HeadExam

That is a GREAT job ploughing and rotovating George. That even looks like land that has sat fallow or not been turned in quite some time (26 years is a long time). That is not an easy job, but you did it nicely! BTW the soil looks fairly damp in the pictures, is it really?

If anyone is thinking of converting to a 4 bolt hub, this Sand Rail hub by BMI is a good option. It slides directly over the spindle and it has 1-5/8" sealed precision bearings rated at over 1350 lb static pressure. Wheel and tire combinations can be found on epay and other tire wheel vendors http://www.bmikarts.com/4-x-4-Billet-Aluminum-Idler-Hub-34-or-1-ID-Bearing_p_1644.html

Norm, what did you use for front hubs?

Also wishing you many Happy Returns. have a Great Day Doug!

and started wonder which of you blokes was guilty, lol http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-34779378

After using both my flat top tube frame tiller and my flat top large frame tiller, I can assure all that no other GT tiller surpasses its performance. I've used Ariens, Allis/Simp, Cub, CASE, Deere and Massey tillers, none work like Bolens flat top. Once you attempt to lift or load one you will know why

Seems you have been hiding something in the shed.

Its really tough call, because the bonnet and fenders are a different type of metal than the frame and and drive train. Many automotive places use an epoxy primer or a zinc chromate etching primer and that would be at the high end of products. As I have said before these tractors were never primed to start with so if one got a good prep maybe a acrylic urethane top coat would do, but I still prime as Chris does.

Happy birthday from the States, Koen

Very sorry to here this Mark, Water is one of the worst of Mother Natures bad sides. I feel your pain after pumping water for days this spring. God luck in getting to the repairs and getting it all sorted out. You should be able to identify all existing problems now at least.

Thanks, Andrew, they made virtually the same tiller for the tube frames, I have one of those as well, absolutely effortless.

I do not believe a geared tractor and hydro share any parts. My parts dealer assures me that finding parts for sundstrand/eaton hydros is not a problem, however not the same can be said about the older Vickers T66 hydros, which were not as common in GTs anyway, mostly in early Simp/AC, Ariens, and maybe Wards. The hydrostatic drive is very, very simple if you deal in fluid power much at all. A pulley turns the pump creating pressure with the use of 9 cylinders (sometimes less) that resemble a wheel gun or revolver, by pulling a lever fluid is moved to the gears in the trans axle that propel the machine forward, by pulling the handle the opposite way it reverses the direction of fluid and the machine. The main problem with hydros comes from dirty fluid and the scratching/wearing of the pressure plate. I know of only three geared transmissions in Cub GTs up until 1980,and those had many parts interchangeable with Cub tractors, but some geared tractors like Wheel Horse, Bolens, Simp/AC had many different geared transmission models and therefore parts tend to go NLA, especially those that offered two speed, hi/low, vari-drive, select-o-shift, or shuttle shift transmissions. Below is a picture of a Wheel horse D-200 hydro pump after the outside cover is removed. Of course the transmission/drive train of the Wheel Horse is closer to a Hydraulic drive CASE tractor than a true hydrostatic, but it does use the same pump as the hydrostatics and not a hydraulic pump like the CASE.

Paul Said, " a good hydro is great, however a weak hydro is not. They can leak, groan, lose power when warm..". The same can be said about a geared tractor in that if the clutch is weak, the gears stripped, or the bearings rotted, it takes rebuilding the whole drive line to get it in order. These tractors are for the most part close to half a century old and whether maintenance has been done or not, getting back to original takes time and money if the tractor is to survive. Again, I really don't see an issue of reliability or durability in geared over hydro, but as others have stated, it is a personal preference. I would really like to see a tractor with a synchronous transmission, like the newer shift on the fly mowers, but more of an automotive quality. Maybe some one could do a custom build hint, hint Nigel, etal

I have, in a 1969 Chevy truck, 1976 Ford Pinto, 1968 Ford Fairlane, 1981 Mercedes 240D. Only around 10 percent of vehicles made in North America now have manual transmissions, down from 35 percent in 1980 and that number is falling. mostly due to the capabilities of modern automatic transmissions which now have 6-9 speeds. The old standard transmissions are reliable, cheap to produce, and lower the overall cost of a car, but they are not nearly as capable in most driving conditions as the the newer automatics. That said, more automatics transmissions has as much or more to do with customer wants than just reliability or durability. The same might be said for the rise in popularity of GT hydrostatic transmissions. Unfortunately the newer GT and mower Hydro transmissions are not nearly as capable as the older models due to cost AND planned obsolescence. Automobiles seem to have higher reliability ratings, due to consumer driving habits changing, as in more miles driven. While we say things do not last as long as before we must always remember that may of the newer generations do not seem to maintain or work on anything but video game scores and fantasy football leagues, that could be a very large part of the problem.

