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Like many of us, I suffer from a huge iron deficiency, only treatable by buying more. I've got a whole fence row of projects, but had to add a couple more today. The guy next door to the shop I work at is an old friend of mine...he comes over about once a week or so and we have a good visit. He will be 78 his next birthday and has decided he's ready to get rid of some of his projects he's accumulated over the years. I told him I had about 1000 dollars looking for a new home and he said come over and look around that there would be something in that price range. So I went over there today and found not one but two projects that will coming home with me soon. First one is a 1982 C20. This truck originally had a 350 in it, but it was bad so he swapped it in favor of a small block 400 with a TH400 behind it. Needs to be finished, he got the engine and transmission installed and then lost interest in the project. $500 for this one. After making the deal on the pickup I was ready to go back to work, when I turned around and spotted this 1961 Bel Air. Pretty straight clean car with very little rust. Has a 283 in it that he's pretty sure is blown up with a PowerGlide behind it. Ended up buying it for $500 as well.

Many of you old timers here remember Charlie @clintonnut and the amazing stuff this kid was doing. Well in case you’ve lost track, this is his latest work. Man I wish I had 1/16 his talent

Best pics I have

The Firestone Flotation 23 is most likely the best that there is for traction. Something about their 23 degree angle on the bar tread just works. They are also the most expensive. https://www.millertire.com/23x10-50-12-firestone-flotation-23-tire-4-ply/ Carlisle True Power's would run a close second. I run these on a few of my tractors and have never been disappointed. https://www.millertire.com/23x10-50-12-carlisle-tru-power-4-ply-tire/ Weight and traction go hand and hand on a tractor BUT you can over do things. If you have so much weight and traction that the wheels will not slip, sooner or later something else is going to give. Usually some thing expensive. I've seen guys brag in a plow field that they were having no problems while others were getting stuck. THEN.....they were stuck, with a hand full of broken pieces inside their tranny. 's are tuff little tractors but they are still little tractors, they will last a long time when used with in their limitations.

Both tractors was given to me by a friend. The C165 had a broken connecting rod , and it broke a small piece off of the cylinder skirt, it was well below the rings so I put a new rod in it and it runs great. Put it in first gear low range and its a tank. The 656 engine, the ignition coil was bad. I found a fix on you tube that uses a ford brake sensor and a gm ignition module It runs ok but anything over 1/2 throttle it back fires. Im ok with that since you run the sickle at a low speed. The sickle wobble box was loose and wouldn’t hold oil so i put new bushings and seal in it.

Carlisle Tru-Powers are nice. They seem to be true to the size printed on the tire (nice to get what you paid for).

Carlisle 23x10.50- 12’s on my GT-1848, liking them a lot so far.

Put a side mirror on the snowblower cab. Bought a set of UTV mirrors and 3d printed a bracket for mounting. Made one, works good, now printing one for the other side.

Trina's been working from home 2 to 4 days a week and that's become a permanent thing. She got herself a more "work-friendly" laptop that's been VERY nice because she can be anywhere in the house building upstairs or down and even outside to an extent. She needed a better holding platform for it... Now, if you're a Trina, it can't just be any old flat place. Likely you'd want to make something out of "reclaimed/ future projects" type scrap pile wood ... And ..... It has to be well... Different. Like her. 😜 So ya do the usual poking around the web and see what's out there. She found this: VERY cool.... Here's her interpretation: 1. Diagonal lines. 2. Boxes in the corners, Line down one half. That gives you 14 sections. This amount can be variable. 3. See below. In each section, start in one corner. Draw a line slightly angled to any edge, as seen in the above pic. Top left. Then from that stopping point draw a line slightly angled to the next edge. Repeat.Repeat.Repeat.Repeat.Repeat..... Until you have no more space on that section. Depending what corner your start in determines the pattern you end up with. Shade in and round off corners that look like they go together. The above drawing is on standard 8-½ x 11 paper. It took her about 20 minutes. Voila !! The piece is a 19" ish square cabinet door that some of you may remember she got in a pile of neat little partially cut stuff from the neighbor who had unfortunately lost her husband and we helped out by cleaning up her yard. Use what ya have !! It'll get legs of some sort soon....... To be continued.....

