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I was offered this body to me over a year ago and I took delivery of it this week . It’s 1 of 300 made for 1960 (turquoise and white) and sold through Chevrolet dealers. The first year was 59 where 200 were built in red and white (this is what I thought I had) . No production numbers for 1961 . These bodies were made in the same factory as the real one . After close inspection of damage I see some turquoise poking through from under some decals and scraped paint leading me to think it’s a 1960 . I was just thinking cool wall art for the barn but a custom gasser built with some Horse parts would be . these next three pictures you can see the turquoise paint coming through . Picture of a original 1960 order form for 61

So my 856 is has been my go to tractor for a since i started into WH. The last 4 years it has been my dedicated mower, which it does an amazing job on my 3/4 acre lot. About 5 years ago i rebuilt the k181 and starter/gen and rewired it. I have never done anything with the transmission which had me thinking i should tear it apart, and rebuild it this winter while its out of service. Then i thought lets go through the whole tractor, more of a mechanical restoration, i am NOT going to repaint this tractor, i want to rebuild/bushing/repair all the worn/wearing components without harming any paint. Today is teardown day and im making a list of things to repair as i find them. All of the yellow is pollen, the weather changed a little fast this year so she didnt get a bath before coming in. Ill clean it up as i go. Off with the hood and fender pan Will need to repair the front hood pins And weld the crack in the fender pan bracket This is going to be a slower process i will try to take pics as i go and keep updates

most get parted out. this one is getting parted in. I had another post going on this but here is the new one i will keep updating. I lost count I think it's 9 different tractor parts so far. mostly everything is ready for reassembly. this project started from a center steering column with a serial tag, thought it would be fun to piece it back together. alot of time and cash going into it. alot of members here contributed to it with parts which I say thank you to

@PeacemakerJack, @ebinmaine, @elcamino/wheelhorse, @pullstart, Getting ready to head over to (WV) my parents' in the morning (had to work today) with the finished load stacked on (40"H x 11'L x 7'W) right at 2 full cord we shall see how this ole dude handles it 75 miles one way with 9% grade 8.5 miles up down mountain before I get there enjoy...

This thread is way outside my area of expertise but is something that I have had an interest in ever since I was a kid. During the Cold War era, there was always an attitude of “one upmanship” between the Russian Bear and the American Eagle. Tensions were almost always high and there were a variety of military technological advances made on both sides with an eye towards the other. As the story goes, a high speed recon jet was flying over Russian airspace when it was shot down. This caused more tensions between the USA and Russia and was also a source of embarrassment. So...it was time to roll up the collective sleeves and do the American thing—built a bigger, better, faster jet! Little did anyone in the late 50’s know but there was an aircraft in the works that would defy reality and almost literally—TIME! It is important to interject here that when the building of this bird was commissioned, it was barely 60 years since the Wright brothers had made their first successful air voyage of 20’ above the sand dunes traveling a distance of about 120’ in December of 1903. It is staggering to think that in just 6 decades we went from flying an apparatus like this... barely 100’ to one that would set records of flying around the world in only a handful of hours. To fully understand the reality of how advanced and amazing the SR-71 Blackbird is, you have to frame it by the time period in which it was made. WHILE was building the 854 (a well built machine as well—no doubt) Lockheed had a secret division designing and building the coolest aircraft to ever fly in the skies... The Blackbird was designed to fly at an altitude of 85,000 feet and at speeds of Mach III or about 2,200mph! Ironically it is nearly impossible to find a factual top speed of this magnificent machine. Often the best answer that you will get from a former pilot is Mach III “plus”—whatever that means. I do know that I was at the EAA Air show in 1989 when they brought in an SR-71 that was about to be retired. I was there when it took off. It was an amazing experience watching that bird fly out. It did a couple of flyovers before heading west. 45 minutes later they announced over the loud speakers that it had already landed in Miramar CA which is over 2000 miles from Oshkosh, WI! Now that is moving!!!! What impresses me most about this machine is that allegedly the last Blackbirds were grounded in 1999 but yet it still is the fastest manned jet in the world history of military aviation. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnn.com/style/amp/sr-71-blackbird-spy-plane-design/index.html I was reminded of this aircraft when it popped popped up in my news feed a few days ago. I thought that maybe someone else on here shared my interest in this very special and unique aircraft. Does it look outdated or vintage almost 60 years after it was first designed—I think not! It still looks cutting edge even though it has been officially “grounded” for more than 20 years. What is often said on this forum? Necessity is the mother of invention!!! The Blackbird was born of necessity and became an overnight sensation.

Had to remove about 1-1/2” off the air cleaner base to clear the hood. Still have to do the lid. At least the hood fits over it now. Also still have to clean up the inside a bit. You’ll never see it but I know it’s there.

