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Here is the reason - a family history since 1961 of owning Wheel Horse Garden Tractors! My dad, my brother and I do this! I even got my wife Ruth to like one model -the 1958 RJ ! 1961 50 years later!

About 7 months ago, I had no idea what a Wheel Horse was. Then I saw my neighbor had this, what I thought was this ole' lawn mower with a snow blade on it. And I thought "man that would be nice for the winter" . So I asked him if he would sell it. Sure thing I was the owner of this rusty ole' lawn mower with a snow blade and would only start with starting fluid. So then I decided it was time to get this thing running better so I didn't have to use the starting fluid trick anymore. And then the rest of it is history. And the history goes like this. I was overwhelmed by the amount of people that were sincere about the Wheel Horse brand. Then I did my own research on the history of Wheel Horse. Found out they were based out of South bend, bonus! I'm a Notre Dame fanatic! Then there were the actual people on this site. Just reading the comments they posted about my "rusty ole' lawn mower", I could tell that they were excited at any progress I was making. And the help they have given me on all of my tractors drove home their passion for this tractor. And that passion was passed onto me and now these "rusty ole' lawn mowers" have consumed me. And I love every minute of it. And the friends I have made from this piece of metal are some of the best you can ask for. So is it the tractor itself or is the friends I have made? This logo " " is now very near and dear to me because it is a constant reminder of all of my friends around the world I have made because of this tractor! I think I'm tearing up now... Sorry for the wall of text... I guess I never answered the original question either. I guess I would call myself a collector. I usually buy the ones that don't run and get them running then keep them because I can't bring myself to sell any of them. My garage has turned into the stable, my truck now has to sit in the cold long winters and I have to scrape the ice and snow off my truck every morning. That's my sacrifice to keep the brand alive! Long Live

All of the above, including the sentimental. Many threads exist on this site concerning why some of the members do what they do. I think if you spend some time going into the different sections on the main page...like...Restorations, Tractors, Show pictures, etc and do some reading, you will answer your own question. BTW, I got into it the same way you did. My Dad passed and he had 4 horses in his shed. I started fixing them up, found this place and never looked back. Welcome to the hobby.

I just got off the phone with Terry from REDO YOUR HORSE. I was able to select just the decals I needed for my upper and lower console on my 308-8. What a great guy, so easy to do business with. In a world of big corporations and take it or leave it philosophy, it is nice to see that customer service is alive and well here.

This is my reason. This is my grandpa and myself at 1year old in the top picture. 26 years later grandpa took another photo with my twin boys on the same tractor which I now have. Not 6 months after the last picture grandpa passed away.

5 years old sitting on my dads 701 nuff said

I always wanted an 50's, 60's or early 70's car to restore. I have always worked with my hands and went to school for auto mechanics in the 80's. By the time I had some money saved up in the early 90's the prices skyrocketed and I got married so it got put on the back burner. Well since the economy tanked and my house only has a one car garage that dream is going to have to wait till I retire and move south. So in the mean time about 8 years ago I began collecting the older Wheel Horse Tractors to restore. They don't cost nearly as much as a car would and they don't take up much space at all. My kids and I take them to shows and parades. They're not cars but they are actually just as much fun! That's my reason.

SAVE YOUR WHEEL HORSE FENDERS FROM SCRATCHES OR DENTS The best way to keep your Wheel Horse fenders from experiencing scratches or dents from the metal seat hitting the fenders from a weak spring or heavy load is to raise the seat. Here is what you can do to lift the seat off the fenders and give yourself a little more leg room and peace of mind! You need the pipe spacers in the center of the rectangular steel pipe to hold everything in place. Neat trick you buy a 2 1/2 by one inch metal tube (rectangular). Cut about 4 1/2 long. drill two 5/16 holes to match metal seat holes (carriage bolts) and put pipe spacers cut to go in rect. tube between carriage bolts and you are lifted off the fenders. Place this on top of the spring. Kind of hard to tell in my photos but I placed a foam block on end with a reflector too

I buy Wheel Horse tractors to use. None of mine are really "beauty queens", although I want to someday paint one up and keep it "for show" only. I actually started "messing" with mowers at an early age and have continued..... I was 2 years old when this photo was taken....May 1957.

I am a little different than most. Not so much on the family side or the friend side but on American labor side. Buy protecting Americana. Or American craftsmanship. As a lot of our ideas are being lost to world. So to me this is the most important. Gary B....

