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well here she is done Brian

He will do tricks for biscuits!! If you point your finger at him and say BANG! he will fall to the ground and play dead till you say Up But you better have a treat ready.

All loaded and ready to roll "BIG SHOW OR BUST" Buddy is Ready to go also so I may have to take the van

My first wheel horse given to me by my wife to restore. My first one and also first attempt to restore one. Look forward in learning a lot from the group. Harry

Just five days before I have to load the horses onto the trailer for the trip to the big show, I can finally say that I am finished (for now). I got all the decals on and took a test drive to the end of the driveway and back. So, just a recap. Here it is when I brought it home back in September. And here it is today. Just a couple of minor touch-ups and tweeks and she's ready to go.

Me and my granddaughter

here's my 701 this is what she looked like before Here she is now Brian

Does Buddy like doggie biscuits??? Some may find their way into my cooler. And no Steve & Craig I won't eat them!

If you win another raffle tractor, I'll buy a Bears hat and wear it! :bow-blue: :hide:

No contest! Chains on turf tires give better traction in snow, ice, mud, etc than any other tire. They will tear up asphalt driveways and scratch concrete. If you have either Id suggest rubber tire chains.

Had a nice but short trip out to the show yesterday. As you can see from the pictures, we were cut short by the rain. Had a great time but have a lot of clean up to do on the machines. Had another friend set up with us and I was able to snap a few pics before we loaded up and headed home. The only unfortunate thing from the day is my newly rebuilt tranny went out as soon as I parked the trailer. Thank goodness for the warranty. Also have to take the wife's brand new Dodge Journey in to the shop as we were rear ended Friday night..........everyone is fine but we quickly went from 2 vehicles down to none. Ugghhh..............

Sorry Craig, I haven't got around to taking a pic of the Horse in my rearview yet, but here is a pic of the back seat of our minivan on the way to church this morning. Matt :flags-texas:

The temperature dipped to 19.3 degrees (f) last night, so today I removed the mower deck from the 414-8 in preparation for the plow (another post). I have seen posts previously asking how to do this, so I decided to document the process: FIRST loosen up the mule drive, note to loosen you turn the knob clockwise SECOND remove the belt from the mower center pulley, this works best with the mower lowered. THIRD raise the deck and unhook the attach-a-matic holding the deck to the center hitch by pressing in the button and sliding the release lever over. Once unhooked, lower the deck slowly to remove the rod from the hitch. FOURTH Remove the front mule drive same as the center hitch ***CAREFUL*** as the mule drive will drop down, keep hands clear. FIFTH remove the pin holding the PTO engagement lever to the PTO spindle, then remove the rod and remove the belt. SIXTH slide the mower deck from under the tractor by first sliding the deck until the lift pin drops, then raise the lift lever and remove the deck the rest of the way and you're done!!!

I made a dumb move today and did a Wheel Horse search on Craigslist. A 520H was listed for $350 and I'm not sure it's ever been stored inside. Plenty of pitted rust and dirt. There are many mysteries with the tractor, like the hood and wiring harness for starters. Much of the wiring is disconnected and a green wire is used to start the engine by connecting it to the plus terminal to engage the starter. The hood has a brace that's been bent to fit over the battery (Not sure why). The compression seems like it should be OK and it runs good sometimes. Other times it's like it is running too rich and has a surging issue. If I add a little choke the surging gets significantly worse. I have mixed feelings as I don't know what I'll do with it yet. Maybe next year I'll rebuild it, but not this year.

Hello my name is Matt. I am new to owning a Wheel Horse tractor. I found my 1975 C-160 about six months ago in the central mountains of Colorado. Purchased it from the second owner with the original mower deck and a newer Toro plow as well as the original owners manual. Purchased as a package for $400. I just got it running a few weeks ago after figuring out that it had the wrong plug. After getting it started I ground down the super dull blades to a nice edge and mowed my acre property with ease. It road and mowed very nice, but it is now leaking hydraulic fluid.. When I began seeking out a used garden tractor for my property I was hoping to find a Wheel Horse first, John Deer or an Alice Chalmers. Those were the garden tractors names that I could remember from my youth. Grew up outside of Dundee, Iowa. My family had several full sized tractors, older Fords, White and Cases. I feel pretty lucky to have this tractor in this condition and for the price I paid.

