OldBuzzard

I bought this machine from second hand shop in internet. it cost me 80 €. working, but the engine has been chanced to briggs&stratton 8 hp, and the lawnblades were worn out and cuttened in pieces, also the 3 blade-tables was totally broken. But my father in law fixed them, so now my husky is working fine. Also i put better choke-handle to it, because it were not working, and the footgrill was too tiny and far away for my 6&7 years old boys to ride, so i make some bigger and longer footgrills to it.
 
Now im looking for parts to this machine, Brake is barely working, also (because of that) the gearbox is quite rattling,when changing a gear when brakes are not totally bottomed.. Ou, i also put hand-handle for the brake, because its easier to the boys to work with.
 
Then i must change the oil to the rear of the bolens. the tires are full-rubber in back, and normal air filled tires in front. Has anyone any guide to this model ? how i do the things right ? I can do them by my mind, but if there are some special what not to do, or what must do first, i dont know about things like that.
 
And there are the accumulator under the seat, earlier owner has changed the tiny accu to normal car size accu, now it starts, no matter what!
 
Thanks!
 
i give some pics when i got my camera better...
 
edited some odd words better..

It's easy to armchair quarterback the call, but the people on the ground, including  the owner said that it was the right thing to do.
 
From some of the various articles on the incident."
 
 
 
 
 
 
This from the owner:
 
 
Yeah, it's a shame that it had to happen, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

Interesting.
 
The weights I have on the HDT1000 are marked E ROWE.
 
They were originally for combines, but they do fit the 12" wheel just fine although they do increase the width some.  They are roughly 105 lbs. each.
 
Here's a couple of pics. One is siting next to a Bolens rear weight just for size reference.
 
I found that having the forklift to aid in installing them made the job a lot easier than it would have been without it.
 
 
 

Interesting.
 
The weights I have on the HDT1000 are marked E ROWE.
 
They were originally for combines, but they do fit the 12" wheel just fine although they do increase the width some.  They are roughly 105 lbs. each.
 
Here's a couple of pics. One is siting next to a Bolens rear weight just for size reference.
 
I found that having the forklift to aid in installing them made the job a lot easier than it would have been without it.
 
 
 

I have a set of wheel weights not too dissimilar to the above but embossed with FMC. Apparently they fit the Gutbrod tractors too so possibly is generic like Iain suggested?

I'm guessing that they were somewhat generic.
 
I have Bolens weights with BOLENS cast into them and another set that are identical but have OLDA cast in them.
 
 
 
 

Dunno about that.
 
Bet the CST Ancla tires will give them a run for their money  :D
 
They are available in 25x8-12 and 25x10-12 sizes at very good prices.
 
http://www.discountutvtires.com/CST-ANCLA-UTV-ATV-TIRES/
 
I have them on 3 of my Large Frames: the 1886-01 with FEL, the 1886-01 Forklift, and the HDT1000.

Dunno about that.
 
Bet the CST Ancla tires will give them a run for their money  :D
 
They are available in 25x8-12 and 25x10-12 sizes at very good prices.
 
http://www.discountutvtires.com/CST-ANCLA-UTV-ATV-TIRES/
 
I have them on 3 of my Large Frames: the 1886-01 with FEL, the 1886-01 Forklift, and the HDT1000.

Dunno about that.
 
Bet the CST Ancla tires will give them a run for their money  :D
 
They are available in 25x8-12 and 25x10-12 sizes at very good prices.
 
http://www.discountutvtires.com/CST-ANCLA-UTV-ATV-TIRES/
 
I have them on 3 of my Large Frames: the 1886-01 with FEL, the 1886-01 Forklift, and the HDT1000.

Thanks Andrew. Those tires ARE the business. They are ITP 589s, no lugs bigger or better, I have them on my Massey 1650 and it pulled a full size truck out of a muddy ditch without slipping. The Massey and Bolens tires are 10" (26cm) wide. All are 25" (65cm) tall. I also have them on an Ariens GT14H, but in the 25x8-12 (20cm) width for plowing and garden work. I got a good deal on them, just under 100 US a tire delivered to my door. They are 189.00 a piece now, if you can find them.

Right then, back to the Operation.
 
When we last posted, the Forklift was still on the trailer as were the makings of the crate.
 
