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I finally finished restoring my 701 ! I began a restoration thread a little over 3 years ago, and for various reasons (other projects , work, new products , hand surgery etc ) the project kept getting pushed to the side. But now it's done so just enjoy the finished product. Engine and rear axle completely rebuilt, everything stripped to bare metal, all pits in the metal were filled, all stainless and grade 8 hardware throughout, very hard to find NOS 1576 Glasstex drive belt, Carlisle tires , K & B greasable hitch pin, K & B tie rod, all new wiring, reproduction shower head muffler and all stainless exhaust, you get the idea....no shortcuts taken. It's just a shame that someone before me destroyed the originality because it had a very unique and provable early life. It was originally sold new locally with a mix of 1961 and 1962 parts when new ( 1962 hood , 1962 and later " thin " steering fan gear. Two of the previous owners are well respected round hood experts , and it was sold by one of them at a large local Wheel Horse only auction about 8-9 years ago with the original parts and paint intact . That's when it got messed up .

Cleaned up this 45 year blade and finished with some decals

He's getting bigger. I told him to show me he could operate the tractor tonight, and when he was able to prove he could start and stop and shift without grinding I told him to go cut, so he did. Huh, videos aren't working.

Had the power warsher out adding salt neutralizers and rinsing the undercarriages on the 2 Hondas. Degunked HHHOOOWWWAAARRRDDD 's original Dynaflash 8 whilst I was at it. Then took a ride around the block breaking in the Fireball 8. She runs sa-weet!

Last thing on the Easter Bunny's phone camera...

Swapped manual lift for hydro. It took quite a bit of wrangling or at least more than I had expected. I flipped the bracket for the control valve to get it a little higher and bring the hoses up off the foot rest a bit. I also notched the flange of the footrest to give the long cylinder hose some relief from rubbing on it and causing problems down the road. Most of the wrangling was with the brake rod. Many times on and off to get the bends just right for it to route over the hoses. All in all not a bad project and hopefully worth the effort when I'm dragging a tiller.

I can think of no better way to improve sleep than meeting attendance...

HAPPY EASTER, Christ has risen!

Pretty much done with this project so I thought it was time to share some final pics with you. There is a couple small pieces that I am waiting for, but apparently Huck Finn's Log Raft Transport across the Mississippi river must not be running right now. One of the last items that I did install was the hour meter, I made a bracket and found a nice place to install it. On with the final shots. Thanks for coming along on this build. Now I have 8 months to figure out which one of my tractors to restore next.

I love rabbit! Happy Easter, all!

They need to have those meetings at a gentleman's club then...

Yah well Pullstart has the Easter Bunny on the smoker ...

He has top priority, the Wheel Horses will wait. May God be with your Dad and the family for the time remaining.

Tore down the original HHHOOOWWWAAARRRDDD!! engine. Not bad for close to 50 yrs. old. Still a little cross hatch and innards are clean. Been running Rotella 30W the 5 or so years I 've owned it. The heck with what Lake Speed says.

Finally finished up the engine replacement in HHHOOOWWWAAARRRDDD!!!

Feeling blessed as the entire flock, young and not so young, found its way home to celebrate the Resurrection.

Well I didn’t do it but my daughter and her husband did. My daughter sent me a text last night with an ad from the neighborhood I used to live in. This morning they went and got it. I guess I am the “new” owner of a 1988 520H. Couldn’t beat the price. Just need to make time to go get it.

Easter festivities at the Achto house - Feed the wife's relatives brunch. Double smoked ham, bacon, sausage, deviled eggs, a couple of different egg bakes, cheesy hash browns, pancakes, fruit trays, fruit pizza, relish trays, cheese & sausage trays, and deserts galore. Bout put me in a food coma. Follow this with an Easter egg hunt for the lil ones And finally the best part, Uncle Dan gets to take the short people for a tub ride with his 856 "Ol' pale face". Traditions !!!!.

We spent several hours today doing garden prep. Removed many rocks. Several were right around the limits of us and our machines. Made good progress. Before: Here's the Double Spike Ripper I set up. Transport mode. In use mode. This was the largest rock we moved today. Note the size in comparison to a rear tire. Trina's Military Tribute Tractor in use. Chickens helping. After. We'll be doing more Ripper Spike work later this week. Deeper set.

1990, 510-8 (Kohler Magnum 10) Next up will be wheel painting

Look to the Lord! It’s where I get mine. 🙌

Yes ... and sort through parts to get two out of three. The one with the HY I did get running and actually runs pretty good for a POS franken 702 Just so the boys know what we are talking about....

Yummy !!!

Happy Easter !!

I gotta come over one weekend & see if we can get some of those running so we can do a shake down before a resto.

I've got a few 702s ... One of these days you need to get all your restos out for a line up.

