nrowles 25 #1 Posted January 7, 2015 Being new to the Wheel Horse world, the following these tractors get amazes me. It seems many of you on this site have many in the herd and you buy more. I'm just curious why you buy more and what you guys do with them??? Do you use them all, fix them and sell them, just add them to the collection to sit around, flip them, etc. I got into this because my pap passed and I wanted a sentimental piece. 7 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nrowles 25 #3 Posted January 7, 2015 Fiip? Not sure if you're serious or messin with me. Flip as in buy and sell to make profit without doing anything to the machine. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pollack Pete 2,273 #4 Posted January 7, 2015 Craig is right. Flip? I think when you flip something,you're supposed to make money.I've lost on every one I ever sold,except one that I got for free and only had to charge the battery.There could be a lot worse things to collect than garden tractors.I buy them because I want them.Most of the time,they're fun to work on. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stevasaurus 22,229 #5 Posted January 7, 2015 All of the above, including the sentimental. Many threads exist on this site concerning why some of the members do what they do. I think if you spend some time going into the different sections on the main page...like...Restorations, Tractors, Show pictures, etc and do some reading, you will answer your own question. BTW, I got into it the same way you did. My Dad passed and he had 4 horses in his shed. I started fixing them up, found this place and never looked back. Welcome to the hobby. 19 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tankman 3,515 #6 Posted January 7, 2015 (edited) Our Horses are social animals and require company. Stallions need hugs 'n rubs. That's why we ride 'em, fix their wounds, use hoof dressing, and polish the Horses. It is impossible to have a single, solitary, lonely Horse. He would scrap away. That's why we give the elegant gorgeous Horses company! It's like the Lone Ranger once said, "Hey! I need backup Horseys! Bring more Tonto!" Isn't that right Geno Autry? My 1st Horse, early '70's. Great hobby for myself, sons, and now grandsons. Sure, we've sold a few but only to make room for more. Our 1st tractor was a '32 Farmall, 4 cyl, crank start. I've been told but never confirmed, 1st year rubber tires were used on the Farmall's. Was a Rough 'n Tumble, Kinzers, PA member for many years. http://www.roughandtumble.org/ Edited January 8, 2015 by Tankman 7 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AJ_Thanatos 516 #7 Posted January 7, 2015 (edited) About 7 months ago, I had no idea what a Wheel Horse was. Then I saw my neighbor had this, what I thought was this ole' lawn mower with a snow blade on it. And I thought "man that would be nice for the winter" . So I asked him if he would sell it. Sure thing I was the owner of this rusty ole' lawn mower with a snow blade and would only start with starting fluid. So then I decided it was time to get this thing running better so I didn't have to use the starting fluid trick anymore. And then the rest of it is history. And the history goes like this. I was overwhelmed by the amount of people that were sincere about the Wheel Horse brand. Then I did my own research on the history of Wheel Horse. Found out they were based out of South bend, bonus! I'm a Notre Dame fanatic! Then there were the actual people on this site. Just reading the comments they posted about my "rusty ole' lawn mower", I could tell that they were excited at any progress I was making. And the help they have given me on all of my tractors drove home their passion for this tractor. And that passion was passed onto me and now these "rusty ole' lawn mowers" have consumed me. And I love every minute of it. And the friends I have made from this piece of metal are some of the best you can ask for. So is it the tractor itself or is the friends I have made? This logo " " is now very near and dear to me because it is a constant reminder of all of my friends around the world I have made because of this tractor! I think I'm tearing up now... Sorry for the wall of text... I guess I never answered the original question either. I guess I would call myself a collector. I usually buy the ones that don't run and get them running then keep them because I can't bring myself to sell any of them. My garage has turned into the stable, my truck now has to sit in the cold long winters and I have to scrape the ice and snow off my truck every morning. That's my sacrifice to keep the brand alive! Long Live Edited January 7, 2015 by AJ_Thanatos 20 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fireman 1,021 #8 Posted January 7, 2015 I always wanted an 50's, 60's or early 70's car to restore. I have always worked with my hands and went to school for auto mechanics in the 80's. By the time I had some money saved up in the early 90's the prices skyrocketed and I got married so it got put on the back burner. Well since the economy tanked and my house only has a one car garage that dream is going to have to wait till I retire and move south. So in the mean time about 8 years ago I began collecting the older Wheel Horse Tractors to restore. They don't cost nearly as much as a car would and they don't take up much space at all. My kids and I take them to shows and parades. They're not cars but they are actually just as much fun! That's my reason. 11 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doc724 924 #9 Posted January 7, 2015 I bought my first WH in 1978. Sold that one and bought a new one in 1996. Got tired (actually too old) of pushing the snow with a plow and bought a used one in 2011 with a blower and then sold the 1996 model. In 2013, I came across a 1978 C-series just like my first one I foolishly sold in 1996. So I bought it and restored it. Then, I had to buy my wife one just like the 314 I sold in 2011 so she would cut the grass. Now, I have blowers, tillers, mowers, plows and a FEL to keep all my horses exercised. Yes, it is an addicting hobby, but one filled with great satisfaction if you can keep an old machine from going to the scrap heap. My latest challenge is to work with the teen down the street try to get a C101 running again and to teach him about tools, engines, and restoration...and then give him the tractor. I am hopeful that this will continue to pay dividends long after I am gone. As you can see, everyone has different reasons for getting into this hobby. 7 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lane Ranger 10,490 #10 Posted January 7, 2015 (edited) Here is the reason - a family history since 1961 of owning Wheel Horse Garden Tractors! My dad, my brother and I do this! I even got my wife Ruth to like one model -the 1958 RJ ! 1961 50 years later! Edited January 7, 2015 by Lane Ranger 33 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Racinbob 10,276 #11 Posted January 7, 2015 Very well put replies here. I've been playing with Wheel Horses for 55 years now. My Dad bought a 1960 Suburban 400 when I was 5. That was his first one and I'm in the process of restoring the very same model right now. There's part of the sentimental side of it for me. I quickly realized the brilliance of the engineering on these little tractors. The simplicity of a Wheel Horse was that brilliance and contributes to their incredible durability. While many changes have been made over the years the similarities from a late 50's machine to the very last year in 2007 can easily been seen. Living my first 45 years within 15 miles of South Bend added to the locally built loyalty. Oh yea, I stand beside AJ regarding Notre Dame Many years on acreages of 26 and 10 I asked my tractors to do things that a normal (that wouldn't be me) person wouldn't do without at least a larger compact utility machine. It may have taken a bit longer but to this day I've never had a Horse whine at me. The bottom line is that they are incredible machines and easy to fall in love with. The addiction so often mention on this forum is very real. 8 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Racinbob 10,276 #12 Posted January 7, 2015 Lane, while I was typing you just summed it all up with your great pictures! I love them. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Racinbob 10,276 #13 Posted January 7, 2015 Fiip? Ya probably don't want Bob Maynard to chime in on that one 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AJ_Thanatos 516 #14 Posted January 7, 2015 (edited) Nailed it Lane! And I thought I did a good job... Lane takes the cake here. Edited January 7, 2015 by AJ_Thanatos 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Molon_Labe 731 #15 Posted January 7, 2015 I bought my first gt in the early 70's, an original Cub which I had for many years eventually trading for a JD 210 which I gave my son last year. They were good tractors. Last year I bought my first just as a fun project and now I have 4 of them. As I said, the others were good tractors but the are great tractors. I was so impressed by the simplicity of design and functionality. Combine that with ease of maintenance and robust construction and you have a winning combination in my opinion. 7 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wheelhorseman 3,197 #16 Posted January 7, 2015 (edited) I grew up on a farm with 2 wheel horse lawn rangers one was Grandpa's and one was DADs (now mine) we had a pretty big lawn so they got used alot and also getting worked on alot due to both lawn rangers had Tecumseh engines and anybody that owns a Tecumseh will tell you to be best friends with a mechanic because you will be spending lots of time together or learn how to repair it yourself or walk. So needless to say I learned how to fix them and never looked back, so to answer your question it gets in your blood and I have a lot of memory's with them and it's very hard to beat the quality of wheel horses Edited January 7, 2015 by wheelhorseman1000 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Retired Wrencher 4,876 #17 Posted January 7, 2015 I am a little different than most. Not so much on the family side or the friend side but on American labor side. Buy protecting Americana. Or American craftsmanship. As a lot of our ideas are being lost to world. So to me this is the most important. Gary B.... 7 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Forest Road 594 #18 Posted January 7, 2015 (edited) I needed something to maintain the property at the family vacation house. 1/2 acre grass and some serious driveway. It had to mow the lawn, pull a driveway rake of sorts, plow dirt and snow, and fit in my truck. Who wants to tow a trailer 225 miles if there's a major problem? The search was on! I started with JDs and Gravelys. JD was to exspensive, Gravely 4 wheel were to big. Then I remembered my dads friend had a WH back in the 80s. So I looked into them. Smallest of the GTs of the day. Easily transportable, inexpensive to repair, accessories are readily available. These lil red tractors blew me away! They did everything better than I could've imagined. I have every accessory I could ever need. The 50" mid mount grader blade was an added bonus. We have over 1/2 mile of shared common driveways. I typically regrade once very spring. WH have made the job fun and easy. In the past five years I've probably bought and sold, ok Craig "flipped" 15 or so tractors over the past few years. To the point that they've pretty much paid for the keepers. Edited January 7, 2015 by Forest Road 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stevasaurus 22,229 #19 Posted January 7, 2015 Hey, I took that picture of Dave and Lane (with his Wheel Horse chair over his head) at the Sycamore show this year. Look at that smiley face on Lane...he and his brother had just showed up at the show. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KC9KAS 4,741 #20 Posted January 7, 2015 (edited) I buy Wheel Horse tractors to use. None of mine are really "beauty queens", although I want to someday paint one up and keep it "for show" only. I actually started "messing" with mowers at an early age and have continued..... I was 2 years old when this photo was taken....May 1957. Edited January 8, 2015 by KC9KAS 11 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dcrage 621 #21 Posted January 7, 2015 (edited) I never heard of a Wheel Horse until the year I bought my 310-8 (1991) -- My neighbor had an old Raider (I think) and said he had purchased it on the recommendation of people who knew about garden and lawn tractors -- So I included Wheel Horse in my search for something new to mow a steep lawn and push snow -- Wheel Horse won my search effort because it was the least expensive (compared to JD; Honda, Cub; Oh yeah now I remember seriously considering a new Snapper that was in the same ball park in $s and capabilities as the 310-8) of real garden tractors at the time (well maybe Honda was a lawn tractor, but they were priced just like the other good stuff) -- 23+ years later still using the 310-8 and liked it enough to go out and purchase a 1987 418-A 2 years ago (just so I could say I had one of the bigger WH tractors and now I had a hydrostatic Wheel Horse) -- Also have started adding more attachments as I find them (mid-mount blade; tiller; and maybe a blower if I decide to spend a few bucks {a snow blower would be useful every 3-4 years in this part of the country}) -- So far I have purchased them to use them with a little bit of "now I can afford to buy some toys" collecting working its way in here in the last few years Edited January 8, 2015 by dcrage 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 38,906 #22 Posted January 7, 2015 Here is the reason - a family history since 1961 of owning Wheel Horse Garden Tractors! My dad, my brother and I do this! I even got my wife Ruth to like one model -the 1958 RJ ! 1961 scan0001.jpg 50 years later! 102_0166.JPG post-818-0-36202700-1408290344_thumb.jpg 100_1740.jpg 10610650_336096046566871_6604122610663200103_n (2).jpg 102_0168.JPG I see you guys haven't grown up yet! I had a 604 growing up. About 8 years ago I went to a local steam show and somebody had a mess of horses there. "WOW somebody collects these! The next day I found RED SQUARE! I all ready had a 210-H that had some old school parts still on it. Went to the Big Show in PA searching for a 604. Got a 704 with a KOHLER!!! . Wanted a bigger tractor to mow and plow with and found a C-160. Now I have 5 and that's the limit. I have found a few That I fixed up and resold to fund future trips to PA. I need extra money to buy parts so I can keep Steve entertained as I walk back and forth carrying stuff. If you go to the show, be careful of the seedy characters that hang around the bus stop! 8 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buckrancher 2,675 #23 Posted January 7, 2015 5 years old sitting on my dads 701 nuff said 23 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dieselcowboy 210 #24 Posted January 8, 2015 This is my reason. This is my grandpa and myself at 1year old in the top picture. 26 years later grandpa took another photo with my twin boys on the same tractor which I now have. Not 6 months after the last picture grandpa passed away. 25 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Racinbob 10,276 #25 Posted January 8, 2015 (edited) This has quickly become a really cool thread! Thanks for starting it nrowles. Edited January 8, 2015 by Racinbob 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
