Why do you collect these tractors?

[wh500special 2,053]

OK, I like to post these wierd things every once in a while (Remember my "theme" thread?). I find some of the stories delightfully entertaining and all of them interesting.

So...

WHY do you collect these old Wheel Horse tractors?

- - - or - - -

HOW did your addiction start?

In my case, the story is simple: Dad bought a shiny, new Wheel Horse in 1987. With the tractor came the "Horse Sense" magazine subscription. In the back of the magazine were "Love Letters" that showed old tractors that owners kept alive. Many folks had more than one tractor too! (If you can believe that).

So, we added an "oldie" to the mix. Then another. Then another.

Eventually we ended up with a sizable fleet, and I even relocated to South Bend for a while due to this affliction.

So, what's YOUR story?

Steve

[HorseFixer 2,012]

I have always liked the Wheel Horse brand of tractors, They were always expensive and for good reason. Growing up on a small 125' X 75' lot there was never much sense in having a Lawn and Garden Tractor, I was the Lawn Mower in our house and I ended up pushing the Lawn mower. As I was growing up I also mowed allot of lawns by hand, I ran into these two older ladies who both owned Wheel Horse Tractors and I ended up mowing their lawns with their tractors and got PAID FOR IT! I prolly would have done it for FREE!

I looked forward each week in performing this task, and lets FAST FORWARD to last year when a friend of mine lent me his B-80 and lawn roller so I could roll and Air-rate my yard. I decided to purchase a Wheel Horse Tractor. I found an 857 for $250.00 that had a Cart and after talking with the gent who sold me this he said that it was very collectible. I researched this and found it to be true. Upon searching site after site E-Bay every night I became hooked. My second Tractor was a 1968 Lawn Ranger, After that was a 1959 RJ, soon to follow was a 1968 Lawn Ranger, After that came a suburban 400, 1958 RJ, a 1956 RJ-35 a 551, 1955 RJ-35 a 65 Reo 953, 854, 1054 500 spcl and they just keep coming and coming!

I have decided over time to put a Cap on it, and stay with the round hoods which are the base of my collection. I have sold a few and at one point had 20 Tractors now my collection is down to 15. I'm not saying I wont pick up or build a puller or something out of the round hood category but I have decided to stay with this specific group because of storage restraints. I have had allot of fun in the research and the history of these tractors and have done allot of reading on the subject. Searching for these tractors is a big part of my addiction, I am able to meet allot of great people. I have amassed approximately 8,000 + miles this last year just in searching and picking up these tractors & attachments to trips to NC, Iowa, Upper Mich, Ind, Mid Mich, PA, All of this in a 13 months.

I have allot of work ahead of me in the restoration of these tractors. Since I have decided to collect the old vintage units all of them will most likely be destined to be "TRAILER QUEENS" I believe once they get close to 50 (my age) they have worked hard enough and they deserve to be showed off and their heritage needs to be protected. Like who in their right mind would plow a garden with an RJ? Its not worth snapping a gear or something just to show that it can do it! WH makes a newer tractor with more Kahunas to do this task!

If ya wanna Work Horse get a C-Series which is what I have my eYe on! I will most likely use one of these for my yard tasks and they need to be worked!

I think of us all as Stewards of the Wheel Horse History, and we are in charge of keeping this heritage alive. We need to use common sense in preserving and passing on this heritage. Would you make your dad mow your yard? I wouldn't think so. Same goes for the senior citizens of our collections IMHO the round hoods should be retired. Thats how I feel anyway, So thats my story and I'm sticking to it!

Duke

[perry 82]

i have been surrounded by wheel horse as far back as i can remember.

i grew up in the 70's on a 200 acre farm that we rented from a family that owned a wheel horse dealer. the large farm house was a duplex and we rented half and one of the owners son's lived in the other.

he would bring home all sorts cool stuff for me to play on , also hats, cups, lots of T-shirts, and other tractor stuff. . he bought me my first tractor witch was a 1973 IH farmal pedal tractor.

they also sold wheel horse -cub cadet - kabota - and snowmobiles.

i was very young so i was limited in what i could do, but i do remember mowing the lawn and rideing for hours just driving around the barn and such.

ill see if i can dig up some old pics.

we had a farmer that came in and worked the large fields so i was allways invited to ride along in the cab of a tractor or combine .

so i would say as soon as my eyes could see the lite of day i have been around tractors. and the red ones have allways been my favorites .

but i am not too picky, i like most any old garden tractor built before 1970 .

the dealer : King Bro's INC. pontiac, MI.

closed there doors after 50yrs in the business.

...................R.I.P. barry king - owner / manager............. :dunno:

[Rollerman 290]

My story is similiar to Steve's & Duke's.