I think it is funny as well. Interpreting it and considering how it was meant are different than how it is taken and how to react to it. I try to wear it as a badge of honor bestowed by one that might not have as much knowledge as myself, or may have more, but simply likes to cut to the chase and not expound on the discussion. It means for one reason or another I have slowed the brain and revved the mouth, lol

Koen, conversations are absolutely imperative to gaining knowledge and I do not believe anyone here engages in doing so with other motives. I also believe it is hard to say the word "better" when it comes to using a GT for the work it was intended to do. Pulling a concrete sled maybe suited for geared tractors, but I think pulling a sled has no more to do with garden work than my GT would have with auto racing if I put on larger tyres. I also think that given the amount of geared tractors produced in comparison the the number of hydros that there may not be a statistical or significant difference in reliability. The more tractors you make the more likely there are going to be more problems, but I do not believe that hydrostatic transmissions are less reliable, less capable, or less suited for any work a GT was designed to do. They are however a much more expensive transmission and that is the reason that many are warned off of them, that and the fact newer hydros are in the most part pitiful. Thank you for your input Koen, as I said starting these conversations always leads to knowledge, with only one caveat, have good intentions. It is the reason I like this forum and its members. Getting through the difference in typing versus talking in person is a major hurdle not considered and often results in misunderstanding. I misunderstand often until someone uses the the word jackass,

I think it is easy to have misconceptions about things that are unfamiliar. I know it is for me. I do not know much about geared tractors, because I don't own any and I have never worked on any. Taking that into consideration is important, but not as important as actual research and if you do statistical research I believe you will find significantly higher rates of geared tractor issues than hydrostatic tractor issues in tractors made before 1980. I have owned over 75 pre 1980 garden tractors, all but one or two were hydros, and not a single one of those hydrostatic transmissions has ever gone down. In doing that research the actual number of geared versus hydro tractors produced would be extremely import to verify my belief. Many if not most of the hydro parts used in older GTs are still available because they still make these hydros for use in zero turns and other pump related jobs. The Eaton 7 and 8 hydro pumps that graced such tractors as the little Montgomery Wards Hydrostatic 8 from the early 1970s and the late 1970s Cub 382/482IH vertical shaft tractors were still used on many zero turns like the Grasshopper, at least up until a few years ago. As to vertical shaft tractor strength the older models with good peerless rear ends are very solid tractors compared to the newer zinc cast rear ends in today's LTs, that cannot support ground engaging equipment.

As I say, it is a personal preference. I like a hydro because I can apply throttle and get power, no need to shift up or down, but if you are comfortable with a geared tractor that is good also. I think more importantly that he chooses a GT with a horizontally positioned engine over a lawn tractors vertical positioned engine, if he is going to plow.

Well okay, so Wheel Horse called all transmissions a unidrive, is that right? How do you know which is which? To answer the posters question as to which would be better for plowing, geared or hydro, you say it doesn't matter as long as it is unidrive, is that right? I think it is a personal preference as both will work fine and are very durable. *Further research says Unidrive is a 3 speed geared tractor not a hydro. Quoting Wheel Horse History "A new model was produced in 1958, which included a three-speed transmission. This transmission is called the Uni-Drive transmission that Elmer Pond designed"*

So a unidrive is both a geared tractor and a hydro, like a vari-drive or shuttle shift? Or are you saying unidrive was the Wheel horse term for Hydrostatic? I don't own any geared tractors so I think I and the original poster would like some clarification on the unidrive, it cant be both geared and hydro. Of course anything moving is mechanical, but not all transmissions were the same

Unidrive=Hydrostatic, and either transmission will work fine. I find less maintenance and issues with Hydrostatic transmissions and they sem to work better in conditions where you might need a varied power curve as you do not have to stop and shift gears. I would look toward models made between 1968 and 1980 as these are a more modern and able machine than earlier primitive machines and built stronger and more durable than later machines. Look for a engine that the engine crankshaft is horizontal with the earth, not vertical. If possible pick one that already has agricultural bar lug tires.

The Bolens 1476 tilling the garden before winter sets in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUKbrQB89ig

I think I would be knocking on door of the people in the immediate vicinity and offering a reward for information leading to the location of the tractor. It seems one neighbor may see if another has nicked a new GT recently and want some extra money for Boxing Day.

along with a Rotovator from home in Bristol England, Here is Jamie's account of the events: I have been using the power of FaceBook to try and find the tractor, here's the story so far. I had taken the horse to a friends house locally where it was being used to rotovate his garden, it was left stored in a barn away from any public access or rights of way. On Sunday morning my friend noticed the gate was ajar and horse missing, he asked his son to contact me to see if I had collected it. I rarely look at Emails but unusually I did last night to find a message that "Dad" was worried etc. I went to the Police station this morning hoping there had been a dumped tractor found as I suspected it to be louts having a play around after visiting a very nearby pub. I was informed that no such thing had been reported but gave the tractors and my own details. A short while later I posted of my loss on a local FaceBook "items for sale page" as it has a large following. Within a very short time I had several people telling me it had been dumped in a small lane within half of a mile of where it was taken from, one lady was actually coming home at 2 am the night it went and saw it. She and at least one other reported it using the Police 101 service and have reference numbers, one person also has CCTV which overlooks the area it was left and has recorded the precise time two men were seen leaving the area 1:23am. Another person contacted me saying he was going to put it in the shed when he was told the Police were on the way. Anyhow, the Police did arrive, they simply moved it to the side of the lane and left. It was there around thirty hours, but, it is no longer, I'm still looking around and asking about but it seems it has vanished from where it was originally dumped.