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As with a lot of "Things Bolens did", no one seems to know. Now this is just conjecture, but I think there may be some shred of truth in it.: The G11 was produced in 1978 which was the last year of the tube frame production, and it was the last new tube frame model produced. I think that the decal colors, which just happen to be the colors of a sunset, were chosen to represent the sun setting on the tube frame line. That is why I prefer to call it the "Sunset Bolens" rather than the "Rainbow Bolens". Whatever the reasoning, the G11 really stands out with it's striking decals which are unique.

Had some more patio time today, swapped the foot plates over and freed off the clutch pedal, also overhauled the brake calliper so that all works now. Need to cut the fender now to allow the gear stick to come through, beginning to look a bit better now.

Digger finally finished, oak swamp blocks made and fitted. Machine all polished up ready for Tractor World. Just the Whitlock to finish off, the tracks are complete and fitted, clutch plate replaced new silencer to set up and waiting for new diesel tank.

I have the exact same thing except it shoots Co2. Use it to blow out clogged drains

Best to hang on to those. They are fairly uncommon. Most have BOLENS cast into them. I've seen some with nothing on them, and one of my G11s have OLDA cast on the weights.

i had another look today, it was origanly gold (under the cream paint ) ime very impressed with the lifting hitch it would lift a plough no problems and with a set of wheel weights ( and george driving it ) it would plough well i think its got about 12 forward gears its a very nice bit of kit

Been a good day. Brake system all connected today. Instrument panel made a bit more respectable. Ammeter panel cleaned and primed also gear lever gate cover. Seat support also cleaned up and ready for priming. One foot plate put in e-tank. Photo's tomorrow for those that like 'em, all being well.

Iain, hands off mate; this baby's mine!

Brake is at the front Norm

Starter on my original 12hp Kohler in my '72' Raider 12 had begun to squeal more and more last year, so having built a spare Starter from 2 really iffy ones, I pulled the squealy one to inspect it and fitted the new spare to test it etc. The spare works beautifully........So last night I got around to tearing into this one to cure the problem and give it a clean up- No sign of broken Magnets this time for a change, just a few loose flakes, Carbon dust and light rust areas from trapped condensate- So generally all in pretty good nick really, note the date stamp on this American Bosch Motor (Dec 20th 1971). The cause of the squeal I suspect was the Thrust washer that had been worn by the hard stop ring which has a gap and sharp edges . This washer takes a lot of pressure when the Motor is energised and combined with the dry Carbon dust and bare metal faces, starts the noises etc. Close up of the Stop Ring, Shaft bearing face and the 0.0205" (0.52mm) thick thrust washer- The 'Cure' I hope will be the addition of another thrust washer of same thickness. I found just the right size/type in my box of bits and the Washer came from my fully rebuilt engine now in my C-120, when I scrapped the Balance Gears in it, I kept the spacers, washers and Snap Rings. All I had to do was increase the bore of it by 0.003" to just fit over the Shaft bearing diameter face with no slack- So the new washer will fit on first followed by the old one and the same original way around. With the bearing plate in place un-lubricated and with hard pressure on it, the shaft rotates with no friction resistance at all, but will apply a small amount of High pressure Copper grease between them. All the Brushes etc cleaned up nice and very little wear- Commutator segments had the usual Carbon Glaze, so cleaned off with the shaft mounted in the Lathe chuck at slow speed, then a final air blast to get the dust out - Body internals all clean now and found the magnets still have makers ink stamp on them- I shall strip the old paint and decals off and give it a repaint and new decals before it goes back on the Engine. So if you haven't been inside one of these before, don't junk it and look for another when it misbehaves........... Give it a Refurb birthday and a new lease of life. Hope this helps.

As I travel from forum to forum this winter, I cannot help but notice the fellowship that develops between the individuals. No matter what country, religion, financial status ect tractors and machinery seem to draw people together. I thought I'd share with you chaps here on MOM who haven't seen it, an example of what happened to me in a time of need. A heart condition prevented me from getting my tractors ready for what turned out to be one of the worst winters in my 56 years and my tractor friends got together to help. Don't forget to watch all the video's! http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/topic/52230-ist-annual-sqonkfest/

