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This thread will cover in detail the history of how one 1965 model Wheel Horse garden tractor affected our family. This will be a back ground story thread that begins in the summer of 1975, before I was even born, and will go as long as it takes for us to finish a complete restification of this tractor to better than new condition. If you aren't into detailed stories, you probably won't enjoy this thread. My dad has receipts for parts that he purchased for this tractor over thirty years ago! I intend on scanning those and including pictures, lots of pictures. We lovingly call this tractor the "Iron Horse" because it is built tough out of a block of iron and it was a work horse in our family for many years! I have so many memories of this machine but I intend on including excerpts from my parents and brother in this story. They often used it as much as I did! Feel free to comment as much as you like and ask any questions that you may have along the way. I'm really excited to open another chapter in the history of this machine and our family, hopefully one my children can enjoy. A third generation embracing the Iron Horse... Then Now Future...?

Here are some of the Items MJ will be selling at Mentone this Friday and Saturday. I cant tell you how much work this is. So much of this is so intricate and time consuming many of which she has over an Hr in 1 glass. For instance the Speedy Leedy doode, This is her first one, and was very time consuming. Some of these Items are lead crystal and are expensive and very high quality Glass. Anyways here are some pics. Here are some of the Items MJ will be selling at Mentone this Friday and Saturday. I cant tell you how much work this is. So much of this is so intricate and time consuming many of which she has over an Hr in 1 glass. For instance the Speedy Leedy doode, This is her first one, and was very time consuming. Some of these Items are lead crystal and are expensive and very high quality Glass. Anyways here are some pics.

Picked this up about a month ago. Hoping to do a complete restore.

Saw this intriguing tractor at a antique engine show in NH last weekend. Dual Motors.. The belts from both motors connected to one shaft. Then there was another belt from the center shaft to the transmission.

Thanks Geno, It really takes a lot of time because the decals that we make have to be a reverse image of what a std decal is when applied. So that means she has to use a pick or very small blade on the exacto knife and litterly disect the image to get what she wants to show. There is no guarantee the vinyl will stay in place cause it might blow or fly off when put in the etch cabinet. All I can say she has a hell of a lot more patience than me. I would have got sluggo out a long time ago. :)

Craig, You are so close! It was a 1966 IH Scout 800! I'm impressed, and only one quarter panel to go off of. That was great vehicle that dad shouldn't have ever sold. Oh well, at least he still has the Iron Horse! Fast forward to the summer of 2011, the Iron Horse had been sitting unused and not even run for about five years. I got it running again, brought it to my house for a couple of days and here my oldest son is driving it hauling weeds, just like I did with the same tractor when I was his age! He has grown enough now that his feet would comfortably reach the footrests today. He will be helping dad and I on the restoration and so will my second son! My dad had home made a spring tooth cultivator/digger back in the late 70's. I brought that along to rip up the garden. As you can see it did a great job!!! You can't imagine how it felt for me to "work" that old K301. It had been over a decade since I had even sat on it, let alone worked it. Boy, everything from the feel of the controls, to the sound of the engine, to the smell of the exhaust, it all brought back a flood of memories...

Beautiful 64(i think) lawn ranger. Has the original wheel horse tires, seat, steering wheel, and decals. Think I'm just going to wipe her down with wd 40 and keep her original. Will get more pics and the tags later. First plan is to get the engine( maybe a Tecumseh 6?) running.excited to have my first round hood!

they were a design change to stiffen up the hood. not sure when it was done, all my 90s tractors have them.

Heres pics of the frame done in black...I was nervous but after see in it, I think its going to look great. I have chosen a color for the tins too. International Harvester Red #50. Its a bit more deep red instead of the lighter tint Wheel Horse red has. Hope to have red flowing this weekend.

My Fastenal store has pallets there, I have shipped 2 times now with them (a wheel horse transmission each time) and they have been excellent. I just drop it off and put it on one of their pallets and they have tied it down. I definitely call the store and give them a heads up. They call me back when they get the paper work. I think it helps that the guy's Dad has an old Wheel Horse in his garage that he wants to get running. I gave him the link to this site, and he was thrilled. The reason, I think, why it takes some time for them to ship sometimes...is the pallet does some traveling. From my store, it goes to their hub (Minneapolis), then it goes to their main hub (Indianapolis), then to the hub for the costumer store and then to the destination store. My store has a truck come there every day...some stores may only see a truck once a week. I don't think you can beat the price though and you do not have to build a box for your shipment. BTW...this was my store's 1st time doing 3rd party shipping...they did not even know they would do that. It was a painless and learning experience for both of us.

Those were the old heat-housers on the IH's and if you were lucky they would prevent frost bite on your toes but didn't do much from the waist up.

As long as mom is in the sewing mood she can make a flap that goes a little over the engine to blow some heat into the cab. I remember those on the old Farmalls dad had growing up. It's something I was gonna do before Winter on mine, I hate the cold.