Very well put replies here. I've been playing with Wheel Horses for 55 years now. My Dad bought a 1960 Suburban 400 when I was 5. That was his first one and I'm in the process of restoring the very same model right now. There's part of the sentimental side of it for me. I quickly realized the brilliance of the engineering on these little tractors. The simplicity of a Wheel Horse was that brilliance and contributes to their incredible durability. While many changes have been made over the years the similarities from a late 50's machine to the very last year in 2007 can easily been seen. Living my first 45 years within 15 miles of South Bend added to the locally built loyalty. Oh yea, I stand beside AJ regarding Notre Dame Many years on acreages of 26 and 10 I asked my tractors to do things that a normal (that wouldn't be me) person wouldn't do without at least a larger compact utility machine. It may have taken a bit longer but to this day I've never had a Horse whine at me. The bottom line is that they are incredible machines and easy to fall in love with. The addiction so often mention on this forum is very real.

I see you guys haven't grown up yet! I had a 604 growing up. About 8 years ago I went to a local steam show and somebody had a mess of horses there. "WOW somebody collects these! The next day I found RED SQUARE! I all ready had a 210-H that had some old school parts still on it. Went to the Big Show in PA searching for a 604. Got a 704 with a KOHLER!!! . Wanted a bigger tractor to mow and plow with and found a C-160. Now I have 5 and that's the limit. I have found a few That I fixed up and resold to fund future trips to PA. I need extra money to buy parts so I can keep Steve entertained as I walk back and forth carrying stuff. If you go to the show, be careful of the seedy characters that hang around the bus stop!

I bought my first gt in the early 70's, an original Cub which I had for many years eventually trading for a JD 210 which I gave my son last year. They were good tractors. Last year I bought my first just as a fun project and now I have 4 of them. As I said, the others were good tractors but the are great tractors. I was so impressed by the simplicity of design and functionality. Combine that with ease of maintenance and robust construction and you have a winning combination in my opinion.

I bought my first WH in 1978. Sold that one and bought a new one in 1996. Got tired (actually too old) of pushing the snow with a plow and bought a used one in 2011 with a blower and then sold the 1996 model. In 2013, I came across a 1978 C-series just like my first one I foolishly sold in 1996. So I bought it and restored it. Then, I had to buy my wife one just like the 314 I sold in 2011 so she would cut the grass. Now, I have blowers, tillers, mowers, plows and a FEL to keep all my horses exercised. Yes, it is an addicting hobby, but one filled with great satisfaction if you can keep an old machine from going to the scrap heap. My latest challenge is to work with the teen down the street try to get a C101 running again and to teach him about tools, engines, and restoration...and then give him the tractor. I am hopeful that this will continue to pay dividends long after I am gone. As you can see, everyone has different reasons for getting into this hobby.

Our Horses are social animals and require company. Stallions need hugs 'n rubs. That's why we ride 'em, fix their wounds, use hoof dressing, and polish the Horses. It is impossible to have a single, solitary, lonely Horse. He would scrap away. That's why we give the elegant gorgeous Horses company! It's like the Lone Ranger once said, "Hey! I need backup Horseys! Bring more Tonto!" Isn't that right Geno Autry? My 1st Horse, early '70's. Great hobby for myself, sons, and now grandsons. Sure, we've sold a few but only to make room for more. Our 1st tractor was a '32 Farmall, 4 cyl, crank start. I've been told but never confirmed, 1st year rubber tires were used on the Farmall's. Was a Rough 'n Tumble, Kinzers, PA member for many years. http://www.roughandtumble.org/

Being new to the Wheel Horse world, the following these tractors get amazes me. It seems many of you on this site have many in the herd and you buy more. I'm just curious why you buy more and what you guys do with them??? Do you use them all, fix them and sell them, just add them to the collection to sit around, flip them, etc. I got into this because my pap passed and I wanted a sentimental piece.

pulled the horses out today for some sunshine but all we got was a cold windy day instead sorry about the pic guys I don't understand why it keeps turning them sideways

