slf-uk

Ah, you noticed one of the outstanding jobs . A previous owner fitted a TR13 tube and the wheel is designed for a TR15 tube. The inevitable has happened and the valve has disappeared into the wheel. It goes against my religion to put a sharp instrument through a good tube in order to get the tyre off so I have been waiting a couple of years for it to slowly deflate, then I can get the tyre off without damaging the tube. We are planning a tyre day soon which will see new tubes for the rear tyres and the tri-ribs installed on the front. The existing rear tubes and front tyres will be fitted to another tractor. Iain

Andrew has just reminded me about the amusing story, which is very much related to these comments. Before I went to look at the tractor I told Joseph to ask the boss if we could have it but apparently that tactic only works once and I had to ask myself. When I spoke to the boss she asked me if I had one of that model. I thought very carefully before replying that that I didn't have one of that model. I noticed that the look I was being given was starting to relax and I thought it was in the bag. At that point Joseph joined in the conversation and reminded me that I have three of that model. Afterwards I tried to explain to him about the literalness of the question I was being asked and that I answered correctly by saying that I didn't have ONE. Unfortunately it was lost on him. I then went to plan B, which was that if I could get this it would give me the parts for the other three. That sort of worked Iain

Ewan, a tractor I picked up a couple of years ago should have a K161 fitted but it has been replaced with a much smaller engine. I remember doing a double take when I first saw it thinking that the engine had shrunk so it is possible that it is a smaller Kohler like a K91. The tractor is in storage at the moment and I tried unsuccessfully to get to it earlier today. Next time I have access I will check. Iain

Over the Christmas break I was contacted by someone who had seen my Bolens posts on another forum. They had picked up a Bolens whilst doing a clearance and wanted to know if I was interested. I said that I was unlikely to be interested as I am out of space but I was happy to have a look at it and value it for them. This was a foolish offer and I should have known I would be bringing it home. The seller was a great guy and it was refreshing to have a very open and honest conversation about value and price, which worked out well for both of us. The tractor is fitted with the large flat top tiller and is road registered. The tines on the tiller are very badly worn so it has clearly had plenty of use. I am not sure if it is a viable tractor or just a great source of spare parts. It does not move very well having been sat outside for many years so I picked it up with the tipper trailer in case I needed extra help unloading. The rear fender is in the worst condition All I have done with it at the moment is remove the tiller and store the tractor and tiller safely Iain

We had a bit of tractor time today. A replacement exhaust was fitted, the fuel system sorted and a rear closing panel and tow hitch on the chassis. For the hitch a couple of Bolens buddies in the US sent some parts over and I borrowed a couple of small bits from my other Ride-a-matics. I now need to copy all the parts for the other tractors. Lots of jobs still to do but it is now a useable tractor We decided to use the tractor to tidy up some old pallets. Not sure if the cat was happy but it kept Joseph warm First tractor time since the Christmas break which was great. Iain

Welcome to the large frame club and a fantastic example too. Iain

Paul, that looks like great tool now you have the compressor unit. You will be very popular at shows with everyone wanting tyres inflated. Iain

I have another one you can do if you enjoyed it so much

I can't believe I missed the build thread on the Trachorse . It is one of my favourate builds as it looks just right. I was asking Chris about the details during one of my visits to John's. Iain

Looks like you both had lots of fun. I couldn't help carefully looking at the pictures to make sure no good stuff was going into the skip. Iain

I have a number of these That is part of a Bolens tube frame deck linkage. The four holes closest to the floor attach to the tractor hookup points. Iain

Andrew, when you do get to find out more information about the trailer it might be worth asking about the sides and base. Looking at the bolts for the side brackets and the remaining floor brackets, it very much looks like the material was 1-2 inches thick and not the usual 1/2 inch ply. When I was a lad I remember an uncle having a trailer which was mainly used as a garden trailer but occasionally he towed it on the road behind his Austin A35 van. The unusual thing I remember about it was the van was fitted with a non-standard hitch to facilitate the hook up, so the trailer hitch did not have to be changed for this purpose. Unfortunately, he is no longer about to ask but the hitch on the van did not look homemade and he would not have had the skills or tools to make a hitch, nor would he have been inclined to pay someone to make one. It does make me wonder if the makers of these trailers also supplied a hitch for occasional road use, which would explain the suspension. Looking forward to seeing the rebuild. Iain

We should have both had a dance because it did mean that I had finally got the ignition to work, it just would have been better if it wasn't on this attempt I was thinking that it might also be good to keep a stock in the workshop for the times when careful thought is required. It is amassing how they soak up the information and unlike me they retain it. It's great when it comes to initial carb settings or point/plug gaps, I just tell him once and then I can use him as a reference resource . I am looking forward to the day when the roles are reversed. It's Not always good to get them involved as I was contacted by someone over the break who wants to sell me a tractor. The boss asked me if I had one of that model and my carefully considered reply was that I did not have one of those models. Joseph then corrected me and told her we have three of that model and proceeded to tell her about each one. Not a good move and I need to talk to him about benefits of listening to a question fully before answering Iain

