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Wishing each of you and your families a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I hope it is a memorable time for you all, and may you be blessed!

Last night I was plowing snow with my C-145. 25 degrees out, was dressed warm, had my heated gloves on and a smile on my face. Life was pretty good !! Then all of a sudden the engine stalled just like I had turned off the key. . Pushed the old girl in the shop for some diagnostics. Found that I had no spark. Multi meter showed that I was getting "+" power to the coil but no "-". Down side - points were not making a good contact. Up side - No need to buy a new solid state coil, or a new CDI box. Nor did I have to wait for said parts to arrive or wait till morning to take a drive to get new parts. Instead a quick cleaning of the points with some 1200 grit sand paper and I was back in business. $0 repair and only 15min down time.

The stockings are hung. Any guesses which one is mine?

1971 Raider 12. 1977 C-120/180 8 speed.

Old technology is the best if you have a person with an old soul around to make it work.

1979 C-161. One of those ones I wish I still had.

Conscious me - Got out of the body and paint business in 1995 at the age of 34. Never regretted it. I've only pulled my spray gun out once or twice since, and only because the projects were too large for a spray bomb. Also conscious me - I bought this old Wheel Horse for a couple specific uses only. Decided there's no reason to waste the time and money to repaint it. Subconscious me - sees a rebuild kit for my favoritest old spray gun and immediately clicks "Buy Now"

I was given 4 Craftsman snow blades. Three were 42”, and one 48”. Only one had any of the mounting brackets. I had an itch to make a mid-mount grader blade. I started by cutting the 48” blade length ways just above the mounting plate. Then overlapped that piece onto the lower part. Welded it together. That reduced the height from 14” to 9.5”. Then I made a framework to attach to the rear axle. Test fitted to the tractor a few times for functionality before welding solid. Made up a lever to release the pivot lock. It comes out just above the floorboard on the left side. I can easily reach it and pivot the blade with my feet.Got it all painted and reassembled. Drove it outside for a few pictures. (Damn few, its cold out there.) Thought I would share with you all.

My c160 8 speed and c160 hydro &c125.

The only way Dr. Froyydd can help with your current syndrome is to supply plans and materials for a larger storage shed and workshop.

Rarest one perhaps... Circa 1975

Nicely done man! I'd have been out there doing a sage smudge and creating new words for a few minutes....

Dr. Freud would probably predict a new thread of @Bar Nuthin’s Wheel Horse Restoration!

Before and after refurb pics. Free delivery in the bucket.

I was gonna say we need pics per the Rules... but then again... do we need this visual on Christmas Eve...? Nah...

Luckily we did not get the storm that was forecast and instead only got around 5" The 520HC and snow blade easily cleared that. It is only a few degrees below freezing so a nice warm day to plow without the snow being sticky. My wife shoveled off the decks while I plowed (great woman). It is now back inside the shop warming up and melting off.

Hub set screws and lock nuts ready to install. I reused the originals because they are in great shape and the hubs are tight so likely would never move even without any set screws installed. Hub set screws installed and torqued to 30ft/lb as per manual. I used an 8 point socket and you can see how it just clears the thinner bolt head. I then tightened the lock nuts just good and snug using a box end wrench.

I can reach the blade with my feet to add down pressure. After using a few times I may strengthen the lift point and go with a solid lift link. For now I don’t want to get it dirty.

One like this?

I got my C-125 running today! Maybe 4-5 years ago I went to start her after it snowed and she'd turn over but wouldn't fire so I had to shovel my 200ft driveway by hand. Later that week I tried a few things to see what was wrong but never figured it out. At the time we had an infant, a 1 year old, and a 3 year old plus a pre-teen and I always had other priorities and never got around to looking at it until last weekend. Cleaned out a mouse nest from the engine cover. Drained the tank and fuel lines, cleaned out the carb, adjusted the points, new spark plug and battery, new engine oil and transmission oil. After all that still nothing. Spark, but she wouldn't fire up. Bought a new condenser and after that could get her to fire up and idle but if I'd go past 1/2 throttle she'd shake violently. I must have cleaned & adjusted the points 5 times before finally buying a new set. I had a few minutes to put on the new points today and that was apparently the problem because she immediately fired up and she purrs like a kitten again! We don't get a lot of snow here in Cincinnati, but I just have a feeling that we're due for a good snowfall this year so I REALLY wanted to have my Wheel Horse back!

Same with military vehicles I swear some guys would only be happy if it had NOS air in the tires...

I have some friends who are active in the Buick GS club. Some of the folks involved spend much time and resources restoring their car to 'as it left the factory' status - date codes on the parts, inspection chalk marks, etc. One day at the GS Nationals, my Buick friend and I heard a couple of these types in a discussion about what the proper color was for the markings on the windshield washer hose was - white, or yellow. When we had walked beyond earshot, my friend chuckled amd made a comment that these GS cars were just another car moving down the assembly line when they were made - nothing special to the factory, just a low take rate option package. Whatever common parts that were in the factory were used to get the car assembled and out the door. I imagine that Wheel Horse did the same thing to get tractors out the door to fill their orders.

