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As of about 10:30 this morning I am no longer employed. I turned in the truck, building keys, credit card, and all electronics.

So this weekend I turned 40. On Friday afternoon, Mrs. P surprised me with an opportunity to jump out of a plane at 17,000 feet in Grand Haven, MI. It was a blast! No regerts, no hesitations! We dropped 12,000 feet in 85 seconds. It was quick, but totally awesome! Yes, she jumped too! I

This receipt for a Wheel Horse purchase in 1960 was posted on Red Square several days ago! i was up in Lake County. Indiana at my mom and brother’s and stopped by Terpstras. This was the Wheel Horse ( now Toro and other outdoor equipment) dealer we used when i was a kid. The Terpstra’s place was only about a mile from our house and it was a feed , seed and farm store before they accepted their first Wheel Horse but they were an early dealer! If you search Tersptras in the Red Square search box more old posts will come up! Anyway Tuesday i stopped i to the store and showed Don Terpstra , the son of William Terpstra, the original owner, the 1960 receipt photo. I emailed it to Don and he was pleased to see it! Don showed me a photo of his dad William on a wagon with a four horse team ( 4 Wheel Horses linked together) . He told me Wheel Horse in the early days loaned this four horse rig to dealers to promote Wheel Horse sales! I have seen several over the years and i always thought they were homemade rigs set up for parades. But Don indicated at least one set was made by Wheel Horse and this was probably before they had their factory building on Ireland Road in ghe south side of South Bend . The RJ picture is the one they still have displayed in the store ( the original feed and seed part of the building). It was sold by Tersptras in 1959 and traded back in later. The Terpstra family restored it in the early 1990s and Don said they just used what extra decals they had at the time!

I found a classified ad on the Square a couple of days ago from a member only 20 minutes away. It was for a 1971 Raider 10 with accessories. FREE. How could I turn that down? So I gathered up grandson Mason, hooked up the trailer and off we went. We brought it home and put it all behind the pole building. It hasn't run for years, didn't have a battery, and worst of all, it's a Tecumseh HH100. Mason asked me what was I going to do with it? I knew what he was thinking as he just bought a Raider 12 at the show in June and may need some parts. I answered, nothing. Just going to use if for decoration. With that said, Mrs. M promptly decorated it. I guess Mr. Bones will be sitting out in front of the house on Halloween. Meanwhile, today I went out and bought a battery. Oh my goodness, what was I thinking?

This is a gang I’d join if I were closer…

I bought my Wheel Horse 312-8 nearly a year ago at this point. I bought it primarily as a firewood tractor, for moving wood to and from the splitting station, racks, and house. I figured I'd find other uses for it but wasn't sure what! Well it's been coming in real handy this summer. With a hitch installed and a cargo carrier on the rear, this thing has been indispensable for my latest project: rebuilding a retaining wall. Over 100 blocks and dozens of bags of paver base and gravel. Of course the closest place I could have the supply delivery dropped off is about 50 yards from the project site. The Wheel Horse has made it easy to load blocks and gravel back and forth! Such a godsend

I had to step away for a little bit. Found out that my best dog Milo has cancer and was given days to weeks to live. We unfortunately had to cancel our vacation, and put all trips on-hold for the big guy. My other dog has cancer as well, but has a little more time than Milo does. So been spending a lot of time with the dogs, and not being able to go on vacation decided to brush off the old boat sitting in the back yard for the past 6 years It took a LOT of work to clean it up, replace the bellows, fix the engine, trailer and a host of other things. My oldest daughter gifted us a slip on Candlewood lake in Connecticut, so we can get out occasionally. Milo is still hanging in, and we are enjoying the time we have left with him. Now that the massive boat work is completed, I hope to spend some more time here and get some hats out the door. If you read this far, Camo hats are available in the store and I will order some of the others shortly. Apologies for the delays on this, I needed the time though.

Yesterday, I was invited to bring a tractor to the Soo Line 1003 steam train run. Made for some great pictures.

C-85 cleaning is essentially done…back on all fours wheels. This one might actually get waxed!

