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Thats the driving force behind 99% of all the decisions I've made in my life. The other 1% were just a waste of time.

Howdy...... Just came across the RedSquare Forum a few days ago....after I purchased my 3rd WH. I am not a collector.... I didn't even know there were fans that collected them. I just like WH because they have been great tractors for me. My first WH was one my Dad and I purchased back when I was a teenager....the only photo I khave is the one posted.... With my 1 year old daughter sitting on the seat. She is now 37 years old. Maybe someone can tell me what WH this is. I currently have this WH 208-4. I have had this for 20 plus years... Also bought this used. It has served me well. I had a guy drop an engine in about 4 years ago.... Can't even tell what it is.... Not plates on it. It got me by....but I mow and fog for mosquitoes at the same time..... Burns oil that bad. Anyhow.....I just picked up a 312-8... 540 hours on it. It is in real nice shape.....I had a local lawn mechanic that I know go over it...and do some basic work. He said it was is awesome condition. Everything looked good...ran good... No smoke....no leaks... And the mower seemed to operate just fine. Hard to test it out with snow on the ground !!!!!! Just changed all the fluids....lubed everything... Sharpened the blades,.... And put in a new battery. Happy with the find.... For $650.00. I think I did Ok. Just going to use it for mowing... 3/4 of an acre. It should last me till I croak!!!! I always liked the Wheelhorse.... Because it gave me great service. I will probably keep the bagger and see if I can adapt it to my new 312. I really like the bagger... Especially in the fall. I will then see if I can sell my old 208. I will keep the forum handy for advice......you guys know everything. Thanks for the forum and all your knowledge. I will send a new photo after I get me 312 cleaned up .

I don't have pics of any that I've converted, but I have used a modern B&S pulse pump on a few. You can buy or make a fuel pump block-off plate, drill a hole in it, and add a 1/4" barbed fitting to the center for the pulse line. OEM block-off plate: Purchase and install a B&S style pulse pump like this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/390601028608 One additional 1/4" hose is all that's needed. No wires to worry about and it will even work on tractors that don't have a battery. The plastic pumps are so light that you can zip tie them to anything that will hold them or you can fab up a mounting bracket.

I haven't posted for a long time but I haven't stopped horsing around! I came up with a plan to teach my son how to repair small engines and learn the fundamentals of mechanical repair. He and his friend could help repair and sell to purchase another one and do the same. I also happen to be a Wheel Horse addict so this helps me with my obsession too. I found a Wheel Horse in the local classified add that looked like it would make a great project. After many e-mails and calls I finally was able to set a date and time to go check this hidden treasure out. When we reached our destination the old girl was sitting lonely and cold under a ragged worn out tarp. I had no idea what I had found because the sticker just said Wheel Horse. What more do you really need! The sellers inherited the tractor and did know much about her. They just said it was fun to ride on. It was missing one rear tire chain and the weights seem to be gone. They thought it had a mower but couldn't locate it. I offered $100.00 and took my chances know the motor had compression, wasn't seized and the tractor had a plow. He said yes and off we went. the old girl up We brought her home and warmed the old girl up in the garage. I still had no idea what she was but I knew it was worth a $100.00. The boys and I spent some time cleaning the leaves out, draining the old gas and checking the oil. We didn't take the carb apart or look at the spark plug yet I was too excited. We jumped the battery and she started right up. It sounds great and the automatic drive is sweet. Now the boys are Wheel Horse addicts too and they think we should keep her for our very own. It has hydraulic lift for the plow as well. What a cool fun find from 1968!

Whilst I can set the idle point and max governed speed on my engine with other tools, there's something about a tacho that brings out the inner geek in me.... Some of you may remember this And this The result was I was armed with enough info to copy the tacho used on the 520h, but make it single cylinder. Here's an off the shelf 0-8000rpm tacho modified for 0-4000. It's way easier to start with a mechanism and modify it, than it is to start from scratch and then find a moving coil gauge. Here's a short video too http://youtu.be/IuKlY0AqeD8

I had most of my c195 complete last winter, then spring came. 140 rounds of golf later, it's cold outside and it was time to finish it .this tractor was the worst rust bucket I have ever worked on. refracman helped me with a few parts. also, learning the c175 has the exact same parts really helped. im just going to moth ball this tractor. I just cant see dropping three hundred bucks on rear tires that are not going to be used. here is how she turned out.

i'm curious as to what different techniques people use plowing snow. post how you plow snow IE fast,slow,full blade,half blade ect. also any tricks you've learned. also pics of your plow rigs if you want to.

