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a quick update: so as with all things, the proof is with the pudding. The PO stated that he had the starter go out and then just parked it last year. after cleaning the engine, changing fuel lines etc and then check out the starter. Briggs decides to have a plastic/nylon gear on the starter(Why?) and it looks like Stevasaurus at the end of the Big Show, but I digress, so buy a rebuild kit (thanks EricJ) and attach it up and engine runs on carb cleaner only, then the gear shreds. Hmmmm. starter alignment looks good, flywheel is fine. a buddy has another starter and all is good. more on Mr Briggs starter woes later. So break into the fuel pump/carb issue (tiny fuel pump springs that I used tweezers to place back into the pump...Mr Briggs needs a talking to from Mr Stratton. still nothing and no fuel getting up there. EricJ reminds me that sometimes you have to give the old girl a big smooch! So after blowing into the gas tank (glad no one was watching) she fires up and roars (at least as a Briggs version of a roar) and take her out in the pouring rain wearing my old flight suit and the neighbors probally are still shaking their heads. The speed of the this faster Eaton 1100 compared to my 88 520 is noted. back and forth in the rain to try to get the tranny warm and she is strong until..... a spray of tranny oil up from the shifter plate dampens the day and I retreat back to the garage. But first, I have to put Dawn, HF part cleaner(it's Biodegrade) car wash down on the driveway and hose and squegee it down...again the neighbors wonder why I'm out there in the rain washing my driveway in a sodden old flight suit. that was my Sunday. I was lovin every minute of it since the wife never saw it! Shhhh!

When buying a tractor, and the owner says it's been in storage for a long time... do yourself a favor and pull the tins, you may be surprised what you find lurking in there.

If that's an implication that you're pumping through the original pump with the electric pump, bypass it immediately. The last thing you want is a ruptured pump diaphragm allowing fuel into the crankcase.

In another post there was conversation on buying American and how some try to do it when they can. I found this website and thought some others might appreciate it as well. I have no association with this site at all. http://www.americansworking.com/

Felt short, been working 9 hours. Still working part time.

FINALLY have the crew together (including my 48" squeegee ) for this year's winter weather. It started off nicely in December, and hopefully the rest of winter will be full of snow!

Got a 104" belt this morning and it is working just fine so far. Blew snow for about two hours cleaning up the bits and pieces the plow guy left. Finally getting some use from this unit and I think, with a little patience and practice, I may even be able to keep from sliding sideways when I get too close to the ditches. Happy New Year to all and thanks for your help. Bob

Yes storm work is bad and dangerous work. I was a Journeyman Lineman for 41 years, had plenty of storms summer and winter, very dangerous work. I went on the storm work yes for the money, but also to help those that did not have power. Most times my family had power and so I needed to help those without. Please have patience, these men and women have a very dangerous and difficult job, under very bad weather conditions. Usually 16 hours on and 8 hours off. Please say a prayer for safety for them all, I know I have walked in their shoes. Bob Blough , JL retired.

I agree with Mike (squonk) ! Don you would have had a youtube hit with that tranny oil spray event!

I should have know better. When I turned it over a live one bailed out.

Well after using my snowblower it's become very clear that I'll need some form of protection from the snow. However this cab is going to be slightly different as I want to be able to remove the front frame work in the summer abd use the top as a sun screen. I'm using electrical conduit for the framework and have black and clear vynil for the skin. Here is the progress so far:

I FINISHED THE CLEANUP ON MY 1988 312-8 TRACTOR. HERE IS THE FINISHED PRODUCT. I WILL TRY TO SELL IT IN THE SPRING. IT HAS 3 YEAR OLD 42" DECK AND 610 HOURS ON TRACTOR. BOWTIE IN OHIO

I have a Toro Wheel Horse 314-8 that I am going to sell. Found it at a Toro Dealer still in the shipping container in 2000 and have owned it ever since. Pictures attached. Kohler Command 14 42" Side Discharge Deck Hours On Clock 390 Clutch needs adjusting, but otherwise pretty good shape, always kept in a shed, used only for mowing my yard. The hours are low because for several years I had a service mow my yard due to time requirements of my business. Retired a few years ago and started mowing again myself. Planned to send it to the shop for clutch adjustment, check belts & general maintenance over this winter and get ready for spring. However circumstances have changed and we are scaling down to an apartment and I no longer need the mower. I am in North Carolina and would like to get an idea of what it is worth ? Thanks for you help !! Denny Pugh

OK - probably perfect is in the eye of the beholder... Day dreaming again here - but... I've got to many tractors, Wheelhorse included and in my next stage of this garden tractor obsession/hobby, I'm thinking about what to keep and what to get rid of and in doing do, how to cull desirable parts from rollers to enhance the worker Wheelhorse tractors I've got. Wheelhorse features that I think (for me) would make the perfect Wheelhorse garden tractor. All of my comments are based on modifying 300 or 400 series tractors. * 8 pinion/ 1-1/8 inch tranny/axles - ultimate strength * 520H seat w/arm rests - comfort * 520H ftont axle and gear reduction steering - strength, comfort * Kohler single cylinder 12, 14 or 16 hp Magnum engine - simple, reliable, head is on top of the engine, easy servicing, no points, etc. * 300/400 series dash tower/hood stand - simple, complete open access to battery area. * Electric lift (gear drives only) - ease of lifting blower or moldboard plow. * 23 x 10 x 12 rear ag tires - excellent traction * Chrome hub caps all around - need some bling... * Rear inside mounted wheel weights - added weight, don't interfere with hub caps * Clevis hitch - plowing, etc. * Matt's foot control (on hydro's) - ease of operation * 1988/89ish Wheelhorse decals - looks * Rope start - back-up starting * Fender mounted cup holder - for favorite beverage * 300/400 series hood - no louvers for occasional rain water to fall through onto engine. What am I missing? So one of the things I might do over the next few years is rid myself of my other color tractors and again focus on the Wheelhorse, but find donors/rollers that I can use/swap parts onto good worker tractors and have a fleet of "Perfect" Wheelhorse tractors! How would you realistically outfit your favorite Wheelhorse to make it a "Perfect" tractor (if it isn't already)?

As any of you with a YouTube channel will of noticed by now, Google is forcing us to have a Google+ account so we can reply to "all" comments (They have really messed the comments system up as it happens, making it much harder to find all the comments). As I like to reply as much as I can (even if I'm sometimes a bit slow doing so) I good myself a Google+ account +UkWheelHorseBloke if your interested... The trouble is I have no idea how it works or what I should be doing with it! I've never been a chap for social media sites and have no interest in FarceBook or Twatter, so I'm just not used to that sort of thing.. People have been adding me to their Google+ circles, If I don't add them to mine can we not see what each other is posting? It's all very confusing

I do have to say I got my revenge last week. I was changing the oil on the C-165 and sat the pan under the tractor and pulled the plug. Came out an hour later button her up and refill the engine. Went to drain the used oil and found a strange "blob" in the used oil pan. Mouse had fallen in the pan and couldn't get out. Well, one less to worry about!

You will find out after the first year you never worked so hard in your life!

Just like I said in our birthday post. You won't have time to change your mind now!

Three more and I'll have one for everyday of the week!

Looked familiar ground. Was up that way about 20 years back and drowned my Land Rover S111.

Had a 12HP K301 that the mouse nest sat in the bottom of the shroud that it rusted right through from mouse pis and rain water. Rebuilt a Wisconsin V4 had nearly the same problem only not as bad pitted but not through.

I think we had about two pounds of mice house insulation blown out of 12 horse Kohler motor on a C-160 that sat for seven years! Beats all I ever saw before! Must have been a condo arrangement!

so up here in Ontario we got hit real hard with an ice storm like no other,where I live it ice rained for 4 full days,knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people at Christmas of coarse,its been a week and some people are still with out power,the wheelhorses for the first time ever were completely useless,coulnt blow or plow or even rip and I have a mid mount ripper,lucky for me I own a skid steer or it would have been bad,i did a lot of neighbours to help out,i hope every body gets their power back soon