This morning I went out to unload everything and put the crate to a place where I could still get to it later for assembly.
 
Now one thing to consider is that the forklift has very little ground clearance and with the weight box on the back having a long overhang, it doesn't take much to high center it. That means that you have to be a bit creative to get it on and off a trailer.
 
Fortunately my North lot has a drainage ditch that is just perfect.  I just back the trailer down the ditch and the tailgate is now level with the road  :D
 
I also found that a byproduct of taking the forklift with me when I picked ut the crate was that the crate was resting just fine of the forks.
 
So, unloading the crate was just a matter of lifting the forks so that it cleared the trailer sides, driving off the trailer, and Bob's your Uncle.  I'd like to be able to claim that I planned that, but it was just pure happenstance.
 
Pics of how the unloading went.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Right then, back to the Operation.
 
When we last posted, the Forklift was still on the trailer as were the makings of the crate.
 
This morning I went out to unload everything and put the crate to a place where I could still get to it later for assembly.
 
Now one thing to consider is that the forklift has very little ground clearance and with the weight box on the back having a long overhang, it doesn't take much to high center it. That means that you have to be a bit creative to get it on and off a trailer.
 
Fortunately my North lot has a drainage ditch that is just perfect.  I just back the trailer down the ditch and the tailgate is now level with the road  :D
 
I also found that a byproduct of taking the forklift with me when I picked ut the crate was that the crate was resting just fine of the forks.
 
So, unloading the crate was just a matter of lifting the forks so that it cleared the trailer sides, driving off the trailer, and Bob's your Uncle.  I'd like to be able to claim that I planned that, but it was just pure happenstance.
 
Pics of how the unloading went.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Gentlemen,
 
Sometime back, April 16 in fact, Andrew (Triumph66) sent me a PM over on the GTTalk forums.
 
There was a 1962 Bolens 600 listed on eBay that he was interested in, and he wanted to know if I would assist him in getting it shipped to him if he bought it.
 
One reason for his request was that it had been posted on the GTTalk forums and I told folks that I was VERY close to where it was located and that I could pick up and store it if anyone was interested.
 
I replied that I would be more than glad to help, and Andrew got VERY interested.   Since he was so interested, I decided to go take a look at it in person as it was only 20 miles from me.
 
I took a good look at it and took it for a spin around the barn yard, and was VERY impressed with it.
 
I asked the seller if he knew anything about the history of the tractor and he explained that he worked in a scrap yard, and that someone had brought it in to be scrapped     Since he is a bit knowledgeable he set it off to the side so that they could sell it rather than scrapping it
 
Why on earth someone would do that is beyond me.  As you will see in the following pics, it's one of the nicest original tractors that you will ever see.  It's absolutely beautiful
 
It was listed with a starting bit of $300.00 and for one reason or another no one bid on it and Andrew STOLE it for the minimum bid.
 
PM's started flowing fast and furious, and after wired bank funds finally arrived (that was a story in itself), I contacted the seller and made arrangements to pick it up.
 
So today I hooked up the trailer and went to fetch the mighty Bolens.
 
One thing that Andrew mentioned was maybe I could take a pic of the Bolens with an 'iconic' American building in the back round,  I hope I succeeded  :D
 
I did stop on the way home to take a pic or two of some "iconic' bovines as well.  You don't see them often in this part of the country, but if you ever watched the old Westerns, you should be able to figure out what they are :D
 
So without further ado, the pics, starting from hooked up and ready to go, to back home with it one the trailer.  I will be taking more pics as we go along and most likely a video or two as well.

A bit more progress to report.
 
Andrew found and purchased a sleeve hitch for the Bolens tube frames. He arraigned with the seller to send it to me for inclusion in the shipment. 
 
I have one pic of it, and at a later date I'll have a few more when I get it mounted on the tractor.
 
We also have the beginnings of the shipping crate.
 
It turned out to be a bit more of a project than I first thought.
 
I went over to the dealer, and discovered that the parts of the crate were too large to fit in the truck bed.  I have a Dodge Dakota with the crew cab, so the bed is a bit on the short side.  So, I said to myself  "Self, let's just go get the trailer and use it". Self replied, "I do believe that is a splendid idea".
 
