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Well this comes up every few years, and if you notice under my name, I've been here a long time, I'm member 85 out of what 11,000 members, so I'm going to say I part tractors out, and make money doing it, if I didn't make money I sure as heck would not put up with the BS I get selling parts, for every 10 parts request I get I might sell 5 parts, I stock over 100 tractors and literally thousands of parts, and have sold to MANY MANY members here. To the original poster, you have to part out nice machines to get good parts, take that old worn out junker, and part it out, what will you get old worn out parts, kinda hard to sell a junk part, do I part out clean ready to use tractors, NO, but I also don't give them away, why would I sell a running machine for less than $300-400 that I can part out for $600+ Do I part out rare or hard to find models ? NO, I try not to part out any round hoods, but it happens, try to restore a tractor that needs parts with out a used parts supplier, many parts are NLA from Toro, and if they are available they are not cheap, buying good used parts KEEPS this hobby alive, with used parts the hobby would be hard to do looking at you broken tractor that you can't get parts for.

I think the original poster was talking about the fellow(s)who are parting out HUNDREDS of tractors a year. That is occurring and has been for some time, the guys post it on YouTube. I saw what looked like 100 NICE John Deere's lined up reading for slaughter, with a row of Cub Cadets as well. Along with them were CASE, Bolens, Massey, Wheel Horse, and other lesser production tractors, many of which were only made one year and could have been saved with parts from other models not so rare. I believe this is the REAL concern the OP has and it is a very good one because while they literally made a million John Deere and Cub Cadet garden tractors by 1980, that is not the case with Wheel Horse, CASE, Bolens, Massey, and some of the other smaller production units. This hobby and many forums will drastically change in a few years, just as the big tractor hobby has, because AS SOON as the people that REALLY care about these machine pass on (die) the tractors will fall into the hands of scrapers, flippers, and people who do not posses the maturity to own a used MTD let alone a piece of history. This forum should be applauded for its members and its dedication to the hobby, many other forums are just a committee (actual name of the flock) of vultures looking for carrion.

Don't worry about pissing anyone off on this forum. We all don't agree on everything. A heated debate adds interest to the forum. I did believe what you do and I hated to see good tractors parted out until I needed parts that were no longer available and I did not want to by parts off a piece of junk. I was glad there are people providing good parts and not selling the metal for scrap. The way I look at it now is the parts from one good machine keep many others going. As long as the parts are recycled and not scrapped I am good with that.

In a capitalistic marketplace, there is a need right now for entrepreneurs to find various makes of garden tractors and part them out. It's because there is a need for it. A market for parts of older USA built equipment. If a particular make of tractor becomes scarce or rare, then the entrepreneur has to weigh the difference between parting one out or selling as a whole machine. I would not be so down on these business-people that are merely catering to our needs. If we wouldn't collect tractors, they wouldn't have a market to sell parts. We need each other and there isn't a soul on here that won't need a part from a parted out tractor at some point in their hobby. (I bought two Onan P220 heads from Joe this week! Thank you, Joe)! If you take a part off your own shelf from a parts tractor you had, your using a donor part. It doesn't make any difference if the tractor being parted out had 200 hours on it or 2000. If it is rusted or beautiful. If we didn't need parts, they wouldn't be doing what they are doing. Ever wonder how many scrappers took thousands of dollars of garden tractors to bone yards for the price of just the metal? Those tractors simply were sorted and scrapped. A friend of mine back in 2011 saw a tractor on a trailer of scrap metal and told me about it. I got it for free and actually got it to run though it used a little oil! (OK....it used a lot of oil)! I took parts from it and then gave it to another fellow Redsquare member to do what he pleased. You can't save them all and if you try, you will go broke and that is NOT an exaggeration.

I've been looking for a little round hood that I can put to work. It will be mostly clean-up plowing in the winter and tow a trailer around in the summer without using 5 gallons of gas. I was able to work out a great deal with Devin for this sweet 854. I think much of it is original (let me know what you see, i dont have an eye for these older models yet). I'm not going for factory original, I just want mechanical soundness. It looks like the right rear axle has some up/down movement so I may be replacing the transmission with an 8 speed. Havent decided whether to do that or to dig into the transmission and hunt down parts. The hubs were replaced with 5 bolt, there is a cigar lighter that's been added to the gas tank (... ), the headlights are on a reproduction bar and are not original obviously, and there were 4 holes drilled in the top of the hood and two of them started ripping. The seam is also coming apart a bit. All mostly minor items (except the holes that bug me). I know there are a lot of people out there in the keep it original camp: what would you do with the holes (at least one has sharp edges which may cause harm to an errant finger)? It came with a spare 8HP block (the block on it is cracked a little at the exhaust) and accessories, I got ags, and tri ribs, a pretty good condition rear discharge mower that turns smooth and has solid metal all around. I even got a plow for my engine-less 551 project. I am very happy with this haul, and feel like I got a very fair deal. Devin's a good guy.

I've always wanted a pressure washer and figured that the attachamatic on the front of the horse would make a great mounting point. I've been collecting parts for a few weeks and finally got a chance to put this together. Here is a shot of the mock-up with the pulley attached to the pump. The pump is 4.0 gpm at 4000 psi and the pulley size puts the engine rpms at 3000. I had an old mule drive that I had used the shaft and pulleys for another project. I added a few pieces of tubing and angle to mount the pump and a fancy "patented" tensioner. I removed the original tensioning screw and added a hook in the rear that locks the whole assembly rigidly to the attachamatic. It works. Now its all disassembled for some paint. It takes about 3 min to install and put on the belt.

I give up.I see I'm pissing up the wrong tree here.

Got the engine back together as a short block today...Here's a couple pictures of it. Going to let the silicone I used on the gaskets dry and then get it to where I can test run it before painting it.

I bought the harbor freight lift for 299.00 not bad for lifting up the wheel horses. I'll have to custom some wider plates to the side for wider tractors. Otherwise very impressed with the quality of the lift... The 420 lse is on the lift in the pictures.

Ok, who can give me information on and a few pictures of a 1957 rj. Here is what happened today and it falls under the catagory of dumb luck. my wife joined a neighborhood community on the computer a few weeks back. She has been pestering me to join. I took a look on the site and said what the heck. So today I joined up. At first I thought it was just a group of old hens yapping it up. No sir, it wasnt, plenty of fellas to. I said to myself, what the heck. So I put up a wheel horse wanted ad, anything wheel horse related. Less that an hour later I get a response from an older gent. He has 2 wheel horse, might consider getting rid of them both. They are in a back shed thats buried in snow. We need a melt off to get to them. One is the 1957 rj with plow and the other is a 1998 12 hp model kf which he forgets. The 57 was bought brand new by his father. He has a few attachments for each, but cant remember what all is there for each. who wants to school me on each and maybe a few pictures to. To say I am excited is a understatement. They can be junk or jewels. And even if junk a diamond in the rough. Thanks fellas. Dumb luck happens sometimes dont it. Glenn

I restored this one completely, I'm pretty certain anyone that saw it knows I did it right. I had at least a week into just repairing holes in the hood and the body work on the hood. Quality paint was used and countless hrs. went into wet sanding and buffing. I sold it about a yr. ago for 850 bucks, pretty reasonable IMO. Boy was I surprised to find it being parted out right in our very own classifieds and on Ebay. Who does that to a beautiful and rare 603? Yeah, I know who but we aren't going there... . I bought it from a scrapper, in a few days it was headed to meet its maker. I thought I saved it... I doubt I even broke even when I sold it, That's not really what its all about to me.. Kelly is #1 in my book, as for the other guy the OP might be talking about.. I guess at the end of the day it is helping to pay his bills.

OK..........I AM WAY WAY IMPRESSED,,,,,,,,,,VERYYYY NICE

If every Wheel Horse that needed repaired got parted out, there wouldn't be any need for used parts!

