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New to the herd 551 original

Yes, thank you, just created an account for this WH site. Really great site from what i have been looking at and reading to answer some questions, My brother got the tractor in the late 80's Started to restore it, and never finished, so it has been sitting arounfd for a very long time until last year. This 400 was a year long build,. Sometimes progress was minor and even slow, to leaps forwards in progress. Parts list, 3-5 hp Industial series briggs engines( picked briggs, for fit, easy to get parts, and easily modifyable, these engines are drag raced, so i have the option to go very radical) Troy Built pony tiller electric start system, 3-plumbling chrome fittings for the exaust, 3 chrome air cleaners, 3 thecumseh H50 carbs, 1 fuel pump operated from the crankcase pressure, 1- triple snowmobile trottle sysem, 1 john deere belt gaurd/ elevator sheet metal, 8 pulleys, 3 idol pulleys, made the battary box and used a motorcyle battary for the small space i had left under the seat that was not taken up by the gas tank/ seat bracket, and belt gaurd , made and mounted the steering system on top the middle engines's L head offset the steering shaft. Deck lever(shortend to fit under air cleaner and remade bracket), reworked clutch/brake pedal, wider tires for the back, 5" ones for the front. and many more hours with metal brackets, intakes manifolds , air cleaner mounts. overall i just got it running and driving late spring of this year, I still have to finish it, just not now, maybe next year,, but painting, will not be an option, i kept it as gotten condition and i wanted a Ratrod themed tractor, lot of work just to get it to this point, a lot of EBAY parts since my brother lost a decent amount of the parts he took off

Well... it's commonly used to refer to the mid-engine 1960 and 1961 models, the 400/550 and 401/551. Beyond that in a much more complicated fashion though... Wheel Horse used the term/name Suburban for several years. Just the term "Suburban" refers to the fact that this was a tractor for the "Suburban households" that were gaining in popularity in that mid-50s era. Expansion of housing into Suburban developments where people wanted their small patch of land with a lawn and a garden. Many people were losing interest in living in the "urban" city. In advertising, Wheel Horse started referring to the RJ-58/59 as a Suburban tractor sometime during production. Then, in the 1960 brochure, they named the tractors the Suburban 400 and Suburban 550 as shown in the brochure and on the manual. In 1961, the manual cover removed the "Suburban" title, but the advertising literature still referred to them as Suburban tractors. This is generally where collectors quit calling tractors suburbans... although interestingly if you look at the cover of the 1962 manual, they were still called Suburban Tractors! They were still referred to as a "Suburban Tractor" in ads as well, but I think this was going back to the original reference to Suburbia itself. Even as late as the 1963 brochure they used the term, but I think clearly this was used as a general term. After that though, I don't recall seeing the term used.

I will be using my first Wheel Horse. Just got a free 314-8 and went out and picked up a snow blower attachment.

Here is what I believe is causing the condition. The shift rails are supported by blind bores in the transmission case and machined to a fairly close tolerance. Add gear oil to the mix and it gets even closer. The top rail in the illustration is for 2nd and 3rd gears and the rear rail in the transmission. Both shift rails are in the neutral position. The 2nd and 3rd rail when shifted into 3rd gear is slid farther into the case bore. When you shift back to neutral from 3rd gear vacuum is created behind the rod. If you go through the neutral gate the shifter lets go of the 2nd and 3rd rail and enters the 1st and 2nd shift rail. The second the shifter leaves the 2nd and 3rd rail the vacuum behind the rail (rod) sucks it back into the blind bore and engages 3rd gear again. BUT the shifter has already selected 1st or R gear. If you are is 2nd gear and shift to 1st or R the same thing happens but this time it is pressure in the blind bore that returns the rear rail to 2nd gear without the shifter in the rail. To vent the blind bore my plan is to grind a shallow spiral groove in the rod so that the vacuum and pressure is relieved faster. Location of the ground groove is critical at the detent ball notches in the rod so it does not interfere with them. A spiral groove would minimize future wear in the casting. I discovered this many years ago and have lived with it by pausing at neutral before shifting to the other rail. The pause gives time for the pressure or vacuum to dissipate and it works. I have since acquired a short angle drill and wonder if a vent hole could be drilled into the bottom of each shift rail bore. That would be even better but don't know if there is room to get the drill in to do it. Garry Adding Wheel Horse addressed this problem in late 1964 As a result all the transmission model numbers used in 1964 got new model numbers in 1965. I suspect this was a result of the change. It would be interesting to see what tractor models or transmission models still experience this problem today.

