As a suburban homeowner, I have a nice modern tractor. It’s less than 10 years old. It has a smooth hydrostatic transmission, 20 V-twin horsepower, and a bagger. It rides nicely, cuts well, and is safe but kind of boring.
I also have this:
It’s not quite as old as I am, but I don’t have it beat by much. It has a clunky 3 speed transmisison, a measly 8hp, and it rides like a tank. It has exposed spinning belts, no safety guards, horrible ergonomics, and it vibrates like crazy. It is also fun in a way the new one can never be.
I use the old ‘Horse mainly for towing the trash cans to the curb and for bushwhacking along the sides of the driveway. I was having lots of fun with it when I took this picture. Then it just . . . stopped.
Fortunately these old Kohler engines are overbuilt and virtually indestructable. They make all of their power at relatively low RPMs and they’re made of cast iron. ISaveTractors.com has almost any part you could ever want for them.
What I wanted was a head gasket.
Seven bolts, ten minutes. Bring on those trash cans.
Notes from Mosquito Hill 