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This is "our" 3000th message for all to write on.


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Hi All! Sorry it took me so long to catch on, but here goes: My name is Paul Kjorlie, 42, Married 14-1/2 years to Deb, I have one Stepson, Nate (also married 2 years now), four dogs, and one cat. Deb and I live in rural Dane County, WI near Madison. Deb and I met when I worked as a Mechanical Project Engineer at a manufacturing firm in Rockford IL where we worked for 5 years. We married, and our company transfered us to Stevens Point, WI, where we lived and worked for another 5 years. In 1992, my dad retired from his career in home remodeling. Deb and I took over "Kjorlie Builders", and have been at it since. I was fortunate enough to fall back into a job that I really enjoy, and at the same time work side by side with my bride. Deb and I spend leisure time at our place in Phillips, WI, Walleye fishing and walking the dogs. I got started with my first 9020 (Powermax) when my Great Uncle Ed went into a retirement home and I bought his tractor at his estate sale. Since my grandparents passed on when I was fairly young, Uncle Ed was sort of special to me and I took very good care of his tractor. As time and Uncle Ed passed on, his tractor became more of an obsession and I bought a loader, my brother made me a corn planter from an International #56 planting unit, I bought a tiller, and so on. Now I have two 9020's both running and I spent all this weekend cleaning, painting, andputting my 4041 "parts tractor" back together. Just need to put in oil, gas & battery, and it should run. Yippee! Powermax Number Three! Congrats to everyone on 3000th message! Powermax_Paul
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Hi everyone, Chris Thompson here, I live in central Michigan with my wife of 6 years and our four children Logan 6, Seth 4, Elizabeth 3 and Anne 1. I stumbled on my first Simplicity by accident and have been hooked ever since. I am currently trying to get a few more(gotta have one for each kid) and to use in my nursery I am trying to start. Currently working for a large manufacturing operation in Grand rapids in the printing section. I really love the wealth of information this site provides. Keepup the good work Kent!!!
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Hey Everyone, I guess I'm the only Southerner so far. I am 38, been married for 10 years have three girls, 1 boy. I work as a Realestate contractor for the government. I enjoy working on old tractors I have a B210, AC WD45, and a 52' Cat D69u. I live on 10 acres here in Northern Mississippi, town called Olive Branch. My wife is also very tollerant but its more because her Grandfather worked for Allis Chalmers for 40 years. She didnt know it until her older brother saw my first tractor (WD45) then we found all kinds of AC stuff he had stored away. Now I'm a big fan. I found the B210 in tall weeds in several parts and bought it for $100 it came with several attachments. I thought I was the only one that owned one. I found it about 4 months before the site was discovered and couldnt find anyone that knew about them (except Uncle Bob). A year later I found this site..I was amazed and thrilled. The AC garden tractors are very rare here in the south with the exception of the Carolina's. I hope to have my B210 running this spring. DoubleT you cracked me up with your post. It just occured to me that everything I own is a "fixerup" and I also have people bring me stuff to "fixerup", getting hard to find the time. Kent, I sure have noticed how dedicated and hard working you are and really, really appreciate the time you've put in. Oh yeah, my nick name is "Beamer" comes from highschool football.
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Ok, I'm relatively new to this. This past fall I saw a tractor at the local mower dealer that was not one of the usual green plastic tractors of late. After driving it past it twice a day for a few weeks, I stopped and inquired. A late 60's Simplicity 2110 I was told. Well, I tried my wife out on it for quite a while. Comments like " we have a postage stamp yard" were heard. Well, it disappeared. Christmas morning, my wife asked me to open the blinds to the living room as I entered. On the second look I took, it proved to be that 2110 with a plow and a big red ribbon on the hood. Ok, I know this wasn't supposed to be about tractors whatsoever, so I digress................... My name is Terry, 46, involved with machine automation for factories, and apparently a latent tractor fan. Hope to get my 11 yr old daughter up to speed enough so she can mow the lawn next summer (I'll do the plowing , thank-you). And jkenny, thanks for the blower offer, I found a 345 sunday thanks to this site, so I'm all set...but I'm more east of the mississippi than you, just in the same town. Kent, I don't know you, but thanks for the wonderful site.