I posted a 'what's in my mirror' shot yesterday and here it is. A super nice 400. No, it doesn't belong to me. I met up with @stvski80085 a few weeks ago in Crawfordville when he latched on to my tub cart. He mentioned he wanted a mid engine oldie. There's a place a few miles south of here called Random Crap. Everything is behind the house. Sheds, trailers, etc. filled with......random crap and constantly changing. I had been wanting to stop by but every time I passed it I didn't have the time or they were closed. Their open hours seem to be......random. A few weeks ago the stars aligned and I pulled in. I'm thinking I got a grin when I saw 4 red tractors lined up. A Lawn Ranger, a mid 60's round hood, a B-80 and this Suburban 400. Of course I had to look them over and the conversation was lengthy. Steve came to mind so I told him about it. It wasn't long before he became the new owner. He lives in Missouri so I'll babysit until we can get together. Paperwork came with it including the original receipt from 1960. Cool! The original (supposedly) engine was included. Somebody apparently rebuilt it but screwed it up. It was replaced with a NOS K-91 with almost no hours. Along with a box of parts. Fresh snow/dirt blade and mower deck. 7 new blade tips are in the parts box. All the guards are in place. Note the tires, shower cap muffler and rear hitch. Is this a Fairbanks? I couldn't resist taking it to my personal favorite picture setting at the north end of our property. You guys have seen this setting many times. I'm thinking Steve will be happy with it.

First time to use the grave yard 704 it did good still have some bugs to work out

So I buddy of mine who I got into this hobby twenty years ago called me and said he was done. He kept his 953, and his B-80 that we restored many years ago. I bought the rest of his stuff, including two C-160’s, mid-mount grader blade and dozer blades which will be going up for sale soon. I really just wanted some of the stuff he had but he wanted to sell it all in one shot and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse! The things I wanted were a clock that we were told hung in the factory at 515 West Ireland Rd., a NOS high back seat, NOS hubcaps both red head and the newer style, and a couple of sets of cast iron wheel weights. The rest I will be selling at some point, including some D-series items and a lot of parts for 70’s and early 80’s tractors. I’m going to post it here first, but I’m not sure when? Probably after the summer as it’s a lot of parts to go through. The tractors may be up for sale sooner. Stay tuned or PM me if you see something in these pictures you might like!

Headed to the town transfer station this morning and saw this at the end of someone’s driveway. Had my favorite price tag on it as well! Investigation has shown it to be an International IH#2 cart.

A tip I learned from my Amish neighbor. Put a dab of peanut butter every couple of feet on the wire. They stick their tongue on the wire one time and never return.

Well if The Pullstart can make a mess in his backyard. Time for a new water source. Way overdue... in the 40 years I lived here all we had is a 11/4" sand point down about 25 ft. Always good water in fact it comes from the waters of the Mecan River which I live next to. Perrier once wanted to put down humongous wells at its headwaters and peddle it. They got voted nay. Since its all sugar sand here points only last 10 years before they plug. I had replaced it before but it and the pump are down in a pit and not to code. Real old Bucyus Erie cable rig powered by a Continental four cylinder diesel mounted on a newer Ford 800 but is smaller to get it in where needed. Manual outriggers! All you equipment operators how would you like to have to set them with every move. Since i can pee faster than this delivers water I have it cross connected to the sprinkler system which is a 2" point down the hill. That one is only down 10 ' LP tank had to get temporarily moved to get the casings in. So far down 60 ft with enough pipe to 120. I think they plan on 180.

Made a visit to Racinbob to pick up my new one. Had a great trip. Post more later. Steve the steering wheel is in my jeep. I know someone was going to ask. Lol

Finished the headlight mod.

Continued with the deep cleaning of the C-85. A few before and after pics:

i’ve had this one for a few years, I picked it up in a fall show at Zagray show in October. It is a 1057 I have not been in a hurry to finish it because it’s pretty much original from what I’ve seen. Yes it has a lot of scratches on it, as the old timers used to say it’s only original once. Gotta finish the Valves. Do the points and then finishing the rest of it. Should be good to go. I use those 612s when I’m working on a project they don’t take up much room plus I still like those 612s. Hope you enjoy your projects. The last three is the day I picked it up. Enjoy all your projects.

