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I finished the tractor today will start the mower deck next. I painted the front axle, hood grill black and seat back. The rest is just polished the rear fender area around the fuel filler is just ok. Here are some pictures of the finished tractor. BOWTIE

I found this picture that was taken at the Florida Flywheelers Show while looking for a business card, it shows Brandon Pfeiffer from Lawn and Garden Collector magazine (driving my 854), Charlie Culley (driving his 60th Anniversary 315) and me on my 500 SPECIAL. Now ifn's ya' notice you will see me not in line with the rest of the parade because I'm trying to drive and adjust the carburetor on the H-60 Tecumseh ! Wild Bill Richmond, VA

Best thing you could do... walk away. You're not going to reason with someone like that. Besides... sounds like he's getting some excellent advice from "his Wheel Horse guy." $500 for weights... yeah, on what planet? Anytime anyone brings up "well I was told they only made that for one year...." You have to remember.... with exception of the Ponds & RJs, THEY WERE ALL ONLY MADE FOR ONE YEAR until 1969, and then after that they were still only a few years on each model run. Don't see many 1962 854's do you? or 1961 1277's? You have to shoot that one year crap down in a heartbeat. That really doesn't mean squat for a Wheel Horse in my opinion.

Didn't know where to put this so its here, I'm sure a mod will move it if need be. I finally got the time to run and check out a Scranton PA Craigslist posting. I had been speaking with this guy from since the listing showed up 2 weeks ago. The only thing he had sold so far was a sickle bar mower. He told me that he still had a running C101, C-81, 800, 656, a GT 14, plus an RJ each for $250. He also had implements which were a deck for each machine plus a tiller, a chipper, dump cart, and a deck and blade for the RJ. Well I got there and let me tell you.....I see why its all still there. First, none of the electric start tractors will start. Granted one is a Briggs, the other a Tecky so its no that strange, but don't advertise "running" tractors that you can't start. So I stopped looking at the 800 and 656. I never got to see the 101 or the 81 as I wasn't really interested in them and he told me they were buried in a corner. This brings me to the GT 14....it was really a 14 auto. Very rough shape, brand new 2 day old motorcycle battery instead of the proper battery, paint very rough, finally jumps it to start it and it runs but wont idle very well. It has no muffler, he said it blew off yesterday. Had a HUGE boat seat instead of the proper seat, finally he fiddled with the with the seat pan for 20 minutes and got it up. I pulled the tranny dipstick and its dry. The tranny filter is a OEM Wheel Horse one.....but its RED so it might be original 1973. I open the hood and see a cluster of a wiring harness with 3 ballast resistors wired in randomly. I say wired, but thats being generous, more like wires wrapped around terminals with electrical tape...Ugh... I pull the engine dipstick and it shoots 2 feet in the air because of the blowby. The head gasket is seeping oil as the engine is covered in wet dust and dirt in one corner. Plus the exhaust has the whole under hood and air cleaner black with soot so I'd bet t hasn't had a muffler for some time. Poor things breathing its own exhaust...no wonder it wont idle..... But all in all I figure its a $250 machine and its my favorite year being a '73 so I can see potential. I hate when emotions play into a purchase.....We start talking and the price jumps to $900 without the 48" deck but he would take $800 because I'm there. I say whoa you told me $250. Well he did some checkin on the internets and this tractor was only made 1 year. Plus he has a Wheel Horse guy that told him he can sell the weights for $500 easy at the "Smacktown"? show... wherever that is. So now the price is $800 with the weights or $400 without. I explain to him the original tranny filter with no oil on the dipstick, clapped out engine, bad head gasket, botched wiring and flying engine dipstick but he wont budge. Change tactics....Distraction and then go back to the 14... (Mike from American Pickers taught me that)...lets look at Implements. Tiller....tines shot, seals leaking like sieves, all kinds of twine wrapped around shaft b the seals. rusty, random blue paint and not worth $200. Chipper was nice but I have no use for it really. Cart was decent but he wanted $200 for that too....not worth it. So I move back to the 14 Auto....I offer $300 and I feel thats $150 too much without the deck...lol..... Hes firm at $400 without the weights. I try to distract him again by asking about the RJ...He tells me its sweet takes me over to his tarp to show me it.....I'm thinking..."here we go again"...Lifts up the tarp and there is a pristine RJ 59 absoolutely perfect paint..I mean stupendous as ggod of a rest as I have seen on here by our best guys....I'm like Wow!!!! I'll Take it for $250!!! I start counting and he's like nope sorry I cant take less than 3. I say ok I'll give you $300...His answer....not 300....3000.......I'm flabbergasted at this point and a bit miffed to say the least. I ask him what makes you think that tractor is worth 3 grand? I mean seriously its a restored RJ with a plow and mower deck. I tell him WAYYYYYYY too high and he will never sell it at that price. At this point I left....The RJ distraction worked though because I forgot about the 14 Auto entirely...Oh wait he was supposed to forget about the price on the 14...Oh well....someday I will get my 16 auto/C-160/161 that I want so bad...... I'm done and I feel much better..... Thanks for listening to my comical story on how not to sell any tractors.... or buy them for that matter....lol....

