Wasted no time putting the (now) 1250 to work. (Lots of Pics!)

[J-Mech]

Originally Posted by sgt.porter

Got the tires (w/tubes) mounted and loaded. Only got 4 gal + 1 qt of fluid in these. Supposed to be able to fit 6, it's just not happening. Maybe be able to fit more when the rubber gets broke in.

23X8.50-12's will NOT hold 6 gal of fluid. 4 is about right.

[IHinIN]

Good to see you back with the group. If I remember right, you don't live far from me.

[dodge trucker]

I have a 1650 w/o an engine and was thinking of picking parts from it to make my 129 a better tractor like the hydro lift but I have been thinking different lately I might start looking for another Kohler to fill the hole and make it a runner again.....

[sgt.porter]

Thanks for the replies, kind words, and encouragement. I haven't been motivated or determined to do anything but mess with my coin collection for years. That definitely changed this spring.

My "baby" getting more drive time. I started young, but I never imagined a 2 year old could drive like he does. <3


I spent the last couple of days playing with and working the cub and implements. Mostly plow and cultivator maintenance, but also running around the property playing pick up sticks with the #1 cart, working on the tires, and adjusting the carb.
I should probably put implement stuff in the proper forums, but some teasers are ok here I'm sure.
Pulled the cultivator completely apart, conditioned the shovels, got everything straight and at a good depth again.


I'll be able to comfortably cultivate 24" rows without harming young plants with this one.


My Brinly 8" plow was in pretty bad shape. Both it and cultivator had been sitting on back fence row since about 2013... Didn't take a before pic, but here it is getting setup after I scrubbed, sharpened and polished the plow and coulter.


I had a terrible time getting anywhere with the plow after setup. I'd plow a 60' row, adjust, plow, adjust, plow. It was pretty frustrating and having no weight to keep the front wheels on the ground made it worse. Gave up for the night, went to the barn to load the tires.

Originally Posted by J-Mech

23X8.50-12's will NOT hold 6 gal of fluid. 4 is about right.

I found several charts online, one posted on another thread in OCC leads here: http://cubfaq.com/tirefluid.html
All charts I found show 5.5-6 gal for 23x8.5-12. I assumed that the new tubes were just too stiff and trying to retain original shape. After 4 days of making the tires earn their keep, I was able to put another gallon in each rear tire without forcing it at all. I have 40+ gal of washer fluid (bought on clearance, got it cheaper when I asked to take it all :-) ) so I might try to add more later in the summer.
Each of the front tires took 2.5 gal of fluid. I still hate these tires and want to go with a 3 or 4 rib, but loaded worn high flotation tires are better than nothing.

This morning I woke up determined to get the plow set right. Realized right off the bat that I never even checked my landing yesterday, and it was way out of line. Just a little more fine tuning and I was smoking virgin sod with little to no flip back. A light rain this morning helped make the soil perfect for plowing, and with the added weight to front and rear I had almost no slippage, and the front tires never left the ground.


You can sort of see the mess I made yesterday trying to tune the plow in on the right hand side of the pic. 4 rows on either side of tractor were today's as of picture time.
Yes, I am aware that I can't plow straight, and yes I was stupid enough to plow myself in. I grew up driving tractors and my first "job" was plowing with the F20. Grandpa would whip my butt even today if he saw this...

Doing this good with an 8", I'm wondering if I should start considering a 10" for the tractor...

Originally Posted by IHinIN

Good to see you back with the group. If I remember right, you don't live far from me.

Yes, I remember! Greensfork, right? You should have come unplastered me from my chair and put me back in the seat years ago! Lol.
Seriously though, you should come by sometime. I'm just a hobbling old hillbilly living in a trailer, but we have 7 1/2 acres of fun land, several old garden plots that have been neglected, implements to play with, dead trees that need drug around, the 109 I've not attempted to start yet etc... etc...
We could make a cookout of it :-)

Originally Posted by dodge trucker

I have a 1650 w/o an engine and was thinking of picking parts from it to make my 129 a better tractor like the hydro lift but I have been thinking different lately I might start looking for another Kohler to fill the hole and make it a runner again.....

