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What else does a retired guy hafta do with his time but make movies! We Got slammed w 18" last night Chucked this morn and probably will later this Eve. Nothing like more seat time! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQKNiU3fOD4&list=UU7wuEBq4kYyHz0ytg3WDv2g

What is more fun than hauling home a new Horse! I get pretty excited when all of the thoughts begin flyin thru my mind about how my latest find is going to turn out... Restoration is fun for me. With my other hobbies I have room for 6 tractors. When the time does come to sell or trade (my favorite) I'm content in knowing that they ALWAYS leave my place in better shape than they arrived... It may sound a little corny but I like to rescue the ones that have been put out to pasture.. I was offered a lot of money for my little Hot Rod Suburban at last yrs. Big Show. Not for sale. This is the one tractor that anytime I ride it I'm a little kid again without a care in the world! FUN. That is what its all about for me... I can remember the day my son Cole went to pick up my Suburban and 633 (which also got restored) from Cre1992 (aka Charles) The whole ride home I was so full of excitement, it was like I was 10 yrs. old again, without a care in the world!

My collecting/addiction started in 1985 when my wonderful wife and I were married. We bought a small home and needed a mower to keep it cut. I asked my boss at the time if he knew anyone with a used mower for sale, he said sure and took me by the gentleman's house after work. He showed me a little 656 Wheel Horse, it ran good and cut grass, just what we needed. Turns out my boss had been pulling Wheel Horse Tractors for years. So it's his fault for my being addicted. I fell in love with that tough little tractor, it went through a lot of abuse and never failed us once. I started my 25 year firefighting career shortly thereafter and we were able to afford a nicer home with about the same amount of property, it was an excuse to buy another Wheel Horse! I found a very well cared for 74 A90 Special that my wife still uses to this day. The collection had begun. Today we have seven which are protected in a small barn, where else. I have always enjoyed tinkering with them. When I was diagnosed with Melanoma skin cancer in 2005 and Leukemia in 2008, which with other job related injuries took me out of work in 2012, the Horses(and my loving better half)started taking care of me, keeping my mind off health issues. Sorry for being so longwinded and thanks to everyone who have helped answer my questions and supported me through the years!

my new snow blade thanks Lane ranger

Here's what drugg home today electro 12 PTO is missing and one hub cap I will post better pics when I get it home

Brass Monkey..... It is often stated that the phrase originated from the use of a brass tray, called a "monkey", to hold cannonballs on warships in the 16th to 18th centuries. Supposedly, in very cold temperatures the "monkey" would contract, causing the balls to fall off. That seems a little cleaner.

Nothing worse than the word "mash" when it doesn't pertain to potatoes!

Polaroids: What Eskimo's get from sitting on ice blocks too long!

Met up with another Red Square Member -Tristan Wilson of Versailles, Kentucky today. We met in Scottsburg, Indiana at the Hampton Inn (about half way for each of us) to deliver a Wheel Horse 42 inch Snowplow and rear hitch attachment that he purchased from me. Great guy and he has a small engine repair shop in Versailles! I enjoyed the short, very cold visit (about 10 degrees) with Tristan and his friend James

It might not be completely done, but it does the job I originally bought it for. It plows snow! We didn't get that much snow, but it was drifting enough that I thought I would try it out and I must say I'm impressed. The loaded tires work great and I might not even need the chains. The only thing I might do different, if there is a next time, is make the step up to hydraulics. Lifting the snow blade is quite the pain. Still need to order some knobs and my decals, but at least I can use it now. Many thanks to everyone who has helped me get this far! I didn't keep track of how much this has cost me, but I am guessing I should be well under $1500 for the total investment. More than I originally planned to spend, but I think it's a worthwhile investment.

I get a smile on my face and a tear in my eye every time I see this picture. Glad both you and the tractor survived Bob. Sent from my tractor seat.

as far as dim lights at night, I remember my grand pappy used to say "yellow teeth? wear a brown tie" tractor translation = dim lights? use the tractor during the daytime until you find the problem.

