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So... this morning my son Brennan who just turned 8 decided he would like to put the wide ag tires on his rat rod. He had a wide set of turfs on it prior. He got up at the crack of dawn and went down in the tent in the back woods and rolled both tires up the hill to the garage. He washed them with white degreaser and steel wool so they would be ready for painting after school. He dragged me out there to help too. Got the tires on and painted. the seat is no what we really wanted so I took the cover off and adhered some leather that I had at the house that I got from a little birdie.... Changed the oil for the very first time (in a long time) and she is ready for him to ride at Zagary. Here are a few pics.

So a lil back story: I mow 1x per week and it takes me 2.5hrs with a 20" push mower... I've never had to purchase a mower @35yrs old, I've always had readily available hand-me-downs & freebies. So I set my parameters 2wks ago @ $800 & 1.5hr drive radius. Well I started looking at green (b/c we have a JD 5525), even some yellow (b/c we have an IH Hydro100 + others), and even looked at the cheaper stuff. While I was looking, I kept coming across these "WheelHorses" and so I had to investigate (basically because I like the look) & didn't understand 'them' and the $ they were commanding. That brought me here. Where I started reading, searching, looking up info, reading about problems, seeing which were 'desired' models, and finding out when did 'they' start using plastic, aluminum and recycled Styrofoam peanuts for parts. Then there was the price point when I decided what I wanted & oh yeah, $800 is kinda short lol. Oh, there's 25 green 2007 model mowers ready to bring to the house... Today I am the proud new owner of a 416h... Even has the original BOS attached to the owners manual. Unfortunately tho, it was closer to the farm than the city (day job) so I had sent my dad & brother to check it out & authorized them to spend my $ so long as it wasn't blowing smoke, slapping heads, spitting oil, etc... there's a bad "idler bearing" which didn't spoil the deal (but I will have to fix & have searched here for that thank you WHF/RedSquare already). Most of us here, we need our tractors to WORK. Me, if I wanted and had the time for show ponies, I would have kept a 70 Olds, or refurbish an AC D17 we have collecting dust. No, life is no parade but a long grind... now is my 2hr mow gonna kill this thing, I seriously hope not lol. But that doesn't mean I can't get this Mare to put out a little more - hehehe... She does require maintenance. She does need heads cleaned & valves adjusted apparently. She needs cleaned/detailed... and these are things I can get my oldest son Ben involved in as I want to have more father-son time... (might upset my lil girl but she'll take/get hers if she wants it later). So I'm planning to put this little horse to work in more ways than she had planned. Yeah, there is more to my motivation here as well... I'm a divorced father (accountant & weekend farmer) of 3 with a new family & an old one I still have to support and there's no reason this can't be fun... So check back in, & I'll keep pics coming. But be patient, as I'm writing this tonight I still haven't seen it much less heard her run... But the DERBY is Saturday, this is KY, and pappa's got a brand new toy! Since I know you want to know - this 416h got listed this morning for $500 & 1hr away... she never had a chance

That boy does love his tractors! Always has a big smile and will ride them ALL day long. When you say "changed the oil" do you mean in the engine or ON the tractor?

I found this 701 today and could not resist buying it. It cam with a nice deck, extra set of very nice turf tires and rims and snow plow. It is missing the double belt guard, which I will be on the hunt for, It came with a belt guard from a 656. Almost forgot to mention the very nice hub caps it came with and it runs well too!

I offered to repair a 48" deck for a co-worker only because its a and it turned out so good I impressed myself, so I thought id share it here with the horse crowd. He has a 1990 520 so we obviously talk a lot but he isn't nearly as into it as I am, we do gang up on another co-worker who just bought a brand new cub though . Anyway he just wanted it patched to the point it didn't throw grass at him anymore but I generally don't work like that and honestly the spots were so far gone im not even sure I could have done that. It had 3 rot through spots in the common areas, back right, back left, and front middle. I didn't intend on taking it as far as I did and have it come out this good so unfortunately I don't have any before or during pics( I really gotta get better at that) but I think the after pics I took will tell the story good enough. I hope the photos come through well and do it justice. These 2 photos show the rotten pieces I cutout and remade laying on top of the repair. These 3 show the underside which will give an idea on what I cut out. Ive learned after doing a few decks now to weld both sides and leave some weld build up on the inside for strength. I just knock a little off the top of all the welds and make sure nothings sticking up. These last ones are the finished product. I have about 6 hours total into this and did it through my hour lunch breaks only. The piece that I made to replace the entire left corner took me a full lunch break alone. I did it by hand with just a cutoff wheel dead blow hammer, and ball peen hammer. Really had fun making that piece. A tip I have is ive started to use JB weld kind of like bondo to fill in any low areas and mismatches so I don't have to grind the material so thin works pretty good. Sorry I make such long posts but I don't know how to share what I want to share in just a few sentences. Thanks for looking Paul

