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Other than the Ride Away Senior the 701 was the first year that put the engine in the front. Being the first it had a few unique items that were not found on the '62 models. Solid grill in the hood. A thicker fan gear for the steering. A double belt on the starter/gen & a wider guard to accommodate this. The long foot rests Fender brace inside the tool box. White plastic dash. Starter button linked to a starter relay. No recessed area on the drive belt guard for the model decal. No model decal. Sharper points on the rear fenders. No cover over the brake linkage. I'm might have missed some things yet, but the above features were only on the 701 model. It would be my guess that your hood was changed at some point. A couple of pics of my 701 for reference.

I brought Keith Jones an RJ 35 frame he bought that came from Florida today. I also exchanged a bunch of RJ wheel Horse transmission parts in exchange for a rebuild. Keith has always been a great Wheel Horse enthusiast and assists a lot of people with parts and efforts to restore tractors. Although our visit was brief due to cold and snow flurries it was a lot of fun!

Given 701 solid front hoods are hen's teeth anybody faults you for liking the slotted is going to have to answer to us. Anything you ever need to know about it is right here. BTW you might already know we like Keith Some pics of my 701 in resto. @squonk you need to lite a 🔥 under Dan I need to gitterdone!

It's Pi Day... What better reason do you need to pick up 3.14 more Wheel Horses...? "I don't always buy tractors... but when I do, they're Wheel Horses..."

I recognize that tractor!! My first resto on a round hood.

Great question. We have discovered that every ironclad rule about Wheel Horses seems to have an exception or two. The Pond's were rather thrifty and with parts being so interchangeable it could be the supply of solid grills was exhausted before the end of the 701 run and the NEW slotted hood was used or it could be that a previous owner at some point in the past six decades replaced it with a slotted grill. Who knows for sure? None of us were at the Wheel Horse factory in 1961 supervising the grill installation. The only ironclad rule that we can all agree on is it is your tractor and yours to enjoy!

You gotta know that this tractor is way over 50 years old. It appears to be a slow leak at that engagement lever... You can tear it all apart and replace that seal, but if the tractor is working ok, I'd leave well enough alone. Just check the fluid level when starting the tractor.... but DO NOT overfill. Put a piece of cardboard under it after use, to see how much 'seepage' is present. Know this too:... the gearbox fluid is NOT under pressure... it is just a 'reservoir' for the Sundstrand Hydrogear so it not like the fluid will start squirting out or anything.

Leaky diaphragm in the fuel pump allowing gas to dilute the oil and overfill the crank case? I bought a parts tractor that was sold because it smoked heavily, oil was very thin and way above full. Changed the oil and bypassed the fuel pump using an electric pump and the smoke went away.

Everything that was said above about the 701 is true. The 701 was quite unique because it was a prototype. Many of the features were never duplicated in subsequent models. Probably the most common reason for the hood replacement was the bottom mounting point rusted out easily. Only replacement was the newer 702 style.

The 701 came from the assembly line with the solid faced hood. The one in the picture isn't mine, but it is the correct hood. In 1962, the hoods came with the slots from there through 1964. In the case of the Lawn Rangers, through 1968. If yours has a slotted grill, it was likely replaced at some point. A pure guess would be that at some point, the solid face 1961 hood spares ran out. Since the 1962 versions were a bolt-on swap, they naturally became the only replacement available at the time.

Thanks for all of the info everyone! I greatly appreciate it! I absolutely love this little tractor! I've bee a Cub Cadet guy my entire life, but when I saw this come up for sale not far from me I knew I had to have it. Y'all may have already seen it as pics of it have been posted on here before by the previous owner, Jim Demery of Bushnell, Illinois. Hell of a nice guy and very talented in my opinion.

I dont offend easy. I enjoy a good ribbing, and as long as I dont need to break out the febreeze for the sweaty old sharts, all is well.

