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Hello all yesterday I went to see this Tractor and found it was a perfect fit so I had to buy it and will be going back to collect on Saturday hope you like I will post more pictures when I get it home

Last Sunday I bought an old garden trailer for next to nothing from a chap up the road. It just fit in the back of the van with an inch to spare. I need a trailer to haul items from my yard to and fro from my van as the track there is very muddy and rutted. It is a particularly well made trailer with a hinged dropside tailgate. The tyres are in good condition too and there is a very rudimentary suspension system too. It rolls freely and the handle on the drawbar is a nice touch. The plan is to rub down the frame and repainted it in an appropriate colour. Might be a dark green metal frame or white. As for the woodwork I could use marine ply or old timber which I would sand down and use Danish Oil. I hope to use some old brass screws to secure the wood in place. The seller said there was a manufacturer plaque on the trailer at one point but sadly now disappeared for eternity. Does anyone recognise the make of the trailer? I think it will be look cool behind one of my Bolens. When the weather warms up I will be making a start on this project.

Nice to have the original brochures and manuals with it too.

Back last summer while I was at a mates barn having a rummage, right at the back in the darkness I found a red tractor that ive never seen before. After a bit of research I found that it was built by Toro for one year and because of poor sales was dropped. The dealer had 10 and offered them at a deal and my mate bought 3. Two were used for a contract that he had then parked up and the third is still new and not assembled. The one I have bought is a Toro GMT 230 1978, It has a Kohler 23 hp engine, hydraulic deck lift and bends in the middle. It was parked up in the barn in the late 90s after doing 170 hours work and left until I spotted it. After fitting a makeshift fuel tank and a good battery it fired straight up with everything working. Have to say i'm chuffed to bits with it and sounds really nice, awesome thing to drive

Nice work Alan, another little job done and the list getting shorter

Two little bits this time. The carburetor attachment tube was cut down to about 1/2 length. Left long, the throttle cable was rubbing on the outside of the hood and didn't look good anyway. Cut down, the cable and it's outer spring fitted neatly inside the hood. I expected difficulty cutting the tube down due to the limited room for the hacksaw, but it was a quick and easy job. The tube was softer than thought and a junior hacksaw soon went through it taking care not to mark the paint on the surrounding body panels. The cable is just tucked in out of the way at this stage. The brake pedal, non working, was made up from alloy, steel washers and plastic. The lettering is 1 mm approx round plastic rod with the curves of the B and R from solder wire. The solder wire was super glued in place with the remainder of the lettering and other parts fused together with liquid plastic cement. The washers, either side of the pivot point, were drilled and tapped then held together with 8BA c/sunk bolts passing through the assembly. The center of the washers, and the plastic/alloy in between, were tapped 5/16 UNF for a mounting bolt which was fixed in place with lock tight. This item was just eyeballed up from various photo's so just a near enough copy. The last photo shows it loosely fixed in place and still waiting final filling and painting.

At least we know it will carry you then.

Could be they were change to replace a solid axle now you mention it, Chris.

Looks a sturdy frame Andrew, maybe someone has changed the suspension at some point in its past, lets hope they didn't get the units too hot welding and damaged the rubber inside them

The suspension looks like Indespension units. Are the wheels the same as mini ones? I may be wrong but it looks home made to me. The units look welded on, not bolted as I would expect from a manufacturer.

I think it is a Staub Lunic ? Neil

That is an absolutely fantastic tractor, I love it. It hard to imagine that they were not a good seller as it looks perfect for cutting large areas of grass. Great find. It has the same engine as my main grass cutting tractor and I budget for one gallon of petrol per acre. Those engines do run hot and can suffer from head gasket problems. I now regularly remove the tin around the heads, blow out any debris and re-torque the heads. Not had any problems since.

Looks a solid little trailer Andrew, good find !

The Turf Truck would be handy. I also like the 3-Wheeler.

Unbelievable find, the engine alone is a gem.

Back in the early 80s I knew someone (now deceased) who bought three, still in their shipping crates and ran them for a while on contract grass cutting. Cheap but not entirely suited to UK conditions! PM sent.

I'm going to leave as is at the moment apart from a good power / steam clean Would have been an expensive engine Chris I've never seen one either Nigel, its not even in my Toro history book

I would have brought if for the engine Chris Trac Fest Entry this year??

Here's today's photos

It was good to catch up with you again Chris, thanks for selling me er.. 3/4's of a Wheel Horse.. It's nice to have something red back in the workshop, being WH-less for 1 1/2 days was hard to cope with

Had a victim visitor to the shed today who popped in for coffee and collect a few parts. After the coffee and a chat we loaded his car with more than I expected to get in it and I was happy to empty his pocket. I think Ian was pleased with all the bits and left with his car much lower at the backend Here's some photos

6 Bolens in a Mercedes Sprinter I believe.... A SWB too by all accounts....

The other Iain, the Bolens one, would have been disappointed with a little load like that.