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I had a great time at the show this past weekend, even with the rain! It's about a 6 hour drive from Raleigh, NC, but it is one of my favorite drives! I also really enjoy the scenery around the fairgrounds and took several trips out and about just to take some pictures and look at the old barns. I almost didn't come but my wife, who is 7.5 months pregnant, said "James, the big show has been on the calender for the past 6 months, you can start being an adult next month, go to the freaking show, and quit making up excuses for why you shouldn't." I'm so glad I listened! A big thanks to John, Paul, and Jay for letting me mooch some shade under their tents! One thing that resonated with me this year was that the show is more about the people than the tractors. The first time I went to the show a few years ago (I confess) it was 90% about the tractors, 10% about the people. This was my 3rd trip. It was 50% percent about the people, 25% about the tractors, and 25% about the pie. Y'all, the pie game was on point this year. As far as the tractors go, I noticed myself being drawn towards the short frames. Howard's 857 was especially tempting! I hope y'all don't mind the pictures of the scenery! The trip up on Thursday: Tractors that caught my eye at the show: Very tempting Howard! My view of the Parade! After the ice cream social, the rain came down, but that didn't discourage some from riding on their horses! Scenery Pictures from Saturday Headed out around 5:45am from the camp ground. Here are some shots from the ride home.

I kept this under wraps to unveil at the big show. Got tired of a pinkish tractor. Decals wouldn't be enough. i didn't want to go crazy as this is my snowplow tractor. The hood was bought at last years show and redone last fall. But everything else was done starting mid-April of this year. Started out with this: Torn down to it's skivies and primed: New dash decal: Finished: Skonk has been terribly loud. I tried about 4 different mufflers. I got it better but it was still pretty annoying. During this refresh I decided to change the points. I found the timing was way late and after setting the points correctly the engine is much quieter. you can hear the "Kohler Whine" now!

I picked up a set of turf tires at the big show this past weekend so I was able to swap out the 23x10.50-12 super lug ags off the 1057 and onto the 854. I really like the look of the wide ags on the 854. This one will be in a 4th of July parade this weekend in upstate NY at the in laws place.

While I was walking through the one swap meet barn I run up on a conversation around a Wheel Horse that was for sale ..... and it didn't sound right. I knew the one guy was the seller but the other folks really didn't seemed to be buyers. Well it turned out the real interest about the tractor was that a snake had crawled up into the air fan shroud of the Kohler when the seller opened the hood ..... and it didn't come back out ! (now ifn's the engine had been a Tecumseh the snake would'a been too scared to do that). Lucky for me I realized I had business to attend to in another building! The snake eventually crawled out and went away. Wild Bill in Richmond, VA.

I waited to post my pics a couple days to drag it out a little because the show is just to short . With talking to old friends , making new ones and just the sheer amount of people , tractors , parts it truly is hard to take everything in . Your brain is truly in Horse overload i did get some pics closeup of some tractors but I also tried to get pics with a wide view to show how large the BIG SHOW is . I still didn't get to see everything it's amazing . Make sure to check back to this post as my wife and family have more pics on their phones which I hope to add . As you can see some of lost our canopies cin the storm Friday evening . I do believe nobody or tractors were hurt . My cousin and I didn't bring home any tractors from the show but we did manage to buy three back home while we were in PA ! So pics of those to come along with my 520 Wheel-a-Matic that I debuted at the show. My wife , son and cousin secretly had my 520 finished for the show . Z

As usual my plans and what actually happened stuck again. This year I invited my friend Rick and his grandson Bubba to attend the show with me and we would spend the whole day at the show. Picked them up Friday morning and realized that we had an hour drive ahead of us. Arrived in the rain and got breakfast sandwiches and drinks . I went one way and they took off in another direction. I kept looking for @857 horse so he could install my sign on the post, Only took him 2 1/2 hours. He likes to talk to everyone. I walked around made my purchases and talked to many of the guys and met some new folks. Since I did not take any pictures last year I was determined that I was go to correct the problem this year. Got my camera out this afternoon to transfer my work of art to the computer. Found out that I had taken 25.92mb of video of the inside on my pants pocket. After playing tag with friend Rick and his grandson all morning long we decided at 11:45AM we were going back home. Sorry I took off so early but thanks to the offer of sit in the chair its dry , thanks Howard I had enough and my friend has some heath problems so he was also ready to depart. He plans on attending next year with a truck and trailer. His grandson thinks they need matching to play with at home. The few pictures that came out have tractors and some humans. By the way @857 horse I hope you have my sign. Also @roadapples if I had known that you were going to leave your unattended , we would have driven the truck and trailer to the show this year. I know I had a key in my pocket. Maybe the attendance at my 3rd show will go better. Wish me luck.

I found that carburetor screw that you lost. I saw him working on his motorcycle muttering "I need a screw....." Found it.