There is no question to the decision here lol. Get an engine, even if it's not the stock 16hp (12hp in my 1450 so far does everything I ask). Going from my first 680, adding a 109, and now getting this one going, I don't know how I ever lived without the QL. The only thing I wish was different is that the lift and fwd/rev levers are on the same side. Would make more sense if they were opposite.

[J-Mech]

I checked again, and at a 75% fill, they claim 5.5gal in a 23X8.50 tire. I'm skeptical... but whatever. If you get more than 5.5 gallons in, then you won't have enough air for cushion, nor will you be able to check pressure without a fluid gauge because the fluid will be covering the valve stem. You don't want the fluid over the valve stem. Tubes aren't stiff. Tires are. Likely what happened is you had air trapped between the tube and the tire and it bled out. There's a procedure for adding fluid, but I don't suppose it's necessary to go through it now.

On the front tires.... I don't understand why you put fluid in them. You don't need it. I'm sure that the front tires didn't ever come off the ground while plowing. I've not ever had that happen before. The plow is light, and if your pulling it correctly, the plow should carry the load on the landslide. The hitch should not be controlling the depth of the plow. You should be able to set the handle to float while plowing, or if you have a slotted lift strap, lock the handle all the way down. As of yet, I've not found a rear sleeve hitch implement that was heavy enough to need ballast on the front.... and I think I have all of them. Tiller is by far the heaviest, and it doesn't even pick up the front wheels. Oh sure, you can pop the clutch and you might be able to lift them off the ground a little....

You sure that's an 8" plow?? Looks like a 10" to me....

Nice work on the machine, and I'm glad your happy!

[sgt.porter]

Originally Posted by J-Mech

I checked again, and at a 75% fill, they claim 5.5gal in a 23X8.50 tire. I'm skeptical... but whatever. If you get more than 5.5 gallons in, then you won't have enough air for cushion, nor will you be able to check pressure without a fluid gauge because the fluid will be covering the valve stem. You don't want the fluid over the valve stem. Tubes aren't stiff. Tires are. Likely what happened is you had air trapped between the tube and the tire and it bled out. There's a procedure for adding fluid, but I don't suppose it's necessary to go through it now.

You're probably right about air between the tube and tire. I pushed the valve stem in and out a few times during the process to relieve pressure there, but likely didn't get it all the first time around. It rides good with 5 gal now, I probably won't shoot for more unless I have traction problems down the road.

Originally Posted by J-Mech

On the front tires.... I don't understand why you put fluid in them. You don't need it. I'm sure that the front tires didn't ever come off the ground while plowing. I've not ever had that happen before. The plow is light, and if your pulling it correctly, the plow should carry the load on the landslide. The hitch should not be controlling the depth of the plow. You should be able to set the handle to float while plowing, or if you have a slotted lift strap, lock the handle all the way down. As of yet, I've not found a rear sleeve hitch implement that was heavy enough to need ballast on the front.... and I think I have all of them. Tiller is by far the heaviest, and it doesn't even pick up the front wheels. Oh sure, you can pop the clutch and you might be able to lift them off the ground a little....

Both while plowing yesterday, and while tilling over plowed ground last week, my front tires kept coming off the ground. It wasn't much but it was enough that I had 0 traction for steering in both situations. We have very heavy clay soil here and even when my father in law plows with his super C he has to have suitcase weights on the front. I don't know many people who plow without extra weight on the front.

With the hydraulic lift, I can't float it there, but I do have a set of slotted lift straps. Once I got it tuned in though, it doesn't appear that I would need to use them.

Originally Posted by J-Mech

You sure that's an 8" plow?? Looks like a 10" to me....

Yes. From outside of landing to end of plow share is right at 8"

Originally Posted by J-Mech

Nice work on the machine, and I'm glad your happy!

Thank you. Your input and encouragement is much appreciated.