happy 19th Anniversary Red Square

[953 nut 62,340]

Nineteen years ago, Karl @Nylon-(Admin) and Mike @Sparky-(Admin) joined a high school student’s website that was created as a school project. Since that time over 30,00 members from all over the world have joined and over a million posts have been made on over 90,000 topics.

Yes, I am talking about Red Square.

It is interesting to find out how people first found Red Square and what made the keep coming back. Pleas post your “How I found Red Square” stories.

[SylvanLakeWH 29,389]

 

Searching for info on a C-105 in 2015 that was gifted by my brother to my teenage son for his lawn and snow business... he went on to become a mechanical engineer and I remain fond of them... 

 

remains a daily fix... great people and great info...

 

Thank you @nylyon and @Sparky!!! 

 

 

Edited yesterday at 12:35 PM by SylvanLakeWH

[nylyon-(Admin) 8,375]

Has it really been 19 years?  Here’s how I got here (long version):

 

Growing up, my dad traded our old Springfield for a new 1974 C160 Automatic, and it was my job to mow the entire ¾ acre with the 36”RD and Parker sweeper. In 1993, it was my turn to buy a house, and having much more property, the only tractor I could think of getting was a Wheel Horse, and I bought a brand new 416H with a 42” RD Recycler. I used that tractor only to mow the lawn, but in 2006 I decided to buy some attachments, I couldn’t decide between a plow or blower so I hit the web to research.

I am not sure how I found it, probably a search, but I found whtractor.15.forumer.com and joined as member #5.  There wasn’t much discussion there except for one guy, member #2 @Sparky who he and I began to talk on-line. In those conversations, I decided on a snow plow and found the entire package, a 414-8 with plow, 42”SD deck, wagon, cheap sweeper and JD Dethatcher mounted to the mule drive. 

The rest as they say is history, I took over the management of the forum shortly there after, then became highly financially involved in 2011 by purchasing software, cloud space, and investing a lot of time and money to move from the failing forumer platform to where we sit today. For those who remember, forumer completely crashed literally 1 day after I got 99.9% of the data moved, the timing was unbelievable we almost lost RedSquare that day.

 

It’s been an amazing 19 years, and so happy I was looking for a plow one day and stumbled here.  Our members here are the best and I am grateful for all the support throughout the years, looking forward for the next 19 years!  Thank you all for sticking around! 

[Bar Nuthin 1,525]

I was doing a case study on addiction and this site kept turning up in my search results. 

[JCM 10,334]

After a life changing event in 2006 I needed strength to move on and my first time on a computer stumbled upon Red Square. At that time there was around 30 members if I recall. Lurked until June of 2012 and decided to sign up. Enjoyed it so much after a few years became a lifetime supporter. Best money ever spent and got my life under control. Thanks Karl and Mike.        Much appreciated.

[WHX?? 53,014]

Looking for parts for a 1067 that was already on a scrap pile. Wandered across a site called Red Square and wondered what the heck does a place in Russia have to do with a lawn mower. Accidentally clicked and the rest they say is history. Wow they actually have a manual for it.

Now i have to put up with the likes of Achto and The Pullstart and a whole host of other !

 

 fellas!

 

[Pullstart 68,318]

It’s all Bob Rock’s @whlpny fault.  I needed a new lawn mower and was kicking around the idea of something new and modern, but saw this really awesome looking old lawn mower.  Yeah, I had wool over my eyes too.  When I got there, I was a little upset that the mower deck was gone, the whole reason I went looking to grab it!  He had the deck on the scrap pile, nobody wants those for a garden tractor.  Tractor?  This cute little thing can’t do tractor stuff!  He told me about the wealth of knowledge of this forum, and when I got home I joined.  That was June of 2013, if I recall correctly.

 

Honestly, reading Karl’s story about the almost crash in 2011, blows me away that the place is still kind of young.  The shirt I’m wearing this morning is older than Red Square!

 

My cute little mower:

 

 

[Pullstart 68,318]

Oh, and Happy Birthday, Red Square!  We are all glad you were born!

 

There wasn’t any cake, so I got you some “caption this” pictures from the archives!

[WHX?? 53,014]

7 minutes ago, Pullstart said:

There wasn’t any cake,

Oh Lordy my gut hurts and eyes watering ... 

[nylyon-(Admin) 8,375]

28 minutes ago, Pullstart said:

Honestly, reading Karl’s story about the almost crash in 2011, blows me away that the place is still kind of young.

 

A post at the time, it was very frustrating period for RedSquare, this was when the site would go down for days at a time, October 31, 2011 we completed the move of all the data to here, losing no data, but all the hosted pictures and member emails and passwords (I didn’t have the time to get that) Forumer dies October 31, 2011 but RedSquare lived on!

 

[ebinmaine 74,698]

HAPPPPY ANNIVERSARY 

[JoeM 8,958]

Thanks to all who have been a part of starting, maintaining and managing RedSquare.