I remember Charlie when he was a little kid driving a tractor around the Show grounds. He has built all the Clinton engines I have. Not only talented but a great guy . Good to see someone of that age with that kind of talent, a great head on his shoulders , and a great personality to cap it off. I am privileged and honored to know him.

My thinking that price is maybe what a collector might be a possible buyer for and use as a trailer queen, but... if youre gonna use it, then there are just toooo many other perfectly good tractors for considerably less money.

Thank you guys for your generous offers, but I think I will keep them. 😊

The 165 is definitely a repainted Black Hood. Hoods look like this original:

https://www.northshorecommercialdoor.com/li22gadoopst.html?msclkid=941f00ea8d2414682148632028460a40&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ECI - Google Shopping - , just moving stuff around , had a spare , was thinking about a bracket make up point , add a male / female heim joint , hook up a chain , etc paint it red , pete

john -- heres my grandson's C165 Blackhood he and I rescued last year from someone's backyard weeds area that had been sitting many yrs............. we have only really done some modest mechanical work on it but runs fine now - plus a few cosmetics since this photo - we also have two C175 blackhoods

Last side panel cut to fit. Need to shorten the trans dipstick and figure out this 3 point. I have some 3”x 5” angle I think I’m going to use to build new uprights. I have a plan……..

That for sale link Bob posted was from 10 years ago. With the scarcity of a basically brand new proven machine (Not big box junk) and the price of things today I would say it's worth it. Still Hit him between the eyes at around 4500 and meet somewhere in the middle. Sometimes you run into a deal like Sparky did. People don't know what they have, dad had it and they don't need it, have to move and can't take it ect. and want it gone ect. But I think its worth it. You're getting a brand new deck and that's $1000 bucks right there alone. My only concern would be the integrity of the rubber components

Love it! This is my weather gauge:

Well if you ever want to store that 656 and the sickle at my place… I won’t charge a thing!

Just a tip for cutting vinyl siding or soffet. Just make a slide jig for your circular saw that holds it square to a cutting table and use an abrasive blade for the cuts. It will not chip out, I promise. If the job is small, a thin cutting disc on a hand held four inch grinder works as well

Thanks. The c165 hood is red, but there is red overspray on the decals on the side. the 656 has a 12 horse tecky and a sms42 sickle mower

Wheelhorse nomenclature changed a bit over the years. The C series began in 1974. C-160 was the first. They ran through 1977. 78 brought a change to the steering tower. Those were a C161. Yours being a C165 should make it a black hood model. After 1983 the 300, 400 series were created. Same basic frame and drive train the whole time. The 656 is: 6. HP. 5. 3 speed manual transmission with electric start. 6. The year. 1966.

This morning I used a 90⁰ steel pick to scrape the paint out of the area around the threads of the relief valve. Dripped a little Liquid Wrench Penetrating oil in there and walked away. Checked on it and sprayed it again 4 or 5 more times throughout the day. I was happy to see every time that there was less oil than I'd left. This evening I had Trina hold the pump assembly so I could work the valve back n forth... and eventually out. I got it cleaned up and tried this 7/16 nut on it. Might JB Weld that on there. In other news... The transmission is now bolted to the frame.

I can identify with your friend, coming up on 78 myself and have a few too many projects. I sold my '48 Ford street rod pick-up and my dream car '46 Lincoln Continental Cabriolet project. Next will be a couple Wheel Horse projects I know I will never get done. Bought them sixteen years ago and haven't gotten to them yet they need a new home with someone who will show them some love.

Thanks. I can’t wait to see if it works. If not, I’ll gut it and make a smoker out of it.

here are updated photos of the C175 Blackhood we did some rehab on - including new decal - We did black footrests, and the Engine tin, plus the rims just as some added black to compliment the blackhood design

No it’s flipped due to the direction the driven shaft spins off the engine. I put it correctly because it would spin the right direction the way this is set up. But flipping it, I would just have to change the direction lever on top of the transmission. transmission dipstick done ☑️

Several things that you must consider. It's not a new machine. Toro/Wheel Horse is a thing of the past with no more Wheel Horses being made. Some parts may be an issue in the future. Having said that, I bought a 1996 416-H in 2014 for $800.00 that it's still going strong. There are a lot of used parts out there for even the ones from the 50's and 60's. The thing is, there is not a single garden tractor made today that is made as well as that one for under $5300. Use your best judgement.