The boys and I picked up our new going to project yesterday. They were both quickly to claim which one they wanted! Both seam to be all there and pretty original. Looking forward to bringing back the old paint on the 1966 Lawn Ranger and some fresh red on the A-111 which is a 1982. Can’t wait to spend some time working with the two and teaching them like my dad did and dose with me!

This was a trip up to Maine I made this weekend . Which consisted of 3 machines .#99 420-LSE with 20 hours , #82 420-LSE with 475 hours , fully restored commando 8 , N.o.s 48” Deck .

Here's the 400 I went and pickup in Florida just needs a little of TLC to get it going again

Finished a new front hitch. Total cost $30.

Boys and their toys… The rental on this Bobcat was covered by doing the tailgate latch work on his dump truck last week. A major backyard overhaul is in the works and big and small equipment will be employed here. That Ohio Steel dump trailer works awesome!

Laid down some stripes with the 315-8. For the first time ever it started hard and ran rough, might have to yank the carb off it and go through it. It eventually straightened out, but after sitting for a bit I went to put it away and again it was running lousy. This is also my only rig with a drink holder, what a nice feature

Hey folks, Its been a couple years since i was active and around the tractors and hobby I loved so much. Back on my birthday this year I was diagnosed with stage 4 sarcoidosis and there's really no way to fix this. Im on oxygen anytime I walk or sleep so there no chance of me working. I have a whole garage full of Wheel Horse things that have to be sold so my wife doesn't have to deal with this stuff after the fact. Theres just so much that Id like to just get rid of it all with one person and one price. Does anybody do that anymore? If I have to I can sell piecemeal but I don't have the energy(or the breath) to take stuff apart and sell it piecemeal for the most profit. Here some of the pictures of what I have accumulated over the decades of my time in this hobby. Please don't beat me up too much. 100% original Suburban 400 This tractor was my baby. I bought it from the original owner and it runs and drives and mows. Just not currently, it did 2 years ago. It needs the points filed and then you're good to go. Honestly struggling with letting this one go because of what it means to me. It was the fist Wheel Horse my sone drove at 4 years old. Hes now almost 20m and in college. It may stay here unless the right person and or price makes me change my mind. This is a 1978 C-81. It has a 12 horse Kohler in it currently and does run and drive, just not well. It burns oil and has a carb issue. Not running currently. I'm trying to be as truthful as I can. If I'm not sure, I'll tell you up front. This is a 1974 C-160 4 speed.This tractor runs well, mows well, but needs a battery. Currently has a 42"RD mower deck on it that I used 1 year ago This is a 1973 14 Automatic with center control. Runs and mows well. I used it last fall but needs a battery now This is a 1995 Wheel Horse 416 automatic that I redid for my dad for his 75th birthday. He never changed the oil and blew the motor last year. Has a 48" mower deck and the engine was a beast until he blew it from not changing the oil in over 5 years This was also my baby. 1973 Wheel Horse 18 Automatic. Completely redone 15 years ago. Used it to mow 5 acres with a 60" belly mower and also plow snow with a 60" snowplow. It needs the engine coupler that couples the Kohler twin to the hydraulic pump in order to run perfect. It has run last ear for about 1 minute untilI saw there was an issue. Doesn't run now due to the bolt missing. This is a 1970 Wheel Horse GT-14. Its been redone and has 3 point hitch also has the inner wheel weights. Both rare items. The motor is blown. I screwed up and tilted it big time when building my house and the engine seized up. I do have another engine for it. I believe the replacement is a 16 Kohler that I bought from a Wheel Horse guy. This a a 1990s 60" Wheel Horse mower deck that I converted to fit my 18 auto. It mowed great but I hadn't run it in a couple years since the 18 needed the bolt replaced for the hydraulic pump. This is a Wheel Horse powered de-thatcher. It's a very rare post 70s implement for the C series and later 3,4,5 series machine. I bought this from a Wheel Horse guy. Its pretty cool. This is the mower for the Suburban 400. Run and mows well. Id like this to go with the tractor it was purchased with. I do have snow plow as well but I can't locate it currently. This is a kohler motor. I don't recall if its 12 horse or 16 horse but it ran well when the guy I bought it from took it off the tractor. Here you see another 60" D series snowplow and also a D series snowblower. Both operate just fine This is also a 12 or 16 horse Kohler motor. Run just fine and just needs a home. Requires dig to get to it inside the garage Wheel Horse wheels and tires along with a rebuilt D series hero pump, C series lawn vacuum and lord only knows how much other nick nacks I have piled up. All in all its been a tough exercise doing this. I had so many plans that won't get done, yet its strangely calming to se it all go to people that want it. I don't know how to really describe any of it honestly. Its just tough and its still a new wound so to speak. Jeff

