bowtiebutler956

Very nice original Raider 10 you have there, and great pics. As already mentioned, you've been keeping some bad company, and the proof is in the first pic. Matt

Very nice pictures. Its good to see 50+ year old tractors still working, and doing the jobs they were made for! They sure did know how to build them, back then. Good looking machines, and thanks for sharing. Matt

Wow, what an amazing project! You never cease to amaze me Ian! So what was the top speed on that animal? Matt

Thanks Mark, I appreciate the kind words. Matt

I'd love to see it Karl. Matt

My sons, and I have always enjoyed our off road buggies, and were forever upgrading them to go a little faster. Unfortunately, they're always to cramped for me a 6'3" tall, so I decided to build one that would fit me. Its nice, and long. I built the chassis out of 1" square thick wall tubing, with 1.5" channel iron reinforcing the primary frame rails. The roll bar is 1" thin wall to keep the weight down. The engine is a 420cc 15hp Honda clone, with governor removed, ARC con rod, and carb rejetted. The drive is a Comet 94c Duster snowmobile CVT torque converter, with the stall speed set at 3200rpm. The axle is a 1" with a custom made sproket, and an disc brake. Its top speed is 42mph, but this thing has a agressive take off. It always leaves a rooster tail of dirt behind you when launching. I'm getting older now, and I really wish I had put suspension on it. My aching rear! Sorry for the poor pics, but I thought I had better ones. Mine is the Green one. Matt

900cc BMW powered Wheel Horse! Can you say 0-yard mowed in under 6 seconds! I have one Ian, that I'm still hoping to get finished some day, but my old engine, and garden tractor addiction keeps getting in the way! Its a Smart Car gone Wild! Actually it was never a Smart Car, it was actually a road legal electric car, that got a coil over suspension installed, along with numerous other off road upgrades. Its electric motor was removed, and I put a way to under powered Honda 11hp GX340 in, and a Comet 44 Mag CVT torque converter. After realizing this wasn't enough power, I decided to start looking for a 1000cc or so air cooled motorcycle engine to put in it. Never have gotten any further. Some day. Thanks Matt

That is an amazing machine you have there, and the PTO driven trailer is awesome! I know of one guy by the name of Will, who has one here in the U.S., but he went thru a bunch of work to get it here. The Germans shure do know how to properly equip a garden tractor! Very Nice!!! Matt

As always, thank you Richard. Actually, it was watching true craftsman like yourself doing a restoration, that made me strive to do better work. This tractor does bring back alot of good memories for me. Thanks TITCH, I appreciate it. Thanks Ian. I really felt the need to put something on this tractor, that would always remind me of Gary, and these decals did the trick. Matt

Thats a very classy looking herd you have there! Wheel Horses are my favorite Garden Tractor. Matt

Thank you! Thanks Neil, and your right, I'll never get rid of this one. Thanks for the information, and although we may of had a larger variety over here, I've seen some really cool garden tractors on this site that I never knew existed. This really is a great place to see equipment from around the world! Matt Thanks, and I"m certainly very attached to this one. Matt

Thought I'd post another one of my more recent projects. This was given to me by a close friend (Gary) two days before he passed away from Cancer. He was one of the kindest, most giving individuals I have ever known, so this was a very special project for me, and made for a great memorial of him. I don't know if you guys have these on the other side of the pond, but they are a very well built machine. They are a true hydraulic drive, not a hydrostatic. They have a much higher pressure, and volume than a traditional hydrostat, which made them perfect for loaders, and such. Its pump is bolted directly to the back of the engine, and it has a hydraulic motor on the rear end, as well as hydraulic raise, and lower cylinder. Case built these tractors, almost unchanged from the 60's, and they're still being built today under the Ingersoll name. These are the only garden tractor that I know of, at least over here that remained basically unchanged from the 60's all the way to present. Here is a link to the current Ingersol site. http://www.eastmanind.com/INGERSOLL/tabid/186/Default.aspx This particular Case is an 84 model, also know to the Case collectors as the Black Frame model. This was the year Case sold their garden tractor division to Ingersoll, and although they still wore the Case name, they were owned by Ingersoll. These are a somewhat collectible year, as it was the only year they came with the black frame, as well as different decals, and a white seat. Although I no longer have a white seat on mine, as it was in bad shape, as can be seen by the pictures. This GT is equipped with a Kohler K-301 12hp engine, and a 44" rear discharge mower deck. Here are a few pics. Thanks Matt

What a gorgeous Wheel Horse! Looks really tuff with the 23x10.50's and wheel weights. You do first class work, and thats certainly a first class tractor. Matt

Thanks Koen, I appreciate the encouraging words. Thanks for the thumbs up. Matt

Thanks Steve, and I too am enjoying seeing tractors here that I've never seen before. Thanks Andy. Yes, i'm glad I put the headlights back on it as well. Its a real joy to watch Danny on his tractor, and see him enjoying it as much as I did over 30yrs ago. He takes great care of it. He checks his oil religiously, and washes it all the time. His tractor is always cleaner than mine are. I've been enjoying looking at the stuff from your side of the pond as well, and I'll spread the word. Thanks Jim, and its good to see you here!

Thanks Richard. Every time I look at those old pics, it reminds me what a rotten, obnoxious kid I was! You can see me sneeking up behind my sister in the second pic, and just look at the rotten look on my face in both pics! There's got to be a wiseguy in every group! Matt

Thanks Ian, I appreciate both the welcome, and the kind words. I hope it last for years to come, but I must say, Danny puts some serious hours on this tractor! Anytime I'm out working my tractors, mowing, tilling, etc., he's on his tractor. His motto is "if dads getting seat time, so do I".. He's a real chip off the ole block! Thanks Neil! Matt

Thanks, and it did build some wonderful memories for my son, and I both. He loves his tractor as much as I did as a kid, and I hope to see it passed to his son some day. The story with the lights is this. These never had lights from the factory, or electric start, but when my dad gave this to me initially as a kid, I wasn't strong enough to pull start it myself. It had the old starter cup that you wrap a rope around. So, my dad installed an old Delco starter/generator on it for me, and with the added electricity, he decided to install headlights. I have since put headlights back on it for Danny, because when he saw the pictures of it when I was a kid, he wanted to know why I stole the headlights off of it! So, I re installed the headlights, and even added an old set of bullet taillights. Matt

OUCH!!!! No, I'm the kid with the obnoxious look on his face, behind the girl with the shorts! Matt

Hello all. I thought I'd share a few pics of my childhood Garden Tractor, that now belongs to my son Danny. Some of you that have spent time at the RS may have seen the thread where I restored this tractor for my son Danny, a couple years ago. http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/topic/32609-standard-tractor/?hl=%20bantam Its a 52 Standard 3000. In 53 they took the name Bantam, but it was still the same tractor. My dad gave this to me over 30 years ago, and it was my pride and joy as a child. I managed to hang on to it all these years, and had the privileged to restore it, and pass it on to my youngest son. These are very small tractors, and although I don't have any attachments for it, you could get them with all the standard stuff. Mower deck, snow plow, dump cart, etc.. It still has its original Briggs 9FB engine with 3hp. You could get these tractors in 4 different sizes. The Bantam Jr.(2hp), 3000 (3hp), 5000 (5hp), and the 8000(8hp). I've included a couple of pictures of it from my childhood. I'm the obnoxious looking boy in the pics, and the girls are my sisters, and their friends. In on pic, my dad is on the seat, and in the other pic, my mom is on the seat. I've also included a couple pics of what it looked like before I restored it, and after. Thanks Matt

Great information Neil. However, if your trying to date the early Briggs engines, that won't work. Here is a link to get your manufacture date for the early engines, as well as some great info. http://www.asecc.com/data/briggs/data1.html Matt

Love It!! Very neat little scooter, although I think I would want some way of disengaging the engine from the drive. Maybe a clutch? Matt

What a fantastic collection Neil! I live in the US, but still haven't seen a SR in person! Very Nice! Matt

Thanks Neil, and actually all the engines that are picture here are living on display shelves inside my house. I have about 50 old engines, most of which live at my shop, but these are the privileged few that live in a climate controlled environment. Believe it or not, it doesn't bother my wife at all. She likes them! Thanks, I appreciate it. I do have a few old engines, and it seems like every time I turn my back, they multiply like rabbits! Thanks for the kind words Andy. Thanks Richard, I take that as a great compliment coming from someone who does the caliber of work that you do. I've spent alot of time drooling over your C-120! Thanks You. Thanks for the encouraging post. You guys sure know how to make a guy feel at home. Matt

And we continue again. Pics 1-4 are of a 48 model N, with a mechanical governor, which is unusual. Most all Model N engines were equipped with an air vain governor. This engine was originally on a David Bradley walk behind garden tractor, and is also equipped with the aluminum sheet metal. Pics 5-7 are a Briggs NP. The NP is different from a regular Model N, because it has a bearing, rather than a bushing on the PTO side of the crankshaft, and it also has mounting holes to bolt equipment directly to the engine. Pics 8-11 are a 52 NPR6. It has the 6:1 gear reduction, and is a very late production model N. The model N line of engine ended in early 53, and they only made just a very few in 53. Pics 12-14 are of a 52 Briggs Model 8 that I restored, and put in my son Nathans mini bike. He loves it! I guess I'm going to have to become a supporter, as I managed to max out my allowed MB's of pictures in one thread! Wow.