When I was younger "just tall enough to push a push mower" my neighbor had an old Wheel Horse that he would let me drive around his yard...never mow though since he felt I was to young to mow....I beleive this was an RJ 58 going buy what he has told me in the present.

A few years later my father bought a used 401 with deck & snowplow...this was in the late seventies & I used it to mow & plow with for a few years...till my Hot Rod mindset set in & it became more of a go kart.

When I had my first home I picked up a used Horse for myself to work with....I was no collector then & my Horse was broke more than useable....but somehow somewhere I started aquireing a few more & meeting other people who did collect & my hobby has grown from there.

Currently I have about 20 going back to my two 1946 Pond Levers up to a 95 520H.

I have no paticular favorite year...I like them all.

I will say a 6'2" & 200 some pounds the early RJ's & Suburbans are no longer fun to drive anymore but still cool to look at & glad I have found a few that I can keep around to remember the ones I started out on. :whistle:

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,114]

In 1974 my dad traded in our Springfield junkyard tractor for a brand new C-160 Automatic, Wheel Horse dump cart and a Parker Sweeper. I was 11 at the time and old enough to mow the lawn (it was the 70's). To me at the time it was a tractor, which I thought was better than everyone elses.

I bought my first house in 1993 and having a big lot bought a tractor. Of course the first brand that came to mind is Wheel Horse, so off to a dealer (75 miles away) and I picked up my 416-H with a 42" RD deck and recycler. But still, it was a mowing tractor, no addiction yet.

My addiction actually came from here. In 2006 I began looking for a snow plow for my 416, I was getting tired of clearing my 250' driveway by hand, or with a walk behind snow blower. I went to a local dealer and I forgot that Wheel Horse are premium tractors where a plow would cost close to $900, with weights and chains. So I hit the internet searching.....

I found the Yahoo group and My Tractor Forum. Shortly after joining the Yahoo group Chris sent an announcement that he started a new forum, so I joined up as member #5 Chris, Mike and Ben are ahead of me. During my search for a plow my conversations with Mike (Sparky) turned into a pretty good friendship and I found myself looking at these things a little harder.

I found my plow, hooked up to a 414-8 and used it all the time to clear the snow. The help I received from here and the other groups made me more interested and I decided that I wanted to get my C-160 from my young days back. I couldn't get the C-160, but found a decent C-120 with a bad engine and had all intentions to fix it up.

RedSquare being the place that it is though changed my C-120 plans and converted those plans into a C-160 through the generousity of the members here.

For me, the "collector" aspect of these little tractors is secondary, mine is one of friendships which have happened here, and I have some good ones too!

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,337]

No story here, really. I have been collecting and using JD tractors since about 2001. Until then, I just used the AYP type junk and avoided using that even. After getting interested in the JD thing (I had 8 at one time), my lawn mower repair guy had a C-141. When I was just getting into the JD thing, I researched all the brands and like the JDs, the CCs, the Case/Ingersolls and the Wheel Horses. I remember going to the local Wheel Horse dealer from years back and always liked the look of them. So I traded one of my JDs for the C-141. About a month later I bought a 314-8 from a JD dealer in Iowa and Stephen sold me his C-125. So I now have 3. I wish I would have had the smarts years ago to buy a new one, but alas I wasn't.

So, no big story, but here I am. :WRS:

[kpinnc 10,683]

I first saw a Wheel Horse tractor about 15 years ago, and I wanted one ever since. I used to work outside for the local phone company, and found one in a barn out in the middle of nowhere. It was under about an inch of dust, and looked as though it hadn't ran in years. I picked it up for $50....

The PO said he'd replaced the starter, but it still wouldn't crank. He also said the mower deck made a terribly uneven cut, so he just went out and picked up another tractor. The deck had wheels cut out of wood on it.

When I got it home, I used a wire brush on the battery contacts. She cranked right up, and has every single time since! Needless to say, I was hooked. A F3 tornado came through our neighborhood (which has never since or before happened that anyone knows of), and had completely destroyed my "Mower". My homeowner's insurance agreed to pay for the restoration of my 310 as what it deemed "replacement" of my other mower. In other words, I only got paid if I spent the money to do the work. Needless to say, I replaced EVERYTHING on that tractor, right down to the factory wiring harness and all switches and interlocks from Toro. New wheels, tires, steering wheel, paint, and decals. Even added in an engine rebuild. All at a cost of $0 to me!

Not too bad for a $50 tractor!

A couple years later, my neighbor brought me his son's WH, which hadn't been out of the garage in 15 years. It was an 867, and he sold it to me for $25. Until then, I had no idea that there were other older tractors still out there, and I was blown away by all the older models I found on the internet during my search for info on the 867. It's been a downhill fall ever since!

I now have 10 tractors (thanks to my most recent purchase at the show of a 701 from TT), and the same neighbor who helped fuel my hobby says I'm obsessed. Of course, he got a case of "perma-grin" just yesterday while admiring the 3 point Bronco....

Obviously, the tractors are in my mind, gems that should be preserved in a way only WH tractors can be. Clean them up, get them running, and let them work. But, the friendships I have gained through this hobby have been what keep me coming back for more. I have to add that Redsquare has been a force that has kept me locked into this hobby, and I have more fun with these now than any time before.

I keep planning to aquire enough machines that I will be able to trade for models I want more than the ones I have, but then I fall in love with what I have, and can't bring myself to let any of them go. I guess in a way, they've become part of the family. Even my kids have picked out "thier" tractors, and have plans for how they want them restored. Can't ask for a better hobby than that!

Kevin

[Old Dave 0]

My wife's dad had a WH tractor when I met her in 1970. Don't remember what the model # was but it had a round hood, 3 speed, 7 HP Kohler with a pull start, 32" gear driven rear discharge mower deck, snow plow, garden plow and a disk. I think it was a 1959 or 60 and I used it for one summer to mow my yard before I bought my 69 Charger 10 in 1979. It was a neat little machine that the gas cap protuded through the hood just in front of the steering wheel. He bought a used 1974 B-100 Automatic with a snow blade and a 36" side discharge mower from a dealer in Topeka in about 1978. I fell in love with the Hydrostat and that's was the deciding factor in me buying the Charger 10 the next spring at a farm auction. A year before he passed away in 1990 he stripped the B-100 down to the frame and repainted everything (rattle can), rebuilt the steering, new tie rod ends, 4 new turf saver tires and replaced the tired 10HP Kohler with a brand new 14HP. We still have it at the lake house and use it to pull the boat dock out of the water in the fall. We still have the garden plow, snow blade and chains, disk, 2 cultivators, corn planter (homemade), 36" roto-tiller and a metal cab that he made for plowing snow. I only have two machines, the 1969 Charger 10 and a 1985 312-8 that my youngest son and I bought off E-bay last spring. We use them both for mowing so they are definately not trailer queens. They are well made machines and will last a lifetime with routine maintenance. :whistle:

[Rod(NASNUT) 1]

My story is about the same as nylyon my dad got a 1968 Charger 9 in the late 70s it was the best tractor I had ever seen it even had a hyd lift but unlike nylyon I now have that tractor and will never part with it . That is where it all started I now have 5 and would like to find an RJ or any round hood :whistle:

[WheelHorse_of_course 99]

:D Welllllll, first of all, I have the packrat gene. I guess I got it from my Dad. He collects antique clocks and has over a thousand of them .

As to why Wheel Horse tractors ? First of all, my grandfather had a 550 that was my Grandmother's tractor. It had no attachments other than a cart and a drop spreader. The original engine was very hard to start and it acquired the nickname the "little b@stard" which seemed very cool to me as a kid. The neighbors next door also had a 550 or 551 and they even had a mower deck for theirs (most of Grandpop's land got cut twice a year with a 2-wheel Gravely and a sickle bar, the rest got mowed with a push mower).

I was born in 1961 so my whole life I remember that little Suburban. At first my older brother's gave me rides and later I gave rides to my little sisters. Best of all, when I used to spend time with my Grandpop he used to have us do chores with it (moving rocks, firewood etc.

Years later, after Grandpop died, my brother and I lived with Grandmother and we did some truck farming from then until several years after she died. For a number of years the Suburban got used to pull our farm stand out to the road every day.

I was also given a C-120 A in exchange for some work I did stacking hay for a farmer friend. That was my first horse, and did a lot of mowing and towing with her around our little "farm".

I did not get married or own a house until I was 44. We live in what is called an "inner ring suburb". Semi urban. Our lot is not all that big 1/4 acre I would guess but being on the corner we have lots of sidewalk to keep clear. At some point I got the idea of getting a wheel horse to clear snow.

So, I started to watch ebay and eventually (wanting a Suburban or a C-120) found a 1969 Charger 12 and won her for $134.89 with a mower deck and the guy sold me a 36" plow for another $75. He threw in some chains and a couple of spare tires/wheels. This was 2 summers ago.

The Charger was running, but did need some work and the engine was worn out (lots of smoke and some noises). I replaced the belts etc and mowed the rest of the summer with it. Plowed that whole winter with very good success until the huge storm we had on Easter of 2007. By then I had taken over clearing the sidewalk in a block in either direction. Some idiot plowed a clients driveway onto the opposite side and trying to break through that pile the engine gave up (threw a rod).

