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Ed Cole took photographs of the collection in 1991 to orient Minneapolis Saint Paul employees to the different products made over the years. Toro has now closed the South Bend plant. The museum tractors were at the Ireland Road plant, the dusty ones were at the distribution warehouse in Elkhart. Ed’s photos are shown as forty-four images in the gallery album “Wheel Horse, Inc. Museum Tractors.†What is the disposition of these tractors today? Has the collection been scrapped or sold? Are they available for the public to see?

I got to thinking a few months ago that it might be interesting to use the family tree concept to map out the entire wheel horse family. It's easy to plot right from an RJ up to a black hood knowing that they evolved into round hoods, short frame, long frame, hydros, etc, etc I'm up for drawing this up, but might just need a little help as whilst I know my wheel horse onions - I'm by no means an expert I think as a point of reference it could be incredibly useful esp. when it comes down to swapping out engines, transmissions, etc. Here's a quick sketch of what I was thinking, thoughts??

I did repairs on Lionel trains in the late 80s and early 90s before the electronics took over and made train repair impossible,"taycotrains" was the name of my side business. TAYlor COmpany TRAINS .....The name just stuck.

That is so cool Scott! I'm sure it makes the kids proud and they deserve it. It goes without saying that this entire forum is proud of them and of you as well. What you are doing for these kids is just something we don't see anymore.

Well I must admit that I have dropped the ball on updates. For our loyal followers, we are still plugging away and making progress. The end is in sight!!!!! We managed to meet the entire summer and only took a couple weeks off. We didn't miss a beat once school began again in the middle of August. Things have been very hectic on my end and I apologize for not sharing the updates that many of you look forward to on a weekly basis. I will try and pick up the slack! We have been lucky enough to show off our projects in two parades, received many compliments, and a group of kids that don't understand the word "quit" Thank you to everyone that has supported us......who would have ever thought things would have turned out the way they have. We are truly blessed! Here is one picture I snapped tonight. The past two days the tractors have been on display in the front entry way of the school so the entire student body can admire the craftsmanship of the kids. We will be rolling them back in to the club barn tomorrow to work on getting these closer to completion. I will try and get some other pictures posted soon! Here you go...........

I had to go over to the neighbors this evening. His "Orange" tractor won't move. Yep.... he was correct. So I pulled 6 crazy hairpins and removed the deck. Then I grabbed the steering wheel to tip it and put blocks under the wheels so I could look under it ............ I about flipped it over on me when I gave it a good yank. WOW.... that's light! Anyhow ... the problem is a melted plastic idler pulley. The bearing is not smooth. Comparison.... The "RED" one ready to work. The "Orange" one napping.

He can talk about it here, we have the other brands section. If someone gets offended that's their problem, people can do whatever makes them happy. I do most of my mowing with a Cub Cadet Commercial zero turn, wouldn't want to get the Horses dirty you know.

Been my nickname for a long time. Went to get personalized license plate for the bike, Burly had already been taken by some woman in Cleveland who already had the plate, so we improvised, came up with Brrly1 and thats me and has been since I landed the first computer that my kid sister gave me, with her thinking I needed to be knowledgeable about computers. So here I am Brrly1 P.S. Some woman in Cleveland with a nickname of burly scares the daylights out of me just thinking about it.YIKES!!

Found a tractor listed on CL with snow cab and two stage blower, less than 100 hours on unit. Older gent moving from WI to AZ, he had purchased new for $5500 in '96 per dealer receipt, owner's manual, and service records. It had never spent a day outside of his garage. Thought I had uncovered The Great Find, and started dreaming about owning a near mint show tractor driving over to his house, caller #1 baby! As we were opening his garage, he first mentioned that it had gotten "a little rusty" from the salt on his driveway. Soon discovered that would be like saying Dolly Parton is a "little busty." There wasn't a piece of tin on it that wasn't covered with rust and bulged up paint scabs over top of rust; it had even undermined the decals. It started okay, but moved really slow even at full throttle. That is the second 520H I've passed over that went really slow even pushing the hydro lever forward, and I thought they were supposed to go even faster than my 8 speeds? He said; "I didn't bother to wash it because I didn't know anybody collected Wheel Horse." So, for lack of a hosing off each Spring, that ultra low hour garage queen was ruined by rust... I was distressed, and I figured that after the rust pits the metal that bad, and the chrome air cleaner is solid rust and even the hood louvers are all rusty, it wasn't worth even $1K to me. I suppose some would have parted it out and made money, but I was too disappointed and figured maybe someone better equipped could restore it... Sorry if this is posted in the wrong section. "wyzmark"

