In this video we finish out the newly fabricated belt guide/ guard setup we made last episode. After that we take it out for some speed tests and rips! #mudmower #wheelhorse #tractor #offroad #offroading #homestead #kohler #garage
You know what would be sick? A air suspension seat like on them big rigs 😂 it would be a really comfy ride for sure instead of getting early back problems. Keep up the good work guys! The wheel horse is awesome
Love it! 15 is perfect. Trailhorse is hard to get moving on hills in 3rd without easing out of the clutch. It’s set up for 22-23 mph. You’d never run it on a trail even close to that. I usually do 2nd gear when off road on my neighbors trails. Hydraulic brakes wouldn’t be bad the stock WH brake is touchy but stops mine fine. Next one I build will have hydraulic brakes. It was in the plan to put car rotors on each wheel and build brackets for the calipers. I’m loving this series. Looks like Steffens having a blast!
Steffen is tickled pink about it 😂 this is definitely the coolest thing he’s ever owned. Plus he’s learning how to build things, think critically and everything else that comes with this territory. Ethan is the one behind the camera and he’s really been enjoying that. They’re good boys. I was thinking about how to get around that D shaped shaft that holds the brake drum on. How I can somehow attach a disc of steel to it…he eventually will be installing a twin cylinder engine on it, that’s one of his goals. He could probably squeeze a few more mph out with rpm. I told him to baby that Kohler and be careful not to drop the clutch and go easy on the rig unless running it harder is necessary. Him and Ethan work around on other people’s farms here for money. Steffen is funding this project. Sure I help him out and front him sometimes when we need a part but he pays it back. So does the Trail Horse cruise at 23 mph? That’s pretty fast considering! My tractor can hit 23 mph but that’s pushing it! It likes to cruise about 16-17 and I’ve done 20, at the top end. Once I get my oil catch can and tachometer installed I’ll know better where I’m at. Anyway thank you for the kind words and thank you for watching the content!!
@@Tennesseemountainhomestead I won't say cruise well maybe. After the parades I usually end up running it wide open to kind of keep up with traffic for a few miles. Is it scary? No. Fun? Yes. But it does kind of float on deeply rutted roads. It's a weird sensation. It doesn't have any feedback in the wheel nor require any effort to steer. The front end is tight with no wobbles or anything. You can see it in the Labor Day parade video how it floats between the car ruts. I cruise around at 15 normally seems a good happy spot. I want to say it's around 2400rpm in 3rd. That Kohler ch680 22.5 is bone stock. I only added a sensor for the oil pressure and a port in the intake for vacuum. You might want to consider a CH680. I bought that used for less than a 670. I don't if the mods are as prevalent for them. How dare you! Teach Steffen values that will make him successful and a great man in this day in age! It's cool to see.
That's awesome guys! 15mph isn't bad! It's about what my Wheel Horse does too. I noticed the clutch pulley on his tractor is a little further forward than on my old 72, I don't know a WH that brakes well in reverse. I need to upgrade sometime in the future as well. Curious what you guys come up with. Crazy Carl did a hydraulic brake upgrade last year on one of his. Your belt setup may not need a holey pulley. I liked your belt setup so much that I am redoing mine right now. I found a flaw in my current guide that isn't allowing good belt release. That's how I found my clutch pulley is further back and closer to the trans. I think even though I don't gain the belt wrap like you did with that back idler between trans and clutch, I think it is still beneficial in clutch efficiency. Better than a guide, and like a double pulley setup. As always, I really enjoy your videos!
Thank you very much! I do recall the video Carl did about the brakes, definitely gonna recap that when it comes time. He’s got some very informative videos, his “Creepycrawler” belt system video is what I found and watched probably 20 times when I started working on the Deere’s setup. I didn’t realize there was a variation in the placement of the clutch pulley throughout the years but it’s not surprising! This belt setup really does grab well. Besides the idler above the trans, it’s really not much different than stock? I don’t see in my mind how the one idler behind the engine pulley would make any difference if the other above the trans wasn’t there? I haven’t driven his tractor yet, at all. Not once even since he’s gotten it. It’s a respect thing, kinda like your car you know? Unless you invite someone to drive it, I typically don’t like anyone else getting behind the wheel. So I have no idea how the clutch feels. The night he first drove it he raised up the throttle and had it going full speed. He was trying to ease into the clutch without a ton of luck it seemed because he popped a couple wheelies and the one is caught on camera you can hear it and see the headlight jump. I told him he needed to turn the throttle down before clutching. He really needs a foot throttle. I’d be interested to know if the second idler was removed how it would still operate in water. He drove through the creek as you saw and it didn’t seem to slip how it is now. But also remember it’s a brand new belt with brand new pulleys and the crank pulley probably still has paint inside it. That setup doesn’t even have 20 minutes on it yet. So many I don’t knows 😅 I think time will tell though. My plan soon is to take both of our tractors up the mountain trail in our backyard. I’m not going to front I’m still nervous about it. I can see from the where we cross the creek the beginning of the trail and it’s steep. Like nothing else around here. But I gotta do it!
We are also looking forward to your seeing your new revised belt setup on Bandit! And I’m glad his tractor doesn’t go much faster than 15 😅 Steffen is a lot like me and I’ve seen he likes to push the limits on everything he does. Except that I’ve gotten a lot more cautious in my life and have slowed down a lot!
@@Tennesseemountainhomestead I remember those days. I still push the limits every now and then. 😁 I find that I get injured doing the mundane stuff. Hurt my back in 2018 carrying a bucket of water, injured an eye last year just trying to see if a board would come off my shed. Still don't understand that one. As for the revised setup, the pulleys look pretty close to what you have on Steffen's. I might show the belt wear due to the holey pulley. Busy week with family in from KY. They are staying at my parents, but that is still an hr drive to see.
That is pretty fast for a mower! What pulley ratios you running again? It’s a fine line with these tractors between speed and torque from what I’ve learned. Thankfully they came with very low first and second gears. Especially mine, even with a 7” motor and 5” trans pulley it still only goes maybe 1-2 mph at full rpm in 1st. Mine has gone up to 23 mph that I’ve seen on GPS and I’m sure I’ve had it a little faster than that. But that’s pushing it on engine rpm’s. 18- 20 mph is a more comfortable realistic cruising speed for mine. At least until I get the tachometer on it so I know it’s not gonna throw a rod or crash a valve over revving it. As for Steffens tractor I don’t know. I’ve never once sat in that seat since he’s gotten it. I do know the motor is capable of spinning its rated rpm though so 15 mph is what he gets with the pulley ratio we did. If he ever gets a different motor he could pull a few more mph out of it with engine rpm. But at the same time most of what we do on these is crawl around the yard and creek, use them for work and stuff too. Anyway Big Un is a monster and I think it’s cool how it can go so fast. I’m still sitting on a brand new 6 speed 820….looking and thinking about a mower I’d like to get and put it in. I think both 5th and 6th (I could be wrong) are overdrive gears. Probably still have good low range and haul butt up too like Big Un cab!