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So my father called all excited today about a 702 tractor he sold to a guy down in Long Island NY. Apparently, the guy he sold it to then sold it to a purchaser for Ralph Lauren. Now that 702 is in the window display at their flagship store on Madison Ave in NYC. Here's a pic of it

Hello, It’s been a while since I posted… Getting started on the restoration of my 1976 Wheelhorse C160, which is about 30% underway… Decided to finish off the year with some new seat cushions for the old style metal seat-pan/back, and member Matt Castagno made me a beautiful replacement. They are so much better than the original cushions, but look absolutely original installed. Such a pleasure to deal with Matt, and arrived in less than a week to California. Spoke to Matt about sharing his email…here it is…Matt’s contact info is: grnlark@gmail.com Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and holidays. I’ll be posting more in the new year of the restoration. Best, Jason

.. NATIONAL FLASHLIGHT DAY!!! @953 nut how could you have missed this one . Yeah yeah, maybe it’s because I have 200 or so old flashlights here, many are over 100 years old. “National Flashlight Day is celebrated on December 21, coinciding with the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. This day highlights the importance of flashlights, a simple yet essential tool in our lives. Originating from the invention of the dry cell battery and the mini incandescent light bulb, flashlights have illuminated our paths in darkness and served various practical purposes. National Flashlight Day not only celebrates the utility of the flashlight but also aligns with the winter solstice, emphasizing the significance of light during the darkest times.”

The only tractor that was designed and built in Texas is this Jacques Mighty Mite model MM and the subsequent model 10. They were built between 1946-49 in Denison Tx. I believe @oldiron has a model Jaques model 10. I've had one of these on my someday list for quite a while. A special thanks to @Chrishar for finding and helping me haul it to the farm for short term storage. Since it was built in Texas, it's kind of on the level of a Pond RS83 to me. I think it is roughly the size of a Pond, and some what similar in design. They don't have the following that a Pond has, so thankfully they are not in that price range. I've read somewhere between 35500 to 5000 were built under a couple of different names/owners The angled bracket on the rear hitch was a plow mounting bracket. The front wheels are a 2 piece split rim, the same as on a David Bradley 2 wheel tractor or an early Sears/David Bradley The front axle has Jaques Mighty Mite cast into it. The original engine would have been a Briggs 23 or some later ones had twin cylinder Wisconsin's. Someone did a nice job of retrofitting an electric start Kohler K301 into it some wherein the past. The clutch linkage is stuck, but looks complete. I need to learn if this is the original "Twin-Disc" clutch o that was done when the Kohler was installed. It has the original foot and hand clutch, but the hand clutch handle has been modified I need to figure out was transmission this is. it is a 3 speed with reverse and a top access gearbox. The rear axle is a shortened Ford Model T "Banjo" axle. The rear axle has drop boxes on it made by Jaques, then looks like it uses the Ford Brakes and Hubs. Lots to do to get it working.

There was a fair amount of wear on the ends of the C81 Clutch Shaft where it goes thru the frame. Metal on metal, no bearings & not easily lubricated. I installed the bronze bushings on the 502 frame a while back, using the milling machine. The C Series has two sets of welded 3/4" diameter rods to hold the foot rests, the rear ones were in the way - could not do this in the milling machine. There were 3 choices - cut the rear rods off & reweld them later, do the work by hand, or - break out the 1950's ShopSmith 10E and use it. I went with option #3 - while the assembly & setup are extensive, it gives the best results. Pictures are for the RH bearing: the setup needs to come apart and be reassembled opposite hand to do the left.

We were aboard the U.S.S. Missouri a little while back, just after our visit to the U.S.S. Arizona memorial. Aircraft carrier U.S.S. Nimitz came into port. I muted the majority of the audio, and chose to enjoy some waves. Some of the mindless chatter behind me seemed to take away from the moment. I thank each and every service member, from the bottom of my heart.

Had a great Time with my RJ pushing 4” of wet snow. Pushed with ease even without weights or chains, but ground isn’t frozen solid yet. Tried to represent those old ads of those Pipe Smokers.