Tell us what model tractor you have so we know where the gas tank is located. Here’s some thoughts 1st may I strongly recommend you stop using starting fluid on these small engines. They are not designed for it and you can damage them. Gas in a squirt bottle or carb cleaner works just as good. Many time you have to go step by step to find the problem Have you cleaned the tank, including the fine screened strainer that is part of the fuel shut off valve? Also have you replaced the hose from tank to pump and pump to carb? Just a note tractor that have the tank under the seat can have trouble and it’s common to put a boat type squeeze bulb on the fuel hose, or switch to a electric pump. With good hose, remove it from the carb side of the pump and verify pump is working. Once you confirm the tractors fuel system is getting fuel to the carb move on to the carb. Some of us have not had the best success with cheap aftermarket chinesum carbs, especially on larger k series Kohlers. I’ve had carbs that I’ve cleaned 2 or 3 times to get some really hard deposits out of. I now use a ultrasonic tank and it really helps. Also the carb needles have tiny holes in them top and bottom that need to be open. Air leakage can also cause problems while cranking spray some carb cleaner on the carb to block gasket and on the throttle shaft. If the engine suddenly want to start you have an air leak that is changing the air gas flow through the carb. Have you checked your spark plug and tried a different plug Sometimes a plug will work in open air but not under compression. It might have a weak spark that is enough for the starting fluid, but not hot enough for gas. Have you cleaned the points by drawing a dollar bill or brown paper bag through then to remove oxidation. Moving down the list, have you checked the timing/ points opening setting. Other guys will join in with more thoughts, Good luck

Videos are working fine for me. Don't do it, little dude. It's a trick! You'll be cutting lawns forever after!

For me at least, my left hand isn't as strong as my right. I also don't wanna slip and roll off the back of my tractors. And on my 523-H, I'll give you $50 if you can pull this one all the way from the seat. It takes about 6.5 grunts to get this thing turned over!

I was always a garden/lawn tractor fan, used to collect Murray’s and now it seems I’m on the path to getting Wheel Horses. My first one I purchased from MikesHorseBarn, I bought one then 2 Saturdays ago and then Mike dropped off another one in my yard yesterday! The shiny overspray painted one had an engine that didn’t want to spark, I threw a Kohler Command on it just for the heck of it. The one Mike dropped off yesterday started after a couple tries and has really nice wheels and tires. The funny thing about this is it has been over 24 hours, the old lady has seen the “‘new” tractor but has yet to notice that it’s a different one, or she gives up keeping track. My son has claimed the Electro 12, it’s his now.

We had a wonderful Easter dinner with my daughter, son-in-law and 3 grand sons, Osiris 9, Odin 7 and Orion 4 (yeah, I know) Ham, scalloped potatoes, glazed carrots, fresh green beans,rolls and home made Lemon Blue Berry cake. Can't get much better.

Well I got the engine ready to go to the machine shop. Took it all apart, cleaned the block. Also took the donor K181 apart for the piston. The piston looks brand new with the only scratches being what I put on it removing the old rings. Also- the donor engine had an aluminum pan. Full size just like the cast version. I've never seen that before.

He's doing well. He has had ride-on/driving toys since he was 3, but he still needs to learn to cut the corners wider. Tomorrow he's gonna get trained on a Simplicity with a Hydro. My grandmother just isn't up to lawn care anymore, and my uncles are not going to be around like they have been the last few years, so he will be doing her mowing through the summer.

to the Did you pull the fuel line off at the carb and crank the engine to see if you have a good spurting supply to the carb?

Never left a work meeting with any kind of useful information.

Well done, Dan!

There is more and more research being done that clearly shows obesity and lack of sleep not only go hand in hand, but may be THE leading cause of horrible diseases like diabetes, cancer, and many cardiovascular syndromes.

I know but the one I have is what was on it, and I really like that pepper shaker style. Years ago when I bought it I remember it stood out to me that it was different. I straightened it up the best I could and added another baffle in the neck when I replaced it. I hope it works well.

Yes, that blade will attach to that tractor

Beautiful work as always!! And got it done quick too.

Being right handed, I find it easier to set the parking brake and pull from the front of the tractor. My only reasoning.

Well... Got another beam to replace I should have seen this one coming I knew it was cracked they had a couple boards on either side, but I decided it would be better just to replace it. And yes I need to do some concrete work behind that beam. Can't really tell haha, but I leveled out the beams along the front of the barn. I started working on the back side as well. Once I get that done I can do the middle, then run a string line the length of each beam to level out any low spots.

Got the 953, 753, & RJ out of winter storage. Oil changed & all other necessary services needed completed. Still gotta get rat rod out yet. Hoping to be able to take tractors this year to big show. Been a bad year so far so I haven't had much time for my hobbies/toys due to my dad's health. Simply put.....he doesn't have much time left.

How about a trailer ??

Aaa--nd We're back. Work has me on a screwed up schedule of 4 tens with rotating days off. Today was my scheduled day off & my body needed a break from dealing with the tree I had taken down, so I took today to get back to work on my tractor. Decals came in so I was able to move forward. The original shift pattern serial number decal was placed over these holes in the dash / gas tank stand. OK. The original decal stayed in place for 62 years, but usually decals do not last long if they are placed over holes. Water can get behind them and cause them to fall off. To ensure the new decal stays in place, I decided to make a bolt on plate to stick the decal to. A piece of sheet metal, a couple of bolts, a little welding and bam. One decal plate. Plate worked out great. With the arrival of the decals I was also able to install the throttle and choke cables. Had everything I needed to see if it would start. Turned the gas on, turned the switch on, pull the rope.. nothing, pull the rope again... nothing, repeat, repeat..... OK, figured out no spark. Disconnected the condenser, checked the points, .2 ohms to ground closed, they are good. Unplugged the kill wire, still no spark. Changed the condenser and I had spark. A couple more tugs on the rope and it fired up. Always a great feeling to hear a fresh rebuild fire up for the first time! A few more parts to throw at it and this job will be done,