A friend had that problem with his Craftsman tractor, except it did it in top gear. his yard was quite hilly, and the tractor was one of the old silver series. Finally 6th. gear got so "jerky" it couldn't be used, then 5th. gear did it, and now he's down to 4th! And the steering has gone to pot, too. I repaired it once (steering), but he's broke it again. I told him to go buy a new machine--no use trying to keep his old goat in operation any longer. And, i'm not getting into tranny work!

Thanks for the responses, Rusty, I don't have much luck with dryer sheets, smell goes away in a week or so and I don't remember to replace them. "fruit" now that's an idea, moth balls tend to hold their scent a lot longer don't they. And "the boss" just mentioned she was going to pick up some to scatter in the garden to deter rabbits from eating the beans, so it all comes together. Embarassing, I qualified rifle sharpshooter and pistol expert in the marines and I gotta watch bunnies hopping around the garden eating stuff..... However, "the one who must be obeyed" has said no "bunnycide" ..... :-) Thanks again, Ev

Several notes specifically related to your Wheel Horse: 1) You mentioned your mower deck will not accomodate wider tires - must be a 42", as the 48" will. 2) 24" tires should fit ok. 26" may fit if on the proper rims but will be a very tight fit at the fenders. If you go this route I think you'll want to space up the seat/fender with some spacers under the fender. 3) If you use the 23 x 8.50-12 tire size on original rims, I would recommend Firestone 23 degree or a similar tire with relatively flat footprint. The Carlisle lug tires I have seen in this size have a very rounded footprint that, in my opinion, does not work so well on harder surfaces. 4) if you're looking for a used set of rims to fit your WH, they'll most likely need to be from another WH, as few other tractors use wheels with the proper rear offset. 5) My preference would be 23 x 10.50-12 Carlisle Super Lugs mounted on the wider wheel rims as originally used on the 520H and 520-8 tractors. I don't think the 5xi series rear wheels had the proper backspacing for the Classic style tractors. This combo will provide the added benefit of improved side-hill stability, especially if you add bolt-on wheel weights. They will also fit in conjunction with a 48" mower deck, but as you said I don't think they'll work with a 42". 6) I use a 520-8 regularly for mowing with the above wheels/tires and rear weights - haven't seen any adverse effects on the lawn, no spin marks anywhere, and very stable on the hills. It also does a fine job of moving my 6x12 trailer in the yard and even moving dead cars around. 7) Loaded tires work fine for traction, but as a hobbyist restoring old tractors I am not a fan of any corrosive liquid in the wheels/tires. Ed

Rick I'm interest in tractor and all attachments how far are you from I20 interstate I travel often alone I20 going to N.E. Texas back to Georgia. You can email through Gardenweb Thanks Darwin