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Charlie Smith

Where Did It All Start For You?

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Charlie Smith

Morning Everybody,

Just another one of my curious moments, and I thought it would be interesting to share story's. Where Did 'collecting' wheel horse tractors and having such passion for them start for you guys? Where did you first start out?

Most of you know here I only have one horse, the 1970 raider 10 with the tecumseh HH-100, but There's room for more I just haven't seen many I like yet, but my 'obsession' for wheel horse tractors started a few years back now. A family member of mine had one, and it just used sit there until me or my sister would visit then we would be allowed to drive it around the back. For years I thought wow if only...... Then as I got a bit older and started exhibiting my racing tractor, and stationary engine etc, I started to see a few wheel horses on show, and I thought to my self this is the time, I can finally get what I've wanted for years, and enjoy going to the shows still. Time passed I was checking internet sale sites daily for anything and nothing came up, I left it for 2 weeks as I went away on holiday, came back and two days later went to kingsfold steam and vintage rally. Where there I saw Chris's Rowcrop and a few others, later that day when stopped for a bite to eat I noticed one for sale online made a phone call whilst still at the show and agreed to go see the tractor the following day, so we made a nice long trip into Surrey and there it was, my first wheel horse, it was finially mine, and I know this sounds silly, but I didn't realise what I had as such untill a bit later on, I didn't realise there was such history etc,

It is my first horse, hopefully not the last, but I got a feeling it will always be the most loved.

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Stigian

An ex landlord had a C-121 sitting in his orchard for many years rotting away ( I did manage to buy it from him many years later), but it was the C-121 that first brought Wheel Horses to my attention..

 

But it was while I was at an agricultural auction looking for a replacement for my almost dead Westwood that I spotted a "down on it's luck" Raider 10... The rest is history... :D

 

So instead of buying something running I could cut my lawn with, I bought a project instead!!!

 

Of course I still needed to cut my lawn, and bought a WH 312-8 to do just that... And thus the collecting/addiction had started :D

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Jparkes43

For me it was a love for any ride on mower and during the summer of last year we were looking at buying one for me to work on and we came across one that was reasonably priced, so we picked it up and this guy had put it in his shed for two years and never really used it and the guys who owned it before that used it and them didn't have a use for it, so it came home with me and I looked up the type of mower toro wheel horse 227-5 amd came across you guys, then I found out that they don't make them anymore and are slightly collectible. So I decided to partially restore it and still haven't finished

Edited by Jparkes43

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wheeledhorseman

Nothing wrong with owning a 227-5, king of the LTs, I've got one! So, how did it begin, well, retired and bought a bit of land with my lump sum. Needed a little tractor to mow the grass and discovered WHs on ebay. Fell in love with the C series look and rescued a non-runner C-120 auto that was, as Ian puts it, very much down on its luck. Realised that it wouldn't be ready in time for the summer and bought the 227-5 which came with pretty much all I needed - deck, trailer, roller, grass collector all in working order. The rest is history, collection has grown so several restos later here I am. Hope to get some pics of my newest challenge this weekend.

 

Andy

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Jparkes43

Nothing wrong with owning a 227-5, king of the LTs, I've got one! So, how did it begin, well, retired and bought a bit of land with my lump sum. Needed a little tractor to mow the grass and discovered WHs on ebay. Fell in love with the C series look and rescued a non-runner C-120 auto that was, as Ian puts it, very much down on its luck. Realised that it wouldn't be ready in time for the summer and bought the 227-5 which came with pretty much all I needed - deck, trailer, roller, grass collector all in working order. The rest is history, collection has grown so several restos later here I am. Hope to get some pics of my newest challenge this weekend.

Andy

227-5 buddies :-) but I would like to start maybe looking at getting a few more! ;-)

James

Edited by Jparkes43

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Cam-c121

Started as a little boy when I used to go out with my uncle to his place of work they had a c-141 and can't remember the other one to well 312-8 or something like that couple of years ago I thought I'd quite like one for the holidays for some mowing etc so last a year a c-121 came up on eBay asked the man if he would meet me as it was a long trip that I would have to make he ended up doing a 200 mile round trip and only did 80 (SCORE) then the other week I decided I wanted more so set about getting a tiller and ended up with yet another c-121 sadly I think one might have to go. I'm trying to keep both though

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meadowfield

As a boy, mowed at my parents on little mountfield 7. That progressed to a western, lawnflite and then westwood W11. I showed my dixon ztr for a few years and child no.2 ended up with the westwood he did up. We decided to stop showing bikes at the shows and focus on horticultural. Dad bought the Norlett, I bought the C121 and brother bought a Raider 10.

In the last 4 years we've had probably 15 between us. Some parted and others tidied and passed on.

As I type this in the garage there are 5 surrounding me :D

post-3321-0-18477500-1395484294_thumb.jp

Edited by meadowfield
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rmaynard

Thought you might be interested in a similar thread that was started back in 2008. Here is the link.

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Stormin

  About four years ago I was down the lane with my dogs, when I reached a field a chap kept a micro light in. He kept it in a big polytunnel with double doors at one end. About a year or so before, he'd had an accident and hadn't been seen since.

 Over the high hedge I could see that the doors were open. Suspicion got the better of me and I entered the field. I found him emptying the hanger. Turned out when in hospital they found he had a heart condition, so that put paid to his flying.

 I noticed a ride on mower in the hanger that he'd used for cutting his runway. This was a C-125 and he couldn't get it to start. "Can't sell it if it won't run", he said. I had a look, good spark but no fuel getting through. Pulled the fuel pipe of the pump and got fuel to there. Re-connected, bit of cranking and it fired up.

 "How much do you want for it", I asked. "£75", he replied. I offered £65 and the following night I drove it home. It as now been joined by a C-81 that is in the slow, very slow, process of being restored.

  A Saxon trailer has been added and also a Wheel Horse lawn sweeper. I've also built a snowplough/dozer blade for it as well as rebuilding the cutter deck.

Edited by Stormin

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Cam-c121

Started as a little boy when I used to go out with my uncle to his place of work they had a c-141 and can't remember the other one to well 312-8 or something that

Just rememberd the model it was a 416-8 not a 312 -8

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neil

It all started for me about five years ago when i moved to new home & needed a ride on to mow the lawn ,so i bought a Hayter Heritage lawn tractor , While just scouring ebay one day i noticed this little red tractor , What is it i thought , never seen those before , it looks like a real big/little tractor , hey ho i threw in a bid £150 & was the only bidder & won it . couldnt wait to go and get this little tractor, so i took the following day off work & drove to Gloucteshire to pick her up , still nome the wiser as to what i had bought .

We i arrived at this old car breakers garage the guy open the big sliding doors & he drove this little tractor out .  I l;oaded her into the back of my van and off home i went .

We i got back i went straight onto the internet to find out anything i could about this tractor , typing on google (little red tractor ) when up poped this picture of what i had .

clicked on the picture &  where did it take me , yup Redsquare . i found out thatthe liitle Red Tractor that  i had bought was a 1968 Commando 8 .

Here i am now with about 14 currently  in the collection & i have probabley sold about another 10 / 15 tractors along the way . & i have imported from  5 wheel horse tractorsfrom America  now & 2 of them were owed by the Author of Straight from the Horses Mouth , Michael Martino of whom i have become good friends with

my recent purchase was a 1974 Raider .

I still look around to see what comes up for sale .

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Jparkes43

It all started for me about five years ago when i moved to new home & needed a ride on to mow the lawn ,so i bought a Hayter Heritage lawn tractor , While just scouring ebay one day i noticed this little red tractor , What is it i thought , never seen those before , it looks like a real big/little tractor , hey ho i threw in a bid £150 & was the only bidder & won it . couldnt wait to go and get this little tractor, so i took the following day off work & drove to Gloucteshire to pick her up , still nome the wiser as to what i had bought .

We i arrived at this old car breakers garage the guy open the big sliding doors & he drove this little tractor out .  I l;oaded her into the back of my van and off home i went .

We i got back i went straight onto the internet to find out anything i could about this tractor , typing on google (little red tractor ) when up poped this picture of what i had .

clicked on the picture &  where did it take me , yup Redsquare . i found out thatthe liitle Red Tractor that  i had bought was a 1968 Commando 8 .

Here i am now with about 14 currently  in the collection & i have probabley sold about another 10 / 15 tractors along the way . & i have imported from  5 wheel horse tractorsfrom America  now & 2 of them were owed by the Author of Straight from the Horses Mouth , Michael Martino of whom i have become good friends with

my recent purchase was a 1974 Raider .

I still look around to see what comes up for sale .

That's a very nice story Neil

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Bobie01

4 years ago I made a annonce. "looking for riding mower also broken," to pull around light stuff. I had already bought a Turfmaster (now sold), when a man answered that he would have a defective lawn mower and this was for free. As I arrived a Raider 10 stood there. He said he is still running but the compression would be bad. But just the valve seats were just dirty. After that I was looking for a mowerdeck for the Raider, as someone answered, he have a defakter lawn mower with snow plow and mower deck, I also bought this c165 with KT-17 then. Since these the engine is not completely I was looking for a engine. Now have a K-301 found, I restore the mower deck and have bolted the snow plow on the Raider. Now my dad say: you have enough lawnmower... I think also because I have also e john deere :hide:  an a turfmaster.

Edited by Bobie01

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