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I have wanted to make this post for the past ten months; today I drove a Wheel Horse for the first time since my stroke! My wife was a bit apprehensive about the whole thing and I wasn't even sure I could get on the 310-8; but I did and it felt SOOOOOO GOOOOOOD

Pulled the plow off yesterday and stood it up ready to store. Came out this morning and found this!

I was out of town last week so missed @Pullstart's plow day so the wife and I decided to mow down the winter rye grass today and plow my garden with the 418-8. It was getting a little out of control anyway. IMG_4892.mp4 IMG_9332.mp4

As of February I'm officially an "empty nester". After a long search my son & his fiance' finally found a house that fit their needs. He had mentioned to to his Mother that "I think I'm going to need a Wheel Horse to mow the lawn", her reply was "I think your Dad can spare one". LOL. So I'm starting him out on the same model & deck I started out on in 1979, one of my C-81's with a 36" RD deck. I've had her ready to go for him for a while now & since the trailer was stiil hooked up from @Pullstart's plowday on Saturday, I decided Sunday was the day. All I can say is this was one of the greatest weekends of my life that I'll always rememember. Loaded up Delivered And yes, I'll give him a mule drive with a knob on it.

My son brought over his 1969 Work Horse 700 and together we showed it done attention. New rear AG’s. New adjustable tie rods and a front end alignment, also replaced the steering thingy that bolts to each frame rail (can’t think of the name). That part was a PIA!! He also brought over the 42” deck off his 314-8 so we could use my air gun to get his mowing blades swapped. Great day!

Good Horsey, you can take a break now......

Heer four-wheel drive tractor During the first decade of the twentieth century the gasoline engine was gaining acceptance on farms across the country. Gasoline powered tractors were in their infancy while steam powered tractors were commonplace at the time. The Morton-Heer Co. was founded in 1910 by S. S. Morton of Pennsylvania and Chris Heer of the Heer Engine Co. to build tractors to a design by Heer. Christopher Heer was a true visionary, at a time when most tractors and large trucks utilized a roller chain drive for the final drive Heer developed an articulated four-wheel drive, four wheel-steering, tractor with equal-sized front and rear wheels and worm-drive axles in 1910. This nine-thousand-pound tractor was powered by a horizontally-opposed Heer Engine producing twenty-five horsepower and a three-speed transmission. The Heer four-wheel-drive tractor was the first of its kind when it came to market in 1912. Heer Engine Company received a patent on his tractor in1915. The Heer company was reorganized into the Reliable Tractor and Engine Co. in 1915. The new company manufactured the Reliable 10-20 2WD tractor until 1921. The same tractor was sold by Fairbanks, Morse & Co. as the Fair-Mor tractor. By 1912 the Morton Tractor Co. of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, renamed the Morton Truck & Tractor Co., had developed a Morton 4WD tractor with some design features in common with the Heer tractor. By 1920 the Harrisburg Morton company had been replaced by the Pennsylvania Tractor Co. of Philadelphia, which produced the 4-cylinder engine Morton Four-Wheel Drive 40 and the 6-cylinder engine Morton Four-Wheel Drive 60 rated at 60HP. In the same time period several other variations of four-wheel drive tractors were being developed, we will see a few more in the coming days.

Hauled this 414-8 home yesterday for cheap money. Not sure what my plans are yet. Obviously see what kinda shape the Magnum 14 is in. Then decide if it’s a parts rig or something I bring back into service. A much needed bath was first!

