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Put the 701 to work Saturday. We had the main water line break from our well to house. Needed to dig a hole that was 5' deep and 4' in diameter to gain access. The easy part was filling it back it...OH...also pretty fun. Work smarter, Not harder.

Since it was 36 deg. here this morning,I figured that white stuff may be coming soon.I filled the horses with non-ethanol gas and brought them out for some cool fresh air.Left to right is a 520H with 2 stage,416H with 2 stage and snow cab,416H with tall chute single stage,and Ford 1710 4x4 with 5 foot 3 point hitch blower.Missing in the pics is my Ford 3000 diesel with 7 1/2 foot Fisher plow,and my new to me Ford 555B backhoe.Come-on snow.........I'm ready.

10-11-1960 Construction began on the 515 West Ireland Road Wheel Horse Factory The rapid growth of demand for Wheel Horse Garden Tractors was too much for the building that Pond had occupied for twelve years. On October 11, 1960, construction began on a new 46,500 square foot steel frame and masonry exterior factory building situated on 36 acres of land on Ireland Road, South Bend, IN. The new factory was ready for occupancy in August of 1961, the move from the old Pond factory on South Dixie Way (near Pond Street, wonder if this was one of the subdivisions built by Elmer Pond) took place in time for the next year’s production. The 1962 models were the first built in the new plant on Ireland Road. They included the 502, 552 and 702. All three models featured the new front mounted engine and cast iron cased transaxles. The business was acquired by American Motors (AMC) on May 24, 1974. The company paid $30 million as it expanded into non-automotive markets. In 1982, Wheel Horse was spun off from AMC to Munn Investment Group. During this time some cosmetic changes were made, but frame and attachment design remained the same. In mid-August 1986, Wheel Horse was sold off from Munn and purchased for $8 million by Toro. Tractors were built under the Toro banner for the next two decades. The Wheel Horse name was eliminated from production after 2007. Today the building is occupied by Lock Joint Tube, a specialty fabricator of metal tubing products used by diverse industries such as office furniture, automotive, health care, display fixtures and exercise equipment. Chandler Sales and Service located next to the old South Dixie Way factory is thought to be the first Wheel Horse dealership and may still be in business. Perhaps a member from the South Bend area can confirm this for us.

I play blues guitar and a friend of mine who is not into the tractor scene, and doesn't know that I am, sent me this band to check out. I never heard of em and when I checked them out I was pleasantly surprised to see the first album cover that came up.

Happy Tractor! Just got the 82' C 105 back after a complete top end. Did not know how to drive it without looking through the smoke screen!!! Man does that engine sound nice!

I just got this 633 for $25 and was wanting any pics of other 633's. Any and all pics! I may fix it up but not sure when I'll get to it.

New here from PA. I just picked up a sweet 656 thats in pretty good condition (at least for its age). It starts right up and mows. It comes with some sort of home made plow and tiller. I plan to restore it and put it back to good use.

I recently picked up a 520 to put a 60" deck on, and I can't lie, there isn't much room around the tires, I have a feeling you'd maybe have issues turning with larger front tires, and larger rears are for sure going to be tight. Just went out and took a pic for ya. Hope this helps.

The Wheel Horse is a well built, sturdy and mechanicaly simple machine. Drive it around in all gears and see that everything functions as it should. There are few hidden faults to be looked for. If you find that there aren't any unusual noises or jerky movements you can pretty well go with what meets the eye.

If you are interested in one, look for a later model which have revised transmissions which are less prone to breaking (you can tell it's a later model by having the 4 hydraulic connections on the front, and the shifter comes from front of the rear fender NOT straight up through trans tunnel cover next to all the other levers ). I read someone describe the 1976 model as having "self-destructing" transaxles. I've had decent luck with mine, I would honestly say that I wouldn't DEPEND on the tractor. Mine always starts, drives, and performs wonderfully, but I wouldn't want to use it every day doing hard work, It's an impressive and cool machine, but finding parts and hoping that it doesn't have any issues sometimes worry me, but don't get me wrong, it is a sweet machine. Here's some videos I've taken of it.

I opted for the bi-fold gate to cut drag. Has the added benefit of not having to look through the gate whether or not the trailer is full. 6.5x14 ft PJ Trailer. The 14' length lets me carry four tractors with some attachments mounted if i want.

To lessen the chance of having the trailer fishtail, serious consideration should be given toward a product like this. Pricey but could save a tractor, or a life. https://www.weigh-safe.com/ I know that I have a 6x12 single axle trailer. But even though I have all that deck space, I could only put a 5xi tractor and a classic Wheel Horse tractor on it without overloading it.

I have an opportunity on a Suburban series that needs a new lease on life. Any idea which model this one is?