I've been looking for 3 point arms for awhile with no luck so I decided to build them. 1/2 by 2 steel, and four weld on cat 0 ends. A little time with a press. What do you guys think so far?

I put my Wheel Horse logo tractor umbrella on the Wheel Horse 314 this am. I like it very much. I bought it from Heritage Farm Power online. It is very well made -heavy duty like the big tractors and adjustable to height and pivots side ways, back and forth, etc. The main pole brace attaches to the rear hitch with a 3/4 threaded rod, lock nut and hex nut. Two braces can be attached to the rear snowplow/tiller hitch carriage bolts if the lock nut sides are on the top of the transmission. I like it a lot and look forward to using it this summer for gardening and mowing the lawn! It is very sturdy when the tractor is moving also!

Sorry. Forgot the video link. haha

Lane, thanks to you I just got the best birthday present. My wife saw your posting about the umbrella and knew I liked it, so I got one today for my birthday. I will post a few pictures when I have it mounted.

As cold as it was(BRRRRR), I found a few items that I wanted and was glad I came. Also , It was nice to meet a few new people and connect the names with the faces.

Well i came across this today and kinda reconised the deck that's on it and was wondering, it a horse?

Had my two work horses out today for me to get some seat time. The 1995 314-8 still mows a beautiful lawn while the 1990 520-H takes a break only to supervise. Wouldn't trade these two studs for any new junk tractors the big box stores sell today.

My new Wheel Horse Air Meter just trying to decided what Wheel Horse logo to use on the air pump. Also going to ad the Wheel Horse hood ornament on the top of the meter. She was a little rough but I got everything back togther and working!

European by the looks of it with a full cover to lower the sound level and any catch-points of bystanders. Here is an interesting article on owning ride-on mowers in Europe. Hopefully it doesn't come here! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11008809/Gardeners-with-sit-on-lawnmowers-face-buying-motor-insurance.html

I started on this site just looking for information on fixing up my dad's C-105... Then i bought a C-125 off of here to "just grab the motor out of", then I bought a C-165 on ebay because "hydrostatic drive and 16hp would be cool"... Then I bought a C-145 because of blah blah... then a 551... then a 520H... then an 854... who knows whats next! Its dangerous!

Looks real nice! Better watch out for the speed cops at Zagary because that bad boy has got ticket bait written all over it.. I got pulled over there last yr. myself, and I wasn't even going fast. I'm 47 and the guy was yellin at me like I was a little kid. I was ridin this one at the time, My theory is that if they think it looks fast then you must be goin fast!

Welcome to RS! Glad to see another one from our neck of the woods! Looks like a great project! Those 416's are nice tractors. Will your 2 hr mow kill this thing? HA! Not a chance... on and now you have a 48" deck to cut grass with so vs your 20" with your legs for power I will bet you are done in 40 minutes or less! Where in KY are you? I am originally from Northern Kentucky. I have since hopped just across the river, but will go back someday. There's an interesting fella in Central KY that has been gulping up every decent horse for MANY miles around, so I am glad you got to that one first!

just finished this up my new toy "RAT TRAP" RJ58 RAT ROD

I am taking my Custom 1962 Army Horse Model 762 to a car show in Mt. Vernon Ohio this Saturday. There is a few tractors that show up every year or two for some reason, so I figured what the heck, might as well try it! Feel free to bring a Horse to the show, maybe we will take over the show one day! My buddy Packrat will bring his Custom 1963 double engine 7763 Wheel Horse too! We will be at Sugarcreek May 9th if you want to see them in person, a lot of details to look at on these one of a kind machines!