Hello All!! Long time no checking in but, THANK YOU ALL for the birthday wishes last month. Appreciate the acknowledgement of the day I was hatched 45 years ago. After finally getting time to be off work early today the opportunity to get the C125 out of it's hibernation since early 83-84. And the story of what exactly happened to it. How I wish Paul Harvey (September 4, 1918 - February 28, 2009) could do this narrative for me. Here is the rest of the story. Bill had two sons, Neil and Patrick. Neil being the oldest was tasked with the lawn work with their father and Patrick being 3 years younger, could help by raking, picking up sticks and trimming with hand shears. One day, the family was heading to Peoria and on the way, passed by the local lawn and garden dealer. Seeing a load of the new black hood tractors outside on display he pulled in and didn't hesitate to purchase a C125, the first Wheel Horse sold at Stoekers Lawn and Garden. Also, his first garden tractor. The tractor was delivered on a Friday afternoon and the salesman demonstrated how to operate it safely to Neil and his father. After taking turns on mowing the lawn, it was parked in the garage. Patrick wanted a turn but his father told him that he can use the push mower for a few years first and then graduate to the rider. Not the answer he wanted. Then came Sunday, the day of relaxing, family picnic and the accident. After church, they all raced home, mother busy with the prep of the drinks, salads and desserts, father cleaning the grill and placing tables in the shade with the help of both sons. That afternoon, people were enjoying their Sunday lunches and conversations when the sound of a motor got the attention of the father. A Wheel Horse had come out of the garage with Patrick driving... poorly at top speed. He managed to strike the concrete flower planter, picnic table with people, dessert table, and a pine tree. Needless to say, tractor was ruined and so was the picnic. I found out that the father had tried to repair/repaint the hood to the best of his ability but couldn't get it the way he wanted. So, instead of selling, or trading it off he decided to bury it in the back of his shed behind the many vending machines to be forgotten until a few months ago. His son Pat is the one who gave me this tractor and told me the entire history of why it was buried. The deal is that I maintain the lawn that tractor was intended for since he didn't get to. I installed a new battery and cleaned the fuel system. That's all! Runs beautiful, drives excellent, needs hood repainted and decals. Needs the Choke handle since it was broken off. Thinking about using plasma cutter and eliminating the discharge chute unless the deck from my 312 will fit. Have to get the C195 out for pictures from small to large

