Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
leeave96

Why do you run Wheelhorse vs another old iron brand tractor?

Recommended Posts

Butch

My dad told me when I was a little kid that if he could ever afford a garden tractor it would be a Wheelhorse. I never forgot that and that's why I have them.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
woodbird007

My Wheel Horse affection goes back to my youth. My dad, being a depression kid always bought and refurbished used stuff. He finally broke down and spent big bucks on a mid 60s 10hp Craftsman lawn tractor. It looked great, but was total junk. After about 5 years of constantly fixing it- in which he would have to take half the tractor apart to make a minor repair, he bought a used 875 with mower deck and snow blade. For less money than he paid for the new Craftsman he got a well engineered, easy to work on tractor that was built to last . He loved that tractor so much he bought a used 1057 a few years later. I still have the 875 and have added 6 others to my collection.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
855ownerJoel

First, I must say it is you Wheel Horse people. I have become friends with several of you guys and hope to do so with a lot more. I like other brands and have owned several and still own a green and yellow one as they were all ways popular down south. My first Wheel Horse was a 1974 D-200 and it was a Man.This was in 84 or 85, I traded it off for a cub. Then in the 90's Saw one for sale in the Market Bulletin. I have enjoyed any thing air cooled since my first Cushman scooter in 1957. All and all I found I liked the red one's the best.Mrs. K. Horse say's I have enough horses, we will see as I would like to find a 702 and a 1054 and, and? Looking forward to the 2013 Big wheel horse show again!! Regards jim ..krazy_horse

Really got to attend my first Wheel Horse show. Problem is "my name is Joel and I am a Wheel Horse addict" seriously, I need to stop buying and get to a show or could that make my addiction worse?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
855ownerJoel

Ok, here I go. Got sicken tired of fixing the cheap #@%^&&&&*^ stuff made today. Tore apart enough hydros that are not designed to be fixed but replaced. Also cheap decks that cannot handle life. I am fussy about cleaning my decks after mowing but they are just too thin and weak. I bought my first Wheel Horse 855 and have bought and sold several since. 1055, 1054, B80, B100, C series etc etc. I don't sell because of dis-like but because I would need a barn to fit them in. I love the Kohler horizontal shafts strength and longevity. Have never had to replace one on my accord. I change oil clean fins and run them (I do not beat them or run more than designed for). I love the Kohler sound and the look of the pre-mid 70's. I am anti-vertical shaft mowers now and as stated in earlier quote, I guess could be classified as a "Wheel Horse addict". I even get sad when I see one that has been left to go to waste...... Is that bad?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
Hydro

My first experience with Wheel Horse came 11 years ago when I bought a used 312H . Prior to that I heard the Wheel Horse name, seen the odd one around but did not know much about them. :confusion-confused: They are not nearly as well known up here. I owned two IH tractors before, the last one was a Cub Cadet 149. It was shaft driven and built like a tank.

I was uncertain of the Wheel Horse belt drive at first :eusa-think: but my 312 turned out to be a great little tractor. The Kohler Magnum never let me down and nothing ever slipped. I began to appreciate the simplicity of the Wheel Horse design. It was easy to service although I never had to do much except change oil and a drive belt.

Six years ago we moved to a larger property. I wanted a bigger tractor and started looking on Ebay for Wheel Horse tractors. I started watching for a 520. I considered a 60 inch deck. Finally I found a very clean 416H in Lancaster PA. It had just over 300 hours on it and had been in storage for 6 years. I bought that tractor, added a 48" mower deck, brought it home and mowed with it for 4 years. It was an awesome tractor until the Onan popped a valve seat :deadhorse::eek:

Not wanting any more Onan issues I searched for the latest hydro Wheel Horse made with a Kohler Magnum engine, a '97 314H. I watched Ebay and for my first time went to the Wheel Horse Show in PA. I learned about R/S. I also got to see a lot of 16 HP Kohler singles there. I joined R/S and later found a 314H for sale in CT. It was a long drive but it was exactly what I wanted, I bought it. :thumbs: Later I bought a 416-8 for the engine and the 10.50 rear wheels that were on it. In the same trip I added a two stage blower, a 520 front end with gear reduction steering, hubs for the front end, some new treads and cast iron wheel weights for the rear wheels. I transformed my 314H to a 516C (Custom). Recently I added a foot pedal motion control.

