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As of about 10:30 this morning I am no longer employed. I turned in the truck, building keys, credit card, and all electronics.

I've posted a few pics of Trina's latest woodstove restoration project. This'n is a Timberline. It's now located in the new basement apartment for her momma. Here's a before during and after pic set.

This receipt for a Wheel Horse purchase in 1960 was posted on Red Square several days ago! i was up in Lake County. Indiana at my mom and brother’s and stopped by Terpstras. This was the Wheel Horse ( now Toro and other outdoor equipment) dealer we used when i was a kid. The Terpstra’s place was only about a mile from our house and it was a feed , seed and farm store before they accepted their first Wheel Horse but they were an early dealer! If you search Tersptras in the Red Square search box more old posts will come up! Anyway Tuesday i stopped i to the store and showed Don Terpstra , the son of William Terpstra, the original owner, the 1960 receipt photo. I emailed it to Don and he was pleased to see it! Don showed me a photo of his dad William on a wagon with a four horse team ( 4 Wheel Horses linked together) . He told me Wheel Horse in the early days loaned this four horse rig to dealers to promote Wheel Horse sales! I have seen several over the years and i always thought they were homemade rigs set up for parades. But Don indicated at least one set was made by Wheel Horse and this was probably before they had their factory building on Ireland Road in ghe south side of South Bend . The RJ picture is the one they still have displayed in the store ( the original feed and seed part of the building). It was sold by Tersptras in 1959 and traded back in later. The Terpstra family restored it in the early 1990s and Don said they just used what extra decals they had at the time!

Looks like I found a Work Horse 1848 less than 2miles from home. Ive seen a couple Wheel Horses/Work Horses in his garage but never anyone outside so I never stopped. Today he was mowing so I pulled in. He was immediately willing to show me his collection & offered up a beer too! He has failing health issues & said he needs to downsize. Carb needs cleaned so he said he will do that & make sure its running good. He's gonna swap mower decks so it will have a rear discharge. Guess its time to look for a 2stage now..... I asked him what he was thinking $$ wise. He said make an offer. I asked if we would be close at $500ish??? He said yes! Lastly, he even insisted on delivering it because he wants to see my collection.

This is a gang I’d join if I were closer…

Yesterday, I was invited to bring a tractor to the Soo Line 1003 steam train run. Made for some great pictures.

C-85 cleaning is essentially done…back on all fours wheels. This one might actually get waxed!

Never forget Our Nation is in mourning, for those lost for our freedoms. There will be hatred always, but the way we handle it seems odd to this country boy. ‘Nuff said. RIP Charlie Kirk, a man who would respectfully debate with anyone, no matter their beliefs.

Well if The Pullstart can make a mess in his backyard. Time for a new water source. Way overdue... in the 40 years I lived here all we had is a 11/4" sand point down about 25 ft. Always good water in fact it comes from the waters of the Mecan River which I live next to. Perrier once wanted to put down humongous wells at its headwaters and peddle it. They got voted nay. Since its all sugar sand here points only last 10 years before they plug. I had replaced it before but it and the pump are down in a pit and not to code. Real old Bucyus Erie cable rig powered by a Continental four cylinder diesel mounted on a newer Ford 800 but is smaller to get it in where needed. Manual outriggers! All you equipment operators how would you like to have to set them with every move. Since i can pee faster than this delivers water I have it cross connected to the sprinkler system which is a 2" point down the hill. That one is only down 10 ' LP tank had to get temporarily moved to get the casings in. So far down 60 ft with enough pipe to 120. I think they plan on 180.

So Mrs. M and I took some much needed time off from the world and stood on a corner in Winslow, AZ

Made a visit to Racinbob to pick up my new one. Had a great trip. Post more later. Steve the steering wheel is in my jeep. I know someone was going to ask. Lol

Finished the headlight mod.

Continued with the deep cleaning of the C-85. A few before and after pics:

I have been working on my little shed at home and remembered how Dad would always put Masonite(tempered hardboard) down for a nice work surface. The great thing about it is it cleans up nice and when it gets too messed up you just pull it up and put down a new piece!! The 1/4" 4'x8' sheet was less than $25 I am still organizing this shed at my house since I got it a couple of years ago. My shop is 9 miles away, so I have to have stuff here too!