This carb was first soaked in Berrymans carb cleaner for a couple of hours then about an hour in the Ultrasonic with the Simple green and heat for about a half hour. Immediately rinsed after removing from cleaner. No scrubbing or coating applied.

How magnanimous of you @Pullstart... @John2189 - While you're in Michigan dropping the 656 off, I'd be happy to store the Black Hood free of charge!!!

I recommend using Seafoam in your gasoline. Good stuff on old motors. Also try non ethanol gas if you have it near you.

We've had VW's in the family since high school. Now my daughter is the only one left with one. But I'm going off the tracks here with my crazy story. It took place in the mid-70's. My boss had a fleet of company cars for his technical staff. They were all Beetles. He would buy two wrecked Beetles from junk yards. One with front damage, one with rear. He would cut them in half, then weld the two undamaged halves together to make one. Caught up with him one day when one of the cars was pulled over for a brake light violation and the cop found that the front half of the car had been stolen when it was whole.

I like these for all all round use.

I'm going to chime in here with my 2 cents worth. My first Wheel Horse was an 8-speed, 10hp. I loved the traction. When I plowed snow, I had no issues. Then I got a 416-H 21 years later. Now I think it is the best as far as traction and the only thing I can attribute it to is weight.

I have Hi-Run 23x10.50-12’s on my 1984 Work Horse GT-1600. They work great !

Richard my friend there is absolutely NO doubt about that. She's verbally reminding me right now that she does everything and I do nothing and we've established that many times. Except of course the occasional photo op. Like when I carry a chunk of wood across the yard after she's moved 14 cord that day.

Hi all I'm a new guy to the forum, I have guy has new wheel hose model 315-8 with about 3 hours run time he said. Is this worth buying for $5300. He only listed the model 73450 in has add. What ever info you pass over to me would helpful. I was had jd. This wheel hose is very new to me, don't anything about them. I'm in need of other garden tractor. This looks cool to me.

@19richie66 that is one cool build. I'll be following along anxiously for the test drive. Its giving me ideas for the Panzer sitting beside the house

What I also like about them is that, at correct pressure, they still seem to have a "flat" profile and wide contact with the ground. Traditional Ag's seem to be rounded and IMHO are more likely to make a rut if they need to dig in a bit, and since I still plan to mow with this tractor I don't want to tear up the lawn (312-A with turfs will still be my primary mower though). I haven't had these in the mud or snow yet but I think with weights installed they'll give me plenty of traction.

Found my copy a while back. Used his guidance to drop the engine and change the clutch. I was using two forklifts--big one for the car and small one for the engine. I was alone in my employer’s shop (with his permission) but only years later did I realize how big a risk I'd ignorantly taken.

It’s a great machine. For reference: I bought last year the same tractor with just over 400 hours and a 48” mowing deck for under $1000.

Welcome to RedSquare. The price that you agree to will be what it's worth. But before committing to his asking price, see this: https://www.wheelhorseforum.com/topic/39667-i-just-sold-my-2006-315-8/

I do like the black hood. Is it a flat black?

There are many ways to "PROTECT" patina but in my opinion it quits being patina if you cover or disguise it in any way. Just keep it in it's work clothes and celebrate the hard work and quality workmanship it took to look that good.

Thanks. He was moving and didn’t have room for them. I really don’t have the room either, but they are out of the weather. The 165 some day I would like to paint it. It is really good condition. the 656 looks good the way it is. I’ve heard of a way to protect the patina, but I can’t remember now. I think the sickle is probably worth a couple of bucks.

Awesome! looks like the wheel horse tag is still on the inside of the right upright, can you post it? It's an ark 550, and looks to be in really good shape. I tried to get some pics of that front mount for you, but on a blackhood it's almost invisible. it looks a lot like the front weight mount for a 3-400 series tractor. One thing I plan to change is I'm going to fill the gap between this bracket and the mid tachamatic by welding in a piece of flat strap to the two. Might be nothing, but that short piece of unsupported frame looks vulnerable..

I bought a number of NOS points for my Homelite chainsaws that came with a little strip of paper in each pack.