It’s alive!

[WHGuy413 2,686]

My First wheel horse was the one I grew up on. I have tons of awesome memories on this tractor mowing with my grandfather (him on his 416H which I own now) and me on my dad’s 12 Automatic. We mowed 5 acres twice a week. When I moved into my house (my grandparents house) my dad gave me his 12 auto. I remember my dad tearing it apart and repainting it and adding the 18HP Briggs and Stratton Vanguard V-twin to it in our basement. He had red paint everywhere lol. I used it a ton around here but unfortunately it sat for the last 5 plus years. Well I finally got it into the garage a few weeks ago. I dug into the carb. Had to get a new gasket. Cleaned the fuel pump and changed out the fuel lines and filter. Unfortunately Alex and I couldn’t get the starter to work so pull start it was. So happy to have it running again. Now to steal front tires back from @WheelHorse_Kid and get it out and stretching its legs. It should start first or second pull now that the fuel system is primed. I also ran it for a while after it died at the end of the video and it throttles up and down perfectly fine. 
 

this is the tractor that started my crazy addiction. So glad it’s back to running. 
 

 

Edited January 10 by WHGuy413

[kpinnc 12,062]

2 hours ago, WHGuy413 said:

remember my dad tearing it apart and repainting it and adding the 18HP Briggs and Stratton Vanguard V-twin to it in our basement.

 

Vanguards are great engines. At least the "small block" 12-23hp versions. I have a couple of those and they work very well.

 

Glad to see you got her going again!

 

 

[Lee1977 6,661]

I put a 16 Vanguard in my C-120 back in 1989 it has a 18 now. 

Bought the C-120 new.  I have parts of the 16 Vanguard running in a 312-8.

Good to see yours back running.

 

Edited January 10 by Lee1977

[Pullstart 62,889]

Awesome!  It always feels good to hop on your first!  Enjoy that first ride in years when you get the tires and wheels back on!

[ebinmaine 67,508]

Super cool Matt!!

 

 

[WHGuy413 2,686]

3 hours ago, Pullstart said:

Awesome!  It always feels good to hop on your first!  Enjoy that first ride in years when you get the tires and wheels back on!

I’ve gotta steal them back from Alex! He’s loaded I gotta make him buy his own 😂.

[WHGuy413 2,686]

10 hours ago, kpinnc said:

 

Vanguards are great engines. At least the "small block" 12-23hp versions. I have a couple of those and they work very well.

 

Glad to see you got her going again!

 

 

I have a pair of them. My dad did the engine swap in the mid 90’s when my parents built their house.Unknown to any of us my grandfather liked it so much he swapped out a tired 14hp in his Bronco 14 with the same 18hp Vanguard. When I first moved into my house my 12 auto had been sitting in my dad’s garage for probably 12 years and needed work. I had never spent any time

or had any interest in small engines so the going was slow. I tried to enlist the help of my grandfather who was the best small Engine mechanic I’ve ever met but unfortunately that was right around the time we realized his memory was really starting to slip. He felt bad that he couldn’t figure it out and called me one day and said “come to my house bring your trailer”. So I backed in the driveway not knowing what was going on. He walks out to the shed and I hear an engine start and knew right away it was a 18hp vanguard. I spent so many hours on my dads as a kid that sound was burned into my brain. He came driving out on the Bronco 14 with a big smile on his face and drove it up On the trailer and said “it’s yours now”. We didn’t even know he owned it. He had a 1848 and never even knew the Bronco existed. Sorry long story. 

[kpinnc 12,062]

4 hours ago, WHGuy413 said:

Sorry long story.

 

We like long stories. One of the best parts of these little tractors is the history that comes with them! 

[ebinmaine 67,508]

6 hours ago, WHGuy413 said:

Sorry long story. 

 

1 hour ago, kpinnc said:

 

We like long stories. One of the best parts of these little tractors is the history that comes with them! 

 

Absolutely agreed! You tell all the long stories you want.

[WHGuy413 2,686]

6 hours ago, kpinnc said:

 

We like long stories. One of the best parts of these little tractors is the history that comes with them! 

I tell you what I definitely have come to like, is every piece of equipment big or small has a history and tells a story. So cool.

[Retired Wrencher 5,458]

Any tractor that has been in a family that long deserves to be used and cared for. Nice history on that one Matt.

[ebinmaine 67,508]

17 minutes ago, Retired Wrencher said:

Any tractor that has been in a family that long deserves to be used and cared for. Nice history on that one Matt.

[WHGuy413 2,686]

Had it out to do a trailer of fire wood yesterday. First time it’s really been out and ran for any length of time. The carb definitely needs to be dialed in a little better and it definitely needs an oil change. Other than that it handled a small load of wood with no issues.

[ebinmaine 67,508]

1 hour ago, WHGuy413 said:

Had it out to do a trailer of fire wood yesterday. First time it’s really been out and ran for any length of time. The carb definitely needs to be dialed in a little better and it definitely needs an oil change. Other than that it handled a small load of wood with no issues.

 

I'm not at all big on "snake oils" or "engine in a can" but there's a very good cleaner made by Seafoam.  

 

 

Can you get NON Ethanol gas?

[WHGuy413 2,686]

5 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

 

I'm not at all big on "snake oils" or "engine in a can" but there's a very good cleaner made by Seafoam.  

 

 

Can you get NON Ethanol gas?

If I travel to New Hampshire I can. Not far over the boarder. Just need to find the time. I will have to try the seafoam stuff if I can’t get it. Also thought about taking it off and putting it in the ultrasonic cleaner at work. One of the guys does parts all the time and he seems to think it works.

[oliver2-44 9,755]

@WHGuy413 I’ve cleaned carbs in buckets of soak style cleaner then put them in my ultrasonic cleaner and have been amazed at how dirty the fluid in the ultrasonic cleaner got. Forget the Seafoam and go for it. 

[ebinmaine 67,508]

5 hours ago, oliver2-44 said:

ULTRASONIC CLEANER 

 

. Forget the Seafoam and go for it. 

Absolutely agreed. 

 

If you have access to an ultrasonic cleaner.. that's the best way I've found to de-grunge a carb. 

 

But remember... that's only a part of the issue.  

Replace ALL the fuel lines and clean out the tank and pump.  

Otherwise you're reintroducing those same particles right back in.