Why do I buy? Many times I ask myself that. I know that the first time the first one came home one beautifull afternoon, and as me and my oldest son were just in awe of it, knowing virtually nothing about it at the time, I did have a sense that somehow, due to the happiness and joy we felt, that this little faded red old tractor had just taken over our lives. I collect and have interest in all kinds of stuff, but this was just different. It was a life changing moment. It made an already great father/son relationship even greater. It made me aware of a great American story about survival, perseverence, ingenuity, and family. It gave me the opportunity to meet and to know a lot of great people and learn stuff I would not even dream of doing if not for that day. It made me apreciate even more the great things that were manafactured in a great period of this country. So still the question.Why do I buy? More definitely make me happier. More definitely allow me to learn more. More definitely expose me to more great people. More definitely increases the chance of saving pieces of history. More definitely exposes other people to them and and allows them to share the happiness. I use them all in a regular basis. Some to do serious work, some to just ride around, and some just to look at and enjoy them. There is also a great deal of sentimental value attached to a few of them and it is a fact that they will be around here for at least the next two generations.

I wouldn't say a "no-no", but it will be a real female dog in heat to remove!

Check the two PTO safety switches for loose wires or corroded terminals.

I needed something to maintain the property at the family vacation house. 1/2 acre grass and some serious driveway. It had to mow the lawn, pull a driveway rake of sorts, plow dirt and snow, and fit in my truck. Who wants to tow a trailer 225 miles if there's a major problem? The search was on! I started with JDs and Gravelys. JD was to exspensive, Gravely 4 wheel were to big. Then I remembered my dads friend had a WH back in the 80s. So I looked into them. Smallest of the GTs of the day. Easily transportable, inexpensive to repair, accessories are readily available. These lil red tractors blew me away! They did everything better than I could've imagined. I have every accessory I could ever need. The 50" mid mount grader blade was an added bonus. We have over 1/2 mile of shared common driveways. I typically regrade once very spring. WH have made the job fun and easy. In the past five years I've probably bought and sold, ok Craig "flipped" 15 or so tractors over the past few years. To the point that they've pretty much paid for the keepers.

I grew up on a farm with 2 wheel horse lawn rangers one was Grandpa's and one was DADs (now mine) we had a pretty big lawn so they got used alot and also getting worked on alot due to both lawn rangers had Tecumseh engines and anybody that owns a Tecumseh will tell you to be best friends with a mechanic because you will be spending lots of time together or learn how to repair it yourself or walk. So needless to say I learned how to fix them and never looked back, so to answer your question it gets in your blood and I have a lot of memory's with them and it's very hard to beat the quality of wheel horses

Lane, while I was typing you just summed it all up with your great pictures! I love them.

Today lake effect kicked in 18 inches here south of buffalo.... Big D took care of it. Also I got a thing for these Wheel horse Sleds lately this is my 3rd one now...

Craig is right. Flip? I think when you flip something,you're supposed to make money.I've lost on every one I ever sold,except one that I got for free and only had to charge the battery.There could be a lot worse things to collect than garden tractors.I buy them because I want them.Most of the time,they're fun to work on.

I think I may have said this before but my company manufactures commercial roofing material and while we are not the cheapest out there by far, EVERYTHING we sell in our entire product line is made here in AMERICA ! Our quality is head and shoulders above our competition.

"I also may try to use a section of footrest from the parts tractor to sort of fill the void between the extra mounting holes (those on the outside) and the original footrest. Still trying to work out a design that comes close to looking factory." Just a slight bit of an update to sorting out the widened footrest design. What I decided to do is cut opposing edges off the two footrests from the tractor I am restoring and the two from my parts tractor. This approach seemed like the only logical design to accomplish a "factory" look. When the cuts were completed on the two pieces for the left footrest I test fitted them only to discover that the piece of angle I had clamped to one as a guide for my cut had been misaligned and about a 1/8" gap was present for the length of a few inches. On the two cuts for the right footrest the surfaces were filed to fit without any issues. So now I have turned these over to the welder, but was told it may be awhile before he can fit these into his schedule. I only took one picture of the left side with the pieces in place. Since I have purchased all of the parts that I needed for turning brakes* {most of which are new old stock} I am planning on adding this option to the tractor. This requires that the middle of the front of the right footrest will have to remain open, so consequently I will also leave the middle of the front of the left footrest open just for the sake of keeping things symmetrical. *A couple of the rods and the disc's are not included in the picture as these were still on the parts tractor when this pic was taken.

I bought this with the intention of using it. It ran great, but it did not move. I figured the hydro was shot, It did not leak any fluid like when I had to replace the hydro pump in other d series I own. I figured, since Ihave to pull the motor, I should give it a paint job and clean up. The pump was fine, it was only the coupler. Here is how it turned out.