trying to determine whether i have a good trans or not and have a question or more. i have an eaton 1100 in a rolling chassis that i want to test to see if its working well enough to justify using in a new tractor rebuild. i hooked it up to my 1848 pto with a longer mower belt to test it out. oil looks very clean so i left it and i know i need to get the correct filter on there, but for now its staying until i see some light at the end of the tunnel. just did a quick test tonight to see if i could at least get the lift to work. success on the first pull of the lever. hydro pump seems very quiet and no leaking or damp areas either. i worked the lift up and down from one extent to the other and it worked as good as any nice working lift i have. so I'm happy so far, now the questions...... to test the drive I'm going to get it up off the ground and see if i can get the wheels to turn in either direction. i want to run it this way for quite a while until i can get some raising of oil temp. is putting weight on the lift going to change anything as far as a test goes? i figure if it goes up and down, is quiet doing so and doesn't leak, I'm 99 % there.... is there any way to check to see if it is loosing pressure when it gets warmer? can a gauge be hooked up and is this easy enough to do? is it even worth finding out the pressures? what will having them tell me? is this a good enough way to test the whole hydro system? i think it will tell me at least if its working and if there are any leaks. i don't have a working engine that i can just throw in there to drive it around without puling one of my old starter gen motors from an unrestored 1277. i know this is probably the best way, drive it and get it nice and hot to be sure. i could swap it out from one of the other 1100s but then i got to deal with hoses etc and not really interested in pulling apart good working systems and opening other cans of worms. while it was running, and over the noise of the engine in the 1848, the pump seemed to be very quiet, quieter than the other 2 1100 tractors are. both of the other 1100s work well and aside from one having a leak in the lift, they both are leak free. ao at this stage i am happy with how things are going. just wondering if there was some expert opinions to help me on my way with some ideas..... thanks in advance for any input, fire away guys.....

Almost done! Just need to hear back from a few people and it will be ready to send out!

I did the same thing with a Sunstrand. You at least know is works some. You really need to load it to make sure. The only thing I can think off is maybe putting the frame against some thing immovable and seeing if you can get the tires to break lose on the ground. Kind of dangerous though. Putting a running engine on the roller with the bare bones hooked up might be the best way.

when you are finished. Lacking a viscosity measuring device I have found that a good sprayable mix will take three seconds to drip from a stir stick, no more, no less! Since VOCs take longer to evaporate your finish will lay down better on a cool day and look better like Save Old Iron said. That was quite a tutorial he gave us! Good luck and keep us posted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg_Nw20GG0E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0OFF3q4Pxk

Bill, I don't have any problem steering my 417. I do make it a practice however not to turn the steering wheel unless the tractor is in motion. I think to turn the wheel with the tractor sitting stationary causes extra wear on the steering system, and also extra wear on the tie rods. I've always done this with my 312 and the steering is every bit as tight as it was the day I brought it home new from the dealer.

I've had fuel pump issues on 3 different Kohlers. 1 I rebuilt, another I replaced with a plastic body one and the third electric conversion. All work well. I like the electric because if I run out of fuel it will prime the line in seconds. I have one tractor with the rear tank and the original pump. When that pump fails I will install electric on that.

I painted red today! FINALLY! everything turned out real nice except for the steering shaft because it DROPPED while I was painting it. Here are some pics.

manual calls for 90 wt, but 80/140 is OK if you can't find the 90wt.

Isn't the fuel tank above the carb in an 857? Going forward up a steep hill could be an issue without a pump.

I have one too

Man o man, feel like a million bucks. Taking a walk on cloud nine. what a feeling. The hook is in , a 1964 854. If your wondering why the late announcement, I have been spending hours trying to figure how to put the pictures I took on my way smarter than me phone. well bottom line, the phone wins.plus I spent bou coup hours in the garage,,,gazing.lol Thanks to everyone for encouragement!

My primary plow tractor is Sundstrand Electro 12. She has the limited slip differential and she is a beast. The black iron wheel weights are 69 lbs each, and I have another 60 on the draw bar (front wheel weight from a Case VAC tractor). I don't have really steep hils but she is a worker.

One thing worth mentioning, is about weighting the front as well. If you don't you might lose the steering ability due to the snow load on the plow. I put front weights on, and hung 100lbs under the engine block. Also used tri-ribs, and problem solved. (Although the roller chain idea looks awesome as well)

Unless you are dead set on a electric pump, there are aftermarket pumps for that motor.

Here you go.

Lights...disregurd the stick-on letters and the dumb expression.

