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with a little custom twist... how 'bout them snazzy bullet taillights, huh? Yep, my 653 got an upgrade today.

Stopped by the show for the day yesterday. Saw a few friends and some nice tractors. Bob (rmaynard) listening to the purr of a perfectly tuned Tecumseh Jimt and wife Karen and Mrs. Zeek (Sue) Jim's puller Jo, Brian (buckrancher) & Bob crusinblue48' s nice puller that he bought from Big Jake and da cheesegrater in the rear Me & Cheesegrater . . . Buckranchers BEAUtiful 57 Bolens Some other interesting pieces. Everyone like's a nice clean Beaver . . .

Anyone who has followed my posts regarding my "new" 1985 312-8 Wheel Horse, knows that there has been several relatively minor problems I have addressed with the tractor since purchased. Headlight bezels, cable routing, missing knobs, blades, hood hinge refurb., taillight installation, etc., etc. I have moved progressively and methodically through them all, and have continually improved both the appearance, and the operation of my tractor. But this problem has me absolutely at a loss as to how to correct. I first noticed the problem right after I got the tractor and mowed for the first time. It was noted again last evening when I mowed. It occurs whether it is hot or cold out, daylight or dark. The problem is that I can only get about half way through a beer while driving the tractor before it goes flat. The vibration and bouncing of the tractor just destroys the fizz. Anyone else have this problem? What did you do about it?

Have the misses hold your beer & with each lap , take a sip & kiss the holder .

KT-175 Series One.

its funny,every tractor I have is my favorite when im driving it

Yes, we will be at the big show next month with this '55 RJ35 and really hoping to bring my dad's '62 as well if I can get time to finish it. So, here are some pics from The Little Guys Show in Mt. Wolf, PA yesterday...

Never have that problem here. Moonshine does not go flat.

A friend of mine has solved this long time problem!! He installed a post in his yard that he sets his beer on and stops at the post for a drink every lap! His only problem is he has more laps then drinks from 1 Can of beer. So He added two more posts in different spots and he has 3 cans in cozies to last all his pit stops cutting 2 acres with no flat beer!

That's why I like my Onan's, they have a 48% increased beer carbonation retention rate compared to a 16 horse Kohler. 59% greater than a Briggs and can't measure against the Techies.... I think it also has to do with can or bottle (let's not go there again), but a can will likely lose more fizz than the bottle and you run a higher risk of thermal loss due to the propertied of the can. It is important therefore to keep a koozie on the bottle , Unfortunately, the koozie doesn't keep the top of the bottle protected, and many place little umbrella's over. HEAT = Loss of carbonation. Ask our UK friends with their "cellar temperature" I'll bet they can't even get 2 laps down before POW flat! And of course, as mentioned you are likely consuming at a slower rate than recommended. There's a chart around here some where with the proper ratio's with respect to time and temperature.

I can see it now. Drink faster and consume a sixer. Then complain because the "Lines aren't straight!"

Drink more and often. 6 pack seems to be in your future before your finished cutting grass. Set a goal man!!!!!

Stays cold throughout the mow! Magnetic and foam lined! Even if its not a beer!

Sweet! Thanks for the pics. All the guys at Portland got a wet a$$, literally a good soaking. Saturday was the best day for us also

4th order harmonically damped peltier based cooler with current controlled switch mode power source

Easy solution, get one of those hat holder thingies with the straw. You mount it to your head, hands free then sip and mow as you go!

Great pics Steve! did you tie the plow down to the trailer?????

Thank you all for the rapid response to my questions. I'm seriously considering letting my '92 520 go. It does have a Kwikway loader, although I never found anything that quick about actually dismounting it. I went ahead and bought a a second Toro, a '96 Wheelhorse 264[something] with a mower deck, to take care of the grass cutting. Pristine?... meh... I probably wouldn't go that far, but it will start right up and is always ready to rock'n roll. It definitely could use some to TLC like a can of paste wax and a bottle of ArmorAll. But it has been stored inside every winter for the 10 years I've had it. I have a bunch of other gear to go with the '92. There's a set of rear yard wheels and tires that have never been mounted, a weight bucket for the rear end, together with 200+ pounds of 10 pound steel bricks. It has its own mower deck that is probably a 40" or 42". I bought the deck used and then discovered how difficult it was going to be to get the loader off and on every time I wanted to mow the lawn. There's a set of chains, and a small plow blade that I never figured out where was supposed to attach. I also have a nice four-wheel, articulated front-end cart. It was made to be towed behind an ATV to get your meat out of the woods. All four tires on that need new tubes [maybe just stems], but the trailer itself hasn't been used probably more than eight or 10 hours. The treads are nearly pristine. I want to unload everything, together with the 264 mower. I am aging out and I need to re-grade to something like a decent, brand-new John Deere yard tractor with something like a 48 inch deck. All I really need to do anymore is take care of a couple of acres of yard and meadow mowing. Once a year I'll tow an old bedspring with a few cinderblocks tied on top up and down the driveway to level out the spring and winter damage. That's about all these days. You give me a reasonable hope that I could indeed unload the package of both tractors and the gear for somewhere around that $2500 level that I need/want, even if I have to sell the tractors separately and also separately sell the trailer. [and thank you rexman, Maine it is indeed the home of high taxes and higher costs, but I'll be selling these cash on the barrelhead.... Might or might not mention it to the governor]

Here is some more pics of my custom Army Wheel Horse tractor, Model # 762. Formerly the very first 702 ever made, I added a 6 Speed High/Low tranny, hence the 762. It has alot of custom made parts on it and rare WH parts as well. Some of the features are custom front bumper with attachamatic brackets, 100 year old barn wood push pads, HL5 head lights, dual 953 tail lights, dual rear hitches, 1045 front tires and monster rear tires, NOS 701 dual belt set up and NOS 701 belt guard, Army oil can with leather strap and custom battery hold down bracket that holds the oil can, 2 grenades just in case, widened drive belt guard, new style brake band and pulley set up, step down foot rests and the Army paint and decals. I used a copper fuel line and a few brass nuts and bolts. Custom Fuse Ignitor (NOS WH Cigar Lighter) and head light switch box. A ton of work went into this tractor to make it look original. I forgot how hard it is to restore a garden tractor, especially when we started to assemble all of the parts on the tractor! It is a matter of trial and error for sure. Put a part on and take it back off. If you get parts installed in the wrong order of assembly, you have to take them back off to install some other part! It all came together late in the evening one day before the Sugar Creek Tractor Show. It was received very well at the show and made quite an impression on those who saw it. A very special thanks to my buddy Larry Packrat Eads for all of his help with fabrication and assembly! He knows his stuff for sure! I still have some paint touch up to do on it and some US Army Numbers to put on the sides of the hood. But for the most part it is finally DONE! It took more than 5 years to finish this top secret machine and now the cat, or Horse is out of the bag!

I have two announcements to make regarding moderators. First, one of our original Moderators, Stephen (Rollerman), is taking some time back in the collector ranks of the forum. Stephen has been a valuable moderator who was always professional and ethical in everything he touched. His guidance through out the years has been an inspiration to me, and his suggestions helped build the forum as it is today. I value his opinion highly and will miss the daily interaction. The door is ALWAYS open for him to return as a moderator here. Stephen, thank you for everything, from the forum to personal I truly value our friendship and all you've done. Onto the second part of the announcement. I am very pleased to announce that Scott (whfan74) will be helping keep the peace. Most, if not all of you know Scott and the amazing things he's done in everything he does. He's often featured in Lawn & Garden Tractor Magazine, is the owner of Wheel Horse Junkies on Facebook, founded a tractor program in the school where he teaches and least us forget hosts an annual event which rivals the best put together shows in the world. I have always appreciated Scott's calm approach to issues and I had the pleasure to meet him at the WHCC show in 2013. When he said "Yes" I was elated. So, Stephen, thank you so much for everything, and Scott, welcome to the Moderator team!