Galloway Farmobile Tractor and much more William Galloway became successful by providing what the customer wanted and making the purchase a pleasure. He learned customer service as a door to door salesman after graduation from collage and working as a traveling sales representative for farm implements. With the lessons learned on the rural roads of Iowa, Galloway began a farm implement dealership in Waterloo Iowa in 1901 and looked for opportunities to meet the needs of his customers. Within a couple of years, he was manufacturing his own line of harrows, carts wagons, and manure spreaders. Soon the product line expanded to include gasoline engines, cream separators, tractors, and other implement specialties. When William Galloway decided to get into the engine business in 1906 he bought an established business, the first Galloway engines were built by a Wisconsin firm, but beginning in 1908 they were built in the Waterloo factory. Galloway built its “Frostfree” line of water-cooled engines in sizes from 1-3/4 to 15 hp along with a 1-3/4 hp air-cooled model. All engines were available as stationary or portable (on wheeled trucks) versions. Prices in 1913 ranged from $29.75 for a 1-3/4 hp air-cooled to $439.50 for a 15 hp portable. (frostfree means the water-cooling tank could be drainer easily) The William Galloway Company had outgrown its manufacturing facility after six years and moved to a new fourteen-acre floor space building in 1907. He was providing employment for over eight hundred people and had sales of two million dollars. Galloway’s sales catalog business provided serious competition to companies such as Sears & Roebuck at that time. The majority of Galloway’s sales were mail order from his catalog with over three hundred thousand customers. Since he had a strong catalog customer base Galloway added household items. The 1913 catalog featured 146-pages of engines, pumps, sawing outfits, manure spreaders, cream separators, portable elevators and well drilling outfits. There were litter carriers, incubators and brooders; sprayers, grain drills and corn planters; plows, harrows and cultivators; harness, saddles and buggies, as well as Galloway wagons, which were famous for their high quality. Also, anvils, forges, iceboxes, mattresses, roofing, work clothes, windmills, and almost anything the farmer could imagine. You could even buy the Little Wonder Vodaphone, tennis rackets, roller skates, and even bicycles through the Galloway catalogs. Since most customers for farm implements traveled to Waterloo Iowa to pick-up their purchases Galloway built a rooming house known as the Galloway Club where customers could eat and sleep for free. Galloway expanded his product line in 1908 to include manufacturing a vehicle promoted as a conveyance that could carry the family to church on Sunday and haul cargo during the week. Power for the rather basic high wheeled car was a two-cylinder, fourteen-horse power engine. One advertisement made a comparison between owning a Galloway Auto Transport to owning a horse , telling prospective customers it was a waste of money to feed horses “… corn worth 75 cents a day and oats worth 35 to 40 cents, and hay worth $14 to $20 a ton …” when they could buy “Galloway’s New Auto Transport,” which “Puts Town Next Door to Your Farm for less than $36 a Year.” The 1910 acquisition of the Maytag-Mason Motor Car Company gave Galloway a much more acceptable car. The Maytag-Mason Automobile was powered by a two-cylinder engine designed by Fred and August Duesenberg. This is the same Maytag that produced gas engines for agricultural machinery and washing machines and the same Duesenberg brothers that went on to produce some of America’s most presages automobiles. Agricultural equipment sales remained strong and were so profitable that it allowed Galloway to make further ventures intro the motor vehicle manufacturing arena. The Dart Truck and Tractor Company was brought into the Galloway family in 1910. These were well engineered machines with chain drive which were update The “Farmobile” tractor was Galloway’s entry into the farm tractor market. The 12-20 model powered by a Dart four-cylinder liquid cooled engine with a two-speed transmission was featured in their catalog for $ 995 and promotion claimed that the Galloway manufactured tractor “Pulls Anything, Anywhere, Anytime.” Having a line of trucks and a tractor to pull the Galloway farm implements made them a full line manufacturer. The October 17, 1918 edition of Automotive Industries noted that “the new worm drive tractors produced three years of experimentation.” The article also states that “…in January of this year the company received an order for 1,080 tractors of this type from the well–known British firm of Henry Garner, Ltd.” The future looked very promising for Galloway with increasing sales of Farmobile Tractors and Dart trucks. A new smaller general purpose Bearcat tractor was being added to the line and the company needed to expand its manufacturing facility to accommodate the growth. Galloway decided to sell corporate bonds to generate funding for the Dart Truck manufacturing facility. Volume 99, Bankers Magazine, 1919, “One of the largest bond issues ever handled by Iowa banks has been underwritten and sold by the Waterloo Clearing House Association without the assistance of either Wall Street or LaSalle Street interests. This was the $1,750,000 issue of the William Galloway Company of Waterloo, Iowa, hearing date of July 1, 1919, and due July 1, 1925. Both are a direct obligation of the William Galloway Company and are a lien against its plant, properties, and business.” The agricultural depression that followed World War Two and the recently generated debt load were insurmountable for Galloway and the firm went out of business in 1921. William Galloway’s sons resurrected the company in late 1926, but on a much more modest scale. As a mail-order company for farm supplies. A 1939 catalog lists cream separators, manure spreaders, harrows, gas engines, feed grinders and hammer mills, wagons, barn equipment, poultry equipment, and paint. No further information was found past 1939.

I went sunday and picked up the 314H I'd found. It's in good original condition besides the tires, and a few seat cover cracks, looks like it'd been kept out of the weather til I brought it home in the rain, cranks and runs like new. 48" deck is solid top and bottom, the spindles are not corroded and spin freely. I'll go over it service the fluids, filters etc, clean the deck, inspect the bearings, belts etc. I'd been wanting a hydro drive WH for some time, I'm glad to have found it.

Semi - Worker. Can't stand to just look at it in the garage. It was built to do something.

Olmsted Tractor The Olmstead Gas Traction Company was founded by Charles Olmstead in 1912 in Big Timber, MT and would later move to Great Falls, MT. The Olmstead Gas Traction Company built only one model tractor, the 25-30, called the Olmstead Four Wheel Pull, it was also the only tractor known to have been built in Montana. It is believed that less than 100 of these machines were built. Very little is known about Mr. Olmstead or his company. The Olmstead tractor was one of the earliest attempts at an all-wheel powered tractor, it was built with an articulated frame caring the engine on the rear half and the fuel tank and tool boxes on the front half. The operator stood at the rear of the tractor manipulating the thirty-foot-long chain drive tractor without power steering. According to an article in Motor Age, in 1914, “the Olmstead Gas Traction Company of Great Falls, Mt. purchased the plant of the Curtis Truck and Forging Co. of Decatur, IL to manufacture four-wheel-pull gasoline tractors for road and farm work of all kinds. Due to the heavy freight charges from Montana to the middle states, the company felt the necessity for an eastern plant and decided to locate in Decatur, IL.’ The engine of the Olmstead Four Wheel Pull is a four-cycle Clifton engine rated at 28 HP. The engine is equipped with priming cups and compression release ***** to ease cranking. It is a water-cooled L head and the design and construction provide ample space for water with an abundant circulation, ensuring cool cylinders when the motor is working its limit of power and speed as well as when running a light load. The engine is assured of longer life than in most tractors because the machine is spring mounted and the springs take up all jars, keeping the engine protected when ruts or obstacles are encountered while at work. Apparently, the plan to relocate to Decatur never materialized as nothing further can be found.