Thanks guys for info, feel braver already. I mean they are already dead so I sure can't kill them any worse, Ha!

dale's mower service 2541 rt 143 kempton pa 19529 610-756-6453 if you need wheel horse parts call dale, he is also a collector and he goes the extra mile to try and help eric

I thinks you are correct. My wife, out of the blue, today tells me she wants to go to "that thing in Pa in June Van mentioned". Who knew chicks dig tractors? In all actuallity my wife thinks I'm a nerd for playing with my wheel horse but like I told her.......'heck babe, you married me so who's the real nerd now?' Bwahh ha ha ha!!

I thinks you are correct. My wife, out of the blue, today tells me she wants to go to "that thing in Pa in June Van mentioned". Who knew chicks dig tractors?

Try contacting buckrancher. He may have a good working mechanical one you can buy.

it runs great, mechanicaly seems very very sound. dont know when i will strip it down to spruce up its looks. but that will happen in the future. Right now i am concentrating on one for me. cant even decide what model yet. I still need to be reading and learning. Once again, my public statement re this thread. best one I have EVER participated in. Got that real down home feeling to it and everyone here is so supportive. Ok, time to head out to my garage and tinker and stare, will be back in a few. Glad you guys like it. Thanks ,,,,,,

Dave...fun engineer...you are cracking me up. Take that Queenie off the wall and use it...what are you thinking... How you doing Buckaroo??

they say that because they don't know how you are going to apply the paint ( brush, roller, spray). With new eco laws in place, the reccommendations for maximum dilution have been cut way back so as not to violate the VOC rules from the EPA. The "maximum" thinning statement on consumer enamel paints are based more on the manufactuer not violating current VOC restrictions more than making the paint easy to apply via a spray gun. Calling tech reps to ask for other possible thinning ratios will be a futile excercise. Tech reps are forbidden to make any recommendations that would result in "off label use" of their product and put them in legal jepardy. This is all of secondary concern to the characteristics of the spray gun and nozzle size you intend to use. Most gun manufactuers publish a recommended viscosity rating at which they obtain the best atomization from a particular family of spray gun. You will need to MEASURE the viscosity of the paint / thinner mixture to come close to the needs of the spray gun. Before you thin the color coat, a decision will need to be made on the "speed" of the thinner (how fast the thinnner evaporates from the paint film). How fast the thinnner evaporates depends on the type of thinner used plus the environment the thinner evaporates in.Mineral spirits are a slow thinner - Naptha is faster and Acetone is the quickest to evaporate from the paint. Slower thinners are used in higher temperatures. The slower tinner allows the paint to "lay down" flat before drying. Slow thinners used in cold temps will cause runs and sags but will perform well in higher temps. Fast thinners used in high temps might promote paints to dry in mid air before they hit the metalwork. This mid air curing results in a very grainy, sandpaper like "dry" finish. No sags but no glossy either. My first lacquer paint job looked like 600 grit sandpaper. Too fast of a thinner on a hot summer day. Gawd awful. We forgot to mention humidity and air flow across the painted metalworks - that's a whole 'nuther story. Pick your thinner, dilute the paint to the vicosity required by the gun and then begin to setup the mechanical adjustments on your gun. air pressure correct? at the gun or at the tip pressure? which one have you measured? how about an air filter at the base of the gun? it would be a shame to spit a water droplet in the center of a possible flawless paint job. you did clean out the white "snots" from the air passages of the harbor freight gun? didn't you? if not then at least run some thinner thru the gun first to get rid of possible oil residue on the gun internal parts. Oil will promote "fish eyes" an ruin an otherwise good finish. Once the gun is setup for a good fan pattern and proper material delivery, start to work on your technique. Know how to maintain a "wet edge"? How much stroke overlap you going to use so as not to promote runs or drips? Google and Youtube are your best friends on these subjects. Best advise at this point would be to practice on a primed piece of sheet metal and get your gun technique down on both vertical and horizontal positions. Don't practice on your tractor tins. Wait a minute? What primer did you use? I'm sure it will be past its recoat window if its already been laid down. Enamels usually have a "recoat with 1 hour" restriction. After that window you have lost your ability to have the color topcoat chemically bond to the primer. If the hour is gone, you must wait at least an addiitonal 48 hours for the primer to evap all its thinner. If you don't wait, you will get a wrinkled finish (the primer shrinks under the top coat and drags the top coat with it). After 48 hours, you no longer have the ability to achieve a strong chemical bond between the top coat and the primer and now you must scuff the primer to create a rough surface the top coat can mechanically bond with. Make sure if you scuff you clean the scuffed surface again with surface prep. Top coat will have a hard time bonding to a scuff dust film on the primer. If you are intent on using harderners, please read up on the all the dangers of using isocyanate based hardners without proper protection. To date, I have not found a simple face mask filtration system that properly captures this potentially deadly vapor. Please consider the dangers if you are using this addiitove in enclosed spaces. Starting to see how everything about the process is inter-related? Don't want to scare anyone away with all the ifs, buts and warnings. My hope is with the proper preparation and armed with some idea of all the interactions, you will have a chance of success on your first attempt. Sorry for the long read but maybe the time taken to type this out may save you time in not having to redo your first spray job. Good luck. p.s. the best results I have achieved with enamels have always been at the very lower limit of the published temp ranges of the paint. Rustoleum, etc usually have a 50F lower limit for application. I have repeatadly sprayed in the lower 40's and have been amazed at how well the finish laid down AND hardened without any hardner added. Haven't figured out why that is so .. yet.

I have an 857 I restored in 2001. She was a trailer princess until this fall when I put a mid-grader blade on it and used it to move gravel and backfill topsoil for my new garage. I felt kinda bad about putting her back to work The 857 is a great tractor.

Holy cow time flies! I changed oil with a straight 30 weight following your advise, and the transmission performs extreemly well! Smoother, more responsive, and when it's hot it works just as good. It was likely not just the oil that made the improvement, but the built up material around the pump that is difficult to clean with all of the body work on. Thank you for all of your help! ...Steve

I welded a trailer hitch receiver to one that I had and then made a bracket that went into it that held suitcase weights much better than the Berco suitcase setup as it is more versatile this is simply a cargo accessory that people use for camping and such that I bolted a box to. need some front weight when I load this up

Though it will not count in the standings...I am going to pick Ohio St. to win the BG10 Championship game.

I have an 867...same tractor just hi/lo tranny and headlights. I have never had any issues with it....a very nice tractor. I used it to mow around the house this year and it did very well. It is on the restoration list for the future.

just come in from applying all the new decals. I'm very happy with what terry and i came up with.... a big thank you to terry for putting in so much work....... alright, the pics that maybe one or two of you have been waiting for........ because i polished up the paint, to help the decals stick to the paint i wiped down the areas where they were going with wax and grease remover. tackle the hard stuff first, terry cut these in half for me to help apply them around all the critical areas, you need to make sure the throttle slot, the steering and lift/motion control lever holes all line up. would be easier to remove the dash console to apply them in one piece, but that looked to be a bigger pain, so this is the way i went..... right hand half..... left hand half on, had to make sure to line up the halves and the red lines at the same time. again a pain to do assembled like this, but the decals are easy to pull up if you start getting off of where it should be.... rest of dash panels/ covers done, all holes /slots cut, gauges, switches etc installed.... started on the hood with the front, making sure to line up the ends/sides etc all even. approx. 1/4 gap all round decal. left hand side hood decal applied, try to juggle all the gaps to find a happy medium here, you will notice that the front and side aren't exactly in line, but i try to get the bottom gap right with each other and since the blackout on the front of the hood never lines up with the bottom of the side of the hood, you've got to sort of fudge it a little. i start at this point and get it how I'm happy with it and then follow the bottom of the decal/bottom of the hood margin the same all the way right to the back of the hood as i position the decal. pop riveted the hood catches. will paint the rivet heads black so they blend in..... plow decals on. we came up with a warning decal the same style as the lower dash/motion control linkage cover decal but with the wording from the late 70s plow decal..... i also wanted the 90s style id tag for this plow even though its a late 70s plow, i used the model number and serial from my metal tag.... seat pan decal on..... and a pic for steve, used the little stool quite a lot today! saved my back for some abuse another day, I'm sure there will be something stupid heavy to lift and screw it up a little more..... all done... ready for some snow.....lots of it, please......

I use 80/90wt in almost all of my gear transmissions I do have amsoil servere gear 75-110wt in some of my show tractors but they never get run in the winter which is to bad as that is probably the best all around oil you can get for all year use just a little pricey at $15.00 a quart Brian

i wouldn't call myself a fan, but i respect the guy. i happen to follow his little brother....you know the guy with two sb rings. lol i think peyton is going to win it all this year, as long as he stays healthy.

Opinions will always vary on this subject. 4 and 8 speeds are no stronger than an auto, so long as you are comparing units that are all in good shape. Mechanical transmissions are less needy in the maintainance department, and less expensive to repair if you need to. But, they don't afford the convienience of a hydrostatic. As has already been said, I prefer to till and garden plow with an 8-speed, and mow and plow gravel with a hydro. it's just a preference, as either machine will do all those chores. My best answer to your question is this: Keep one or more of each!

Love the LEDs. :omg: