“Ol’ Red” 1979 Wheel Horse C-81

Very nice job.  Red is just about bullet proof!

That Brace looks GREAT!!!! And when U hit rocks or whatever the mower wo'nt get stuck, it just slides over them! I'm kinda Jealous about your Mower since it's so nice LOL

I was doing some tinkering around with Ol' Red today.  I wanted to try out this Rust-oleum brand International Harvester Red.  It looks darker than the red I was using and comparing it to my C-125, I think it might match up better with the original color.

I wanted to try one of these LuckNLube couplers you see advertised on Youtube a lot and it's actually great.  It cuts down on frustration and cut the time in half it takes me to grease a Wheel Horse chassis.

Now that my throttle lever actually does something I ordered a replacement knob for it.  It doesn't fit perfect because someone replaced the original throttle with something not exactly original, but  I'm happy to have a comfortable knob I can grab with two fingers.

I ordered a tinytach to play with.  I set it to 720 degrees of rotation per spark because the points are driven off the cam. It reads very consistently with my harbor freight optical tachometer.  This verified my 3400 rpm calibration and the fact that the 2" tach reads high at idle which is okay because I set the idle by feel anyway.


If I could do it all over again, I might go with with the tinytach in the first place.  For $50 the quality, accuracy, and water tightness is great but it doesn't look old school and there is no back light.

I'm trying to work with the vendor on my non-functioning backlight.  It's going terrible.  I wish I could just find another bulb to try in their low quality socket but I can't even find one.  The buld that came with it does technically work but it looks like something chewed on the base and it doesn't even stay in the socket.

Today I started Ol' Red with part throttle, full choke, and used the electric starter and it fired right up and didn't stall.  The engine idled beautifully and the throttle response was great.  Now that I've sorted out my carb and throttle linkage issues I finally feel like the engine is running a nice rebuilt K181 should.

My updated to-do list:

Things I need to acquire for toolkit:
-a cheap made in taiwan 9/16 wrench
-assorted nuts and bolts(I have some in stock)
-foot operated tire pump
-spare idler pulley

Repairs:
-get tachometer back light working

Mods I'd like to do:
-sheet metal over open part of frame to protect gauges from underneath
-strengthen and serrate gas pedal
-a spare unlocked 8 speed trans that I can put in for general use
-blow tractor apart to paint it and weld/reinforce trans mount more at that time

Just to throw something out there for you.  Is it possible to wire up an LED and use a rubber grommet of sorts in place of that nonstandard light?

Yes it is definitely possible to retrofit an LED into it. I'm not exactly sure how though. Maybe if I found the right LED, I could stick it in a grommet or solder into this lamp holder.

Something like this is what I was going with...

https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/led-wired-bolts/wired-12vdc-led/55/344/?utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=base&utm_content=LW-x-12VDC-K&utm_campaign=GoogleBaseChild&gclid=Cj0KCQiA14TjBRD_ARIsAOCmO9ae67Gk2ybFu8VncJoSnTe7F9ApoZepj_AdYgA2GTfdzqMROMMTs60aAsWsEALw_wcB

@MightyRaze That's a great idea, but after a chain of messages with the seller of the techometer they have agreed to send me a new bulb and socket.

I bolted up my freshly painted trans brace (I really like the deep red color) and to my amazement it's almost perfectly parallel with the drive belt and it almost looks factory.

Very nice... now you need to get it dirty so it matches!

Good Work!!!

I went on another epic group ride with CreepyCrawler and redzz02!






The new clutch, tach, dual throttle, and proper carb tune all combined together for an easily controlled great running Kohler engine that can actually get all its respectable amount of power to the rear wheels (until the belt pops off the idler and uses the brake rod as the idler).