A Kohler sign! Not exactly wheel horse but hey they do power them! Scored this 3ft metal sign at antique mall down here. I was very happy!! Just gotta hang it tomorrow...

I wouldn't drag your feet. If the price is right... it shouldn't last long.

Really great 701, amazing what can be done with a 7 horse when all the new ones are 18 to 30 HP. I would take that 701 over any new tractor! Randy

Used to have one on a Bolens but took up waaaay too much room. Probably should've kept it.

You need one these on your 701! We dug out a stump and replaced a retaining wall last summer with the 1277 and loader. Randy

I took my Brother to Erie last week for his annual fishing trip. He really enjoys Surf Fishing for the Steelhead and this year was a Banner year. He got to fish the surf everyday as there was a dominant south wind. He caught fish every day and we only killed one that bled. A beach comer happened by and wanted it so it worked out good.

Yes, those front sections are removable ramps (They were called an ATV side ramp option) that can be used on either side for side loading something across the front of the trailer. And actually, all of my side rails are removable, so I could run a flat deck if I wanted to. I wanted this because it means that the trailer is built strong enough underneath not to have to rely on the side rails for stability. Yes, 4 foot gate. It works really well for me. I found the option while researching what I wanted to buy as a trailer. No dealers around me carried one for me to look at either, I had to order it. I found two companies that had that option for the gate with local dealers. Load Trail and PJ Trailers. (I'm sure other makers around the country offer it, those were just the dealers I was choosing between) I actually ordered the Load Trail first... but when it came in, the dealer "forgot" to order the removable side rails, "forgot" to get my stake pocket spare tire carrier, "forgot" to change my paint code to gray like I wanted, "forgot" the diamond plate fenders and the powdercoat was scratched down to shiny bare metal on the painted fenders from another trailer rubbing it on the delivery semi. Essentially he forgot the entire order except for the bi-fold gate. The dealer wasn't going to do anything for these mistakes, so I "forgot" I ordered it from him and it didn't come home with me. Shame too, because the bi-fold gate on the Load Trail will lock in the up position, which the PJ does not. (or didn't when I got it about 3 years ago) So I went to my backup the PJ. Got it ordered exactly like I asked, and $400 less than I was going to have to pay for the Load Trail that wasn't made how I really wanted it. I am very happy with it. It pulls nicely, the length has fit my needs nicely. The only modification I've had to make is on the bi-fold. I had to drill two small weep holes. Since my trailer currently has to sit outside in the weather the square tube frame that makes up the end of the ramp gate was catching water/snow and would dump rusty brown water out when I flipped it up. Drilled a weep hole on each side for drainage and haven't had a problem since. Here's another pic of it fully loaded... (poorly by the way... I had too much on the tail) I had just arrived home from the Pioneer Power show a few weeks ago. And in this one you can see that stake pocket spare tire carrier on the other side. The easily removable spare tire means I can take it indoors in the winter when I'm not usually pulling the trailer. And the removable sides just ride in pockets. They're bolted in from the bottom.

Yes, now you have a bit more information to use in the future; the right one will come along.

I really like the sounds of of all of your idea's, I've often thought the very same things myself.. I dream of having my own garden tractor and or antique outboard and vintage boat restoration shop. Unfortunately, I think it would be a losing proposition, especially if you plan to rent a space. I'd rather build a small old time shop at my house and duplicate all of your idea's there. This way if business is slow and you need to shut it down at least you aren't renting, you own it and you'll still be able to enjoy your space and your retirement. I think that due to the small size of the town you live in that there wouldn't be much local work. Even if you lived in a large town it still would be hard too find the kind of work that you would ENJOY doing... This brings back some good memories for me, back 35 yrs. ago when I was a young teen there was a retired guy that lived very close to me that worked on lawn and garden tractors out of one of his barns. I don't think he made much money, if any. He was a real people person, I think he did it mostly just because he liked the company and he liked to be busy. I spent quite a bit of time at his place..

My 90 520 had 25 X 9.50 X 12 rear tires. The P.O. had shimmed the rear fender pan up about an inch. He also had some spacers to move the wheels out some. I cannot use this set up with a 42" RD deck so I took everything off. Tires with wheels will be for sale if interested. Here's a pic

I spied an RJ25... Better pics coming soon...

Well, time to close this one out. Finally finished the mower deck. I think I would rather do the whole tractor again than a mower deck. Just kind of a pain and when you finish, yep you got a mower deck. @Squonk suggested to use Loctite rust neutralizer on the bottom of the deck and then use truck bedliner. It worked great! Had some spindle issues but @daveoman1966 got me hooked up and running. While I didn't leave it like this, as you can't mow with it, I had a little fun with duals. Enjoy! This project is in the books...I am going to give it to my oldest son. He will be quite surprised.... See ya down the road!

