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PeacemakerJack

The "Iron Horse" Restification--Dad's 875

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Cole J.

Never noticing what this post was I didn't ever read it to see what it was. I'm glade I did, reading all the way through I really enjoyed your story and the restoration. Thanks for posting! 

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Ken B

That is sure going to be a beauty when done! 

 

In response to Retired Wrencher... I think a lot of great threads (such as this one) get over looked because most guys follow the main Wheel Horse forum. Personally speaking, I believe a fine thread (such as this one) belongs there where it won't be missed....

Edited by Ken B
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PeacemakerJack
On December 16, 2016 at 0:36 PM, WHX9 said:

 

But that guy behind me is tailgating and has no cup holder!  Oh sorry Steve ...that's Uncle Rodger on the Cub...looked like you from a distance!

Jim---you thought is was @stevasaurus until you saw zoomed in and saw that he was wearing socks!

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Nope---definitely not Steve---he's wearing socks for sure.  Must be Uncle Roger! :ROTF:

 

@T1257 RETIRED WRENCHER. That sure is a beautiful 1075!  I showed this thread to dad last Saturday and your comments posted here. He was certainly impressed.  I'm not sure why you didn't have good success with your hydro but I know that dad's has been up to the task through the years.  Thank you for your positive input.  As for the original 8hp motor...you'll have to stay tuned in to hear the story about that one.  

 

If the moderators would like to one day link this story to a more "visible" area of the forum, I'd be more than happy to have them do that.  It has been a great story to tell I think mainly because it is the fabric of my life.  Like the Brad Paisley song, "this is country music", I would like to say, "This is Wheel Horse tractors and we do!" 

"We do"--what?  

WE DO:

Snow removal

Garden Work

Lawn Care

Commerical work

Ground Engaging Work

Towing

Basically...whatever is asked of us. (If you aren't familiar with the song, you'll have to look it up for this to make sense!)

 

My only regret with this tractor is the fact that the first 10 years of its life are unknown to me.  However, the next 40+ are right here, spelled out in this thread.  I'm thankful to have had the Iron horse in my family all these years but I'm more thankful for the life lived and loved during that time in which this tractor has been a part.  I hope that comes through clear as you have read this story. More to come over the holiday season...

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WHX??
1 hour ago, PeacemakerJack said:

saw zoomed in and saw that he was wearing socks!

:ROTF:And I realized Steve was wearing a RED shirt that day!! That pic might make a good "caption this" !! Sure do look forward to when we can work that field again & hopefully Dan can make it! !

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Retired Wrencher
22 hours ago, PeacemakerJack said:

Jim---you thought is was @stevasaurus until you saw zoomed in and saw that he was wearing socks!

image.jpeg

Nope---definitely not Steve---he's wearing socks for sure.  Must be Uncle Roger! :ROTF:

 

@T1257 RETIRED WRENCHER. That sure is a beautiful 1075!  I showed this thread to dad last Saturday and your comments posted here. He was certainly impressed.  I'm not sure why you didn't have good success with your hydro but I know that dad's has been up to the task through the years.  Thank you for your positive input.  As for the original 8hp motor...you'll have to stay tuned in to hear the story about that one.  

 

If the moderators would like to one day link this story to a more "visible" area of the forum, I'd be more than happy to have them do that.  It has been a great story to tell I think mainly because it is the fabric of my life.  Like the Brad Paisley song, "this is country music", I would like to say, "This is Wheel Horse tractors and we do!" 

"We do"--what?  

WE DO:

Snow removal

Garden Work

Lawn Care

Commerical work

Ground Engaging Work

Towing

Basically...whatever is asked of us. (If you aren't familiar with the song, you'll have to look it up for this to make sense!)

 

My only regret with this tractor is the fact that the first 10 years of its life are unknown to me.  However, the next 40+ are right here, spelled out in this thread.  I'm thankful to have had the Iron horse in my family all these years but I'm more thankful for the life lived and loved during that time in which this tractor has been a part.  I hope that comes through clear as you have read this story. More to come over the holiday season...

PeacemakerJack  I would like to here more on the 8 and thanks for the nice comments. Enjoy the project.

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ohiofarmer

Just outstanding. Glad you linked me to it because of the land contract connection we share....

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PeacemakerJack

@T1257 RETIRED WRENCHER. I remember that 8hp Kohler sitting on a high shelf on the back wall of the garage on the west side for years.  Somewhere along the way, dad decided that he didn't have a use for it anymore and it got thrown away:text-imsorry:.  This was when I was still young, probably my early teens.  Obviously he would never have put the original motor back on it but it would've been a neat keepsake or something that could've helped out one of you guys.  Now for a little good news: I uncovered the following photo recently and I was excited to find it.

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This is dad, me and my Brother Nathan in the spring of 1983.  We loved to spend time with dad, especially riding on the Iron Horse!  The following pic was taken with me and my youngest Zach on the same tractor 33 years later...

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I like legacy pics!

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bmsgaffer

This is the neatest thread. Thanks for sharing this story, I have been following along for a while now!

 

I remember many a memory from our C-105, but it was just another tool to my dad so it doesn't have quite the same legacy that yours does, but I plan on keeping it going for my boys! I will have to see if I can dig up pictures. 

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PeacemakerJack
24 minutes ago, bmsgaffer said:

This is the neatest thread. Thanks for sharing this story, I have been following along for a while now!

---I'm so glad you are enjoying it:handgestures-thumbupright:

 

I remember many a memory from our C-105, but it was just another tool to my dad so it doesn't have quite the same legacy that yours does, but I plan on keeping it going for my boys! I will have to see if I can dig up pictures. 

I would love to see those pics.  Please link me to that thread if you do.  

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Retired Wrencher

Jack Thanks for the repost. I am not sure why the Auto in that did not work to my liking. It was mostly on hills that I felt there was an issue. I did find a hard to get original belt on E-Bay for it. But thanks for the comments. And  I am glad you are handing down to your son the same love for these  tractors as you did with your Father. Enjoy.  

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PeacemakerJack

The RESTO:

I really enjoy the assembly of the sheet metal because then the tractor really starts to take shape.  You must be really careful in this stage otherwise you'll end up with scrapes, nicks, and scratches before you even get a chance to drive it.  Often a roll of painters tape can be a handy ally to tape an area where you have to slide two pieces of painted metal together.  Also, if you have access to someone else who can help you fit a larger piece and fasten it, ask for their help.  It can often save you a bad scratch or nick.

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I love the look of those 23 x 8.50-12 TruPowers on this tractor.  IMHO they fit the size and shape of the fenders just perfectly!  Good call Dad:handgestures-thumbupright:

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As noted earlier, the 875 decals are original to the tractor because they are in immaculate condition, especially considering the fact that they are 52 years old:-o.

 

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It didn't take too long at all for ZacMan to come and try out the new tractor seat!  He is already a fan and said, "Let's drive it!"  We need a motor first...

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There you go Zac!

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The STORY:

Along about the spring of 1984 the 875 started running a little strange, there was a definite metallic noise in the engine that shouldn't have been there.  So, just a handful of years after dad had done the restoration and installation of the first K301, he had to pull it apart.  The tractor was still in good shape and so it wasn't dad's intention to restore it at this time, he just needed to check out the extent of the damage and get it fixed.I was finally old enough to lend a hand and watch him do the work.  I remember this fairly well although it was over 30 years ago...

 

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As I was going through the slide archives that mom and dad possess, I found this one of me, our Husky-Shepherd mix Teddy, and the Iron Horse without the motor!  I just got off the phone with Dad and he said that he had noticed that the tractor was getting harder to start and was beginning to take more copious amounts of oil.  So, as the power began to really wane, he took it off and pulled it apart.  Here the wrist pin had walked out into the cylinder wall and had cut a groove about a 1/4" deep, the length of the stroke:bitch:.  So, at this point dad decided that his money would be best spent to buy a new K301 long block.  My uncle Bob worked for years as a service manager for the local Case dealership.  He was able to get one for dad at his cost and when it arrived we switched all the externals like carb, fuel pump, shrouds, electrics, oil pan, etc over to the new block and we were back in business!  That motor would stay on that tractor running and functioning until this rebuild 30+ years later.  Dad maintains that the wrist pin didn't have one of the retainers installed from the factory.  Who am I to argue?

Edited by PeacemakerJack
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Jaymon74

So glad I read this thread start to finish. What great stories! I really hope it continues.  

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R. L. Addison

My first WH was a roundhood 854 in about 1967, and can't remember not having at least one, and sometimes as many as a dozen 

(a couple times ) since.  Only one I could write a history even close to  this on, but I could never do it as well as you have!

Edited by R. L. Addison
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PeacemakerJack

The RESTO:

As most of you know you have restored anything mechanical, there is a sudden burst of energy at this stage to complete!  You see that the finish line is finally in sight and you can't wait to reach it. Not only is it the idea of accomplishing a goal long in the making but it is also the fact that you can't wait to see how the face lifted "creation" will look!  

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At this point, dad's accented paint colors started to really pop!  This is a labor of love but the memories keep coming to me as I put each piece on!

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After several hours of work we were finally ready to fit the hood...

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It was so good to see the tractor back together.  It had been a long process but now it was as good as or better than new, for the third time!  Now we could've outsourced a NOS pepper pot muffler but this thing must retain the Farmall Cub muffler that had been on it for about 40 years! I suggested to dad that he construct a new pipe coming out of the block.  He did a mighty fine job welding and shaping this one.

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Cables are connected and tank is fueled up--The old Iron Horse is ALIVE once again!  As the proverb clearly states, "the desire accomplished is sweet to the soul"!

 

The STORY:

Now we fast forward to the year 1994!  I am a building contractor today and i believe some of that was born this year.  My parents received a two acre parcel of land on my Grandpas homestead land that he purchased in 1948.  My parents decided to build a house there and at 17 years old, I was involved with many facets of the build. I took a real interest in the whole process and seemed to have a knack for it. I still enjoy seeing a house come together from scratch and watching a family make it into their home.  It was surreal to build a house on the field that we often used as pasture and in which I would go fetch the cows with my minibike at sundown!  These pictures below are in the very spot where I would gather the cows.

