Same here do not regret throwing TV out my house specially worthless news people look outside America for news it would blow your sheepish minds. You'll know the truth then.
Certainly is the best show I ever seen this is not make believe stuff it so wise and helpful for someone needing information and how to . A little demonstration of what just effort can do .
@@tangowhisky14 by law,under threat of imprisonment if you dont pay, to be brainwashed by a bunch of middle class virtue signalling champagne socialists. Champagne paid for by the lonely old ladies they promised wouldn't have to pay but then were betrayed.
I did that yesterday with a spindle for the neighbors mower! I replaced the old rotten deck with a newish one and the old deck was supposed to have good spindles to put on replacement but no the bearings were shot! But in my stash of bearings and old spindles I was able to cobble it back together minus a grease seal here or there! I reminded him to grease the spindles like every time he mows! The rear diff is next to go, I just keep fixing things as they break. That’s what neighbors do the way I was raised!
My dad had a 1948 gravely that I used as a kid and I bought one in 77 and restored it and used it for years before getting rid of it. Then got and, a 4 wheel model and still have it but needs restoration now. The one my dad had had a big saw blade and cut down small Cyprus knees to make lamps to sell to the tourist and small trees in the swamps to make lawn furniture in the early 1950's.
I have 100s of hours behind a gravely.. That is the brush-hog mower.. If the tractor can push it over, that mower will chew it up! And the oil from the tractor keeps the impact clutch and the mower gears lubricated. FYI..if you're going backwards.. Don't get yourself caught between a tree and the tractor once those handlebars pass you there's nowhere to run...and it hurts LOL
Those later models like he is working on there can’t be locked in reverse like you could on the L models. You had to hold those newer ones in reverse, probably for the exact reason you mention there.
These were fantastic machines and back then, you got a lot for your money. But like anything,they needed maintenance from time to time . Today's machines are not built to last like these were. You did a great job bringing it back to life and it was a pleasure watching. Tks for having us along!
i love the old gravely model L tractors....i have many.and lots of attachements too! i own 5 -6 gravelys.. 1940 -??--1962!.....no time to use or fixem all! i drew up on a 1948..model L..brand new..dad got! loved it!.it still runs today just needs a new muffler! pete
Ya know, a little paint some polish, and a set of baby moon hub caps you’ll have a great looking rough brush whacker….. never a bad video from up North…👍👍. Keep making them and I’ll keep watching.
OK, I’m being weird, but when I see these old machines just sitting in sheds, abandoned and unwanted, I get this weird feeling that they want to be saved and put back into use. And they’re happy that the guy who opened the shed door is Mustie. Lol.
In my teens back in the 80’s, we had one of these Gravelys. We used it to fight back Mulitflora Rose bushes, it was a losing battle. I’d set the machine to run and let it attack the bush praying that it would come out the other side. If it didn’t I’d end up becoming a human pin cushion from all the thorns.
I can watch your stuff for hours, I love how you constantly talk and ask questions to the camera, keeps me as a viewer really interested and I love how you engineer your own parts even, hell you even had old drill press handles that actually fit the tractor lol, cool series and keep up the great informative videos, and thanks for showing the final product in action!!!
On older ones there's oil in that clutch assembly all the time I believe it's pressurized. We always had to put a blank plate if moving without a attachment.
It's not really a clutch. It's an impact absorbing connection (it has name but I can't remember it) so when you hit a stump or a rock you don't break any thing and yes it gets oil from the machine
Dan's right not a true clutch and yes, they have oil in the snout engagement needs to be done quickly at idle and yes, sometimes those couplings and crawls will explode on activation 😁
@@johnrobinson1140 Matt over at Diesel Creek ( UA-cam channel) does a pretty good job explaining these connections on a Chinese brush cutter for his Bob cat
I also have a super convertible, previous owner gave me a special plate with a bolt/pin to transport with out attachments, the pin faces In so the PTO gear won't eat up the transport plate. He's missing the gasket between the attachment and tractor. I made a replacement gasket out of double layer cardboard. Worked great for 3years as replacement gasket. Not joking.
Had to laugh when you were running towards the mower running on it's own. About 40 years ago I borrowed a similar Gravely from a coworker to clear out some saplings and brush on a overgrown property. The Gravely got away from me as I sent it into some sapling and wild rose vines. I had to run around the mess and catch up with it as it came out the other side. Great videos, enjoy them much!!
I would never loan a Gravely to an inexperienced user. Unless you know the idiosyncrasies of the machine, it can get away from you, damage things or the user gets hurt. Early Gravely’s weren’t the most OSHA compliant.
My neighbor has this model, and 20 years ago we cleared at least an acre of rose / berry brambles so he could put in a long driveway back to his home. He still uses it to keep the tree farm cleared. I have a Gravely 816 up on jacks in my garage - my son calls it his "retirement grease" - something to work on when he's got free time.
Back in the 70's, we used these on commercial flat roofs. They were animals. Tuff as nails. They had a nice broom for sweeping gravel, and an ocsillating head on a rack to tear off old roofs. We dropped one 30' once into our stakebed, by accident, with a Smith Hoist that followed it down landing on it. We pulled it out of the truck and that sob fired right up and ran great. Wish I still had that machine!
Gravely Plows work really well, just put a couple sand bags on the top of the plow to make it dig in, also walk on your tip toes and put your weight down on the handle bars she'll push enough to surprise you. Great video man, thanks
My grandfather had one of those and we used it to bush hog around a lake on some property he owned. I remember it being a beast cutting up to 2"-3' diameter saplings. He also had the tiller and disc attachments to use it in his garden every yr. Gravely made a top notch machine back then, you couldn't tear that thing up. I'd hang on to that one if I was you. don't see them anymore. Thanks for the video, brought back a lot of memories. It would wear me out after using it all day.
I’ve got the brother to this unit, except mine has the 10 horse Kohler engine. Bought it used around 1988, still runs great and with the Gravely two-stage snow thrower, man, look out! It’ll throw snow 30 feet across the yard! Love these old timers. My Dad had an earlier version with the 7.6 horse Gravely motor. These had high pressure lubrication with a large, automotive style spin-on oil filter. And they had a Morse magneto to fire the plug. American made master piece of engineering!
I wish it was mine I've wanted one all my life an you get it for free most of the time your so lucky I would go bankrupt in just your stash pile. Wish you lived closer to me god bless you brother
Our Gravely would ooze some gear oil when we changed implements. There is suppose to be a little “jackstand” on the operator side, left, near the engine. You lower it down and it supports the tractor, tilted slightly back while you change implements. I noticed yours is missing, but the locking screw is still there Fun fact. Gravely made a chain saw attachment for these beasts
Hi Mustie. When I was a young man, I used to run a Gravely just like that one, It had a sickle bar, finish mower deck and a brush deck. It also had a ball hitch that I could hook a sulkie cart to the back to ride on. Thank you for entertaining us.
Thats what I thought, They probably had like a two wheel cart with a seat so you could just ride along doing larger areas too. I bet Mustie could make one...
"Back in the day" a Gavely was the thing to have for brush cutting. Dangerous as all get out but quite the tool. The high range on the drive was for when you used a sulkie with it. You can clear pretty large areas quickly in high gear. You can see the mount for the sulkie on the back. Some people had seat/sulkies as well. I have never seen one with duallies though, but that makes it even more of a beast. Be careful with that one especially in reverse.
I had one for a while and should have kept it, actually for safety because I sold it right before moving to a mountain farm where tractors are always rolling over and killing farmers, but if a walk behind rolls over, you just step back and let it go. I forget if the range shifter on the right side of the dash effects both wheel and implement speed or just implement speed. I sold it because I mostly used it for snow blowing in Massachusetts and knew that I wouldn't be doing that much snow blowing in North Carolina, but there was plenty of mountainside bush hogging to do in NC! which is why selling it was a mistake. I think I asked around a grand for it and it sold right away, so it was worth something.
You won't get the same sort of service from a new one. Fake Brand, I think MTD makes them today. Lightweight, throwaway, typical of today's cheap rubbish.
Thanks Mustie! Great video...brings back many memories! I cut my teeth cutting lawns back in the early 70's on a '60's Model L with a pull behind seat. Thought I was king of the world at 12 years old!
Mom bought my dad an 812 tractor in 1976. It mowed brush great and the tiller did fantastic as well . 40 yrs later mom sold the house and the Gravely went with it .
I really enjoyed this one. Repair seems to go so much easier when you're working on a heavy duty piece of kit compared to the light duty consumer grade stuff we've got today.
It's actually supposed to have gear oil in the cavity where the slip clutch for the blade is. I had a couple of Gravely's that were made before the Kohler era, and had their own engine (which was a lot more powerful, btw). The springs on that slip clutch are heavy enough to keep it from slipping unless you smack a stump or a big rock with it, and then it keeps you from breaking the gears or other parts of the drivetrain.
This is my "It's Great to have you back Friend!" We've never met, but I damn sure know ya, and Yes I was waiting for you to get your thumb. Happy to have you back, you were sorely missed.
I think I'm going to just start a side hustle with the owners of these finds . " I bet you my friend has this machine back in use in a week " . Another machine back in service😎, awesome M1 👍.
Never even seen a Gravely IRL, but yea add me to the choir. I thought that together with the labels the levers were pretty self explanatory, especially after Mustie traced the left lever down to the gearbox for the PTO. But I also know how easy it is when you're at this side of the screen. Up front and personal it's a lot easier to lock up and miss the obvious explanations.
@ Mustie 1 I have a 1954 5hp Gravely two wheel walk behind. It has a one cylinder Studebaker motor. It also has a fan run by the motor for cooling the motor along with an external governor, oil bath air filter and an oil filter. I'm no expert, but I believe the engine oil is also used by the Gravely in the transmission. There were some 30 odd attachments for the Gravely including chainsaws, cultivators, gang reel mowers, rotary plows, finish mowers etc...You can add a hitch ball to yours and attach a sulkey which allows you to ride. I also have a DR Field and Brush mower. I like the Gravely better because it is more maneuverable, and you can ride. You can get parts on ebay and from Richard's in Spoencer, WV. Great video!
On the Studebaker models, the transmission oil was used to lubricant the engine. The engine had a gear oil pump, attached to the rear output shaft, that lubricated the engine and the front clutch (hi/low range). A system that worked well. When they switched to the Kohler engine, they unfortunately did away with the front clutch lubrication. They countered by filling the transmission with more oil, but IMO, it wasn’t the greatest of ideas. The front clutch, more specifically, the front planetary gear(s) suffered. It wasn’t uncommon to have to replace the front planetary gear assembly after many hours of operation.
I used to have a Photo of my Dad tilling a garden back in the fifties with a Gravely similar to this. It was his pride and joy as he had a big smile while using it. A very useful tool!
From what I've been reading, oil is meant to pass through that front porch area, and back into the main oil sump. The passages let oil flow out through the top, and then back through the bottom. When tipped over, the oil will flow out through the sump.
Its awesome to see an old castaway machine put back into service. Never understood the throw away instead of fix mentality when it comes to minor repairs.
A piece of pure Americana. They are WONDERFUL machines. I've used one since 1975 to maintain a family property in Columbia County, NY. We did have to change out the engine in 2007 as it was designed around leaded fuel. The valves finally gave out. We consider the thing a part of the family. Congrats... You'll love them.
Dear J.D. P. 👍👌👏 Congrats! Have fun with these great machines. In the 1950 and 60s those kind of single axle tractors often came with a sturdy/stable hitch and single axle trailer in Germany On that was a bench and footrests so that you can drive the complete ensemble relatively comfortable. Only sharp turns were/are always a challenge. 2) Please kindly allow me to ask if you know that the first piece of your surname means plow in German!? Pflughaupt - Hauptpflug = Mainplow. Best regards, luck and health.
David Bradley was another vintage brand of walk behind tractor "way back when". They also seem to be well made. My uncle had 1 when I was a kid. I was a bear to handle when I was about 9 years old. He had a single bottom turning plow, a disc harrow, a cultivator plow, and a sickle bar cutter for it.
