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Today is Austin's 4th birthday and his grandfather said he could drive the tractor as soon as his feet will reach the peddles.

It was an Awesome weekend!! Received a message from a co-worker from years ago. He is also a Wheel Horse collector, tkol1969. He had put 2 and 2 together and figured out I lived two blocks away....lol His GT-14 was down at the Big Show when the GT-14 was the featured tractor that year. After I got the 1054 back up and running drove it over to his place for a "special delivery" The tool area behind the seat of the 1054 makes a good place for carrying beverages.

Being close to another collector makes the hobby much more fun! My next door neighbor and I both do the WH thing and it definitely adds to the fun. We have bought sold and traded all sorts of stuff just between the two of us! His property is about 30 acres and years ago we made a trail that was about a mile long thru the woods for our kids to ride motorcycles and quads....I bet him and I have ridden that trail with a WH tractor at least 300 times! And if I need to go his house or vise versa we just putt on over by tractor ! Mike.....

The relationship between Rocky and Bullwinkle was always a bit suspect!

If you buy wh's like I do they are too far gone to leave in the condition of patina. I also enjoy seeing how well I can bring it back to life. I also like to see some left in the state they were found if they are not too far gone.

Here are a few snaps at our little show. Ther was a real nice showing of RS members there and their horses. OK guys sorry about this but trying to upload pics via smartphone Hotspot isn't going to cut the mustard.... ( I'm too cheap to get internet at home) Will get some more up tommorow on some real hardware at my office....

My vote was for restore, because I am a "restore" kind of guy. My personal feelings are that if you want to leave your tractor as found, or oil it up, that is your prerogative. But if you are going to take the time to try to improve the looks or make major repairs, you might as well go ahead and remove and stop all the rust and corrosion at the same time. Otherwise it will continue to eat away at the metal, no matter what you put on the top surface. Clear-coat or paint over a non-repaired surface is akin to putting a band-aid on cancer.

RedRanger, in honor of your poll, here's my Red Ranger with 33 years of patina.

Well know I've owned 2 420s and currently have # 50 with 140 hours in my garage id like to buy a new one to store and use mine as a cruiser . Is there many new ones left out there at dealers etc ? Or near new ? also I'd like to do a list of all the known 420-lse out there if we could . Here is mine # 50

Trying to post my first video. I've replaced and adjusted the slack in the shifter . Installed a new shifter boot. Cleaned the fuel system replaced a hub and axle seal. Bought a drive belt cover and AG tires on wheels at the big show. Changed oil. Removed the lift for now. Replaced all the nuts and bolts and washers on the steering column and console. O K, my question is can some tell me the current part number for the drive belt that connects the engine to the transmission? Also can someone tell me the current part number for the two belts that connects the starter/generator to the Kohler engine? I can probably match the old S/G belts to something at NAPA but I don't have a drive belt that's even close to being the correct one. Thank you guys! VID_20160710_143633573.mp4

I am not a collector so I don't buy lots of tractors. I use what I do have and I like to know I have a good mechanically sound tractor. The 854 I just rebuilt was a must for a total teardown and rebuild so I built it the way I wanted it. My raider 12 will be tore down and rebuilt in the near future.. I will be making modifications as I go to suite my needs and taste as well. My profile says I like round hoods and I will have a 12 hp shorter frame 6 speed round hood with front and rear hydraulics. I say shorter frame because I want a tighter turning radius.

I prefer shinny & new looking. It is interesting though that when I go to shows and park my restored tractor next to my rusty rat, the rusty rat seems to draw more attention.

I have two 953 drivers, one is a hot rod custom and one is rusty, has no paint at all is literally as dirty as the day it was drug out of a neglected barn (had it at the Big Show) and they both get complements. I have a third 953 that I will do a full restoration on, it is one of the early ones with the Ross steering. That being said I am glad that different folks do different things, variety is what makes life interesting.

