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How many lawn tractors made today will be able or around to accomplish this 56 years from now?

My sister has made a couple backrests (plywood board and upholstery also) for my old Wheel Horses. She has used 3/8 plywood but I have seen other folks use different types of materials. Glued chipboard is not a good materials to use as the embedded three prong threaded 1/4 x 20 clips ( I guess they call these T nuts) that go into the seat back to secure the two screws will often come loose or work out. I am posting pictures of two of the backrests my sister made for me . The measurements on these drawings is what she used to sew up the materials for the seatback. I will note that I took a picture (last picture in this set) of one of the early seatbacks and found it to be one inch wider -so you can take that in consideration if you want to when making. This posting may help some of you wanting to have a seat back made or reupholstered.

It's a Mercedes Benz Unimog sold by Case. One of the best 4 wheel drives on the planet.Paint it red and put Wheelhorse stickers on it!

Designed this to clean out a clear cut lot at a friend's garage. Should work well. Mostly brush and small trees. I tested it out across the road in some pesky knotweed after the township cut it back. I'm going to make some gussets at the hitch point. This was just an eager test run 😀

Thank you for the birthday wishes! I thought I would share a photo from 64 years ago - my second birthday.

Local paving contractor has one with a dump body and snowplow! I also have the Matchbox model I had growing up!

Thank you Lane for the info on making seats for these tractors. You were the inspiration for me to make the seat for my 1054 that I haven't gotten around to assemble yet. I got a lot of good information and decided to get a heavy duty sewing machine to sew my seat and back. With everything we do to these great old tractors we need someone to show us we can do it if inspired by someone that's done it before. It's always the little things that discourages people not to try. I think mine came out really good after you posted your seat. I plan on making a new seat for my lawn ranger and these plans will come in handy I love the back rest.

My son and me mowing a couple weeks ago . Now I have to rely on the 653 because the Ford is broke down!

Snagged this tired ole C-195 today. She is pretty beat up but definitely worth fixing. Someone has hacked up the wiring. Wrong seat obviously. Voltage regulator is missing. Pretty sure the condensor is on wrong post. Can't find where it says the right diagram for the condensor. Not sure how, but the hydro fan blades are all busted off. Paint is not so great. Front right tire won't hold air. Guy said it ran a year ago..... This is the biggest Wheel Horse I've owned. Came with the Flexible Flyer 60" deck. Even with all the flaws, I hope it will run again. Will get more pics hopefully tomorrow

Someday soon I hope doctors know as much about fixing cancer as this forum knows about fixing Wheel Horses!

Yes original engine. All original parts on it except for horn of course. Also today it has the RJ's front wheels on since I got a flat earlier today. Wouldn't it be cool that one of my grandchildren would post here about it 56 years from now? I am willing to bet on it. Too bad I wont be around to read it.

John, happy birthday to you, and many more Your friend, Glenn

I'll bet though that in the last Ten years, Red Square has had a Big part in keeping these tractors going..

A short story : Last week I got home from work and while cutting the front grass , something caught my eye . Something that i was sure wasn't there when I left for work . A second glance at my porch and sure enough there was something there . It was a little wind-whipped plant with Quarter sized yellow flowers wilted and almost dead . It was in a little clay pot that had a hand painted American Flag on it . ( Other side of the planter ) There was a Popsicle stick stuck in the dirt with a little paper Sunflower with the words " From the students of Martin Rd. Elementary " With a little water and some care , my gift is looking much better today . A ride down the street showed every home in the neighborhood got one ! I sat down and wrote a letter to whomever at the school was responsible for carrying out this act and thanked them . I'm hoping that letter makes it back to the students so they can see that such a seemingly small act is really much bigger !

This is why I bought a horse. He will be 50 this year. Don't even get me started on new garden tractors.... 😡

Hate to disagree with the thought that silica sand doesn't hurt anything.If you use enough without the right precautions it will seriously mess with your lungs.Sand blasting with silica can be very dangerous.Ever heard of silicosis?I agree that play sand works good for it's price but a standard respirator is not adequate protection.Coal slag or any non silica based product is safer but maybe not as effective.I only use non silica media in my blast cabinet and am looking at an air supplied system for true sand blasting.

Let me think about this; NONE!

Great Stallion! Those decks were great too! Is the horn stock?

Great information and follow up Steve. I'll definitely make use of this thread for reference when I rebuild mine.

Steve I'm glad to hear you figured it out and your back up and running thanks for the good information!

Poulan are made mainly by AYP, American Yard Products, who also makes Craftsmans and other entry level lawn tractors. They're mainly designed for a 5 year life cycle as are most entry level machines.

Try 3 to 5 years. About 6 years ago I bought a Weed Eater brand 36 riding mower, $490 new. By the end of the second season (I only have a 300' by 50" lot), the clutch assembly sounded like a blender with marbles in it and the front tires were nearly tread less. Sold it for $125 and glad to have gotten rid of it. If you buy any of the current crop of mowers and pay under $1600, it is doubtful it will last more than 5 years without some major issue. The Briggs engines these days are absolute junk, and are usually what dies first. I am amazed at the number of WH tractors I see that still have original tires on them!

At first glance, I also thought that was a horse. If you still have that bib John, we would like to see it at the Show. Have a great day John.

Happy Happy John Glad to see the started at an early age!

Wheel horse tractors didn't last so long because of flashy paint, or fancy model names, or even (dare I say it) RED Square. The darn thing dose the job they were intended to do and were built in the day when quality and workmanship meant something to the manufacture as well as the consumer. Profit was made by good value for the money, not manufacturing short cuts and off shore materials and labor.

"Couldn't find a Wheel Horse tractor that was decent under $1800 in my area " Where were you when I was selling my tractor?

There doesn't seem to me much info on Poulans probably because there isn't the demand that us Wheel Horse nuts cause with our machines. I think if all you're going to do with it is mow where your wife used the push mower it should get the job done. The new quality is on par with the rest of the big box lawn mowers sitting next to them because basically they are the same machines. I don't know what part of the midwest you're from but in this part an $1800 budget will allow you to find an excellent Wheel Horse.

Such a sweet tractor that does an awesome job! Cas, I must say, you have got yourself a beautiful piece of property there!

With a little maintenance and care that one could be around another 56.

Silicosis is nasty. Only way I would blast with play or concrete sand is with power washer set up.

Very cool!!

NONE

Dear Lord, Craftsmanmowerfreak’s Father has a medical condition that needs your divine intercession. Please guide the surgeon's hands to be steady and effective to do the task at hand, and not create any further damage We pray against any infection or complications. Calm the heart of his family. Give him your peace so his body can heal under the best conditions. In the name of Jesus, bless him to be healthier after this procedure than before. Lord allow this temporary trial to bring this family closer to you and each other. When he is coming out of surgery, let the side effects be minimal. Work a miracle in this whole situation and bless it from beginning to end. Thank you Lord for your blessing on this family. We praise you as we know we are in good hands- the very hands of God. In Jesus name, we thank you for each day. Amen.

That is a very low price for a good 341. At least in this area. I offered $225 for one a while back and was rejected. See if you can pull the head and check if it has been bored.

Now Howard. ...you know danged well my 857 is my go to tractor!...'specialy now my wife busted the 702!

So I waffled back and forth but in the end, the 520 axle is straighter and the GT14 axle bracing would not work. So I had to cut them out and am in the process of fabricating up new brAckets or braces or whatever you call them. Then I will drill it for 3/4" pivot. The rest of this action will be in my GT22-8 thread.

OK folks, I'm back again with some answers.......rather than questions, this time. Picked up another 8363 valve from another GT 14 at the Portland tractor show last week thanks to Karl Stohry of Flat Rock, IN. Here's what I found out and it was pretty much what I was thinking all along.............I lost a piece in my initial disassembly of my original 8363 control valve. I'll more or less let the pics do the talking with captions added where needed. When the valve lever is in the neutral position (where it always returns after movement either forward or backward), the round head set screw just protrudes from the body of the valve. See white circled area. When the control; lever is pulled back, the screw and a small metal sleeve attached to the end of the spool, move downward out of the valve body. Conversely, when the control lever is pushed forward, the spool and the sleeve/screw move upward into the casting body of the valve. The big spring in the side of the valve casting returns the lever and spool to neutral, regardless of the direction it has been moved. Upon removal of the round head screw, and a slight loosening of the hex allen screw to relieve the ball detent, the metal spacer/sleeve came out of the assembly. As I suspected, this is what I lost previously. Its machined on the upper end to fit into the chamfered end of the spool. The sleeve/spacer has a countersunk area into which the end of the spool fits. It also has a larger diameter shoulder machined into it which serves as a stop for the ball detent in the assembly and prevents the spool from being lower below the ball detent. Note the damaged area on the shoulder of the sleeve/spacer which I believe to be from wear of the detent ball. The last pic in this group shows the flat bottom side of the sleeve spacer which the screw and lock washer rest against on the bottom of the assembly. So, in the off season, meaning non-mowing season, i.e. winter, I need to find a skilled machinist to duplicate the sleeve/spacer to restore my original control valve to full working order. The job of this part is to limit movement both up and down of the spool. A very simple part basically with a very simple job. But without it, the valve won't fully function. Next time Steve needs to mind his P's & Q's a little more closely when disassembling something he has never had apart before. Probably a good example of being in a little too much of a hurry. That generally works against not only me, but probably everyone. Lesson learned the hard way......the way you tend to remember more going forward. Duh.

Additional prayers for dad. Glenn

Thanks Ken and everyone for the nice comments. She is sweet and tough. One acre of lawn every three days! Some guy believed in her so much he even signed his name on it. I decided to give your tractor a rest this year since I missed the old girl so much and she was just jealous looking at the stud having all the fun.

Very good deal! Get going, you have wo....wo.....WORK now! "She kinda looked funny at me the other day when I came home with my 4th tractor!", right tg!

well I wonder if you had control system with a float in it could be a big difference.........I have to be honest when I get my pump rebuilt on my 953 I am anctous to try it

formariz I agree 100% None. That is nice work on the stone did you do this if so the must have take you while to do it. OHH my back. Looks great. Landscape shots with tractors just seem to fit.

Main system Second system in shop

Yeah that raider was in my cross hairs, too many projects here at the new home for me to pull the trigger. Well that and my wife... 😁

I too want to stress the dangers of silicosis using common sand - do yourself a favor and google this and do some reading on it. Now as to blast media - I assume the product you are referring to is "Black Diamond" perhaps? (coal slag) If so I use it exclusively, and have used probably 25-30 bags outside of my shop in the grass. Been close to a year since I have done any in that area (thats about to change) and I have to look closely at the ground/grass to see any trace of the black grains - that has really surprised me in fact! This springs new grass growth and the rains has almost disappeared it. I use a dedicated blast hood - not air supplied but a heavy duty one, with goggles and gloves using a cheapo vacuum pickup gun. and I have HF's big blast cabinet with Black Diamond in it.

Very Nice! Original Lauson engine?

...and look that good while doing it?

For $150, I'd say you got a good deal. That pile of tires alone is worth more than that.