I'm glad you appreciated the scenery as much as the show. We Pennsylvanians try to put on our best for y'all when you visit. The more shows I attend, the more I agree with you about the people being as important as the tractors. This year, I met a collector who lives only five miles from me, and I didn't know him before. Jim

As usual, it was an awesome show! Tractors are what brought us there, but people are what make the experience Like I say every show, I hate to mention too many specific people because I don't want to miss anyone (except my neighbors ACMan & Squonk ). You will see their posts AC Man's niece (Kip's daughter). . . the cutest kid ever . . . fortunately, Mrs. Zeek had a puppy she liked so she hung out with us. AC I believe you know these suspects . . . Squonk, Howard and Craig Da pole . . . no women, just signs (family show) There are a lot of people that do a LOT of work to make this show happen. Some are not members of this forum just because they aren't into the "interweb" so much, but they are still good folks! This is me and Marshall Smith (WHCC) . . . my RVing BS buddy. . . .

You are the photoman James. Awesome pictures...thanks for sharing and reminding me why I live in Pa. Also spot on about the people....glad we had the opportunity to chat and reminisce.

Great images James!! Thanks for sharing them. Vinylguy

Few people knew...at the same time as our Biglerville show... on the opposite side of Gettysburgh was the big AMOA AMC show/convention...just sharing a few picts here for anyone who cares to look. BTW, the AMC Nationals are being held next weekend in Kenosha Wisconsin if anyone is interested. Interesting side note, hardly anyone in the AMC circles knows anything about the AMC/Wheel-Horse connection... but curiously, I did see someone at the show riding around on an anniversary model ...next years feature tractor. Couple walk-around videos here... ...seems my hand isn't as steady as it used to be.

Just picked this up this afternoon. Its the real deal allied attachment. A Bark Buster.

Any motor oil you will find on the shelf today is superior to the top brand oils available fifty four years ago when the majority of my engines were built.

I took the backroads to go visit my sister back in May and got stuck behind a logging truck on a two lane road. This went on for about 15 miles. I was pulling a trailer so rather than get impatient, I just focused on the scenery rather than the obstruction. Sometimes we miss out if we put our attention on the wrong things. I hope to take in some scenery next year on my way up. Thanks for taking the scenery shots. Sometimes a little green in a sea of red isn't a bad thing.

Nice to see you here Bill, we all know that the show would not be the same without you. I believe your knowledge on our beloved tractors is second to none. Thank you for helping make the show so enjoyable for all of us!!!

I have been trained to have a keen eye of my surroundings and when it was noticed that a blonde haired woman was taking a lot of pictures in my direction during the parade I thought ...... well I am registered with the Bureau of Homeland Security (in a good way folks ... a good way!) so she must have interest in what is going on here at the Wheel Horse Show. So I figured you might just want the full history of the Wheel Horse Show and I hope I delivered. You took some great pictures that captured the feelings of the families going through the parade and attending the Wheel Horse Show ........ just look at all the smiles ! Quick story for you and Craig .... on the way home we stopped in Gettysburg for dinner and some folks parked a pick up truck towing a AMC Javelin on a trailer near my truck and trailer full of Wheel Horses . When they got out they started to check out the Wheel Horses ..... and then the guy boasted out to me "Ya' know American Motors owned Wheel Horse" ....... I pulled down my eye glasses a little and looked over them and proceeded to tell what year the merger was, what AMC car model (Matador)and Wheel Horse tractor models had the same hood design along with a few other details of the merger ...... he didn't know who he was messing with ! It was nice talking to you. Wild Bill in Richmond, VA

Although I'm sure some of you know about this site I wanted to give them a shout out. http://mowerparts4less.com/ I ordered some belts from them from their Ebay store. I received them and didn't really check them out other than seeing that they are a very nice quality and made in the USA. I'm a stickler on leaving feedback on Ebay and, of course, left positive for them. Great price for great belts and fast shipping. Once I got further into the project I discovered that I had received a 112" belt instead of the 103" that I ordered. Simply an 'oops' when they pulled the belt off the shelf. I contacted the seller and he was quick to apologize, send the correct belt and a pre-paid envelope to return the wrong one. Ya gotta love folks that still know what customer service is. The belts I ordered are for the spindle and mule drive on the deck. I tend to use only Toro belts for the tractor drive but I'm thinking one of these would work just fine. Gotta love the color too!!

Thanks to everyone who made the show so enjoyable! We had a lot of fun like usual! Come home with a nice load. Thanks to everyone that helped me out along the way! Here's the load I came home with. A 1963 633, a 1956 RJ35, a set of HL5 lights, an original back rest, a set of old style painted hubcaps, an original oil bath air cleaner, a stop button kill witch for a '55 RJ35, a throttle handle for a '55 RJ35 a recoil, a straight from the horses mouth book, and finally a 4 wheel wagon! Thanks again to everyone!

"I pulled your finger last year. I aint fallin for that again! "

Some great pictures. I unfortunately did not get but a few. As stated earlier, it's difficult to be a vendor and do anything else, much less take pictures. Your pictures point out something very important for those thinking of buying an awning or tent for display. Buy one locally, and put it up before venturing out to your first show. If the top has any sort of belly in it dry, it will fill with water in even the smallest of rain showers. Immediately take it back and get your money back and find one that pulls tight with absolutely no sag or bellying.

Great photos Mrs.Rules. I can't make it to the big show because of health problems but i really look forward to the photos every year. Thanks for sharing.

