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I got a call from a guy that I had contacted earlier ( about a year ago ) about some attachments he had on CL. He had already sold them so I pretty much forgot about him. Well he called me as I said and wanted to know if I wanted to buy the tractor that went with those attachments. I asked him what it was and he really didn't know for sure and thought it was a 1962 Wheel Horse. I told him I might be interested and made arrangements to go look at it. We kind of haggled over the price as he had started to restore it and I told him I couldn't offer him what he had invested in it. He had disassembled it and had a friend paint it. He had put it back together and bought four brand new tires for it. To me the paint was kind of dull and it had already been scratched up in places. Anyway we made a deal and I took the tractor for partial payment with the understanding that when he brought me the deck I would give him the rest of the money. Getting a little long here but bear with me. Got it home and did some paint work. It was missing a few pieces and I happened to have a parts tractor with those. A little investigation and I found out it was a 1964 704 and all original. When he brought me the deck I got a little history on the tractor. Seems it originally was his grandfathers and when he died his uncle got it and when his uncle died he got the tractor. So you see this had been in his family since new. He also told me that his aunt would be interested in buying it when I wanted to sell it. The deck he brought me had a major problem but I got it fixed up. When I put it on the tractor it made a lot of noise and ran rough. Well I had another deck that I had redone so I put it on. I also got new decals from VinylGuy and a new seat cover, so it was done. I called him mainly because of the story he told me about the history. There is no way I could sell that tractor to anyone else. We were talking and he said that they had a family get together on Memorial Day and the whole family wanted his aunt to have the tractor back so they took up a collection. I actually quoted him a bargain price but he said he had $$$ for the tractor and that's what he would give me for it. Now is that what family is about or what!

I have been restoring my dad's 1962 552 Wheel Horse for almost the past two years now. Been a slow process but enjoying every stage of the rebuild. So far from this... to most recently this... Anyway, had a bit of trouble getting the lift lever/hood stand assembly disassembled. Soaked with PB Blaster for a long time. Still no results getting it apart. Figured that I needed to take it to a "professional" who had more powerful persuasion tools than what I had. Took it a local Cub Cadet dealer just a couple miles from my home. Once I mentioned it was off of an old Wheel Horse tractor, he said he wouldn't touch it... wouldn't even look at it. Well, that ended our conversation rather quickly. Took it then to a farm implement dealer, specifically Wertz Farm and Power Equipment located near Lineboro, Maryland which is about 30 miles from my house. Now this area is where I grew up as a child when my dad originally purchased the 552. The technician there took it immediately and got it apart within 30 minutes. Got to talking to the old guy and he said that he lived in the area all his life and has worked at Wertz's since about 1965. I told him I grew up near there also and started talking about how I acquired my dad's tractor just a couple years ago when I had not seen it for nearly 40 years. My uncle found it two years ago and gave it to me. Well, seems this guy knew my uncle and said my uncle lives in that house over there... and he pointed across the street. I honestly did not know that. Anyway, seems this guy also worked on my grandparents farm near there when he was a lot younger like way back in the '50's. Not knowing exactly where my dad bought this Wheel Horse tractor, I asked Fred if there were any Wheel Horse dealers in this area in the early '60's. He said that this company he worked for, Wertz Farm and Power Equipment, was once a Wheel Horse dealer when the company had their location in the town of Lineboro, Md. He smiled when I showed him pics of my RJ58 and 552 and said he really liked working on the old Kohler engines but didn't care much for the Techy's as they were generally hard to start. Although, Fred said he was pretty sure that they no longer had any purchase records from the old Wheel Horse tractor sales, I am now convinced that my dad bought my 552 tractor from Wertz in Lineboro which was just a few miles from my childhood home. That's my story from my little corner of the world and I'm sticking to it. So, back to my resto project, just got done painting the original rear wheels off of my 552 and a couple of front wheels for my RJ58.They actually came out looking like new... I was able to save the original rear tires from the 552... BF Goodrich Silvertown 6-12 turfs... There is some cracking on these tires, but they are generally in pretty good condition considering how bad the whole tractor looked when I got her a few years ago. Got new inner tubes for it and a bottle of that black tire paint from m.e. Miller Tire Co, so we'll give it a try and see how they come out.

Welcome back! Its a smart idea to concentrate on school first....and Redsquare second. Mike.........

