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Hi all, Picked this one up a few weeks ago but haven't gotten a chance to post it yet. Found this one for sale on the side of the road about 10 miles from home! Its a 550 and I really like the original paint on it. I'm planning to go through the motor and trans on this one and just leave the paint as-is. Looks like it has the original engine too, it has a h60 tag on the shroud but has the indent in the back side of the block like I've seen on lausons. I'm also thinking about repainting the wheels on it, but still haven't decided yet. I will probably see how they look after being pressure washed before deciding to paint or not. Anyways, heres a couple of pictures. Jake

This horse was found upside down in a dumpster by my friend(tunaslayet). He brought the oil-covered 312-8 to my house with a crushed hood, broken steering wheel, and crushed center console. The hour meter read around 1000 hours, but the engine ran with little effort and the transmission shifted smoothly. I quickly began disassembling the horse and fixing/replacing any damaged parts. Sourcing a steering wheel proved to be a challenge, so i retrofitted a boat steering wheel which came out great and was very inexpensive. I cleaned up and repainted the entire tractor and freshened it up with throwback redo-your-horse stickers and fresh turfsavers. I initially began to set this up as the mower that it once was, but shifted my focus to creating a front end loader after my friends father hooked me up with a great selection of hydraulic equipment in exchange for a custom cabinet. I quickly found a loader on craigslist in Maine. The loader was properly sized, in great shape, missing most of the hydraulic components, and well built from PF engineering plans. I quickly picked up the required steel and began fabricating. Here is the 312-8 the day I got it. The loader on the day I bought it in ME. It is nested with a Kwikway that my friend (tunaslayet) purchased on the same day. We both sourced loaders in ME and took the road trip from Southeastern MA to pick them up. Very exciting weekend. Initial mock up of the loader on the 312. I sacrificed the attach-a-matic and welded it directly to the frame. I decided to modify the support trusses to allow for better PTO clearance and maintainability. I added a slight bend and welded a support gusset to add strength. The PTO and belts are completely serviceable without removing any components from the loader. The back of the frame is supported by 3/8-16 carriage bolts around the rear axle. The weight box is small, but designed to tightly hold a 220lbs stack of exercise cable weights. The weight box alone adds another 40lbs. Wheel weights will soon be added. Here are all of the loader parts painted and ready for assembly. Upgraded to a 520 swept forward front axle with gear reduction steering (Thanks Dennis!). I used trailer hubs instead of the 520 rims. After countless hours of wire-wheeling, grinding, welding, painting, and day-dreaming, my re-rehabilitated 312 is ready to do work for me. I just had to lift something for fun, so i threw my troybilt commercial walk behind mower in the bucket and took it for a ride. The loader lifted the mower with no effort at all.. I may try to lift my 416-8 for fun. Thanks everyone for the help. -Justin

The 875 was busy today.... mowing trails and hauling apples for the deer,deere, dear.

I'm willing to bet those apples would make some good cider.

check fuel flow from tank first remove incoming line from fuel pump and hold it down below the frame gas should pour out if not clean tank filter and replace inline filter and try again be sure gas tank is half full brian

Hey Joe from Feasterville, See if this helps: http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/topic/16582-help-my-shift-lever-pulled-out/ And

I like them both just as much. I'm lucky and have good access to tools to do body work so that probably is why I don't mind doing it, I like going through the transmissions and motors on my tractors too, guess I would say I like both of them pretty much the same.

Good poll. I hate body work. I can never leave it alone, I can't stop playing with it, I always have to touch it before it is dry, and I hate sanding. I would rather change out a kitchen faucet and I hate plumbing. My blood pressure is up just typing this response.

Nice photos, and I vote for a fresh, hot piece of apple pie with a dip of vanilla ice cream....Now I made myself hungry!

Ironically, I have bought and sold off Craigslist many times...from vehicles to boats, tires, and hammocks. Never once have I experienced anything "weird" as a buyer, rather it is usually someone who clearly doesn't have the same level of OCD that I have. For the most part, everything has been as promised and spot on. As a seller, however, I have seen it all. Quick example is when I tried to list a 1988 Ford Ranger XLT super cab 4x4 for $600. The truck was a two owner, had some typical rust over the rear wheel wells, but ran and drove extremely well...$600. Long story short, I got trade offers that I could hardly believe. One local guy...get this...offered me three chickens and a porta potti for this vehicle. I politely declined and told him that I really enjoy the chicken that Kroger and Costco sell, and that I live in KY and we received indoor plumbing and shoes like two months ago. Sigh...this world is something else.

Steve, I'm with you and Bob on this one, I'm not very good at body work and hate sanding plus I'm just not set up to paint and that makes it a real hassle to get anything done.

Great weather just a tick windy. My friend Butch was here today with his 1067. Couldn't get a good pic of the site because once again my nemesis, the local IH club, parked a truck and trailer right in front of my canopy. Had a handicap sticker in the window and an old guy drove it in. didn't have the heart to ask him to move it so we used the trailer for a bench! Lot's of pics Pic of the site. Couldn't get Butch's tractor in it because of the trailer Shot with Butch's tractor HIGH NOON!

The fuel cap has a vent that allows air in as the fuel is used up, if the vent is plugged it will cause the a vacuum in the tank and prevent the fuel pump from working.

The camera setting accidently got bumped to the "WONKY" position. They do make good pies.

Joe...Welcome to Red Square you are in good hands.

I'd rather have my hands and face covered in grease and oil then paint and dust. i do like painting tho. bodywork not so much

I have done a lot of Bondo and Fiberglass through the years, and sometimes it looks pretty good...thank God for spot putty (easy to sand). My problem with that stuff, is trying to get the right amount of hardener...you want some time to work with it, but you want it to set up and be sand-able in a couple of hours. I've had the stuff set up in a couple of minutes...all the way to 3 days later (still tacky). You want to take a couple of Viagra and grind them up and mix them into the paste. You sprinkle that stuff on the potatoes in your pantry and they will stay hard for 2 years. No...give me the wrenches and a can of Sea Foam.

All of my horses have assigned tasks. Some are not used very often but other than the snowblower/plow machines they get dirty working. Can't see much point in glistening paint covered with dust/grass. Besides I do not have the patience for body work, there is always more sanding needed, runs to be fixed, or bugs landing in the wet paint...

Joe if you can't get it. PM me I am in Trevose.

I agree with you Steve. I can't leave well enough alone, and end up messing body work up trying to be too perfect. When a bolt is tight, I put the wrench down...easy enough.

Sounds like this world needs more body people! Now, if only I could find one...

Well I have a 607 6 = HP on the engine and a crack at the manufacturer 0 = manual start (5 = it's electric, bogey oogey oogey oogey - for those of you that get that joke) 7 = year of manufacture That said there's a lot of clues you don't know you have yet - If I may speak as a new guy around here. Oh - Welcome to RS! So much info here it hurts the brain at times but these guys are most excellent when it comes to info. I used to have a TJ too - miss that machine...greatly Start taking pictures of the dashboard, the engine, the attachments and so on. Are there areas that are painted over that look like a decal was there? Could be a clue - and so on.

I enjoy bodywork. It's the painting I struggle with. I don't know enough about motors nor do I have all the special tools needed to do a rebuild but it's the most enjoyable part for me because that means I'm spending quality time with my son and grandkids usually for a weekend.

Love building a smooth running kohler!

I like both! (but I'm not an expert at either) like to make everything work and fit just right! Then I equally like to blast sand & paint, I just wish I knew more to move from the Rustoleum to the automotive paints After a hectic day at work i can sit and sand furniture or tractor parts all evening long!

