Sausage for Thanksgiving & a Blue 953 Joins the Barn

[oliver2-44 9,743]

This past weekend Deer Season opened in Texas so I headed to the family farm near La Grange, Texas.  Our county has a restriction that a bucks horns must be at least 13"  wide (which they say can be judged by the horns being wider than the ears. Of course bucks always look straight at you with there ears laid flat so you can judge this.  Saturday morning i watched a number of does, squirrels, etc until about 9 am when this one came out of the creek bottom and hit the ground.  He's no trophy, but a good legal buck.  Then as they say the work started. Skinned, quartered and packed in ice to chill out Saturday, then Sunday I de-boned  52 lbs of venison.  We used to get together as a family the Friday after Thanksgiving and make our own sausage, but everyone has scattered out, and we've lost that tradition.  I now have my sausage made at a small market near High Hill, Texas (a spot in the road made famous by it's ornately painted Catholic Church (google Texas Painted churches)  I request a 60/40 venison/pork ratio and have link sausage and dried sausage made. 

 

. 

 

So after dropping my venison off Monday morning I headed back to the farm, but made a small detour through Hostyn Texas (another catholic church spot in the road) and stopped at a mower repair shop & graveyard. that I stop at about twice a year. He has mostly 5-10 year old big box salvage mowers for parts.  But he also has a few old ones including this blue WH thats been pictured on Red Square before. 

The owner is a bit of a strange guy and sometimes gives outrageous prices, and sometimes reasonable prices.   I found an air cleaner for a K341 i needed and inquired about the blue WH. It's been on E-bay and C-list a few times but never sold for his high price.  Surprisingly he said "you've stopped here to look at it several times lets make a deal"  After a little back and forth we settled on $ 150 for the air filter and the blue 953 WH.  In many ways its a rough one, but its got several items like the Hy-? Hydraulics, sleeve hitch, 2 spoke steering wheel etc that I feel make it a good parts tractor.or one to pair with another parts machine to make one good restored one  

 

This serial number 34637  is close to a couple of ones I've seen on RS.I didn't take a picture, but the mower deck looked surprisingly sound. and the spindles moved.  

 

 

 

 

Amazingly the engine was free so I filled the crankcase and cylinder with diesel to preserve it while stored in the barn at the farm. I also drained the transmission and amazingly only had a tiny bit of water and mostly lots of good old black oil.  I then filled the tranny with diesel for storage and put some small open bags of moth balls under the dash, engine and tranny to keep the mice out. 

Should I try to drain the Hy? hydraulics and fill it with diesel for storage?

Also, I need some help identifying this engine? @953 nut , and what;s with it mounded on some 1x6 wood slats across the tractor frame and is the down draft carburetor and air cleaner correct or is something missing.. 

I've got some other project, so for now this has a good dry spot in the barn.and we'll see if another parts tractor joins it some day!

 

 

[JoeM 7,873]

I use motor oil to winterize hydraulic systems and transmissions. I buy the cheap stuff in gallon jugs.

[Lane Ranger 10,968]

 

 

I knew that someone would undertake saving that Old Blue 953.  I recall seeing the pictures online !

 

oliver2-44 -This will take all that RJ/Suburban transmssion rebuild experience to the Next Level!

 

Edited November 7, 2017 by Lane Ranger

[953 nut 55,198]

5 hours ago, oliver2-44 said:

Hy-? Hydraulics, 953s used the HY3 lift.

5 hours ago, oliver2-44 said:

need some help identifying this engine? @953 nut , and what;s with it mounded on some 1x6 wood slats across the tractor frame and is the down draft carburetor and air cleaner correct or is something missing.

Definitely not the Kohler that it came with. Looks like an older B&S but I don't know.

5 hours ago, oliver2-44 said:

serial number 34637  is close to a couple of ones I've seen on RS.

That would be second generation 953; had the Ross steering but the later steering wheel and head lights.

[new2horses 287]

Jim,

 Its a Kohler, with an updraft carb setup like the 633's had. don't see that exhaust arrangement often however. I'm pretty fond of my 953. Just a big sweet machine!

David

PS If its good and you're not gonna use it, I am interested in that gas tank and mounting hardware?

Edited November 7, 2017 by new2horses

[953 nut 55,198]

1 hour ago, new2horses said:

 

 Its a Kohler,

Never saw a Kohler with head cooling fins running diagonally.

[hcminis 1,556]

I remember seeing that poor old horse on ebay a little while back

[WHX?? 48,815]

Nice buck Ollie and nice save on old blue...she's a survivor!

9 hours ago, oliver2-44 said:

Should I try to drain the Hy? hydraulics and fill it with diesel for storage?

Absolutely ... if water is in it might be ruined beyond resto. I would says disassemble it including the lift cylinder and get it all in a bucket of diesel, ATF or cheap motor oil for the future.  As rare as those are it's worth trying to save.

Signed

A guy currently trying to resto an Hy-3 that had water in it!

[A-Z Tractor 244]

This engine looks a lot like a kohler. Most kohlers will have the model stamped in the block behind the bearing plate on the flywheel side. If you removed the flywheel and the bearing plate there should be a stamping in the block K what ever model it is. I never saw a kohler with that style carb but there is a lot I didn't see yet LOL. If you ever do get to restoring this tractor I should be able to help you out with any parts that you might need.

[oldredrider 2,548]

It's a Kohler. My guess is the 6 3/4 hp. K141. Usually found on the 633 round hoods.

[oliver2-44 9,743]

3 hours ago, WHX12 said:

Signed

A guy currently trying to resto an Hy-3 that had water in it!

 

@WHX12. I can relate to water damage issues from a suburban transmission I am trying to salvage......Is the 953 hydraulic system s HY-2 or HY-3 system. Can anyone tell me the easiest way to drain and refil the Hydraulic unit with out removing it from the tractor. I have the parts diagram from the manual but am not familiar with the units

[oldredrider 2,548]

It's a Kohler. My guess is the 6 3/4 hp. K141. Usually found on the 633 round hoods.

[WHX?? 48,815]

The fill plug is located here so you can just remove that to check and see what's in it. The bad news is the only way too drain it is remove the nut to the far left and pop the reservoir cover off. the really bad news is water will settle to the bottom of the reservoir and the lift cylinder so popping off the cover won't get the water if any out of the lift cylinder. I wouldn't worry about the lines, @wheelhorseman makes them. Speaking of Lowell  he forgot more about them than I'll ever know so hopefully he will chime in as if it's  a 2 or 3. Ther was just some minor differences in the control plate but essentially the same unit. He also does have all the rebuild parts for them. Wipe off the rest of the that id tag, that may be a clue. See if the control spool moves at all...the knob to the right...  that will be another clue as to it's condition.

Just so you know that Hy unit is easily worth half or better what you paid for the tractor. Just between you and I and a fencepost Jim I woulda paid 150 for just the HY, that how much us plow boys value them. I'm gonna have the arms of Popeye I keep having to manual lift a plow!

Edited November 7, 2017 by WHX12
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