The Pro's and Con's of a Wheel Horse D200

[Stigian 1,235]

As you can probably guess ive been having a nose through ebay again and found a D200 that's not too far from me..

My question to you fine chap's in the know, is are there any pitfalls and problems with D200's that can make them a pain to own and keep going?

Im really tempted to bid on this as... well D200's don't come up that often on ebay...

Also this one although needing work comes very well equipped with a three point linkage..

Have a look at the ebay ad and tell what you think guys

Wheel Horse D200 Ebay link thingy

[landsurveyor 2]

Hi Ian,

I am the high bidder on this at the moment, seems like a fair buy to me.

I dont know much about them, but sounds kind of different.

I imagine it will go for quite a bit, as you say they are rare in the UK.

It does need quite a bit of work, but does seem to be complete, so a good start for a project. Let us know your progress if you get it.

I dont really need another project, so probably wont bid too high on it!! I am sure you can do it justice...

Good luck with it.

Simon (cole01258 on ebay)

[canam1991 2]

The top two are:

#1 weak or whiny hydro

#2 loose steering

[Stigian 1,235]

Hi Simon, I did wonder if any other UK RS members were going to bid on it

Im like you, I don't really need another project (got enough on my plate to keep me going for a few years ), I also won't be bidding too high on it, Im a last second bidder so i might not even bid if the price goes too high!!

Why am I thinking about buying it then..

Well they don't come up too often over here, it would be great to have in my stable, and.... This is always the ebay problem... it's close enough for me to sort out collecting it..

7 days left til the end of the auction, so anything could happen

Where are you in the UK by the way?

Canam1991 - Thanks for the top two tips of things to look out for :scratchead:

[pfrederi 19,293]

Well at the current price why not...

However.... as mentioned the hydro system is probably about maxed out and if it is shot repair is very expensive. Replacement with another used one is the way to go but shipping to UK may be an issue.

It is overkill for a 48" deck way to big and bulky to justify with a small deck.

The three pt hitch and rear PTO ...What are you going to do with them.... Tillers and finish mowers are not everday items and shipping to UK???

The three point is a Cat 0 so you could use it for mold board plowing and disking if Cat 0 stuff is available. The PTO speed is an issue and limits what it can be used for.

I thought D200 came standard with turning brakes don't see any here... might ask.

Since it wasn't used with a FEL the steering may be OK.

The early models had no brakes (like other early WH hydros) relying on the hydro to stop and a pawl in the tranny for parking brake (frequently boken by the way). Not a great system.

The engine is a very heavy duty reliable beast...

Parts availability and shipping would bother me. I have spent a lot on parts to bring my D200 up to snuff and it wasn't cheap to begin with...

[landsurveyor 2]

I am in Blandford Forum, in Dorset, so not too far away if the price is right, we will see how it goes.....

On UK ebay some tractors seem to sell for a bargain price and some go for silly money, there is no pattern it seems.

Good luck if you do decide to go for it.

[fordsonmajortom 1]

Go for it Ian.I'm not but it has created a bit of interest on the VHGMC forum.

Good to see you the other day and you are doing a grand job on the bonnet (hood).

I have got the charger 12 converted to coil ignition and runs very well.The hydro part seems ok driving it around the lawn. Just got to get the sleeve hitch connected up and then can try the rotavator.

Cheers Michael

[bitten 134]

Ian

The D200 is a beast. I use mine a lot, wouldn't get ride of it for nothing. I got mine for really good money and it came with a tiller, snowblower, and a deck. I have added a plow, cultivator and 56" snow/dirt plow. Just like all the Wheel Horses I have got I have had to do some work on it. It seems that the PTO is something that with out care /maintenance will go bad. Some don't like the D's but I have been really happy with mine. I can just see you guys with one making a pallet run or anything else you want to do with it.

Good Luck,

P.J.

[landsurveyor 2]

After thinking about it for a while........ the only thing that worries me is why was it left in that barn in the first place, why did they stop using it?

When I bought my charger it had been sat in a shed for 15 years, and was it was in a similar condition as the D200 for auction, has it also been in the barn for a similar time I wonder?