Well...this thread inspired me. The ole lady decided to take an afternoon snooze so I went and played horse for a little bit. I call this one "horse tracks.

Like this

Upgraded to a K161T on my 606 ...it’s an excellent cold weather starter!👍

Kinda chilly here this morning. This is the only way I like to see my Kohler's smoking

So I have the frame cleaned up no cracks in the back gusset plate so I guess theres no welding needed today. one thing I wanted to address is the amount of slop in the front axle and steering. I cleaned up the axle and took some measurements. And heres the frame Doesnt seem like a whole lot until you do the math here is the difference between the two for comparison it's next to a 16d nail. So a little tweaking in the arbor I mean frame press Now shes like a German nun.... good-n-tight. Also not sure of this is factory machining, the lip, I think it's wear on the axle where the spindle rides, but a little flap disk wheel on the grinder took care of it.

Easily worth that. Pre-winter prices on those “real” wheel weights creep up in the $200 range

-4 when I left for work this morning, bloody lovely ! just right for the shorts

Well I guess I have my Halloween costume for next year ....

Thanks Josh. Emory is old enough that he is getting into the VW’s. He’s the reason I’ve decided to wake them both up from their long slumber. He’s been really excited about riding in them and his interest has sparked mine again. I’ve actually had the bug about 21 years. It was all stock with the metallic blue paint. I’ve two toned it, replaced a few bent panels, added 67 and earlier bumpers, narrowed the front beam, notched the rear spring plates, added air ride, collected lots of accessories, then let it sit and rust after I lost interest with getting married, having Emory, and Mom getting sick and passing. They’re not going to replace my wheel horses, but rather give Emory and I something else to do together. That’s the best part!!!

Little change of plans in the shop. My parts cabinet and the black plastic shelf have served me well for a long time, but I never liked how much floor space they took up. So today Krystopher and I decided to put up some more overhead shelving and build another shorter workbench along the west wall. Very happy with the way it turned out, and really enjoyed getting to spend some one on one time with my oldest away from Mom and baby brother

I am hopelessly a diesel fanatic...however I appreciate a heavy duty large displacement torquey gas motor as much as the next gear head. So...that being said, I can’t wait for a full report on your heavy load trip through the mountains. I think that old truck is super cool Jeff👍🏻

Anxious to hear how the 'ol big block handles that load.

Now that's some sweet lookin @roadapples.

Amazing that your daughter is so young yet she spec’d all these parts. Blows my mind

The tattoo on my right arm says LIVE TO RIDE AND RIDE TO LIVE with a spread winged Harley Davidson eagle. Wheel Horse cruise also applies after the age of 60.......

Ok, finally had a couple minutes and the will to look at this further. Decided the easiest thing to do was check points gap. I dug around for about 45 minutes until I finally found my feeler gauge. Best I could do with it was .19 so I set it for that and stuck it in the gap to find it was bigger. Currently I have the gap set for that .19 and she sure is much better. I also cleaned the points as they were pretty oxidized. Thing seems to run like a champ now and virtually no kickback. Thanks fellas.

If I understand...you made a deal to sell your tractor for $100 as is...tractor with a snow blade. Now you found the mower deck, 2 extra rear wheels with rear wheel weights and a set of chains. Correct?? Sparky is right...you should stick to your original deal and offer the other stuff for additional money. Your snow blade for that tractor goes for about $150 - $175. The guys is getting an excellent deal if the tractor runs. The mower is worth $50. to #100. The weight are worth what Darby said. I say $25 for the chains...maybe $200 for the tires, rims, weights and chains. If that buyer does not want any of it...list that stuff here in the "Classifieds" For Sale Section. Welcome to Red Square. I wouldn't think you would have too much trouble selling the extra stuff seeing you are from Indianapolis. Lots of Wheel Horse guys down there.

Hard to believe about a month ago we had an all time high for October! I myself like the cool temps! You can dress warm for cold but you can only dress down so far legally!!

The breakerless system that it used wasn't used for very long and parts are difficult to find and usually fairly expensive. I know of some people that are still using the system and it's fine as long as its working. People switch to points because they're cheap as dirt and simple. If something goes wrong, replacing the entire ignition system costs less than $30. The main advantage is serviceability.

Thinking it would look it's best hanging on my wall here Jeff... just sayin'...nice score there buddy.

Jeff, it would take a bit of engineering, but if that body could be made to pivot backward (like a drag racing Funny Car body) and mounter in your track chair it would be awesome.

Don’t know really were to post this but I had this manual offered to me . I really don’t have any interest in it besides the cool factor and something to display . What do you think and what’s something like this worth ? It’s a 45min drive to Owasso Michigan to pick it up.

Yes - I do share your interest ! The WP / Dayton Air Force museum has a SR-71 The Intrepid Air and Space museum in NYC has a Lockheed A-12 - which is similar (precursor to the SR-71) I recommend a trip to see one or both if you have not already !