Took Artie out for a ride yesterday. Need to drive it more battery was low.

This came from a local former Wheel Horse collector. I’m awaiting his name but I heard he was on this site. The gentleman who built this or owned this passed away in April of this year. former owner/builder: Thomas Evans Edit: Found Him Member Name: TJ out of Burlington, MI.

Looks like I found a Work Horse 1848 less than 2miles from home. Ive seen a couple Wheel Horses/Work Horses in his garage but never anyone outside so I never stopped. Today he was mowing so I pulled in. He was immediately willing to show me his collection & offered up a beer too! He has failing health issues & said he needs to downsize. Carb needs cleaned so he said he will do that & make sure its running good. He's gonna swap mower decks so it will have a rear discharge. Guess its time to look for a 2stage now..... I asked him what he was thinking $$ wise. He said make an offer. I asked if we would be close at $500ish??? He said yes! Lastly, he even insisted on delivering it because he wants to see my collection.

So yesterday I met up with @Pullstart to swap a couple tractors... I'm looking at another restoration, only this one runs, has good tires, and overall seems in pretty good shape. LED lights even work... In keeping with my budget (think Ramon noodles), I have already fixed the seat at no cost. Will be changing the oil in motor and trans, doing a thorough cleaning, replacing the shifter boot, and then seeing what direction I go from there... This one may just stay in its work clothes... Some pics:

My el cheapo HF sander took a crap while sanding all those park bench boards. So, I spotted this one at the auction this morning. Plugged it in and it ran nice and quiet so I thought I might buy it if the price was right. When they put it up, they sold it with this scroll saw that I did not need. Both are USA made Craftsman Sears Roebuck/ Simpson MFG all metal 2.25 Amp. The sander even has an oiler port. The Scroller Saw is 1/2HP with variable speed and rotatable blade. These things are heavy at 8 and 10 lbs each. Oh, and the price was right at $2.00 + 12 cents tax for the pair.

Another fabulous trip up north! We stayed here in the area of the red circle for 3 nights. Just drive in. Find a place to set for a bit. The moderate drought here had the roads a basic dust bowl. Here's a few views from low altitude of Big Spencer Mt. This, believe it or not, shows a beautifully constructed rock staircase. It was done maybe 12 to 15 years ago by a group of college age volunteers to prevent erosion and keep good access to the mountain. This is Mt Katahdin from Spencer. This is not just any old mound of dirt. It's the largest 🐜 🐜 🐜 ant nest we've ever seen. About the size of an average sedan. Whilst perusing and exploring the forest we found a mud puddle with several excellent animal tracks. Here's a nice bear 🐻 track. There was also moose deer and others... This is what a bear 🐻 does in the woods... One of our 3 piles of firewood. We noticed it looked like a beaver house and Trina decided it needed a birch flag. We have another 3 nights of camping this week! More pics soon.

For starters, WH has a very neat backstory. We all want the hobby to continue on. I can confidently say that this is the best forum on the internet. These tractors were overbuilt compared to their competition. We all wanna help out cause we love to see others enjoying the hobby also. Thats my take on it

Got back today from Chicago with the 702 that was in classifieds. Needs a few small things, especially a good cleaning, but it will be a good worker. Brush paint job but I may consider trying to wet sand to expose original paint/patina? Not sure what to do with it as of yet. Im not even sure if its a 702??? Very nice people that refused any offer of $$. They also gave me a 1978 Yamaha 650. Should be easy to get running as it was properly drained & stored. Just a bit dirty also.

I put stripes in the dirt too. Picked this spring tooth at a flea market for 10 dolla. Bent the hitch tongue with the heat wrench to get it to trail properly. Works great for keeping a fire lane open.

Although you can’t see any of the stripes in this picture I mow it a different direction every time. It’s good for the grass and helps eliminate rutting.

Great Wheel Horse day today! Had them all today to stretch their legs… Been awhile since the 520 ran, and I noticed some dirt in the bowels of the snowblower since last being used, that’s been bothering me for several months since I noticed it. Finally got the rear rock shaft assembly completed. I bought a rock shaft kit at the Big Show from Dale’s Mower Service in Kempton, put it together awhile ago and the ball pulled off the aftermarket cable that I got. Fortunately I am not that far from Dale’s shop, so I made the drive a couple of weeks ago and he swapped it out with a brand new out of the pack OEM cable, what a difference. I must have spent at least 45 minutes shooting the breeze with Dale. We’re definitely old school. Still working on getting the RJ running, the gas tank is about to get an internal restoration. Hope everyone is enjoying their day!

This is another one I had years ago. It took me three years to find this model. I posted a few years ago the day I bought it under the title 607 and when I was done with it a few years after that. That’s when I was painting tractors.

Today I finished up some loose ends on the C-141 and took a group photo.

She’s together, quick spin around the yard and back into the shed for today.

We have 7 grandkids, so my wife "Nanny" declared we need a larger dining room table so everyone could sit together. So now you know what I've been working on for the last month! I did some measuring and determined a 10 ft table would fill our space. We did some looking, but really didn't find anything we liked, and the prices were high. she asked if we could build a granite table for less that the store bought one. I had suggested I have some heavy antique cast iron legs and could build a metal frame for the granite. When I calculated that a 42" x 120" granite slab would weigh 1225 I knew this frame needed some engineering. I had a "strength of Materials" class back in collage 50 years ago. I remembered the basis, but never used the calculations part of it. It occurred to me that maybe AI could help me with the calculations. So I dug out my old textbook. So I use the free version of CHATGPT and asked if it could do steel design calculations. Of course it answered. I gave it the granite size and weight, the cast iron legs size and weight and asked it to design a frame using rectangular tubing. I went through several calculation iterations, giving it more information as I remembered various inputs it needed. I also asked it to include a safety factor in the design, Then even asked it to do a tipping analysis of what it would take to tip it over. During this process it told me it could make a drawing, build me a metal cut list, specify the welding requirements and even suggested designing some under table LED lights. First it told me I could download this design package at a "link" that didn't work Then it told me it could put it all on a USB and mail it to me and I pay for the USB and shipping using PayPal I asked it for its PayPal address and it gave me a copy of the instructions of how to set up a PayPal account. I again asked it for "its PayPal address and it finally told me it couldn't have a PayPal account because it was a computer. It did make a a simple sketch of the frame using "dash" lines to draw the frame and a material cut list. As this point I texted my techie son and he said it was having "AI Hallucinations" telling me it could do the mailing when in reality it couldn't A friend from when our sons were in Scouts together has a metal roofing and light fabrication business. I cut out the parts and laid it out on his large long flat fab table. I started to tack it together, but his guys are such better welders that me and they just took over. I payed him for a days work by one welder, a great deal. I had access to some leftover (low cost to me) 1-1/2 x 2-1/2 11ga steel tubing. so I asked AI to use this for the design. Cast leg set weigh 70lb each. its solid and heavy. The legs set have a 4" wide top that already had bolt holes in them. The legs bolt onto this flat plate. I welded the nuts since you can't get to them once the granites in place. After Sunday evening dinner with my sons and families, I had them help me haul the steel frame inside and bolt it together. Granite delivered and set in place by 6 guys yesterday. After they set the granite in place, my wife exclaimed "it's Huge" So I think I did good! I briefly wondered if I mad enough brownie points to buy another tractor- Not My existing 8 ft table and chairs are going to one of my sons. The granite guys were great, and carried it out and put it on my trailer. New chairs are expensive these days #200 - $300 each and up. I came across well build commercial used chairs at Restaurant Supply Businesses. We found a simple design we liked advertised on Facebook Marketplace and I bought 14 for $20 each. So my next project is to sand and paint the chairs a medium gray to match the colors in the granite,

Quick tip to fully lubricate your throttle or choke cables. Remove the cable from the engine side. Stick a ¼” vacuum hose over the end of the cable. Using some sort of a syringe which fits on the vacuum line, inject oil or grease into the cable. I used marine gear oil to help with potential water intrusion. Gently squeeze the oil into the cable until it comes out the other end. Work the cable back and forth and viola, cable is fully lubricated.