I started looking for a replacement K301. In June I won one, but it was too far to pick up until I could combine with another trip to visit friends (Originally planned for 4 July, but got postponed until Labor day weekend).

By then the neighbors kids had expressed a lot of interest in the Wheel Horse and indeed had helped out with raking sticks and leaves as long as they could ride in the trailer. I started thinking about how a smaller tractor with a manual transmission (like the Suburban) would be a great way to teach the kids.

So, last summer I bought the 854 for $199. She's in good shape though the oil seal on the PTO side has started to go and will need replacement. The tranny sometimes jams though. I picked up a very nice deck for $99 and used it last summer to mow and this winter to plow.

The Charger is now back together with a much better engine.

I expect to be able to keep my collection a 2 tractors. If I find a Suburban I will sell the 854 (anyone want to trade?). I am focusing my collecting on attachments ( a very close female friend, who named the Charger Secratariat, looked at the brochure and proclaimed "it is like a doll, the real fun is the accessories!").

I now have, a Snowblower, a Brinly furrower, a Brinly box grader blade, a Brinly aerator/drop spreader, and a MacKissic Shreader.

Now, to get back to the "why". The other thing I collect is old telephones. The thing I like about both the phones and the tractors is that despite decades since they were made, they both function extremely well, and indeed are more durable than their modern counter-parts.

I also enjoy being a bit eccentric and this helps support that image

Edited (PS added)

PS It may be fair to say, in my case, that I am just to cheap to by a new tractor and know that when it comes to old ones an old WH will getr done and most others won't!! But I do love Wheel Horses, don't get me wrong :D

[Teddy da Bear 11]

I guess my story is a bit sentimental.

Everytime I see a wheel horse....I can see my dad.

My dad past away back in 1998.

The first memories I have as a child is my dad and his 1963 Lawn Ranger (which I still have).

I guess there are sights and smells that get "ingrained" in a child. My strongest memories are of the smell of fresh cut grass... And the smell of our garage and of the wheel horse itself (gas and oil).

My dad used to put us on his lap and that is how we learned to steer.

Then when we were old enough he let us "solo" and I can remember him

walking along side the tractor as we drove it.

My brother was not as attached to the tractor as I was. So I always got to mow the lawn with it.

I got older and met the love of my life (my wife) and we bought a large plot of land. The grass was too tall to cut while riding forward...(the grass would just bend over under the deck and not get cut)...so I drove that little lawn ranger backwards over 4 1/2 acres. The acreage was too much for the little tecumseh and it gave out. I felt responsible so I ordered an 8 hp tecumseh and installed it for Dad.

Finally got married..... Dad was there again. He gave me that 1963 Lawn Ranger as part of our wedding gift.

I used it for a couple of seasons and bought a bigger tractor (a B-80).

Then I designed and was building the home we live in. My dad was there mowing the lawn. I think he really enjoyed driving that larger frame tractor.

And he came almost every day to help me with whatever I needed to build our house.

So all my collecting is on behalf of the memory of my Dad...

God rest his soul...... he was the best.

[TT-(Moderator) 1,127]

I collect Wheel Horse tractors because they match my tattoo.

Seriously though.... I moved up here to "our little corner" in 1990 and have used quite a few different brands and configurations of mowers and snow removal equipment over the years. I have yet to find another brand with the ease of implement attachment, and the interchangeability of the implements AND parts.

When some parts from a 1963 model will still fit a 1993 model, and most every attachment made in 1973 will fit a tractor built 30 or more years later, that tells me that the design and engineering was good from the beginning, and didn't need to change.

Nothing works like a Horse! :whistle:

[Nick 13]

We had a tractor that Dad built from Wheel Horse parts and a new 36" WH deck he got at work. Used that tractor to mow maybe 4 or 5 acres a week. I didnt step foot in a Wheel Horse dealership until 1990 when I bought a 616-Z to do some commercial mowing. After that the first WH tractor I used was my brothers C-175. Around 95 he traded the C-175 for a 520H and a KW loader. I did a lot of mowing and loader work with that one and still use it now and then.

My other brother was hired at the WH dealership and around 1998 he told me they had an 857 for sale I might want. So I hauled it home and that got me started. Not long after that I found the Yahoo Wheel horse group and since then I must have bought and sold 30 or 40+ tractors but still have the 857. And of course still have the lawn ranger loader tractor that was built just over 2 years ago.

Sounds like 1998 was a bad year all over. Lost Mom in March of 98.

[wheelhorse701 1]

This story is kinda weird but it is the reason why i like these crazy little tractors.

When i was about four years old (1987) my father bought a 67 lawn ranger. he cut our small yard, at the time, as soon as he brought it home. Of cource when he was done i wanted to see the tractor because i didn't get to see the tractor yet. The first word out of his mouth were, "DON'T TOUCH THAT ITS HOT! " as he pointed to the muffler. Well when he turned his back i just had to see exactly how hot HOT is. So I grabbed it. Let me tell you.. that was HOT!.. he wasn't joking at all.. i heard the sizzle as my hand burned.. my mother rushed me into the house and put cold towels over my hand (they didn't feel cold at all).. after all the drama everything was fine.. and i didn't grab another hot muffle for about another ten years.. (yes i did it again.. :imstupid: ).. any way.. shortly after that house we moved to the country (what used to be) on a whole 3 acres.. Dad finally let me learn how to cut the grass and i think i know why... Cutting grass with that little tractor in "Kevin Safe Speed" took about 6 hours.......... And they look good

[CasualObserver 3,406]

I would also have to go with it's a family thing. My influence was my grandfather. I know I've spoke of him before, and my webpage has a dedication to him.

I grew up next door to my grandparents, helping in the orchards and the garden. He quit farming in the sixties, and then worked for FS for 30 years before retiring from there. He had two acres of hobby orchards and garden, and I can't remember a day that there wasn't a horse out working them either. He had gone to school with a guy who has the local dealership where I'm from. Some of you may well recognize the name Daris Knauer' at Lincoln Radiator. ( a side note, this year is his 49th in business as a Wheel Horse dealer. He started in 1959. ) So naturally, since they were already friends from way back, Grandpa had Wheel Horses on the farm for as long as I've been alive, and well... as far back as my dad remembers.

I grew up helping out in the summers and after school sometimes after he retired. Whether it was mowing or pulling a cart and picking up branches that had been pruned, or picking fruit (either off the trees or up off the ground). I have to say for anyone who's never had a fresh peach right off the tree, there's no flavor like it in the world. And I mean that. A fresh fuzzy peach, soft to the touch, and you bite in and the juices just run down to your chin. Man I miss home in the summer!

I should get back to the horses though. Like I said, he'd had horses as long as I could remember. When I finally bought my first house in 2003 with my girlfriend, we needed a mower, I started looking for a nice used Wheel Horse. Found a 1968 Commando 8 that a guy had just finished repainting. Then the collection just sort of happened. Picked up one more here a there, and now have the list I posted the other day.

Looking forward to more stories.

[Jim_M 178]

My story is pretty similar to a lot of them on here. It runs in the family.

My dad bought a new Wheel Horse about every 20 years whether he needed to or not, my oldest brother in law, one of my uncles and several of my cousins always had Wheel Horse tractors, and in fact one cousin worked at Klenk's Wheel Horse in Decatur, IN for several years.

I bought my first Wheel Horse sometime around 1985 when I bought my first property with a little acreage, it was a 754 with a 32" deck because as far as I knew, due to the influence of my family, there were no other brands to consider. I used it to mow 2 1/2 acres and plow the snow off of about 175' foot driveway for 6 years. When it got a little tired I sold it and bought a 1974 C-160 automatic with a 48" deck. Of course after having the C-160 for a while I had to start looking for more attachments for it, and as everybody here knows, one thing leads to another and the next thing you know you have a barn full of red stuff, and even thought you don't need any more you can't seem to stop yourself from trying to find more.

My only regrets about any of it are selling the 754 and about 2 years ago I let a guy talk me into selling him the C-160. He still has it though and one of these days I'll talk him into selling it back to me.

[rustbucket 4]

Simple easy story i got my first and only horse so far about 7 months ago now it is my rusty trusty GT-14. got her for free cause the home owner just wanted it gone cause it didnt run at all. got her home and started working on her and seeing how simple but superbly it is built and now i want to find anuther one to join her in the herd i have. current count is 2 jacobsens 1 wheel horse and one tin ghost servistar made by mtd.

also if you have been keeping track of my posts youll know that i rescued my horse from a fate worse then death....being forgotten and left to rot in the brush by the PO's house.

[wh500special 2,053]

I knew there would be some great stories!

Sounds like for more than a few of us these things have sentimental value beyond their usefulness as mowers, tillers, and snow removers.

Even though the tractor that started it all for me was dad's 1987 211-4 with its aluminum Briggs and Peerless, I can't imagine ever getting rid of the thing. In fact, it is still chugging away with 1700 hours on the meter and the only things that have ever needed attention was a sump gasket in the engine and a new brake pedal that was a consequence of a rollover accident .