Earlier this year my sister, who lives 1500 miles away, was complaining that everything started breaking right when her handy-man decided to go to Ireland for two weeks, and so she was begging me to come fix things for her. I just responded "You married an engineer, I imagine there are many things in your life that don't work right."

The front rims are from a boat trailer, with 12” tires I already had. The rear rims are Jeep Cherokee space saver rims with 6:00x16 tires. Fenders were off a Cub Low-Boy, trimmed to fit. Seat is from…???. 16 hp Kohler. I was trying to mimic the looks of an IH 560.

Wheel stud bolts and lug nuts ready to install. These are 7/16x1.5" full thread bolts The two silver grade 5 bolts did not use the washers pictured. I am using chrome plated open ended bulge nuts just because I like the looks of them. Wheel stud bolts partly installed. Note one of them is a grade 5 and the rest are grade 8. Grade 8 likely not needed but I had them so I used them. I need the thinner head of the grade 5 and it's lack of a washer for clearance to install the set screw. Small bit of blue loctite applied to each bolt. Wheel stud bolts tightened.

That is some fine fabrication there. Well done!

Old habits die hard. Something about the feel and fit of the Spray Gun grip in the hand. I too had an early departure from the day-to-day painting for a Paycheck at the age of 26. Our Family Doctor strongly advised me to find another line of work. He asked me how many retired "Dust Bums" I knew - I could not come up with any......

Man. We'd be dangerous ehh???

I can absolutely understand. And I have also done both jobs as well. When I did aviation maintenance I remember the tech support engineers as being some of the smartest folks I'd ever met. Our Martin Marietta engineer was a dang genius. Some others were morons that were too dangerous to handle complex tools like a hammer or wrench...

Yeah, I have a decent idea. At least we know where most of them went!

For whatever reason, the K341/M16 has always eluded me. That is the only reason I drool over them I guess. But I have to agree, most any C-xx1 model would be tempting! Coupled with a smooth running Vanguard? Yeah, I'd take it!

If I find a good 1976 or 1977 I don't care what engine is bolted in there I'll buy it.

Without question this was common practice at Wheel Horse. The 1045, the 754, and most any machine made with "special" in the name are just a few examples. Although they built many of the components in house, they still relied on supply of engines, wheels/ tires, seats, steering wheels and electrical parts. Just like any other manufacturer, they had to make minor and sometimes major changes to the finished product. I understand there are some purists out there who can get rather torqued over small things not being "correct". But in all honesty, it is conceivable that many of the same year model had variations that aren't what are considered by the book. Not one of my tractors are original. Of course I try to get reasonably close, but for me it is far more important to use and enjoy them than to fret over minor details that can't be confirmed one way or the other.

I’d bet a large sum (25¢ at least) that WH was exactly this sort of company. Focus on the customer and competition, excellent engineering, efficient supply chain, low inventory, well-controlled costs across the board. The idea that people might 50 years hence obsess over the product the worker was assembling today? Hilarious! My sense is that the ownership aged out at about the same time the market shifted away from their core product line. The new owners aimed to ride the mature product’s declining demand curve and then close it out.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

@Racinbob Us too. We had a rat that was in the chicken coop.

I have yet to use Krylon Fusion paint on my tractors but I have I painted the winch bumper on my F250 with it. The paint seems to be consistent from can to can. The color I used was satin black. and the Krylon was more to my liking than Rust oleum.. I liked the outcome with the Krylon but your mileage may vary. ..

My unfinished 76 B80

The spacers I used were actually the spacers WH used for K181 engines when they were on a shaker mount (#13in diagram). That plus 3 3/8" SAE washers. The tractor is on loan so I can't measure it. The spacers were WH# 106430 I am pretty sure it worked out to 1"

Man this thread is right down my alley haha I will go in order of what I bought first This is by the serial tag a 1973 14hp 8 speed It's decaled as a C120 and has a 12hp engine on it. This next one is a 1974 B100 auto I bought as a non-running tractor, engine ended up running great. The transaxle was junk, and I got that switched out, and only repainted what I needed to. Which was the frame, rims, and a few spots here and there. Also changed out the rear tires from 22" to the 23" wheelhorse branded ones from the 73' wheelhorse. And my latest purchase also a non-runner is a 1972 Raider 14, I have gotten it running, but haven't gotten around to restoring it yet.

My 1977 B-100

The 70s were the golden years for the Wheel Horse factory in Belgium. Most tractors you see around here are from that era. I have 2, looking for a third 1970 Raider 10 with a color matched magnum 12, the one that started it all for me. And my 1976 C141 currently getting a Lombardini 14hp diesel

1977 C-120 Bought from the original owner. Didn't look like this when I got it. Cleaned it up a bit. Nice solid tractor.