Warning: Long WInded. I grew up on a 1984 C-105 that my dad bought when he was building our house about 1987 (I was 1). Rode on it when I was a wee one and plowed snow on it and cut the 1 acre of grass for probably 10 years. My dad had no special attachment to it so when the engine went for a second time about 2010, he parked it and bought a Deere. I had so many memories growing up on it that I told him to keep it for me, I would restore it. I remember giving my cousins rides in the wagon and many many hours spend in the seat cutting grass (and cursing the 8 speed transmission when cutting the back corner of the yard ) I always LOVED when it snowed to get some seat time pushing snow. I remember always chatting with my dad about how much better built the WH seemed than all the other garden tractors we'd ever seen. When my dad bought the new Deere he had to pay nearly $200 for the kit to angle the snow blade from the seat! That feature CAME with the WH plow over 20 years prior! We always liked how the long plow frame put the pushing power right at the drive wheels. I signed up for the old RedSquare way back in the day (I just found my old registration email! I signed up on 2/1/2010) to find out information on them. I lurked without posting for many years but then I got bit by the bug after buying a C-125 to replace the engine in the C-105. After learning all about them I started searching for the grandaddy kohler powered C-165 with a hydro transmission. I found a ratty one on ebay and voila i owned my third tractor! Then I found a little round hood I want to have for my son(s) to work on too. I bought a 520 because I really wanted the gear reduction steering and swept axle for better turning radius, but then I got sucked in by the sound of the onan (dont get me wrong, Kohler for reliability, but Onan sounded sweet) so I am making a swept axle onan powered blackhood.

Well I have it all figured out now. When I had magnets fall out I didn't glue them back in the same way. I never thought of this as this was the first time I have ever experienced it. So after a new Kohler stator and flywheel she is charging better than when it was new. So goodbye to the funky two-terminal regulator in favor of a three-terminal unit and a redone harness.

Sweet ride. That 7.3 is barely broken in. Congrats. I had been looking for a decent 7.3 around here and everything I came across was loaded with rot. Ended up with a heavy chevy with a Duramax. Has 127000 on it but so far so good.

My horses are 30 to 60 years old and still perform like they are new. It's hard to not like something that reliable!

I have wanted one of these for years and it had to be the 7.3! I have worked on a lot of Diesels and in my experiance this is one of the easyest and most dependable. I am not a big Ford fan, But the Super Duty is the only one I like. And it finally has come down enough to fit my budget.

There ya go, my disgust with the garbage coming across the pond has been building for years, a nice way of putting it ., most of the crap we buy today is " functional " but not made to work, it's made to break so you run and buy another. Years ago I took the potatoes out with a potato plow , things changed and I don't grow enough to warrant a plow so I figured on forking them out , went through two Chinese forks Lowe's offers then I got an idea , there's a retired guy at the farmers market buys hand tools, cleans them up sells them at his stand - BINGO - found one cleaned up nice ( potato fork ) probably older than me- I've been digging tater's with that fork for 15 years and it doesn't even creek when I put the leverage to it. Best 10 bucks I ever spent

I got the sheet metal back from the welder. I had all the cracks TIG welded, and the weld goes all the way through the crack. Below is an example of the finished repair on the worst crack in the upper dash panel. My friend is a great welder (and Wheel Horse owner as well), and always does an excellent job. BEFORE AFTER WELD AND GRIND AFTER SAND AND PRIME More pictures will follow, but I am a little busy at the moment and can't devote as much time to the project as I'd like.

I have found that if I sit and dwell on everything bad that is going on in my life, I would go stark raving mad. Lol. I always try to line out my doctors appointments and medicine schedules, then I try not to think much about the situation at hand. I'm not much of a television watcher, so, I usually end up burying my nose in informative reading materials. I took the Kohler test online the night before my first chemo treatment because I couldn't sleep from worrying. I am now starting a 21 chapter ebook on the Elements of Metallurgy and Engineering. That should keep the thinker from thinking too much!

I never heard of a Wheel Horse until the year I bought my 310-8 (1991) -- My neighbor had an old Raider (I think) and said he had purchased it on the recommendation of people who knew about garden and lawn tractors -- So I included Wheel Horse in my search for something new to mow a steep lawn and push snow -- Wheel Horse won my search effort because it was the least expensive (compared to JD; Honda, Cub; Oh yeah now I remember seriously considering a new Snapper that was in the same ball park in $s and capabilities as the 310-8) of real garden tractors at the time (well maybe Honda was a lawn tractor, but they were priced just like the other good stuff) -- 23+ years later still using the 310-8 and liked it enough to go out and purchase a 1987 418-A 2 years ago (just so I could say I had one of the bigger WH tractors and now I had a hydrostatic Wheel Horse) -- Also have started adding more attachments as I find them (mid-mount blade; tiller; and maybe a blower if I decide to spend a few bucks {a snow blower would be useful every 3-4 years in this part of the country}) -- So far I have purchased them to use them with a little bit of "now I can afford to buy some toys" collecting working its way in here in the last few years

Nailed it Lane! And I thought I did a good job... Lane takes the cake here.

Neat idea... for that...you know..."heavy load".

Watchin' the weather. Praying for y'all in the midwest, west, cold frigid. Feeling fairly cold but nothing compared to what a lot of y'all are dealing with. Praying for your safety nonstop. The Stallions in the barn need Horse blankets even though I turned their overhead LP gas heater on. Set their thermostat on 50°F and hired the grandsons to rub 'em down and lube their dozer linkages. Put chains on, "Get ready to mount the Horses boys!" The boys have been waitin' for this since March 2014. Ugh! I hate them! Maybe not.

AJ.

Awesome!! Well done! (maybe not a good idea to make that public knowledge )

There should not be 20 volts ANYWHERE in an SG circuit so its not a matter of IF its reaching the battery.

If 20 volts is reaching the battery, the SG is not being controlled by the regulator. Remove the wire from the FIELD (F) terminal of the SG, start the engine and run it at 3/4 throttle again. If the battery voltage remains at 12.x and does not jump to 20, the regulator is at fault. Simply put, the SG is BEING TOLD to produce full voltage by the faulty regulator. Inside the regulator is a relay that only functions to ground or lift the ground from the FIELD terminal. When the field is grounded, the SG puts out full voltage (20 volts you measured earlier). It is the function of the voltage relay in the regulator to un-ground the FIELD terminal when the voltage from the SG reached 14.x If the relay never lifts the ground off the FIELD terminal, the SG puts out full voltage (20 volts). Since the DC voltage output of the SG is RPM dependent, a slower engine speed results in less SG voltage output. If the regulator is bad (or maladjusted) the SG will only output 12.x volts at idle. This could explain the 12 / 20 volt swing you see at different engine speeds. The good news is it sounds like your SG is healthy.

I grabbed a set of Craftsman standard and metric ignition "midget" wrench sets before the holidays. They were on sale at a great price and can't hurt having a dedicated set in the tool chest on my electronics bench. TOOL MADE IN USA BAG MADE IN CHINA is imprinted on the bag. Even with the first touch pulling them out of the bag, you could tell they were rough. Looks like they were cast in sets, snapped off the runners of the cast and the flash from the runners not even removed from the tool before they were chrome plated. Closed end of the wrench is not centered in the tool, the sides of the wrench are not ground smooth - a real disappointment, I looked at a set I bought in the 1970's as a comparison. Very disappointing - even tho they are MADE IN THE USA.

Great job Jake. My restored 58 has both straps broken off. I do not want to weld then I need to repaint so... I am going to try your method of epoxy. One thing that I have learned is to build a tank support on my RJs. While on the trailer going to shows is where the most stress occurs. I got to a show one time only to find my gas tank broken off. I cannot find a pic but I simply use a threaded rod and fab up a connection on both ends. One goes to the bolt under the front tank strap and the other goes down to the bolt that holds the front of the hood to the frame. It is not original but should have been.....

Finally got about 2 hours of seat time in the 520.. that's in, not on. WE only got 3" here so I did mine and 4 neighbors.... 3"X5 = 15" The heated cab is the only way to go....26F outside and check it out

Once 'n awhile, grandson(s) say, "The Horses need to go outside for awhile." OK boys, let's do it.

Wow, those look amazing. I would love to have one with the blade and a 48" deck but I know they will be out of my price range. Look forward to owning one of those some day. *drifts off to dream land again*

Doooh! Sorry about the confusion of 10mm vs 8mm. All the direct readout digital calipers I use make you expect the "final answer" is displayed on the dial. I have both sizes on order and scheduled to arrive any day now.