Now this dealer is also the same dealer that originally put my forklift together.  They used and abused it for 30+ years, and about 2 years ago I managed to get them to sell it to me,  It worked great but did need some help both cosmetically and mechanically.  That was done over the winter before last.  You can see a long thread on that over at the GTT forums: http://gardentractortalk.com/forums/topic/29815-bolens-1886-forklift-refurb/page-1?hl=+refurb
 
They were also holding a Cub Cadet open house, with all of the new CCs available for a test drive, etc.  I sat and talked with then for awhile, and was talking to the father who was the original owner, and he expressed interest in seeing it now that it had been refurbed.
 
Once we got back home and I was hooking the trailer up to the Dakota, I once again opened up a conversations with Self.  "Self" I said "since we are taking the trailer anyway, why don't we load the forklift as well, and we can let the folks over there see what it looks like after the refurbish?"  Self replied "Brilliant!"  (I think I've been spending too much time on this forum and watching old episodes of Top Gear and the language is rubbing off on me  :D )
 
So, the forklift was loaded onto the trailer and back we (Self and I) went. We shot the breeze some more, and I finally started loading up the crate.  Now I gotta tell you, that was WAY too much like work!
 
There was a big stack of knocked down crates, and I spent a lot of time moving parts around until I finally found one of suitable size, and all the parts thereof.
 
Finally, I was all load up and back home I came.
 
Here are a few pics.
 
As you can see the poor Dakota had all it could handle with the forklift on the trailer
 
Another couple of pics of what will be the shipping crate.
 
And, a couple of pics of Andrew's 600 parked next to my HT20D.  The HT20D is sitting there because it's being shifted from the Winter mode to Summer mode.  The blade will be coming off and the flail mower will be going on.  I just HAD to take those pics as it so clearly shows the difference in sizes between the first of the tube frames and basically the last (size wise) of the large frames.
 
Andrew's 600 is there because I was attaching the sleeve hitch. However, I ran into a problem, so the hitch isn't on it yet. I will describe all of that in a later post

That would be what we call the "Square Back" tiller for the tube frames.
 
It's a very heavy duty tiller and is capable of working virgin ground.

Yep, the good folks over at Worcester's were most appreciative, and glad to see that it had a new lease on life.
 
Yes, Haban made the Flail-Mo in different widths.
 
They made the 36" models 502 and 503 for the tube frames and the 48" models 513 and 514 for the large frames.  The one in the pic is a 514A and I also have a 503 which needs a bit of TLC and isn't usuable at this time. It's an attachment that you don't want to use with a gear driven tube frame unless you have the optional hydraulic lift.
 
The Sickle-Mo is a model 415A and is mounted on a 1250 with the optional Bolens Dual Wheel Kit.  The REALLY nice thing about the 415 is that it uses the tractor's hydraulics to raise/lower the cutter bar.  Sure makes it easier to use than the 405A that I have on a 1256.  With that you have a lever you pull to raise/lower the cutter bar.

Just got back from a day trip to Cornwall (as you do) with this, its an International Cadet 81 of the late 70's period, complete
with mowing deck... rather pleased but somewhat tired now, started out from home at 2am and got home at 5pm...   
 
I will have a good look at it tomorrow, it's parked in its new home now, here's some photos to be going on with...
 
 

A bit more progress to report.
 
Andrew found and purchased a sleeve hitch for the Bolens tube frames. He arraigned with the seller to send it to me for inclusion in the shipment. 
 
I have one pic of it, and at a later date I'll have a few more when I get it mounted on the tractor.
 
We also have the beginnings of the shipping crate.
 
It turned out to be a bit more of a project than I first thought.
 
I went over to the dealer, and discovered that the parts of the crate were too large to fit in the truck bed.  I have a Dodge Dakota with the crew cab, so the bed is a bit on the short side.  So, I said to myself  "Self, let's just go get the trailer and use it". Self replied, "I do believe that is a splendid idea".
 
Now this dealer is also the same dealer that originally put my forklift together.  They used and abused it for 30+ years, and about 2 years ago I managed to get them to sell it to me,  It worked great but did need some help both cosmetically and mechanically.  That was done over the winter before last.  You can see a long thread on that over at the GTT forums: http://gardentractortalk.com/forums/topic/29815-bolens-1886-forklift-refurb/page-1?hl=+refurb
 
They were also holding a Cub Cadet open house, with all of the new CCs available for a test drive, etc.  I sat and talked with then for awhile, and was talking to the father who was the original owner, and he expressed interest in seeing it now that it had been refurbed.
 
Once we got back home and I was hooking the trailer up to the Dakota, I once again opened up a conversations with Self.  "Self" I said "since we are taking the trailer anyway, why don't we load the forklift as well, and we can let the folks over there see what it looks like after the refurbish?"  Self replied "Brilliant!"  (I think I've been spending too much time on this forum and watching old episodes of Top Gear and the language is rubbing off on me  :D )
 
So, the forklift was loaded onto the trailer and back we (Self and I) went. We shot the breeze some more, and I finally started loading up the crate.  Now I gotta tell you, that was WAY too much like work!
 
There was a big stack of knocked down crates, and I spent a lot of time moving parts around until I finally found one of suitable size, and all the parts thereof.
 
Finally, I was all load up and back home I came.
 
Here are a few pics.
 
As you can see the poor Dakota had all it could handle with the forklift on the trailer
 
Another couple of pics of what will be the shipping crate.
 
And, a couple of pics of Andrew's 600 parked next to my HT20D.  The HT20D is sitting there because it's being shifted from the Winter mode to Summer mode.  The blade will be coming off and the flail mower will be going on.  I just HAD to take those pics as it so clearly shows the difference in sizes between the first of the tube frames and basically the last (size wise) of the large frames.
 
Andrew's 600 is there because I was attaching the sleeve hitch. However, I ran into a problem, so the hitch isn't on it yet. I will describe all of that in a later post

A bit more progress to report.
 
Andrew found and purchased a sleeve hitch for the Bolens tube frames. He arraigned with the seller to send it to me for inclusion in the shipment. 
 
I have one pic of it, and at a later date I'll have a few more when I get it mounted on the tractor.
 
We also have the beginnings of the shipping crate.
 
It turned out to be a bit more of a project than I first thought.
 
I went over to the dealer, and discovered that the parts of the crate were too large to fit in the truck bed.  I have a Dodge Dakota with the crew cab, so the bed is a bit on the short side.  So, I said to myself  "Self, let's just go get the trailer and use it". Self replied, "I do believe that is a splendid idea".
 
Now this dealer is also the same dealer that originally put my forklift together.  They used and abused it for 30+ years, and about 2 years ago I managed to get them to sell it to me,  It worked great but did need some help both cosmetically and mechanically.  That was done over the winter before last.  You can see a long thread on that over at the GTT forums: http://gardentractortalk.com/forums/topic/29815-bolens-1886-forklift-refurb/page-1?hl=+refurb
 
They were also holding a Cub Cadet open house, with all of the new CCs available for a test drive, etc.  I sat and talked with then for awhile, and was talking to the father who was the original owner, and he expressed interest in seeing it now that it had been refurbed.
 
Once we got back home and I was hooking the trailer up to the Dakota, I once again opened up a conversations with Self.  "Self" I said "since we are taking the trailer anyway, why don't we load the forklift as well, and we can let the folks over there see what it looks like after the refurbish?"  Self replied "Brilliant!"  (I think I've been spending too much time on this forum and watching old episodes of Top Gear and the language is rubbing off on me  :D )
 
So, the forklift was loaded onto the trailer and back we (Self and I) went. We shot the breeze some more, and I finally started loading up the crate.  Now I gotta tell you, that was WAY too much like work!
 
There was a big stack of knocked down crates, and I spent a lot of time moving parts around until I finally found one of suitable size, and all the parts thereof.
 
Finally, I was all load up and back home I came.
 
Here are a few pics.
 
As you can see the poor Dakota had all it could handle with the forklift on the trailer
 
Another couple of pics of what will be the shipping crate.
 
And, a couple of pics of Andrew's 600 parked next to my HT20D.  The HT20D is sitting there because it's being shifted from the Winter mode to Summer mode.  The blade will be coming off and the flail mower will be going on.  I just HAD to take those pics as it so clearly shows the difference in sizes between the first of the tube frames and basically the last (size wise) of the large frames.
 
Andrew's 600 is there because I was attaching the sleeve hitch. However, I ran into a problem, so the hitch isn't on it yet. I will describe all of that in a later post

That is what we call the "Round Back" tiller.  This one has the optional extension on it
 
The round backs are a light/medium duty tiller and meant to till ground that has been previously worked.
 
They can till virgin ground, but you don't want to till a large plot, or do it on a regular basis.

A bit more progress to report.
 
Andrew found and purchased a sleeve hitch for the Bolens tube frames. He arraigned with the seller to send it to me for inclusion in the shipment. 
 
I have one pic of it, and at a later date I'll have a few more when I get it mounted on the tractor.
 
We also have the beginnings of the shipping crate.
 
It turned out to be a bit more of a project than I first thought.
 
I went over to the dealer, and discovered that the parts of the crate were too large to fit in the truck bed.  I have a Dodge Dakota with the crew cab, so the bed is a bit on the short side.  So, I said to myself  "Self, let's just go get the trailer and use it". Self replied, "I do believe that is a splendid idea".
 
Now this dealer is also the same dealer that originally put my forklift together.  They used and abused it for 30+ years, and about 2 years ago I managed to get them to sell it to me,  It worked great but did need some help both cosmetically and mechanically.  That was done over the winter before last.  You can see a long thread on that over at the GTT forums: http://gardentractortalk.com/forums/topic/29815-bolens-1886-forklift-refurb/page-1?hl=+refurb
 
They were also holding a Cub Cadet open house, with all of the new CCs available for a test drive, etc.  I sat and talked with then for awhile, and was talking to the father who was the original owner, and he expressed interest in seeing it now that it had been refurbed.
 
Once we got back home and I was hooking the trailer up to the Dakota, I once again opened up a conversations with Self.  "Self" I said "since we are taking the trailer anyway, why don't we load the forklift as well, and we can let the folks over there see what it looks like after the refurbish?"  Self replied "Brilliant!"  (I think I've been spending too much time on this forum and watching old episodes of Top Gear and the language is rubbing off on me  :D )
 
So, the forklift was loaded onto the trailer and back we (Self and I) went. We shot the breeze some more, and I finally started loading up the crate.  Now I gotta tell you, that was WAY too much like work!
 
There was a big stack of knocked down crates, and I spent a lot of time moving parts around until I finally found one of suitable size, and all the parts thereof.
 
Finally, I was all load up and back home I came.
 
Here are a few pics.
 
As you can see the poor Dakota had all it could handle with the forklift on the trailer
 
Another couple of pics of what will be the shipping crate.
 
And, a couple of pics of Andrew's 600 parked next to my HT20D.  The HT20D is sitting there because it's being shifted from the Winter mode to Summer mode.  The blade will be coming off and the flail mower will be going on.  I just HAD to take those pics as it so clearly shows the difference in sizes between the first of the tube frames and basically the last (size wise) of the large frames.
 
Andrew's 600 is there because I was attaching the sleeve hitch. However, I ran into a problem, so the hitch isn't on it yet. I will describe all of that in a later post

A bit more progress to report.
 
Andrew found and purchased a sleeve hitch for the Bolens tube frames. He arraigned with the seller to send it to me for inclusion in the shipment. 
 
I have one pic of it, and at a later date I'll have a few more when I get it mounted on the tractor.
 
We also have the beginnings of the shipping crate.
 
It turned out to be a bit more of a project than I first thought.
 
I went over to the dealer, and discovered that the parts of the crate were too large to fit in the truck bed.  I have a Dodge Dakota with the crew cab, so the bed is a bit on the short side.  So, I said to myself  "Self, let's just go get the trailer and use it". Self replied, "I do believe that is a splendid idea".
 
Now this dealer is also the same dealer that originally put my forklift together.  They used and abused it for 30+ years, and about 2 years ago I managed to get them to sell it to me,  It worked great but did need some help both cosmetically and mechanically.  That was done over the winter before last.  You can see a long thread on that over at the GTT forums: http://gardentractortalk.com/forums/topic/29815-bolens-1886-forklift-refurb/page-1?hl=+refurb
 
They were also holding a Cub Cadet open house, with all of the new CCs available for a test drive, etc.  I sat and talked with then for awhile, and was talking to the father who was the original owner, and he expressed interest in seeing it now that it had been refurbed.
 
Once we got back home and I was hooking the trailer up to the Dakota, I once again opened up a conversations with Self.  "Self" I said "since we are taking the trailer anyway, why don't we load the forklift as well, and we can let the folks over there see what it looks like after the refurbish?"  Self replied "Brilliant!"  (I think I've been spending too much time on this forum and watching old episodes of Top Gear and the language is rubbing off on me  :D )
 
So, the forklift was loaded onto the trailer and back we (Self and I) went. We shot the breeze some more, and I finally started loading up the crate.  Now I gotta tell you, that was WAY too much like work!
 
There was a big stack of knocked down crates, and I spent a lot of time moving parts around until I finally found one of suitable size, and all the parts thereof.
 
Finally, I was all load up and back home I came.
 
Here are a few pics.
 
As you can see the poor Dakota had all it could handle with the forklift on the trailer
 
Another couple of pics of what will be the shipping crate.
 
And, a couple of pics of Andrew's 600 parked next to my HT20D.  The HT20D is sitting there because it's being shifted from the Winter mode to Summer mode.  The blade will be coming off and the flail mower will be going on.  I just HAD to take those pics as it so clearly shows the difference in sizes between the first of the tube frames and basically the last (size wise) of the large frames.
 
Andrew's 600 is there because I was attaching the sleeve hitch. However, I ran into a problem, so the hitch isn't on it yet. I will describe all of that in a later post

A bit more progress to report.
 
Andrew found and purchased a sleeve hitch for the Bolens tube frames. He arraigned with the seller to send it to me for inclusion in the shipment. 
 
I have one pic of it, and at a later date I'll have a few more when I get it mounted on the tractor.
 
We also have the beginnings of the shipping crate.
 
It turned out to be a bit more of a project than I first thought.
 
I went over to the dealer, and discovered that the parts of the crate were too large to fit in the truck bed.  I have a Dodge Dakota with the crew cab, so the bed is a bit on the short side.  So, I said to myself  "Self, let's just go get the trailer and use it". Self replied, "I do believe that is a splendid idea".
 
Now this dealer is also the same dealer that originally put my forklift together.  They used and abused it for 30+ years, and about 2 years ago I managed to get them to sell it to me,  It worked great but did need some help both cosmetically and mechanically.  That was done over the winter before last.  You can see a long thread on that over at the GTT forums: http://gardentractortalk.com/forums/topic/29815-bolens-1886-forklift-refurb/page-1?hl=+refurb
 
They were also holding a Cub Cadet open house, with all of the new CCs available for a test drive, etc.  I sat and talked with then for awhile, and was talking to the father who was the original owner, and he expressed interest in seeing it now that it had been refurbed.
 
Once we got back home and I was hooking the trailer up to the Dakota, I once again opened up a conversations with Self.  "Self" I said "since we are taking the trailer anyway, why don't we load the forklift as well, and we can let the folks over there see what it looks like after the refurbish?"  Self replied "Brilliant!"  (I think I've been spending too much time on this forum and watching old episodes of Top Gear and the language is rubbing off on me  :D )
 
So, the forklift was loaded onto the trailer and back we (Self and I) went. We shot the breeze some more, and I finally started loading up the crate.  Now I gotta tell you, that was WAY too much like work!
 
There was a big stack of knocked down crates, and I spent a lot of time moving parts around until I finally found one of suitable size, and all the parts thereof.
 
Finally, I was all load up and back home I came.
 
Here are a few pics.
 
As you can see the poor Dakota had all it could handle with the forklift on the trailer
 
Another couple of pics of what will be the shipping crate.
 
And, a couple of pics of Andrew's 600 parked next to my HT20D.  The HT20D is sitting there because it's being shifted from the Winter mode to Summer mode.  The blade will be coming off and the flail mower will be going on.  I just HAD to take those pics as it so clearly shows the difference in sizes between the first of the tube frames and basically the last (size wise) of the large frames.
 
Andrew's 600 is there because I was attaching the sleeve hitch. However, I ran into a problem, so the hitch isn't on it yet. I will describe all of that in a later post

Color looks right for the earlier Bolens.
 
I can tell you that it DOES NOT fit the tube frames or large frames.

That would be what we call the "Square Back" tiller for the tube frames.
 
It's a very heavy duty tiller and is capable of working virgin ground.