Hi all as most of you may know I'm a bit of a wheelhorse Nut , and we all like to make and design our own attachment and adapt our machines to be as versatile as possible I've seen some original wheel horse generators on the net but they are very rare so I've decided to build one . I first started by sourcing a 240v Generator off that site . Then I've now been designing my own quick release cradle for it to sit in . Attached Thumbnails

Those Lawn Ranger front tires gotta go....................way far away.

This thread was started to give us all a chance to "show" our stacks and maybe give other a few ideas. The question about HP, torque, single vs dual, gain loss etc.... has taken this thread way off its intended path. If ANYONE has a question on HP, torque or anything else engine related please start a new thread in the proper category (Engines). I'll will be cleaning up this thread. Please keep it on topic. Mike............

A new Fastenal just opened here in my town about a month ago and I never thought much about it. After all the comments from you guys I opened a commercial account with them today. Thanks for all your help guys!

Yes in agreement with Steve , I approached our Fastenal and (this was last fall) and they were unaware of any handling of shipping. The clerk did some checking and immediately handed me a form, asked for my email addy , and gave me another number. By the time I got home there was an email , with more info . They were quite accommodating., and most helpful.

Regardless of what you decide to put on, if you have severe conditions, you will need chains... There are no said tires that will serve your purpose without some sort of support, ie-chains...... Snow and ice are extremes that no 1 tire,without support, can deal with. I run turf tires with chains, it works well. I live in Cleveland, we had some 45" of snow along with freezig rai and ice last year. Any tire with support will work well.... BTW I am going to try some new treads this year.

LUCAS... in the verry bottom of my list. Here are some good and popular engine oil. They all meet OEM minimum requirements, and some are exceeding them. Witch is the best of the best ? It's hard to tell because it always depend on the way you are using the equipments, the temperature conditions and the kind of environment you are driving in. There are 3 synthetic groups; - Group V (Ester base) true 100% synthetic, - Group IV (PAO "Polyalphaolefine") true 100% synthetic, - Group III (Hydro-cracked mineral oil) 100% synthetized mineral oil. True 100% synthetic oils Prolab : 100% synthetic, Groups IV/V PAO/Ester blend base, 2000ppm Zinc Amsoil : 100% synthetic, Groupe IV PAO base, 2000ppm Zinc Red Line : 100% synthetic, Groupe V Ester base, 1000ppm Zinc 100% Synthetized mineral base oils Castrol : Hydro-cracked synthetic, Group III mineral base, 1300ppm Zinc Mobil 1: Hydro-cracked synthetic, Group III mineral base, 1300ppm Zinc Royal Purple : Hydro-cracked synthetic, Group III mineral base, 1000 ppm Zinc Valvoline : Hydro-cracked synthetic, Group III mineral base, 900ppm Zinc LUCAS: Hydro-cracked synthetic, Group III mineral base, 900ppm Zinc Engine oil is sensitive to so much things; idle vs. high speed, heat vs. cold, humidity vs. dryness, altitude vs. sea level. An engine wears at a certain rate - sometimes slow, sometimes fast. The rate at which this wear occurs can indeed be influenced by lubrication in many ways. In certain exceptional cases, wear can be nearly held in check. Nurture your oil and you nurture your engine. After all, what comes in more regular contact with the engine’s critical frictional surfaces than the lubricant that bathes them? Of course there are those fortunate few who can afford the best of everything. They are surrounded by all the high-quality possessions of a life of luxury. As such, they would not settle for anything short of the best for their equipments and accessories, including the best motor oil and the best filter. However, when it comes to lubrication, the best is indeed a foggy concept - after all, don’t most of the major suppliers of lubricant claim to have premium products that are the best? What defines the best? Cost? Aggressive advertising? Many enthusiasts peoples are totally preoccupied with the love affair they have with their equipments. They belong to clubs, hang out at garages and auto parts stores, have an extensive collection of tools, and of course take great pride in talking about the specific motor oil they use. Their lubrication decisions are often rooted in tradition, loyalty and the habits they have formed. A surprising large number of us are controlled by fear of criticism and embarrassment. We want to know what everyone else is doing so that we can go with the flow. If our father, brother, sister and best friend all use a conventional Brand X motor oil, we wouldn’t dare consider anything else. After all, we can’t be criticized if we follow the recommendations of our network of personal advisors. Finally there is a category of peoples who really don’t care. They trust that any oil sold commercially by a household-name oil company is good enough for them. They don’t want to be bothered with the details of having to analyze the available alternatives. To them, ignorance is bliss. So... like I always say, you probably have tried many brands and finaly found something that really fits your needs? Stick with it!

Nick, i think Don is talking about these......

It should look pretty cool, can't wait to see it when it's done!

I love it in black! The Workhorse series have black frames and they look great in my opinion. Mike.....

Well here she is all mounted up to the 416H. The blower I'm using will be the short chute I rebuilt last year. That's still tucked away in the shed. Now all that's left is to pimp it out and add a few luxuries.[emoji106] [emoji12] That new door blends in just fine. Thanks again for the compliments. Kyle

If you have a big box like LOWES nearby they may have them in their polishing wheel section I tools.