Finally got the rear tires and wheels mounted... at least I now have a roller. The m.e. Miller tire paint came out real nice on the old rear tires... very pleased with the results. Mounted the engine last week but didn't get to take pics yet. Working now on refinishing the hood stand. The gas tank and steering wheel are ready for assembly once I get the hood stand finished. Hoping to be painting the hood stand, lift lever, hood/grill, fenders, seat, belt guard, and left side shield withing the next two weeks. The target date for me to saddle up and ride this pony for the first time in nearly 40 years is being planned on July 10, 2013.

From that respect a crane would be absolutely perfect added to an Air Horse! You have the wide stance trailer that would be your "riggers"...on wheels so you can transport your load in the lifted position, and bonus, you have a hydraulic ram built in to actuate the crane!

well... after some research my buddy found that it is a 6 volt etching pen from the 1950s ... cool find chasm

I have not taken many picture's this time seems like I keep forgetting to bring the camera with me engine's done and bolted in got the wiring done yesterday fenders and tool box on dash's done hopefully she'll be done in time for the big show I have to repaint the gas tank Brian

Ok, been busy with work and all, my pulling tractor, and other projects I am working on. So I have not had time to reply to some of the questions that were asked. I apologize. So, here goes... The new front tires on my 552 I purchased about about a year ago from M.E. Miller Tire off of ebay. They are Firestone Turf Guides. Not sure if Miller still sells them... did not see them on their web site the other day. The tread is quite similar to the original tires that were on the 552 tractor. I liked the fact that they were Firestone branded and that's why I bought them because my dad liked Firestone tires. He even had one of those Firestone rubber tire ash trays that he always kept near his seat at the dinner table. The lift lever was finally disassembled with torch heat and a heavy duty press which I don't have in my garage. Fred did say that the shaft was swelled from the end down about an inch or so... probably from me pounding on the end of the shaft trying to get it pushed out of the sleeve. I think I understand that instead of twisting the shaft loose to get it out, by pounding on the end I was probably making the fit of the shaft in the sleeve more and more a tighter press fit. So, the more I tried to pound or push it out, I was only making it tighter. I did not ask if I could go through their bone yard to look for any old Wheel Horse tractors. I will have to do that next time I get down there. Wheel prep and paint... sandblasting, a lot of hand sanding to smooth out rough spots, Rust-o-leum spray bomb primer and paint. I chose to use Rust-o-eum spray cans instead of a professional automotive paint job due to relatively low cost of spray cans at the local Wal-mart stores. I am quite comfortable and adept at using spray cans I have spray bombed lots of other projects all my life including spray painting those plastic models cars when I was a lot younger than I am today. I also use one of those squeeze trigger handle attachments that you can place on the top of spray cans, so it kind of feels like I am using a "professional" sprayer. I find using spray cans can do a really nice job if the spray technique is done properly... start and end the sweeps off of the parts being painted and allow several light coats to dry some between each coat instead of spaying on one heavy coat that has the chance to cause runs. Takes some time and lots of patience but I am proof that a spray bomb paint job can be done successfully. Besides, as long as my paint job looks good to me and lasts maybe another 20-30 years, I will be pleased. And finally, I can only hope my dad would be proud of my restoration project. He passed away 20 years ago and I still miss him dearly. I do know he would probably smile some but wouldn't have much to say as he always was. When I was about 15-16 years old, he had a 1940 Dodge pick up truck that we used on the farm I grew up on. The old truck was pretty beat up but one day I asked him if I could have it and fix it up. He told me not to waste my money on the truck. He said it was junk and he wouldn't let me have it. Today, I now wish I would have stolen that old truck or taken it anyway. Sometimes, when I just sit down and look at his old Wheel Horse now and think about how beat up it was a couple years ago when I got it, I wonder if he would kick my ass for putting lots of my time and money into fixing it up. But I can honestly say that even though I have spent a lot of time and money in this project and eventually the resale value will ever only be several hundred dollars, this tractor is worth a fortune to me personally. They say everything has a price, however I wouldn't ever sell this tractor for any obscene offer... at least while I am alive to enjoy it. Thanks to all you RedSquare members here on this fantastic Wheel Horse forum. I enjoy reading about your projects as well and will promise to keep you informed as I bring my dad's 1962 552 WH tractor back to its second life. Still can't wait for the day I saddle up and ride her again.

I had this made for my puller, He also makes one for a new wheelhorse.

This project uses steel tubing to lift the square Wheel Horse seat pan off of the fenders 1 1/2 inch and gives that additional legroom from the seat to the footpegs on your tractor. Materials used: One 2 1/2 x 1 1/2 inch rectangular steel tubing piece 4 to 4 1/2 inches long (I bought mine at TSC Farm Store) Two carriage bolts 2 1/2 inches long - one 3/8th and one 9 /16th Two Lock Washers Two nuts for bolts Two 1 1/2 inch round steel tubing spacers to place between carriage bolts in between tubing top and bottom One large washer to clear square portion of 9.16th carriage bolt and placed on top side of tubing just underneath seat pan in middle hole when installed. Mark your tubing holes and center punch to drill two pilot holes thru the tubing. Use a drill press for the best possible alignment and drilling. Use a 9/16th drill bit for the two final holes needed to allow clearance for carriage bolts. Use the big washer on the underneath of the seat pan and on top of the rectangular tubing for the middle hole in the seat (the 9/16th bolt) so the square underside of the bolt rides above the round hole you drilled. The 3/8th carriage bolt goes in the front -round hole on the seat pan and will clean both holes and does not need a big washer underneath. Use lock washers and nuts (flange, nylock or regular ) for each of the carriage bolts. This works out nice and projects your fenders finish from possible scratches from the seat pan riding down on the fenders. I want to thank Roger Parmley, a Wheel Horse collector, of Greencastle for this idea!

I have never seen one, but had to bring it home Wheel horse 22 rotary mower model number 3-1641 serial number 603802 I could use some advice on what year, how rare are these The gentleman i got this from, it was his father-in-laws and he purchased it new, came with the origanal manual

That is the first 175 8 speed I have seen. Looks nice!

Looks great! I sure do like the looks of the big black hoods!

Welcome back Taylor, are you done with school now?

You had me worried there for a moment Tom, you mention building an e-tank then this pic Must be a big e-tank! Only kidding but that's a great project to take and one for all of us to follow so enjoy every minute of it and post regular updates with lots of pics. Andy

Gotta love those BlackHoods! Mike......

Welcome back taylor! Do you still have the 753 you bought just before you left redsquare? Always wondered what you ended up doing with it. Jake

Yeah there was a post on this several months back, great stuff but holy crap hang onto your wallet. Wat till the patent runs out and they will be selling it on late night TV for $19.95 but wait there is more order now and get a shamwow for free

Good story, and thanks for the updates. Its good to keep our old iron alive, to keep us connected to where we came from. I think that connection helps us decide where we want to take ourselves in the future. I found myself to be much happier after incorporating that method of operation into my own personal life.

Maybe... maybe not... perhaps the pressures aren't there that cause scuffing to occur, but for the price of a couple ounces of additive per oil change, I'm gonna go with it. Cheap insurance I think.

"Let me know how i did on everything for $500.00" as if you didn't know already!!! I just paid more than that for a non-running 18-Automatic parts tractor (complete but with blown engine) + free delivery and enough attachments to pay for itself. Although your D has no grill, headlights or gas tank, and non original mufflers, it's hood looks very straight, you have ag tires in rear w/ chains, a mid-grader blade, and three point hitch, sweet, oh and it runs! That would be worth what you paid IMO. Mark.

Wow, that's a shame. You know, about the engine. There will be others. Again, engines.

Yep they are on backwards.. Made the difference to pulling 140 feet to 192.. The top 3 tractors had them on backwards... Like they say, if ya can't best em, join em!

Okay, so it's tomorrow already, and I promised some pictures. Here is what is done to date. All painting is complete with the exception of some touch-up. Yes, the ignition wire is melted, but that is the old wire. New one not installed yet. The dash is a Glen Pettit reproduction, the throttle knob is from a 1946 Jeep. The cable twists to lock! The choke, push-button, ammeter, and 2-prong ignition switch & key are all original. The white lettering was done with a Elmer's white paint pen (3 coats). So that's it for now. I think that I might be ready in time for the show.

I purchased a snow plow that was made for a newer Toro / Wheel Horse. Removed the plow and used the frame to make a receiver hitch for the front. It has a lift mount near the front of the frame and I also added the hydraulic lift near the middle of the frame. I have a second set of rims coming and lug tires. Will also brace the frame. Here are a couple pictures of the progress I've made. Pardon the green!

That remains to be seen...the show ain't over yet Mike.

Here's a picture, blurry but you'll get the idea. I'm still tossing around what to do. I may just have to keep it together if they are that cool. Maybe just have to find a 16hp laying around somewhere.

If you start now, you might make it by show time!.

The good Lord willing, I'll be there...with my passion for all things in tow too.