I'm lazy. I leave the dents in. Adds character. Just got home from the steam show and all the Farmalls have dents. I got turned off to body work in college. Saw a guy sit on a running body grinder! When ever I buy paint, the dude mixing it always adds the runs to the paint to make sure I have enough. At least with mechanical work, if you have problems you can blame it on the metric system. And if your working on a MG, you can curse George Lucas

I have to agree with you Steve. When you tighten a bolt, you know it's tight. I don't know how many times I've left a finger print in uncured paint, or sanded a little too much on an edge. Although most of the time my end results look like I know what I'm doing, I am just too impatient to be a good body and paint man.

The Tecumseh and Kohler engines both have a mechanical compression release built into them to make them easy to crank over, the down side is that this also results in lower vacuum on the intake stroke. Since our carburetors require a great deal of air flow through the venturi to draw fuel from the float bowl into the compression chamber the reduced air flow requires a little human intervention, we need to pull the choke. I you are running a little on the rich side you may not need to.

If you are planning to use it I would go with a 63 or 64 model, they have better steering than the other ones which you will want for mowing. But the 702 I have is a very nice work tractor too, i use it for plowing but I like the steering my 854 has much better. I'd look for a 753 or 854

Clip Round hoods are fun, I have 2 702's (one of which has been in my wife's family since 1965), a 502, and my 854. Any will cut grass and plow snow - within limitations. There are 2 styles of gear driven rear discharge cutting decks that fit, either 32" or 36" - nothing bigger. The plow is 42" wide and even the 8HP 854 can only handle that, nothing wider. The 702's have the one piece fuel tank with removable dash plate, the 502 and the 854 have the leak prone 2 piece bolted and gasketed tank with fixed dash panel. My favorite is the 854, as it has the K181 motor, cambered front axle, and the adjustable down stop on the implement lift - great for skimming the plow over grass at the end of the driveway. I swapped the tired 4 speed in it for a good 8 speed from a C 81 - that gives the rear a wider stance for better stability on hills. Funny thing finding round hoods, they seem to find you when you are not really looking ....... Bill

Here's the tall chute I picked up from member jmdavid09 couple three weeks ago , didn't think it was going to happen because of the distance between us... but as luck would have it he was coming down from NY to pick up a tractor and we were able to get it done . We met in Pottstown and I was able top get a tall chute . Just finished up tonight, thought after 20 years of service I'd go over it and I put a little more money in it - new chain - new idler sprockets etc - if I see stuff wore after it's been in service for years I'd rather replace things now over January with 2 foot of snow in the D-way . The 10ft bulk #40 chain was a piece of cake and tightened things up nicely First pic is the day it made it's trip from Syracuse to South central Pa via Pottstown Pa .

wide angle, I'm guessing. I thought it was my eyes at first. Or a flashback from the 60's.

You should try to come to this show next year Craig. You'd have a blast. It will be a National Cleatrac show. There will be all kinds of cool crawlers here. Right up your alley!

No the wonka toys

Well, I actually dragged the horse out of the 40yd dumpster with the door open. I used my F150, 100' of rope, and a wire pulling pulley.(I am a sparky by trade). It crashed and banged onto the asphalt, then I flipped it and winched it onto my flat bed trailer. Oh, it was snowing bad too. This could literally have been a wheelhorse commercial. All I can say is hats off to the engineers that built these. Bravo! I had plans of keeping this tractor, and in hindsight, wish I had. This tractor had zero rust issues. Every bolt and nut was factory fresh. So the only person I know that would have seen the potential is Rexymouse. And now the 312-8 and the pf engineering loader live happily ever after! Great job on the hood man. That bad Larry should lift the 416-8....next wheelhorse Wednesday. Maybe just to pressure wash the undercarriage?

Great pics...I bet without a tractor to ride you would put quite a few miles on yer boots! Mike........

Pretty cool to just go gather apples for fall. It is the kind of thing I miss living in town.

looking good Ed, but why are the photo's a bit wonky?

Very nice Jake! You seem to be a magnet for these nice ones!

Tough one for me.. I like both very much but it seems the older I am getting the more I like to do the wrenching.. maybe it is because I use up most of my patience doing my woodworking now.. which is a lot like doing body / paint work.. LOL Ten years ago It would be hands down paint work..

