Black hood question???

[Kelly 1,033]

Me and another member have been questioning what year the black hood tractor started, I believe it was the 1979 C-161 TWIN, with the fiberglass hood, then 80 to 84 they had the metal hood correct?? and I think ALL the black hood tractors came factory with the big plastic fenders, and the metal fender was the common replacment part used when the plastic part broke. just picking you all's brains

[mavfreak 11]

I'm the other member. here is a picture of mine C161 twin 8 speed

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

1978 - the first year of the C-161 twins. :thumbs:

[Kelly 1,033]

I'm wrong on that one, did they all have plastic fenders??

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

I'm pretty sure the steel fender was used beginning some time in 1983. WH already had the dies from the WorkHorse fenders, so it wasn't like it was a totally new design.

But....... I'm not sure if the rear of the fender used on the B/C models has the extra "body line" like the newer 300/400/500 fender, or if it's smooth like the pewter fender.

[Kelly 1,033]

heck I just learned another thing, I didn't know they made two styles of the 3,4,500 series fender and the workhorse, I thought they were the same.

[mavfreak 11]

I have seen this fender on some black hoods but not any of the fiberglass hoods only on some of the metal hoods

[C-Series14 15]

Hey Mav...I have a 1979 C-161 Twin 8-Speed with the factory plastic fender. It was a thinner plastic and not reinforced like the 1980-???? plastic fender. Mine has a big steel plate under the fender, it is called a fender support plate.

I now have the newer style plastic fender on it, original hanging on the wall...

[mavfreak 11]

mine must have been added at some piont in its life. It is metal and I do have the metal support plate under the fender and it accually needs to be there to get just enough hight to fit correctly

[mavfreak 11]

I have been searching and searching. The plastic fender is what was on the '78 and '79 and most of the rest of the black hoods. I actually like the metal fender that is on mine.

So I guess I kinda answered that question about the rear fender on a C161 twins

Kelly we were both half right :thumbs:

[Warning:Unsupervised 82]

As a newbie to Wheel Horses I didnt know black hoods had plastic hoods? Just thought the fenders were plastic. Im understanding why alot of members dislike them some. Shame all that plastics there because the black hoods appearence has grown on me. As a certified molding tech in plastics I know we have came a very long way in plastics but I still dont have a use for it in any outside invironment. Including siding on homes & on cars. All of it gets brittle after time and cracks when disturbed. I'll take metal any day over it.

[JUSS10 250]

The black hood hoods were only plastic on the early ones. the 80-84 had metal hoods if I'm not mistaken from the posts above. Correct?

[Kelly 1,033]

Correct 78 and 79 Twins with the black hood are the only ones that are fiberglass, and they will not interchange with any other black hoods, because they used the old style dash. 

[jachady 130]

So you're saying I can make one of my old tractors a Blackhood.

[Racinbob 11,928]

I forgot about those black hoods. You might be on to something jachady for those so inclined.

 

 

[Warning:Unsupervised 82]

You sure can make one yourself, just melt down your milk jugs and have at it. 

[bo dawg 517]

The 2 on the right, 1 is the 1979 fiberglass hood older dash, the other is 1982 with metal hood newer dash. But repaint all red no black.

 

 

http://s595.photobucket.com/user/BODAWG62/library/?sort=3&page=1#

Edited June 1, 2014 by bo dawg

[6wheeler 669]

I just talked to the original owner of my c-165 (84).He called me on Thursday night. He was going through some old papers and found the owners manual for it. He said it was all the way he bought it. Except, He had traded the original 42" rear discharge deck off at the dealer for the 48" SD deck it has now 2 years after he bought it. The only other change was an xtra wire for a rear light that he made a bracket for that was mounted on 1 of the seat mounting bolts. It has the original steel fender pan (which is getting kind of rusty. But it isn't cracked up or anything. Not like the pan on my D-250 is. I would agree with 123go, Plastic out in the elements is trouble waiting to happen.

[JackC 617]

This is my 1979 C161 Twin 8-speed with the 16 horse twin cylinder Briggs engine and plastic hood and fender.  The dash and the dash tower are the older style so the hood will not fit the later black hoods of the early eighties.  The plastic fender is also thicker and seems to be a lot sturdier than the later plastic fenders on the black hoods.  Perhaps the thicker plastic fender was too expensive to continue to produce so the next version was thinner?  1978 was the first year of the C161 twin plastic black hood.  One good point is that there is absolutely no rust on the hood or fender.  The tractor is not a worker and lives in a garage under a tarp.  I do need to get it out and run it some to make sure the carburetor is OK.  I did drain the fuel and ran the engine out of fuel before I put it away.

 

 

[JackC 617]

I have a 1983 C-175 (with original KT17 Series I engine with about 278 original hours) that came from the factory with the plastic fender and a 1984 C-175 (with a replacement KT17 Series II engine) that came from the factory with a metal fender.  I believe either plastic or metal was available for the black hoods in 1983. 1984 was the last year of the black hoods and they were replaced by the 300 and 400 series in 1985.

[Butch 194]

I noticed that C-161 has tail lights. I didn't think you got tail lights until a C-175. I have a C-85 and C-175

and don't know the years. But there is no plastic or fiberglass on it.

[stratostar250 934]

I never realized that there were ones with fiberglass hoods! I saw one for sale on some site a couple months ago and I just thought someone hacked out the side of the hood for the muffler! Learn something every day! 

Edited June 1, 2014 by stratostar250