Well I am way down here in Florida where there are not a lot of wheel horses or parts. I have about 9 tractors that I got from my father when he passed. I plan on parting out three of them just to make the other six nice. It costs way to much to have larger parts shipped and pay the asking price. Most of the ones I have look nice but when you start digging in them you find wacked wiring, rusted parts, missing parts, this motor doesnt run and this trans needs axle........ I have no problem parting some of mine. Others may live because of it. And they all are pretty much complete and in decent shape. Problem is there are not too many people that are gonna drive from up north to florida for an average tractor. So I have my own parts store. I also like to customize and love street rod style hot rods. Wait till you see what I have planned for the D-160 leftovers.......

Get a copper welding spoon and give it a go. Get a piece of sheet metal from somewhere and drill some holes in it and practice. You really cant hurt the hood much more than it is and when you were done welding it, grind/sand the repair smooth, sit it out in the weather and let mother nature have at it. Once its rusted, coat it with some preservative and wipe her down. Thats what I would do. Looks nice the way it is.

I would too, I love old world craftsmanship!

What we need is someone who can program one of those new 3D printers to print wheel horse parts for us and print them in the correct color.

I'd like to see one of his newly fabbed roundhoods Scotty.

I bought one of the smaller ones and love it. You can sit in a chair and work all around it. Just used some blocks in the center. wheels come off easy when they are dangling. One problem though , it will not go low enough to just slide under this lawn ranger so some fussing around is needed to get it on and off but no big deal for less than $200. Also use the lift for my hit and miss engines.

I am of the opinion that one can do as one pleases with one's posessions. However I also agree that it is sad and many times an outright shame such a thing occurs. Being a collector of many other great American products of yesteryears, I have witnessed this happen over and over again. Unfortunately once the math is done , many people realize that there is money to be made in parting out these sometimes irreplaceable relics and so the parting begins for the sake of making money. Although money is always the main reason, other times owners try to sell a restored tractor into which they poured money that can never be recuperated selling whole. I do agree that if tractor is too far gone to be salvageable then parting it out will benefit others. I only have one tractor which one could say is unique and really irreplaceable, and although I am reasonably sure that it will not leave the family for at least the next two generations, there are specific instructions as to what is to happen to it after me in case they don't want it. Making money out of it is not an option. Respecting it for what it is and placing it where it will be apreciated and secure is. Many will say "issues" I know but its because I have so called issues that I am a member here.

Engine block - Theres plenty of junk motors out there to not part out good tractors. Cyl head - Same thing Carb - Every carb is rebuildable Brand new parts easily availiable right at my local napa 10 dollars a rebuild. Mower deck - Parting a mahcine out for a mower deck? Hood - Where did the hood go? And i know a guy who can make one Fedner Pan - Same thing Rear hubs - Easily avalilable new And he is talking about RUNNING machines that there is nothing wrong with.

How do you make an engine block,cyl head,carb,mower deck,hood,fender pan,rear hub,I could go on and on.Face it,it's impossible to make most parts.

How easily does it store? Maybe lean it up against a wall? What is the height when it's all the way down and sitting on the floor? How about maximum height? Sorry for so many questions.Inquiring minds want to know.

Very nice. I have thought about that same purchase. It is on sale locally now ($299) Yea, maybe a little narrow! Nice looking herd in the barn.

They built a museum on Route 66 to house all the guns, it is THE LARGEST private gun collection IN THE WORLD. They still get gun donations to this day. They have about every outlaw and lawman's gun you can imagine, here's the web site to the Jim Davis Gun Museum. I really don't think most Americans know much about Will Rogers, but I rate him up there with Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln. He was a giant. http://www.thegunmuseum.com/

The valve is on the outside of the wheel?

Tank looks great. Cant wait to see the rest of the tractor.

Hey Mark it looks real good. Glad I could help you out.

That sure is shiney! Is seat welting the same as the trim you see on those tanks? Very nice ,BTW!