I really like that set up - - hope it does what you need it to .~!!! But I have 2 questions 1 for you and 1 for tunaslayet 1st 3rd picture down - - have you finished up that tile work ??? 2nd Need to know how tunaslayet got that out of a dumpster upside down .. would take 2 men and a boy. Just messing with you guys.

Yes, I hang my work hat at hensler's where there is more shop space to tear into a project, so I often stick a horse in their shed. I'll give you a reminder this weekend and appreciate your offer to check your parts bin for a rj hitch. Scott

A bit of both, 1st mechanical, if it doesn't work right why make it look right? A good lookin' Horse that isn't runnin' great is a waste.

Russ- Funny you say that because I have been seriously considering have a woodworker carve something in the wood.

Your welcome Pullstart, to feed your "Habit" have some more WN stuff Well chaps, I'm sick of fillering and even though it's far from perfect it will do for now.. Just the flange thingy in the middle to sort then it can be brown oxided The slots on the front of the bonnet have now been widened.. They need a little tidy up but they look so much better for being wider. And some wire mesh came my way.. It will look good sprayed mat black and tucked behind the slots The other morning was like an archeological dig... Once I'd shoveled 6 inches of white filler dust away I found a bench!! To celebrate I put a couple of wheels on WN to have a look... They soon came off for a second coat of paint. The second coat of IH white lightened the wheels up, make them look less creamy.. Don't be fooled by the photo, the paint is nowhere near as smooth as it looks. Oh, and the bonnet now has a mat black grill/mesh thingy

A 'new' k301 will set you back far more than $450... Swap in a predator engine and then you can sell the K301 cheap. There are plenty of people who would rebuild that to spec. Then you don't have to worry about tools or experience

Any shop that would say the BS your shop is telling you I would avoid.What do they think other engines are speced with,a measuring tape?If you can get the necessary tools and have any experiance with machines you could do a satifactory rebuild on what you have.Used engines and alternate replacements can be had for less than a rebuild.You pay your money and takes your choice.Luck,JAinVA

Almost up to date now guy's.. A close up of that gauge for you. After looking at the photo's of the front of the hood, I just wasn't happy with the way the new slot's looked... A reminder for you. But what if the slot's were wider to match the original slots?? A quick bit of masking and a squirt of matt black paint to trick the brain into seeing wider than they are slot's and it looks much better.. So Monday the slot's will be widened and tidied up. I didn't enjoy the filler work on the wheels at all.. Too small a space to sand easily!! But once the wheels had had a coat of IH white paint it was worth it I didn't plan to go quite so far with the bodywork before the shows, but I may of got a bit carried away.. The fender pan was panel beaten to get the shape as best I could before being hit with filler/bondo.. A bit more filling and sanding to go but it's almost there now.. Oh, and a bit of news... Nigel and I were explaining to a Gent yesterday about WN and telling him that we were struggling to find somewhere to do some speed testing, and the car park is just too small.. The said Gent said, "No problem, bring it up to my place"..

Well, I did try to get a photo of all the finished steering in place, but my lens isn't that wide.. So have a photo of the new steering box, it looks far neater than the old box. Buried behind the column is the relocated expansion bottle... Not the ideal place to get a funnel into but it's the only place it can fit.. You can also just about see part of the crankcase breather, yes it's the bit held down with the zip tie. Getting a bit more pressure to the front brakes turned out to be quite easy in the end. Rather than raise the whole master cylinder as I have previously mentioned I just raised one end.. The front brakes won't lock up but they will certainly help with slowing down which is just how I want it. So, with WN steering and stopping I thought it was time to make a start on the electrical side of things,,, I needed somewhere to put the starter button and warning lights and maybe the choke.. And I also needed a new dash plate.... I think this panel came from a WH 314-8 I bought for parts years ago.. That fills a hole I just need to work out where to put the lights and starter button... That's something for tomorrow..