What a journey. Knowing just a little about these things really shines a light on how much work is done. 

An useful Idea, one that has grown into the "go to for wheel horse"

 

Just a search and I was there.Then a join and then supporter. 

 

I often think the core is the tractor.....not really it's the members. You are RedSquare!

[rjg854 12,564]

1 hour ago, nylyon said:

It’s been an amazing 19 years, and so happy I was looking for a plow one day and stumbled here.  Our members here are the best and I am grateful for all the support throughout the years, looking forward for the next 19 years!  Thank you all for sticking around! 

 

Thank you for all your work and investment to make this what it is today. This has been a great asset to me and I'm sure all the other members would say the same.  We be lost without it, and I think the hobby might not be what it is without this forum.

[MainelyWheelhorse 2,108]

 

On 11/14/2025 at 6:46 AM, 953 nut said:

Nineteen years ago, Karl @Nylon-(Admin) and Mike @Sparky-(Admin) joined a high school student’s website that was created as a school project. Since that time over 30,00 members from all over the world have joined and over a million posts have been made on over 90,000 topics.

Yes, I am talking about Red Square.

It is interesting to find out how people first found Red Square and what made the keep coming back. Pleas post your “How I found Red Square” stories.

     Back in the pandemic about 2021, I was looking for projects to work on. I was also looking for something to mow the small lawn I have.
My brother had just bought my next door neighbor’s house. A Wheel Horse garden tractor came with the house, The tractor was a 1992 312 -8 that the neighbor had owned it since new. Interestingly enough, That was the tractor I had mowed the neighbor’s lawn with for years when I was a teenager. My brother had decided to sell it. So the tractor was sitting outside by the road for sale. The starter had begun to intermittently give up. You could however, start it by jumping the solenoid and smacking the starter.

     I saw it sitting there and asked him what he wanted for it. He decided to give it to me.

Then began the task of fixing it. I looked up “how to replace Wheelhorse starter” or something like that on Yahoo or Google and the results brought me here.
One Amazon starter purchase later and steadily fixing the smaller issues, and I was mowing my lawn. That tractor my mowing tractor has now been repainted IH red, and mechanically for the most part sound.

     After two M&G at @JCM’s, A friendship with @ebinmaine and now two more mostly refurbished worker tractors, one of which was owned by a cousin, with a roller in progress, I’m still here. I’m a supporting member and accumulating knowledge, parts and (ahem) tractors… 😁

 

Happy 19th birthday Red Square!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 6 minutes ago by MainelyWheelhorse

[WHX?? 53,014]

2 hours ago, JoeM said:

not really it's the members. 

Spot on Joe ... all the guys I have met and become friends with. Not to mention texting and yakking on the phone off RS. Going to the BS and hang with them. Definitely makes life all the more worthwhile and I often wonder if Coach realizes or imagned that when he started this. 

[953 nut 62,340]

I had owned a few Wheel Horses prior to buying my GT-14 in 2012. It was my first hydro and I wasn't sure about a few things and Googled Wheel Horse GT-14 which lead me to a few sites. I posted my questions on three or four sites. Got a rater rude response on one of them, nothing at all on one, but on Red Square I received good information from a couple of members and a bunch of welcomes. What a difference.

I began reading other posts and offering suggestions on some I felt knowledgeable about and learning from other posts. This has become my only internet GO_TO site and I want to thank all of the people who have continued to make it so great.

[Bar Nuthin 1,525]

5 hours ago, nylyon said:

I took over the management of the forum shortly there after, then became highly financially involved in 2011 by purchasing software, cloud space, and investing a lot of time and money to move from the failing forumer platform to where we sit today.

 

I've developed and managed several forums (in varying platforms) back during the big online poker boom. I also made a living for a few years designing and selling graphic modifications for online poker sites like PokerStars and FullTilt. That became unsustainable when the US DOJ shut down online poker and the US. Since then, I've developed several websites for friends and associates (but still consider it a hobby).

 

In all of my exposure, I will say with confidence, this is one of the best maintained forums I've experienced - so kudos to the admins! It also has the most respectful members of any public forum I've ever seen. The knowledge base here is incomparable!

[Sparky-(Admin) 23,830]

  I was in the tractor scene and was pretty much a WH guy but would bring home anything if I could flip it for a couple bucks. Posted up on Craigslist a Craftsman lawn tractor and a guy named Chris from two towns over reaches out to me about it. We talked price and eventually settled on a number, then he asks if I could deliver it. Didnt really want to, but decided I would. Get to Chris’s house and he’s a “kid” ..I had no idea as we were using the Craigslist messenger system. He shows me his tractor stuff and he had a 702 (and maybe a Black-Hood?). We exchanged phone numbers and did a few other tractor deals and became friends.