Mark, very happy to help, just flag which models and pictures you want. Unfortunately not all my tractors have the original decals. I loaded the G14 onto one of my work tables today and spent a little time looking it over. It has the usual steering wear and a few panel fixing missing but nothing serious. I then had one of those OMG moments . The engine on a tube frame is held down with four bolts and a spacer between the chassis and the engine. The front two bolts are missing and presumably fell out at some point in the past. Not a problem to resolve but it theory the engine can rock front to rear with the drive belts pulling on the back of the engine. I gave the engine a tug but it did no move even slightly, they really did over engineer these tractors. In this picture the back of the engine is on the left and the things you can see under the engine on the right hand side is the oil drain plug and the wiring for the lights. Same view of a G10 showing where the bolts should be. The spacers are longer on a G10 because the engine is shorter I have ordered a carb rebuild kit from the US using the express three day delivery option, which as we all knows will take two weeks. During the week I plan to check out the wiring. Iain

I feel so much better reading this as I thought it was just me that struggles. It makes me smile when you see the adverts that showh a girlie in her Sunday best apparently fitting it with ease. I have developed my own technique but that does not always work out. Way to go I would so much like to be in that position Iain

OB, do you know why the G11 had the rainbow decals on them? I would love that snow blower too. There was one for sale in the UK yesterday and sold for £56...... See post under shows for details. I have a Toyota Hilux pickup with the same issue. You havej given me an idea about the ballast for the rear. Another Bolens tractor, perhaps a Husky Pup, will cure this dangerous problem I think

I LIKE the way you think I would like to do the same, but with as many attachments as I have, that many tractors wouldn't fit on my property :D

Yes, I was lucky with them; I paid £50 for them. The seller just listed it minutes earlier and I snapped them off him. He couldn't be live it. He was the same chap I bought the plough off too. I collected it from Kent a few weeks back. I smuggled them in the secret load bay of the family car. My wife commented how much better the car handles when she took over the driving enroute home. I muttered something about the importance of having the correct tyre pressure.....

For every implement I buy it means another Bolens tractor have to be bought so I only have to align it once! Well that's my excuse anyway.....

Nice looking "Round Back" tiller you have there Andrew One thing that you should be aware of is that the round back tillers are LIGHT DUTY tillers, and are meant for previously worked ground. They can handle a limited amount of 'virgin ground', but I wouldn't do that too often, and only on a very small plots. Like Iain said, don't store it 'hitch down'. Keep it level or pointing up. That tiller would be useable on a 600 as long as you had the shorter prop shaft. One other bit of advice. With the one piece prop shaft, mounting it on a tractor requires the proper swear words muttered (or shouted as the case may be) in the proper sequence, a good alignment of the stars, and the sacrifice of at least one goat and sometimes two. Getting everything lined up CAN be a chore :D

Well spent pretty much the entirety of this 14 page thread with my jaw on the floor... I don't think I've ever seen a more sexy custom build!

That's brilliant, thanks very much Andrew, I will have to order some. Tom

Tom, I taken a photo of the product I used on the tiller. The key thing is preparing the surface before applying it thinly. Cheers Andrew

I applied a second coat a few weekends back and I am really pleased with the results. It got a nice protective sheen to it as well as enhancing the patina of the machine itself. I would like to use this hence the reason why it has not been repainted. I guess if I got another tiller, I would more than likely get it repainted as part of my rally kit.

I have a set of rear wheel weights for the Bolens. They have FMC embossed on them. I will post some photos shortly.

Last couple of bits to sort out, the lawn edger attachment and the display board...

You can Iain if Jack decides he does not want it

Nigel, if Andrew is going to cut up rough about the colour you will have to sell it to me instead Iain

I picked the G14 up today and managed to miss the worst of the weather. The seller was a lovely guy and is interested in old equipment. I pointed him to this forum. A couple of pictures of the G14 I then had my 7 year old lad helping me for the rest of the day so I was unable to get on with anything useful. He wanted to have some tractor time so I thought it would be good to pull a couple of the working tractors out for a line up as the G14 completes a advert type picture. Left to right is a G10, G12, the new G14, H16 and HT23. No G11 as OldBuzzard has all them and Chris has all the HT20's. Iain

Gulp! Dear Nigel, very happy with the agreed price Sir! Grovel, grovel

Creep

Hi All Update on plough hope you like

Yep...

Spent the afternoon in the workshop today. Clutch mechanism all fitted and connected from pedal to pulley. Also brake mechanism except for the rod to the band. That's in the painting process. Missed it when painting the other bits. Took a bit of finding, as did the clutch return spring. Started cleaning up the instrument panel.

Was your camera reluctant to start as well Norm

Or another tractor shed, their 10 x 5 (feet)

....and he like to wear high heel shoes.....

"Norm's a lumberjack and he's ok..."

Now I wonder who that could be?