In the last couple of years I have bought and sold quite a few. Got rid of all of my D-stuff last fall except for an 18-Auto and D250 and was kind of sad to watch it go down the road. But we all make these tradeoffs to help offset the cost of this silly hobby.

It never ends either...yesterday I bought the C161-8 twin from Ebay. While it is quite possibly the ugliest tractor WH ever made, there is just something about them...not sure yet what the plan will be for that one since it doesn't "fit" my collection theme, but I guess I can justify it as being the first twin cyl C-style tractor offered.

as you can imagine, my wife was thrilled.

Wonderful stories guys - ALL of them!

Steve

PS-thank your spouse for putting up with you and this craze!

[Curmudgeon 28]

Back around 1985, I was in need of something to mow grass and blow snow.

My brother had a Wheel Horse, as did my cousin, who had actually gotten his first. So when I needed something, I went with what I could borrow and use attachments on!

Couple years later, I was thinking of a project wherein I'd need a couple of 8" wheels. My sister in law said she had an old, beat up, lawn tractor that I could have the wheels off if I took the whole thing.

It turned out to be an Rj-58.

The rest, as they say, is history.

[linen beige 14]

Back in 1960 my father, then a Sgt. with the Ky. State Police, was assigned to supervise a security detail for a festival and parade in Lexington, Ky. In the parade was a semi with a flat bed trailer loaded with a Wheel Horse and all 22 attachments. Hitched to the front of the semi was another Wheel horse, AND IT WAS PULLING THE SEMI!

After the parade he and several of the troopers talked about how impressive that was. One of the troppers told him a few days later that his brother had bought one right after the parade. A few months later that same trooper told daddy that his brother had transfered and had sold his Wheel horse back to the dealer. Daddy drove to Lexington and bought it, two months used, for $200. It was an ST 400 and had less than five hours on it.

He used it for mowing, plowing, cultivating a garden, and riding us around. In '66 he bought a larger tractor for the plowing and heavier work. The 400 became a mowing machine and ride around the yard for fun tractor.

My mom's brother owned the house next door to us and rented it out. One afternoon my cousin showed up on a brand new Cub Cadet rider and spent the morning bragging about it. He bragged to the point that my brother finally said "Let's hook 'em up." They chained the back of the 400 to the back of the Cub ( I don't recall the model, only that it was a 10 hp.) The little 400 dragged the Cub the full length of the driveway. I will never forget that.

Not long after that one of the front wheel snap rings popped off and daddy parked it beside the building where it sat for a while. In '73 he used the engine on a roto-tiller and snapped the rod. He opened up the engine, found the crank scored, and sat it aside.

In '76 we moved to a house in the country and daddy brought the 400 along, saying he hoped one day to restore it.

In '79 or '80 I was still hoping to break into auto restoration for a living and stripped down and repainted the 400 to polish some skills. We still didn't power it up though and it stayed parked, outside.

In '95 Daddy surprised me by showing up at my house with the 400. He said "Here it is if you want to try to restore it."

I disassembled it and found the transmission full of broken gears.

I put it aside until about three years ago when I started looking for parts. I found a trans. Then I began finding other, complete tractors. And more tractors.

I have rebuilt the K 91 from daddy's 400 and mean to start the frame off soon. I have an RJ-58 that I also plan to restore, so my twin girls can have something to ride around.

But to answer the question of why we collect these little red tractors? I remember so many fun times being had with my 400. How much my daddy liked it. How impressed I was with the work it could do compared to other tractors more than twice it's size. How rugged it is. All the tools made for it. I now have other models with much larger engines, hydro lifts, bigger decks, etc., and I love them all.

I see a lot of you guys have fond memories of working a 'Horse alongside your dads. Even the Wheel Horse company was a father/son experience for years. I will always have a special place in my heart for my daddy's little tractor.

[Stigian 1,234]

Wow, some great stories there guys. Thank you for sharing

No family related story here though, my folks have never had a garden big enough to get a ride on mower of any kind

My Wheel Horse story starts around about 7 years ago when i moved into a rented place with my girlfriend at the time.

Our landlord lived next door on a very small farm, but there stuck in the orchard was this poor little WH Raider (unknown engine size) looking sorry for it's self with 4 flat tires that had well and truly sunken into the mud.

Try as i might the landlord would not sell it to me, truth be known i didnt have a garden big enough at the time anyway.

Fast forward quite a few years and i had moved to a much bigger rented place with a big garden and space for a workshop and no girlfriend to moan at me

Strange as it seems it was my new girlfriend (now my wife ) that encouraged me to buy my first WH that i spotted on ebay an old commando 8 with a non original and non installed 8hp Briggs lump.