I bought my first Wheel Horse over forty years ago when I was in high school. I remember going to the dealership, walking around looking at all the Wheel Horses, talking to the owners and the salesman. They had A LOT of them! At one time they were the largest dealer on the east coast according to them. They had a showroom with large plate glass windows like a car dealership, and it was full of new Wheel Horses! I can even remember seeing a 420-LSE in the showroom wishing I could have it, not knowing that one day I’d actually own one. I was addicted to these tractors at an early age. Before the internet I remember thinking that I can’t be the only one who likes these tractors so much and wondered how many other people were out there like me? Then I bought my second one when I was about twenty years old. Shortly after that I inherited two from my step grandfather who introduced me and my dad to the brand. Then came the internet and the Big Show and that really fueled my addiction to these tractors. At that point there was no going back! I started buying more tractors, implements and memorabilia. And then came the game changer, Red Square 🟥 This is when I met all of you nice people. People with so much knowledge about these tractors it’s amazing. It seems that guys have their niche as far as the different eras and wow, they have so much information it’s unbelievable. Never here will you get a snide or condescending response or comment from a question. Folks who are like that are quickly made unwelcome or simply banned. It seems that the people here are all pretty much like minded and truly enjoy keeping their tractors going. I really have made a lot of friends over the years because of these machines and Red Square. Having easy access to other enthusiasts makes it easy for me to want to keep this hobby going. The guys here appreciate the durability and simplicity of WH’s and realize that “They just don’t make em like this anymore!” Anyway, thanks for reading my long winded response. As some of you know I love talking about these tractors and could go on and on!………….

I think it’s wild how everybody comes from different backgrounds, upbringing, religions, political views, etc… and Wheel Horse is the one common ground that brought us here. Some maintain their city lot, some maintain their truck patch, some plow fields, some plow snow. We all have a different reason to stop by Red Square and chit chat, but it all seems to work great! My hat’s off to the moderators who keep it the way it is, and the supporters who keep the lights on! I began my Wheel Horse journey back in 2013 when I just needed a lawn mower. I found this really cool 1962 502 on Craigslist and it really clicked. Seeing my kids enjoy growing up with these little tractors around has been amazing, and watching them become responsible drivers has been a bonus! Everyone is happier on a Wheel Horse!

A hair covered horse is a herd animal. A paint covered horse is also a herd animal. We have wheel horse tractors because they're extremely easy to build rebuild repair maintain disassemble reassemble Etc. You'll see many references to BBT or Trina. That's my other half. She's extremely practical minded. She does most of the work on the tractors that we restore. It's unlikely she would have any other brand. 7 or 8 years ago I guess it was now? We set it out with one tractor. We now have over a dozen. The other big thing is the people. Red Square in particular is a great bunch of folks.

Every year, August 4 is celebrated as the U.S. Coast Guard Birthday, commemorating the military organization for its valor and discipline. Since 1790, the U.S. Coast Guard has kept the nation’s waterways safe, playing a critical role in national security. The U.S. Coast Guard patrols our coasts for drug smugglers, human trafficking and both domestic and international terrorism. As the bad guys (and girls) have gotten more savvy with technology, the Coast Guard has developed sophisticated, effective technology to combat crimes on the water and at our ports. It’s a 24/7 job. Today, let’s give the U.S. Coast Guard the love it deserves. The U.S. Coast Guard is celebrating its 235th Birthday in 2025.

This is my 1056 that I’ve had for a few years. It’s been a real head scratcher. A lot of things wrong with this one when I picked it up but now it’s not a bad tractor after a few years of working on it on and off. It has a 1054 engine in it because the original engine was not very good. I hope you enjoy the pictures.