Thank you for your channel i was born and raised in wolfeboro and went in the marines and settled in south Carolina ready to move back keep up the amazing work god bless you and your family
55:05.......As I recall on our older "Super Convertible" model, there was a cork gasket that sealed the gap between the clutch and the mower. We always kept spare ones around because they were pretty easy to tear if you changed implements often........Also, you had four speeds------low and high speed in low range and low and high speed in high range. It was synchronized with the pto speed because the faster you went the faster the blade had to spin to prevent bogging down in high grass.
Hey Mustie. Yea, quality parts from JA PAN company. Very interesting repair. Yea, if you trip when walking backwards you want the machine to stop and not run you over. Thanks for sharing.🍁👍👍
Awesome video. Fixing old stuff and figuring out how they work is an addiction for me. Its how i ended up with a collection of 16 chainsaws and growing. Lol.
I used this Gravely when I was 17/18 years old... it had a single wheel riding deck that I would stand on while operating. Loved this machine... they don't make this quality of a machine anymore.
@@ruben_balea Yea, the thing is that they make things to meet a price point, and if that figure is to low the product will be pretty bad. But a company like Briggs will buy in large enough volumes they can dictate strict quality control and that the factory keep to the agreements when it comes to materials and components used. Same with Apple and any other big company making business with Chinese manufacturers. You can buy anything from the crap people tend to call "Chinesium" to really high quality products. But quality costs, even when it's made in China, and a lot of people are not prepared to pay high prices for something that says "Made in China". It's a stigma that Chinese companies has earned through selling the cheap crap that people have been asking for for a long time. Reverting a label like that takes a lot of time and effort. When I was a kid "Made in Japan" was the label you found on the cheapest and crappiest products. Japanese products were known to be cheap and crappy. Japanese cars were next to disposable. Throw them away when the tank ran dry. And that's about where "Made in China" is today. You can get great products from China, but not at the prices that people are expecting to pay for them simply because of the country of origin. I don't see China clawing away at perceptions the way Japan managed, but I don't think we will look at "Made in China" quite the same way in twenty or forty years. Heck, fifty years ago "Made in the USA" was a sign of quality that was fast declining...
@@blahorgaslisk7763 Your story reminds me of the movie "Back to the Future" when Doc is looking at a part and say's "Made in Japan!?". Then Marty replies something like, "Yeah Doc. In the future, all the good stuff comes from Japan." Sadly, it's a reflection of the 'dark side' of 'most' business attitudes.
I would love to see a video when you do get around to tackling the cosmetic repairs on it. I would love to see the end results. I revive and restore small engine stuff myself as a hobby, but I am completely self taught. I would like to see any tricks you may have that i haven't figured out yet.
Suggestion for an addition to this - Using some of your empire to construct a tow-along seat for it, so you don't need to worry about being dragged along on your feet... :D
Those old Kohler single cylinder engines were bullet proof and torque monsters. I've had several IH Cub Cadets with Kohler. Gravely made top grade lawn equipment.
Gravely's of that era are _tillers_ and thus had gearboxes for the tiller speeds. You could get tiller, brushhog mower, flail mower, snow blower, square blade plow, sickle bar, brush-saw (like a Y with a nasty saw blade in the middle) and a parking lot power broom for the front and a whole series of equipment for the rear. Now that its working you can probably take it out and find a home for it out near the amish community. Overfilling the gearing oil was common for storage.
Dear P. Also available a single axle trailer with a bench and footrests? That's at least how those kind of single axle tractors in Germany were often used in the 1950s and 60s. Best regards, luck and health.
Hello. A friend of mine when growing up in the 60's used to have a Gravely tractor that was a lawn cutter with the same configuration. It looked the same out front. It only had two wheels instead of four. The point I wanted to get to was that there was a foot pad that attached to the rear bracket you can see ready for some bolts to mount to, and he used to ride on the back of it that way. It was a stand up platform so he wasn't walking behind it. He rode the platform instead. It did not impede on his ability to steer by pushing the handles and front end left and right. Love watching your channel. Mustie it's a shame we are not neighbors. The whole time you are working on something I feel like I wish I could for example take the front end cutter assembly and send it off to the sandblaster and it comes back looking almost new. Treat it with acid etch, Dupont Metal Prep is my favorite, after blowing all the sand out first from the blaster. Then blow the excess acid prep off, let it dry overnight, and then prime it and paint it. Looks almost new with a lifetime finish on it. I used to do the word for T Bird Products out in Exton Pa. Took it to Broyles Refinishers, and they have once of the Caterpillar heavy duty motor with a 4" blasting nozzle, it put out so much air that you didn't even see the sand, but it they blasted a flat car panel it would glow red hot and warp. So I would liquid strip all of the outside panels, and then let them go at the door jambs, under the hood and overall chassis, as well as the frame and suspension. Had to scrape and clean the grease off first. When it would come back the metal all looked new. I would spend hours blowing the sand out of every crevice and then do the treatment mentioned above. After that T Bird products would disassemble the suspension putting in new bushings, washers etc. and the suspension was absolutely indistinguishable from brand new. Then they reassembled the entire car either glass beading, and or refinishing, or replacing components so the entire car was indistinguishable from brand new. We took what looked like junk and turned it into a 30k plus machine so it wasn't all for naught. Absolutely love this channel, and I look so forward to seeing your next one. So glad you do hour long videos. I could watch you all day. Sorry for chatting so long but the one thing I really appreciate is the way you dive headlong into a project. You aren't standing at arms length and deciding to do nothing until you determine you want to mess with it. You just dig right in with the confidence that this is going to march forward. If you run into something that makes it not worthwhile, you always have a parts machine, and can add to your stash. Love it. Thanks for doing what you do. By the way, I have been topping up on my tools based on what you have been using. Body work stuff I have, mechanicals I am brushing up on. Thank you for all you do.
During your tests at the end, I kept thinking "Come on. Crank up the rpms and lets see it go" but at what ever level your were running it at, it never seemed to work up a sweat. Seems awfully powerful for a lil 8hp engine. Thanks for the video.
I would love to find one of those old Gravely's. To me they are worth there weight in gold. My grand dad had one and I remember the neighbor across the street had an old one back in the 70's. They had a long horseshoe driveway and I would sit and watch him for hours all the time pushing the snow with the plow attachment. His had the taller single wheels. Great Video as always. Thank you
Yes it's hard to tell without feeling it, but I sense I would have put that washer under the gear on the top. This is probably the most critical I've been of Mustie, but the original fitment of two taper roller bearings allowed the tension produced when the shaft was torqued up to be applied on the two bearings. The straight roller bearing now on the bottom doesn't cope well with forces along the shaft. Things might be different in the US, but I was surprised he went to an auto parts supplier. For bearings and seals, when I used to work on 2-stroke motorcycles, I always used a dedicated bearings factor. Anything not in stock (and that was rare) was there within 2 days.
yeah id keep a close eye on that bearing setup tapered bearings are required to be in pairs to get preload . a temp fix at best . 5 mows or so and that setup will be sounding just like before .
When I was in Jr high they used Gravely's with a plow to clear the snow off the sidewalks at the school. Always loved to just sit there and watch, really and true workhorse.
Kind of surprised how little you knew about GRAVELY, being on UA-cam. I grew up using Gravelys that my dad had/has. Cut grass, roto tilled, plowed and blew snow, really a well made and designed machine. by the way, the hitch on the back is meant to pull a two wheeled riding sulky that you could quickly pull a pin and unhitch if you wanted to walk behind it. This was especially handy if you wanted to mow ditch banks
This gravely needs a 12 hp. Kohler put on it. The 8 is too small to power this unit. Original Gravely L models had a 7.6 hp. engine but they had more torque than the Kohler 8.
Eat your heart out CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, PBS!!!! Best entertainment in any medium. Good laughs, great challenges, plus always learning. Thanks Mustie!!
Agree 💯%👍👍👍👍👍💪💪💪💪💪
Same here do not regret throwing TV out my house specially worthless news people look outside America for news it would blow your sheepish minds. You'll know the truth then.
Don’t forget the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) who charge an annual fee to watch their total rubbish.
Certainly is the best show I ever seen this is not make believe stuff it so wise and helpful for someone needing information and how to . A little demonstration of what just effort can do .
@@tangowhisky14 by law,under threat of imprisonment if you dont pay, to be brainwashed by a bunch of middle class virtue signalling champagne socialists. Champagne paid for by the lonely old ladies they promised wouldn't have to pay but then were betrayed.
This was some SERIOUS MUSTIENESS! Old brass on the lathe and odd bearings from the stash, let's bend this shaft back straight, !!! Good going!
That bearing and brass sleeve work was Musties " I make a new one" moment!! .......MyMechanics reference there for those that dont know
I did that yesterday with a spindle for the neighbors mower! I replaced the old rotten deck with a newish one and the old deck was supposed to have good spindles to put on replacement but no the bearings were shot! But in my stash of bearings and old spindles I was able to cobble it back together minus a grease seal here or there! I reminded him to grease the spindles like every time he mows! The rear diff is next to go, I just keep fixing things as they break. That’s what neighbors do the way I was raised!
That laugh is back, you must be feeling better! Thanks for another great video.👍
My dad had a 1948 gravely that I used as a kid and I bought one in 77 and restored it and used it for years before getting rid of it. Then got and, a 4 wheel model and still have it but needs restoration now. The one my dad had had a big saw blade and cut down small Cyprus knees to make lamps to sell to the tourist and small trees in the swamps to make lawn furniture in the early 1950's.
I have 100s of hours behind a gravely.. That is the brush-hog mower.. If the tractor can push it over, that mower will chew it up! And the oil from the tractor keeps the impact clutch and the mower gears lubricated. FYI..if you're going backwards.. Don't get yourself caught between a tree and the tractor once those handlebars pass you there's nowhere to run...and it hurts LOL
Can attest to the reverse was using the brush attachment last year caught the hand between the house and handle bar.
Definitely been on the receiving end of the handlebars..😳
Those later models like he is working on there can’t be locked in reverse like you could on the L models. You had to hold those newer ones in reverse, probably for the exact reason you mention there.
never set the reverse lever to lock position, it will run over you
As all have commented, the handle bars can be most unforgiving if you’re not careful. And like everyone else, VOE.
These were fantastic machines and back then, you got a lot for your money. But like anything,they needed maintenance from time to time . Today's machines are not built to last like these were. You did a great job bringing it back to life and it was a pleasure watching. Tks for having us along!
Lost it when he let it run by its own good to have you back man
The invisible man was running it,Lol😅😂😂🤣
i love the old gravely model L tractors....i have many.and lots of attachements too! i own
5 -6 gravelys.. 1940 -??--1962!.....no time to use or fixem all!
i drew up on a 1948..model L..brand new..dad got! loved it!.it still runs today just needs a new muffler! pete
The best part of this machine is that it’s all gear driven and NOT using belts. You can’t beat the antique mystique.
My parents have an an old gravely with a snowblower on the front. That thing will blow snow 40 feet out of the shoot. What a beast!
Ya know, a little paint some polish, and a set of baby moon hub caps you’ll have a great looking rough brush whacker….. never a bad video from up North…👍👍. Keep making them and I’ll keep watching.
Baby moon hub caps 👍👍👍
Spinners and LED lighting under the mower deck.
I can’t find a decent lawn chair and this guy is always finding the goods!!
OK, I’m being weird, but when I see these old machines just sitting in sheds, abandoned and unwanted, I get this weird feeling that they want to be saved and put back into use. And they’re happy that the guy who opened the shed door is Mustie. Lol.
I know the feeling, my wife calls me the junk whisperer.....
@@tarstakars lol
@@tarstakars Ok that gave me a good laugh.
@@tarstakars🤣🤣🤣
@@tarstakars 👍
Nothing better than getting something for cheap and fixing it up. Gives you a connection to the machine and a sense of accomplishment. 👍🏻
In my teens back in the 80’s, we had one of these Gravelys. We used it to fight back Mulitflora Rose bushes, it was a losing battle. I’d set the machine to run and let it attack the bush praying that it would come out the other side. If it didn’t I’d end up becoming a human pin cushion from all the thorns.