At the time i had spent a few years running Westwoods for grass cutting dutys and it struck me have bad a build quality the Westwood was compared to the WH.

Step in WH number 2 the 1974 Raider 10 i bought from a local (very very local )

agricultral auction for grass cutting dutys

Instead of putting it to use as intended, i pulled it apart for a rebuild that lasted a lot longer than i ever though it would do

During that time my old westwood's cutting deck decided that it had had enough of cutting grass and spat its spindle bearings out

Having no grass cutting machine prompted a look on ebay to find a suitable machine that would handle my abuse, and thus WH number 3 (the 312-8) found its way home

It was somewhere at this point in time that WH number 1 was sold due to lack of space in my workshack as i have started calling it

To cut a long story slightly shorter a 1971 Raider 10 followed me home after rescuing it from a life of rusting in some woods and a 314-8 has also been bought after what felt like an epic journey to collect it

Hhhmm, I seam to of lost track of what this thread was about

Oh yes, that was it.. Why do we collect these tractors?

For me its the build quality, strength, and the wonderful sound a Kohler engine makes when working hard :D

[DMESS 24]

I guess it's time I cover this one. I wasn't ignoring it Steve, honest! You know I always enjoy your posts and your views on the world of Wheel Horse.

For myself I guess, ........well, .....IT"S GENETIC! I'll use that as the excuse since I can blame my parents that way. (Isn't that the essence of modern society? Blaming others for our actions and not taking personal responsibility!)

Dad grew up on a "church farm" so to speak. They lived right by the church and took care of the cemetary and grounds. This meant lots of mowing of course, so (fortuneately for dad) my grandfather picked up a pair of or combination of RJ-58/400's. I recall that these were the first riding mowers they had and they had walked it all previously. Dad wasn't allowed to mow with the "skid decks" on the mid engines because they would tear up the tops of the fresh graves. I recall stories of his pap rolling them a time or two as well! It wasn't long until the "roasters" were replaced with a 702 and a 633. The 633 was bought brand new with an LMR reel mower and also fitted at some point with a 42" sickle bar. We still have a pic somewhere of it with the sickle attached. He spent countless hours riding those horses, mowing that cemetary. He'd get so damn bored, he told me he would sit on the hoods and mow backwards just for a change of pace! (Now we know how all those old round hoods got bent up.) The Wheel Horses stayed for a few years and were then eventually replaced with other various machines. My grandfather never kept anything real long and was always trying something new. I guess the Horses left a lasting impression with my father though!

Mom grew up in the presence of a "roaster" as well, which was also replaced by a 702. Her dad bought this one around 65'-66' slightly used with an RM-366 deck, BD-4263 dozer and AC-671 cultivator set. An LTD-242 cart was added soon after. This machine has been in the family ever since and he used it religiously till the early 80's when he let my father have it for awhile. Dad used it awhile and then it went back to my grandfather. I soon took an interest in it and sort of "adopted" it as my own. This tractor is the key that started my desire to know "What other old Wheel Horse's are out there?" Thus the addiction began at an early age!

The next addition was a 401 that I received as a Christmas gift when I was 12 or 13. (the greatest gift I have ever received bar none). This is the first tractor my father and I restored together and both this and the 702 will be treasured for the rest of my life. They created a fantastic friendship for my father and I at a time when I was becoming a typical teenager.

The last 20 years has just been tractor after tractor, adventure after adventure and story after story. I've actually witnessed first hand how these machines have grown into an enthusiast hobby and find this to be incredible. I've had many other hobbies and interests, but these little tractors are so deeply rooted in my blood that I will never give them up. they've brought me great joy and tie me to my past and also to my parents past in a way. My "Pa" has been gone over ten years, but all I need to do is spend a little time with his ol' 702 and he's right there with me.

So yes, for me it's genetic. Not a passing fancy or a fad. I know no other way!

[BPjunk 184]

Why do I collect Wheel Horses?

Because I am a collector and appreciate quality!

When I bought my house I knew a garden tractor would be a nessary tool and a quality garden tractor could be found. Being a diesel technician I know machines must be built well to last and I am cheap so buying repair parts is not part of my creed. A trip was made to a local Wheel Horse dealers "back lot" and a old round Lawn Ranger with mower deck, snow plow and tire chains was discovered. It was amazing that a tractor so small would have a cast iron front axle and transmission. The dealers mechaninc told me the Lawn Ranger did run and was used to plow the dealerships driveway in the winter. After shelling out $200 the Lawn Ranger was on it's way to a new home. Now I have been tought by my father to restore things, he once said "Anybody can have some thing new but if you have restored a old peiece then you will be the only one with one". I located a dealer up near my in-laws and stared to purchase parts to restore the Lawn Ranger, another place I looked for N.O.S. parts was right though the Wheel Horse company of which I still have those connections today! These connections gave me dealers phone numbers that might be able to help me locate parts for the Lawn Ranger (this was before the internet). At the dealer near my in-laws a second Lawn Ranger was found in the "junk yard", this rusty Lawn Ranger was purchased and became the Mighty Lawn Ranger Six Speed! The quality in these small tractors was just astounding and would do any task that was they were asked to do. At this point the collector in me came out and any thing I could find that was Wheel Horse was soon in my hands.