I am going to have some new Schnacke Nuts made for Kohler K 90 and 91 motors! I acquired a Schnacke with my latest RJ purchase and the 1 1/2 inch HEX Nut was already rounded which explained why the Schnacke was off the motor and the rope pull was being used! McMaster Carr sells 7/8 HEX rod in different lengths. I bought 12 inches which should make 7 good ones 1 1/2 long. I am also going to have the 7/16 x 20 threads placed on each end so the Kohler HEX Nut can be reversed and used on the other end after wear

I put stripes in the dirt too. Picked this spring tooth at a flea market for 10 dolla. Bent the hitch tongue with the heat wrench to get it to trail properly. Works great for keeping a fire lane open.

Finished a new front hitch. Total cost $30.

Boys and their toys… The rental on this Bobcat was covered by doing the tailgate latch work on his dump truck last week. A major backyard overhaul is in the works and big and small equipment will be employed here. That Ohio Steel dump trailer works awesome!

Laid down some stripes with the 315-8. For the first time ever it started hard and ran rough, might have to yank the carb off it and go through it. It eventually straightened out, but after sitting for a bit I went to put it away and again it was running lousy. This is also my only rig with a drink holder, what a nice feature

Hey folks, Its been a couple years since i was active and around the tractors and hobby I loved so much. Back on my birthday this year I was diagnosed with stage 4 sarcoidosis and there's really no way to fix this. Im on oxygen anytime I walk or sleep so there no chance of me working. I have a whole garage full of Wheel Horse things that have to be sold so my wife doesn't have to deal with this stuff after the fact. Theres just so much that Id like to just get rid of it all with one person and one price. Does anybody do that anymore? If I have to I can sell piecemeal but I don't have the energy(or the breath) to take stuff apart and sell it piecemeal for the most profit. Here some of the pictures of what I have accumulated over the decades of my time in this hobby. Please don't beat me up too much. 100% original Suburban 400 This tractor was my baby. I bought it from the original owner and it runs and drives and mows. Just not currently, it did 2 years ago. It needs the points filed and then you're good to go. Honestly struggling with letting this one go because of what it means to me. It was the fist Wheel Horse my sone drove at 4 years old. Hes now almost 20m and in college. It may stay here unless the right person and or price makes me change my mind. This is a 1978 C-81. It has a 12 horse Kohler in it currently and does run and drive, just not well. It burns oil and has a carb issue. Not running currently. I'm trying to be as truthful as I can. If I'm not sure, I'll tell you up front. This is a 1974 C-160 4 speed.This tractor runs well, mows well, but needs a battery. Currently has a 42"RD mower deck on it that I used 1 year ago This is a 1973 14 Automatic with center control. Runs and mows well. I used it last fall but needs a battery now This is a 1995 Wheel Horse 416 automatic that I redid for my dad for his 75th birthday. He never changed the oil and blew the motor last year. Has a 48" mower deck and the engine was a beast until he blew it from not changing the oil in over 5 years This was also my baby. 1973 Wheel Horse 18 Automatic. Completely redone 15 years ago. Used it to mow 5 acres with a 60" belly mower and also plow snow with a 60" snowplow. It needs the engine coupler that couples the Kohler twin to the hydraulic pump in order to run perfect. It has run last ear for about 1 minute untilI saw there was an issue. Doesn't run now due to the bolt missing. This is a 1970 Wheel Horse GT-14. Its been redone and has 3 point hitch also has the inner wheel weights. Both rare items. The motor is blown. I screwed up and tilted it big time when building my house and the engine seized up. I do have another engine for it. I believe the replacement is a 16 Kohler that I bought from a Wheel Horse guy. This a a 1990s 60" Wheel Horse mower deck that I converted to fit my 18 auto. It mowed great but I hadn't run it in a couple years since the 18 needed the bolt replaced for the hydraulic pump. This is a Wheel Horse powered de-thatcher. It's a very rare post 70s implement for the C series and later 3,4,5 series machine. I bought this from a Wheel Horse guy. Its pretty cool. This is the mower for the Suburban 400. Run and mows well. Id like this to go with the tractor it was purchased with. I do have snow plow as well but I can't locate it currently. This is a kohler motor. I don't recall if its 12 horse or 16 horse but it ran well when the guy I bought it from took it off the tractor. Here you see another 60" D series snowplow and also a D series snowblower. Both operate just fine This is also a 12 or 16 horse Kohler motor. Run just fine and just needs a home. Requires dig to get to it inside the garage Wheel Horse wheels and tires along with a rebuilt D series hero pump, C series lawn vacuum and lord only knows how much other nick nacks I have piled up. All in all its been a tough exercise doing this. I had so many plans that won't get done, yet its strangely calming to se it all go to people that want it. I don't know how to really describe any of it honestly. Its just tough and its still a new wound so to speak. Jeff

Took Artie out for a ride yesterday. Need to drive it more battery was low.

This came from a local former Wheel Horse collector. I’m awaiting his name but I heard he was on this site. The gentleman who built this or owned this passed away in April of this year. former owner/builder: Thomas Evans Edit: Found Him Member Name: TJ out of Burlington, MI.

For starters, WH has a very neat backstory. We all want the hobby to continue on. I can confidently say that this is the best forum on the internet. These tractors were overbuilt compared to their competition. We all wanna help out cause we love to see others enjoying the hobby also. Thats my take on it

Neighborhood mowing entrepreneurs. They have a couple old riders to mow, push mower, & leaf blowers. They have about 20 accts in neighborhood. They stopped by to see if I could fix the trailer tire. Sometimes I fix their equipment for them. Glad to help them out. Besides the kids in neighborhood nicknamed me "tractor guy" Dont know how I got that name! Their trailer kinda raggedy. I had a trailer I only used 1x & didn't need so I gave it to them. They were so appreciative.

Although you can’t see any of the stripes in this picture I mow it a different direction every time. It’s good for the grass and helps eliminate rutting.

So yesterday I met up with @Pullstart to swap a couple tractors... I'm looking at another restoration, only this one runs, has good tires, and overall seems in pretty good shape. LED lights even work... In keeping with my budget (think Ramon noodles), I have already fixed the seat at no cost. Will be changing the oil in motor and trans, doing a thorough cleaning, replacing the shifter boot, and then seeing what direction I go from there... This one may just stay in its work clothes... Some pics:

My el cheapo HF sander took a crap while sanding all those park bench boards. So, I spotted this one at the auction this morning. Plugged it in and it ran nice and quiet so I thought I might buy it if the price was right. When they put it up, they sold it with this scroll saw that I did not need. Both are USA made Craftsman Sears Roebuck/ Simpson MFG all metal 2.25 Amp. The sander even has an oiler port. The Scroller Saw is 1/2HP with variable speed and rotatable blade. These things are heavy at 8 and 10 lbs each. Oh, and the price was right at $2.00 + 12 cents tax for the pair.

Another fabulous trip up north! We stayed here in the area of the red circle for 3 nights. Just drive in. Find a place to set for a bit. The moderate drought here had the roads a basic dust bowl. Here's a few views from low altitude of Big Spencer Mt. This, believe it or not, shows a beautifully constructed rock staircase. It was done maybe 12 to 15 years ago by a group of college age volunteers to prevent erosion and keep good access to the mountain. This is Mt Katahdin from Spencer. This is not just any old mound of dirt. It's the largest 🐜 🐜 🐜 ant nest we've ever seen. About the size of an average sedan. Whilst perusing and exploring the forest we found a mud puddle with several excellent animal tracks. Here's a nice bear 🐻 track. There was also moose deer and others... This is what a bear 🐻 does in the woods... One of our 3 piles of firewood. We noticed it looked like a beaver house and Trina decided it needed a birch flag. We have another 3 nights of camping this week! More pics soon.

I bought my first Wheel Horse over forty years ago when I was in high school. I remember going to the dealership, walking around looking at all the Wheel Horses, talking to the owners and the salesman. They had A LOT of them! At one time they were the largest dealer on the east coast according to them. They had a showroom with large plate glass windows like a car dealership, and it was full of new Wheel Horses! I can even remember seeing a 420-LSE in the showroom wishing I could have it, not knowing that one day I’d actually own one. I was addicted to these tractors at an early age. Before the internet I remember thinking that I can’t be the only one who likes these tractors so much and wondered how many other people were out there like me? Then I bought my second one when I was about twenty years old. Shortly after that I inherited two from my step grandfather who introduced me and my dad to the brand. Then came the internet and the Big Show and that really fueled my addiction to these tractors. At that point there was no going back! I started buying more tractors, implements and memorabilia. And then came the game changer, Red Square 🟥 This is when I met all of you nice people. People with so much knowledge about these tractors it’s amazing. It seems that guys have their niche as far as the different eras and wow, they have so much information it’s unbelievable. Never here will you get a snide or condescending response or comment from a question. Folks who are like that are quickly made unwelcome or simply banned. It seems that the people here are all pretty much like minded and truly enjoy keeping their tractors going. I really have made a lot of friends over the years because of these machines and Red Square. Having easy access to other enthusiasts makes it easy for me to want to keep this hobby going. The guys here appreciate the durability and simplicity of WH’s and realize that “They just don’t make em like this anymore!” Anyway, thanks for reading my long winded response. As some of you know I love talking about these tractors and could go on and on!………….

I think it’s wild how everybody comes from different backgrounds, upbringing, religions, political views, etc… and Wheel Horse is the one common ground that brought us here. Some maintain their city lot, some maintain their truck patch, some plow fields, some plow snow. We all have a different reason to stop by Red Square and chit chat, but it all seems to work great! My hat’s off to the moderators who keep it the way it is, and the supporters who keep the lights on! I began my Wheel Horse journey back in 2013 when I just needed a lawn mower. I found this really cool 1962 502 on Craigslist and it really clicked. Seeing my kids enjoy growing up with these little tractors around has been amazing, and watching them become responsible drivers has been a bonus! Everyone is happier on a Wheel Horse!

A hair covered horse is a herd animal. A paint covered horse is also a herd animal. We have wheel horse tractors because they're extremely easy to build rebuild repair maintain disassemble reassemble Etc. You'll see many references to BBT or Trina. That's my other half. She's extremely practical minded. She does most of the work on the tractors that we restore. It's unlikely she would have any other brand. 7 or 8 years ago I guess it was now? We set it out with one tractor. We now have over a dozen. The other big thing is the people. Red Square in particular is a great bunch of folks.

My son sent me a link to a recent Flash Mob performance in Paris that I thought was worth sharing with ya'll. A lot of time and talent went into this one time show. Hope you enjoy.

We are prevailed to live in a nation that was founded on freedom of speech and religious belief. The protection of these rights against discriminatory practices is a balancing act. My rights should only go to the point where they will not interfere with the rights of others. That was the philosophy of Charlie Kirk, freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Charlie Kirk was an amazing young man who inspired others through his "Turning Point USA" campaign encouraging young Americans to live a life of purpose, become involved and vote their conscience. In his thirty one short years Charley Kirk did more to unite and motivate high school and collage students than anyone I am aware of. He used the Constitution of the United States and the Bible as the basis of his debate points and would allow others to make their point in open debate. This is a sad time in our history Rest in piece Charlie Kirk.

Got back today from Chicago with the 702 that was in classifieds. Needs a few small things, especially a good cleaning, but it will be a good worker. Brush paint job but I may consider trying to wet sand to expose original paint/patina? Not sure what to do with it as of yet. Im not even sure if its a 702??? Very nice people that refused any offer of $$. They also gave me a 1978 Yamaha 650. Should be easy to get running as it was properly drained & stored. Just a bit dirty also.

Watching despicable me 3 Gru I'm pretty sure is mowing grass with a wheel horse

Great Wheel Horse day today! Had them all today to stretch their legs… Been awhile since the 520 ran, and I noticed some dirt in the bowels of the snowblower since last being used, that’s been bothering me for several months since I noticed it. Finally got the rear rock shaft assembly completed. I bought a rock shaft kit at the Big Show from Dale’s Mower Service in Kempton, put it together awhile ago and the ball pulled off the aftermarket cable that I got. Fortunately I am not that far from Dale’s shop, so I made the drive a couple of weeks ago and he swapped it out with a brand new out of the pack OEM cable, what a difference. I must have spent at least 45 minutes shooting the breeze with Dale. We’re definitely old school. Still working on getting the RJ running, the gas tank is about to get an internal restoration. Hope everyone is enjoying their day!

This is another one I had years ago. It took me three years to find this model. I posted a few years ago the day I bought it under the title 607 and when I was done with it a few years after that. That’s when I was painting tractors.

Today I finished up some loose ends on the C-141 and took a group photo.

She’s together, quick spin around the yard and back into the shed for today.

We have 7 grandkids, so my wife "Nanny" declared we need a larger dining room table so everyone could sit together. So now you know what I've been working on for the last month! I did some measuring and determined a 10 ft table would fill our space. We did some looking, but really didn't find anything we liked, and the prices were high. she asked if we could build a granite table for less that the store bought one. I had suggested I have some heavy antique cast iron legs and could build a metal frame for the granite. When I calculated that a 42" x 120" granite slab would weigh 1225 I knew this frame needed some engineering. I had a "strength of Materials" class back in collage 50 years ago. I remembered the basis, but never used the calculations part of it. It occurred to me that maybe AI could help me with the calculations. So I dug out my old textbook. So I use the free version of CHATGPT and asked if it could do steel design calculations. Of course it answered. I gave it the granite size and weight, the cast iron legs size and weight and asked it to design a frame using rectangular tubing. I went through several calculation iterations, giving it more information as I remembered various inputs it needed. I also asked it to include a safety factor in the design, Then even asked it to do a tipping analysis of what it would take to tip it over. During this process it told me it could make a drawing, build me a metal cut list, specify the welding requirements and even suggested designing some under table LED lights. First it told me I could download this design package at a "link" that didn't work Then it told me it could put it all on a USB and mail it to me and I pay for the USB and shipping using PayPal I asked it for its PayPal address and it gave me a copy of the instructions of how to set up a PayPal account. I again asked it for "its PayPal address and it finally told me it couldn't have a PayPal account because it was a computer. It did make a a simple sketch of the frame using "dash" lines to draw the frame and a material cut list. As this point I texted my techie son and he said it was having "AI Hallucinations" telling me it could do the mailing when in reality it couldn't A friend from when our sons were in Scouts together has a metal roofing and light fabrication business. I cut out the parts and laid it out on his large long flat fab table. I started to tack it together, but his guys are such better welders that me and they just took over. I payed him for a days work by one welder, a great deal. I had access to some leftover (low cost to me) 1-1/2 x 2-1/2 11ga steel tubing. so I asked AI to use this for the design. Cast leg set weigh 70lb each. its solid and heavy. The legs set have a 4" wide top that already had bolt holes in them. The legs bolt onto this flat plate. I welded the nuts since you can't get to them once the granites in place. After Sunday evening dinner with my sons and families, I had them help me haul the steel frame inside and bolt it together. Granite delivered and set in place by 6 guys yesterday. After they set the granite in place, my wife exclaimed "it's Huge" So I think I did good! I briefly wondered if I mad enough brownie points to buy another tractor- Not My existing 8 ft table and chairs are going to one of my sons. The granite guys were great, and carried it out and put it on my trailer. New chairs are expensive these days #200 - $300 each and up. I came across well build commercial used chairs at Restaurant Supply Businesses. We found a simple design we liked advertised on Facebook Marketplace and I bought 14 for $20 each. So my next project is to sand and paint the chairs a medium gray to match the colors in the granite,

While I had this blade here I made templates to replicate it using two 42” Craftsman snow blades. The snow blades were cut to height and welded together with both backing plates. Everything else was made with heavier material. When finished it was put on the back of my 1277.

In the last few weeks we keep having what looks like different flocks of Turkeys grazing through the yard. Group sizes 7 to 20. We've been enjoying all the wildlife at our new home in Maine. We've had deer, Bald and Golden Eagles, Herons, and even what looked like an Egret.

Super busy weekend with all kinds of tractor fun!!

Got back fine with the above mentioned 520H. That's not running. I'll start a separate thread for that. While unstrapping there was a Jaxon sighting here...

Had a few out stretching their legs.