I threw together this puller to remove that last stubborn pin that I had. First I used a Sawzall to cut the pin on each side of the tranny. Then I drilled & tapped the pin that was stuck in the tranny. After that I used this puller to remove the pin. Tighten the bolt on the puller, use a drift to pound on the opposite end of the pin. Repeat, repeat, add more extensions, repeat....

Happy to see that Picture. Best evidence for yourself you recover ❤️👍

A few years ago at @WHX?? plow day I lost my wallet in the field while plowing. Fact jokes are still made about that. To top that off, shortly there after I plowed my phone under while plowing at my brothers place. After these events, my wife requested that I either empty my pockets while plowing or plow in nothing but my under ware. My brother was planting his field today, he looked down & thought crap I dropped my phone. Well... he didn't drop his phone, he actually found the phone that I lost. Pretty sure if I put it in a bowel of rice and clean it up it should still work. Now if we could only find my wallet.

No visuals of Dan plowing in his skivvies Sylvia? No but the wallet sprouted...

Hello All! Yet another time I didn't sleep, however, productive. Power goes out before midnight, therefore my much needed fan is no longer making background noise and I know for a fact that coffee will be required soon (not for my purposes but safety. I say safety because for whatever reason, Folgers is the only elixir that staves off my fiance's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde personality before she goes to work). Thank goodness for a Stanley thermos for holding a pot of coffee! So at 3 AM, liquid sanity is poured and life is not so bad, and I have an 'atta boy's in my favor. I now know my phone won't be melting from angry texts of how bad waking up was. At 4 AM and no power yet, I leave, pull the C125 out and remove the little deck ( not going to cut off chute) and install the 48 inch. After sharpening blades, greasing spindles, I wait for sunrise. Definitely worth the effort of servicing. Mowed 3 acres with no problems. Can't believe how even this cuts and comfortable to run. Love the Kohler exhaust thump at idle. Someone should make that a download for relaxing. Possibly between the distant thunderstorm and rain on a tin roof sounds ( cut me in for 2% legacy fee please). Lol 😅. Anyways, I have to know why it is that anytime I am by a busy road, the only time people stop and ask if I would sell a tractor is if a Wheel Horse is working. Had two men circling like vultures watching me. I'm about to put Not For Sale signs on the back so people get the clue. BTW, this guy got fed homemade ziti and butter bread for dinner since there was coffee this morning 🌞, wonder what she wants me to buy and if it requires a passport 😜

On 4-4-24 the Winter storm left 14'' of heavy wet snow and shut down the complete 1.5 mile loop of trails the RS members enjoy at the September M & G every year. This does not include the dirt woods road not owned by us that is about a 4 mile out and back that Mike @Sparky takes charge of is impassable currently as well. At this time all of the trails are done on the house side of the brook. The trails on half of the Cabin side of the brook are done except the far left hand side of the property where the Hemlock grove is which is about 5 ac. This is the worst we have seen this much of a mess here after a Winter storm. I have been able to have a good friend of mine come up 3 times to help out with getting things back to normal. I have done quite a bit of it alone picking a little bit each day. Having well maintained equipment around has made a huge difference in the progress. I would like to thank @AMC RULES and @Mrs. Rules for the offer to drive all the way up here to lend a hand so the M&G will continue on, very much appreciated. That is what makes RS a special place. These pictures are only some of what it looks like and I may have posted more than I should have not to bore anyone. Thanks All

Except that MTD will look like trash and not “art” ! Nothing wrong with letting one retire. I clear-coated this one to stop it from rusting away. As you can tell I love showing it off as much as my running driving machines !!