The ground is expected to come from the chassis itself and quite frankly, does not do the best job at that. I've rebuilt 8 or 10 full chassis harnesses over the last few years and I've gotten in the habit of running a separate ground to EVERY component. If I change over to LEDs I use the ground wire coming from the bulbs themselves or if I stay with a stock type bulb I run aground wire right to the base of the socket of the lamp. There should be large ground wires of 6 gauge or thicker going from battery ground to both frame AND engine. The gauge sizes of the rest of the ground wires are determined by the component.

Clogged breather filter.

@kpinnc That would be me! It turns about 95% before the wheels rub the deck as you can see in the picture. It really not an issue though as my yard is mostly wide open. I must say that the 60” deck does a nice job! Taking it on and off in the spring and fall is not that fun though!

I have a propagating thread. Time for a starting from seed thread? I soaked these Norway Spruce seeds in a cup of water for about 48 hours, then placed the, in a wet paper towel for a month or so in the fridge. They are starting to sprout! There are 50, but I don’t expect them all to germinate.

We’ve done that before, at the lake. I cut it all down once and poured over 5 gallons of old gas from derby cars on it. Then lit it. Then landed on my back. Then watched the 40’+ tall mushroom cloud grow. I didn’t realize “old gas” was that flammable back then!

We had a Norway Pine that my Dad planted back in the 1950's. It was a beautiful tree for decades. We finally had to cut it down around 2008...it was 4 stories high and was filling up the space between both houses. The guys we had cut it down said it was the largest Norway Pine they had ever seen...like 4' diameter at the base. This is the kind of tree that they cut down for trees for the "Christmas Tree" in downtown in Chicago and some towns in the suburbs. I replant Maples and Oak saplings that start growing in my yard. I've been doing that for years along bike paths and such. It is great to spend a day and take a look at how they are doing. "Trees" (1913)

Deer sleeping farm, preferably. I have been thinking though, I’d love to make my property into a nursery once I get a handle on what I’m doing. Pretty good money in trees if you’ve got the time and patience for nature to do it’s thing!

99 cents from Pats small engine # RM80-31-065 http://www.psep.biz/store/kohler_carburetor_parts.htm

I’ve been drinking K-cup coffee for a while, collecting little starters. They have a drain hole and are perfect size for starting seeds!

My neighbors were feeding their chickens Tractor Supply feed and they all but stopped laying over the winter. They knew they would slow down but almost nothing from over 15 chickens? They started mixing their own feed and now the eggs are plentiful. They believe something in the Tractor Supply feed caused it.

Pi day? I’ll have apple please and thanks!

Wrong state? It would be much happier in MI

WooHoo, finally got some snow this morning. Better go warm up the 520s heated cab an get ready to plow. Or is that just the lime I spread yesterday?

Keith - the 1961 701 was the only year the solid hood was used on front mounted engine tractors (RJ's had solid hoods too, but engines were mid mounted). I suppose the slots were added for better cooling while the tractor was moving. Just to add to the confusion, I picked up an early 702 parts tractor, the hood was slotted, but had the 701 style decals on it - go figure... Bill

You wont regret restoring it!

701 is one of my favorites! Mine is unrestored but still greatly loved! Not only by me but two previous owners -Devin Stutler snd Jon Bell of Indians who traded this tractor back and forth with each other several times. All 701’s are special but I like that mine has a Hein-Werner hydro pump for lifting implements, a chromed dash (originally from a 702 that had additional holes drilled), and the CBR- 327 front , chain drive cutter bar. My hood even has a stainless door hinge on the bottom of the hood that allows for easy access and strengthen the original hood bottom to the front of the 701 frame. If you look close you can see it. We were fortunate a couple years ago do to efforts by Ryan Transue to get four 701’s with CBR-327 front cutter bars at the Wheel Horse Collectors Club Show.

Here’s 30-35 started. Many more are in the basement and will get a cheap LED grow light on a timer.

I think he fell off his flip flops and swallowed a rhinestone. He is hoping a diamond will appear.

These type of plastic drink pods would be A LOT more fun! But you might not remember what you saved them for! BLACK+DECKER™ Bev Cocktail Maker https://www.kohls.com/product/prd-5985829/blackdecker-bev-cocktail-maker.jsp?skuid=65859119&ci_mcc=ci&utm_campaign=SMALL ELECTRICS&utm_medium=CSE&utm_source=bing&CID=shopping20&utm_campaignid=401561977&utm_adgroupid=1235851302938522&msclkid=06aadf125f4c1ec6bda3bb0281935fa0&gclid=06aadf125f4c1ec6bda3bb0281935fa0&gclsrc=3p.ds I bought one of these and a "blank load" of drink pods for our family Christmas party last year. It was a huge hit and lots of fun. No one else knew they even existed.

There are bunches and bunches of free downloadable manuals in that section on this site. You're only cost, if any, would be to print them out at home or whatever. https://www.wheelhorseforum.com/files/

The 701 did not have a parking brake either...The double belt setup was 701 only for the starter / generator. That engine did NOT come with ACR (Automatic Compression Release).

@Achto I've had your 701's pics stored for a while now. One day I hope to restore my 701, and yours is an excellent example! Keith, welcome to the addiction! You have a great machine to start with, and lots of folks here to assist you when needed!

ed, it took me a few minutes to find the repair hubs in my garage. they were in the original shipping box. i did not see any torque procedure. i tightened the collet in a star pattern. your idea of rechecking/retightening is a good one. i will do that. thank you. i got them very tight as i was using an allen driver with a rachet, not just an 'L' shaped allen key.

That’s one thing nice with old Warrior—he was in such rough shape that I didn’t need to worry about anything on the inside or out! Scratches, spills, stones, spit up, etc—it’s all happened before! Kelli told me that I’d better be sure to take care of Clancy or I’ll be in trouble

You have all the basics! Go for it! It’s a classic that needs some loving! You can do it and there is readily available assistance on Red Square Wheel Horse Forum!

I tossed together a time lapse of the chickens’ life for a week. It’s fun seeing them double in size in 7 days!

Well, today marks the beginning of my 6th wheel horse restoration. This is definitely a unique one for me since I have zero experience with these tractors. This one I got from a guy that lived only 10 minutes from me for $400. He said it was restored (poorly) by someone in shop class at the local vocational school about 30 years ago then it was left in a barn for a while. The motor has compression and the trans seems tight. Everything is pretty much there even the deck (except the shower head muffler 😡). That and the air cleaner housing. The deck looks to be free of holes and the recoil works well too. which I consider a huge plus and . The front wheels were completely rusted out and had to be junked so I'll have to keep my eye out for those. This should be a fun one. Wish me luck!

He has 2 four car garages packed with parts and machines, a car and about six or seven tractors sitting outside. He is in his late 70s and has been collecting repairing and building his whole life. He is a very interesting person. Th machine in question is in the back of his 4 car garage. His garages look like something from american pickers. I cant get close to the machine as other machines are blocking. I can see the machine is in good shape and I did have a clear veiw of whats there. The other garage is a 2 car wide but it is 2 car deep. He has 50 + machines, trailers, and attachments like snow blowers and rototillers. He has had some health issues and doesnt really seam to want to sell unless he has to. It is a comlicated situation but he did give me an allis chalmers 310 today.

Just don't plant any bamboo seeds.

Wheel Horse never let the shortage of parts stop them from production of tractors. They usualy used the parts they had on hand or could get like engines. Most times it was a special model . There is no way to tell that the slotted hood didn't come stright off the line.

If you have the old belts, often times you can take them with you to a hardware store and match them up with some off the shelf ones. I prefer to get the kevlar belts when I do this.

If it is a OHV Kohler, a blown head gasket can cause such a problem.

Man, it doesn't take much for you guys to run the train off the tracks.

There he is… I’ve been waiting to make him cringe! @ericforster I apologize for sending these sweaty old farts down the rabbit hole on your thread. Hopefully you enjoy our humor and company. Just don’t smell us I guess!

Ran into this issue myself. The start function did not always work on one of my resto's, After cleaning the paint off from the mounting surfaces for the S/G, it works every time.

Better late then never