Now thats some good story stuff. hahah
Need to dig those out by the roots, burn or bag, otherwise they can and will come back! (ask me how I know)
Moved from North Central Ma to Missouri and really enjoy listening to someone talk like me…
Mustie is definitely the man to watch!!
Nice job sleeving out those bearings, old school initiative right there. 👍🏻
I can watch your stuff for hours, I love how you constantly talk and ask questions to the camera, keeps me as a viewer really interested and I love how you engineer your own parts even, hell you even had old drill press handles that actually fit the tractor lol, cool series and keep up the great informative videos, and thanks for showing the final product in action!!!
On older ones there's oil in that clutch assembly all the time I believe it's pressurized. We always had to put a blank plate if moving without a attachment.
Yes, Gravely clutches are wet. and Yes you use a blanking plate when no attachments are on the front
It's not really a clutch. It's an impact absorbing connection (it has name but I can't remember it) so when you hit a stump or a rock you don't break any thing and yes it gets oil from the machine
Dan's right not a true clutch and yes, they have oil in the snout engagement needs to be done quickly at idle and yes, sometimes those couplings and crawls will explode on activation 😁
@@johnrobinson1140 Matt over at Diesel Creek ( UA-cam channel) does a pretty good job explaining these connections on a Chinese brush cutter for his Bob cat
I also have a super convertible, previous owner gave me a special plate with a bolt/pin to transport with out attachments, the pin faces In so the PTO gear won't eat up the transport plate. He's missing the gasket between the attachment and tractor. I made a replacement gasket out of double layer cardboard. Worked great for 3years as replacement gasket. Not joking.
Had to laugh when you were running towards the mower running on it's own. About 40 years ago I borrowed a similar Gravely from a coworker to clear out some saplings and brush on a overgrown property. The Gravely got away from me as I sent it into some sapling and wild rose vines. I had to run around the mess and catch up with it as it came out the other side. Great videos, enjoy them much!!
😂😂😂👍
I would never loan a Gravely to an inexperienced user. Unless you know the idiosyncrasies of the machine, it can get away from you, damage things or the user gets hurt. Early Gravely’s weren’t the most OSHA compliant.
My neighbor has this model, and 20 years ago we cleared at least an acre of rose / berry brambles so he could put in a long driveway back to his home. He still uses it to keep the tree farm cleared. I have a Gravely 816 up on jacks in my garage - my son calls it his "retirement grease" - something to work on when he's got free time.
Back in the 70's, we used these on commercial flat roofs. They were animals. Tuff as nails.
They had a nice broom for sweeping gravel, and an ocsillating head on a rack to tear off old roofs. We dropped one 30' once into our stakebed, by accident, with a Smith Hoist that followed it down landing on it. We pulled it out of the truck and that sob fired right up and ran great. Wish I still had that machine!
Gravely Plows work really well, just put a couple sand bags on the top of the plow to make it dig in, also walk on your tip toes and put your weight down on the handle bars she'll push enough to surprise you. Great video man, thanks
Add chains to the duals also
I'll just bet you can find a Gravely operator's and maintenance manual on line with lots of answers to what ails the old beasty.
Rototiller works great , I used it one year to plow .my garden. Great video as always.
My grandfather had one of those and we used it to bush hog around a lake on some property he owned. I remember it being a beast cutting up to 2"-3' diameter saplings. He also had the tiller and disc attachments to use it in his garden every yr. Gravely made a top notch machine back then, you couldn't tear that thing up. I'd hang on to that one if I was you. don't see them anymore. Thanks for the video, brought back a lot of memories. It would wear me out after using it all day.
OMG! What a barn find! Great job on the repairs! You are awesome!
I’ve got the brother to this unit, except mine has the 10 horse Kohler engine. Bought it used around 1988, still runs great and with the Gravely two-stage snow thrower, man, look out! It’ll throw snow 30 feet across the yard! Love these old timers. My Dad had an earlier version with the 7.6 horse Gravely motor. These had high pressure lubrication with a large, automotive style spin-on oil filter. And they had a Morse magneto to fire the plug. American made master piece of engineering!
The old timers are smiling down on you, keep up the great work buddy!
I wish it was mine I've wanted one all my life an you get it for free most of the time your so lucky I would go bankrupt in just your stash pile. Wish you lived closer to me god bless you brother
Our Gravely would ooze some gear oil when we changed implements.
There is suppose to be a little “jackstand” on the operator side, left, near the engine. You lower it down and it supports the tractor, tilted slightly back while you change implements. I noticed yours is missing, but the locking screw is still there
Fun fact. Gravely made a chain saw attachment for these beasts
Chainsaw attachment!? Was the bar oriented horizontal, vertical or articulated so you could select the angle?
Wow! I'd love to see the chainsaw attachment in action!
Giant 30"saw blades also
@@davidhamilton8041 wow!
Sounds like an absolute WEAPON :D
@@ericvaughn1126 articulated
Gravely was the Cadillac of the class.
Hi Mustie. When I was a young man, I used to run a Gravely just like that one, It had a sickle bar, finish mower deck and a brush deck. It also had a ball hitch that I could hook a sulkie cart to the back to ride on. Thank you for entertaining us.
Thats what I thought, They probably had like a two wheel cart with a seat so you could just ride along doing larger areas too. I bet Mustie could make one...
I remember those sickle mowing blades😲 they were scary 😳
Brilliant video, glad you are enjoying the work again
The tiller attachment work great too. That's a nice piece of equipment to have around.
Recently been told about you by a friend and now I'm hooked, will end up watching everything.
My Sunday has started out excellent, thanks. What a cool machine !!
"Back in the day" a Gavely was the thing to have for brush cutting. Dangerous as all get out but quite the tool. The high range on the drive was for when you used a sulkie with it. You can clear pretty large areas quickly in high gear. You can see the mount for the sulkie on the back. Some people had seat/sulkies as well. I have never seen one with duallies though, but that makes it even more of a beast. Be careful with that one especially in reverse.
I had one for a while and should have kept it, actually for safety because I sold it right before moving to a mountain farm where tractors are always rolling over and killing farmers, but if a walk behind rolls over, you just step back and let it go. I forget if the range shifter on the right side of the dash effects both wheel and implement speed or just implement speed.
I sold it because I mostly used it for snow blowing in Massachusetts and knew that I wouldn't be doing that much snow blowing in North Carolina, but there was plenty of mountainside bush hogging to do in NC! which is why selling it was a mistake. I think I asked around a grand for it and it sold right away, so it was worth something.
With that machine fully alive it should have a few of the AvE stickers. "Not to be operated by fxwits"
You won't get the same sort of service from a new one. Fake Brand, I think MTD makes them today. Lightweight, throwaway, typical of today's cheap rubbish.
@@geoffmorgan6059 Made today by Ariens.
@@ehsnils most definitely. That is a bad ass machine.i have one with a 10 hp with the brush hog and tiller. It's unstoppable
Those gravely were everywhere here in Tennessee when I was a kid in the 70’s great cutting machine run forever good video
Thanks Mustie! Great video...brings back many memories! I cut my teeth cutting lawns back in the early 70's on a '60's Model L with a pull behind seat. Thought I was king of the world at 12 years old!
What a wonderful bit of kit..!..! Please keep the videos coming, I love them..!
Mom bought my dad an 812 tractor in 1976. It mowed brush great and the tiller did fantastic as well . 40 yrs later mom sold the house and the Gravely went with it .
I really enjoyed this one. Repair seems to go so much easier when you're working on a heavy duty piece of kit compared to the light duty consumer grade stuff we've got today.
Sharpen that blade and look out. Gravely was top of the line. Awesome work as usual Mustie. Thanks a million.
Very cool find and fix. Hit the spot during my coffee time.
Good too have you back sir from all of us in Scotland
Nice adaptation on the bearings. Good 'use what you got' procedure.
It's actually supposed to have gear oil in the cavity where the slip clutch for the blade is. I had a couple of Gravely's that were made before the Kohler era, and had their own engine (which was a lot more powerful, btw). The springs on that slip clutch are heavy enough to keep it from slipping unless you smack a stump or a big rock with it, and then it keeps you from breaking the gears or other parts of the drivetrain.
Musie1, Can you give a update on your orange Ford pick up and how the body work is coming along. Can't wait to see the finished product....
I agree. Would like to see an update on the econoline truck.
Ive asked him to do a complete walk through of all the projects a few times
@@bren-xmotorsports55 he does not own a big enough memory card to show you guys everything 🤣
I've asked several times to do a update on the econoline but never got any reply
I can't wait either on the Ford hopefully it might be for sale .
This is my "It's Great to have you back Friend!" We've never met, but I damn sure know ya, and Yes I was waiting for you to get your thumb. Happy to have you back, you were sorely missed.
I think I'm going to just start a side hustle with the owners of these finds . " I bet you my friend has this machine back in use in a week " . Another machine back in service😎, awesome M1 👍.
Such a talent Mustie, very entertaining.
Did you hear every Gravely user from the last 70 or 80 years yelling how those control levers work?
That was me!
@@GaryT1952 and me
And me too
Never even seen a Gravely IRL, but yea add me to the choir. I thought that together with the labels the levers were pretty self explanatory, especially after Mustie traced the left lever down to the gearbox for the PTO. But I also know how easy it is when you're at this side of the screen. Up front and personal it's a lot easier to lock up and miss the obvious explanations.
And me as well
Another brilliant episode, thank you..🔧🔧🧰
I remember from my old one that there is a paper gasket that goes where the two implements marry together
Another great video. Thank you for filling our quiet evenings with such great informative films. Matty. Kent UK.
It’s a super convertible, hence the two sets of hi lo. Low low good for tilling, high high good for finish mowing or transport.
Now all he needs is the seat that goes behind it to make it a rider.
I agree with you, but would like to add the hi/low range on the left would also be for an attached snow blower.
@@bumbdunny349 j7
A sulky is what I remember it being called
the ones with the lower range are best- without they move too fast for me even in low
Another old machine back in use. Way to go that's really cool....
Yay! Best way to start the week! Morning/Afternoon/Evening to all!
Mustie you are amazing. Knowledge, that you have with machine there is no words for it. You must have German blood in you.
@ Mustie 1 I have a 1954 5hp Gravely two wheel walk behind. It has a one cylinder Studebaker motor. It also has a fan run by the motor for cooling the motor along with an external governor, oil bath air filter and an oil filter. I'm no expert, but I believe the engine oil is also used by the Gravely in the transmission. There were some 30 odd attachments for the Gravely including chainsaws, cultivators, gang reel mowers, rotary plows, finish mowers etc...You can add a hitch ball to yours and attach a sulkey which allows you to ride. I also have a DR Field and Brush mower. I like the Gravely better because it is more maneuverable, and you can ride. You can get parts on ebay and from Richard's in Spoencer, WV. Great video!
On the Studebaker models, the transmission oil was used to lubricant the engine. The engine had a gear oil pump, attached to the rear output shaft, that lubricated the engine and the front clutch (hi/low range). A system that worked well. When they switched to the Kohler engine, they unfortunately did away with the front clutch lubrication. They countered by filling the transmission with more oil, but IMO, it wasn’t the greatest of ideas. The front clutch, more specifically, the front planetary gear(s) suffered. It wasn’t uncommon to have to replace the front planetary gear assembly after many hours of operation.
I used to have a Photo of my Dad tilling a garden back in the fifties with a Gravely similar to this. It was his pride and joy as he had a big smile while using it. A very useful tool!
I like how the leaking fuel line is directly in line with the exhaust. lol 😂
And that arcing, charge box is right next to the gas tank :)
Call the fire company before the fire starts.
911: Hello 911 what's your emergency?
Me: Yes I'm about to mow with my Gravely Tractor.
911: We will have someone right out sir.
I kind of cringed when it backfired right next to that leaky gas line
glad you are back. Sunday is now complete here in Canada. Hope you and your wife are doing well take care
From what I've been reading, oil is meant to pass through that front porch area, and back into the main oil sump. The passages let oil flow out through the top, and then back through the bottom. When tipped over, the oil will flow out through the sump.
That's awesome. Nice taryl mug!!. Great job. Another nice find.
The stash pays off again. Can't find bearing locally, let's make our own. Nicely done! The old machines just want to work. Many more years left in it!
Its awesome to see an old castaway machine put back into service. Never understood the throw away instead of fix mentality when it comes to minor repairs.
I like the end when you re-show the barn find, i can hear the mower spindle cry in the barn i swear ^^
Always enjoy your repairs thanks
I just bought two Gravely's this week. Looking forward to tearing into them.
A piece of pure Americana. They are WONDERFUL machines. I've used one since 1975 to maintain a family property in Columbia County, NY. We did have to change out the engine in 2007 as it was designed around leaded fuel. The valves finally gave out. We consider the thing a part of the family. Congrats... You'll love them.
@@genecurrivan2799 yeah I've need a brush cutter for a while so I'm pretty happy I found them.
@@kingfloopy hopefully I can find one on the super cheap like this to fix up.
@@genecurrivan2799
What engine did you substitute?
Could you have had hardened valve seats inserted by a machine shop in the old engine?
Dear J.D. P.
👍👌👏 Congrats! Have fun with these great machines. In the 1950 and 60s those kind of single axle tractors often came with a sturdy/stable hitch and single axle trailer in Germany On that was a bench and footrests so that you can drive the complete ensemble relatively comfortable. Only sharp turns were/are always a challenge.
2) Please kindly allow me to ask if you know that the first piece of your surname means plow in German!? Pflughaupt - Hauptpflug = Mainplow.
Best regards, luck and health.
Another saved Mustie rides again great to have you back 👍👨🏻🏭🇬🇧
David Bradley was another vintage brand of walk behind tractor "way back when". They also seem to be well made. My uncle had 1 when I was a kid. I was a bear to handle when I was about 9 years old. He had a single bottom turning plow, a disc harrow, a cultivator plow, and a sickle bar cutter for it.
I have a couple David Bradley chainsaws
Sears useto sell the David Bradley chainsaw , dad had one back in the 60
Thank you for your channel i was born and raised in wolfeboro and went in the marines and settled in south Carolina ready to move back keep up the amazing work god bless you and your family
-70's in Finland we had Belos tractors, very similar looking with this Gravely. Some of those are still in using condition.
Mustie every time that screw driver fell I had to check for Stump's !!!: o Thank's for putting new handles much better now🤗🤣😂🤣😅👍
55:05.......As I recall on our older "Super Convertible" model, there was a cork gasket that sealed the gap between the clutch and the mower. We always kept spare ones around because they were pretty easy to tear if you changed implements often........Also, you had four speeds------low and high speed in low range and low and high speed in high range. It was synchronized with the pto speed because the faster you went the faster the blade had to spin to prevent bogging down in high grass.
Same here I've got a L uncle has several different models all with the gasket
Hey Mustie. Yea, quality parts from JA PAN company. Very interesting repair. Yea, if you trip when walking backwards you want the machine to stop and not run you over. Thanks for sharing.🍁👍👍
Morning all!
Awesome video. Fixing old stuff and figuring out how they work is an addiction for me. Its how i ended up with a collection of 16 chainsaws and growing. Lol.
I'd go and buy a lotto ticket after the luck with those handles 😂
Exactly what I was thinking!
I used this Gravely when I was 17/18 years old... it had a single wheel riding deck that I would stand on while operating. Loved this machine... they don't make this quality of a machine anymore.
You do great work , very impressed with the way you operate and try to figure it out on your own and most times you do . THANKS !!!
I always enjoy your videos. Look forward to the next one.
Had nothing but problems with those made in China fuel shut-offs!! When I buy one now, I really try to get a Briggs OEM!
You can get 1/4in brass shutoff valves from China for not much more that I've had much better luck with than the old red&black
@@ruben_balea Yea, the thing is that they make things to meet a price point, and if that figure is to low the product will be pretty bad. But a company like Briggs will buy in large enough volumes they can dictate strict quality control and that the factory keep to the agreements when it comes to materials and components used. Same with Apple and any other big company making business with Chinese manufacturers. You can buy anything from the crap people tend to call "Chinesium" to really high quality products. But quality costs, even when it's made in China, and a lot of people are not prepared to pay high prices for something that says "Made in China". It's a stigma that Chinese companies has earned through selling the cheap crap that people have been asking for for a long time. Reverting a label like that takes a lot of time and effort. When I was a kid "Made in Japan" was the label you found on the cheapest and crappiest products. Japanese products were known to be cheap and crappy. Japanese cars were next to disposable. Throw them away when the tank ran dry.
And that's about where "Made in China" is today. You can get great products from China, but not at the prices that people are expecting to pay for them simply because of the country of origin. I don't see China clawing away at perceptions the way Japan managed, but I don't think we will look at "Made in China" quite the same way in twenty or forty years. Heck, fifty years ago "Made in the USA" was a sign of quality that was fast declining...
@@blahorgaslisk7763 Your story reminds me of the movie "Back to the Future" when Doc is looking at a part and say's "Made in Japan!?". Then Marty replies something like, "Yeah Doc. In the future, all the good stuff comes from Japan." Sadly, it's a reflection of the 'dark side' of 'most' business attitudes.
I learn something new every time I watch.
I would love to see a video when you do get around to tackling the cosmetic repairs on it. I would love to see the end results. I revive and restore small engine stuff myself as a hobby, but I am completely self taught. I would like to see any tricks you may have that i haven't figured out yet.
Mustie doesn't really do cosmetic repairs. He seems to like the well used patina look.
"Cosmetic"?? You must be new to this channel!!! That "Gravely" has the perfect look for a "Mustie" restoration.
Mustie- Rides it in the next parade "as is". Makes a sell instead.