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Well, interesting topic Jack. The name's Dana, I've been married to my wonderful wife for going on 12 years now and we have two children. Our son Blake is 10 and our daughter Danielle is 9. I'm 32 and living in a small Oregon town. I grew up in Michigan on Saginaw bay, then left to see the world. After our hitch was up (she was in the service too), we moved to the Silicon Forest. I now supervise the crew that works on some of Intels production equipment. We bought our mini-ranch (I hate the term ranchette) of a whole 1 1/2 acres last year and now have one steer, two heifers, one bull, two goats, one duck, one dog and two cats. In my spare time (hah), I like to go clamming, crabbing, fishing for salmon and trout and some hunting for deer and elk. Just your average family. This is a good group of people here. :{)
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Hi every one my name is Karl Brandt.I am 36 years old and live in Fenwick,Ontario,Canada.When you are not married,you can have all the toys.My parents have 2 1/2 acres of land,lots of room to use all this old tractors. My first Simplicity tractor was a 1973 3416H.I also have Simplicity two wheel walking tractors.They do not make like this any more.Once you get hooked on this old tractors you keep getting more of them. Keep up the good work Kent. [A href='http://www.geocities.com/yosemite/falls/5395/index.html']http://www.geocities.com/yosemite/falls/5395/index.html[/a]
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my name is chad e shafer known as agco918 on here.i live in ohio.i collect anything allis chalmers that i can get my hands on.i love allis chalmers because my uncle farmed with allis chalmers when i was a kid.when i found this great site i was amazed at how many people like allis chalmers and simplicity.i think we need to preserve our past and this site of great people makes it happen.i would like to see more shows with allis chalmers and simplicity.i think we need to get a club started up here in ohio that would have both brands together for a show each year.i belong to the buckeye allis club and oor local show greenville farm power of the past.we will have our 2nd show july 5-8 in greenville ohio at the darke county fair grounds.some of you came last year and i hope to see more this year.which brings me to the idea of having as many of us who live here in our area to have a simplicty allis show during our show.i talked to some of you at our show last year about having a annual get together during our show .we have a good size fair groungs as we are the 2nd biggest in the usa.if you would be interested in having a get together july5-8 please let me know. kent: you are unbeliveable at how you do all of this.i dont get on here as much as i did put when my wife works 70 to 80 hours a week i have to do more around here.this is the best site on the web.i am on heren everyday.i buy literature toys books dealer promo items anything allis chalmers so if you have anything you want to get rid of keep mein mind.this site has a wealth of info with people like kent happyjack al and everyone of you who makes this site 1.we all need to share our knowledge on what we know. i read up on allis chalmers and keep up with it so i know alot about allis i am sure not as much as alot of you but enought that i can raddle of tractors and equipment to people.i have met some nice people like jack cobb who is a harley man working for them mary and keith gearhart who know alot about allis and dan peoppleman .i would like to meet more of you .so this all i can say for now that this great club is 1 with me and i hope with everyone else .we need to get more people to talk on here.great job kent and happyjack. i have owned a b-1 b-10 allis chalmers minibike wd number2 series 2 2 bottom plow my parents had a 616 special and now i own my pride and joy 1999 agco918 which is the 10th one made in 1999.glad i bought it when i did as they are part of our history.the 900 series is the best in my views in the agco and allis chalmers lineup of lawn and garden tractors.so as you can read my love for allis chalmers is very deep . i like to talk allis chalmer any time so email me if you like to talk as much as i do.agco918
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My name is Rick Anderson. I am 28 years old and live in Whitewater, WI. I am an electrical engineer at Waukesha Engine Division in Waukesha, WI. I own and use 2 8HP homesteaders to mow a 3 acre yard. I also own the very first Jim Dandy Economy Garden Tractor which was the factory prototype. I also collect AC farm tractors. My pride and joys are my 1937 U and my 1947 G. Between my father and me we have 13 AC tractors. All but two are in working condition. Keep up the good work on the site and I hope to meet as many of you that I can at the picnic in Rhinelander.
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MY NAME IS lYLE bRESSLER I LIVE IN THE QUAD CITIES IN IL. I AM IN THE TILE BUSINESS AS THE NICK IMPLIES. HAVE ONLY BEEN A MEMBER FOR A SHORT TIME I BELIEVE THIS SITE IS ONE OF THE MOST ENJOYABLE ON THE INTERNET. THE MORE MEMBERS THAT WRIGHT THE BETTER THE SITE WILL BE. I DONT GET A LOT OF TIME TO SURF THE SITE BUT WHEN I DO I TRY TO COME HERE. WAS IN FLORDIA IN EARLY JAN , SHOWED THE SITE TO MY FATHER WHO IS 86 AND HE HAD A TOUGH TIME BELIVING THAT THIS MANY PEOPLE LOVE THE SIMPLICITY TRAC. THIS SPRING I WILL TRY TO SEND PHOTOS OF MY SLIGHTLY MODIFIED 728 WITH A 12 HP BRIGGS, AND MY SUPER 600 WITH A 8 HP BRIGGS THANKS AGAIN TO ALL WHO MAKE THIS SITE WHAT IT IS. LYLE
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I have been with the club from the very start. I just cant say enough good things about Kent and all of the great people who keep this site going. I am 45 and lucky to be alive after spending the last 20 years in chemical manufacturing and sales. Last year I decided that I should do something to help the world so I became involved in a new company that manufactures polyols(for polyurethane foam) from soybean oil. Not only does this provide the farmers with a larger market, it benefits the world by lowering petroleum usage and lessening environmental impact. The formulations we develope include carpet backing and padding, foams for armrests and seating, rigids for items such as wood molding substiutes, furniture frames, and a myriad of other uses, most of which I dont know much about as I only deal with the chemistry, not the molding or end manufacturing. I have been married to the same woman for over 20 years now, which also got me three daughters(19,14 and 8), and a female chocolate lab. So I need a break!! OK! Came from the farm in Southeast Nebraska but I now live in Northern Illinois about 100 miles west of Chicago. I cant say how many farm tractors I have been on in my lifetime, but it is well over a hundred. Dad ran old farmalls and Internationals(460,560,1066)and later became all Deere(3010, 4030, 4440, 4450). He had a cub cadet when I was young, now he is retired with the 4030, a Deere lawn tractor and a Kubota. In the spring I will spend a couple days feild cultivating for my neighbor, driving either the four wheel drive Deere 9400 or his Deere 9300, which are 425 horsepower and 350 horsepower tractors. I have borrowed his Deere 4440 with loader a time or two. My favorite brand of farm tractor is Minneapolis-Moline. Never really cared for Allis until I moved to LaPorte, Indiana in 1990. Found a B-112 and ever since I am a die hard AC/Simplicity guy. I am not even sure how many I have now, eight or nine I think. My current pride and joy is the 720 I bought last fall, still dont have it running, hopefully will by spring. To Kent and everyone else here at Simpletractors, please accept my sincere thanks for making this the best site on the net!
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I have been here a little over a year now, I'm 14 and have a Simplicity 700, a 2000 Rgent, and an Allis-Chalmers B-10 early. I really enjoy the site, spent time restoring my B-10 and didn't find this site until a while after (go figure) I will be working for the local Simplicity dealer this summer and find there is nothing better than a garden tractor to have a good time with (at the age of 14, a 42 year old 700 is alot more reliable than the females!)Oh well,-BradW
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My name is Paul, and I am from CT. I am married and have a 2 year old, and one more on the way. I teach and own a small farm(chicken, eggs, turkey, pork, beef, rabbit -- how's that for diversified). Since my body is not getting younger, I decided to look into getting a tractor to help with chores. I planned on just looking at Cubs and JDs, I did not even know AC made small tractors. I found an add in the paper for a B-10, and typed it into a search engine. This site popped up and because I read all of the posts, brochures, etc, I went and bought it. I was so excited to go and pick up my "new" yellow tractor -- except it was done over in Simplicity red. The paint job was so good I am going to leave it red. Becuase of all of the snow and mud I have not been able to use it much. I do not post alot because I know very, very little, but have learned so much from all of you. I officially have the old tractor bug. Thanks
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My name is Roy Pope. I have been with the club since it had less than 1,000 members. I was delighted to discover there were other nut cases operating 40 year old tractors like my AC B-1. I presently have the B-1, a 1999 Sovereign, and Simplicity 700 or 725 which needs restoring. I still use the B-1. I am 58 and have been married for 32 years. I an a mechanical engineer, former Plant Engineer for American Enka and BASF, and now the Plant Manager for Corrugating Roll Corporation in Rutledge, Tennessee. I was an electronics technician in the USAF. I have been a small engine mechanic, automobile mechanic. Was once the only SAAB mechanic at the only SAAB dealer in Tennessee. I bought one of the first rotary lawnmowers in the mid-50's and used it to earn money mowing lawns. I also flew control line model airplanes in my younger years. Now I fix my cars, do some woodworking on a ShopSmith, fish some, and play with my tractors. I have a 25 year of married daughter who is an electrical engineer and works for the Naval Warfare Department. My 23 year old son is going to school in Gadsden, Alabama. He is studying to be a "fish farmer" as I call it. Kent has done a wonderful job starting and maintaining the club. SimpleTractors is one of the few sites I try to visit daily if possible. Members are a great group of talented folks who help each other. I enjoy reading the posts by both the older, knowledgeable members and the younger ones who are just learning. This is a great site to exchange knowledge and learn from others. Oh, I used to street race on Woodward Avenue in Detroit. Loved to clean out the Chevy boys with my 53 Studebaker lowboy. Also raced a 57 Plymouth with a 383 & two 4 barrels and built a 58 Chevy for my older brother. Probably too much so I'll quit. Roy
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DaleC here. My email is now dale.conrad@fuse.net. I bought my first AC(B-12) in about may last year. I bought my second in July (Big Ten). I have about $400 invested. It is the best investment I have ever made in any kind of equipment. I live in Northern Kentucky. Age 49. House and three acres. Wife, 4 children, I grandchild, and two tractors. Simple tractors has been a big source of information and enjoyment. A whole new world has opened up. I can now be the ole farm boy and Play hard at my property care!
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hello everyone, this is steveac59 im 42years old i have an allis chalmers B-10 (she's my girl) i'd like to say this club is the best. nice people, and a great place to get information, i'm glad to be a member. happy tractoring all. steve.
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Is it my turn at bat? I'm Sam , I am married to Dorann -my wife of 12 years( whom I adore) We have two boys and a girl: 11, 8, and 3. I started restoring Wheel Horse Garden tractors for my own use back in 92'. I have since switched to Simplicty/AC, not hard since that was what my folks always have used and its what I started on at age 14. I'm 35 now and have fixed up over 20 garden tractors in the last few years. We currently have 6 around here that we use, soon to be 7 , most of which I have built out of spare parts.(but they all look like new) The two boys mow our yard(about 2 1/2 acres) and I and my wife mow commercially- in addition to a 40 hr a week job. I also buy & sell antique woodworking tools and build fine furniture and unique toys(my favorite). I'm sort of a "Jack of all Trades master of none" , but everyone tells me I do a good job - so who knows? Anyhow, my wife and my family are what's important to me, along with making good friends. And to that end I have not met a die hard Simplicity or AC enthusiast that I could not trust or call a friend. So here's a toast: " To a really great place to meet good people and make good friends-Simpletractors" Sincerely, Samuel T. Ericson
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Here goes. My name is Peter LaFlair and am now 60 with a wife and two grown and married children, with a grandchild on the way. I trained as a mechanical engineer but became a Chartered Accountant (e.g. Canada's CPA equivalent). I live on the shores of Lake Ontario on the west side of Toronto, but since early 1999 have a 76+ acre property on a small lake near Parry Sound, Ontario where I will be using the AC620 I bought at an industrial equipment auction, also early in 1999. I had no real idea what I had bought, and was very lucky to find this site and found how lucky I was to have bought AC. I have looked up the discussion messages almost every day since, and have found the contacts to be very useful. I found a 600 loader in an unlikely place for a reasonable price, and look forward to adding it to the tractor, which came with a dozer blade only. I also bought a dumping cart, and will use the machinery for grading, moving rocks, dirt, sand and wood, minor excavating, pulling trailers around the property and anything else I can think of for grown-up playtime.
