I think this is a great suggestion. I hope we can do that. - Mike

Yoda! I knew you were a tractor guy! All those years in the swamp will do that to ya!

I agree Paul - at first glance the tractor seems solid and gives the impression of having been garaged it's whole life. Not a lot of spurious rust on it. It also shows signs of being maintained (or repaired) because the paint has been taken off some of the bolts where wrenches were applied. I will try everything to not repaint this thing. :-) Also - I do want to clean up the wiring - ALL of it. I noticed some of the interlocks seems to be missing...I would just as soon put a new harness in it.

John, when the tractor first stopped running last summer, I came over with truckload of tools and went through the fuel, spark, and air triage. I found a broken spark plug (thanks to a neighbor kid who offered to work on it), some old fuel, and a relatively clean filter. The battery was dead and I also replaced the ignition switch. When the tractor finally fired up, it ran GOOD. So I am optimistic about it's future. Somewhere in between now and last summer, it's developed an electrical problem that drains the battery. ALSO, the clutch would NOT engage - hence no ability to mow. I bypassed the PTO clutch with a 12v lead and it still would not activate. I'm actually looking forward to ripping that thing off the front of the engine and cussing it out as I replace it.

One of our members, Mlamar, makes wiring harnesses. I have used one on a 102 and was well pleased. The wires were properly color coded and even had a tag as to where it went. All the wires were of the proper guage and length with proper ends. Was an easy job all the way around. You can find his post in the Parts Sources section.

Mike,
You better have a good plan of keeping him from noticing it missing. I would know within a day if I were missing a Cubby.:beerchug::bigthink::beerchug:

Ronnie,
Ha! Do I have a plan?! Do I have a plan?!...Well, yes and no, not exactly....His wife assures me that he NEVER goes back behind the shed in the winter time. Between us guys and the internet, I think that's BS because even if he isn't going back there to check on the tractor under the tarps (groan - we have to find a better solution for housing the refurbed Project X) I don't know a man who doesn't occasionally take a leak in his backyard. He will definitely go back there at least once...

The "reveal" is planned for July, so the question(s) are 1. When to steal it? I don't plan to heist it until all parts and logistics (at least those I can plan on) for the rework have been lined up. 2. Should I cover up the theft? I am thinking that I could possibly fill the tarps with boxes to make it look like the tractor is still there. That might buy me 2 winter months, probably Feb and March, to keep the tractor in my garage. An alternative approach is whether or not I should cover up the theft at all - maybe I leave an empty tarp and wait for him to discover it. Personally, I prefer the cover-up approach and then
I don't have to worry about him trying to go out and buy a new tractor (which his wife has assured me she will forbid) or somehow figuring out the conspiracy. I'm a freak about security but I can't say the same about his wife...the longer we hide the theft from him, the less time available for someone to spill the beans. It's my experience that most surprises are ruined at the last moment - like when I walked into a restaurant for my 50th birthday party and there was a friend and his wife standing there with a present in their hand. The party was upstairs - they were late. My wife was slightly pissed at them for that - all her planning out the window....I like the security maxim that says something to the effect of "...the number of people who could possibly know a secret is the square of the people who know the secret" - so I've told 3 people about this caper (aside from this board which I'm hoping has no chance of intersection with my buddy) and so there could be 3 squared = 9 people who already potentially know about the caper.

Anyways - I'm working on the plan. All inputs welcome. Especially those that are clever and will mess with my friends head - like possibly making it look like the tractor caught fire and burned to a pile of melted junk...or leaving behind crack-head paraphernalia evidence to throw him off the trail, etc etc etc. :-)