Are we gonna have a new member with lots of repair questions and how to fix PO mods?

Not restoring this one, but would like to hear it run and then decide how to proceed with bringing this machine back into service. Bought it for $100 not knowing the condition of the motor. I figured the muffler, or the 4 matching wheels and tires, or the 8 speed trans were worth the price of admission. Gave it a good pressure wash this morning, then rolled it into the garage. Engine oil was low but clean, trans oil was full and clean (shifter boot is in perfect shape). Under the engine tins was…A MOUSE HOUSE … I was expecting that. Coil wire has been gnawed on but can be saved. Popped off the carb and the head. Thoughts on either? Carb has rust on the throat, but the bowl was clean and the needle was moving freely. Head has a lot of carbon. I do t know how to read what I I’m seeing so if someone can give me a “status” on the head, valves and standard piston that would be great.

FITCH FOUR DRIVE TRACTOR COMPANY John H. Fitch was a problem solver who developed several innovative products. Long before he invented the Fitch Four Drive tractor Fitch had patented a Folding Berry Crate while working at a at a small sawmill and basket factory. He also was issued patents for a drill, a ratchet wrench, and a Self-Opening Street Car Switch Mechanism. Prior to the 1902 Fitch Switch invention a street car operator would stop the street car, exit the car, manually operate the switch to go onto another pair of tracks, remount the street car, pass through the switch, stop the car, exit the car, manually place the switch in its previous position, get back into the streetcar and proceed to his next stop. With the Fitch Switch the operator simply moved a lever in the street car and proceeded on his assigned route. Fitch’s farm in Michigan had some challenging areas to deal with and he felt that a Four-Wheel Drive tractor was the answer. The first attempt at building his four-wheel drive tractor began in 1910. Rear drive axles from two tractors were fitted to a chase with an engine mounted in the middle. Overcoming steering problems was accomplished by What is referred to as a Live King Bolt which allows the power to be passed through the pivot point of an articulated frame. In 1914 Fitch sold his ratchet wrench patent rights for $ 5,000 ($ 160,000m in 2024 money) to finance the development of his new design for an improved four-wheel drive tractor, “The Four Drive.” In October of 1914 patents were granted for his invention. In February 1915, Fitch completed his first tractor and headed out to test its ability on the hills of his farm. All the locals came out to watch as he traversed the countryside with ease. The next day he drove his tractor to Ludington, MI, seven miles away. When he saw what his tractor could do, and the impact it made on the local people, he decided to build them commercially. He built a tractor and a truck model and took them both to Detroit in February and March of 1915 to show off his inventions and to discuss their possible manufacture. Several automobile experts pronounced the truck as one of the most important automobile inventions of the past year. Fitch used a Waukesha engine and a Cotta three-speed transmission. The tractor had many features that were not on previous tractor models. Its short turning radius, improved suspension, trailer/plow attachment and two speeds were other items besides the four-wheel drive that made this an important improvement to farming. The tractor could go into difficult places where conventional tractors could not. It could come out of a ditch as well as break through snow drifts. There was no danger of getting stuck in sand or clay, the lightness of the machine and its equal distribution of weight prevented it from sinking into the ground to any appreciable distance. Although light in weight, its power enabled it to pull a very heavy farm tool. The increased power came from the fact that the tractor was gear-driven vice chain-driven like the tractors of that time. This allowed for more transfer of power from the engine to the wheels. One demonstration took place on marshy land, critics said it would bury itself as a team of horses would do in such ground, the tractor not only pulled itself out of the marsh but it pulled up a submerged tree trunk to which it had been fastened! On November 29, 1915, John Fitch incorporated ‘The Four-Drive Tractor Company’. Fitch was offered a deal from the town of Big Rapids, MI. A new manufacturing facility and power for five years to operate his business if the company moved their operation to Big Rapids. Fitch made the necessary arrangements and moved to Big Rapids in 1916, to a 45-by-200-foot building, in addition to a 30-by-40-foot blacksmith shop. After John Fitch’s untimely death in 1916 Vice-president, Elbert Jenkins became the President (it is unknown if company secretary Clay Olmsted was related to Charles Olmstead who invented a different four-wheel drive tractor in 1912). The company continued to make improvements on the tractor to fill orders that were placed in 1916. The company finally received the steel and other materials that were in short supply during World War One and were needed to produce tractors starting in 1917; however, the company struggled financially during the first few years. The