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​I know you really don't want that nasty old thing, just bring it to the big show and I will take it off your hands. That is a fine looking 953, congratulations.

Rollin' rollin' rollin'... Sounds like you have a Rawhide adventure going on there. While you're coming up 74, might as well turn off onto 24 and come to east York. My yard could use a good rollin' also. Actually, I would like to get my horses out and play, but the yard is still a bit mushy from all that snow melt this week.

Great find Brandon. I too liked the lights. I'm going after a nice 857 w/cart on Wednesday. Never any round hoods where I go looking.

capacity 400# plus......checked it today with wife on platform.....worked flawlessly. lol I hope she's not reading this thread.

I wonder what people are thinking when they start drilling holes everywhere. At least its all repairable. Great find, I looked for months for my 854 and it was worth it, gotta love the round hoods.

I'd keep that tractor all original. Great patina. Keep the hood. Find a body shop to weld in flush plugs/patch panels and leave it alone. No paint. Raw repair. A good welder can also repair that split seam on the side of the hood. Don't paint it. Don't get a different hood. Save that one. Nice find. I like the lights and the original paint. What in the world did they have mounted to the hood? PO that did that should be hauled off and hit by a firing squad.

I finished my Blast Cabinet and have been putting it to work. Initially I had a few dust leaks around my front load door, but have improved the seal. Here's some pictures. As I built it, I spent some time working on getting the arm hole height, spacing and window height so I can comfortable sit on a stool while using it. The work area is 30w x 48L x 36D and the cabinet overall is 64" high 1st Blast load, C161 rims, deck belt guards, iron tractor seat, and antique sewing machine stand (I promised my wife this project would help me complete some projects for her!) 24" saw mill blade (someday will be my shop sign) and boat motor covers I've learned one of the side benefits of the large cabinet is that I can work on several items at the same time. I set the sewing machine stand parts and iron seat on top of the rims, By the time I was finished with them, the rims below them were 3/4 blasted Next load WH 42" deck, 312-8 hood & seat pan

Hope it works out for you Glenn. Your wife is gonna wish she didn't pester you to join! At least you can tell her its all her fault!

a 57 RJ should be a RJ35 with all belt drive could have a clinton 1200 or a kohler K90 engine there are some differences between the early RJ35's a 57 would have the larger three spoke steering wheel with plastic handle a larger belt guard and four bolts on the rear of the hood to hold it two on top and one on each side and it has wheel horse molded in the front of the hood sheet metal Brian

Dumb luck or good luck it can all be the same.

That's cool Glenn. I hope it turns out to be a complete gem for you. There's many here much better versed on the RJ's than me and I'm sure they will chime in shortly. Can't wait to see some pictures.

I bet the first thing you did was look around to see if anyone saw you. That's what I did when I flipped the Commando. Nevermind that I was hurt, I didn't want anyone seeing me being stupid. Anyway, I'm glad it wasn't more serious. Get well quickly.

Got the new tires on yesterday, a new idler pulley and drive belt and finally took it for a ride. I also put new bearings in the mule drive pulleys, when it warms up I'll replace the idlers, spindle bearings and the belt on the deck and that should make this a pretty dependable worker.

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FINALLY!!! The Fruits of Sqonkfest 14 can be revealed! First the Kohlers And then the Teckys

Toro Wheel Horse 520H with snow cab and 42 inch tall snow blower Toro Wheel Horse 416H with snow cab and 48 inch snow blade

My grandpa's 1966 856. It handled snow duty for decades in northern Michigan. This will be it's first in about 9 years. I can't wait!

This is as close as I came to moving any snow last year, or just about any previous year down this way. No snow stuck to the driveway or walkway. No accessories required IE: Socks, boots, cab, chains, weights, gloves or any of that "Cold Weather Gear"! This blade has moved a lot of dirt and gravel over the past 47 years, it might balk at the cold wet stuff. This could very well be it's first contact with snow.