Any idea what year this might be? Needed it like a hole in the head, but for $200 I belive it was a good deal. Needs to be cleaned up, buffed, degreased and waxed, but other than that it is pretty clean. Has the original seat, and shows 1159 hrs when I bought it. The magnum 12 ran fantastic but burns quite a bit of oil. Upon pulling the head, the piston is fairly tight so I am hoping it just needs rings. After decarboning the piston, it doesn't even have any rod rattle. The engine in the pics is a spare, the engine that came on it, looks quite a bit nicer as the tins have good paint unlike my spare. Only took 30 minutes to swap engines. More Pics: More Pics: More Pics:

Another vote for the foam dome beer helmet! Although I do think Van is on to something...

You all may remember previous posts a few years ago about the rebuild of this particular 1955 Pond RJ-35 by RedSquare member fireman, aka Jeff. I purchased this RJ-35 from fireman about three months ago on February 1st. Jeff had done an absolutely fabulous job of making this tractor mechanically sound including new rear hubs and a complete engine rebuild by Charlie Pitcher. Since I bought it, I have repainted the rear wheels black, painted the rear tires with Miller black tire paint, and touched up some of the red areas Anyway, I still need to paint the front wheels silver which would be correct for a 1955 Pond RJ-35 and touch up some more red areas. This tractor is really nice and I mean really. The engine starts on the first pull and purrs like a kitten. Very proud to be the new owner of this one. I am so looking forward to bringing this guy with me to the big show in Arendtsville, PA this year.

good pics Zeek great seeing you and Sue again it's been a long winter

What Craig says... I dont even think about messin with a tire anymore, first hint of a leak I tube it! and you get the bonus of getting to use the tire for a much longer time.

I would have liked to see that Power King plowing. I have the same model and that plow is for that tractor. Hope they have a plow day around here again sometime.

i would do the tower (hood stand?) after you get it to a complete rolling frame, something like this.... frame (rolling) with lower steering gear etc.... hood stand, dash and upper steering shaft all wiring, everything behind and around hoostand, choke, throttle cables, battery box, etc all rear stuff, seat pan frame, seat pan, etc engine, finish off electrical, gas lines etc hood, seat and all decals last........ theres probably a lot i missed but most of the parts that are in those general areas would be included at the time you are working on that area.

I'm so glad this was brought up, because I bought a pair of tail lights for my 310, just because, and I always hesitated to put them on, because I knew the holes would show, but now that I've seen this, ill go ahead and do it! Sent from my Nokia Lumia 920 using Tapatalk

Picked up 3 D250's, a really nice one, one that needs love and engine work and one for parts. These are actually the first one's I have ever seen and got all 3.

Simple solution!!!! YOU ARE NOT DRINKING THE BEER FAST ENOUGH. CUTTING GRASS IS NOT LIKE BEING IN A BAR. YOU DON'T HAVE TO NURSE IT TO SAVE MONEY.

Great solutions! Got to go mow now and try some of them out.... may miss work tomorrow though.

HAR, HAR, Har.....Leaning toward the guzzling solution.

Do you have a cup (can) holder? They are the worse thing cause all the bouncing and jolting gets absorbed by the can. I always hold the beer in my hand while mowing (and I don't have a fancy new machine with a can holder anyway). I have an 8 speed so I'm not grabbing for the hydro lever while holding the steering wheel with the other hand. Works for me. Solution #2 is to guzzle a bit faster like a college student....that works for me as well. Burping and belching because of the guzzling is perfectly acceptable! Mike.........

I knew you had some good ones Steve. that was one of the nicest days at a show and good to catch up and shoot the breeze all day..... that sun really kicked my a** though, I'm hurting today, i was having so much fun i left my Redsquare hat in the truck..... paying for it now.......

Here are the pics I got...great day for a show and it was good to see all you guys again. Tried to get a picture of the snow the day before the show. Mike, Roger, Martin and Terry M. Picked up a few transmissions and a plow.. Some of the guys plowing...that small cat was awesome. That's Jordon on the pink horse...Smokin'Joe 2 tractors back. Martin and Denny Clark Denny, Martin and Rick (jackhammer) Jackhammer...great to meet you sir... Jeff, Joe and Jordon Mike from Aurora had some pictures of an Amigo...took some pictures of his pictures...check this out... These were neat...RUGG...chain drive, B&S engines...never seen these before... Terry Dennis kept busy all day.. Thanks for looking...