If the tractor has original paint that looks GOOD, and there is till a good amount of original paint and doesn't make it look like a basket case, then I'd leave it original. But if there's more rust or surface rust than paint, I'd restore it

The bituminous coal powered puller took it to the house today at Fawn Grove Olde Tyme Days. Running a little too rich? , Add some air. Then take her out the end. She has a really cool horn too.

I agree with redranger if it still looks good in it's original clothes, leave it that way. If it really needs restored then have at it. Course there's nothing wrong with one that looks like it just came off the showroom floor either. It's just personal preference.

Hi Guys, I found a Tow-behind model TA1 York rake on craigslist and bought it the other day. I love it so far. I have a couple quick questions... 1.) How do you know how worn the teeth are and when they need replacement? 2.) Has anyone incorporated a weight system on the rake? If so, how? Thanks, John Essex, Ma

In the late 60s early 70s I had just got out of the Army and was living with dad at that time with my first real job. Worked 3rd shift at Dana Corp on the molding floor pouring iron. Got off one morning and stopped in for a few beers at the local tavern then went home, there was dad with this old RED tractor/mower he had just bought from someone he knew. He was just beside himself with the deal he made. I said dose it run and work ? They said it dose he says then hits the starter. Full throttle, 3rd gear I guess, foot slips off the clutch and that old WH jumped right into a new 3 car garage wall he had just built, bang. Dads butt is off the seat hanging on for dear life, bang, again hits the wall a second time, dad in the air again, bang, same thing. That old Horse just wouldn't go down. Finally he got it under control and I am on the floor rolling. Dad, not pleased. Almost 50 years have passed and that memory just stays as fresh as yesterday. Who knows why we choose RED ? I believe that memory had something to do with my choices, whats yours ?

Van, go to Napa and get a 4L700W and 2 4L310W belts. Their belts are Gates and they use those numbers. They will be the green Kevlar reinforced belts. You need the W on the end.

Even if they're only for exhibitions , i love watching those behemoths effortlessly yank a sled as far as the pilot wants without so much as a hint of wheel-spin . Mass / weight + traction will win every time . Thanks for sharing .

To the best of my memory, the old drive belt number was 1576, replaced by 9691. The common number for that belt is a 4L700, 1/2" x 70". The S/G belts are commonly known as 4L310, 1/2" x 31"

Antique tractor pulls today. Coal Power won it all ... and had a cool whistle.

We've all heard the saying "it's only original once" and it is true but yeah if ther is more rust than paint go for it. When I first aquired a certain 400 Suburban I had visions of new sparkly red with stainless hardware. I have since been made to see the light by others here that forgot more than what I'll ever know about horses so I left as is and it turned out beautiful. In the future I have since subscribed to the thinking of if it's been restored before by a half hearted attempt by a PO then go for it. It really does depend on the tractor. I have seen 953's 953 and it does have a character that demands as much attention if not more that new red.

Sqoose

not sure which was the male or female and real sure I don't want to know, thats a great picture.

Went to Old Red Rider's house today to pick up the C-121 I bought from his friend Mike at the Big Show. I was able to visit with Paul and Mike for a couple of hours before having to drive South for 205 miles back to my house. Here is a pic of what was in my rear view mirror, also a pic of the homemade Bologna and Cheese sammich I had for lunch. There was no Rhubarb pie to be found for dessert so I had to settle for Apple pie.

I voted to restore / refresh to new. I have only seen a few with a full patina that I liked. But thats just me and my opinion. I just think they look great being brought back to showroom new. Btw, thanks for starting this poll. Glenn

I didn't vote because a lot of it depends on the circumstances .

Got all the horses out to clean the barn, Well all but one that was dead [520H] no fire. But here are the rest.