Wow! That just about sums it up. Mounting tires on a tractor is a chore. It took me all day, but I am proud to say I did it myself. Anyway, looks good. Much better than the tires I had... I haven't seen a surface like my sidewalls since someone spilled a bucket of oil on a dry salt lake bed! I mean, they were CRACKED. 3 of the tires had tubes in them, otherwise, I don't think they'd have held air. Before I took on the task, I browsed the net, watched videos, read tips and even researched tools available for the job. I settled on making my own bead breaker using a 6' long 2x4 bolted to my work bench. This was the lever of the bead breaker. I bolted a short 2x4 to the first one about 18" from the bench to act as the "shoe horn." Both bolted joints articulated. Later, I cut a taper on the shoe horn, making it more pointed where it met the rim. To the tapered surface, I then screwed a 1/4"x1-1/2"x3" brass plate for strength. Worked like a charm. I was glad I had the extra leverage on the front tires. Aside from the bead breaker, the only other tools used were two of the cheap $5 tire irons from Harbor Fright (typo intentional) and a flat bar (wonder bar). Okay... here are my tips... things I didn't see elsewhere in my research. #1 Measure the rim!!! BOTH SIDES!!! Geesh... SOME rims the tire will only go on one way! I wish I had known that. Futzed with one of the front wheels for 2 hours before I figured out one side of the rim was a good 1/4" larger in diameter. Once I flipped it around, the tire slid right on (relatively speaking). #2 NO LUBRICATION! (if mounting manually). Rather, only lubricate AFTER the tire is on the rim. I had more trouble with lubrication than without. Seemed to make the tire iron slippery enough, but couldn't get purchase necessary to stretch the tire over the rim. Dry was no problem. Once the tire is on the rim, I sprayed the bead with windex prior to inflating. I figured that might help the bead seat. Tip #3... take your new tires and rims to a garage and PAY THEM TO MOUNT THEM! Okay, I doubt I'll ever follow that tip, but boy will I be tempted. Finally, I'll finish with this... I decided on BKT tires. Since I plan on using my C-125 as a FEL, I bought 6-ply turf tires for the front. I also plan on using the tiller, so I chose the TR-315 trenchers for the rear. I had seen someone on this site talking about the diameters of the Deestones being considerably smaller than comparable brands (Carlisle?). For that reason, I avoided the Deestones. Sadly, the BKT's are also small. Same size Carlisle Turf tires (23-8.5-12) were a good 2" larger in diameter. I can't help wonder if the larger turf tires won't have nearly as much traction as the smaller trenchers. I'm really disappointed about this. I may try to sell them and get something else. Anyone have any recommendations?

Yes that blower is a 1962 and should fit your 702 and looks to be in VERY nice condition. Jason is correct about removing that suburban bracket. That bracket and the lift arm make it the st302 for a mid engine tractor but those are the only differences I can remember between it and the st3072. If it's only a 1/4" too narrow then it's probably just tweeked in a little and bending the mounting brackets back out should work. It bolts directly to the frame with 2 bolts each side in the front 2 holes of the frame. You'll need to make a lift arm. Maybe cut the pipe of that one and weld in a new length of pipe or rod?????? Or just make a new one out of angle????? I might be interested in that bracket for a suburban. Made one for my blower and thought I bought one to replace it but just haven't seen it around.

This is what I use. Do not pound out on the back of the hub you may pull the axle out of the transmission.

I think that most of the "Spray Bed Liners" have a rough-softer surface (to keep things from sliding around in the bed of a truck). On the underside of your deck, you want a very smooth-hard surface so the moist clippings slide off easily and don't stick. POR15 alone is excellent, hard and very smooth. I like to also use "Slip Plate" (liquid Graphite) on the underside, and then redo the graphite every year. IMO, the Bed Liner may not be the better choice if it is rough-soft, unless the actual surface itself resists grass sticking (like a silicone coating would).