Absolutely true! Just reading about the challenges that they faced with fuel is intriguing. They had to develop something new for the parameters mandated by the heat generated through traveling so fast. The plane was made out of titanium and the number one supplier in the world was...Russia! Classic

Thanks for the post Josh. Since the Black bird was built we still have not come up with the technology to build a fuel tank that will with stand the temperature changes. The Black bird would actually leak fuel on to the run way while waiting to take off. The fuel level on the plane would be less than 25% after take off so the first thing on the flight agenda was to hook up with a tanker plane and refuel.

Good times! He’ll remember that forever! I bet he sleeps good tonight!

This will be it's third trip there but the last 2 loads weren't as big/heavy , hopefully it's an uneventful trip in the morning and back home.

Finally, had a nice 8 point show at 4:30 this evening. He followed a doe in and they stopped at 56 yards. They spent the next 45 minutes there, but never offered a shot. The rut is on.

Well at least it came from a horse...LOL! And I got to use my WH to unload it and spread it around.

I’d say the wheel weights are worth $150 alone!

Love it. Makes me wanna go fire up the C-160 with the stack and go for a cruise.

78.8 downstairs 73 upstairs Was 14 this am now 25....

I was a ACE Rewards member, but it was not linked to my on line account. Got it now....I ordered 3 sets ($300 + $18 tax) one for me and one for each son for Christmas gifts. Andy for the link.

Had the exact same thing happen to me. I tossed it. Now it's only Battery Tender or Shumacher.

I print my manuals off from here. Then I slide the pages into page protector sleeves and put them in a 3 ring binder. This keeps the paper clean while your paging through with greasy fingers.

The cheapest manual you can find is to download the one here, and then print it out off a computer linked to a printer. Can't get much cheaper than that, only costs you the paper it's printed on

There's a reason that across ALL brands that the top/best garden tractors were hydrostatic drive with hydraulic lift and not the gear drive units just saying... I grew up on gear drive Cub Cadets but as far as GTs for snow work I'll never use anything but a hydro...

I have seen junk and now will only use the Battery Tender brand. It ain't cheap.

I think the dealer was pretty scummy for 1, employing someone as dishonest as that, 2, charging him a delivery fee for something that was a result of their negligence, and 3, for not giving him what he paid for; a brand new machine, on the spot. Heads would've rolled.

That is a super cool little bug Dells! As you know, my kids and I really enjoy the time we get together while cruisin in our GTO. It sure looks like Emory is really enjoying your Volkswagen. Tell us some more about it. Did you buy it this way? Restore it? How long have you had it? Sweet little ride for sure

I knew I forgot something! I couldn’t find a radiator for it anywhere! Oh well, it does ok for now. Parts aren’t too bad to get - lots interchange with bugs, but the thing only parts can be a little high. Emory bugged me to finally get my bug going. These pics are of it laid out on air ride. Can’t drive it without raising it up a little😂!

That's a slick ride, but I hear parts are hard to get. I know a VW guy who has a line on just about everything in this and several other realities, and he tells me he can't get radiators, water pumps, or thermostats for any of those old VWs.

20 out here and see all kinds of people in shorts. EGAD!

Let me first offer, that I am the proud owner of one of the early model D250s. I've had it for a year and a half and is one tough tractor. But, I don't think it is the right tractor for everyone. It really falls into the super garden tractor or SCUT class. So, it's heavier and stronger than most garden tractors. In line with this, it is naturally more expensive to maintain and run. For me, this is what I expected, and I haven't regretted my decision. I do use the tractor, I put about 20 hours on it this year, but I do also have a newer large Husqvarna for my daily mowing and snowblowing chores. The Husqvarna tractor itself, that supports a 54" deck or 42" snowblower, is about 2/3 the size and 1/2 the weight of the D250. The model you are looking at is one of the later models. I can tell because it has the tall lever on the left side, in front of the dash. That lever engages the front PTO. The earlier models used a pedal on the outside of the floor board on the same side for this function. The most difficult things to replace will be anything on the transaxle. The major parts are not available anymore, except from sales like this, or piecewise at an event or online. The seals, bearings and hardware can all be sourced from a decent industrial powertrain distributor. The engine is not so bad to find parts for. All or almost all of the parts can be purchased new. It and derivatives of it were used in other tractors, forklifts and other industrial applications of the era. When I last checked, tune up parts can be sourced (ordered) through NAPA. Probably the biggest thing to note about my D250 ownership is that I can't expect people to do the work for me. I have fully become my own mechanic and I supply my own parts through online auctions, European sellers and local specialty shops. The parts list and repair manuals have been my greatest resources, aside from posts and conversations on this forum. Hopefully, this helps provide some insight for you to decide if it is a good tractor for you.