Four Drive Tractor Company secured a solid footing during 1919 because of various improvements that were made to the tractor and the company. These changes lead to the firm selling its entire 1920 output before the year started. After Motor Age magazine of Chicago published a story on the stump-climbing tractor in March 1916, literally hundreds of letters poured into the Big Rapids post office. Inquiries came from every state in the country and every first-class foreign nation. French, English and even Russian firms wrote for information regarding the new machine. By 1919, the company established a Foreign Department in New York City to arrange for the sale of tractors to individuals and governments in foreign countries. The tractors were manufactured at the factory in Big Rapids and then were shipped from the factory to the purchaser by railroad and then by cargo ship a shipping port in that country. If you are fluent in the Finnish language, you can let us know what is said in this advertisement. Under the headline "The Four Drive Tractor is Going Strong," the flyer reads: "Four years have passed since the Four Drive tractor first interested the people of Big Rapids. Since that time a factory has been constructed and a large addition built. The company has passed through the vicissitudes usually incident to the swing of a new industry. Days of experiment and struggle have come and gone." "At the beginning of 1920 the Four Drive stands in a favorable position. The experimenting is done. The tractor is standardized. It is giving splendid satisfaction in the field. It is a good machine; many users and dealers regard it as the best on the market. Its motor burns oil. And my, how it pulls!" "The judgment of the men in charge is that the Four Drive has gone by the period of trial. Of late it has been making some money. The earnings are not large, but they give promise that, with production on a quantity basis, the earnings can be put up to a gratifying point. A dividend is now being paid to the holders of preferred stock. This stock is preferred for a 7 percent dividend, and the dividend on this stock must be paid when the company is making a net profit. It is estimated that the present net profit is between $2,000 and $3,000 per month on present production." "The demand for the Four Drive tractor is way beyond the present power to produce. A contract has been made which absorbs all the probable production for 1920. The problem is one of production and management." "The policy of the present management is to build upon accomplishment rather than upon promises and hopes. The accomplishments of the past year lend solidity to the belief in the future of Big Rapids' newest industry." An article from a Big Rapids newspaper reported that in September 1928, sales representative Evart W. Bogart set sail from New York on a four-month trip to French possessions to set up and instruct operators with the Fitch Four Drive Tractor. He went to Havre, France and then to Paris to meet with the French representative of the Four Drive Tractor Company. The two men planned to go to Morocco, Algeria, Casablanca, and other French colonies in Africa. The tractors had been sold to these colonies for many years and Mr. Bogart had several more on the ship with him. The company continued to produce tractors in 1929. The exact date that the Four Drive Tractor Company ceased operations or to whom all assets of the company were sold is unknown, the financially troubled company ceased operations after the stock market crashed in October 1929.

Got a very clean well-kept 312-8 with the Magnum engine this spring along with a snow blade... 36" rear in beautiful shape.. Very soon it'll be pulled in to the shop (I'm still cleaning out the space after taking delivery of my new lathe) for some maintenance and changing all the oils, then she'll be put to work.

Well I've always wanted to plant sweet corn and this year I'm giving it a try. So this will be a small garden size, 12x30'. I'm doing 4 rows 30" apart, seed spacing about 8-10". Started off with the moldboard plow, then the disc harrow which didn't work as good as I hoped but soil was probably a bit moist for it, the cultivator worked great and I did most of the work with that to level and break up the soil, then used it to make the rows. Next time I'll probably borrow my friends WH tiller to prep the soil. So planted 11 days ago and already have sprouts coming up. I'm using Milorganite for my nitrogen feed. A couple observations from a first timer using the WH in the garden, first the turf tires on the front of the rig are not good at all for working a garden. It was all over the place and I had a hard time holding a line. Thinking I'll try a 4.00-8 pneumatic tire of some kind in the future or something similar. Any suggestions for a front tire and wheel combo would be appreciated, tractor is a 312-8. Will add a little weight to the front as well with the front 2" receiver next time. I would like advice for critter control and specifically with raccoons if anyone has some to offer. The creek behind my yard is full of them and they will be an issue at some point. I've seen the scent stuff you can put around the perimeter and the solar powered stuff on Amazon, also considering a small electric fence on a timer. Any advice would be appreciated! Now for pics!