Andrew, I used a cleaner called US-SO-CAR. I you drop that description into the usual auction site you will see a couple of sellers and at least one of them provides a PDF on the makeup of the solution. Missing carb parts are on order. Iain

I managed to get two out of the three running and lack of spare parts halted progress on the third. My progress is not significant compared to what some of you guys manage to do, however it was great to get into the workshop and also spend some time with Joseph. I was surprised how engaged he was and I think he enjoyed it, I certainly did. We had a few disasters but nothing serious and no permanent damage. The outtakes: "Be careful you don't loose any sockets from my snap-on 1/4 drive set" - whoops, the box has upturned into the sump oil pale "Can I use the hacksaw?" "No problem, this is how you use it and here is some scrap" - "Ah, well done for sawing through that bracket I spent an hour making, now we can make a better one" "Be careful using an 18" breaker bar on that small engine bolt" - "No problem, now let me show you how to remove a broken bolt" "How are you getting on with that chisel?" - "Ah, that's not a chisel it's a snap-on screw driver" The best one: "Yes that is how you wind the rope around the pull start but please don't pull it ATM as I am holding the HT lead" - "Yes son, I think that was a naughty word and a strange workshop dance but well done, that was a good strong pull on that rope" SWMBO read my mind one evening and came out with this little gem: "When you retire you needn't think that you are going to spend the days working on tractors and the evenings drinking beer, like the last week" Many thanks to Chris and Andrew for the support and encouragement. They were both getting regular updates and I also posted updates on the forum. I am not sure if anyone was really interested in my forum updates or if it was too boring and slow. It's not a problem if no one is interested but it would be could to know as it would save me the trouble of doing it. I hope everyone else also had some quality workshop time over the break. Iain

I only had a half day today and although I made some good progress I didn't get it running. It looks like a PO has taken the carb apart at some point and some of the parts are missing. I tried using some parts from different carbs however the parts were not close enough. The ultrasonic cleaner made a great job of the carb. It looks just as good on the inside I had a different assistant today, he was good company but to be honest he was useless Iain

I thought I had a copy of comparison chart that goes with this but unfortunately I couldn't find it. Iain

I am not sure if you class an angle grinder and air chisel as sympathetic removal however no Bolens parts were damaged in the process. Progress has been slow today as Sunday's is granddad day and as such I had little time. After removing the metal from the foot plates and wheel arches I found even more add-on plates that I had not noticed before, these ones extending the sides of the chassis. A chain guard maybe? After removing the add-ons I focused on the engine which appears to be seized. On strip down, first inspection of the carb did not look too bad with very little spindle wear I found this inside the carb and I expect you can imagine what it smelt like Hopefully a bit more progress tomorrow before returning to work on Tuesday Iain

Happy New Year everyone! Iain

Brilliant video Ian and I loved the special effects. We all love some toilet humour, had to pause the video myself at that point ant use the facilities You are making great progress Iain

It felt good to get it running again. Very cold mate, I need a woodburner in my workshop Iain

We got the D160 running today and ran it for about an hour. I am not 100% happy with the carb and will take it apart again to see what more can be done. It has lots of spindle wear and it is very tempting to get one of those reproduction carbs. Has anyone bought one and can give me a quick review? Joseph wanted to do another one of those test drive videos, so here we go Iain

I started to look at my 1961 Bolens Ride-a-matic today. I bought it a number of years ago from a local agricultural auction but for some reason I have never found the time to look at it. A previous owner has added lots of additions. We had a number of visitors today so I did very little other than swapping the front wheels and generally checking it over. It should be gold with white wheels however a previous owner had other ideas and added some blue and silver. The first thing I do with any new tractor is check out the tool box for goodies. Everything went into the bin except a new bronze bush. I then check for bent nails which I replace before they end up in a tyre. I always seem to find at least one. The first job will be to remove the add-ons, clean it up and see if the rear tyres are reusable. Iain

Thanks for the information guys, lots of options to consider. The fact that I need 6v as well as 12v limits my options a little That is a fantastic tool you have Chris, it looks like it covers every possible situation, thanks for getting it out and posting the pictures. Iain

At the moment I tend to whack a charge into a battery and see if it holds overnight, which sort of works but takes time often with disappointing results. As such I am in the market for a Battery condition tester tool that will check 6v and 12v batteries. Does anyone have any recommendations for a tool or suggestions on how to undertake the test without a specialist tool? Thanks Iain