“Ol’ Red” 1979 Wheel Horse C-81

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

Dave.MTD wrote:

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?

I finally got the tractor powered washed today.  I looked around for broken welds or cracks around the trans brace and mount.  I didn't see any.  I did notice my left reat hub was a little loose so I tightened that up.


I used masking tape and a silver sharpie to put a clear line at 3400 rpm on the tach.  I'm also working on adjusting the clutch pedal and moving the seat forward because I was having trouble pushing the clutch all the way in.  Also a 50 cal ammo can looks too big next to the battery so maybe the one that 5.56 nato rounds come in would be the right size. I finally figured out the problem I was having with replacement gas caps. The diameter of the filler neck was too small so I crudely opened the hole up with my knife and presto! the original replacement gas cap I bought actually threaded down.

Here's my new homemade pedal to replace the cheap/flimsy go kart pedal I was using.  It's made of 3/8" thick angle iron and I cut the serrations with a round file.  It feels so much better under my boot.  I also adjusted my clutch pedal back and my seat forward.  I'm really trying to dial in my operator position.  I installed my AGM sportster battery.  I just bolted down a small piece of perforated angle to keep the battery from sliding forward and I bought new J bolts.



Has anyone ever used one of these to add washer fluid to their front tires?  I'm running tubes.


My To-do list is getting short:
-add washer fluid to front tires
-additional hood latches
-tethered kill switch
-MAYBE different idler/belt kepper (what I currently have works very well but isn't perfect)

I believe the can you are looking for is usually called as a 30 cal ammo can. They are very cheap on line. Great pedal by the way. It looks so professional the way you filed in the grooves.

mowerjunkie03 wrote:

I believe the can you are looking for is usually called as a 30 cal ammo can. They are very cheap on line. Great pedal by the way. It looks so professional the way you filed in the grooves.

Thanks buddy! I did pick an the smaller M19 ammo can and I really struggled to make it fit under the hood without completely changing everything. The main reason for that was to carry some water protected somewhere but since I don't run the cover over the shift levers anymore I can stash a water bottle in there on short rides. For Longer excursions like off road parks, I'll bolt on the rear rack with offers plenty of storage.

damn I never saw that adapter on the rack with all the other slime stuff, thanks for the part number....

wait! they make a tool for puting fluid in tires? i have been taking out the valve stem, threading on fuel line, then shoveing that in a funnel, and jacking up the tractor so the tire expansing sucks in the fluid, and i repeat this for hours.

@RockeyDA I picked this adapter up at a local TSC for $10

Crazy_Carl wrote:

@RockeyDA I picked this adapter up at a local TSC for $10

well let me know how it works out and if its worth the money.

WOW thoes ammo cans are cheep online, just spent 6.25 for 5 of them.

That pedal looks great, you did a really good job on it. I am a real big fan of running sealed/ maintenance-free batteries.

Your rig just keeps getting better and better.

After waiting for what seems like two months after dealing with the not so great customer service in India where my tach was made, a random box showed up today.  They sent me 4 light assemblies!  Two with slide on terminals and two with screw terminals!  They did me right, I'm excitied to try to get my tach lit up again sometime soon.  I've also purchased washer fluid for the front tires so I'm getting close to doing that.

your homemade gas pedal looks very good! LIKE IT!

Well thanks to the box arriving from India, I have both gauges lit up.

I also had pretty good success with the valve stem/hose adapter.  The bleeder valve on it is a nice touch but I wish I had a buddy to operate it while I poured the the washer fluid into the hose via a funnel I had that fit perfectly in the hose.  So I've put two gallons in each tire for another 28 lbs up front.  I'm curious to see what this does for handling since the weight is right inside the tire and guys that I rode with at CreepyCrawler's had nothing but good things to say about this mod.  I think I might "hear" room for another gallon in each tire.

I like how Ol' Red stands out with my other favorite machines.

so that little classy tach, were did you get it? i want one, no need one, no need 2!

@RockeyDA Here it is for $39 https://www.ebay.com/itm/131996046818 but I don't really recommend it because it's low quality, complicated to set up, and not that accurate.

Instead (I thought the tinytach was $50, it's come down in price!) I would buy the TinyTach because the quality and ease of installation is way better than the other one, however there is no backlight. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Tiny-Tach-TT2AM-Digital-Hour-Meter-Tachometer-Adjustable-Resettable-Job-Timer/261258099617?epid=1031571479&hash=item3cd4323ba1:g:464AAOSwrklVQUdA

the link si for one of thoes junky under 10$ digital tacs. i want something that will fit in my amp meter hole in the mud train and the ford, and it has to be Miami.

Excellent upgrades Carl! Loving the gas pedal.

@RockeyDA That's exactly why I went with the 2" round tach! To fill the hole where the broken ammeter was.

Whats up with the Wheel Horse in the left?
Your Mower to cut grass? What Engine? Trans?

I took Ol' Red to the farm for a short test and tune session.  2 gallons of washer fluid in each of the front tires is a huge success!  I can actually turn now instead of pushing the front end all over the place.  I could actually make the tight turns on my trail instead of having to backup like I had in the past.  This is huge for low speed crawling and handling.  I really like the gas pedal design too.

She looks great Carl!! Sounds like you're really getting 'er tuned in for the trails!

how is it with shock absorbing? cuz fluid wont absorb shocks as well as air does

@SebastianAlbrecht I didn't notice any difference in ride quality.

Crazy_Carl wrote:

@SebastianAlbrecht I didn't notice any difference in ride quality.

oh nice! Might try that out as well LOL

I picked up this nice tow hook for Ol' Red at a Harbor Freight in Georgia for $6.39 with a coupon. I'm going to bolt it to the drawbar that came with the tractor when I bought it at the scrapyard.