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perry

confession of a wheel horse owner

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HorseFixer

Good eye my fellow WHorser :thumbs: But what you see there is not a true WH 4 wheeled wagon but rather a knock off :banghead: This one is a called a Lil Red Wagon made in Des Moines Iowa. It was purchased by my Wifes MJ's Aunts Husband 40 years ago from a WH dealer (Chandler Sales & Service) In South Bend 9 miles south of me. When she told me she had a 4 Wheeled wagon my heart started thumping but when we went and looked at it we discovered it was not! :omg: even tho she swore up and down it was a WH

So not to hurt her feelings I brought it home anyway..... <_< This wagon has hard rubber wheels and is pretty dinky Im at the campground now but I have pictures on my desktop and will post um later... Anyways nice detective work there! :USA: hafta recruit ya to find me one! :lol:

Duke

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perry

duke, got any better pics of that little wagon ?.

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sodbuster

:thumbs2: when you mow with a classic wheel horse,you will never use anything else! the pop of the old kohler chugging along,realizing you are mowing with a piece of history.people staring as the pass by.yes you dont have the luxury of foot hydro,zero turn.but the satisfaction of using a real garden tractor is worth it! try it you will find it is theraputic!!

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Ken B

My first experience with cutting with a Wheel Horse was almost 30 yrs ago. A friends Dad in the neighborhood had a mint B-80 and he let my friend use it too make extra money cutting the grass of the local neighbors. I loved the bark from that K181 when she hit the tall thick grass. I was always the one who did the cutting with the B-80 as my friend sat and watched. I also never got a dime, I was happy to do it for free. I told my friend as long as he let me drive the B-80 I didn't want any pay! He thought I was nuts. I'd love to track that tractor down.

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Mattbg79

I mowed with my dads wheelhorse when i was a kid (if i could talk him into it). When i bought my own house i had a crappy MTD which i used 1 season, it had some problems and i bought a cub from lowes (cheaper than a new horse and still easy to take the deck off) i sold the cub to my uncle after 2 seasons, sold the house and lived in a condo for 2 yrs after that. 2 yrs ago i moved where i am now, about 4 rough acres to mow, and ended up with a 1 yr old Husqrvarna(basically the same as the cub) i could mow in 2 hrs easy, this thing was fast and hydrostatic, but it would hit dirt, rocks, a little 1" root etc. and break something weekly, not to mention scalp spots everywhere. My dad said lets find you a wheelhorse so we got my 1973 8 and thats what i started using. Its slow, has the turning radius of a semi, and loud, but it rolled over all the stuff that broke the Husqrvarna, and the cut was beautiful. I have since ended up with a 310-8 and a 520-H and even have my old cub since my uncle sold his house. I use the 310 everytime with a 42sd and it takes me 4-5 hrs, but i love every minute of it. i wouldnt use that cub if all 3 horses broke down. These arent the fastest or most convenient mowers at all, but start using one, and youll never want to sit on anything else. Putting along in 2nd gear and thinking about nothing but keeping my lines straight is what keeps me sane. :thumbs2:

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Drydock

I mow a half acre with either of my 2 32" gear drive RDs, either the 66 Lawn Ranger, or my 10 horse 605 if the clover gets too thick. They both do a fine job IMHO, but I have discovered with these old decks, that the use of Ag tires as opposed to Turf tires seems to pretty much eliminate the windrow and packing effect some have noted.

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travisg84

Hey Matt, We still work on them every weekend but we enjoy it now :thumbs2:

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clintonnut

I mowed with my restored RJ-58 last year on a half acre :thumbs2: . It worked great but I don't like to stress that tractor. You can see me mowing with it in the photos section. Now I use my 401 suburban on the small stuff or the D-250 on the 2 acres.

Charlie

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Horse Fanatic

I bought a 312-8 with a 42" side discharge deck new in 1989 after I bought my house. Mowed with it exclusively for years. A few years ago I started using a 48" deck on it to speed up the job (over an acre). This year I started mowing with a 48" deck on a 516-H. Using a hydro has really cut down the time it takes to mow the lawn and I love the sound of the Onan engine.

I have a decent lawn and I'm happy with the cut. Other machines may cut smoother or faster, but I want to spend my grass cutting time on a Wheel Horse. Life is too short to waste it riding on something else!

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can whlvr

I have mowed with a wheel horse for more than 30 years,my grandmother had a c 100 and have used the 300for 23 years,now i use the414-8,all of them cut grass very nice,and i like the feeling of that power under my butt,but i also have a jd 155c with a 25 hp twin and the walk through style mid section that is very easy to get on and off,it is a hyro and cuts grass beautifully,but thats all it can do,so thats why its for sale :thumbs2:

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CasualObserver

Been a few years since this one's seen daylight.... I tripped over it while looking for something and thought I'd drag it up for some fresh "confessions"! 

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AMC RULES
Mrs Rules picked up this all original, A-81 at this years big :wh: show...
little video here of me, checking out how well it mows for all the hecklers.
  :)

 
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redhead

I have mowed with a SEARS, MONG.WARDS, TROT-BUILT, but I like to mow with my 1979 c-141. It does a much better job 42" side discharge with 3-Blades Just my little imput

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WHX??

Interesting thread from the basement... did you blow the dust off it when you got it out Jason??...I have never mowed (riding)  with ANYTHING other then a WH...not counting the old reel mower and other other assorted run of the mill push mowers my dad used to make me push when I was 8. I can truth fully say I have never even ridden a green & yellow machine around the block.....does this make me a JD virgin!?!?!? :huh:

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bmsgaffer

I mowed for 15 years with a wheel horse till my dad parked it and bought a deere.

Hafta admit, I really enjoyed mowing and plowing with that deere (x500) and I still do. I don't think it will even come close to lasting the 20-40 years that my wheel horses have. And it is NOT as easy to work on.

Now at my own house I use a Snapper Pro Hydro 36" walk behind mower to get my half acre of grass cut fast and still get some exercise. That things a PITA to work on and start (try pull starting a 14hp single Kawi in anything below 60°F... not happening) but its the most maneuverable cutting machine I have ever operated.

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jackhammer

Brandon
pm sent

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953 nut

The doctor has not released me to do useful work following surgery, so a friend mowed my yard for me with his Green Machine, rather embarrassing but greatly appreciated. I must admit to having a big box store stamped steel POS rider for a few years, never again! 

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Racinbob

I mowed with Wheel Horses ever since I could reach the pedals in the early 60's. I'm sure at a much earlier age than what would be considered politically correct these days. After selling my heard and moving down here I'll also have to admit I bought a big box JD L-120. It did mow pretty nice but couldn't pull much more that two gnats in a yard cart. I finally found a real machine about 120 miles from here and I gave the green thingy away.

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