Yea Mike, you could get snake bit just reaching for you key up in that neck of the woods! I had a neighbor two doors over that had the B80 I have now. We always rode our tractors over tho see each other too. He gave me that B80 when I needed some parts for my B60 and I ended up refurbishing it after it had set outside for a couple years. He was glad I did. Always was glad when I'd ride it over to see him. There's a thread about that somewhere here. He passed several years ago and I miss him an awful lot. Enjoy your friends in the hobby fellas, the memories you make will be priceless one day.

I live in Connecticut....even without my neighbor the competition is fierce ... ( Stevebo...Kenb...Jason...etc...) Mike.....

Of course, a first Richard... to get him started on the way.

They are common belt numbers which relate to size. 4L = 1/2", 310 = 31" and 700 = 70". Just take those numbers to any auto parts store and they can cross them over to Gates or any other brand. Just be sure that the drive belt you get is fabric covered. I have had much success with the Huskee blue Kevlar belts from TSC.

Steve going to go do something about his incontinence I presume .... Ed on the right. Was a great day with some good guys!

Terry M's kids I got do have some good pics of your kids without the hobo in them if you want Terry! @Terry M Mike after dickering with a guy for a box of Kohler cranks...his technique is to keep an eye on the seller then go hit him up when he's packing up to leave. You don't really want to have to load that stuff back up... make you a offer... there was a bit of a flea market & parts there. This gal (Kate??) is the editor of the garden tractor magazine I guess, was a beast of a case 4 steer she was driving!

Guys just chillin & havin good talk... l-r Shynon (Tom) , Me, Joe Bob, Terry's boy Andrew, Steve & Mike

Had to come down and open the store for a little so while I'm waiten for a guy to come get his parts had a little time to throw some more up. Joe bob's camper and in back of him was a guy named Ed who I had never met before but was a heck of a nice guy and had some dandy horses. Yours truly horses, The first on in is Shynon's Other brands This one was really cool! Always some good hit & miss stuff at this show...this year was no exception Lots of old Case tractors....

As most indicate iytreally depends on the condition of the tractor and your preference. I started out as a restore everything guy and am seeing the light on leaving some of them original. I have one that I,m riding the fence on doing a wet sand and clear coat

Nothing like those self powered enclosed trailers!