Okay. Let's start with the 8HP. The K181 could have either a vacuum operated, or lever operated pump. I think the K181-30108, which is common to many model Wheel Horses, originally came with the lever type, but I have found some with the vacuum style. The vacuum type pump found on many older ones, uses a diaphragm that is available from one of our members here, buckrancher. Give him a PM and he will send you one for a very good price. The lever type is more of a problem. There is a kit available from this company: http://www.maritimedragracing.com/antique_auto_parts_cellar.htm I have not had any success with their K181 kits, although others have. The screw holes in their diaphragms are not punched in the right places and they don't fit correctly. They may have corrected the issue since I bought two of them last year. The K241 and K301 pumps are the same, and kits are available from the same place. I have had success with them. However, having said that, it is important to remember that the kits are only going to be as good as the pump you are putting them in. In other words, if the inside of the pump is corroded or otherwise in bad shape, a new kit is not going to work. If you are not concerned about keep your engine true to the original design, my money is on a new plastic replacement pump, which if you shop smartly, you can get for just a little more than a rebuild kit. Good luck!

very nicely done. i have the same set of photos. but in reverse order.

Beautiful property you have there!

You should have filmed it all. Would have blown up Youtube!

i think im going to take it off and go see what the local shops have got. thanks for pointing that out to me

Amen not to get religious but I believe this was not per say a Christian nation but this country was founded on Christian values not say the founding fathers were Christians but the country was founded on those beliefs and the farther away we get from the those values the worse shape it will get like Phil Robertson of duck dynasty getting taken off the show temporarily he's Back on now but u don't even have to be a christian u can use the bible as a guide on how to be a good person there taking in god we trust off everything it frustrates me now people are starting to get mocked for being Christian I got no beef with any religion but more people should look to god for answers including me instead of trying to control are own destiny Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Same here with mud daubers except they were long gone but their mud wasn't. Thought it was just a weak battery at first and then found out the large dirt ball was there on the flywheel when the starter wouldn't turn the engine over.

Hell I almost burnt down my neighbors 1920 wood floor garage . Learned my lesson

Pull the fuel supply line off the pump and see if gas runs out freely there. You could have a problem ahead of the pump. If the gas runs freely then reinstall the gas line, remove the fuel live from the carb and engage the starter for a few revolutions to see if it pumps fuel. If it does not, then you know what to do next (replace the fuel pump). If it does pump fuel then the carb needle may be stuck in the seat. This would not allow the pump to move fuel into the carb. Todays gas can cause the needle to stick in the seat if the tractor is left unattended too long.

Are there any machine shops where you live that are able to put a brass bushing in the carb body? You really need to have that tightened up or the carb will never be right! You will be surprised how much better the engine will run with a good carb on it.

The Wheel Horse chart I'm looking at may be only listing the Drive and Mower Belt sizes; but here is the sizes it has listed: (Note: if & where the dash is, is very important in searching) 102.44" -- #95-3879 103.00" -- #94-2501 103.25" -- #8699 105.50" -- #102868 With your idler and tension spring, I think you could go easily with up to a 2" shorter belt to start, I believe that all aftermarket belts will be in whole inch sizes, (then a 103" or 104" belt may work). Most auto stores have a belt sizer that you should be able to use free to measure yours, I believe belts are always measured on their inside. Wheel Horse uses heavier Agricultural Belts. And then, a $75 OEM belt over 4-5 years, that you know will work, isn't really that much per year. Glen

That happened to me with wasps ( I'm allergic) last summer. Had just bought it, PO could never get it running. Boy did I high step outta there fast!

The winch and mount I made, can be used with a rear axle mounted plow also. I made this plow mount, because I didn't want to remove the mower deck, just to use the plow. I also made a plywood bucket bottom, for this plow. 2 pins pulled and the winch can be mounted in the rear, for implement lift. Pull 1 pin, and the mount tilts forward to allow the hood to be opened. After the picture was taken, I added power disconnect plugs to the front and rear of the tractor.

I had a hotel constructed in the muffler of an old MTD I had. I didn't know it was there until a ball of flaming material come sailing out of the muffler.

nice, everyones dream machine, the big 520. Glenn

Wheel Horse had special belts made (by Gates Belt), they were heavier duty "Agricultural Belts", type 'H', and they used a slightly different side angle or bevel than regular belts do. They cost about 10-20% more than regular belts, but seem to give a much much longer life, often 2-3 times. If the belt is running at a high speed, for long periods & under stress, I would recommend definitely going with Wheel Horse/TORO belts only. Usually belts seem to stretch in use. In the WH book I have, ("Drive Belt & Blade Usage Charts", #492-0392, Nov '00), could not find a 104.35" belt listed; but it is very common for WH belts to be in fractional inches. Post your blower model; (ie. a '98 44" 2x Blower #79366 took #100-4164 Belt)

How did I know you would have a comment? No these mice have better construction materials avaliable to them.

It's getting crowded here down in the basement.... -BK

That is one expensive rototiller. I am sure the guy driving the Deere was a little "steamed" after that performance...

i enjoyed the pics. Your family farm land is beautiful. Have you removed the bowl (on the bottom) of the carburator to give it and the float a good cleaning? Use a small brass bristled parts cleaner brush to clean the bowl and float. Clean the needle and seat too. Also while the carburator is apart, spray everything clean using a can of "Brakecleaner". You do not have to take the carburator off the engine to perform that cleaning. Also remove the low speed and high speed adjustment screws and clean them and also those passages in the carburator. This should be all you need to do to get the carburator back to good shape. Note* Check the throttle shart for excessive wear. If you can wiggle the shaft around, the carburator will need to be removed and a new bushing installed. Reason being too much air is being pulled through the carburator there causing the engine to run too lean. You will not be able to adjust the carburator properly.

testing how good they go offroad.... be for i realised what i have will get some close up shots asap

I put the crank center line in the same location also. I raised the Vanguard 7/8" to get the right height with two 1/2" x 2" flat bars and a 3/8" plate under the engine. I also used the standard C-120 belts and belt guard unmodified. I also have two washers behind each bolt on the PTO bracket as I modified the original engine mounting holes. I also used a spacer behind the PTO in the crank shaft. I did drill two new holes in the battery box and turned the battery around to move the battery post to the rear. I also sawed a 2" hole in the gas tank tray and have to remove the gas tank to change the rear spark plug. Rotated the solenoid switch up as far as possible on the starter to clear the battery. As I have said before it's a tight fit on a C-120. I needed the pressure oil system as my yard is far from level. By back yard slopes 16' in 200' with a few 35 degree slopes thrown in. The front is some what better with slopes on the upper and lower sides.

Hi John, Attached is a picture of the back of the tractor, you get a better view of the piece of pvc pipe near the bottom of the cab. That is there in case the blower chute becomes clogged with wet snow. I push the pipe down into the chute, some of the snow goes inside the pipe, pull it out, shake out the snow and repeat. The pvc is pretty harmless to the metal of the chute. If the snow is so wet that it is going to clog the chute, my glove would get soaked cleaning it out, so this is the solution that I came up with. Luckily I don't need it too often, but it is nice to have out with me when I need it. Rick

I picked this little True-Trac walk behind tractor up from my brother Dave via one of our trades, he is also known as JimmyZ. He picked it up from my brother Jim thru one of their trades. I must say, I didn't think I'd have much use for this little walk behind. That is until I tried it, it is fun to use! It has more power than you would think it would. It has a little Clinton engine for power and it has a nice posi that unlocks when you turn it around. It has some real nice heavy cast iron wheel weights on the inside of the tires. I have a lot of walk ways that I clear at work. I have a real nice Ariens snow thrower and Ariens snow blower to use at work. Trouble is, when I salt the walk ways before I leave for the day at 3:30 (so the employess don't fall, law suits etc.) I often come in the next day and have a nice accumulation of fairly heavy mushy snow (thanks to the ice melter) that plugs up both of the Ariens machines. I then wind up having to manually shovel, which sucks, and at 45 I ain't gettin any younger. I'm going to take this walk behind to work and see if it helps with that problem. I was considering bringing one of my Wheel Horse's to work to help with that issue but in all honesty I think this walk behind will be easier to use...We shall see!

Steveo , If i was twenty years younger there is no way that i would stay in UK any longer, especially the way things are here nowadays & i would gladly take your offer & move to the states . Our Government has just about finished to country off , & they do not give a toss about how people are surviving here . Dont get me on this one If you really want me to sound off . I once was proud to be British but not anymore , because Britain is not Britain anymore

Charles that might be true about the 325 but I'll never find out for myself. As you know, some of us just like to sit back and kick it old school. :ychain: