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Hello, new to the site but just wanted to share, I just purchased a 312-8 Toro wheelhorse Classic from a older gentleman , it has a mower deck - snow blower - full hard top cab - snow/dirt plow - tiller - new battery and most of the belts are new - two sets of tire chains and runs like a watch. He wanted $3000 ( I didnt know that) so when he told me that I told him I was sorry to have wasted his time as I was not going to pay anything near that much for it and started to walk away he stopped me and said what will you give me? I told him I didn't want to insult him but I would only think it was worth $1500 and I again told him I was sorry for wasting his time and turned for the truck when he said ok I will take it, I almost fell over. The blower is brand new and has never been used. I don't have pictures of it but you know how older people are with their stuff and he took very good care of it. I think I did ok.

Well i havent posted anything for a while so i thought id post the pics of the 520h i picked up today. it came with a 60 inch deck and snow plow. now for the awesome part 200$

I would like to say a big thanks to Eric Johnson (Ericj) In addition to being Mr Onan, Eric is a WHCC Board Member and is in charge of the Swap Meet at the show. The buying, trading, selling, bartering is what keeps our rigs going! Like Mike said, a lot of the Boards members, volunteers, support folks, etc work very hard before, during and after the show. sometimes "missing" the show! Thanks you for all the hard work!

Carl you should have a flip up assembly between the springs and seat pan that would raise it about 2 inches. You can see it here in this picture.

So after I got my 310-8. I scanned thru this forum quite a bit, because I needed to split the transmission, but after that, I kept checking up and observing different things. Before being here, I had no idea that a dirt plow could be attached to these tractors, or really, all that much else about them. I really have learned quite a bit from being here. So, after researching, and getting a plow and a disc, and doing some planting, I have a garden that is coming along great! I have a little bit of everything growing in it, and learning things here and there about it. I am just so excited that I was able to go thru and make a garden this year! If I had told myself two years ago that I'd have a garden growing at this time, I wouldn't have believed it! but hey, things interest you, and you get into it! Here is my garden, as of 3 days ago: I have to do some de-weeding tomorrow I think!

I want to compliment the present and past board members for a more than spectacular show. What a great weekend! So much work goes into putting on this show and one of the reasons it is great is because these ladies and gentlemen put in a lot of time. We must realize that there are people who sit in the registration building working for the entire show. I do remember at one of the very early shows we had a miniature pulling sled as well as slow tractor races.

Brought this home from the Big Show & cleaned her up today...nice addition to the herd...

I think when you hit a mile stone like this, everyone wants that post to be something special. I really could not come up with anything...so...I thought I would just do what I do best. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ,...NICE HORSE... ... ... ...HI SPARKY...WHAT SQUONK SAYS, MAKES CENTS.... .... It's been a fantastic ride. I have met a lot of the members and made many friends. I've had a lot of fun here and many laughs, and I have been able to contribute from time to time. Thanks to all of you for letting me be a part of what happens here.

Well, i got the 417 in the work shop tonight. I started to really look her over for the first time... It is really rough. It needs tons of work and I do not know where to start. I was originally going to start by tearing down the KT17 but after thinking about it I have changed my mind. I think I will start with body work and such, the reason being is that if I get her looking good I will be more motovated to finish it. I will include some pictures later.

Some more pics in action and finished product.

That is how I like them for sure. Low and a nice low center of gravity!!

Look's suspicious to me!! Red

No comparison IMO. The 522xi is a great comfort to drive, really glad I grabbed one to resell, but I put the price up high enough so I will probably own for a long time. I really enjoy it and cannot explain enough how great it is. When people talk about the reduced steering being like power steering.......not even close.

Saw this on a local internet sale site.

I am with Van and Lynn on this one. I have a 417 with a broken governor. Still haven't got it fixed and almost had the tractor sold, TWICE. Common sense prevailed and I didn't sell. I just have to keep it in my head that this tractor will be awesome when she is fixed. The same goes for you, keep the prize in mind bro!

Bob is correct. good paint will not come off with the E-tank. Of course if there is rust under it... I use some paint stripper first, then the e-tank works great. make sure you use a Manual battery charger If you use a an Automatic charger it will shut off. If all you have is a Automatic charger, you can run it through a battery then to to the tank. the small nuts/bolts etc in a cup of vinegar method for a few days also works. I use old paint caps.

Doesn't sound like the engine will need too much attention with those hours unless there wasn't any maintenance done on it. You really don't want to get into a KT-17 unless you absolutely have to. Cosmetic stuff is easily fixed just takes a little time and attention to detail. Some of those steering wheels are a challenge and it sounds like that tractor was outside for quite some time. Always keep in mind what you will have when it's done and the satisfaction of knowing what it took to get it that way. We do this because we love to see these tractors the way they were meant to be. A made in America piece of history that looks and works the way we do.

Most of the paint used on old Wheel Horse tractors is easy to get off with most any liquid paint stripper. Just follow the instructions on the container, use outdoors, and use eye protection and gloves. Once you have removed the paint, the rust is much easier to attack with wire brushes and sandpaper, or an e-tank. Paint that is solid will not be affected by an e-tank, as the process requires that you have electrical contact through the liquid between the anode (the sacrificial steel) and cathode (the item you are removing rust from), and paint acts as an insulator.

Thanks, Jim!

Hang in there Matt. The 417's are worth putting in the extra effort to save. You are doing a good thing. Just keep your focus on what a fantastic tractor this is going to be when you finished.