Clever idea with those bushings in the bearings ! 🤗🤗🤗
Suggestion for an addition to this - Using some of your empire to construct a tow-along seat for it, so you don't need to worry about being dragged along on your feet... :D
A sulky is ok if you're on flat ground. Otherwise they're more trouble than they're worth.
Using one these with a sulky and any kind of ground undulations the handles will smash your legs. Ask me how I know. Lol
Those old Kohler single cylinder engines were bullet proof and torque monsters. I've had several IH Cub Cadets with Kohler. Gravely made top grade lawn equipment.
Gravely's of that era are _tillers_ and thus had gearboxes for the tiller speeds. You could get tiller, brushhog mower, flail mower, snow blower, square blade plow, sickle bar, brush-saw (like a Y with a nasty saw blade in the middle) and a parking lot power broom for the front and a whole series of equipment for the rear. Now that its working you can probably take it out and find a home for it out near the amish community. Overfilling the gearing oil was common for storage.
Dear P.
Also available a single axle trailer with a bench and footrests? That's at least how those kind of single axle tractors in Germany were often used in the 1950s and 60s.
Best regards, luck and health.
They also made a rotary plow which worked like a champ. Great for smaller gardens.
Hello. A friend of mine when growing up in the 60's used to have a Gravely tractor that was a lawn cutter with the same configuration. It looked the same out front. It only had two wheels instead of four. The point I wanted to get to was that there was a foot pad that attached to the rear bracket you can see ready for some bolts to mount to, and he used to ride on the back of it that way. It was a stand up platform so he wasn't walking behind it. He rode the platform instead. It did not impede on his ability to steer by pushing the handles and front end left and right. Love watching your channel. Mustie it's a shame we are not neighbors. The whole time you are working on something I feel like I wish I could for example take the front end cutter assembly and send it off to the sandblaster and it comes back looking almost new. Treat it with acid etch, Dupont Metal Prep is my favorite, after blowing all the sand out first from the blaster. Then blow the excess acid prep off, let it dry overnight, and then prime it and paint it. Looks almost new with a lifetime finish on it.
I used to do the word for T Bird Products out in Exton Pa. Took it to Broyles Refinishers, and they have once of the Caterpillar heavy duty motor with a 4" blasting nozzle, it put out so much air that you didn't even see the sand, but it they blasted a flat car panel it would glow red hot and warp. So I would liquid strip all of the outside panels, and then let them go at the door jambs, under the hood and overall chassis, as well as the frame and suspension. Had to scrape and clean the grease off first. When it would come back the metal all looked new. I would spend hours blowing the sand out of every crevice and then do the treatment mentioned above. After that T Bird products would disassemble the suspension putting in new bushings, washers etc. and the suspension was absolutely indistinguishable from brand new. Then they reassembled the entire car either glass beading, and or refinishing, or replacing components so the entire car was indistinguishable from brand new. We took what looked like junk and turned it into a 30k plus machine so it wasn't all for naught.
Absolutely love this channel, and I look so forward to seeing your next one. So glad you do hour long videos. I could watch you all day.
Sorry for chatting so long but the one thing I really appreciate is the way you dive headlong into a project. You aren't standing at arms length and deciding to do nothing until you determine you want to mess with it. You just dig right in with the confidence that this is going to march forward. If you run into something that makes it not worthwhile, you always have a parts machine, and can add to your stash. Love it. Thanks for doing what you do. By the way, I have been topping up on my tools based on what you have been using. Body work stuff I have, mechanicals I am brushing up on. Thank you for all you do.
During your tests at the end, I kept thinking "Come on. Crank up the rpms and lets see it go" but at what ever level your were running it at, it never seemed to work up a sweat. Seems awfully powerful for a lil 8hp engine. Thanks for the video.
I would love to find one of those old Gravely's. To me they are worth there weight in gold. My grand dad had one and I remember the neighbor across the street had an old one back in the 70's. They had a long horseshoe driveway and I would sit and watch him for hours all the time pushing the snow with the plow attachment. His had the taller single wheels. Great Video as always. Thank you
I'd keep an eye on that bearing setup, in case it loosens up it will wear the gears out pretty fast.
Yes it's hard to tell without feeling it, but I sense I would have put that washer under the gear on the top.
This is probably the most critical I've been of Mustie, but the original fitment of two taper roller bearings allowed the tension produced when the shaft was torqued up to be applied on the two bearings. The straight roller bearing now on the bottom doesn't cope well with forces along the shaft. Things might be different in the US, but I was surprised he went to an auto parts supplier. For bearings and seals, when I used to work on 2-stroke motorcycles, I always used a dedicated bearings factor. Anything not in stock (and that was rare) was there within 2 days.
yeah id keep a close eye on that bearing setup tapered bearings are required to be in pairs to get preload . a temp fix at best . 5 mows or so and that setup will be sounding just like before .
When I was in Jr high they used Gravely's with a plow to clear the snow off the sidewalks at the school. Always loved to just sit there and watch, really and true workhorse.
Kind of surprised how little you knew about GRAVELY, being on UA-cam. I grew up using Gravelys that my dad had/has. Cut grass, roto tilled, plowed and blew snow, really a well made and designed machine. by the way, the hitch on the back is meant to pull a two wheeled riding sulky that you could quickly pull a pin and unhitch if you wanted to walk behind it. This was especially handy if you wanted to mow ditch banks
Been watching mustie for years, still love your videos
One of my life’s goals is to have a spare parts stash as good as Mustie1!
Yes agree! But he can remember where he put things! I cant find my keys haha!
I'm a big fan of that older equipment. Good stuff. She sound great👍👍
Those machines were real animals. Also, those older Kohler motors were rear workhorses.
This gravely needs a 12 hp. Kohler put on it. The 8 is too small to power this unit. Original Gravely L models had a 7.6 hp. engine but they had more torque than the Kohler 8.
@@davidmorse8432 My 524 gravely with a pull start 8hp kohler has absolutely no problem running a bush hog.
@@lonniemuncy1005 Well I am glad that you are satisfied with the power you have.
Another item saved. Nice work on the bearings. 👍👍