It was a good day. Time flew too quick, always does. First order of business was to drop the bowl and pull the carb. Because I parked this old girl long before our ridiculous state mandated this crap they sell as gasoline, the carb looked like it had just been rebuilt yesterday. Aside from a few tiny crumbs of dry debris laying in the bowl which were easily small enough to have passed through the screen atop the sediment bowl way back then (yeah, the gas tank has some surface rust) the inside of the carb was clean as a whistle. Even the rubber tip of the needle looked new. Despite how clean everything looked, Steve pulled the carb completely apart and soaked it in some good clear carb cleaner for an hour. While the carb was taking a bath, we turned our attention to the ignition. Made a repair to some old jury-rigged wiring at the points, replaced the sparkplug, cleaned the points quick and set the gap. Viola! Spark! Grabbed the carb, blew out all the passes and reassembled. Despite how clean it was when we pulled it, we used the OEM carb kit since we were in there anyway and they're cheap enough. Drained the oil, black gold, texas tea... Gave it a quick flush and refilled with fresh. Rigged up a hokey fuel supply and after a couple pulls wouldn't you believe she coughed to life? Ran it for a few minutes till it ran out of gas. Gave her another drink and wouldn't you know, she Just wouldn't start. Thinking we weren't giving enough fuel, strapped up the fuel tank and ran an inline filter (remember, tank was lightly rusted). No luck. Fiddled around a bit, turned out it was the old points. Something had broken and was making intermittent contact (which, looking back, might be why I parked it so many years ago...). Swapped them out for the new OEM set I'd brought for just such an occasion and BAM! Fired right up again and ran and ran and ran. She smokes very lightly, guess she's old enough. Other than that there's no rod knock, no piston slap, no obvious objectionable noises except from the recoil. Maybe the pawls aren't returning all the way, will hava look at that over the weekend. There is a light ticking, thinking maybe that's valve noise. Any adjustment there? So that's the relatively long version. She's alive, thanks to Steve for motivating me to push it along at the last minute, opening up his Home (and workbench) and for doing all the dirty work. Thanks Jeff for the pointers, keeping the energy cranked up and for getting right in there too. You guys rock.

Sher-kem international red is the color name. F75rc7 is the sher-kem number. Its a stock color. to get a super smooth glossy finish we have found 3-4 coats need to be applied.

Very nifty dude! Cool piece!

Looks great!!! But I think 96 psi is a bit much for tractor tires . Mike......

Wow look great.

looks nice. i've always wanted one of those

They usual... Points carb cleaning and rebuild kit. Some soldering of points wire and a and a little tinkering. Time well spent.

Sher Kem IH red, see pics in my post on 704 in restoration tab. Tom

Shynon and prondzy use it. You might want to send them a message or maybe they will chime in.

Maybe, swapped the oil & vinegar for some cool ranch.

Both are great machines, and they are tough as nails. I like the 520's swept forward axle. makes for a power steering feel. and when the Onan is tuned it's unstoppable.

nice and like the others already said welcome! your gonna love that machine you got a good one as your first. I just picked up 2 417's which are very similar to yours but a kohler engine. and like Brandon said your 2 hour mow wont be a 2 hour mow anymore and you could probably do it 3-4 times a week and wouldn't even stress that stallion. use this great site to your advantage and learn about the maintenance on your new onan and you will be all set, but be careful you will find unbelievable things here that may spark an addiction...ask me and many many others how we know

Makes perfect sense... don't want to take that stuff off too early this year.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Why don't you get an 8 speed to go with your weight box? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'd like to bring the 195 to the show but I already plan on hauling my 420. I really don't want to haul two heavy tractors, (and I don't think my van wants to either.)

Thanks mate Only a small update guys.. Happy that my strange braking system will work, today I started to refine it a bit. New connecting lever on the left, prototype on the right.. As you can see I decided it needed a bit of shape to it Here it is fitted.. The handbrake lever looked like it had been pulled from an old Marina or something, so I gave it a "Wheel Horse" make over. The bottom half will be covered by the side panel.. I think it looks more the part

One can never have to many wheel horses ,I find them like popcorn, one is never enough! I have tried every color and always come home to red. So easy to own and work on.

All 11 of the Wheel Horses I have collected (so far) had somehow, someway either jumped up on my trailer or the bed of my pickup truck and followed me home. I had no choice then but to keep them. My wife says two is one too many... I say one more is never enough.

You sir,do excellent work! If it was all repainted,I don't think anyone could find your repairs as they are that good.

When you get serious about your addiction ... you'll pull the trigger first, then second guess yourself later.

Thats how i feel when I'm looking on craigslist!

So I got the 854 all "de-winterized"...weights off, plow off, tires swapped, etc. Took it for a short ride, and low and behold, my kids want to drive it. Problem being, they can't reach the pedals. Well, they were all into getting it going, and lit a fire under my butt. To the machine shop/basement we go. There was no way my daughter was going to be out done by her brother, he's 6, and she's 8) They did good for their first day driving, and machining. Lots of practice and safety to come. They are pumped to go to Zaray this weekend. Hope you all enjoy the pics.

Nice work looks like it will lasts a long time.

I like it but..... it is still not a chevy.... Hopefully it will be able to pull that trailer with a little load on it. lol The pic with the RJ in the back looks like it is squatting a little too

if youre looking for the encouragement NOT to buy more horses you came to the wrong place haha

Dragster look and a PBR shifter.

Thanks Mike, I have looked at your RJ58 pictures many times while I restored my RJ. they are a valuable resource to anyone trying to save these old tractors.

Well, I've not managed to get much done this week due to a mixture of illness, visitors and having carpet fitted at home.. Both foot plates are now bolted down, I found some bike mounting brackets with captive nuts which came in handy and are much more fun to use than drilling through steel box.. This bit of box does not carry any weight and is only there to stop the top of the foot plates from vibrating.. I will add a little bit of bracing though. Here's something to make you laugh, it did me... I ordered some air filters which arrived yesterday... I may of got my sizes wrong! The hood stand has had a couple of bit's of box welded to it. Which along with a couple of hefty mounting brackets has put a lot of strength into it, no longer does it wobble when the steering is turned. The n/s foot plate has been fully welded and ground down.. I did for a while yesterday think about having foot gear change and a suicide clutch, but decided I'd rather have both hands on the wheel when the clutch is dropped at 9000rpm This is the mount for the suicide shift made for a bit of thick steel and a cut down bike swing arm bolt.. Shifter mounted and the linkage worked out, though you will have to wait until the linkage is done before you see it. The fender pan has been bolted down, but I thought a photo of 6 bolts would be boring so I didn't take a photo.. And to finish off this update, I needed to work out where the pedals would go so I climbed aboard, at which point Nigel wandered (not waddled ) in and grabbed my camera

Add a spike to the mount, would look great on Jones Beach! Key West, Atlantic City. Anywhere 'cept on my woodsy lot.

It's not too bad.. Two people can get it off the bench, but three is easier.. Carrying on A bit of an update for you chaps, as you know he steering is finished, so here's a photo for you. The connecting arm has been moved to behind the hubs which makes the front end look neater and a lot less danger of a tree or something bending it Yes you are seeing right, that is a fake leaf spring on the front.. I will make one out of thicker metal strips just for the Hot Rod look. The fake spring mounts will also add strength to the outer edges of the axle where the big rose joints bolt onto.. Not sure if the front hitch will be staying or going, it adds to the Wheel Horse look and could be handy for fitting weights onto to keep the front end down should needs be Those with sharp eyes may of noticed a two extra somethings in the above photo, this photo might help a bit more.. The clue is, it's the thing just in front of the rear wheel.. Yep, WN now has an exhaust system. Here's the right side mount . The left side needed a step to clear the steering rod thingy.. The step will be made to look a lot neater as it will be on show.. Two foot plate thingys chopped and welded together to make a wide one. The strange cut out needs to be filled, but I might need that hole for the pedals so it can stay for now. And the view of WN which always makes me grin like a Cheshire cat on happy pills