Call me Honest Dale

There have been times when I've had to soak the part for days. I use PB Blaster. The most recent was a flywheel on a K91. After a couple of weeks of soaking (I was in no hurry) it finally popped off. In your case, fill the set screw hole up with the penetrate too and just leave it while.

One gorgeous worker you've assembled there.

Well, that settles it. the damned holes stay. Thank you gentlemen for settling that issue. Still, I don't like the look, sort of like the open motor mount holes on the K300 engines when mounted to the frames of these tractors. One of those things one needs to accept with a Wheel Horse. Then again, I kinda am beginning to look at it this way: In spite of these design discrepancies, where are you going to find a better built tractor? It sort of adds to the uniqueness of the beast. Goes back to the beginnings of Wheel Horse, they were considered crude, but there was never any question concerning their quality or longevity. Long Live the Fender Holes!

Great attention to detail and way to persevere to the end. That is a machine to be very proud of!

All of mine... plus a few more. Hears my favorite yesterday.

For factory originality... they should be showing.

Went to the Little Guy's Show today and saw it in person. What a great job you did Brian.

Turned out very nice Jack. Im happy for you it runs nice and the wiring worked out ok...... got any pics of your wiring? I'm sure it looks as nice as the rest of the tractor......

A comment of Wheelhorse / Toro OEM belts. In 1973 I bought new from a local Wheelhorse dealer a 1972 Bronco 14 tractor with mower deck. The Bronco 14 is an automatic with full hydraulic lift...thats why I bought it. At the time of purchase, the dealer's mechanic (also name of Dave) told me that the primary and secondary belts and related V pulleys are proprietary and, as such, do not have after-market equivalents. That is to say, the geometry of the V in the pulleys has been designed specifically for and by Wheelhorse engineers. The belt size is between that of a typical A or B industry standard belt, and made specifically to match perfrectly to the faces of the V pulleys made by Wheelhorse. Therefore, as he told me, "when you replace belts, it is necessary to use only the OEM belts". Using after-market belts not specifically designed to match the V geometry of the pulley(s) is usually a futile effort. The after-market belts do not PRECISELY mate to BOTH surfaces of the V shape and, whats more, they are of different thichness and will ride either higher or lower in the "V". This, too, is often detrimental and will lead to the belt roll-over and premature belt failure. To draw more tension on the belt to overcome the roll-over only exacerbates the issue. Three years ago, I had to replace the drive belt in the Bronco 14 (7478 I think). Belt only lasted 40 years..... 'nuff said....

She breathed again today after 15 months downtime. I must admit I was apprehensive about firing it up being my first kohler rebuild and complete rewire. But after priming the line to the pump and blowing into the gas tank a couple of times, it started within seconds. Some tweaking on the carb and it is running smooth. The big muffler is off a cub quiet series and comes off if I can get the right one at the show. It was nice for running it the first time though so I could listen for any strange noises but all was OK. One issue now though is no reading on the Amp meter and dummy me forgot to see if it was registering when I brought it home after buying it originally. Tranny sounds fine and all gears are quiet. Decals are ordered from Terry. This will be the Snowblower machine.

Build it as high as you can too. Some attachments and accessories can go up high leaving room for tractors down on the floor. I wish mine was much bigger.

There is a few pictures of the tabs in my 500 Specail thread.

I'm reading this and kicking myself for not going down to meet a lot of the members , This year maybe possible, and from the pics and threads sure sounded like Jacksonville and RS were a good mix Looking foward to 2014 Richard Rick

Picked up a Raider 12 yesterday (two pic's in my gallery). Did some preliminary "stuff" and added a battery. With the Raider, a Snow Blower 6-1211. Does anyone know where I might find a manual? Opinion of the Raider model? 12 hp Kohler, six speed, runs great! Removed from the Raider, a gorgeous set of "Baby Moons [Wheel Horse]". I always wanted a set, now, on my polishing list but, they came up super with a little help from my dishwasher.