 

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By this point, my brother Nathan (pictured above) was the one responsible for lawn care and the old Iron Horse was up to the task.  Dad mounted those fog lights (out of place but more functional than the alternative!) for snow removal duty in the winter at night and we were still cutting with it at least once a week in the summer.  It is hard to imagine but that lawn is IMMACULATE today (almost like a golf course!) and that tree behind Nate is about 40 feet tall.  I'll have to stage the tractor in that spot and take a picture of it today for reference.  

 

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These pictures were taken in the summer of 1995 (notice the Chicago Bulls shirt Nate is wearing--Jordan and his bulls were a world wide spectacle at that time).  Dad used the tractor for another five years until Nathan graduated and moved out.  I couldn't find any more pictures of it in that time period but it was there, quietly doing its business.  Then dad bought a Scotts brand "throw away" tractor and I'm not exactly sure why. In 2000 he could've bought an xi series but it was probably the money (after all there were weddings taking place!) Thank goodness he didn't sell or worse yet, junk the 875 at this point.  It just got tucked away into the corner of the shed where it sat for nearly a decade.  What happened after that?  You just read it!  Confused? Go back 4 pages because that is where we began our story.  

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Pullstart

Looks great!  Amazing story ta' boot!

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PeacemakerJack

The "Iron Horse" is going to get a stable mate!  I wanted to put this post here to document this for posterity but I will start a separate thread about it later...

 

There are those people in your life that do so much for you that you could never repay them no matter how much you try.  They don't ask for repayment other than you doing the right thing and passing it along.  My dad is one of those folks in my life.  I love him dearly and could never thank him enough for all that he has done for me, taught me, and given me.  To top it all off, now he is investing heavily in his grand kids!  We have used the 875 to plow a couple of times since it's completion but I think that it has earned the right to be a show tractor and parade machine.

 

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Here at the local 4th parade!

 

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Dad still enjoys plowing with us now and again...I knew that if I could find him the right tractor for that purpose the 875 would finally have the rest it deserves.  Enter @Shynon and a 953 that he was selling in the spring.  I didn't know much about the first of the new generation of "Big Wheels" but a quick glance told me it had hydro lift and gear drive.  It was super cool looking yet had patina so that it could be used without worrying about a scratch or two.  The original engine was junk and so it was repowered with a stationary Kohler engine.  All it needs is a set of AG's

IMG_5090.JPG.4a2fd2c07c0708833cb061d00600bc86.JPGand the extra set of WW-93 weights that I happen to have and dad can go plowing. His birthday Is tomorrow and I can't wait to give him this machine.  It has been a test of my patience all along the journey but dad is worth it!!!

 

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PeacemakerJack

My buddy sent me this pic that he took this year at the July 4th parade...

IMG_4695.JPG.aaf619048548a0971ffa399fb7e76227.JPGIt was really fun to take the garden tractor in the parade.  Multiple times, I told young kids that I cut lawn on it as I was there age.  

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Pullstart

The extra things you pick up on after reading a thread through again... you guys did a great job on this tractor, the story and the involvement with multiple generations, along with even the bratty company that might be in your (dad’s) presence!  Maybe I knew this before, but I didn’t realize the big block was retained for the resto!  Maybe I didn’t realize it had a big block at all, it’s hard to tell.

 

Great work, fellas!

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PeacemakerJack

Kevin—thanks for bringing this one back up again.  You were the first one to welcome this thread with your comment and all you were at the time was a cyber avatar to me.  As time went along we built a virtual relationship through the forum but it was so cool to finally meet you in person last year at the BS (as it was to meet many others).  Then to hang out again this last weekend at Portage and meet Mrs Pullstart (what a gem!).  It sure brings things into a new and more personal context and so when you go back and read those old posts it gives them a new perspective or even context.  

 

The Iron Horse build is what brought me to this forum.  I wanted to share the well deserving story of this Horse with guys that were passionate about the brand. In the process, I became passionate about the brand and made a bunch of new friends (WIN-WIN)!  

 

Thank you for your kind comments, it really was a HUGE privilege to do that build (and now enjoy the tractor) with my dad and my boys.  I hope that this tractor and it’s awesome story inspires others to take their own :wh: journey or if they have a similar story to take the time to share it with us. I enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing this one!  

 

Thank you my friend!

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Jennifer

post-13847-0-78375300-1410412584_thumb.jHusband was looking with me and saw the vehicle in the back ground!  Is that an old scout!  Talk about family memories!  His Dad had a couple!

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PeacemakerJack

I should start a thread devoted to that truck.  Dad bought it in 1975 and it was a 1966 model.  It had ALL wheel drive and the half a V-8 4cyl motor.  It was yellow when he bought it.  Repainted it a few years later in a dark green color.  Then he restored it and painted it navy blue about 8 years later. It was in our family until the summer of 1992.  I convinced dad that we needed a “newer” truck and he ended up buying a 1983 Chevy S-10.  It is really sad because back then it was just a hard working, “never say ‘uncle’” tough little machine.  Today, they are quite collectible.  I wish we still had it today because I have so many memories in and around that truck.  

 

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