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Voting For Feature Tractor for November 2017

2K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  DougT 
#1 ·
November Feature Tractor
Who should be the feature tractor for November 2017
1973 Cub Cadet 149 by Mark 149 J1425.45%
1984 Cub Cadet 784 by olds4551235.45%
1968 Wheel horse Commando 8 by mtoney610.91%
"Lucy" by John Arsenault610.91%
Bolens Iseki G152 by BTS916.36%
1968 Wards Garden Mark Squire 12 by Z71 Sierra1730.91%
 
#2 · (Edited by Moderator)
Voting for GTtalk Featured Tractor of the Month for the month of November has now officially started and will end the last day of September. This month's theme is open.

The winner will be featured on the GTtalk Home Page for the entire month of November 2017 and in our Featured Tractor Section for infinity.

We have 6 nominations this month. Before voting please be sure to check out all the entries in the posts below. Good Luck to all contestants. Let the Voting Begin!
 
#3 ·
I'm going to nominate my 1973 Cub Cadet 149 with a Danco front end loader for the month of November. As far as I can figure the fel was purchased with the tractor in 1973. This was my second GT that I've purchased. I purchased this tractor in Jan. of 2016 in Monroe Washington. I drove 460 miles round trip over the Cascade mountains during the dead of winter to bring it home. My son and I were very thrilled when we got it loaded into the back of my truck because so many people were calling, while we were looking at it, wanting to buy it. I knew the tractor needed work but I didn't really know what until I got it home and started to fix it up. After I started to tear into it I decided I needed to strip it down to the frame and properly fix and repair the many years of neglect.

Here is a list of things that I did to get it back up and running:

1. Replaced the engine (still have the original)

2. Replaced the tie rods with hyme joints

3. Replaced muffler

4. Replaced safety neutral switch and hydro linkage ends

5. Service transaxle

6. Service steering box

7. Replaced ignition switch and headlight switch

8. Replaced front and rear tires

9. Rebuild fel lift cylinder and replace all hydraulic lines

10. Sand blast all sheet metal and fel

11. Welded crack in the tractor frame and fel lift arms

12. Weld cracks in headlight bezel

13. Modify the drive shaft with u-joints

14. Replaced grill

15. Repaint everything!

16. Replace seat!

I took it to a tractor show this summer along with my sons Cub 123 plus my 1811. It was the only GT that had a fel. As a result it got a lot of attention! Several people couldn't believe a tractor this small could even have a fel yet alone survive the 44 years of use. I simply smiled at them, informed them about GT's, and thanked them for looking. I use this tractor on my 2.23 acres and have added dual tires on the rear for fun and help stabilize it when lifting loads.

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Wheel Tire Plant Vehicle Motor vehicle
 

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#4 · (Edited by Moderator)
I would like to nominate my 1984 Cub Cadet 784. The difference between the 784 and the more common 782 is the addition of dual hydraulics that add ports to the front of the tractor for a power angle plow. I bought this tractor a few months back for half the value of the dual hydraulic setup with the intention of making it a parts tractor, it looked to be in such poor condition that I figured there was no way it would run and boy was I wrong. At one point someone had painted it purple which has led to the nickname "The Viking" and as you can see in the pics it appears to be in very rough shape but I would soon find out it's a diamond in the rough.

I started with removing the engine and the tins from the engine and gave it a good bath in degreaser, once the engine and frame were cleaned up I bolted the engine in place and started with removing the heads. To my surprise the old series one still had both connecting rods intact and the bores looked really nice, I removed the valves and cleaned them and installed new valve seals. I also resurfaced the heads and installed new head gaskets. Once the heads were on it was time to attempt to start it and once again I was surprised that it fired right up and runs fantastic with no smoke or noise. I also made repairs to the trunion on the hydro pump and change all fluids and filter. In the last pic you can see it's current state, the parts were robbed from some parts tractors I have. Everything on the tractor works as it should and it shows less than 1,000 hrs on the working meter. I plan to plow with it this winter and it will get a proper restoration in the spring to bring it back to it former glory.
 

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#5 · (Edited by Moderator)
I will put up my 1968 Wheel horse Commando 8 that was transformed into the diesel powered Autism Horse. Started with a nice solid tractor and mower deck, mowed with her as is for the first year I owned her. I wanted to custom decal the tractor for Autism Awareness as I myself am on the autism spectrum. Local sources were very expensive and I was just pricing a decal for the hood. The owner of Redo Your Horse donated the custom decals, including fender stripes to the project(Thanks!!!) I have always prefered diesel power over gas, but all the factory diesel GT's are big, way to big for our small yard. So I started searching for a genuine Yanmar air cooled instead of rolling the dice on a clone of unknown quality. I picked up a surplus Yanmar L70AE from a military genset off ebay, came with intake heater, electric start(24vt) and recoil starter. I also purchased a 12vt starter, 12vt stator charging kit for under the flywheel and a tapered shaft to 1" keyed shaft adapter. I mounted the diesel in the tractor, relocated the battery to under the seat and added a fuel return line bung to the factory fuel tank. I reused the factory cast iron 3 groove pulley from the original Kohler gas engine. She runs flawlessly and uses a fraction of the fuel the gas engine did(and it was pretty good on gas as it was). The engine came with an intake heater, like found on Cummins powered Dodge pickups, I have it set up with a push button on the dash and I reused the original generator light as a preheater indicator. The final touch added thus far was one of Glen Petit's cast resin horse head hood ornaments that I painted to look like chome. The tractor is an everyday worker, mowing grass and pushing snow in the winter time. Along with being my "butt buggy" at shows and pulling my friend on his sulkey. Many times at shows, folks look at the tractor cock eyed as when the diesel idles, it sounds much like a Kohler with a bad rod knock. Its only when I either do a quick throttle up and roll coal or stop and open the hood do they realize the tractor has a diesel engine.

Tractor specs'

1968 Wheel horse Commando 8

Original engine: Kohler K181 8hp gas air cooled

Custom engine: Yanmar L70AE 6.6hp diesel air cooled

Transmission: Wheel horse Unidrive 8 speed

Mower deck: 36" rear discharge, twin blade, timed.

Snow/Dirt plow: 42" with blade angle control from operator's seat

Rear slot style lift hitch for ground engaging implements

All tires are original to the tractor and are Wheel horse branded

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Motor vehicle Toy Wood Art Automotive exterior


Thanks. Mike the Aspie
 

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#6 ·
I'll nominate "lucy" again

She is as bad as bad comes. Originally a 12 hp tractor and recently upgraded to a 14 hp. This is our go to tractor and we use it daily. I have been slightly flamed for doing a repower to this tractor for taking away its "original" status but let me tell you as a daily user it was the best thing I could have done. A few modifications I did along with the new engine I feel enhances this tractor.

This tractor being a hydro I knew right off the bat I could get away with a slightly larger drive pulley speed adjust is so easy on these its all about the lever. With that said and knowing it takes barley any power to move this thing via a hydraulic pump I also decided to put on a larger attachment pulley, zip bam wow !! its a whole new tractor. First time I went to mow with it I could feel the difference, I was able to keep my engine RPM's lower with out losing deck speed. I can tell how fast the deck is moving just by the way the grass shoots out the discharge but I am only about mid throttle engine purring and the deck is moving as good as ever, I can hear the blower sound coming from the deck as she is spinning nice. Now its time to see if the taller gearing is going to bog me down...Nope engine just purrs right through so smooth you don't even know your mowing grass until you look at the discharge and path behind you. Engine starts so well you don't even need to push in the clutch, just make sure your lever is in neutral or you will be taking off when you start it. I so push in the clutch for starting as a safety thing but it will start with out.

Next will be testing out the snow blower on this. I am prepared to change the attachment pulley to the stock size if needed but I feel the extra power of the engine and RPMs of the larger pulley will be an asset to this tractor and it being a hydro drive it barely loses any power while pushing or pulling so I am betting that I will be enjoying the extra 12% or so increased attachment speed I now have with out a loss of torque or power to my implement.

Tire Wheel Automotive tire Vehicle Plant


Tire Wheel Vehicle Motor vehicle Automotive tire


Camera accessory Automotive tire Cameras & optics Automotive design Reflex camera
 

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#7 · (Edited by Moderator)
I will nominate (again) my Bolens Iseki G152.

I bought this tractor off of Craiglist, it was only 10 miles away which is insanely close considering where I live. It had turf tires on the rear when I got it, the tires were old and rotted. I bought Rice and Cane tires for it and then I fluid filled them with RV antifreeze. I added over 100lbs per rear wheel. I also fluid filled the front tires and added a extra 60lbs per tire, the front of this tractor is so light it's hard to keep it down so I also added another 120lbs of cast iron to the front. I use this little tractor in the garden, it works great with a cultivator and a plow. I also use it for mowing with the 4' bush hog, it mows really good as long as the grass doesn't get terribly tall.

I am going to do a lot of work on this tractor this winter, I have a Kwik-Way loader and Brantly backhoe that I am going to put on it. That was my intentions when I bought this little tractor, I thought it would make a great little tractor loader backhoe. (my first intentions was to resell it because I got a great deal on it but I liked it to much) Now it is going to be sold with the loader and backhoe when I sell the rest of my stuff for the big move :(
 

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#8 · (Edited by Moderator)
This is my 1968 Wards Garden Mark Squire 12. I have gone trough this tractor, and made it presentable and functional again. It has a 16hp briggs in it. My grandfather purchased it new and he gave it to me. He didnt expect me to restore it. When he saw pictures of it working again he was impressed. This tractor was originally a gold color, but was painted red some time in the 1980s. My main use for this tractor is to use it in the garden.

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This post has been promoted to an article
 

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