Found a little more info.... I have been researching Montgomery Wards garden tractors to find out what Manufacturer built what tractor for M/W and when they were built. There are a lot of ideas on who, what and when certain tractor were built and sold by Montgomery Wards. I hope you enjoy what I have learned through all this. This story actually starts in 1872 with a new small cast iron foundry called "The Western Malleable and Gray Iron Manufacturing Company" in Milwaukee, WI., making gray iron castings. Around 1900, Western was producing Gasoline engines under the name "Simplicity". In 1911 the plant was moved to Port Washington, WI., and continued to build engines. They also started producing 2 models of farm tractors. Thing were good for the company until the end of WW1 when Henry Ford introduced his famous "Fordson" tractor. Ford, with massive production capabilities, was able to sell his new farm tractor at a price where few could compete. Many tractor firms were forced out of business, and in 1920 Turner Manufacturing was one of them. Mr. William J. Niederkorn who worked for Turner Manufacturing, bought some of the assets and the Simplicity name. In 1922 he formed the Simplicity Manufacturing Company. The first product of the new company was a cylinder-boring machine for re-boring automobile engine blocks to be rebuilt. By 1936 the company was looking for something else to do as the "Factory Rebuilt Auto Engines" were now available. Montgomery Ward contacted Simplicity In 1937, to see if they would and could produce garden tractors for Ward to sell through their Catalog and Retail stores. Simplicity developed two garden tractor models for Montgomery Ward to sell, and soon they were very successful. Simplicity soon began to manufacture and sell these tractors through Lawn and Garden Equipment dealers all over the US under the Simplicity name. When WW-II started,, Simplicity had to stop making Lawn and Garden Products to help with the war effort. The War Board directed Simplicity to produce a variety of Industrial Machining equipment. When WWII ended, Simplicity stopped the production of Industrial Equipment and focused on the fast growing Lawn and Garden equipment business. They developed full line of Garden Tractors, Snow Blowers, Rota tillers, Riding Mowers and four-wheel Garden Tractors. They sold under both the Montgomery Ward brand name and the Simplicity name. In 1950 Montgomery Wards offered 3 models of the 2 wheeled Tractor. The 1 1/2-2hp Hoe-Trac, the 2 1/2-3hp Chor-Trac and the big 6hp Power-Trac along with over 20 various attachments. By 1955 Wards offered 5 different 2 wheeled Tractors and 2-4 wheeled Riding Tractors, made from 2 wheeled tractors fitted with a steerable rigid mounts sulky. Wards offered 36 quick change attachments for their tractors. The first fully engineered with the engine and steering axle in the front 4 wheel Garden Tractor was the 7 horsepower “Squire 7", introduced in 1959 and stayed the same for 1960-61. In 1962 a slightly more powerful engine was installed and it became the 7.25 horsepower “Squire 7 ¼”. In 1963 big changes started to take place for Montgomery Wards in their Lawn and Garden tractor lineup. M/W still offered a Simplicity built Garden Tractor, the 7 ¼hp “Squire 725”, this would be the last year for the 700 Series based tractor. Wards also offered a Bolens built “Squire 6”, based on the Bolens 600 with a different Cast Iron Grill, hood and Steering Tower. Bolens also provided M/W with several of the attachments for the “Squire 6” that they built. 1964 still saw even more changes for Montgomery Wards. Gone from the lineup was the Bolens built tractor. Simplicity supplied their new LandLord based “Squire 9” Garden Tractor and also the “Squire 6” Lawn Tractor based on the Simplicity Broadmoor. M/W also offered a Garden Tractor called the “Squire 7 ¼HP”, built by Quick Manufacturing using a Springfield Garden Tractor, but having a Cast Iron grill and different hood. Quick Man. Also provide M/W with a full line of attachments they built for their tractor. The 1965 M/W lineup was basically the same as 1964. 1966 brought more changes to the M/W Garden Tractor lineup. Simplicity built the "Squire 10 Deluxe" Garden Tractor. Quick Manufacturing provided 2 Garden Tractors, the “Garden Mark 10” and the “Garden Mark 8”. Both tractors were based on the Springfield Tractors with grill and sheet metal changes only. Simplicity still offered the Power-Trac 2 wheel tractors thru M/W. In 1967 Montgomery Wards offered 3 new Garden Tractors, the “Squire 12” with manual lift, Squire 12” with Hydraulic lift, “Squire 10” and the “Squire 8”. These tractors were produced by Gilson Tractor Co.. Gilson also provided Wards with all of their attachments to go along with their tractors. Warde still offered the Simplicity built Power-Trac 2 wheel tractor as well as all the attachments were still available. It's not known if these were leftovers from the Wards stock or if A/C continued to build and supply these. 1968 saw the same Lawn and Garden Tractor equipment available from Wards. M/W did start offering a 7 hp Riding Lawn Tractor which appears to be built by MTD although I haven't been able to back that up for sure. This is a work in progress and I will be adding more information as I gather it up. Please be patient with me. [Source: The Story of William J. Niederkorn, prepared for the Ozaukee County Historical Society, August 8, 1967, Marquette University Press, courtesy of Simplicity Manufacturing inc.] [Source: Montgomery Wards Catalogs, Farm Catalogs]

Duct tape a couple bricks on the pedals and fire her up Austin.

Only thing wrong I can see is the craigslist competition

If it works, don't mess with it!!!

7-10-1985 Coca Cola reintroduced Classic Coke after the failure of New Coke On April 23, 1985, The Coca-Cola Company released a reformulated version of their famous drink. It was heavily marketed as “the new taste of Coke,” and its launch followed a period of concern for the brand as they lost market share to rival Pepsi. Facing a growing dilemma, there was a knee-jerk reaction to alter the traditional recipe, one which tens of millions of loyal customers had grown to love, and plan ahead for a successful year. The new drink rapidly gained the name “New Coke” but, to the company’s shock, there followed a major public outcry. Many consumers began to “panic buy” traditional Coke, inundate the company’s call centers with complaints, and even file lawsuits. An overwhelmed Coca-Cola were forced to backtrack apologetically, and on July 10,1985 the announcement was made that sales of the “old Formula” would begin immediately. By the summer of 1985 they were once again the American public’s fizzy drink of choice

Good post, always check the compression first thing. Your doctor checks your vitals first to see if he has anything to work with.

The glass hood was needed to provide enough space for the twin cylinder engine that was supposed to go into the planned 1978 c-171. Unfortunately Kohler kind of blew it with the reliability of the KT-17 engine and wheel horse was fortunate enough to find out in advance. Deere and simplicity and others weren't so lucky and had lots more engine failures than wheelhorse did by waiting two more years. Hence the Briggs twin as a substitute. Somebody needs to ask Ed from toro next time the see him if he recalls whether the c-171 was supposed to have a steel hood of the black hood. style. I bet it was ready but the exhaust on the Briggs required a short deadline redesign. Just postulating. Briggs makes great engines. They just don't have the popularity of the Kohler. All the manufacturers have misses once in a while, kohler gave us the KV's, the KT series ones, and the Triads... Eventually kohler claimed to have the problems resolved, so the c-175 debuted with the KT two years later. By that time I guess they decided a full overhaul was needed so hung the bigger sheetmetal hood across the line. The glass hood was also used in a slightly modified version on the e-141 electric tractor. It crossed my mind just now that Wheel Horse had an history of introducing new styling gradually and on oddball models: the 1045, the C-161 twins, the 1980's Work Horses... I think the twin cylinder c-161 is a real "milestone" model since it was the first twin cylinder tractor built on the classic chassis. They're a nice machine. And yours looks great. I think you need another one. Steve

We have a GILSON and they made the Montgomery Wards and early FORDS and a bunch of other tractors that were sold in Canada under other names that slips my mind. Please post photos. One of the interesting things about Gilson is that they were a brand name in and of themselves, but they also did a tremendous amount of private brand work. The features of the private brands typically lagged the Gilson machines by a year or so, giving the Gilson dealers some advantage. Some of the brands built by Gilson included; LAWN-BOY, Montgomery Ward / Garden Mark, Plymouth (after their home town of Plymouth Wisconsin), Senator, WIZARD sold by Western Auto stores, Mor.power and Mastercraft both sold by Canadian Tire Corporation, BEAVER sold by Beaver Lumber of Canada, TECO sold by Eaton's Department Stores (Thomas Eaton Company) of Canada, BRENTWOOD , MARSHALL-WELLS , ARTISAN, FORD, TOYOTA. and New Holland. See them all here. I am still looking to pick add PLYMOUTH, Mor.power, ARTISAN, BRENTWOOD, MARSHALL-WELLS and NEW HOLLAND machines. I can't help but believe that there are other Gilson built brands that I've yet to identify, if you have such a machine be sure to Report a Gilson Sighting. Gilson snowblowers are commonly found in the United States, Canada and the Scandinavian countries. Many Gilson snowblowers are assuming the role of family heirloom as I frequently hear from third generation users seeking to keep machines from parents or grand parents in operation. I still have my dad's Gilson in service. In 1988 Gilson was acquired by LAWN-BOY. In 1989 LAWN-BOY was acquired by TORO. Currently LawnBoy is handling the GILSON parts and archives. The LawnBoy dealer network is your source for OEM parts. See my FAQ for more info on locating parts. This site is dedicated to providing the resources needed to keep these machines working. You will find resources pertaining to parts and service procedues along with historical information. My wife's GILSON...almost done!

Print and save this. I read it, and agree with just about everything, except I would have included 3 -4 breaks for Miller Lite!!! Nice write-up!!!