What did a 312-8 come with????

[Shuboxlover 483]

As the title states, what did the 312-8's come with as far as motor type and mower deck? I have a chance to buy one for about $400 dollars, in decent shape. Should I??????

[Sparky-(Admin) 24,035]

312's came with Kohler "K" series motors till 1986(I think) and then Kohler Magnum motors from 1987 and up. They are often found with 37" side discharge decks with a twin-bin-bagger system. They can also be found with a 42" deck but I seem to see them with the 37" mostly.

$400 seems like a good price but without pics and some info on it like hours(if it has an hour meter) its hard to judge.

Good luck.

Mike........

[Don1977 605]

Wheel Horses did come with bases or attachments. They came with front and mid hitches, rear trailer hitch, and PTO. Mower bases and attachments were options that were chosen by the person buying at additional cost. Some may have been sold mower attached but the buyer had the option to chose a different mower base of his choice by paying the difference.

Should you buy it that up to you.

[Confused99 2]

Last week I bought my 312H w/1010 hr, 42" SD deck, wheel weights, chains, yard cart, cultivator, and spike areator for $400 but have $150 into it so far. Like was said above, alot has to do with it's condition and how well it was maintained.

Jason

[Shuboxlover 483]

he is a pic of it, please chime in ASAP as I told him I would come pick it up at noon tuesday.... I talked him down to $350 but

when i texted him, he said it had a 38" deck, and an 18 hp motor, both of which I think are wrong....is that not a 42" deck, but what muffler is that from????

Attached Image

[WH nut 553]

A 312 would be a 12 horse kohler, the picture is not the best, cant really see the deck. 400 is not bad if she runs and the deck is decent

[whfan74 2,073]

The pic is kind of hard to make out some things but yes it should have a 12 h.p. Kohler. If maintained well enough it should take care of you for a very long time.

My guess is that it looks like a 42" deck but I could be wrong.

It is only worth what you are willing to pay for it.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[jpmcleod 4]

I have a 321-8 with a 12 hp Kohler Magnum and a 42 in deck. The muffler is correct but if it is a 18 hp, that's not the correct engine. Mine looked about the same shape yours is in when I got it. I am changing mine a little bit so it want be original, but it will still be all Wheelhorse. As already daid, I think it's worth the money and hopefully it can be restored for little to nothing. One thing though, the fuel pump for that engine is over $100.00. Make sure it runs.

[Duff 206]

With three 312-8's in my herd, I just gotta jump in here, too. That's a good, solid model but like others here have said, I can't see too well from the pictures what condition it's in. It looks like all the sheet metal is there and straight; surface rust generally isn't a deal breaker. Fortunately, almost all parts for the 312's are still available, although with time a few are starting to go NLA from OEM but are readily available through members here, fleabay and other sources.

The three things I would really look at closely would be:

-The engine should be a 12hp Kohler as previously mentioned, and looking at that muffler my guess is it's a Magnum, although the outlet port is a little odd. The engine should be quiet and not smoke. Even if it runs a little rough, that may be just a dirty carb or bad plug, as long as there are no weird noises internally. The Kohler 12's are strong engines.

-The tranny: The 8-speeds are almost bomb proof but if a PO has tried shifting from lo range to hi range while the machine is in motion or has otherwise forced the gears, there could be internal issues. I would try to get a test drive if you can and listen to/feel how the tranny is operating. Also, pull the dip stick and look for milky oil. If the tranny has water in it (not uncommon, but not good), you may want to use that as bargaining leverage. Rebuilding one isn't terribly difficult or expensive but you should factor that into your offer if you detect any problems.

-If you can get to it, check the frame where it attaches to the tranny. If there are any cracks in the mounting plate around the bolts it's a fair bet the machine has been used hard and likely abused. I seriously doubt you'll find a problem here, but if you do it should be a major "red flag".

$350 sounds like a fair offer but if you detect any real issues I wouldn't hesitate to walk away. There are a lot of good tractors out there for the money.

Cheers and good luck!

Duff :notworthy:

[Shuboxlover 483]

Well...................I'm the new owner of the tractor pictured in the previous post. It is in fact a 42" SD deck.....It is in fact a 12 hp Kohler (which purrrrrrrrrrrrs like a kitten, it'll almost put you to sleep) I didn't really put it through it's paces but I did drive it and it ran/drove great and the PTO worked as it should. There are some cosmetic things that bug me a bit like a broken taillight, no headlight bezels, homemade stickers for the shift pattern, scratches and bare metal, missing steering wheel center cap. But all in all it seems to be a nice little tractor, not the best taken care of in it's previous 20 years of life, but that'll change now. The Serial# tag indicates is a 1989 312-8, with a 1989 42" SD mower deck. I did get him talked down to $250......I don't think I stole it, but I may have been close.

.....661 hrs on working meter

[qd-16 15]

I would say you got a darn good deal! Sounds like anything that needs done is cosmetic stuff. That $250 tractor will work a long time for you!

[Duff 206]

At $250 and in the condition you describe, especially the engine and 661 hours on a working meter, I'd say you did right well on this one!

Keep us posted on the restore/rebuild and of course, along the way!

Have fun!

Duff :notworthy:

[can whlvr 994]

i agree that is good price,have fun with her.