Well, Jay and I did it again. I found another BlackHood that was calling me over the World Wide Web, and Jay was needing another 48" SD mowing deck so we took a road trip and brought home this. Its a 1984 C-165 with a Kohler K341. The balance gears broke and the dipper on the connecting rod found them laying in the bottom of the oil pan. Time for a slight rebuild and connecting rod. Jay had to do a little tuning on the deck, but he is finished with that project. I have to finish removing the K and take it to my engine guy. The bodywork polished up amazingly well. Once I have the engine out, I will give the chassis a good pressure washing. Right now its a little on the greasy side. The high-back seat is beautiful, no cracks or splits. It has the Wheel Horse logo imprinted on the back of the seat. The dash is beautiful too. I'll try to post some more pics tomorrow. Here it is. So far we are both happy with what we have here.

They should've just made a remote dial in the dash for adjusting those carbs!

I had a video on VHS that I copied to a CD years ago. Its my 518H plowing garden with a Brinly (sp?) 10" moldboard plow. Video was taken in early 1990's. Not the most exciting video in the world, LOL But shows the Wheel Horse 518 easily handling garden work. Have a disk also that I used on it. My brother was up visiting, so he is on the 518H early in the video. I took over later. Used a Dynamark 11/42 Garden tractor before the WH. Havn't put out a garden in some years now. I used wheel weights & chains on the Dynamark, but never used them on the 518. Seemed to get along OK without. I have a 520H also, but never used it in garden work. Had the dealer install the sleeve hitch on the 518 when it was new. Have thought about switching it over to the 520. The manual lift on the 518 will wear you out. LOL http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=fd3xjWzv7Z8 Gregg,

i LOVED it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE INVOLVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Decided to get the herd out for roll call today. This is the first time I got pics of them all at home. I had never had the room to keep them all at home tell now with the addition of a free 10x12 shed.

That allen head is a drain also..it is on the actual pump drive part of the hydro trans..It is about in line with the filter/strainer that is located inside the trans...easier way to make sure the front half of the trans and pump and drive gear system are drained also. Mike.

Well there is the problem he is a JD guy ya gotta be half off to like that ugly green and yellow

Thanks Ken, I am very proud indeed.. It's taken a long time to reach this point, but it's certainly been worth it Yeah she is a bit bright out in the sun.. Maybe people need to look at it through a pin hole in a piece of card... A Wheel Horse eclipse I've not had a chance to do any work on the ol girl today.. Had a wasted day going to London to see a specialist who spent an hour talking about "how the brain can be trained to deal with things that I don't know are about to happen".. And then finished it off with "it probably wouldn't work with you"!!!! Anyway, miniature rant over... The battery box now has a lid, I'd better get it painted tomorrow.. I did set out to find out why the ol girl won't tick-over but while I was in the carb area I thought I'd sort something that needing sorting. The engine was designed to run with a sealed air box on top of the carb with all the air being forced in to the air box from the cooling fan.. The original air box wouldn't fit under the hood so I just fitted a "normal" Raider (and others) type air cleaner.. This worked ok but the engine ran a bit on the rich side.. The carb being a fixed jet type means I couldn't adjust the mixture!! Soooo... I cut a hole in my freshly painted air cleaner.. A bit of faffing about with some rubber hose later and the air could be forced into the air cleaner. I needed to stop the air being blown out where it would normally be sucked in, so the out lip on the base of the air cleaner was gently beaten flat.. To give enough space to fit this ally ring in.. I know it looks a bit of a strange shape, but it fits as it should so I guess the top of the air cleaner is a bit on the oval side.. Anyway, the air filter (the bit the actually does the filtering) fits inside the ring. And when the air cleaner is bolted together the air can blow out no longer.. I still need to work out why she won't tick over though!! And to finish, my latest video.. You get to see her looking all bright in the sun, and Mark driving about in a much better quality than PotatoBucket can handle

Those people are all over Ebay and CL and that's one more reason I have just about quit buying, When I go to sell one they won't pay anything for them even though my prices are lower than others on there. It's becoming not worth the time and effort to try and save them anymore. That's why I am considering get out of the GT business.

