wheelhorsepuller 1 #1 Posted November 17, 2006 I have a 1973 wheelhorse with a K181S and a 4 speed tranny. I'm building it as a puller..I'm currently restoring the tractor and modifying it for pulling.. I will post a picture as soon as Photobucket is done their site maintenance.. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nylyon-(Admin) 7,114 #2 Posted November 17, 2006 What area of the country are you from? There isn't much tractor pulling around where I live, but it would be a fun day with the kids to go to one. Look forward to the pics. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wheelhorsepuller 1 #3 Posted November 18, 2006 I'm from Southern Ontario Canada.. Here is the tractor when I got it with a lown engine for $75 in August 06 This is the engine that came with it.. I got a replacement engine and cleaned up the ports a little.. I got the tractor apart I built the wheelie bars and new hitch..and the start of some paint Got the engine back together, and gave it some paint.. Then I Finished the paint on the body.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nylyon-(Admin) 7,114 #4 Posted November 18, 2006 That was some hole in the block. You've done a lot of work on that, and it looks really nice. I'm not familiar with pulling, is that a special rear on that tractor? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wheelhorsepuller 1 #5 Posted November 19, 2006 Those are wheelie bars attached to the rear to keep the tractor from flipping backwards when pulling...it's in the rules... the small wheel must be at a maximum of 5 inches off the ground.. and another measurement from the centerline of the axle... other than that it is a stock Wheelhorse Axle... Here are some pics from this morning.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CHARGER9AUTO 3 #6 Posted January 3, 2008 I have a 1973 wheelhorse with a K181S and a 4 speed tranny. I'm building it as a puller..I'm currently restoring the tractor and modifying it for pulling.. I will post a picture as soon as Photobucket is done their site maintenance.. Hey Jason, I think my 1973 Wheel Horse 8 4 SPEED with the Kohler K-181S is way better than yours at least mine is not all modified it's strickly stock J/K Ben........ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CHARGER9AUTO 3 #7 Posted January 3, 2008 Those are wheelie bars attached to the rear to keep the tractor from flipping backwards when pulling...it's in the rules... the small wheel must be at a maximum of 5 inches off the ground.. and another measurement from the centerline of the axle... other than that it is a stock Wheelhorse Axle... Here are some pics from this morning.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
combatmp29r 27 #8 Posted January 3, 2008 Looks good. Is this your first puller or have you had others? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wheelhorsepuller 1 #9 Posted January 3, 2008 This was my first puller..but now just does service work around the house... I sent the engine in to get machined.. The deck is milled .005 for zero deck height, the head is decked 007, three angle valve job. The intake valve is back cut and swirl polished, new .010 piston, new .010 under rod, crank ground and polished. All the ports have been enlarged , pocket ported and polished here is some pictures after the machine work.. just click to enlarge Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WheelHorse_of_course 99 #10 Posted January 3, 2008 Regarding the first three pictures. On the rightmost picture (with the hood open) there is a belt drive device where a starter generator would normally go (though the tin clearly has the bump for a starter). Weird thing is the picture to the left of it does not seem to have it. So, what is it, a hydraulic pump? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nylyon-(Admin) 7,114 #11 Posted January 3, 2008 Hey Jason, I think my 1973 Wheel Horse 8 4 SPEED with the Kohler K-181S is way better than yours at least mine is not all modified it's strickly stock J/K Ben........ I've followed the build of this puller, mostly on MTF, and have to say that this one has been done very nicely. The attention to detail especially the latest work with the engine is outstanding. Don't get me wrong, I like a nice original tractor, but have to really appreciate the work and end results of a puller like this, you really have done an outstanding job (especially with that blower ) I really look forward to seeing the engine complete and running in the tractor again. I know you post mainly on MTF, would you post a link here with your progress, I don't visit there too often and don't want to miss it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,337 #12 Posted January 3, 2008 It's been a while since you posted, so I'm glad to see you back. I'm not into pullers myself, but I appreciate the effort and the results here. Keep us posted on your progress. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rollerman 290 #13 Posted January 3, 2008 Wheel_of _course...thats no hyd pump....Jason fabed his own super charger "blower" for it!!! I agree with Karl, & Terry..the detail you have provided on your engine build is incredible! Jason any chance you will ever put this K181 on a dyno?...very curious how much power you have unlocked. I my self have never pulled but do like to watch them in my area. It's funny when people find out I mess with Wheel Horses as a hobby they just assume I'm a garden tractor puller. Stock or modified is all up to the owner IMOP...Jason that a nice tractor & one to be proud of with all your effort. :P Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,337 #14 Posted January 3, 2008 I my self have never pulled but do like to watch them in my area. It's funny when people find out I mess with Wheel Horses as a hobby they just assume I'm a garden tractor puller. Stock or modified is all up to the owner IMOP...Jason that a nice tractor & one to be proud of with all your effort Well said, Stephen. It is a nice tractor and anyone would be proud of the tractor. :D Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wheelhorsepuller 1 #15 Posted January 3, 2008 You guys are gonna make me blush..LOL I don't think the blower (smog pump) will go back on until I find a pump that pushes less air.. This one put out WAY too much volume of air. The engines couldn't flow enough air to run properly. I took a ton of time in detailing the inside of this engine. It originally was only getting decked since I had it apart to replace the governor rod anyways.... then it turned into a full blown rebuild. Actually I have less than $500 in the rebuild including parts, machining and gaskets. Not bad and I know that it is done right.. Here is some more pictures of the tractor. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wheelhorsepuller 1 #16 Posted January 3, 2008 On talking with the machinist, we figured probably added about 3 to 5 hp, the next possibility will be a custom cam. I'm going to take a straight rod, and machine out the center of the lobes to fit on the rod, then add the gear to the one end. We are gonna play with lobes from different engines to try and find one that might work. The nice thing will be that we be able to faze the cam lobes to exactly what we need. This will be down the road.. The problem is that there isn't much room between the lobes and the crank counter weights.. that might have been the reason Kohler limited the lift in these engine... there just wasn't room for a bigger one.. This engine will be built for maximum power at governed speed. I'm shooting for 18 to 20 hp from this engine in the next few years without the blower. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WheelHorse_of_course 99 #17 Posted January 3, 2008 A blower, eh? Very cool! Maybe you could use the same blower but divert some of the excess air into the cooling system! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nylyon-(Admin) 7,114 #18 Posted January 3, 2008 That is similar to the way that the Onan works. It uses some of the air from the cooling and ducts it into the air cleaner assembly with creates a positive pressure in the air intake. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wheelhorsepuller 1 #19 Posted January 3, 2008 I made a wastegate using a 6 lb radiator cap to keep the boost under 6 lbs.. the shear volume of air was way too much for the little ports... I bet this set up would work great on a 14 or 16 hp tractor.. I had less than $20 in the set-up.. just make sure you fatten up the carb a ton to make sure if has a ton of fuel... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rollerman 290 #20 Posted January 3, 2008 Jason can you restrict the air going into the air pump? Or as others have said...maybe divert some airflow away between the pump & the carb. $500 for all that huh? I had that in a K181 rebuild with just the piston "010 over", rod "010 under" & the machine work to have it all work. Thanks for the additional pics. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wheelhorsepuller 1 #21 Posted January 3, 2008 I was actually stalling the pump because not enough air was going through the engine.. I was thinking about slowing down the pump, but the bolts wouldn't come loose and I would have made pullies work on it.. and other stuff.. so I just thought I'd take it off until I had more time.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nick 13 #22 Posted January 3, 2008 wheelhorsepuller, Thats a nice looking tractor puller. I bet that kohler sounds sweet when its fires up and gets a load on it. If its putting out that kind of power you might even end up needing to upgrade the transmission. Those 73 8hp 4 speeds had long 1" axles and lighter hubs than the heavy 8 pinion 1-1/8" axle transmissions. The long axles were to make the 10" center offset wheels fit. When I built the loader ranger I used some of those 10" rims. Not much choice in bar lug tires for them but I found some heavy duty skid loader tires. Cut the 10" rims centers out to put in centers from a 12" rim with the larger center hole. That also moved the offset over for my transmissions shorter axles. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wheelhorsepuller 1 #23 Posted January 4, 2008 I really like that.... There is a lawn tractor wrecking yard just down the road ( I am so lucky ), and he has shelves of rims... I was planning on upgrading on the rims to 10 or 12 inch rims... But I never thought to change the offset. That would really work good and since it might only pull once a year, bigger tires would work great for work around the house.. The original tires and rims will back on the front when I put the taller tires on the back.. I'm hoping I can get a 26 inch tire on the back. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TT-(Moderator) 1,127 #24 Posted January 4, 2008 23X10.50-12's on 8.5" wheels look good too Better watch getting too much weight hanging on those little axles though! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Curmudgeon 28 #25 Posted January 4, 2008 It's my understanding a wheel as wide as, or slightly wider than, the tire will give you the best traction. For a 10.50 tire, that means a wheel 10.5" to 11.5" wide. Yeah, I got a pair like that, and while they haven't seen the track yet, they sure do work well around the yard!!!! Bit stiff in the sidewall, but good traction. Dale Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