Very cool pictures!

James, thanks for the variety of pictures, you take nice shots. The scenery pictures were a bonus. Very beautifully area. Glenn

Well my parents came down to Tennessee Sunday and it's first time I have seen them in 6 months, also first time my dad has ever been to my house so that was fun! We've been to Paris...Tn lol and showed them hank Williams jr's house.. then me and dad went to see a friend of mine that has huge AMC collectionalso the orange javelin is actually a 69 Amx with javelin nose that's been built like the prototype since the guy bought it in 1974 (didn't get very many pics as weeds grown up on most of it!). just thought I would share some of the trip. They brought my little cousin down too IMG_2363.MOV

And people wonder why I don't camp anymore! Now I have to go out and check my 701,

" Who took my roll of Baling Wire ,the bike will not work without it " ?

Dare I say 'Caption This"!

Great pictures! Something tells me that we don't want to see that video though I'm looking forward to seeing you again next year.

My insurance agent asked me to give him a replacement value on all of my tractors. I told him that I would have to place a value of about $3000.00 on each. Now that may seem high for a couple of round hoods and some mid frames, but if a value is established and placed into the policy, when it comes time to make a claim, things are much more in your favor. Hopefully I'll never need to make a claim.

Nice camera work Jr, thanks for taking us along!

Made one final change to complete this beast..... I didn't have the stock "removable" side grille for this tractor and they are hard to come-by so..... I made a removable extension parted from an old broken grille I had in my stash. Think it came out workable.... leave to your discretion.....? cheers

So sorry, fortunately everyone is okay. If anyone's neck even feels the slightest uncomfortable, get it checked. If you inform the adjuster your getting checked out medically, they become far more agreeable to damage losses. I just got an estimate having a hood and fender pan cleaned up from minor dents and painted, and using my paint it was $500.

Outstanding pictures! Thank you.

@&it happens. Sorry for the horses, but glad no people were hurt.

+ !!!

Coffee cup??? Don't you mean his Rock & Rye cup? Somewhere tonight in Biglerville, there is a liquor store owner wondering why his Rock & Rye shelf is still filled.

Sunday morning in Roanoke, Va. More pictures of 854s damage.

I usually have my GPS set on "shortest distance". I am often amazed Garmin even knows some of these roads exist. Last year after touring the Kentucky bourbon distilleries, the "shortest distance" trip back to the hotel ended up being the long way home. Garmin took me down a nice paved one lane road for about 3 mile, then it turned to dirt, but well maintained and scenic. There was no sign of life....although several times I thought I heard faint strains of dueling banjos. I ignored Mrs Ks advice and kept going for another couple miles where we encountered a creek w/o a bridge. We, I mean I, forded the stream and kept going ...2 more miles and another ford. No problem...at least I could no longer hear the banjos over the screaming from Mrs. K. Another mile and a third ford....Uh..this one I could not see the bottom of the creek bed and Mrs K was all ready out of the van and backtracking on foot. Yep, I caved in and turned around and switched Garmin to quickest way.

Brings back memories of one of the first shows when they still had the outhouses by the tent area. Bill walked in, sat down, snake said "hi'., Bill ran out. Darn Bill , you scream like a girl.....

Back in my truckin' days, I was illegal about 90% of the time, either hot freight, over weight, etc ... as such I had to sneak around the country on the back roads. What a great way to see America. So little is available to be seen from the interstate. Take the little blue lines,eat at the local diners, stop at the corner gas stations ... it makes a better trip!!!

I am really glad you got a picture of the kids still driving the Wheel Horses in the rain ! Towards the end of the Cruise Night when it started to rain some people tried to call us in for a rain delay ...... I told a bunch of the kids that were still out there cruising with me that "mom ain't out here to tell us go in so were gonna keep right on playing" ! Well me and the 6 speed Lawn Ranger ended up having to tow a stranded hydro tractor pullin' a dump cart up to the main building to get them out of the rain of which at this time the clouds just poured water on us. Once inside we saw 4 kids still out there on their Wheel Horses just cruising in the rain ! Wild Bill in Richmond, VA.

This was my second year and it was even better than the first one. The pictures we all post are just the tip of the iceberg, "Horse overload", well said!

Epoxy is hard to work with. It doesn't like being thinned sufficiently for spraying a nice even coat with an HVLP sprayer. When it dries, it is hard to sand. For that kind of money, I would go with an automotive type single-stage acrylic urethane. Just my

holy smokes, Jay hope you folks are ok. you will get them tractors back to perfect, just hope your good. Glenn

I just got back from the insurance company. The lady that hit me has the same insurer. If they use our local claim adjuster I may be in luck. He also restores old tractors. I had 2 body shops look at it and they both said they could not give an estimate on parts they would have to rely on his knowledge. Once they have the replacement parts they could estimate body work and paint.

Jay I'm so sorry, I know that you are sad for your horse's. Both thank GOD that it could have been far worse. And to think I sat there by you and we talked about those 2 horse's and the paint job you did on it. But there still alive, they just need some surgery and a couple transplants.

If a tractor works as a riding lawn mower, most of society would call $250 a fair price.