Growing up, a friend of my dad's would let use his wheel horse to till our garden every spring. I was hooked on wheel horse ever since. My father in law and I have a few acres on the water that I maintain. He bought a new cub cadet 7-8 years ago and I was never impressed with it. My neighbor had a wheel horse 310, and he knew I wanted one. He came over one day and asked if I would be interested in a non running 314-8 that had been setting under a tarp for several years. It had less than 300 hours on it and cleaned up nicely. I got a deck for it and now have a nice tractor to cut grass with. I have since bought a C160 that also turned out to be a great worker. It was supposed to be a restoration project-maybe I'll get around to it one of these days.

Yes it makes the grass longer so I can go round again and get more seat time. :-)

Because if I didn't spend my money wisely on Wheel Horse collecting.....my wife would probably spend it fixing up the broken down car or on much needed house repairs!!!

Wheel Horse tractors have a fascinating history from the early days in the Pond garage until Toro killed the brand. They are fun to ride, well constructed, easy to work on/repair/restore/rebuild, and for the most part, replacement parts are still readily available. Four years ago, I knew absolutely nothing about Wheel Horse tractors other than my dad bought one new in 1962 when I was 6 years old. He sold it sometime in the '70s. Flashforward some 40 years, my uncle found my dad's old Wheel Horse 3-1/2 years ago. He picked it up from the son of the gentleman who actually bought it from my dad. My uncle knew that I had driven this tractor as a youngster and was pretty sure that I'd be interested in it so he got it for free and then gave it me for free. It took me three years to restore it from this in 2011... ... to this in 2014... I now have collected 10 Wheel Horse tractors in the past 3-1/2 years including... ... a show quality 1955 RJ-35... ... a nearly original, early serial number 1958 RJ-58... ... a 1977 C-120 puller... ... my worker, a 1995 314-8 speed... ... and my most recent purchase last month of a 1990 520-H... Collecting and restoring Wheel Horse garden tractors is now my #1 hobby and best of all... you will not meet any better people than Wheel Horse collectors at the many garden tractor shows around the country... and here at RedSquare, the source where you will find everything you need to know about your Wheel Horses.

It's so cold that my lawyer has his hands in his own pockets.

Why do I buy?? That's a good question. It's my hobby, it's what I enjoy. Pretty simple to work on. Dad bought the first Wheel Horse in 72'. Yes it was a GT14. A fantastic tractor which I got to know quite well over a period of four years before Calif.. I plowed an awful lot of snow tilled more dirt than you can shake a stick at. Probably mowed about two acres a week sometimes more. With the pushing snow in mind I get out and clear the walks here in my neighborhood. So no one pays me I enjoy it! That's why I buy because its enjoyable to me and alot of my friends!! We have a fantastic time, go to the Big show!!!! Go to a swap meet, sell tractors or attachments, camp overnight and hang out with nothing but Good people. Once you get involved you'll Know

Flip? As in...

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.

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.

5 years old sitting on my dads 701 nuff said

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!

During my recent project I decided to build an engine stand for Kohler single cylinder rebuilds, this is what I came up with.

Im new to the wheelhorse forum but with that being said im excited to start adding to my collection, I currently have a 1968 lawn ranger and a 1973 raider 12 8 spd.

There I was ... plowing the first real snow of the season ... ¼ mile from home at the in-laws and the faithful C125 just laid down and quit with a bladeful of fluffy white snow. The ol' mule hasn't done anything like that in over 15 years. Aw... come-on girl ... back to work. Turned the key .... adjusted the choke and throttle levers ... nope ... not gonna go. I got off and checked the fuel ... even though I knew it was reciently filled ... and it was nearly full. I got back on and tried to coax her back to life ... no way. This is gonna be a long push home ... and it's all up hill. Well, how about a look under the hood? So I stand up and flip up the hood. Woah! The spark plug wire is off of the spark plug! The cap is missing off of the spark plug though. Oh ... it's not missing .... it's in the wire terminal. How's that possible? It screwed off of the plug while captured by the wire terminal. Well, it won't press back on like that ... has to be screwed on. So I took the wire out of the coil, screwed the "wire" onto the plug, reinserted the wire back into the coil. Closed the hood. Turned the key. And we were ready to ride again. How often does that happen? Never ever happened to me before!