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Hello all, Im 34years old my name is Mike and im from Ky. I have been married for 17years. I have a boy 16 & a girl 15. I started with a b-1 that i got 8years ago. I've added a BigTen,B110,3012 and a HB112. I love these old girls (none better). THANKS TO ALL WHO PUT THIS SITE UP. MIKE
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Hello everyone! Sort of a novel concept that Jack came up with here. My name is Terry, I'm 41, and live about 40 miles southwest of Minneapolis, Minnesota. I have a wonderful wife and two sons, and work as a technical support analyst for a local company. I started as a member here when it was still on Yahoo! I haven't been as active here as I would like to be, but between job, family, and that Pow'r Max out in the garage, time has to be managed carefully! I first fell in love with the Persian Orange tractors back in the early sixties when I was growing up. Our neighbors farmed with a pair of AC WD's and a WD 45. I can remember watching them for hours on end. Other neighbors farmed with Farmalls and John Deeres, but for some reason the AC's appealed to me, despite the original sound that the Johnny Poppers made. As I grew older, I ended up working on the neighbor's farm and had many opportunities to operate the very same AC tractors that I had watched with such riveted interest just a few short years earlier. As time went on, I had the chance to operate D-17's, D-19's, 190XT's and even a rare Allis RC. For some reason I never really chose a favorite, but I guess I would have to pick the WD-45 if pressed for a choice. In the mid to late 80's we were living on a farmstead that had a large lawn; the 11 HP MTD just wasn't up to the job anymore. The local high school had a Pow'r Max for sale, and the rest is history! Despite my love of tractors and farm equipment, my true hobby is live steam engineering. For those of you unfamiliar with this hobby, picture grown men machining out the parts to build their own scale steam locomotives and cars, then riding them around on small club tracks that are scattered around the country. I do not yet have a locomotive of my own, but if I never do obtain one, at least I'll have my Simplicity tractor to putz with! Great idea on message 3000, Jack. Thanks also to Kent and everyone else for all of the hard work to keep this site going. It is truly a work of art!
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Hello everyone. I'm 25, single and live in Rochester, NY. I was trained in mechanical engineering and currently work as manufacturing engineer. I joined this club not long after a buddy of mine (a wheelhorse tractor fan) discovered this site. My father has always had Simplicity Tractors while I was growing up because we had a great local dealer and he loves the golf course like cut they give our lawn. He has had a 7117H, and currently owns a 17-GTHL Sovereign, a 4211, and a 4212. I guess he thinks you can't have enough of them. I started out with a pair of 728 Broadmoors that I worked on a little through my early college years. They both had some serious engine issues I had to resolve. I kind of temporarily lost interest in the sport. (I think I'll call it a sport because you have to be athletic enough to pull these things out of the graveyards when you are sourcing.) Seeing this site sparked up some serious interest from within. Of course the 728's weren't enough so I had to do some more sourcing. I ended up buying a part's 728 and a trio of 32" blowers. After that purchase I decided I needed to get into some larger scale units. I ended up with a 2110, a B-110, a 3410S, and three B-112's (boy do they need work). I have a plethora of attachments for these as well. Some of the units are running but I have more restoration work than not ahead of me. I guess this is somewhat addicting. There could be worse things. I enjoy finding machines, bartering, buying, rebuilding, and running these beauties. It is a relaxing hobby that offers a sense of accomplishment to get a "don't build like they used to" machine going that someone else gave up on years ago. In addition to this hobby I enjoy riding jetskiis, snowmobiling, and playing softball and volleyball. I will enjoy the years of restoration work I have ahead of me. This is a great site with great people. Thanks all, Todd Sweeney
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well, lets add another. My name is Brian, I live just north of Rhinelander Wi.in the town of Newbold. I'm the Quality manager for a machining firm. there are 6 plants in the state, I was fortunate to land this job at the Rhinelander plant. we make lots of parts for John Deere,Cat,Kohler Generator to name a few. I've always enjoyed mechanical things, am a shop man at heart. These Simplicitys are the finest garden tractors made, period. I'm 45, been married for 15+ years now and have a wonderfully tolerant wife. Throw 3 kids in with it we stay plenty busy. I own a 3415h with a 42" blower and 48" deck, a 728 Broadmoore with 2 blowers, rototiller and 32" deck and also a serf 525. a couple more aquisitions and maybe we'll all get into the parade. For fun and a little work, I also play with my 52 model 44 Massey Harris with bucket. Snow clearing is fun with my 13 year old son on the Broadmoore and me on the 3415. I'm always looking for tractors to buy, trade etc. I really enjoy this site. My Wife has written about us tractor nuts in her column. It is featured every thursday in the Rhinelander daily news. hope we talk later, Email is thelentenfam@hotmail.com Brian L. (Briannorth)
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Hi folks, David Bousfield here. My nickname “Gabe” came from an old Fallstaff beer commercial, which aired back in the seventies. I always had a beer in my hand back then, so my uncle nicknamed me after one of the two guys on the ad. (The other guy’s name was Walker.) Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to replace that beer can with a family while I still had some liver left! HAHA! But seriously, when our son was born in ’95, I began to spend my time more wisely and began fixing up old stuff that we could use. Being a heavy equipment operator for a large contractor in eastern Massachusetts, getting laid off for the winter is a perfect opportunity to build antique vehicles. I finished my truck last year. It is a 1956 Brockway pickup converted from an oil truck. It was featured in “This Old Truck” magazine, and has won a first place trophy in the local car show. This year I decided to build a tractor for my son out of the parts tractors that I’ve collected over the years. Before I found this awesome web site, I thought I was pretty much the only guy in the world who still used an AC B-10. Boy, was I wrong! It certainly is a thrill to find out that all you folks out there are still enjoying what is left from the Simplicity-AC days. I may be wrong (and usually am) but from what I’ve seen, what’s coming off the assembly lines these days, I don’t think I could replace my tractor with something that takes the abuse my B-10 handles. I could definitely say the same about pickup trucks, but that’s another story! This 3000th message thing was a great idea. Thanks Jack. I’ve enjoyed reading all the replies and hope to read lots more! Happy Motoring! Gabe
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Hello everyone! My name is Jim Bute and I live in southern Minnesota near Albert Lea. Our little town is called Alden. I am 61 years old and have been married to my wife Margaret for 43 years. We raised 7 children and now are blessed with 14 grandchildren. I was a heavy equipment and heavy duty truck mechanic for many years. The past 23 years I was employed by our local technical college as an instructor of "Heavy Duty Diesel Technicians" I retired a short time ago and now run a small yard service company. My hobby is restoring and running old garden tractors in my small business. I currently have done 4 Cub Cadets, a Wheelhorse, an Allis GT-816, a Simplicty 3416H, and 4 Ariens .For a several years I worked for International Harvester Co. and became very familiar with hydro transmissions and the rebuilding of them i also taught Allison transmissions at the college. My wife and I love to travel in our camping rig and intend to vist every state. Jim Bute
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