In this HY 2 Hydraulic Pump Manual it mentions filling with Wheel Horse # 4822 Hydraulic Oil which you could buy at the dealer. Not sure who made it and if we used it before that is long since gone from my memory! The fluid I use is Lucas Hydraulic Fluid. I bought a gallon and it should last me ten years !

One thing I stress to my wife when she passes a trailer on the interstate is to get around it as quickly as possible.I always try to minimize time spent next to any type of trailer.A lost wheel,blown tire or bad bearing can make any trailer a handful.Best not to be next to one when it happens.JAinVA

A "fish-tailing" trailer is often caused by the tongue weight being too low. Move the weight to the front. Demo I pull a travel trailer and look at how others are set up, needless to say, I keep as much distance as possible from any towed vehicle.

After a rather warm welcome I figured I better start a thread here. A little back story, my brother in law picked this tractor up in trade for some mechanical work and it fell into my hands because I am a huge fan of well made items of years gone by. Its got a home made thing on the front holding what I believe to be a bigger battery and some sort of pulley setup for lifting a plow. A home made plow and some sort of pull behind attachment are part of the deal but havent been picked up yet. Pics from when I got it home. Today before a good pressure washing in better light. After the pressure washing. odd cotter pin placement... A little bit of a leak that looks to have been previously *fixed*. A video of it running.

My front suitcase weight hanger bracket that I made for my 520 fits B,C,3/4/500 series and I have thread with plans/blueprint to make them,Jeff.

If it had that much water in it the likelihood of rotating the crank and honing the cylinder and living happily ever after is slim to none.

Yeah, I asked him, "How much u want for it?" He said $50. I shook my head and said, "I can do half that!" He said SOLD!! I was stoked!!

Nice black hood ! I'm getting the itchy feeling my next tractor is going to be a black hood. Must refrain myself from buying another tractor .

I'm sorry, I must have missed your video.

Mike, what kind of weights are those? They fill the space nice. Also, what do they weigh? Thanks Glenn

@Deadguy I was looking at that one my self. I will stand aside for now, but if you decide to pass it up let me know and I will swoop in on it.

Those "Love" Handles were on there when I got it. Since removed.

Sorry T....Was having toooo much fun. LOL

Tom, I have the HY-2 on my 702 which I have used for years. The Pump should not get hot. The manual says cause of excessive heating could be pinched hose or low fluid. I did a rebuild thread a few years ago if you want to see the inside. Type "A" hydrolic fluid. Pictures starts on page 2 of the link. Bought the fluid from TSC.

I'm not sure whether it was mentioned or not but If I were looking for a new trailer the one thing I would make sure of is that it is powder coated. Paint gets easily nicked up and scratched. If you ever have to use your trailer in the winter and they have sprayed any of that calcium garbage on the roads you won't believe how fast it will rust. Ask me how I know.... 6x12 is a real good size, I'd want at least a 10 fter...

Here's the trailer I use to haul my tractors on...6.5' wide by 9' long. It started life as a tilt bed and was in ROUGH shape when I got it. With the small tires set under the deck it sets way too high to safely load a tractor using the tilt bed...that is also why the endgate is so tall...which as Terry said earlier does pose a wind drag problem. But the price was right...got the existing trailer for free as well as the wood for the deck floor...I've got roughly $300 dollars in materials to beef up the frame, build the side rails and the tailgate.

Before you finalize a trailer purchase, hook it to you vehicle and back it up a few times, Some trailers back nicely and some seem to want to jacknife quickly. It seems to me if the tongue is short it's harder to backup!. before you lay h

Thanks! Still makes me smile everytime I go In The garage... Now that I have more room(my own garage) I'm on the look out for anything wheel horse related signs...

You Texans stick together, but there's nothing stronger than wheel horse Texans. Wheel horse is powerfull glue. Glenn

The Caravan? Well the van is silver! Why do you ask? Oh!............ you mean the tractor! The color of the tractor is "FREE"! That's one color you can't pass up!

When I was over at Jeff's (Wildside) place yesterday morning swapping horses, I took these two pictures of his C-160 Custom build. It's a great looking machine and Jeff did a great job on it. He'll probably be by later with his comments on it and can answer any questions anyone may have about it. I do know he's doing the deck also. One thing I learned over the years, that you meet some of the greatest guys when garden tractors are involved, regardless of brand. I have a good friend who is also close by who has over 20 Cub Cadets and 4 Power Kings, not to mentioned a nice Farmall Super A.

Trailer? What's a trailer? I still use the Caravan. Here's pics from yesterday.