I will think some more...........dangerous I know. :scratchead:

[Duff 206]

Don't know anything about D200's, so I hope folks will forgive me for going off-topic for a minute to reflect on something. As a fellow lover of these red tractors I read this forum daily both to learn and for enjoyment. I can't help but marvel at how far we've come. In this thread we have three members from England discussing a purchase, much the same as three guys from Pennsylvania, or Indiana or Ohio would jump in to talk about a machine in their areas, or some guys from Connecticut are arranging a get-together.

In just a little over two weeks this forum will celebrate its third birthday, and in that time we've gathered over 2,100 members representing probably five times that many tractors! In addition to our English contingent, we've got folks from Canada, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, and probably other countries I've overlooked unintentionally.

I wonder if WHChris, or for that matter, the Ponds in their early days, ever dreamed that this hobby and these great tractors would gather such a world-wide following. What a tribute to men (and the gals among us), machines, and the modern age of computers. Whatever problems this world may have, we're part of soemthing pretty special here!

Thanks for indulging me.....

Duff :scratchead:

[chevelletown 37]

Ian

The two main things I've found to be a problem are the rear diff. and the hydro pumps. The nuts on the bolts that hold the pinion together work their way loose. When the bolt is loose enough it can catch the casing (usually at the bottom) and crack the case. Make sure you raise the rear end and make shure the rear diff spins freely and there are no cracks in the case.

The hydro has two sections, one to run the hydro motor on the diff, and one run the lift cylinders. The section that runs the hydro motor has 9 cylinders that run on a controll plate and these can wear out and cause low to no drive power.

Here is a d200 I've been working on:

Here is a picture of the worn controll plate:

A picture of the back section of the pump:

Chunks O' Parts from the worn out pump cylinders

Parts can be tricky to find, but it's not hard to fix either problem.

Hope this helps

[Gerry w 2]

Really nice looking setup, I'm "green"! :scratchead:

[stevasaurus 23,518]

Duff...you are right on with all of that...this is a very special place. :scratchead:

[d180man 5]

Ian

The two main things I've found to be a problem are the rear diff. and the hydro pumps. The nuts on the bolts that hold the pinion together work their way loose. When the bolt is loose enough it can catch the casing (usually at the bottom) and crack the case. Make sure you raise the rear end and make shure the rear diff spins freely and there are no cracks in the case.

The hydro has two sections, one to run the hydro motor on the diff, and one run the lift cylinders. The section that runs the hydro motor has 9 cylinders that run on a controll plate and these can wear out and cause low to no drive power.

HI he is right that is what we look for and one more thing is the rods on the twin kohlers we find a lot that are broke but they are still nice tractors ! good luck ! and nice backhoe! :ychain:

[Ian928 47]

We have both a 1054 and a D-200 and both have good and not so good sides. The best thing about the D-200 is that the weight and power makes it really good at plowing snow or other heavy work. On the other hand, the tractor is really too heavy for it's steering so our steering box and linkage was shot.

The hydro is perfect for plowing and also for instance when doing precision work. I have had the tractor barely move forward with me out of the seat going behind it to loosen rocks we were pulling out of the ground. That said, the hand control only for the hydro is a pain, especially with the plow lifted when you need both hands on the steering wheel, one hand on the hydro control and one hand on the hydraulics! And all this time you don't use your feet (the hydro is useful for braking as mentioned earlier in this thread).

[Stigian 1,235]

Cheers for all the reply's and advice Guy's

Im still not sure if I will be bidding on it, only 13 hrs left for it to run and still plenty of time for the price to shoot right up!!!

Anyway, good luck to all you Guy's who are having a bid on it :hide:

[Stigian 1,235]

The auction has ended at a price of

[Sparky-(Admin) 24,031]

The auction has ended at a price of

[Rollerman 290]

Ian that is a little...LOT steep for for a used up D.

I'm sure you don't see to many over on your side of the Atlantic & possibly made it a hot item....but still would have been cool to see what mad devious modifications you would have made to one.

[landsurveyor 2]

Too much money for me also,

Would be interesting to see what happens to it, if anyone on here has bought it.

Makes me wonder what a restored one would be worth....?

[fordsonmajortom 1]

It wasn't me.I don't think the price was excessive as long as there is nothing serious wrong with it.

Michael