****UPDATE**** The beans are coming off the field. Make sure to pack those plows and be ready to turn some soil!!!!!!

It is great to attend the Wheel Horse Collectors Club and see all the RedSquare hats and buttons. While most of you know this, I want to be sure that everyone is aware. The Wheel Horse Collectors Club is NOT RedSquare. While we have a large attendance at the show, we could be so lucky to host an event like this. The Wheel Horse Collectors Club pre-dates RedSquare and is solely responsible for the annual gathering which we all enjoy either in person or by seeing the pictures. Please remember that The Wheel Horse Collectors Club needs your support as well. Visit their FaceBook page for information on becoming a member. Their fee is only $10 per year which is such a small amount to insure their continued efforts at providing a quality show. So please remember, both and The Wheel Horse Collectors Club need your support to keep this hobby going and if you enjoy the show, please support the sponsor The Wheel Horse Collectors Club. If you would like to support RedSquare you can do so by visiting our store and selecting the supporter package which is right for you. Both RedSquare and the Wheel Horse Collectors Club are dedicated to the continued preservation of the legacy which Cecil Pond worked so hard to build. edit: The Wheel Horse Collectors Club has had a number of website changes, I think the best place to contact them is their FaceBook page

I've seen the topic come up a couple times about using spray on bed liner for under a deck so I thought i would share my experience with it here's a few pics of my deck off my lawn ranger that I used this summer for mowing that I used spray on bed liner. I will say the only place that is flaking off is were I welded in a stainless steel patch when I restored the deck I'm not disappointed in how it held up its about what I expected I think using POR15 or easy slide graphite coating would be the better route but this is cheap and was worth a try hope this helps someone out

Caught this little, tri powered, custom Suburban 400 cruising around the show field today at the Kent show. Nice young man by the name of Ethan, said it was originally his brothers long term restoration project that languished a few years before he got it. Ethan wasted no time shoe horning three Briggs under the hood, which starts on one engine, then engage the clutch to bring the other two on line. Little guy sounds like a mini top fuel funny car sitting there at idle. I asked him if he's done any mowing with it...he replied, yeah, some...really fast mowing. I told him about us here on RedSquare...so hopefully he'll be joing us here soon...also mentioned, he's built a rotary engined Raider that eats gobs of gas.

More room for the red one's now Geno.

I can't wait to see this one running in the winter Mike!

Just received my Original Tractor Cab and glass windshield. New tractor is supposed to be delivered Monday. [emoji2]Can't wait.

That has nothing to do with this thread Mike...last year.

Thanks for all the encouraging words. This 444 has been a fantastic machine, and has logged quite a few hours in the garden already. So far so good, and I've really enjoyed its performance. Matt

The two balls and pin are an interlock mechanism to prevent both shifting forks from leaving the neutral position at the same time. Besides acting as a spring guide the pin maintains a minimum distance between the balls. The only way either fork can leave neutral is for its ball to pop out of the detent. If the opposite ball is in the shallower detents of its fork then the pin cannot move far enough to allow the first ball to move for shift fork to leave neutral. A longer pin would be necessary if the modified neutral detents are deeper than the original detents. All that said, if you have a problem with two gears locking in at once you either have a missing or damaged pin or balls.

Might have to resort to fabricating the hitch " pipe" from a bit of pipe to try and make it look original. The welder has seen a lot of use recently fabricated a new deck shell from 3 mm steel:) If anyone knows of the castings or a whole trans please let me know.May be willing to pay shipping from USA? Thanks Thomas

Excellent video! I plowed a garden with Ezra one time...Ezra Brooks whiskey that is! Needless to say, it wasn't the straightest in the world! Haha! :laughing-rolling:

That's surprising.... it should be interchangable. Did you remove the Suburban bracket like this?

I did this before I new about por 15 like a week before I found out about it and as you can see the grass does stick to it but I don't see any rust

Brandon, Well said.. I just called a meeting with the barn guy and the town zoning guy to confirm a few things in terms of the height restrictions. I am pretty sure we are good to go. There was a disconnect between the concrete plans and the barn plans. The corner posts were suppose to be longer and sit on the gable ends of the foundation and not the front and back. Yesterday morning the installer told me this so it was not a good day. No work was done when I expected to have the barn raising yesterday. After my meeting today I received a credit for the foundation plans ($500) and the extra 4 posts I keep to use on the back slab down the line if I install a shed roof off the back. I hope to also get the barn guy to provide me with the header I need to install it 14' x 36'. We shall see if they are back at it tomorrow, that is the plan...

That makes sense Garry. Due to a broken shift fork I purchased a replacement on Ebay which included rails and they were the upgraded style. I wondered what the deeper neutral detent was for and this is likely why. Interesting. The service bulletin states that the redesigned rails will eliminate the possibility of locking in two gears but doesn't state why it was happening. Here's a picture of the rails, the new and the old.