Sorry for the long post, but this story needs to be told. My oldest Grandson Reed has a fellowship granted for his Astro Physics PHD at Lehigh University. He has been there for 2 years and has 2-3 years left. Last year he got tired of paying the college town land lords rent and bought one of the row houses to house himself and a couple room mates. His Dad Mike operates a HVAC/ Plumbing business so he installed a new gas furnace and a new Mini Split air/heat pump System. The existing gas hot water heater was only 2 years old and tested good so it was not replaced. Mike also installed smoke and carbon monoxide detectors as required for a rental property. About two weeks ago a CO detector tripped. Reed reset it and all was OK, but Mike sent him a second CO detector as a back up. Friday when Reed came home the CO detectors were sounding and when reset they kept tripping. He called his dad and Mike told him to disconnect the main breaker, open the doors, go out and wait in his car till he got there. Mike called the local fire company and left for the 2 hour trip to Bethlehem. He suspected the gas hot water heater that he did not replace could be the problem. When Mike got there, the fire company had allready checked Reeds house and appliances and could not find the source of the CO. They went to the attached row house and found the house was filled with CO from a faulty furnace and the family of five were all sick with flu like symptoms. Thankfully the loose stone basement foundation wall allowed the CO to leak into Reeds basement and trip the alarms and thankfully Reed did not come home for the weekend and was there to hear the alarms or the outcome would have been much different. Per the fire company, the family would not have survived the night. Sometimes we get lucky. Don't rely on luck...install smoke and CO detectors for everyone you care about.

just back from my surgeon , rated newest x rays , perfect in all respects , see you in 5 years , unless there is a related injury or pain . told him I was regularly daily walking a ball field track lay out , forward / backwards / alternating stretching , thru out , track time . showed me a perfect reference x ray , overlap . spot on . keep doing what you are doing . will keep that going . pete

Maybe not. Looked out in the back yard last night to see a black bear working on the bird feeders. Opened the door and asked him to leave ... he wandered off but was back 10 minutes later.. Today I went out to find the feeders and see where he had been. We are having some work done and the contractor has a dumpster and a porta-potty. set up. Bear tracks went right up to the door of the porta-potty

Made sure my plow rig was ready for tomorrow’s possible snow event. Won’t be a deep snow but still needs to be cleared off the driveway. One headlight…but like most of ya’ll I have spare old/used ones kicking around. My 510-8, half the horsepower but twice the dependability!!!

Guess he needed reliable transportation up there!

The first notes are on papyrus ... that's an indication of how long @ebinmaine's been "working " on it... Trail cam of Eric ordering the first parts list...

I ordered some stuff from Wheel Horse Parts and More and thought the shipment was short. Sent a text and received almost immediate response. As it turned out the problem was on my end. Joette helped with the issue. Thanks, JoeM In today's world we pretty much hear the bad and hardly any of the good stuff. Just wanted to share.

Winter! New tensioner cog and drive shaft bearing on the blower. Waxed up the shoot and the blades. Decided to fill the rear tires with RV antifreeze and distilled water. 5:2 gallons respectively (7 gallons is capacity). Much easier than anticipated. Takes a bit of time to get it all in there but these wheels really bite now.

I had my doubts this 16(14) Automatic "Johnny Cash" would ever be anything other than a parts donor, but here we are!

Merry Christmas from the PeacemakerJack family. This is Coulter Caleb’s new house and his fiancée Faith (sitting on her 314H) along with the rest of our family. We started taking these Christmas tractor pictures 11 years ago…a lot has changed since that first picture. I’m so thankful for the many memories made through the years. As Tiny Tim observed, “God bless us…every one!”

I wonder if she ever said “Is that a flashlight in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?” 🤣🤣🤣

For the little town of Knox local we have already exceeded half the normal snowfall for the season. Several springs ago I picked up this tall chute from a member in PA. The only use it's had was just when I wanted to play with it. That is until this year. A recent snowfall of 10+" of very heavy wet stuff won the battle with the Reborn B-80 blade tractor. I fired up the 05 with the blower and it did the trick. But I was on and off the seat multiple times to adjust the chute deflector. I just eliminated that problem this morning. I didn't want anything 'permanent' on the tractor. The 6" stroke proved to be perfect mounted like this. I did a little video but I can't get it to transfer to YouTube.

I got several things I need to get finished, but my Bronco has been marking it's territory in my garage. One axle seal was leaking quite a bit, and I had not seen it because of how it was previously parked. Guess I should get it out more, right? As is usually the case, a leaky axle seal left alone long enough made the hub removal super easy. Didn't even need my puller for it (lucky since I couldn't find the darn thing). Anyway the hub came right off with some wiggles. Made a couple small dings in the metal face of the new seals because it was crazy tight but it shouldn't affect it. The axle and bearing seems fine. A couple hours after and no leaks yet. I'll try to get it out over the holidays and see for sure, but so far so good.

I was running through some old pic's. Typically I don't take many pics before, mostly during. Both of these machines were 6 month projects working off and on. The surprise was both engines were in real good shape. Anyone else got some before and after pics.

These two tractors were clearly 'parts only' machines. A 657 and a 500 Indy Special. After some mingling and hanky panky they emerged as this.

A few more of the build

Had to rearrange my garage area today. So much stuff in there that I couldn't work on anything. My daughter took the Ranger out for it's last ride until spring. Then I put it and the 867 in my storage building and tucked them in. Then I moved the 701 onto my lift so I can finish it up over the winter. My knees won't let me work on another one on the floor. The Bronco, 523-H, and V-14 moved back into the garage since they will still work through winter. Now at least I have room to tinker again. Time to make a new mess now I guess!

The other day I picked up a No name 14 from a friend of mine who has been in this hobby a long time. I have been eyeing this machine for the last couple years. I did NOT need another machine by any means but gladly added this one to my collection! Pic right after I got it and once I got it home cleaned up with a new seat!

I’m converting my 314-8 to electric

Yesterday we got some snow. Saturday I put the blade on the c-145 since my C-120 that is supposed to have a plow on it is in pieces. Yesterday morning put a new scraper blade from a public works snowplow on. That should last awhile! Then it was time to shine. Love plowing fluffy snow! And today did a bit more cleanup. IMG_1281.mov

I picked up another WH very close to home. 2 miles away. The fellow moved into a new housing plan with very little yard and no need for it. Very good price as it is off season here.He said it was used to mow a half acre field next to his old house about 6 times a year. I think I have to believe him. No rust just dirty which I will address. It will need a new seat and a hood as he said the hood met with a tree limb. Deck shows no rot or rust at all. Oils are clean. He said he serviced it regular. To dang cold to do much yet. Will probably start with the deck first for a good power wash when weather permits. It will be a camp tractor. It does have the 15 amp charging system. It probably will become a Burgundy stripe machine. 1990 vintage.

Did this in a month including replacing the hydro.

Received this much appreciated Tee Shirt today. It also relates to Tractors... enjoy! Percussive Maintenance - Stuck Carb Needle High Impedance Air Gap - Rectifier Connector fell off Cycle Power to the Panel - Battery Charger not working Thermally Reconfigured - The dreaded 9-Pin Connector Kinetic Disassembly - Balance Gear Failures

It’s back in action. Little better than I found it. Enjoy the YouTube video YouTube Video

Hey guys, Well, greetings from way out here on the West Coast in California. Not too many members out here. I don’t think, seems like there weren’t a ton of our tractors here although mine is an original one owner Tractor before me who purchased it in Escondido California. (I’ve owned it for a decade). I have all of the records of everything, including the original bill of sale. It’s wonderful. Anyhow, today was day-one of disassembly, and as this has been a working Tractor for several years now, everything came apart beautifully. No frozen nuts. It has basically been effortless. So, all of my experience is with the restoration I did on CASE 444 tractor, But the nice thing is the similarities between the two for many things. I plan on upgrading the steering arms using Heim joints instead of the ball and socket joints… It was a huge improvement on my CASE. I’m sure I’ll have some questions going down the road, but the beautiful thing is I am finding almost zero corrosion, except the panel area inside… is that aluminum or magnesium? It’s got some powdery corrosion on it. Best to you all, Jason

We got a few inches of snow over the last few days. Not enough for the snow blower on the GC 2410. But if I didn’t clean it up, it would be a mess. So I drug out the 314-8 and took the mower deck off. Put the front and rear wheel weights on and the chains. Gassed it up. Got my 42” plow put on. Couldn’t find the short lift link to go to the deck lift arm, so I made one out of a piece of garage door opener lift arm and a couple clevis pins. Done. I haven’t really ever plowed snow with the 314-8. Have a blower for it and always used that, until I got the blower for the GC. It worked great, and didn’t dig up the gravel driveway much. Good seat time today.

Mine got a work out this morning and they performed great. I got nearly 4 hours of seat time clearing 4 inches of wet snow from 7 driveways and mail boxes.

She plows! Still need to work on the lift stuff. Try to get another inch of lift, check which lift holes were used etc. Cruised down to the old shed to see if I have any “trapped” mice (aka, DEAD!)

Ready for more than ever will come.

spectacular projects ----- great photos -- awesome work -- don't mean to hyjack your before and after tractor thread but thought i would add some before and after of WH mower rehabs -- here is a 37 sd rescue rehab before and after of deck i found

The world celebrates Good Grief Day on November 26 every year to honor the life and the legacy of one of America’s most revered, legendary cartoonists Charles M. Schulz. Schulz is best known as the author of the “Peanuts” comic strip, and his stories and characters have brought boundless delight to the globe. The fact that his characters — Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the rest of the gang — have withstood the test of time demonstrates how influential these legendary characters have had on global pop culture. Named after the iconic Charlie Brown catchphrase, Good Grief Day celebrates the life and work of the immovable Charles M. Schulz. Schulz was born on November 26, 1922, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His interest in the arts was evident during his upbringing, as he would spend his days taking in the works of Pablo Picasso, Edward Hopper, and Andrew Wyeth, while also developing a penchant for cartoons. As a child, he would draw dozens upon dozens of cartoons, inspired by either the cartoons he admired or the world around him. Growing up, he aspired to be a cartoonist, and at the age of 15, he sent one of his drawings to the “Ripley’s Believe it or Not!” weekly column, which became his first published cartoon — he knew from then on that this was his life. After returning from military service in Europe in 1945, he would further develop his career as a cartoonist, scoring his weekly series in 1947. That cartoon was “Li’l Folks,” which would be the predecessor of his magnum opus. “Li’l Folks” would later draw the attention of mega publishers United Features Syndicate in 1950, who asked him to develop a new weekly comic strip. Thus, on October 2, 1950, “Peanuts” was born. The iconic series would later become the longest-running comic strip in history — running until Schulz’s death in 2000.

Celebrated on December 25th each year, Christmas Day is a holiday that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, who is the central figure of Christianity. It is a time for Christians around the world to come together and celebrate Jesus and the message of love, peace, and redemption that he brings. If you were a devoted viewer of MASH you will remember this one. If not, it is heartwarming and heart-wrenching at the same time and well worth watching. It may put a lump in your through or a tear in your eye, I find it very moving. Merry Christmas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEpkPF_X5UQ

It’s a warm day here in MA so I brought out the 1993 314-8 and the deck for a last cleaning of the season.

The wisdom shared on this site is astounding...

Only got a dusting in Tennessee

. First run after complete K181 engine overhaul. Always a fingers crossed time hoping no loud banging noises. Don't know what happened to the sound Try again

I could use a new body, the one I am presently using is having some difficulty doing things it could twenty years ago.

What? And my 854 as well! Dammit!

It is amazing how fast the past 18 years have gone. Thank you all for your support and patience over the years. It has been quite the journey. Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas to you all.