Even the finest race motors need a little track tuning!

I recently got a C-175 with the usual blown K-17 and am in the process of refurbishing it. I put a K-341 in I so now I suppose it will be a C-165.

They follow you home because They are thirsty!

Think of the battery as a savings account. say you have 320 battery bucks (CCA) in your account when you open it (get a new battery). Every time you start your engine, you take out 10 battery bucks. The charging system works hard enough to put back 1 battery buck per minute. So the charge system takes 10 minutes to put back the 10 battery buck debit you took out of your 320 battery buck account. But - you have a service fee on your battery buck account. Nature takes away 10 battery bucks per month (sulfation and grid erosion and damage). You loose 120 buck (CCA's) every year regardless if you use the account or not. Your account gets smaller every month - but since you only take out 10 bucks at a clip, you never really notice it - until you only have 10 bucks left and then when you need it to start the engine, it may or may not work. Your account (battery capacity) is depleted. To your question on a 600 CCA battery instead of a 300 CCA battery. All you did is make your account larger. You still take out 10 battery bucks every start and put it back in the next few minutes. The difference is the "service fee" on your account. A 600 battery buck account will last twice as long as a 300 battery buck account. The day will come when your 600 battery buck account gets depleted too, but it will most likely be in 4 years instead of just 2 years.

So I told my wife I'm sorry that the WH bug bit me, that my cheap tractor project might not be so cheap when finished.. she just told me that if I keep the grass under her clothes line mowed, she doesn't care what I do with the tractor! it was my 3 year old daughter's turn to help daddy work on the "old red tractor" while the 5 year old drove around the hydro simplicity and picked raspberries tonight. We pulled the Kohler K141 for further teardown and future complete rebuild, made an adapter plate with some aluminum bar stock and mounted up the tiller's Predator 6.5 horse. It runs and moves, I think I'll have to play around with the pulley size as my tiller pulley that fits the 3/4" shaft is a bit too small to make the mower deck work. so, now up to date on the 502... I'm looking at some steering upgrades. Every joint shows it's fair share of slop and I'll be looking to clean that all up so I can mow without running the next two neighbors over trying to make a turn. I was reading about the differences in the 62 and earlier models vs 63 and later and I believe it's got to do with the front pivot linkage having two live steering arms rather than a link to the left spindle area then back across to the right? What would need to be done to use the 63 and later steering technology on the 502? Is the work worth it or should I just focus on cleaning up my slop and enjoying that improvement?

I hit like on all 3 Kelly, Mark.

Done deal Kelly

32" front sickle bar? like this?

Great video, greater memories. How does your garden grow.....excellent! I can remember neighbors laughing when I rolled out a very old Horse with a bottom plow. Their laughing changed to amazing stares (couldn't believe what they were watchin'). A Stallion'll do that to y'all! Thanks for sharing. You did a great job with your 518H!

Look like this one?

There is an old JD mechanic at work that says the full name of Tecumseh is "Fu@#$*g Tecumseh" I have no idea what he means :whistle:

Probably just the hoses with the fittings attached.

Van - didn't we talk at the Wheelhorse show that BOTH of us had more than enough tractors to keep us busy and that we ought, going forward, to maintain and restore the fleets we already have, as the sheds are busting at the seams and here you get back South of the Mason-Dixon line and buy another Wheelhorse.... Makes me wonder if I should keep pace... Nice tractor you got!!!!!!! Good luck, Bill

Once again, I see no cup holder. Nice find, and yes it is nice to have another collector working with you.

Well.......after replacing the fuel pump..........the carburetor got torn down again.......one piece of dirt. One.....lousy......piece.....of........well you all get the picture. Next time I'll be a lot more thorough.

Toro recognizes 1-0390 without the 9 or .9. All models numbers on the product ID plates had a 6th digit 6, 7, 8 or 9 in 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1974. It is not used by anyone except us because you can subtract 5 from that 6th digit and get the model year. 9-5=4=1974. Attachments at the time also used the 6th digit. If Toro asks for a serial number on most product 1990 and older we can not use the serial number on the unit. We must use the word none. In most cases product 1991 and newer requires a serial number. If you don't have one go to https://lookup3.toro.com/partdex/index.cfm?xCaller=Toro and enter the model name or model number. The results that come up include the serial number that they require - one of them being the word none. Garry

I'm stuck on page something3.

That was the axle split the hub also. Still not sure why it did that.

Oh! Not carrots. I'm thinkin' it got something to do with that "peach elixir" he carries around with him. Wielding that stuff, Van's like our very own pied piper.

Nice Horse, Van! You need to stop carryin' carrots! Quite a Herd you have down North Carolina way!

Evelyn Wood speedreading?

REAL NICE! You gonna take that to the show next year?? I really like those black hood WH's! Nice find, guys!

As much as I hate to admit it, the tractor I got as a "worker" will probably become a resto . I'm going to be tearing the deck off soon , sandblasting the underside , & going through the spindles & replacing the blades. I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions then . And I have to admit , this forum is growing on me. Hahaha i knew it was only a matter or time! Before you know it Gene your gonna have that wheel horse looking better than new and cutting better than a dixie chopper!

Yes thank you. We have become a good team. It sure makes this hobby alot more fun to have Jay as a partner. Thank you, yes it is the original paint. Actually it looks much better in real life than in the pics. We were told the tractor was garage kept its whole life with the exception of this past month. And no, not expensive. The guy had an idea of what he had but it was not a good idea. Yes I already need a bigger garage to keep them all. So far none sit outside. They are all under roof, but it takes a big roof!!! I think somehow being an Inspector gives me a good eye for Wheel Horses in the price range I like to stay in.

Harold Zimmerman in PA is a great dealer of parts and is probably the smartest guy on these tractors I know of. He has recently magnificently finished restoring a C185 top of the line electric and it is for sale right now. You can see a picture of it HERE. I love my Sears as well, great little tractor.

Looks like it will clean up nicely!

Nice looking tractor.

Looks to be in great shape. The C-165 is one of the best of the black hoods and they seem to be rare. The seat alone should be worth an arm and two legs.

Congragulations on your first WH. The blackhoods are among the best of the Wheel Horses. Junk the plastic fender and install a newer steel. They bolt right up. Look at the thread I just started to see what yours will look like with the steel fender pan.

hhmm maybe he was about to be lapped? lol.

Either one of these two products are excellent oxidization removers. Wax on, wax off glasshoppa.

I've had them for several years and use them daily. I think they are fabulous! GE Elec-Traks were made from 1970-1974 and then the line was sold to Wheel Horse. Wheel Horse cut down the model offering to three- A65, B145, and C185. They also introduced their own electric in 1974, A60. Later in 1981 they introduced the E81 and E141. You can learn more about them from my web site at http://www.myelec-traks.com. All the manuals are there and you can get parts from a couple dealers also listed on my site. Be glad to answer any questions you may have.

In the late 60s I was a member of a Central NY Volunteer Fire Dept. As a part of our Field Days (annual fund raiser) a local salvage yard donated a 1954 Chevy and we sold squares ( one second increments at $1.00 each ) on how long it would run without oil and water. Once it was warmed up we drained the oil and water, started it and proped the throttle about half open. The only problem is we only sold ten minutes worth of squares, it lasted about 25 minutes, people got tired of waiting for it to quit. By the time it quit running the person who had the ten minute ticket had spent most of the $50.00 he won buying beers for everyone. By the way, a 1954 Chevy smells real bad after about five munites without lube and coolant.

here's a few of my pics from the stickering ceremony

RUN don't walk! Go with a hand full of cash and a trailer. Don't show your cards and make sure you hide your excitement. If the owner knows what it is he will want top dollar. If he has no idea you may get it for a few hundred dollars maybe less. You have kind of let the cat out of the bag. You list your location in your profile and you can be sure other collectors in your area are looking around and asking questions. This is a dog eat dog cut throat hobby when comes to the holly grail of Wheel Horse/Pond tractors and someone will grab that out from under you in the blink of an eye. Close the deal as soon as possible and don't let anyone talk you out of it. There were only approximately 550 of them made and there's two of them right there!!! I would bring about $2000 just to be sure.

The Wheel Horse 520H is alive!, No knocking, No smoke, Sounds real smooth. Needs fuel pump and I'd say carburetor kit. it looks like a good deal.

Not quite "got duels", more like "had duels" since changed for larger single tires. Handy for extra traction when taking off