and a KEP nut. Others show a pop-rivet. Most that I have seen used a pop-rivet. Seeing that a #10 screw is 3/16" diameter, I'd assume the pop-rivet is also 3/16"

These particular ones would be OK to do. Steel dash panel with steel cable bases. Flat to flat surface match. Good ole fashioned simple pop rivet gun would work.

Clutching my pearls! Not using original spec stuff. Horrors!

Here's some information that will be helpful for you to understand the difference between Grade 30 and grade 70. "The working load limit of a chain is significantly less than the weight that would cause a chain to fail (the tensile strength of a chain)." Let's consider the lightest duty one just for kicks... 1/4".. Grade 70 has nearly THREE TIMES the load limit of grade 30. As far as buying new versus used, I wouldn't buy new. But it's important to remember I know how to inspect a used chain. I also know where all my chains came from and they had been professionally inspected not long before I got them. If the inspections to ensure good product weren't available to me, I would absolutely buy new.

Up around me their prices have been getting higher and higher. We buy certain things from them. And I will continue to do so. But Hardware has never been a great bargain. Not to mention the fact that it looks like a tornado and a cyclone were having an argument in the bolt aisle half the time....

My thoughts on the original question was Tractor Supply sells fasteners by the pound. I regularly grab a couple pounds of whatever size I might need. Like @WHX?? and @Achto I typically use stainless in certain spots as well. Especially on engine tins and tractor sheet metal. Those I just buy when I find a sale.

When you live a long way from the hardware store and have military vehicles and big tractors in addition to WHs Top of pic 1 is NC 1/4 -7/16 2" and below Bottom is NF Gr8 and Stainless and Galvanized (One red drawer is my entire metric selection ) Pic 2 Yellow bins NC 1/4" to 1/2 " longer than 2 inches Lower level NC 5/8" to 1" (and extras for the drawers)

Thanks everyone. A restore may come later but I am pulling some of the sheet metal off and using the flood on them for now to stop the rust from getting any worse. It's just surface level right now. Want to go in with new bolts because I am going to be using this thing for plowing snow and grass cutting. I am just getting everything mechanically sound and stopping rust for now. I kind of like the used petina but all painted up looks good too. This may get me started. https://www.amazon.com/318pcs-Bolts-Assortment-Hex-Washers/dp/B0BCWMHBGD/ref=asc_df_B0BCWMHBGD?mcid=22d9411875af377ba3dae422478d293c&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693340177858&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7965959235047751582&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9022933&hvtargid=pla-1944594552373&th=1 Steve

Early bird gets the bolt ... Yes they are especially when one does a resto/refresh in stainless as @Achto and I have been known to do. Even with Dan's fringe benefits on fasteners from work it can easily add 100 to a project. My first resto, a 1067, I did it in all stainless allen heads. A leftover fetish from my HD bike building days. Don't tell her what I have in hardware for this one.