This picture is titled "Some of the Stuff"

Wild Bill in Richmond, Va.

[Deere Hunter 54]

I grew up on a dairy farm and the only tractors I was ever around were Fords. When I was 15 Dad sold the farm and shortly after that we started buying and restoring old Ford tractors.

Alittle over 11 years ago one of the guys I work with asked me if I new anything about Wheel Horse tractors. My response was no, Turns out his Dad had restored one and the other was torn apart. His Dad had passed away and he was looking to clean out the storage bin they was kept in. So we made plans to go over to the storage bin where they were kept the following nite after work. When we got there the I discovered a restored 552 and an 854 partial dismantled. After checking them over we made a deal and loaded what we could into my truck. It took two truck loads to get the two tractors and all the spare parts home.

The WH's set for about a year until I built a house and used the 552 for the first year to mow about 3 acres. Right after building the house I needed to move my Ford Galaxie around into the garage. I had blown the tranny out of it so it couldnt be driven. The only thing I had to move it was the 552. I grabbed a chain, hooked it to the 552. The 552 pawwed and digged until it started to move the Galaxie. It wasnt until I had dragged the car about 3 feet that I relized I still had the emergency brake on. I couldnt believe that little tractor could drag 4000 lbs like that I was totally amazed at what these little tractors could do. No wonder I ended up owning and building 4 WH pulling tractors.

So that was the start of my "ADDICTION".

Since then I have owned over 70 plus Wheel Horses. Not all at one time! lol Buying and selling them, keeping the ones I want for my collection. I have even went as far as 6 1/2 hours one way to pick up a WH (867).

I think the one thing I enjoy the most about collecting these tractors are the people you meet. I have made so many friends over the past 10 years and I am sure I will make many new ones in the years to come.

[bowtieguy 334]

Didn't think I would reply, but after reading so many posts about guys and their DAD, I had to add my story

Ya see, ole dad was a man born before his time...he was always the first in the community to build anything that had a motor and made NOISE...lol.....we never had rural electricity on the farm until 1949. but before then, dad had a Deco stystem....an engine with a generator that charged up a series of batteries....the old house was wired so when the sun went down, dad would turn on the electricity and we had DC lights until the batteries run down...by then it was time for bed.

Dad was first to sell the horses and buy a farm tractor....was first to buy a portable welder, first to buy a diesel tractor and drove a 1928 Oakland with a rumble seat as his first car....get the picture?...he loved "motors" and always loved working on them....

Along came one son, then another one and finally a third son....three boys and he was in hog heaven....I don't know how he carried love for motors and anything that made NOISE to all three of us....but he did....we even remember him taking our brand new Christmas toys apart on Christmas day just to see what made them tick..and if you stop by our family farm today you will probably find at least one of us "jackin' around with sumpin' that got a motor on it" and tinkerin' with sumpin' that makes alot of NOISE....airplanes, go carts, atvs, motorcycles, cars, trucks, catapillars, boats, big tractors, little tractors...and oh yes, did I mention lawn tractors????...dad even built our first riding mower ....even before I ever knew that Wheel Horse existed.

Dad was a guy that could fix anything...especially mechanical.....but he has been gone now for almost 20 years....yepper, he was one of the best, just like your dad was to you......so now you know the rest of the story.....out of that love to teach his three sons how to smile when you hear the "noise" of an ole engine when it coughs and fires to life after sitting in an ole barn for years....came the desire to find ole faded red lawn tractors and listen to them "make some noise"....

Dad never owned a Wheel Horse, probably cause they were TOO NEW for him to buy ...he was a Case man....and we still have the first new diesel Case that he bought new in 1958....geez, wish he would have bought a new 1958 Wheel Horse too

So why do we collect these tractors?....because dad liked anything that had a motor and made noise!!!!...and so do we.......... inside the new Horse Barn you will find all Case stuff and Wheel Horse stuff and yepper, they all got a "motor"...some make noise and some used to make noise...thanks for reading my story and I hope you teach your sons to "rev em' up and make some noise" :whistle: