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Off to the auction......wish me luck, I really want this one.

Well, I know you guys are waiting for the results of todays auction. Here's the bad news....I ran out of cash at 350 and it eventually sold for 477. My pockets just weren't deep enough. I think you all thought I went to buy a tractor, but it was actually the 38 acre farm that adjoins the back border of my property. The good news is it will not be developed and the farm will be worked with horses and mules. This elderly gentleman put down the $477,000 required to outbid the developer. His pockets were pretty deep. Sorry, If I confused anyone, but your clue was , this was not in the tractor forum.

If you have followed the "875-Iron Horse" thread in the restorations section of the forum, you know that my dad's first garden tractor was a . We finished the rectification of that tractor and have decided that it has worked hard for a lot of years and has earned a much deserved rest. Dad will use it periodically for light duty but mainly for shows, parades, etc. For anyone who knows me, I love GT plowing. Dad periodically plows with us and although the 875 is up to the task, we just don't want to put the wear on a fine resto. So, I began to hunt for a tractor for him. In his mid sixties, I wanted to locate something with hydro lift. Dad likes plowing with a gear jammer and so that was another parameter I had to keep in mind for my hunt. Because of dad's longstanding use of his 875, it had to be a horse, of course. Enter Clyde!!! Back in the spring @Shynon posted this beast for sale. Tom, you can feel free to post here any background about the tractor. I know it has been repowered and everything on it is functional. It had dad's name written all over it. So, I decided to purchase it for his birthday! I had to wait till the Portage show to pick it up since that was when Tom's path would cross with mine. the cool thing is that my dad came down to that show unexpectedly. He walked around with me and saw "his" tractor there, before he knew it was his! It was in this spot when he spotted it and we talked about it for awhile. He had no clue that these were ever made. My buddies @WHX12 @Achto @stevasaurus and @Rp.wh were all aware of it and helped me keep it a secret(no small feat for me!). Thanks guys! Here Zach is enjoying a little seat time once we got it home. It has some scuffs and scratches from 50 plus years of life but it is in what I would call "perfect plow tractor shape". Looks nice but you aren't afraid to use it! Here it sits with some of the other members of my stable. Dad turns 65 tomorrow and so the long anticipated day is almost here. We are going out with him for dinner on Friday night. I'm gonna try to have mom get him out of the house mid afternoon. Then I can bring it over and put it in the garage with a ribbon on it! When we get back from supper--SURPRISE! I sure hope he likes it. I wanted to have a set of AG's installed on the back but my fridge broke down two weeks ago and there went my $250! Oh well, there is always Christmas. Stay tuned for the big reveal...

This tractor had a complete restoration done before I acquired it. I was fortunate enough to buy it as you see it with the exception of the hubcaps.

Reply #3

Truth be told since the auction is out of reach for me I would be more interested in the man, the story and his obvious passion for this collection.

Those certainly would be an option but the tire that most interests me right now is this one... It looks more like a true agricultural tire versus the commercial look, especially on a tractor of that vintage...

Mark, please don't take photo tips from Fred. He has the only auto antifocus camera available.

You got the best deal ever, it will remain in agricultural production and you don't have to pay taxes on it.

I'd say stay local, NY is a terrible place to buy tractors. We have bad roads and big taxes. Down staters don't like horse rustlers. So you need to have to worry about that when you're in state and have out of state plates.

I won't tell you what to buy, that's just personal preference. But I will ask...what's your plans for your next tractor purchase? Worker? Restored show machine? Something to putt around shows with? Maybe to flip for a profit? Just want the number of tractors you own to go up by 1? Both those tractors (all tractors actually) have their pro's and con's. Figure out why your buying it and your desision might be easier. Mike....

Looks like the property... transferred into a good set of hands there Ed. Horses and mules are gonna make for a nice backdrop for your future picts.

I would love to have another 953 for my birthday! Great gift!

Adjust the high speed mixture screw. Sounds like it is a bit lean. The governor is working. Did you adjust the position of the governor arm on the governor shaft? That is required when a carb has been reinstalled on the engine. Procedure is in the service manual. Section 04 in this manual A governor tries to slow the rpm down. The faster the engine runs to more force it develops to slow the engine down. There is a governor spring between the throttle cable and the governor arm. The throttle cable tries to increase rpm by adding tension to the spring. In your case the governor senses the desired rpm (set by the throttle cable) is too high so it slows the engine down. Now its is too slow so allows the throttle spring pressure to increase the rpm but the engine is slow to respond caused by the lean running condition. Since it did not rev up the governor allowed too much throttle opening. When it does rev up it is too fast again and the cycle continues as we say surges or is governor hunting. Let us know what happens. Garry

This is my 61 701. I recently restored it for the local tractor shows.

I degreased and then used 000 steel wool with Windex to thoroughly clean my 606 roller. Then I put a couple coats of Matte clear coat on everything. It retained the patina without adding unnatural shine that old paint wouldn't have. Plus. It protects the paint well since it's kept inside.

You have to get to know Wheel Horse owners! Meet and greet, go places, talk, ask questions, go to some shows, swap meets, etc. Once your phone has ten of twelve wheel horse guys and gals listed you will have more ways of finding parts, tractors and information that you even wanted !

Hello, Just joined the forum and it seems this placeis a wealth of knowledge.... Anyway, I am currently in the middle of a small restoration job on a C 125. The tractor was given to me by my grandpa and he was the only owner. The tractor was in pretty good condition to start with, just a few small problems. Sorry that I dont have any starting pictures but ill try to find some. I'll try to post updates as I progress through this project. Hopefully this post will spark some good discussion. Thanks for reading!

Check the key in the transmission drive pulley. The pulley may be turning, but not the shaft.

He had deep pockets alright Ed..... and the rest of the clan to back him up the way it looks. Better luck next time and thanks for sharing! 2nd thought Ed that sounds like an awful lot for 38 acres.... I think we need some more info on the developer BS?

Ed , If he had such deep pockets you think he would have purchased a pair of shoes for the young man sitting on the ground.

A 1992 520H W/ a loader I built and a 60in. deck

Yes.. just a little of an affliction . It pays off though...like finding a NOS K91 for $99 that was under antiques . It was listed for two weeks and I was the first caller ! As your newest hire Jim @WHX12 , now I can do it on company time and get paid for it... !

... and I always search in for sale "all" not just " farm and garden" . People will list tractors under antiques , barter and other categories . Yes a bunch of other stuff will pop up but you won't miss it if it was listed under antiques. Then I also search city by city which takes a lot of time . You'll see a lot of the same stuff but it seems there's always one tractor that pops up only in that city for some reason . Then if you do find something don't hesitate , run don't walk , jump on it quick . We have a old saying on this side of the pond maybe you already know it but " if you snooze you loose " . I lost out many of times for procrastinating . Stevebo's meet and greet is coming up , here's the link... That would be a god place to rub elbows with some serious collectors . There's always the "BIG SHOW" held at the end of June each year . Lots and lots to see and buy . A must for any Wheel Horse collector http://new.wheelhorsecc.com/ . And lastly take Jim's advice here if you do find something . This is the best group of guys and gals on any forum, on the net . Lots of people willing to help out a fellow member.

Good advise, but it is a long way to row the boat to go to meet you guys. Would be nice though! Maby I can take a few days off next time I'm stateside to mingle

The two tractors next to the Bolens are David Bradleys. 1959-1961 era. Worth about $100 each in that condition with some missing parts and incorrect engines. Still desirable to the DB guys though.

Craigslist Wheelhorse Wheel Horse Sometimes just "tractor"

What a great present for your dad! You could always put a set of R4 tires on the old girl

You have to get to know Wheel Horse owners! Meet and greet, go places, talk, ask questions, go to some shows, swap meets, etc. Once your phone has ten of twelve wheel horse guys and gals listed you will have more ways of finding parts, tractors and information that you even wanted !

The glass lens IS the bulb... the element inside is not a serviceable part. Take it to the auto parts store and get the replacement... they're cheap.... well I see you're in CT... so perhaps not quite so cheap!

No harm @Flynhrse . Simply put, the classifieds are for items that are for sale or for trade by the owners of said item or a wanted ad. Thats it. Your post about the auction didn't meet any of those criteria so it was deleted. Since what you wanted to do was make an announcement and give us all a heads-up it should be posted in the general forum under Wheel Horse Tractors, Other Brands or maybe even Non-Tractor Discussion. Mike....

If that is the worst you do around here you will get by just fine. But don't let it happen again!

Well, since we are talking tools to check things, I have a story or two. I have a little honda CB100 and the little guy would run about five miles and shut down. After cooling down some, it was start stop, rinse and repeat. i took it to a retired farmer who also wrenched part time at the auto sales in town. We started the bike and he used a timing light and noted that it would make spark, but the light was not bright at all. A mounting screw for the points was barely touching the cover and when it heated a bit, the result was a full short. We re- mounted and adjusted the base of the points spring, and all was good. A lot of guys check for spark by laying the plug on the engine block, but on the occasion the spark is weak, the plug will not fire at all once it is screwed into the block. it actually takes MORE energy to light the plug once inserted into the pressure and gasoline vapor than it does outside the block. [Source=Dansmc.com, a motorcyle repair site]. For that reason, I own a cheap Harbor Freight timing light and it has saved me tons of time. It is easy to see even one little miss with this light and even to judge how strong the spark is.Also, you can know whether or not it is sparking while cranking the engine Just a few weeks ago, the timing light caught my C-141 lying to me about an ignition problem. the VOM showed 12 volts present at the coil, but the thing would not fire. The timing light showed one spark event when I hit the starter and another when i ended cranking the engine. Further testing with the VOM showed that the coil voltage went away upon cranking. We used a temporary hot lead to the coil and it started right up. It was a bad switch. These machines are very simple as compared to auto engines, but sometimes there is a huge benefit with a small investment in tools

.... You can hangout in the basement with us trouble makers and if you can't behave in there well there's always the dungeon ... !

Don't let it bother you Flynhrse, there was a few threads started about that auction a week ago so most of us already knew about it but thanks for making sure the bases are covered! For your transgressions against RS and your horse brethren by posting forbidden content in the wrong section you are herby sentenced to giving your 520 a bath monthly for two years, and changing fluids yearly for the rest of it's life. Any more slip ups like that and you will be required to acquire another . and made to log in to that green and yellow forum.....eeewww now that's cruel... BTW

@PeacemakerJack the tractor actually came from a trade from Lowell, I remember pulling the head, as I always do with a new to me tractor, and found a big ding inside the cylinder wall. I was going to rebuild until I found the same kind of a ding on the crankshaft journal. The current engine was and industrial 10hp Kohler I picked up from and ag service. Was a great runner. Trans was opened up to find some severely worn bevel gears, which I replaced cleaned out the trans and put back together. Ross gear was not in the best of shape, bought one off put in new balls and retaining rings. Engine pulley crankshaft hole was egg shaped with a piece of shim stock trying to fill the gap, found one on a parted out tractor in a little better shape. I had 6.70-15 goodyear ags on it with inside weights which I kept for my 1054. New lift cable. Have pulled a 10" plow to me seemed a little underpowered, also Terry pulled an 8" plow. It is a run tractor to cruise the shows with. Hope your dad enjoys it. Maybe someday we will meet up plowing.

LOL, i drove tractor trailer 13 years, know all about NYorker's, @rjg854 Heck they invited me to dinner hahaha, long lane, to a old wooden shack in the middle of Conesus NY @Sparky Just wanting to add to my black hood line up, Have the 125 & 165A

The easiest way to test those is to connect the terminals of the sealed beam to a 12 volt battery with a jumper wire.

I think the OP went away, seems like all he wanted to do was contradict the advice he was given. Start a new thread with your symptoms and what has been done to this point and help will be on the way.

This is what a sealed beam headlight looks like. It is a one piece replaceable unit. You don't remove "the bulb", it is a sealed unit.

OR ..... the bulbs have a poor ground. If the ground wire for the bulb is attached to the hood there could be no ground. When the ground is the hood, the circuit must pass thru the hood hinge to get back to the battery. That's a bad connection. There needs to be a jumper wire from the hood to the tractor frame. If you're using a test light connect the alligator clip to the ground side of the bulb and probe the (+) side of the bulb. Got light? If not you'll need to fix the ground. If the test light came on you'll need bulbs!

What a great story and great looking tractor. Can I adopt you?

I am going to answer this post even though I think the OP is gone. LOL NO there may not be a melted spot and the chances are the wire (cable) is good, but there is always that possibility the wire (cable) is bad.

Here's a couple. 1961 551 1967 Lawn Ranger 1981 GT2500

Finished the 704 this morning after picking up a new muffler and drive belt for the deck. Now she can sit proudly with her stable mates in the barn. Thanks to everyone for their interest in this project.