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For a change it wasn't me that made a shopping mistake, it was Nigel... It gave us something to laugh about yesterday For reasons I'm still not sure about Nigel bought a set of disk harrows from Fleabay not quite realizing how big they were!! Of course Nigel had not turned up at the workshop when "Time Team" Dave dropped the harrow off, so Nigel's face when he turned up and saw the size was priceless What you can't quite see from the above photo is the front of the harrow was through the doors of my workshop, so it had to be moved....Ah.. No wheels on it!! Only one thing for it, split it in two and borrow a forklift.. The rear discs went first.. Followed by the fronts. As fun as a forklift is they are not that good off road.. So the LandRover tug was called into action to finish the job.. So far so good.. Until suddenly no steering!! So the LR had to be abandoned where it was for the day. I'm not back at the workshop until Monday, so I will let Nigel finish the story once he has worked out what has busted steering wise..

As many of you know, we are meeting up at tractorfest at Ripon next weekend. As bendy is 90% complete and I'm at work all week, I though I'd best get bendy all shiny and ready. Here's The front lights finally wired. And bendy getting a good wash Loading up tomorrow

Thanks Mark, paint is on the way. Thanks Norm.. Yes I did have to look up gradely Kylie you say.... Can she weld? Thanks mate, it looks even better now it's not silver I didn't take many photos Tuesday as it was quite boring stuff.. The day started with making lots of these small plates.. To cover over these sort of bits on the chassis.. And the day finished with a red oxide chassis The welding is 99% done, just a few small detail bit's left to do.. Wednesday the engine frame got the treatment.. Some final welding and a bit of smoothing out.. Here the frame is fitted to the engine so I could make a mount for the coil pack.. It always amazes me how a quick coat of paint can change how something looks... A red metal sculpture Engine and a few other bits bolted back on.. The wheels were only thrown on to see how the front end looked.. They will be coming back off to fit the new tires/tyres. A close up of the front end... Me likes how it looks Before the rear axle could go back on I had to pull it apart again! The mounting holes needed to be made slightly bigger but the brake backing plates were in the way stopping me getting the drill in... So it was easier just to pull the axles out to get the backing plates out the way. I also needed to drill a small breather hole in the top of the axle and fit a jiggle pin.. A jiggle pin is a small split pin that's a loose fit in the hole.. The idea is the pin jiggles about and stops the breather hole from getting blocked up..

Finally managed to find a Turf Trac, typically I have been looking for a couple of years finally bought one from way down south only to find another for sale on Gumtree at Annan 30 miles away ( lot more money ). This one is fitted with a 4ft front mounted cutting deck. The reason I wanted one was that trying to move a dead crawler from one garage to the workshop was just too much for my ride on mower and using a live crawler just chews up the drive and the garage floor. 16.5hp Kubota three cylinder engine starts and runs well. Hydraulic lift front and rear , front and rear pto. four wheel hydrostatic drive with twin ratio axles 11 miles an hour top speed. Pulls like a train and turns in a 36inch inner circle. Needs a new seat some decals and a general tidy up. Typical it rained persistently after delivery so limited playing time.

Been busy fixing my steering wheel today, here are some pictures. I used some black epoxy putty which worked really well. After a polish you can barely tell it's there All painted and fitted back on ready for next week. I have added a temporary replacement grill to the front since the old one had completely rusted away and I painted a new number plate as the old one had been painted over. Ready to be loaded up tomorrow for Newby hall tractor fest

I did the same thing. I bought a 10hp motor for my air compressor off ebay, when I arrived at the dock it was on a pallet, all 345lbs and at 22" long and 12" wide it wasn't going to set on my air tank very well, It looked smaller in the picture, I learned the same lesson after a few internet dates with "average" size ladies, not sure which was bigger.

Great video from Goodwood Racing from over in your parts

Really rare birds, The four wheel Bolens built tractors were only built 3 years and I doubt there were very many made. The Rustoleum Hammered finish gold is a good match to the Wards color

Alain,I think you could very well be right.

Good luck, I only found the one picture I posted, but you might find some. Bolens made a lot of the Wards tillers and Choremaster walk behinds for many years, but I really don't think they produced many of the Squire 6 machines or the like. After 1962 Simplicity took over and produced this Squire 71/4 hp

Alain, I am going to post a post on GTTalk to ask for photos of Bolens produced MW to see 'actual' survivors. hopefully someone somewhere might have one to share photos with everyone.

We have a similar epoxy product here in the US. Be very careful putting those lugs in, so not to cross thread, might chase them with a die.Thanks Ewan!

Thanks, it's the shipping that kills it, $14 shipping, I'll wait till I start restoring it properly and I might consider it, I used this epoxy,

What type/brand of epoxy did you use. BTW, Joe's Outdoor Power has the the original West Pullman lug bolts in good shape for 13.99 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cub-Cadet-73-Tractor-Lug-Nuts-Bolts-/191570223178?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c9a79a04a

Thank you, I'm very happy with it

You did a superb job on that wheel Ewan, just superb!

Looking good, Cadet 81 all ready for the trip tomorrow so there will be at least two Cub Cadets there !!

Omg, a lesson for all of us. Went to collect a nice small compact, dual spool valve the other week. When I got there it was 12" square and took two hands to carry! It was the spool valve off the skid steer motors! I left it where it was

Must have been the American average size

I would venture to say a very small handful. I have only seen pictures of one or two. BTW, Simplicity and Bolens were not the only manufacturers to make tractors for Wards around this time, Moto-Mower also made a 10hp vertical shaft riding mower for them as well. The difference between a riding mower and garden tractor is usually defined by horizontal shaft and bolt on rear tires, versus vertical shaft and rear tires attached via key way or holder.

With hammertone or metallic paints, whether in the rattle can or used from a container, one must be very careful not to over apply as the finish looks different when it is puddled

Alain, great advert. Be interesting to know how many are still around.

That's not sounding good Alain!! I'm not sure what's the worst.. Floods or next door running around with a gun!

Coming on well, Ian.

Is that hamertone? If so how does it look out of a rattle can?

Andrew had PM'd me and in the course of conversation Andrew brought up that Bolens may have built Montgomery Wards tractors as well and they did, both early walk behinds and 4 wheel Ride-A-Matics and the Montgomery Wards Squire 6, 725 The first fully engineered with the engine and steering axle in the front 4 wheel Garden Tractor that Montgomery Wards offered was the 7 horsepower “Squire 7", introduced in 1959 and stayed the same for 1960-61, it was basically the same as the 1959-1961 Ride-A-Matics. In 1962 a more powerful engine was installed and it became the 7.25 horsepower “Squire 7 ¼â€. In 1963 things changed for Montgomery Wards in their Lawn and Garden tractor lineup. M/W offered a Simplicity built Garden Tractor, called the 7 ¼hp “Squire 725â€, same name as the Bolens tractor. This would be the last year for the Simplicity 700 Series based tractor. Wards also offered a Bolens built “Squire 6â€, based on the Bolens 600 with a different Cast Iron Grill, hood and Steering Tower. Bolens also provided M/W with several of the attachments for the “Squire 6†that they built.

it realy does look the dogs do-dars when you see it close up

That has to be the biggest understatement of all time. It's a bit like saying you put some effort into getting a date with Kylie and it was worth it. It looked great as it was and now it is a work of art. Fantastic workmanship Iain

Really gradely job your doing, Ian. Looking really tidy.

Fab work as always Ian, hurry and get her painted!