Scot 0 #1 Posted March 7, 2011 I just got my first tractor. I didn't want a new tractor because they are hard to fix / throw them away when they wear out type tractors for too much money. I was actually looking for an old John Deere 110 or 112 when I came across a Craigslist ad for a Wheel Horse lawn tractor. I did some research on this site and others and figured out that Wheel Horse tractors are just as good as a Deere and parts are available for them so I bought it. It's a 1972 Charger 12 automatic. It came with a mower deck and a snowblower. I have checked the serial numbers on the tractor and the motor, both date to 1972 so I'm pretty sure it is the original engine. It has supposedly just been rebuilt and it runs good so I adjusted the carb to get it starting easier and replaced the battery cables. The charging system is not working right now but I haven't looked into it yet to see if it's just something unplugged or what. There are a few suspect connections in the harness that I need to look at. I am not sure if the snowblower is a 1972 model or not. I haven't found a place to decode that number yet. Anyways here's a few pics of my tractor and blower. I got the mower deck also but haven't mounted it yet because it's still snow season here in Minnesota. I made those tire chains myself and they work great. This thing throws snow like nobody's business and it has very good traction with them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mavfreak 11 #2 Posted March 7, 2011 nice looking tractor! :thumbs: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MaineDad 85 #3 Posted March 7, 2011 Scot, Welcome! That is a great looking tractor. You should have years worth of service from her... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sscotsman 132 #4 Posted March 7, 2011 Wow, another Scot with one "T"! amazing! I now know of three of us in the whole world! so how did you end up with only one? Mine is because of Scotland..(we are of Scottish heritage, going back a few hundred years) My parents figured "one T is good enough for Scotland", so its good enough for their son! No need for redundancy.. two t's in Scott always looks really weird to me, since im so used to only seeing one. Scot Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scot 0 #5 Posted March 7, 2011 My last name is Johnson and my dad wanted my first name to be a little unusual because of my common last name Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fabricator2009 48 #6 Posted March 7, 2011 Nice tractor. :thumbs: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JimD 3,345 #7 Posted March 7, 2011 That's a very nice tractor. I like the job you did on the chains. Could you post a few close-up pics to show how they were made? You could save us all some money showing us how you did it. Jim I forgot to say :thumbs: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stevasaurus 22,229 #8 Posted March 7, 2011 Hey Scot... I too would be interested in how you made the chains...they look great. We have a tractor show coming up in Laseuer the last weekend in august, a few of us will be there...be nice to meet you. :thumbs: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
racinfool40 202 #9 Posted March 7, 2011 :thumbs: Great lookin Horse you have!!!Glad to have ya!! :thumbs: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scot 0 #12 Posted March 8, 2011 I measured the diameter of my rear tires where I wanted the circular outside chains to ride. My measurement was 16" x 3.14 = 50.24 inches in circumference. I used a rib / molding line on the tire sidewall so it would be easy to measure. Then I mearured from inside to outside straight across the tread to the same molding rib in the sidewall. Mine measured 12 inches across. I went to the local Fleet Supply and bought 3/16" X 1 inch long link bulk chain for .65 cents a foot. Two pieces with 50 links, two pieces with 49 links and twenty pieces with 10 links (10 links plus 2 connector links = 12) along with 40 bend together connector links and 6 screw together connector links. Lay the long chains out on the floor of your living room and start on the 3rd link from the end assembling your cross chains to the side chains. Remember that there are 49 and 50 tooth chains you want your chain set to have 50 on the inside and 49 on the outside. I found the trick of using one chain that is a link shorter on accident. when I started my project I intended to buy 4 chains that were 50 links long. I ended up getting 3 chains that were 50 links long and one chain that was 49 links long. I'll come back to that in a bit when it comes time to install the chains. So lay the chains out on the floor evenly spaced and start pressing your links together with your 10 inch cross chains (your rear tires will determine what lengths of chains you need). I used the type of connector link that the bent part goes through a ring (look at picture below). These types of links are a pain in the ass and I would not use them again if I was to start over or make another set. They were hard to get lined up so the pin would go through the hole. I was squeezing them together with a giant channel lock type pliers. The connector link that's like a split lock washer would have been much easier to assemble. I do not have pictures of this laying on the floor This is the part where having your side chains one link shorter on one side comes into play. Put the long 50 link chain on the inside of the tire and hook it together with a screw type connector link. I tried just driving over them put that didn't work out to well so I jacked the wheel off the ground to get at the bottom of the tire. Deflating the tire seems to help with installing the chains. Try to line up the now connected inside chain so it evenly rides on the sidewall of the tire. This is where it gets frustrating. The cross links have to all go exactly straight across the tread of the tire. It would be nice to have a helper when you put them on but I managed it by myself. The screw together connector links are just a hair longer than the normal 1 inch chain links. This extra bit of length by using a pair of links on the outside greatly eases pulling the chains tight and getting them connected. I then jumped a short but stiff spring across about 4 links of chain (see picture) to take up most of the slack, re-inflated my tires and started blowing snow. 35 feet of chain @ .65 = 22.75 40 connector links @ .55 = 22 6 connector links @ 1.50= 9 2 springs @ 1.00= 2 About 78 bucks plus tax edit to correct bad math Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VinsRJ 721 #14 Posted March 8, 2011 :thumbs: Nice look'n machine! :thumbs: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smoreau 658 #15 Posted March 8, 2011 :thumbs: sweet buy on that charger 12 Your going to love that tractor :thumbs: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dgoyette 12 #16 Posted March 8, 2011 Welcome to Redsquare...and nice Charger 12. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fiscalyear 0 #17 Posted March 8, 2011 Scot Nice looking tractor. Eddie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikesRJ 552 #18 Posted March 8, 2011 :thumbs: Love the idea of using springs! :thumbs: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sparky-(Admin) 19,540 #19 Posted March 8, 2011 :thumbs: Great looking tractor! Your snow-blower is a 1982-1987 model. Enter your model number 06-42ST04 here, https://lookup3.toro.com/partdex/index.cfm?xCaller=Toro , for a complete parts breakdown of it. Mike............ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
farmer 1,075 #20 Posted March 8, 2011 Scot, - WARNING - What starts out as a need for a tractor to do jobs around the "homestead" can soon develop into something more time consuming than you can imagine. Oh and nice :thumbs: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
B-8074 19 #21 Posted March 8, 2011 :thumbs: Nice looking Charger :thumbs: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scot 0 #22 Posted March 8, 2011 - WARNING - What starts out as a need for a tractor to do jobs around the "homestead" can soon develop into something more time consuming than you can imagine. I already have that problem with motorcycles. I think this and my push mower for trimming around the tree's will keep me covered. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mavfreak 11 #23 Posted March 8, 2011 Nice job on the chains! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JC 1965 1,528 #24 Posted March 8, 2011 :thumbs: Hi Scot, Good looking tractor. :thumbs: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SALTYWRIGHT 859 #25 Posted March 8, 2011 :thumbs: you will enjoy this wheel horse. RUSS Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
