slf-uk

Fantastic addition to your growing collection. I would love one and I am very jealous. I believe they originally came with a large fibreglass grass collector. Until you mentioned the manufacturer I was under the impression they were made by the Bolens importer, Howard. The great thing about this forum is that you learn something new every day. I am amassed by the speed you are adding to your collection. Iain

The sickle mower looks in great condition. My one is not in as good condition. They are fun to fit due to the weight but do a great job. As you mentioned, nobody thought of health and safety when designing these. You have to be so careful when fitting and using. I have only used mine once in the vertical position and it frightened the life out of me. Iain

Andrew, I've been away from MOM for a few weeks, live and work got in the way. The 800 looks great, I am sure you will be very pleased with it. I believe the later tube frames used the same ammeter as some WH tractors, but I am unsure about the early ones. When I get the chance I will check my Bolens 1000. Looks like you a missing a tow hitch too but these are very easy to make. I am looking forward to hearing about how you get on with it Iain

I like the genny and control panel... but never mind either, I'm thinking thanks for the reminder and another job for the todo list. Iain

The Briggs looks really good on the tractor. I'm impressed by the pace of this project and it is looking great

Very impressive and fast work, I would still be at the head scratching stage.

But one more is not really enough ;-) A H14 or H16 would be a great addition. A hydro is great with a plough. Iain

If you plan to repaint yellow to fit with your older tubeframe tractors you will need the older decals as these were also different. Iain

Andrew, The good news is that you have everything you need to fit to the tractor and the fitting will fall in place once you have your 800 that has the lift mechanism. To save the purchase of a manual and give you the smile factor sooner I have marked up one of your pictures. I will attempt to describe what goes where 1 - A and B - fit to the attachment points on the bottom of the front axle 2 - The end of the lift bar marked E goes onto point C on the plough 3 - D fits on the top point of the lift mechanism 4 - Have fun Longer term I would suggest cutting down the bolt that you have at A and B, then drill and fit R clips. With bolts this long it is likely it will be a pig to fit and interfere with the steering. Iain

I'll second that. A tractor unit or logger would be really cool and as soon as it was mentioned it seemed a perfect fit. Also I don't recall anyone else doing it, so it could be a first. A crane that fold across like a HIAB with a fifth wheel behind would be fantastic and really useful. Iain

I think the gestation period for a Bolens is three months, so the next one must be due soon :-) Iain

Andrew, Your plough is interesting as the ends have a 45 degree edge. As it is painted black it will be a later plough. Mine is painted yellow and does not have the 45. You might want to consider painting it yellow to fit with the age of the 800 and 1254. Alternatively, just wait until you buy the next Bolens and it might be a later model. Iain

Andrew, I think it would look better attached to the Bolens rather than the Morris :-) Looking in great condition Iain

Your sad! You would not believe how hard it is to find our kind of machines in Norfolk and it looks like we have one less now. I don't know, what is the world coming too. Looking forward to seeing what's under the covers. Iain

This sounds really interesting. Did you take a before picture of the wheels? Iain

A rotary table on a mill might be an easy way to cut the centre out of a wheel, if that is what you are trying to do.

Great buy, the price could not get any better. I am looking forward to seeing the restoration. When I first saw your post I was thinking that I don't have the Wheelhorse bug and then I did some counting. I now have six WH in my collection, maybe it is not classed as a bug until you have double figures.... Iain

As I have only recently joined I went back and read the complete thread. The work you have done on this is incredible and the outcome looks fantastic. Iain

55.8kg is what the service manual states for a k381. Iain

I would love one of those. If it turns out like your others in your collection it will be fantastic. Iain

Andrew, For your Bolens you need a sleeve hitch first and then search for a plough, they do come up on the auction site. I have a small sleeve hitch plough and a few others I was planning to convert. Picture of a Bolens sleeve hitch on one of my H16's I also have a new old stock sleeve hitch for a Wheelhorse but I have not decided which tractor to fit it to yet. Iain

Agreed, pushing snow is one of the most fun things to do on a tractor. I think I may have already posted this picture already somewhere, but it is one of my favourites I broke a weld on mine a while back pushing soil. I must fix that before the winter. If we get a bit of snow it would be good if everyone posted some snow pushing pictures or videos. Iain

George, Thanks for the suggestion, I would enjoy doing that. Iain

Love the video. I use wheel weights when I clear the snow with the Bolens but chains look very effective.

Andrew, You also need a finger bar mower, flail mower, sleeve hitch, FEL and hydraulic lift. Give me a while and I will think of others :-) After last year we must have snow this year. Iain