Great vid Duke old buddy Jo and I thought MJ was driving at first you'd think someone with nutin to do would have time to get his hair cut Brian

My old boss used to say.....colder than three billys be damned.....I have no clue what it means though....but I would laugh at it....still tickles me for some reason....

I always use the Brass Monkey quote but never knew where it originated,thanks Hillbilly..

Watch out for the hair, you can put an eye out.

The Alan Parsons Project.

I love the electronics on board!!!!!!!!!!! -Nate

Not this one VP!!! Its healing already still a little sore... it happened like 2 weeks ago... I drill a hole in the nail to relieve the pressure the next day and it felt so much better!! -Nate

It's actually not that bad to lift. I put 2 Springs on it and made them adjustable. And yeah I moved the bracket back. I don't need it for mowing so it works out great. I also had to build a new way to angle the blade. The original was cut off by the previous owner

Glad you found yourself a blade It's a shame to have a stable full of horses and still have to shovel snow!

Here are a few more pics

That question isn't directed towards me but I'll toss my opinion out anyways. The 76 and 77 C's are the same. Starting in 78 they made some changes. More sheet metal on the hood tower is one of them and I preferred the simpler look iof the earlier models. In 78 they also stopped mounting the motor directly to the frame and started using what I refer to as a 'wobbly mount'. I hated that mount but that's just my

No matter what happens it will be sad to Sears go. Wayyyy back in the day you could buy just about anything from them thru their catalog including small homes in kit form, boats, outboards , popup campers you name it. I was baffled a few yrs. ago when I found out K-Mart bought Sears. One struggling company buying another struggling company is a bad recipe.. 30 yrs. ago I can remember bringing in a Buster Brown shoe box full of busted ratchets and screw drivers that had either bent handle's or broken tips. Service with a smile and all new tools to match the quality of the ones I returned, not cheaper variations.. Those were the good old days.. One of the things IMHO that didn't help Sears out in my area was getting involved with being an anchor store at the local mall. I think they should have looked into being a stand alone store somewhere easy to get to without having to deal with the mall nonsense. My father in law has a ton of tools from Sears dating back to the 50's and 60's. Real tough to beat the quality.. Made to last a few lifetime's...

here's what they look like after I put the decals on the tractor to bad the tractor doesn't look as good as the decals

been around wheelhorse most of my life,my nana had one that I drove ,mowed,pulled harrows,plowed snow,cut neighbors lawns,and this was before I was 10,loved them so much I bought a new one when I was 23,for my country property that I still live on and still have my 308,ya ive added a few,7 more,and use them all,it nice to have backups and not have to move implements around,and I enjoy buying a wreck and bring her back to life

I just love these old tractors. I purchased my first new in 1979 and then picked up two used ones years later. I tinkered with the used ones and got the bugs out. The 79 model with a 48" blade I use for pushing snow and the other two are for cutting grass. If one breaks down I don't have to rush to fix it, i just use the other one. I would like to have more but I don't have storage space and with a bad back it is getting harder for me to keep up the maintenance on the ones I have. I love looking at the other members tractors on Red Square and following their threads on restorations. I know there are other good older model tractors out there but for me nothing can compare to a Wheel Horse. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Exactly. I have one tractor that fell into my lap a few years back. A 1966 856 with a few attachments. I was instantly impressed at how simple it was but how stout it was at the same time. You can not buy a garden tractor like what they used to make back then. They are real work machines and don't be afraid to work them as that's what they were built to do. I have space for more, but honestly I like the idea of having the one, making it my baby and maintaining her like one. You cant go wrong with a wheel horse and like some other brands every sit has there opinions. Some of the old round hoods with the tractor seats are awesome and if I could add another it would be one of them. Enjoy the ride if you own 1 or 40. Some have made it a true hobby to collect. As father with a 20 month old and another due in May I just don't have the time for more tractors.

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.

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 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

Hey, I took that picture of Dave and Lane (with his Wheel Horse chair over his head) at the Sycamore show this year. Look at that smiley face on Lane...he and his brother had just showed up at the show.

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

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.

We all really should have seen this coming when K-mart started selling Craftsman tools. K-mart doesn't even honor the Craftsman warranty. It's only a matter of time before Sears disappears completely.