Scott, you are the kind of teacher that makes kids want to go to school. You epitomize the dedication one looks for in a teacher. Your dedication to these children will remain in their memories long after you are in another place. They will tell their grandchildren about you and I bet a few of them are inspired to become teachers themselves and carry on the fine tradition you have instilled in them.

Some may not like the Briggs but I bought my GT 1800 BRAND NEW in 1984 and mowed commercially with it for almost ten years. Also tilled countless gardens, plowed tons of snow. That ole' gal still runs like a top and is currently resting comfortably with a 50" mid mount grader blade that gets some occasional use. They may not be red but those tractors are Wheel Horse through and though!!

A lot of the equipment was indeed restored. There was a Horse Sense article in about 1988 that told of a fellow named Gary who restored some items for the museum at Ireland rd. Geez, I've been at this a long time. Since 1987! Steve

When Toro moved out of South Bend they put these tractors on loan to the Studebaker National Museum. The museum displayed a handful of them on and off for years, but obviously their focus was on a different kind of old iron. So the majority of them sat in storage in the attic. In 2000 (I think) at one of the first WH shows in PA I heard from Ed that these were at the studebaker museum after I asked him whatever happened to the tractors displayed at the Ireland rd plant. In the winter of 2000 my wife was interested in a job in South Bend, so I called the museum and was put in touch with one of the caretakers who showed me around. It was awesome. Not all of them were property of Toro as I recall, like the 420lse which was owned by the city of SB. As a side note, my wife had planned to cancel her interview but I told her I was going to the museum whether she went up there or not since I was really looking forward to it and had made plans already. She decided "what the heck" and went for the interview. We moved up there in the summer of 2001. Anyway, the museum rotated the tractors thru the displays when they featured things like "Made in South Bend". Lathes, sporting goods, Oliver plows, etc. In about 2005 Toro had the trucks that delivered equipment to the Indy 500 pick up the collection and take it to their hq in Bloomington, MN. Great pictures! Steve

I know you want that Geno.

Not until you get a two place Wheel Horse snowmobile trailer.....

Funny you should say that Kerry, I have been thinking about a Wheel Horse powered wheel lathe I might have the use of a big lathe in a couple of weeks for cutting the centers out, if not I will be doing something like this.. The axle stand is for illustration purposes only Thanks Nick, I'm guessing you like Project "Why Not" The next step is on the way. Thanks Mark, it's nice to finally see this project moving in the right direction.. And on to today's fun and games, starting with the remains of the frame that the engine top mount was once attached to.. I only needed the threaded tube bit's.. You can just about see it in this balancing act of bits of metal.. Its the bit with the masking tape on it that was being marked out for more trimming. After a day of careful measuring, cutting, welding and getting really confused until I realized the radiator is mounted on the engine an inch more to the right than left (why did Honda want everything on the outside of this engine offset from the center?), I had come up with most of the engine mounting frame.. I still need to make some cross members for it, but I'm happy with how it's turning out As I'm only using one of the engine mounting places at the top of the engine, I will be making some mounts which will go forward from the threaded stud and join onto my engine frame. So does the hood still fit? That would be a Yes

Purdue, Iowa, Western Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan St., Maryland, Navy, Wichigan, Minnesota, Texas St., Penn St., Missouri, Nebraska. Using a two-headed coin to pick em this week..

You can post the brand. The worse that will happen here is some good natured ribbing. There are a lot of older garden tractors that are fine machines. You just have to look past the John Deeres, Bolens, etc. that they sell at the big box stores now. One that comes to mind is an old (early 60's I think) Bolens my wifes grandfather had. It was very stout and had a differential locking feature I thought was cool. Take a look at one of the forums that covers all brands and you'll see some neat stuff. I think quite a few here have other brand(s) as well and there's nothing wrong with that.