i have used my 37 side discharge with my 312-8 since bought new in 1989 -- always thought it had excellent cut - - i have also used 36, 42s, 48s in recent yrs -- I still believe the 37 cuts real well comparatively -- plus, its easy to handle and install and remove - and manuverable when cutting with 312 ----- i have bagger for the 37 sd which works great in spring for lawn clean up as well as in fall for leaves - With my grandson recently did restore on the 37 expecting to get more decades of use - Some people don't like the belt -- but i have had good luck with pulleys and belts - - i keep mule adjusted to proper 1 inch deflection and replace belt when worn

The deck is a nope, but the rest has hope.

Champion Machine Company When International Harvester was being formed by Cyrus McCormick Jr. and William Deering, they sought out partnerships or purchases of competing harvester companies to corner the harvester market. Champion Machine was a very attractive buy because they had an established dealer network in twelve states & Europe, an up-to-date manufacturing plant and over a hundred patents. William N Whiteley founded the Champion Reaper and Mower Works in Springfield, Ohio in 1855. In the late 1800s and early 1900s it was commonplace to have equipment dealers stage field trials to show-off the quality of their wares. At age 22 Whitley entered a local trial of reaping machines and demonstrated his new machine in the field. Champion was in direct competition with Warder, Bushnell, Glessner, & Co. who also made mowers. The two companies eventually merged soon becoming the largest manufactories of its type in the nation. Springfield became known as the “Champion City” and a few of Champion’s subcontractors also took on the Champion name, The Champion Bar & Knife Co. and The Champion Malleable Iron Foundry also located in Springfield. I don’t know if this is fact or fable but this was too good to pass-up. William. N. Whiteley was quite a character according to some of the stories told about him. He was supposed to be a large ox of a man, a great salesman, and a bit of a hot head. It’s said at one time he was demonstrating a reaper with a competitor in the field with him. Not wanting to be shown up he unhitched one of the horses in his team and went on across the field with a single horse. The competitor not wanting to lose any sales did the same which really set Whitely off. Whitely unhitched the last horse and proclaimed I can pull the reaper myself. He unhitched the second horse and proceeded to pull the reaper across the field himself. Champion Machine Company was bursting at the seams and built a new state-of-the-art factory complex of over a million square feet in 1884. Now all of Champion’s processes were under one roof, raw materials came in the back door and finished reapers, mowers and rakes went out the front door to be shipped to eager customers. By 1887 Champion was one of the most profitable companies in the United States with sales of over four million dollars. (Over 130 million in 2024 dollars) Champion was one of the companies bought out with the formation of International Harvester in 1902 however, the Champion Line continued to be sold. All production moved to the Chicago IH factory and in 1908, the company marked a major milestone: sale of its 2,000,000th Champion machine. Albert Krell, of the Krell-French Piano Company, purchased and remodeled the Champion factory in preparation to begin production of pianos when the factory went up in flames on Feb. 10, 1902.

Hope you have a quiet, resonating, mellow and muffled birthday that is stacked with everything you want!!!

This stupid hitch pin. Every tractor I've ever torn apart this pin is a big issue. It's been soaking in pb blaster since January and I've heated it and no dice. Probably gonna have to drill it. I'm just here to vent.........

And once done with the removal, the solution is this....... Have these I made on all my Horses - for 10+ years now - remove one retainer clip - push it out with one finger....