Love the matching Wheel Horse chairs!

Well the 417 is all apart in the garage. It has been the hardest tare down I have ever seen. All the bolts and screws were rusted so bad I have drilled and cut most of them out. I cant get the steering wheel off and the clutch pedal is so rusted internally I cant budge it. The seat and seat pan isn't salvageable. So any tips on the rusted frozen steering wheel before I start cutting? This has been a nightmare. I enjoy working on stuff but this is uncalled for. The best part is this thing has less than 500 hours on it... Again who ever is responsible for this shouldn't be allowed to ever own another mechanical device. I have sanded the hood and rear fenders.

Ready to re-assemble.

Well finally tore in to the 414 The head bolts were so loose I could have taken them out with my hands alone. Pulled the plug out, pulled the head off, thought what the heck and took the carb off to clean, cleaned up the valves piston and block, cleaned the head up good, check for flatness and then sanded just a little. Then after cleaning carb, I put it all back with new gasket, head bolts, plug, engine oil, and air filter I fired her up. thought to myself where I can find some tall grass... There is a foreclosure on my block so I headed that way roaring down the block at 10:00 PM. I pulled into the waist high grass kicked on the PTO and went to town grinning from ear to ear. Man its like a whole new machine. I brought her back home retorqued the head bolts and went back to the tall grass. Then something terrible happened.... My wife told me I was keeping the neighbors up and asked me to shut it down.

Let me know when you are ready for decals for the other tractors. What ever the kids need. Just let me know.

While looking for a loader for my 414-8, I found Ford LGT 165 with a Ark loader. It has foor pedals, which are great. The hydro on the Ford groans a lot under load, which makes me nervous, but have heard a lot of them do. The fluid is clean, so holding my breath. I really can't imagine mounting and unmounting the loader to use. I use mine for small jobs, andwouldn't be worth the trouble to swap it. Glad I have the 414-8 for mower and other uses, with a winch mount on front and back. FYI, the WH is much easier to work on.

I was looking for a loader for my 414-8 and found a Ford LGT 165, with a Ark loader.

Check your breather

Congragulations on the 417. I hope to add another one to my collection in the future. I love the sound of the KT-17 engine.

I also have a 417A and a 416H and like both of them. I am getting ready to pull the engine and give it a good going over. The very least it will need is valves adjusted, I am sure and while I am at it I will clean the carbon from the heads and put new gaskets on it.

#1. You can afford a luxury vehicle, you need to get what you like! You have to live with it and enjoy it. There are pros and cons on all vehicles and there are NO perfect cars out there. I am a auto tech and was asked what is the best car to buy? My answer was " one you do not have to work on" So go with what you like! You got a nice budget, so that means you can afford the proper maintenance on what ever you decide to buy witch is key to making a good vehicle last a long time!

I had the pleasure of being at the first show that had a Banner with the Redsquare name on it. I am guessing 2007 or 2008. Maybe we had 10-12 members at that show that year. We had the banner hung from Eldon's bucket loader right across from the food building. We all signed the banner and sent it to Karl or Chris, I am not sure. I think Redsquare has come a long way since that show and mostly in a very positive way. I am still very proud to be a part of it. It makes me feel good to know that I am not the only Wheel Horse collector and others share in my passion and addition!!!

One of my most fun moments was watching Stevebo from a distance buying out half the table at one of the vendors that just arrived Sat. morning... He was so absorbed in the deal that I snuck up right behind him and plucked a beauty of a K90 out of his trailer that he JUST purchased and hid it across the aisle, my brother and myself were giggling the whole time... When he finally finished his deal and turned around and saw his beauty of a K90 missing, well, the look of astonishment on his face was priceless! If I only had a video camera!

I "have this friend" that has a quad remote helicopter that has an HD camera mounted on it that does live feed or recording. If that seems like a good idea, I can probably arrange that. I'm not sure if we have ever had an aerial view

This is a great thread. Some good ideas to ponder over the coming winter. I like the WHCC Wild Bill Show idea. I could make a couple banners that could be mounted on some wooden stands that could be positioned so collectors could be interviewed one at a time in front of the portable backdrop during live broadcasts. Also a great way to promote the WHCC as well as RedSquare. I am thinking of investing in a camcorder with wifi and a wireless mic. Maybe we can find a software that allows us to by-pass youtube and also archive the live broadcast for playback at any time.

For next year's video effort, we'll certainly kick it up a notch. Most importantly, the live feeds are great BUT we need to publish a schedule of events a week or so prior to the show and be ready for the video effort. This year was awkward for me as what now appears to be a hard disk cable failure put my Macbook out of operation and I used an unfamiliar computer to get the recordings going. I really like the idea of the training class, but what I think would be really cool is to follow YOU around Bill as you tour the grounds and work the crowd. You're very active in the show, not shy and I think that the "WHCC Wild Bill Tour" would be a nice segment.

As we say here in Georgia, "somedody's fixin' to get hurt"

Finally got a chance to use it. My brother in law flips houses and bought one with about 2 acres of overgrown grass and brush. Wish I would've got pictures showing the before, or at least more "during" but I was the only one there. When my wife came out to give me a break I whipped out the camera. And then turned on the video. I wish this was a little thicker so you could see how well it works but it's kind of cool to see the blades flying around. I'll get more video with brush in it. The place I work hired me to do the 3 acres behind the building and it's pretty thick.