As you can tell by the ratchet straps I have a few things to fix and modify so here's my to do list:

-battery can slide forward, need a secure battery tray
-battery spills a little acid so I'm going to switch to a compact sealed AGM battery
-hood flies open a lot and did arc once on the positive battery post, I'm thinking about adding on a set of wheel horse black hood style latches
-the go-kart pedal part I used in my gas pedal bends which makes me lose rpm, I want to reuse the mount I made but build a stiffer gas pedal that is a little wider

-MAYBE washer fluid in the front tires to help this rig turn
-MAYBE put a keeper next to the idler or find a wide flanged idler, this problem only happened once, maybe a stick knocked the belt off the idler
-MAYBE a tethered kill switch or a kill switch I slap slap really fast to shut the tractor down, might be useful when walking the tractor up a hill in 2nd gear at 2800 rpm and all of a sudden the rear tires hook up and Ol' Red aims to take down a small tree

Nothing like a good romp to find out what needs improvement. I really like the mods you've done to the tractor- they all look really professional. Where did your rack go? Trans bracing holding up well?

Lovin this wheel horse. I wonder how tiny it would look next to Kal. LOL Keeping up with you guy's todo fixes make me think....Do I need to do that?

Man I need to get offroad!

Looks like Tons of fun!!! Hope U enjoyed it! Want to do that stuff so badly too but I dont have anyone here LOL Old Red is nice & Muddy!

Yes on the hood clips! I have the same problem with the GT with the batterg arcing out on it. It's caused by bad hood mounts and flimsy dash. So jealous of the group ride! Can't wait til I can drive way to far to ride with y'all! Lol

@Dave.MTD Since we were never too far from the truck and CreepyCrawler's trails are really hardcore, I decided to leave the rear rack at home to make Ol' Red more compact for these tight trails. It makes life on the trail a lot easier though just having a place to put extra layers of clothing and a bottle of water.  I'm taking the rack to Haspin.

I did check the trans brace once on the ride and it was intact.  Once I pressure wash the machine I'll perform a more detailed inspection.

@MightyRaze When I first saw CreepyCrawler on youtube I was actually scared to ride with him.  That's part of the reason why I built a solid rig that could keep with him.  I'm lucky that I live within a reasonable driving distance of these guys.  It's no big problem spending a couple hundred on gas and food to get away from home for a couple of days and go on these awesome group rides.

These trails are challenging for the machines.  It's very hilly, twisty, and turny with some mud in these weather conditions.  If you have a weak link.  The trails will find it.  I never imagined my battery would slide forward and pull the solenoid wire off my ignition switch.  Luckily the wire was labeled.

I saw the video's.  They are intense! I do not think my red could handle those trails. I think Kal could. With lots of help like the other guys! That Cub was intense!

MightyRaze wrote:

I saw the video's.  They are intense! I do not think my red could handle those trails. I think Kal could. With lots of help like the other guys! That Cub was intense!

Who has videos up on YouTube? I will definitely whatch!!

They were on facebook in the group "ohio offroad mowers".

MightyRaze wrote:

They were on facebook in the group "ohio offroad mowers".

Damn I don't have Facebook but it may be time.

it's the only thing good about it.... otherwise I would delete mine. I'm not a "social" kind of guy.

Okay...back on topic

I picked up an upgraded battery for Ol' Red.  It's half the size and it's sealed.  So now I won't be spilling acid when I get sideways and now there's room for some kind of ammo can under the hood.  I paid $100 for it right at the interstate store.  It's rated for 300CCA but the counter guy said these are underrated and capable of 600CCA.  It's meant to go in a Harley Sportster.

Looks like a premium unit, that hopefully lasts long!!

I'm going to post this video in here because it has some nice footage of Ol' Red.


My latest to-do list:

-build battery tray that holds AGM battery and 50 cal ammo can
-utilize old mount but build a more robust gas pedal that doesn't bend
-add better hood latches
-mark 3400rpm on tach with silver sharpie for easy reading

Maybe:
-washer fluid in front tires
-different idler or keeper to keep the belt on
-tethered kill switch

saw that Vid today while eating breakfast in the morning, & thought: ,,ey, isn't that Carl with his wheel Horse??" LOL now I have the answer since I checked ATLTF!

its kinda funny, even thogh i dont have a car, if i want to trail ride with some one, i have to supply all the rides. because i dont got 1 friend with a 4 whiller or a tractor.

Looks like a blast. That Cub is badass and inspired me to start working on my Bolens again.