Hitch pin removal (hasn't failed me yet): Take the right wheel off and set that side trans on a jack stand...leave the left wheel on. (1) the hitch pin is soft---cut off flush with Sawzall (2) Center punch and drill 1/8" pilot hole in RIGHT side at least 1 inch deep. (3) Open this 1/8 to 1/4 then to 1/2 or more...drilling deeper each time. (4) Using a pneumatic impact hammer with round punch in that hole you drilled to drive it thru. (5) Reinstall pin using a 3/4" with a big "D" ring like this from TSC....less than $10 bux. Coat it with anti-seize.

Well they fit perfect they are smaller than the spindle so the offset can be changed multiple different ways with spacers. Currently the hubs are out and the spacer is on the outside

Give your Garden Tractor a Lift In June of 1969 Popular Science Magazine encouraged us to “Give your Garden Tractor a Lift”. They provided detailed drawings and a good description of the build. Let’s get in our time travel machine and go back fifty-five years to build this hand powered forklift attachment.

Tossed a decent bid at this C-125 8 speed at the auction and was the winner. The ice worms got the fender and deck, but otherwise it’s got hope. I checked it out before placing a bid. It’s filthy, but the transmission oil is topped right off and beautiful, the engine oil is a tad low but fairly clean. It sure has had a critter in there and needs a battery.

Time to set the parking brake?

210 bags of mulch. Only 70 more to go.

Picked up this tractor this morning. Hood says C121. Model/serial numbers on side of dash say it is a 1969 Electro12. Hydraulic lift and a real nice seat.

Awhile back I acquired a “ Frankenstiened ” 1277. So it didn’t bother me much to change it a little. Finished it yesterday except for adding headlights.

*** If your name is in RED you can play*** Well some guys were complaining about already having too many cups so I figured I would do something else. I bought a small hobby laser last year and have been trying to come up with Wheel Horse related items I could make. Not a ton of stuff out there, especially personalized. So with that said, I had come across a simple design for a phone charging stand and decided to try it out. Works great with my phone, even in a case. It’s right at 6” tall and 3.5” wide. When the phone isn’t there, whatever design is on it shows. So I am going to randomly pick two people and they can choose what they want on it. Just post your name here and this coming Saturday I will draw two numbers. One post please so I can keep up with it. Thanks for supporting my favorite website on the net and thanks to Karl & the admin team for all they do.

My neighbor is into old cars and just pulled in with this gem He found down in Md. Then he said he also had this in the bed of his truck. Said he brought it along in case I wanted it. Yep! Accepting all interest and info on it's ID.

Working on a 37 inch deck that was used on the 308/310/312 toro model Wheel Horse tractors. I never owned one of these decks before but bought one last fall. The wheels needed changing and I could tell the wheel axle shaft bolts were well worn. i have heard these decks use to cut pretty well so want to try it out. My brother has a 312 -8 that I will try this out on.

Hauled this home today… 414-8 Rough… very rough

rear tillers push forward. My front tiller pushes backward...but I am left handed.

This is on a 420-LSE, a little different but similar.

Had a couple hours this afternoon, So I took a closer look at Wally. I pulled his tusks. I don't know what the PO used them for, but they were bolted on with 3 grade 5 1/2" SAE bolts that are capable of pulling 36,000 lbs. Got the junk wheels and axle off. The spindles look good, but are still stuck in the axle and soaking. The rear wheels look OK and one is even holding air. The hubs, axles and keyways are OK. The tranny is free and works in all gear and needs axle bearings and seals. No water in the case. The shower head is rusted thru. Engine is locked and probably junk. Check these long hub set screws. The steering wheel is stubborn, but I will win. The deck shell looks good and the cast iron spindle support is not broke. It's locked up but I didn't attempt to free it yet.

Wait until you lift the lid on the kitchen trash can unzip then look around and mumble to yourself "this isn't the bathroom."

Working with help from a friend on the mount for the mid-blade so it’ll have lift, rotation, and roll (tilt). He has a Hyster with long forks. It makes me nervous having it so high up there but dang is it convenient to get under to work on! Upper and lower grader frame parts coming along. Tomorrow the main parts should be together and then onto final design and implementation of the controls.

Sooooo I've had these made up, I would have dine it myself but I lack the tooling, they are ment for running the rear wheels from a Yamaha blaster. I'll be putting them on this Sunday it's ment for stock spindles. I had them offset the mounting hub on there with threaded holes to change offset if needed