   Fast forward to his high school years and he asks me to join a tractor forum he started as a high school project, had zero members other than himself. I became member #2. 
  Left to right:

 Chris @whchris, me/Sparky, Dustin @DMESS , Karl @nylyon

 

[nylyon-(Admin) 8,375]

That was an awesome day @kj4kicks, secretly Eldon had obtained a C160 Auto (Just like my dad’s) and asked me if I wanted to do a trade for a C160 (in rough shape) for my Electro and one other which I forget what it was.  Anyway, Chris and Mike came to my house, they knew what was about to happen, and we took my Durango and trailer to Eldon’s.  When we got there, he opened the door and there sat one of the nicest C160’s you’ve ever seen.  Eldon travelled a long distance, then painted the C160, it was a magical day for me.

[stevasaurus 23,466]

HAPPY  ANNIVERSARY RED SQUARE !!!

   My Dad had 4 Wheel Horses and a small lawn bussiness when I got out of the Navy.  He had a 502 (all there but in pieces), a 702, an 857 and a Raider 10 with a good mixture of attachments.  I would help my Dad if needed, but as he got older, the bussiness dwindled to nothing.  He passed in 2002 and it was up to me to go through everything.  When I got to the shed, I considered myself lucky...my Dad never threw out anything, especially if it had RED on it.  I needed help.  I searched the WEB and found a Kowasaki site.  A guy named Jon Bell got in touch with me and pointed me toward Red Square.  Even on the old forumer site, all were helpful...finally had manuals, advise and I imersed myself into Dad's horses.  The rest is history, this place has kept me alive and well.  I feel like I know almost everyone here.  I have friends from all over the world, I love this place.  Happy Anniversary Red Square and Thank You !!  

[JCM 10,334]

Been a very long time since I have seen that picture.       @Sparky  Excellent 

[nylyon-(Admin) 8,375]

Here it is, post #1:

 

[AlexR 2,241]

 

This is the only forum that I support and for good reason, like others have mentioned the people are very friendly and helpful on here. Which is to the credit of the Admins on here, they don't tolerate the couple bad apples that ruin it for everyone, so thank you guys for that! 

I joined in 2017 when I got my first Wheelhorse 73 12-8, I think I came across Redsquare in a google search. I grew up using a Raider 10 so I was already familiar with them. But have gained so much more knowledge since then, with much more to learn. 

[8ntruck 8,178]

I was using my 14-8 for spring cleanup and it wouldn't run without having the choke 1/2 on.

 

A visitor post here resulted in prompt, good advice - from several people. 

 

I started following the forum and was impressed how friendly and helpful folks were (and still are), unlike some other forums where flaming arguments are common.

[ebinmaine 74,698]

Here's a  copy & paste from a thread back in May '24:

 

My own beginnings with Garden Tractors go back to my maternal "Grammy and Grampa".

 

The local dealer to them was IHC Cub Cadet equipment. 

 

They had a yellow and white tractor back in the 70s and traded that in for a red Cub Cadet (682,782?) around 1980. 

 

My own history with Wheelhorse in particular goes back only to fall 2016.

 

Trina and I needed a physically heavier machine for pulling heavy stuff. 

 

Sooooooooo many usages and at least 20+ Tractors have gone through our shop since. 

 

Nowadays we consider our Wheelhorses and implements to be a permanent part of our tool set for our lives. 

 

Memories? Many! Some challenging. ALL good. 

 

**************************************************

 

Trina now has 6 of her own mid 60s short frame light weight tractors. 

I have maybe 8 or 9 in various stages, all from 1974 to 1984. 

And of course we share the Wally Digger Backhoe. 

 

Our Wheelhorses as machinery have become an integral part of our lives. 

From our original need of pulling heavy stuff to the several types of OE and aftermarket implements we now have we've kept adding to the immense usefulness of the Herd. 

 

We've built an entire work shop of 10 x 40 for our equipment upkeep. Mostly Wheelhorses. Many many tools and supplies.  We have our own Parts dept. Lots of both new and used items. 

 

We've built tractors for friends and for my father. My father @Qball has since passed on to that Great Tractor Playground in the Sky. R. I. P. 💜

We now have inherited that tractor and bought back the one we built for friends. 

 

We've been to shows and gatherings over the years and made great friends. 

 

We bought a large enough utility trailer to haul SIX tractors if desired. Gotta have a good showing at the gatherings ya know... 

 

Trina's been creating the Wheelhorse Redsquare Calendar for a few years now and really enjoys the project. 

 

We've received and sent gifts of small parts all the way to whole project tractors. Sharing the sickness is  definitely a favorite part of mine. 

 

The BBT aka Trina and I are looking forward to many more years of Wheelhorses at work, in maintenance,  in project, etc... and the people that we visit... all because of a few tractors.  

 

THANK YOU!!       To Karl & Mike and everyone else who make this entire lifestyle so easily accomplished.