Sad Sight To See

[KC9KAS 4,741]

While on our road trip Friday, we stopped at several yard sales and flea markets.
While at a yard sale on ILL 1 near Oliver, Ill,  I noticed some Wheel Horse tractors at the neighbors. I asked the yard sale people and they said the guy wouldn't sell them for anything.
I went over and asked about the horses and the elderly gentleman (dragging his oxygen tank) said he "just collects them" and nothing was for sale. I got a few photos of the ones I saw outside, and was told the "better shape" ones were in the garage.
It is sad the way these poor tractors will have a slow painful death!







There were 2 more that I didn't get a picture of...1 was a "nut roaster"!
 

[rmaynard 14,864]

Sad thing is, he will die and his family, not knowing what he has, will sell them all to a scrapper.

[AMC RULES 36,941]

I too...    
will hate letting 'em go. 

[papaglide 541]

What a sad situation all round: wheel horses, the old guy..

[boovuc 1,090]

That C161 has a twin in it from the looks of it. Some of the ones outside aren't that bad! My the neighbhor who asked about them being for sale will scoop them up. We will know when that local Craigslist gets bombs by WH tractors! (Or fleabay)

Whoops! C-161 is suppose to have an opposed twin on it. It looks like it was replaced somewhere along the line though judging by the paint!

Edited July 5, 2015 by boovuc

[Wheel-N-It 2,967]

What a sad situation all round: wheel horses, the old guy..

Thats what I was thinking too.......    Sometimes you gotta let it be.

[cleat 4,936]

I like the vegetation growing out of the c-161 seat.

Sad, very sad.

[Aldon 4,826]

The GT14's are not too bad either, and one looks like it had the 3 point.

Edited July 5, 2015 by Aldon

[Ken B 3,116]

If the tractors keep the old timer happy that is what matters. I think the sad thing is the poor old guy needs to drag around an oxygen tank...I'd be willing to bet that when the times comes he has some good old buddies that will want his tractors...

[WNYPCRepair 1,875]

There's a guy by me like that. He has three 10x17 tent garages full, plus his two car garage, and an enclosed trailer, plus 10 or so sitting in the yard. The town is after him to get it down to one tent, and he won't sell anything.

[953 nut 51,536]

I agree with Ken on this. It is too bad for you that you couldn't score a good project, but the love of this herd is what keeps him going. I would hope he has a friend or two who will act on behalf of his estate to find new homes for them. We lost a member of our antique tractor club this spring and several of us have helped his widow sell them off slowly.

[WNYPCRepair 1,875]

I'm afraid the town is going to remove them from the guy near me if he doesn't do something. And I'm sure they will scrap it all.

 

[slammer302 2,154]

Me and my dad were lucky enough to score a rusted out 551 suburban from a person that was kinda the same i keep his number and bugged him from time to time but no sale he had a lawn ranger and a round hood not sure what model just rusting away in a fenced in back yard

[baerpath 517]

I'm afraid the town is going to remove them from the guy near me if he doesn't do something. And I'm sure they will scrap it all.

 

On Grand Island ?
 

[WNYPCRepair 1,875]

I'm afraid the town is going to remove them from the guy near me if he doesn't do something. And I'm sure they will scrap it all.

 

On Grand Island ?
 

Yes. I was at a mower repair shop looking for parts and they told me about him, and about the town bugging him to clean it up. 

[Zeek 2,284]

That is sad.  Perhaps an intervention . . . cut said oxygen hose and back a trailer up 

[papaglide 541]

Great guy on Grand Island. He rarely comes on the forum but he is a member here. Us from WNY should get together and go see him.

[WNYPCRepair 1,875]

He did seem like a nice guy, just didn't seem to want to part with anything.

I just hate to see the town come in. Neighbors are probably complaining. 

[slammer302 2,154]

I do like his GT14. Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

[ericj 1,576]

maybe you guy's could get together and organize a work party to help him clean up the other junk around in exchange for a deal on some horses so the town don't end up the the tractors. just an idea






eric j 

[papaglide 541]

His yard isn't really full of junk and it's not to be confused with the pics at the start of this thread. It's literally full of decent wheel horses. The tent garages are filled with horses. He does have an awesome pea green puller that's about 10 feet long that he keeps in the trailer. When I was there last summer most of the horses even ran. 

[WNYPCRepair 1,875]

Yes, I didn't mean to imply it looked junky at all. His neighbors are just being a pain in the rear

[ericj 1,576]

yea i'm sorry i was looking at the picture and assumed wrong. i have had my share of run ins with the township over my tractors and so called "junk"  in my yard and on my car port. i ended up enclosing my car port so i did not have to get rid of my 69 Dodge Dart GTS. so i feel his pain



eric j 

[WNYPCRepair 1,875]

Those pictures are not of my neighbor's stuff. 

[GlenPettit 1,714]

A guy in the South end of Lansing had over 150 garden tractors in-and-around his house, mostly hidden by trees and shrubs, probably 6 old Wheel Horses in there, he did let me walk around and look, but he was "collecting tractors" and didn't want to sell any (about 1993).  He did do a few crude modifications but not even minor restorations on any.  Got most of them for free or very minor cost.  After many warnings, City of Lansing came in and hauled everyone of them that were outside away (junk yard?) and added $1200 to his taxes that year.  He now moved to within 1/2 mile of me (2006), probably is up to 75 garden tractors, most are in an old pole barn, I can come and look when he is home, but to just look, he worn't sell anything or even trade parts off of them, I asked if I could take pictures, he said no.  He has to have help when he goes to get new ones, doesn't even mow his own yard, just collects the tractors to look at I guess, they are all 600' off the road and can't be seen.  Actually he is a very nice guy, about mid-70's, not highly knowledgeable about them, but he just likes them, any brand, and I think he actually enjoys it when I come over to look at them (he's up to 8 Wheel Horses now).
"Go Figure . . . it makes him happy'.
Glen