Raider 8 winter project

[dclarke 4,046]

At the tractor show in Jacksonville, Illinois this past September I learned of a young lady (Shirley) that was looking for someone to work on her Wheel Horse tractor for her. She lives in a neighboring town not too far from me so I contacted her after the show and went to talk to her to see if I could help her out. She still uses this Raider to mow her yard and it appears to be in very good original condition but being 45 years old it has several things that need attention. She has agreed to let me bring it home and make a winter project out of it so I'm going to give it a good going over and see if I can get this thing fixed up so she can depend on it. She complained of the clutch pedal jerking when she let out on it and I noticed the drive pulley on the tranny input shaft is loose and she said it won't start right now, she thinks it has a wiring problem. I haven't heard it run yet but she told me that it runs fine (she mowed with it 2 weeks ago) and that I shouldn't need to do much engine work, she did say that it doesn't smoke but will use a little oil but she isn't worried about that. I went and picked it up today and plan on getting started on it shortly.. This should be fun!

[dclarke 4,046]

This is Shirley on her pride and joy, she told me that her Mom bought this tractor new in '72 and it has been used continuously since then. 

[rjg854 11,574]

Nice looking machine, and thanks for helping this lady out. 

[ebinmaine 68,874]

22 minutes ago, rjg854 said:

Nice looking machine, and thanks for helping this lady out. 

[AMC RULES 37,141]

  Surely...

couldn't be in better hands. 

 

Edited December 4, 2017 by AMC RULES

[Ed Kennell 39,179]

Sweeeett.......The Raider and Ms. Shirley.   

[cschannuth 3,817]

Knowing you, this machine will be better than new by spring.  This is a very nice deed you're doing.

[RandyLittrell 3,885]

Thats a great thing you are doing!! 

 

You won't buy a new one and still be using it in 45 years!! 

 

 

 

 

 

Randy

[dclarke 4,046]

Thanks for the comments, guys.... I got started on it this evening, so far I haven't really found a lot that it needs. First thing I did was jump the starter and fired it up so I could listen to it run, it purrs like a kitten and what little I ran it in the shop I didn't see any smoke. I also engaged the mower deck and it sounds pretty good too. Shirley told me that new bearings were installed in the deck a few years ago. I did find the dash stand cracked right where they always do so I'll weld that, the wiring is brittle and the wires to the safety switch on the clutch pedal were unhooked so I'll rewire everything when it goes back together. It's gonna need axle seals so I'll open the tranny and have a look inside when I get to that point.... 

[953 nut 56,165]

Looks like it is a well maintained tractor. Will be interesting to follow along. By the way, this is a calendar shot!

[dclarke 4,046]

9 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

Looks like it is a well maintained tractor. Will be interesting to follow along. By the way, this is a calendar shot!

It has been well maintained, Richard. When I first went to talk to her about this tractor she had it out in the driveway when I got there and the whole time I was looking it over she was wiping it down with a rag that she keeps under the seat. She's really attached to this tractor because it belonged to her Mother. 


 

Does anyone know what this little pulley is for? It's located up by the attach a matic.  

Edited December 4, 2017 by dclarke

[953 nut 56,165]

12 minutes ago, dclarke said:

anyone know what this little pulley is for? It's located up by the attach a matic. 

That is for the older decks that didn't use a Mule Drive, the bracket on the mower with a flat pulley would ride on there as the mower was raised and lowered tensoning the belt.

[dclarke 4,046]

7 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

That is for the older decks that didn't use a Mule Drive, the bracket on the mower with a flat pulley would ride on there as the mower was raised and lowered tensoning the belt.

Thanks, Richard. 

[dclarke 4,046]

I had some help this morning so we got most of the tractor taken apart, I had pretty good luck taking the hubs, hitch and pulley off of the tranny. All of them came off without much trouble at all. The tranny input pulley is bad but the shaft is good and I have another pulley, next I want to open the tranny and check it out then start making a list of parts I'll need and get those ordered. So far I'm surprised at how good of shape this tractor is in. 

 

[JPWH 6,147]

Nice job. Tractor will be like new when you finish.

[oldredrider 2,553]

Denny, I guess I'm gonna have to be specific about "going over" a tractor. It looks like you're idea is more like a frame off resto.

[dclarke 4,046]

14 minutes ago, oldredrider said:

Denny, I guess I'm gonna have to be specific about "going over" a tractor. It looks like you're idea is more like a frame off resto.

Paul,   I wanted to take a look at everything to make sure I don't miss something. I'm really not restoring this one, just fixing what's wrong and replacing what needs replaced and clean it up a little. The lady that owns it wants the wheels painted and I may buff the paint on the tins a little but other than that it gets put back together like it is.... 

[cschannuth 3,817]

 Denny, I have several I would love to drop off for you to “go over”. I can bring them over one at a time whenever you like. LOL  The two I bought from you are just fine the way they are. The rest of mine could use your magic touch. 

Edited December 4, 2017 by cschannuth

[dells68 7,498]

Now this is awesome!  I love the shot of the lady on her machine.  Gotta admire her spunk.  You'll never regret this deed.  Kindness, pass it on! 

[Lee1977 6,868]

The clutch peddle jerking is caused by the loose motion of the worn holes for the clutch shaft. I fixed mine on my C-120 by boring out the holes to 5/8" and adding oilite bushings.

Check out my post below on "Bushings on the PTO and clutch shafts".

[dclarke 4,046]

2 hours ago, Lee1977 said:

The clutch peddle jerking is caused by the loose motion of the worn holes for the clutch shaft. I fixed mine on my C-120 by boring out the holes to 5/8" and adding oilite bushings.

Check out my post below on "Bushings on the PTO and clutch shafts".

I'll check that out, Lee. Thanks for the tip. 

[dclarke 4,046]

Does anyone have a source for these little rubber grommets that go on tie rods? 

[Shynon 7,470]

Glen in the vendor section has those

 

[dclarke 4,046]

40 minutes ago, Shynon said:

Glen in the vendor section has those

 

Thanks, Tom.... I should of known that. 

[Sarge 3,464]

That is truly an act of kindness , kudos to you and it's nice to see older owners that still love these machines . Geeze , at 45yrs old and starting to finally wear out , what a disappointment , lol...

 

The tractor has been updated at one time or another to the newer style deck - that's a good thing and it's easier for her to deal with it in the long run . I'm sure with a few new parts here and there it should easily last another 20+ years . Might want to see what she's been using for fuel - if it's running that well I'd highly suspect it's non-ethanol - inside the carb would tell the tale quickly . I'm sure she would appreciate knowing the difference in fuel quality and what it does to the engine - her generation doesn't accept junk quality as it's not what they grew up with - such as the case with the old Horse .

 

At her age (NO offense intended ) you might want to consider putting either bronze flange bearings or sleeves in the front axle - it would help her steer it a lot easier and if the spindles are worn any it will help stop that . That front deck drive is stout enough it can be used as a lifting point for whoever does the maintenance on it later to properly grease those spindles - you could even write some simple instructions as an addendum to the original manual - that would go a long way .Just the fact that this machine is being passed down through the family is a reason to keep it running - it is in amazing condition despite continued use for 45yrs , they should be proud .

 

I've done basically the same favor for older folks all my life in my area including quite a few brands . Not restore , just keep them running properly without hurting the owner financially . Their only cost at most was parts - all labor is free for seniors here - it's my way of thanking them for teaching me how to act as an adult to others . Many of those machines come back here for maintenance work - they won't let anyone else touch their equipment and I've been entrusted with their care - to me that's an honor .

 

I salute you , sir - if you need any parts/help just holler ....

 

Sarge