Picked this one up a couple weeks ago at mentone from Brrly. Finally got it complete and running today. First tore it apart and power washed everything. Went through the drive system, and had to change some gaskets on the engine, and rebuild the carb. Runs pretty good now. In pretty decent original shape. Plan to leave this one as is, just straighten out the hood a little more and possibly some new decals.Still needs a few little things here and there, but is ready to take to Scotts Meet and greet this weekend.

That's one of the best original suburbans that I have ever seen, don't restore it

this is my c-120 restoration project (gear drive) I got 2 weekends ago I paid 100 dollars for it came with an awesome non wheelhorse really heavy snow plow.IT has a twelve horse kohler that I had to just adjust the points on it and clean carb and adjust it.

Yep, that's a different harness. There isn't a universal wiring harness that will fit every C-120. But having said that, it's pretty simple to make one. Just a few feet of 14 or 16 gauge wire in several colors, some readily available 1/4" spade terminals terminals and ring terminals, a wire crimper, and a couple of connector housings, some electrical tape, and you can make your own. I know there are a few threads here on the forum where others have shown how they made their own.

I will be sending a few more pics to put up on the main if possible, mostly one of the hood looking down, and a similar one with the hood off

"If I buy a new "tractor/mower" honey, I will have to buy all new tools too. You know the new machines are all metric and the Wheelhorse is SAE standard. I sure would hate (snicker, snicker) to spend all that money on tools you know, just to fix one "tractor" but if that's what you want me to do......" Seriously though. Total the cost of a new "tractor" to mow the grass with. Then compare the cost of a new tractor vs. the cost of repairing/maintenance on the one you have. If she is anything like MY girlfriend, she will see keeping the older maintained one will keep you in the black longer than a newer one breaking and putting you in the red. My GF may grouse about me having too many tractors a few times a year but when I have to pull a bush, mow a patch, plow the driveway, till a flower bed etc... she doesn't have too much to say.

Yes, 1 stick in each gallon for 1 to 2 weeks. The bad thing is you have to taste it to see where it is at. Take the stick out when if has the hint of Cinnamon that you want. You could also ferment the juice to make wine. Here is a couple of pictures of my grinder and press. I have not used the press in a while...as you can tell. We rebuilt the frame some years ago with full dimension oak. I am not wanting to hi-jack your thread...I am just thrilled to see another press and someone using it. Let me know if you want a recipe for making wine. The press is like 4 feet high.

Maybe the trash man will take the Craftsman.

Good ole 1067

Tell her that you can't pull a plow with a lawn mower but you can do that and still mow with your 520. Real tractors have lug nuts.

You won't have to worry about tornados, hurricanes, or anything else for that matter. You may have to rename it to the Wheel Horse Shelter.

I'll be using the electro 12. Never plowed with her before cuz she's new, but I just swapped the 42 side discharge for the 42 snow blade! Flipped the plowing edge and she was ready to go. We'll see how she does when the white stuff starts fallin. Also a pic of my Manuel PTO "adaption". I didn't mess up any of the tractors originality, it just bolts right on, 2 bolts. Gets the 42 SD spinning really we'll haha.

I THINK IT IS TIME FOR ME TO PUT ANOTHER (OR TWO MORE) DIESELS IN MY 1054. RUSS

Very cool custom Lane. When talking with Ethan, who fabbed the tri po 400... he mentioned he was very adamant about not modifying the frame or factory sheet metal when building this .

I would think that Morgan would be painted RED by now.

Here you go John.... http://youtu.be/b4N1Ow3cziA

It's not even leaf season yet! Plows and blowers not goin on for another month

I'm not sure who's having more fun, you or the dog wagging his tail.

I should have clarified myself. There's a small hole that can't be seen in the picture. It looks like it's hooked to that by the paint wear that can be seen. It doesn't go in the larger hole that's visible.

i got to stop looking at those pics, next thing ill be pulling the 1848 down for some work......

Jeesh! Tough crowd! Can't a girl get a break for burning her hand? It's tough to produce a video with one hand! So, here it is. Ed, it probably still wasn't worth getting up early for https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plLoCF6tJpw

Oh!...... is this what my GT-14 is suppose to look like ???????????

The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias manifesting in unskilled individuals suffering from illusory superiority, mistakenly rating their ability much higher than is accurate. This bias is attributed to a metacognitive inability of the unskilled to recognize their ineptitude. Huh???