Geno good job on the Trailer!

Thought the exaust valve was stuck but I was wrong. . Pulled the head and no movement of the piston... more news to come.. but I think im gonna say goodbye to the briggs and shelf it for a later project. Gonna be starting a restore thread before to long

If your at 199 tractors let me know .. I can probably bring my '74.. Keep in mind I have zero show queens. Just workers in their "work clothes" at the moment.

Well with your collection growing you should be halfway there! Hoping for good weather!

They were much more expensive 2 months ago!

ordered one of these yesterday from outdoor concepts... $18 and change, free shipping company out of Indiana

Is there any way you can get that shed up in the air by about 6 inches? There is no ventilation under it and it is really drawing moisture. I'm surprised it didn't draw termites. We have lifted whole sheds using timbers going through the bottom of the sheds. You'll have to dig it out but if it's sitting on blocks and off the ground, it will last a long long time.

I live in MO to!! The mid mo meet and greet is next week you should come

yup i second the 1/2" NPT pipe thread. Sorry no your BSP will not fit

My first stack! It sounds real throaty with 2 mufflers.

I am not sure what I am going to do with it. Right now it's going on a back burner. Like I said the motor was bought with the intension of more or less a bolt on and go. I have rebuilt several before and never cut corners believing in when you do that your just shooting yourself in the foot. Since this motor was bought with the idea in mind of not racking up money in it, it may just sit for a while. Having trouble convincing myself to just throw rings in it and not rebuild it OEM or aftermarket. After the last one I rebuilt I told myself no more OEM, prices are just getting too far out of line. Don't need the tractor to last another 20 yrs. Won't be able to get on and off of them by then. Lol

Great find on the cart.... Steve beat me to it... that's an extremely rare to find cart. From the 58 brochure....

We all think your a really great guy Keith & Its a honor to be your buddy ! Get well soon your in my prayer's ............Tim

I dont know about the master craftsman title. I like building things and try to do the best I can with what I have. I like things right, at least as right as I can get it. Thanks though.

Well a heart felt Thank You to all of the guys who got together a donation for me at the Mansfield show! Mike and Deb, Derek and Tammy, Tim Leedy, Doug Hout, Allen Meadows, Bob Burroughs, Ripley Stratton, the Fox Brothers and many others! It brought me to tears and it still does!! Makes me miss you guys even more. I hope to get cured but when you sit around for long periods of time, you just think bad thoughts! I need to sell a bunch of stuff to raise more money so selling the herd is the best way to do that I guess. I'll keep a few good one's but will have to sell several good ones and all the spare parts tractors I own. Several Lawn Rangers will be for cheap if ya like them. I have engines, attachments and more to sell. Maybe get a sale going from this site and have everyone show up at once. But my buddies will get first crack at the stuff. Lets get it going after the Centerburg show Sept 20th and 21st. The last show of the year for us. So thanks alot to everyone at the Mansfield show that donated money and signed my card! Great group of guys and gals! Love ya all! Keith

Fastenal is indeed a great relatively inexpensive way to ship our 'stuff' --- but... there are some points to consider with this. It is strictly point to point, you have to drop it off and your buyer has to pick it up (no home delivery, no tail gate, etc) and there is no time specifics for delivery, it may get there in a few days and it may be a bit lengthy (a mower deck from Fla to La took 2 weeks) and it would be wise to contact your store to verify their ability to handle your shipment (to avoid something like Mike points out about the forklift) and also verify that there is a store where you need to ship to and their ability to handle. The online form is dead simple to fill out and get a quote, but its just wise to talk to your store.

If it's heavy and you need a fork truck to move it make sure their forklift driver will be there when you arrive. My Fastenal store the guy is only there in the morning so I have to take time off from work if I want to ship anything.

HMMM, I think Fastenal someday may be my new avenue to finding stuff out east . Minnesota .......................east coast

Lookin good Kyle. Sure is nice to have a talented seamstress in the family. You both did a great job. My wife has altered my cab to fit around the housing I made around my vented belt guard, and she has done the sewing of several cushions for the two piece seats. What blower are you going to use ?

Just got my internet back & I'm wore out took 9 WH & 9 other brand garden tractors to Mansfield. Also hauled 6 WH for a fellow collector. Hammerhead you were missed but glad Larry brought your tractors. We will see you soon. Thanks to every one who showed up We had 82 Wheel Horses & 16 collectors on Saturday. About 1/2 left Saturday but A few more Showed up Sunday.

For sale: Ouija Board

Looks perfect!! She did great! Mike..........

I got the thrust bearings from McMaster-Carr yesterday. They are very fast at filling and shipping an order. Had to try them to see how they would fit. Will have to grind .015 inches off the top of the axle in order to get the top washer and cotter pin in. That won't take long and if what I hear is true it will make the steering a lot smoother.

Fitting the drive belt cover. Now I realize I should have test fit this stuff before I painted.....Oh Well.....Fender had to be massaged to fit around everything and will need some paint repair. or I will sand it again and respray....Live and learn