They may be a little small but my Raider 12 has been that way for 15 to 18 years. Have never bent them, although if something hard was hit probably would

That turned out amazing brian!!! :handgestures-thumbup:

What a perfectly executed and finished Job you've done on that 701 Brian ! . I would love to see that and many others over there 'In the Tin'. ...........Also envious of your access to a Bridgeport Miller .....Model 9BRJ by chance?. Well done

Great pictures Scott! Sweet lineup of Wheel Horses too! We were going to go to that show, but unfortunately, we had a family health crisis and could not make it.

Brian- It looks decent but do yourself a favor and do not park it next to mine at the show if you want anyone to look at it-lol. Perfection !! Can't wait to see it up close.

Excellent work, Brian. I'd sure like to see that in person.

Love the stainless bits Brian.

Thanks all. No deck or attachments YET I want both a deck and a snow blade though. The man she bought it from is a long time dealer that says he has "all kinds of stuff". So, when I go I am sure my shopping cart will be full

Don't all your's look like that Steve?

Gettin' ready for the big 2013 show...don't forget to snap one of these on the way there.

I wonder if the WH show is upping the enthusiasm to join! Mike......

I totally agree.

Yuk...Squonk muffins all over my tires.

You can dang near buy a C.H.Ina carb on eVilbay for less money then the rebuild kit at your local dealer. Sometimes it ain't worth the trouble

Pictures of our trucks. We have done a lot of work to them and really enjoy them.

Rob, I'm not sure I would be too worried about it honestly. I had a JD compact utlility tractor (really a POS Yanmar with green and yellow plastic covers) and it did the same thing when youd let your foot off the hydro pedal. Didnt do it when you controlled the decelleration just like you described. Ran super until the day the wiring caught on fire and burned the whole tractor to the ground which JD wouldnt cover because it was 2 months out of warranty.I got smart and came back to Wheel Horse

It's a great series to watch. Even my wife and kids are watching some with me Seeing all of the old timers has been great too. These guys deserve some spotlight since they helped build the league and got paid so much less than their modern day counterparts. Have fun at the show. Maybe next year I can get a group to make the drive down there...

I was sitting around yesterday checking out craigslist when I came upon this Lawn Ranger I believe it is a 1964 34E but it has been repowered with a kohler not sure what size but there are only 3 possibilities k141 k161 or k181. The guy I got this from thought he recognized me due to the area of Minnesota that I am from and asked if I had sold a wheel horse with a tiller last year I said yes a C141 it went to Iowa and he realized he was the buyer, when i sold him the C141 I agreed to meet him half way so he did the same for the Lawn Ranger, we met at a casino which wasn't a great idea....the tractor was cheap but the casino turned out to be an expensive adventure. Lawn Ranger $130 Casino "donations" $200 Fuel $30 I got it out of the truck and checked oil, gas, spark everything was good so I pulled twice and it popped right off and runs like a watch. I took it for a little cruise around the yard before getting it in the shop for an oil change and to check gear oil etc. I have been trying to downsize the herd but when you run across nice cheap ones it is hard to pass them up.

Nice find!! All 520-8s MUST BE SAVED!!

Nice find,it even came with sun shades! :handgestures-thumbupright: I'm going to pickup a Custom 8e with plow and mower this week.

Great topic. I am glad that the history interests you. It is my passion. I have a complete list of the distributors and dealers in the archives. I won't be able to help right now, as I am very busy getting ready for the debut of my new book this week. Give me a couple of weeks and I'll dig it out. It is a fairly large document so I don't know if I could post all of it. Looking forward to this Friday, Michael Martino

Man, Steve's been on a Roll !

Micah...series is tied at 1-1...I would not have expected any thing less. We are looking at the making of one of the best (all time) STANLEY CUPS...can't believe I will be watching the end while I am in Penn at the show. Wish you were there. BTW...they showed Tony Esposito and some other of the main stays at a luncheon before the game...some names that I have not heard of in a long time...Belford...Magnesun...Makita...etc. They are coming out of the woodwork for this series . So far it is living up to all of it's expectations. GO HAWKS.