What I appreciate most about the Wheel Horse is the simplicity of the design. I've looked at Gravelys, Bolans, IH Cubs, Cub cadets and I see many more complex design functions such as splines, universal joints and bearings. Bang for the buck I don't think anything puts power to dirt like the Wheel Horse. They have a great selection of very well designed attachments. It really is too bad they are no longer being made. :disgust:

:flags-canada:

Edited by Hydro
  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
boovuc

My father was friends with the man who mowed our community park in Mill Hall, PA. He mowed four to five days a week to keep ahead of things but what got me was his tractor. It was an 8 horsepower late 60's Wheelhorse with a little 36 inch deck. I was too young to realize what that tractor was expected to do. The park back then was smaller but was still over 10 to 15 acres and spread out over a large area of playground equipment, a festival ground and an earthen dike along Fishing Creek and open baseball practice fields. It mowed it all and he mowed it for over 10 years. When he got behind, the boro workers would come in with a 3 point mower but that man and that tractor still amaze me. His name was Earl Long. His son still lives here and I missed getting that tractor by a few years. I never knew it was still in the old homestead's garage. I knew what I wanted when the time came for a tractor of my own. I traded even up; my 1975 "AMF" Harley Sportster for my still owned C-175 with a mower deck, chains and a plow. That was the best trade I ever made. Once I had that tractor, I had to have a few more. Same comments as the others, a solid simple quality built, well engineered garden tractor that was a high water mark of American manufacturing.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
slufoot733

My one and only Wheel Horse was purchased new in 1978 by my father. He had just retired and treated himself to a brand new D-200 w/mower deck, belly grader blade and 48" snow thrower. What a beast. I got it in 2009 when my brother, who inherited the old homestead, didn't want it (he had just purchased a JD 2305 for his property). I took the old D and revamped it and got it running. It's my main defense against heavy snows (the snow thrower works great) in the winter.

My main interest in old small tractors stems from a 1952 Tiger 883 that dad bought in 1956. I now have that one, and a second Tiger 883. Both are in good shape and both run fine. They're just a little difficult to actually 'use' around the house. They're hard to drive, no brakes, etc. They're for show only. My regular lawn maintance tractor is a 2006 JD 155C. It mows, hauls and snow plows (up to about 6 or 8" deep). But the old D is the beast of the group. When digging into deep snow it draws a crowd in the neighborhood. The kids like to run through the 'rooster tail' of thrown snow and the adults just stand there, with their coffee or beer, and appreciate that I'm clearing their drive for them. It's a hoot! :woohoo:

Merry Christmas everyone! :text-merryxmas:

KT

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
midnight rambler

my story, my great aunt and uncle were wheel horse dealers in prairie du chien back in the day, i worked for them for 2 summers when i was 14 to 16 yrs of age, got out of it untill a few yrs ago (4) then all of the sudden and at least 50 -100 tractors or so later i have my favorites picked out,(C160,1045 suburban 550 and a few more) meet a lot of great people, and if it wasnt for the wheel horse in my family i would have never got to meet maxwell nunn, to whom was probably the greatest one that was a great pleasure to say i have meet. take care guys and looking forward to reading more stories.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
Keith

Other older tractors have their good points but the longevity of the classic Wheel Horse design puts them at the top of the list for 20 HP and under tractors that you can use daily, for years to come. They were overbuilt in the right places, avoiding unneccessary complexity. The belt drive system is easy to maintain. You can repair them yourself when they do need attention.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
JackC

My Dad had a C-175 Automatic that I cut the lawn with. I always thought it was a great tractor. I now have three C-175 Automatics and two C-175 Eight Speeds and many other models.

Besides all the good points already mentioned, the Wheel Horse tractors are better looking than any other brand.

As good as they are, what were those Cub Cadet sheet metal designers smokin?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
Challenger

About 13 years ago  my wife and I were standing in front of Craftsman tractors at the local Sears store.  A client of mine happened to be walking through the store, saw us, came over and offered two words of advice:  "Wheel Horse".  A few days later I called him for more "advice".  He mentioned that he was thinking of selling his 3 year old 520H (immaculate,only 80 hours) to purchase a new Xi tractor.  Long story short we bought his "old" tractor and have since purchased two of his lightly used Xi's as he gets the itch to trade every few years.

 

As part of my garden tractor education I've bought and sold several Wheel Horse 300 and 500 series tractors with attachments over this time.

 

The Wheel Horse brand really "speaks to me".  No other garden tractor brand grabs my same level of interest or excitement.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...