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Fixed a pesky belt guard. As you can see,I added some stronger metal to the transmission belt cover on a C- 160. The locator hole in the belt guard cracked and fractured away and then the guard bound itself to the pulley imitating a pooched battery and then a dragging starter. It didn't seem right as that tractor started in single digits with relative ease. It was fussy work,but the fact that the soothing hiss of the antique Coleman Lantern was serving as a finger warmer upper made the job bearable.A couple of rivets should bond the repair. Elon Musk can just eat his heart out over this perfectly balanced lantern burning clean without the benefit of mantles. Remarkable that a 1957 model can be fussed with a bit of effort into a useful companion Coleman and Wheel Horse seem to be cut from the same cloth

The Day the Music Died is observed on February 3 every year. It’s the anniversary of the fatal plane crash that killed three important figures in rock and roll. Musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. Richardson died along with the pilot Roger Peterson in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. In the thick of winter, the poor flight conditions led to the Peterson losing control of the plane, causing it to crash and claim the lives of all four people on board. One of them was Buddy Holly, a singer-songwriter who wrote many songs during his short career and is credited with defining the rock and roll lineup of two guitars, bass, and drums. His music had a huge influence on musicians such as Bob Dylan and The Beatles. Rock and roll pioneers, Valens, and Richardson, also known as ‘The Bopper’ were on tour in winter when they realized that they were sick and tired of the poor tour bus conditions. Long trips on the tour bus would give the performers frostbite and the flu, making it impossible for them to perform. At Clear Lake, Holly finally decided against traveling any further on the tour bus and decided to charter a plane to the next location. Richardson was ill, so asked Waylon Jennings, a fellow band member, for his seat on the plane, to which he agreed. Valens had also asked Tommy Allsup, another band member, to fly in his stead and they agreed to toss a coin to decide. Valens won. McLean named the day of the crash The Day the Music Died in his song ‘American Pie’ which was an enormous hit. Besides commemorating the day, the song title has also become symbolic of the shift in cultural attitudes, and the death of the optimism of the 1950s. Buddy Holly went on tour because he wanted to save up money to move to New York with his wife, Maria Holly. The 1959 tour was badly planned The buses were refurbished school buses, not meant for comfort over long-distance driving, and the musicians had no one to assist with their equipment. Maria Holly learned about it on T.V. The shock of the news of Buddy Holly’s death affected her wellbeing so much that she suffered a miscarriage. The pilot had passed his written exams wasn’t qualified to fly in the kind of weather conditions that were present on that fateful day. The song by McLean was so popular because it carried a national meaning, and it has been described as the most successful song of the 20th century. Reflect on these extenuating circumstances as you enjoy the music.

You never know. My first one bought new is a brown lantern.Ugly . It's a 275 and the collectors want at least one "turd" model. I am finding out that the 220 D,E,and F models run well and quiet and can be workhorse lanterns. Original green sunrise globes are rare to survive and the red print originals get stored or displayed. I started to acquire twenty dollar lanterns just for parts. It was really good one day and I got six of them running. VID-20250129-WA0001.mp4

If you are on a low budget, maybe an E-tank would be the way to go. They are cheap to make, no expensive chemicals.

Hello, I am restoring my great uncles 1968 wheel horse commando and I am using a die grinder with a sanding wheel on it and it has just been taking for ever. I am using a 120 grit flap wheel on a grinder to help with getting the rusty areas ground down. The part of the issue is definitely the compressor available to me cannot keep up with the air needed to run the die grinder unfortunately me being 16 and trying to do this project under 500 bucks I’m not sure what I could do to speed the process up if there even is any way to speed it up just let me know thank you.

Hi, my name is Camron I am currently in the process of restoring a 1968 wheel horse commando 8 I am joining the forum to share the experience and things I’ve learned along the way. Ill go into further detail with more pictures in the actual tractor forum page.

This is pretty sweet! I found an online auction site selling an 808 weight, but I’ve no idea how much it weighs. I did a quick Google search after @Achto and @WHX?? promised me that it was at least 75 lbs, just to verify what the roosters in the hen house told me. This list here shows the picture of the weight, the casting number, and details of what tractor it was for and it’s total weight! https://taylorfoundry.com/tractor-weights/suitcase-weights/

Got little more done today, didn't work as long. Concrete pile is getting pretty big. Realized I will have to take these boards down as it's a "wall" of sorts that is sitting on the concrete. So I will have to do that before starting on the concrete again.

@Ed Kennell and @WHX?? have their annual Deer Tails threads. I should call this my “Cotton Tales”

I have also used both wheels and skids. Both work well on paved surfaces. The skids were better on the stone road. The wheels were a big plus when moving and storing the blower. I actually added larger adjustable height wheels to mine to prevent it from digging in on the stone road. Like this borrowed picture.

Hello, I’m new to RedSquare although I have learn a lot from this forum in the past and decided to join it. I am restoring my great uncles wheel horse that I used this year to do Lawncare and make money with. I am doing a complete tear down on the tractor I already went thru the motor which consisted of new rings,govener gear, crank bearings, all new gaskets and I will be rebuilding the starter generator soon. Some pictures along the way are posted below the photos posted have been over the past several weeks I am just going now so if your confused about how the pictures jump around just let me know thanks

Pretty much finished up this '89 312-8 today. Took it out for a drive since there's no precipitation and almost 45 F today. This is what it was prior! I've been slowly restoring since the COVID lockdown. Finally decided this winter no more projects until this was done. I'm not sure what the affinity is in my area of painting these metallic maroon, but this is the 2nd tractor that I picked up with this color on it.

Put larger wheels on mine

Got my setup today! Decided to go test it out with the 312-8 on the few logs I currently have. She was able to pull a 20" Oak log, 4 feet long, with ease! However, she could not pull a 30" Oak log that was 8 feet long haha... I tried bracketing so I know now my ability to pull is somewhere between those two sizes. The Maple getting dropped this week is 17" diameter and I requested it be cut in 5 foot sections... it's also Maple not Oak, so somewhat lighter. Will try for a video this weekend!

Trina, at 5 ft 6 in, and her daughter, who is 5 ft 8 in, are the two tallest people in their bloodline. Trina's mama is a good strong Solid 5 ft 1 in. 6 or 8 years ago Trina bought us a new washing machine. Absolute bottom of the line inexpensive top loader with limited amounts of features that can break. Her great big giant mama can't reach the bottom of the washing machine while standing in front of it so she built herself a little platform about four inches tall. Massive people. Just massive. And here I am at about 6 ft 1 with fairly flat shoes and a non-exaggerated TWICE the weight of most of her family. Think I stick out at get togethers?

We know all about that don't we @Achto Sand blasting is the quickest. and leaves a good surface to prep for paint, A suggestion would be find a blaster in your area. Auto body shops and places that sell headstones are good places for leads. Explain to them you are restoring an old tractor. That might hit home with many shop owners. Since you are on a budget offer to push broom or other chores for trade. Good luck and let us know if we can help in other ways.

Been working on it for 60 years.

As I said, go over the instructions with your parents. I was a teenager and know it isn't cool to ask your parents but we want you to be safe and have this be remembered as a good learning experience. With old paint that has a bit of rust imbedded in it a second coating of stripper using a Scotch-Brite pad or wire brush may be needed. Be safe at all times, good rubber gloves, face and eye protection and good ventilation of the work area are a must.

Picked up my 1977 b80 a few weeks ago. It was smoking pretty bad. Sprayed some kroil everyday for a week. Turning it over daily. Changed the oil and the smoke is gone. Every time I start it the last week no issue. I haven’t put it to work yet but it’s a good sign. Thought I would share. Steve

Hello, I’m going to document my wheel horse restoration here for future reference of other redsquare members and so that way I can have some help if need be on certain things while I go thru this I have completed the engine already I am having some throttle cable issues and such but I’ll cross that bridge when it comes.

@Bar Nuthin is referring to a fairly strong orbital sander. Not one designed for just for polishing. An angle grinder is also usable as long as the disc is rated for the grinder’s RPM. Understand that I am not really a “patina” person and that colors my advice. Removing paint and rust can be slow and discouraging (and dirty and dusty) but if you hang in the results can be quite satisfying. I generally figure two to three hours of prep lets me prime for two or three minutes and then finish coat for another two or three minutes

I plan on it being kinda a mix of both if that makes sense right now I mow yard so the tractor is used for this but I plan on lowering the amount of use it gets so it won’t be a strict show tractor but it won’t be worked hard like I have been using it before this.

I had the luck to see Waylon Jennings at the Topsfield Fair in Mass around 1993 ish outdoor concert. About 30' away. Been a fan since 1976. Still have the Hat and Tee shirt. Great time. He's quite a character. The sound he gets out of that Fender Telecaster is amazing.

DO use the same brand primer & topcoat paints to avoid any compatibliity issues..... Easy way to paint the wheels with the tires on - use playing cards tucked into the deflated bead... and warm the areosol can in hot water between coats...

My wife and I (and our children) are tall. When we built our house, we installed the kitchen and primary bathroom counters and cupboards 2 inches higher than standard. Hugely easier to use. When my very not tall now-DIL first visited she joked that maybe she needed a small stool.

@Bar Nuthin found those blowers a gold mine for rotational movement , everywhere , from the snow chute snow slide gasket , to every related movement spot , also add a screw on ball to the chute lever end , makes , gloves / mittens easier to use . that drive belt set up , is nothing but additional drag , on every related movement spot , and related pulley bearings , auger drive chain , open gear and chain lube . how about that pulley frame , steel to steel saposed to be movement spot ? cleaned out and replaced , hi temp , polyurea grease ? have often said my blowers moved by hand at the pto belt drive point ? this is all detailing , if you want to . when you engage pto , how easily dies it spin up ? smooth / easy ? was just out , plowing , oiled blade face , was rolling snow like nothing ,also plow steering quadrant , was swinging with ease . also plowed snow with the sun ? moved it all over to the sun side of driveway , melting now to drain . had about 4-6 snow last night , pete

Thank you I will look into sand blasting and see how much it will cost .

Thanks sir I will definitely look into this I actually think we have some paint stripper at the house will talk to parents before I use for sure I also probably need to start wearing a mask when sanding

YES !! Thank You !!

I had one with the steel wheels and now have one with the skids. In actual usage there's very little, if any difference. Some might think the wheels would be better on concrete or asphalt drives and the skids better in dirt/gravel drives. Maybe but it really didn't matter. Again, I've had both surfaces. All in all I would give the wheels a bit of an advantage. The reason being is that it makes it easy to move the blower around when it's not mounted. I made a dolly dedicated to the blower I have now with the skids to solve that. As far as the chute rollers I can't say. My current one is a tall chute and entirely different there. I would probably lean towards the steel if I had to choose. Overall I would go with the wheels and a tall chute.

Looking good.

With a good lathe and a mill, you could always make a new riffle. I like things that go bang, but I would get a lot more use out of a lathe.

The solid link goes from the rock shaft directly to the A-frame. You can easily remove the mower lift arm, short link and chain for extra clearance.

Back used to hurt after standing in front of the blast cabinet for extended periods of time. We raised the blast cabinet up on 4x4's. Game changer ! Much more comfortable now, plus the 4x4's added a raised point to put your one foot on.

I usually drill a little drain hole in the bottom of my Kohler tins. Never understood why they didn't come with one. Mouse pee or wash water, it just sits down in the bottom and rusts away...

@Retired Wrencher If you haven't pulled the valves yet, try this little test before and after to see it you made some improvement. With both valves closed fill the little cavity around the valve head with a lite fluid like penetrating oil. See how low it takes to leak through the valve seat. Also measure the valve stem where it passes through the valve guide and down lower to see how much wear there is. A worn valve stem can cause a valve to never seat well. The Kohler manual list the intake should be 0.3105 to 0.3110 and the exhaust as 0.3084 to 0.3091. While the valve guides may also have some wear, replacing a valve with a worn stem is easy and can at least reduce half the wear.

Replaced the throttle and choke cables on the 79 C-101 it’s now officially a C121 Gen start. To do list -front tires ,tie rods, steering wheel seat, and decal set.

Started taking things apart to clean and put some flood on the sheet metal. Then I will get started on painting the wheels soon.

My wife showed me this a couple of days ago. Charlie Reese was a writer for a newspaper If it's too political, please delete it. 545 vs. 300,000,000 People -By Charlie Reese Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them. Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits? Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes? You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does. You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does. You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does. One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country. I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank. I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes. Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party. What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits.. ( The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.) The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House?( John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. ) If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to. [The House has passed a budget but the Senate has not approved a budget in over three years. The President's proposed budgets have gotten almost unanimous rejections in the Senate in that time. ] It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist. If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair. If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red. If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan .. If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way. There are no insoluble government problems. Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do. Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and they alone, have the power. They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses. Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees... We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess! Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper. What you do with this article now that you have read it... is up to you. This might be funny if it weren't so true. Be sure to read all the way to the end: Tax his land, Tax his bed, Tax the table, At which he's fed. Tax his tractor, Tax his mule, Teach him taxes Are the rule. Tax his work, Tax his pay, He works for peanuts anyway! Tax his cow, Tax his goat, Tax his pants, Tax his coat. Tax his ties, Tax his shirt, Tax his work, Tax his dirt. Tax his tobacco, Tax his drink, Tax him if he Tries to think. Tax his cigars, Tax his beers, If he cries Tax his tears. Tax his car, Tax his gas, Find other ways To tax his ass. Tax all he has Then let him know That you won't be done Till he has no dough. When he screams and hollers; Then tax him some more, Tax him till He's good and sore. Then tax his coffin, Tax his grave, Tax the sod in Which he's laid... Put these words Upon his tomb, 'Taxes drove me to my doom...' When he's gone, Do not relax, Its time to apply The inheritance tax. Accounts Receivable Tax Building Permit Tax CDL license Tax Cigarette Tax Corporate Income Tax Dog License Tax Excise Taxes Federal Income Tax Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA) Fishing License Tax Food License Tax Fuel Permit Tax Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon) Gross Receipts Tax Hunting License Tax Inheritance Tax Inventory Tax IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax) Liquor Tax Luxury Taxes Marriage License Tax Medicare Tax Personal Property Tax Property Tax Real Estate Tax Service Charge Tax Social Security Tax Road Usage Tax Recreational Vehicle Tax Sales Tax School Tax State Income Tax State Unemployment Tax (SUTA) Telephone Federal Excise Tax Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax Telephone State and Local Tax Telephone Usage Charge Tax Utility Taxes Vehicle License Registration Tax Vehicle Sales Tax Watercraft Registration Tax Well Permit Tax Workers Compensation Tax STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids. What in the heck happened? Can you spell 'politicians?'

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!

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!

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.

@ElectricApprentice123 At the top of the Tranmission Section there is a pinned thread that has part numbers for all the seals and bearings. They are standard parts that you can get from any bearing supply. One of our vendors Wheel Horse Parts and More also has them for a good price.

We got a LOT of stuff moved today! Our friend is visiting us for a few days. She don't "sit down" any better than my Trina.... So we moved a BUNCH of things from the basement to the new workshop. I put up the white sheet insulation (behind the two left side shelves) and set several metal shelves in place. Throughout the day I started organizing onto the shelves and into the black bins. The other two people were moving many other things while I was working on organizing the new workshop. They took several trips up to the second floor of the barn with camping gear to be stored. HUGE progress. From here: Using these: To here: The black plastic bins will be relocated a bit. The pegboard in the right far corner will be attached right where it stands. Likely I'll add more pegboard above the short shelf. I've been VERY careful to ensure that NO combustible items are within 36" of the nearest part of the stove. It'll be a long process. Many hours yet to go. Today was a HUGE boost.

I ‘bout had big part dropsies a while back, helping Jada swap transfer cases in her truck. I couldn’t get the splines to line up, but couldn’t find a way to support the case. I laid it on my head for a bit, to rest my arms. Then my arms and head all hurt for a few days.

Wow, Jim must have been up early and had a few cups of high test all ready.

I'm guessing this article was written by a fellow between 2011 and 2015 because John Boehner was the speaker of the house. I'm sure there are additional taxes that could be added to the list by now.

Now that those clothes pins are freed up, better get those "other chores" done before the "Boss" gets home!