Read My Signature!

There you have it! Only 1 person owns something other than a Wheel Horse!!!

She was the big hairy one at Sturgis!

Yes...but if you still have the trans attached to the frame...it works both ways. I always like being on top. I lied...I like the bottom also. Best answer...just like taping in a bearing. I use a punch (with a good edge)...you can see where you need to tap it and you can see if it is going in straight.

Jeesh! Tough crowd! Can't a girl get a break for burning her hand? It's tough to produce a video with one hand! So, here it is. Ed, it probably still wasn't worth getting up early for https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plLoCF6tJpw

Before I start putting the Kohler back together tomorrow night I thought I'd ask the experts and see if there are any tips, tricks, pointers, or information that I'll need before reassembly? I used my ball hone on the cylinders and made sure all the fins were clean tonight. Hit the Head gasket Mating surfaces with a straight edge and some emery cloth ... 220 grit. I hope to put the case back together tomorrow night, and get the jugs on as well ... Look forward to the input, and of course... I'll get pictures for ya'll ...cause w/o pictures... It didn't happen right? Thanks for the Information, in advance. S.

https://www.ted.com/talks/browse Came across this and found it to be an unlimited information resource. If you're tired of commercial-laden TV, throw this up from your computer to your TV (MDI cable is all you need) and kick back. Bring in the wife and kids, and be curious about what you have not been curious about up to now. The possibilites are big.

Yeah...a really neat train display there.

for your help. That is one of the many benefits of being a member on ....The help and ideas we get from each other.

Where do the implements go? What size deck does it take? I see it has a fork lift attachment in the front.

Good one ^ Even if it wasn't genuine , I'd restore it just 'cause the front axle steers .

Oh no.

Yeah, good luck getting that right... you're not gonna forget our six toed cousins are you?

Looks like a Lambert to me. Not a Wheel Horse... moving to off-brand.

Thanks a million Martin, just what I was after. Congratulations on a fabulous rebuild by the way , I'd noticed a while back and had been meaning to set aside some time to read through it, so that was a timely reminder to do so

just a little FYI, an aftermarket replacement carb is just as cheap, maybe cheaper than a rebuild kit (depends alot on where you get it) here's a link some good info in there on cleaning too, if you decide to rebuild the original

You can download this one free. it is for a slightly older engine but nothing changed in the H60s for a lonnng time Carb kit is 31840 (Oregon aftermarket kit 49-840)

OK guys if you need to hit the streets - - today is going to be excellent for finds.. Word on the street is "Geno is working until 10:00 Pm" . Be safe out there. !!!

Geno, I try pretty hard to say away from mechanical repairs unless it's on a consulting basis, hopefully their is someone else doing the physical work (young healthy buck) and I'm just trying to keep them out of trouble when they jump in over their heads, not usually by choice but necessity. I have the priviledge of helping a 3 generation heavy dirt and land clearing contractor stay on top of their maintenance, repair and rebuild program, It started as "help my grandson learn and keep him out of trouble in the shop and yard" to he is running the field and maintenance operations from the field and I get a call to chase down information or parts to keep the hired help productive and safe. I'm not in the personal tool buying mode anymore unless it is horse or house related

A dad from Maine

Ehhhh ....Capische!! Lol!!!

Don, It's the same engine family. The Legacy is rated at 27hp so that could account for some difference. The 5xi Kohler has a muffler shield where the Legacy does not. This is a photo of the Legacy. There is NO clearance from the firewall. The engine needs to be pulled for sure. The Simplicity Legacy is what the 5xi should have been: 3-Point Hitch, 4WD option, additional hydraulics, larger tires, etc. Of course, it would have cost even more brand new. John

Poor thing. Good to see you showing it some love Ed.

So no one thinks I'm a sand-bagger and because I'm shocked that Cutler played for the 49ers last night I'll pick now before all the key players get hurt in pratice. No monkeys were consulted with these picks: Perdue,Iowa, Western Ill., Wisc., Mich St, Syr, Rutgers, Mich, Minn, Illnois, Penn St.,Mizzou, Nebraska

Mine is very very simple; my wife and I first learned the web together, so my first screen was just both our first names together, ( GlenJeri ), but then everyone started calling me Jeri or Mr. Jeri, so now I just use just my real name; GlenPettit ps: it's very interesting to google & search your own real name and then check out some the other people with the same name.

You will need some potatoes to go along with that chicken, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qsh-BI2LDD8 Nice job on the video!

I think you're spot on Geno. I bought a 84 GT-1100 new and it was a lot less. The B&S was probably the biggest part of the price difference. The GT-1100 had 1" axles but I'm not sure about the higher HP models. Something I just learned is that they didn't come with the lift adjuster mechanism. Mine had it so I assumed they did but now I'm thinking the dealer installed it.

Sometimes I grouse about getting old what with the aches and pains, but days like those you show and ones like this one with my GREAT- GREAT grandson trying his best to work controls and DRIVE this thing PapPaw -whassamatter wit chu won let me drive this thing? He just started walking a few months ago...

I LIKE BOTTOM LEFT

well good news on the hood. still need to give it a good polish to get more shine on it but its now one color again........ i wet sanded the spray bomb paint off it and managed to not really break through the oem paint anywhere but the seam where the top meets the grill. theres a few scratches and marks on the top but i cant really see why somebody thought it necessary to paint part of the top. it was hard sanding up against the decals without rubbing the edge off the decal. still looks ok and im really happy the paint is reasonable underneath. i might try to machine polish it to get a better shine. I'm 99 % sure the factory used powder coat on these models as ive wet sanded powder before and it reacts different to wet coat paint. really hard to get a shine on it once you sand it, whatever grade paper you use. i finished up with 800 on this before using the rubbing compound. powder shouldnt ever be sanded out as it affects the surface of the paint. in this case i really didnt have a choice...... the hood is now really smooth and the depth of color is coming but its going to need more elbow grease to get it the same as the seat pan...... the inside turned out real nice, not rusty just really dirty, needed a good wash and scrub....... was a nice afternoon, so got outside and started removing the crappy paint from the top... put this pic in for those who know about the seat. jeanine made me use it....... hood back on tractor, looks a whole lot better already. i dont care if its perfect or not, as theres some chips and deep scratches and the paint got real thin around the join in the top of the hood, just wanted to get that crappy mismatched paint off of there...... before....... after (but not done yet!)...

Today being MLK holiday- admission to the Museum was free. The grandsons have been after me to show them "The cars that I built". Of course , I told them, I didn't build the whole car-just an important part of it. As my luck would have it- Try as I might, I couldn't coax these old bones to get moving-too much pain from old gridiron hits and others. So they went with my adult grandson Lance and had a good time-they took a few pics that brought back memories of good times gone by. I was priviledged to work at Avanti both under Newman & Altman owership & Steve Blake. My area of expertise was to completely dress & assemble the complete engine and transmission assembly for placement in the frame. Each assembly took 6 1/2 hours to complete. When Steve Blake took over-we were making one car a day. I also got to build the engine & trans assembly for the first ever Convertible-sold to George Hamilton- the actor & shipped to California-this car was on a TV show too I believe. He wanted to increase production to 2 cars a day- he wanted to establish a network of dealerships. Up til then, you ordered, and picked up your car at the factory. I was given the task of redisigning the engine assembly bay so I could double my production. After a few days and some changes in the way I moved-I did it. I could just barely complete 2 assemblies in 8 hours. I was proud to put my stamp on each assembly of what was nearly a hand built car. The factory was featured in a " ROAD & TRACK " magazine in 1984. The magazine paid me $1 for permission to print something about me building the engines. Here the boys pictures-one of which was ANDY GRANITELLI s car that broke 29 speed records at Bonniville and was labeled "Worlds Fastest Production Car" oh yes their were some wheel horses there too Thanks for looking- wish I could have walked enough to have gone- but I have the smiles on their faces when they talk about "Grandpa's Cars"-Al