Really, my list keeps getting larger...stickers, books, trannys, hood, engines, reel mower, brackets, cicada seasoning......................raffle tractor..

Beautiful Work!! It will be a real eyecatcher at the show.

Excellent Brian...do you know how good it feels to say...:See ya in a couple of days?"..

anyone staying until sunday morining is welcome to wander on over to our camping area for campfire and good conversation Brian

if i could choose between an onan or kohler powered wheelhorse,KOHLER all the way,i have 2 414,s both 8 speeds and they are nice working tractors,i mean great workers,and close to the 16 hp,i also have a c160 with the 13 fin 16 hp k series,its got all the power i need in a garden tractor

Here are photos of my 653. It is 100% original. All decals are present and intact even on engine. Even the carburetor looks like it has never been touched. The plow has never been mounted with the hardware still in the sealed bag. Tires still have a lot of the "knibs" on them. It has only cut grass twice in its life. Cas (additional info edited in) Bought it in 2007 on eBay. It came from Columbus,Ohio.My fiercest competitor for it was Wild Bill. It was his questions to the seller and the fact that he stated who he was that really sparked my final interest in the tractor. Needless to say it did not come cheap. I seem to be the third owner. It was originally owned by an elderly gentleman in a farming comunity and it was only used by him for transportation. Its second owner had it only for a little while and used it only twice to mow an elementary school yard. I don't believe this tractor has ever stayed outside one day in its life or ever felt a drop of rain. With the exception of a bill of sale every other piece of paper that came with it in 1963 I have, down to the engine tag warning to put oil in before using. Everything feels tight like new specially the steering. It was certainly loved by its previous owners as testified by its condition. It has never been touched by paint or a wrench. It only had one diode changed at some time in the past . I can also state that it will stay that way for at least two more generations, since it will not go anywhere during that time.

I don't think i really qualify for voting, But I'd love to put my 702 up. It is all original condition as far as I can tell, I never have wet sanded or done anything to it. The hood does not have one dent! The picture of it in the truck is when I first brought it home. It came from south bend from a older guy who collected bolens gt's. He is deaf but can read lips, he was a really neat guy and we have seen him at a couple shows. The 702 came with a mid mount grader blade, a mower deck, and a snow plow. My dad bought it and I thought I had bought it and was going to pay my dad back when I got home, he would not let me pay him as much as I tried and I thought he was going to keep it for himself. Chritmas morning came and the greatest gift yet came. I opened a container with a two prong key, I knew exactly what that meant. Attached are some picture of my tractor, this is my favorite tractor to hop on and cruise. It always fires right up, and I plowed snow with it this winter, and have graded the drive with it. I am hoping to hook up the mower deck in a couple weeks. Again, I don't think I deserve votes, just wanted to post the 702 as I've never really told the story on it. a link to some snow plowing pictures

For consideration I present to you my 1963 Model 653, that I purchased from the original owner back in the fall of 2011. Here's a short video called "Passing The Torch" I made the day I picked up the tractor from Bob...not everyday you get to take ownership of a piece of history originally purchased 48 years ago...so, I definitely wanted to honor the opportunity with more than just a picture. h Bob stated to me that he actually had this tractor listed multiple times on Ebay, but couldn't seem to find anyone who would commit to purchasing it once they found out it was a Tecumseh powered unit...I guess their loss is my gain, because it's been nothing but a great little performer for me. I mean look at this little guy...hard to believe it's half a century old this year...and still going strong. The first couple of detail picts are the day it arrived here at it's new home...the rest are different configurations I've had it in over the past year and a half since I've owned it. We've definitely had nothing but fun with this little for sure...still mowing, and showing with the best of 'em.

This is my similiar pump mounting for spraying lawn fertilizer and herbicide.

I don't have any in the mirror, but Mrs R. took a few through back windows. The '56 RJ-35: The '55 RJ-35: