Wheelhorse safety

[dhilbish 0]

I am new to the site. I've never owned a Wheelhorse yet...but I am very interested. My kids are preteen (I have a son that is interested in starting his own small lawn business) and they have been taking care of our property with "other" tractors (green and yellow & white and yellow).

I am impressed in a wide variety of Wheelhorses...but they all seem to have exposed pto's and drive belts. Is this a cause for concern around my younger operators (or myself)?

A quick second question. What is a good first choice for a Wheelhorse? I need to mow 2 acres.

Thanks in advance.

[Fiscalyear 0]

First

I don't know much about other models of the Horses. I've only owned one (no deck) and it works for me. My yard won't allow a grass cutting tractor as large as a Horse because of shrubs, buildings, trees, electric box, well head and about a dozen other obstacles.

I keep a regular lawn tractor for my yard.

I'm sure you will get great advise from our members.

Eddie

[JimD 3,345]

A B or C series with a 36 or 42 inch deck should fit the bill nicely for two acres. :thumbs:

[dgjks6 6]

I don't know about the older ones, but the C series on, the drive belt is not exposed (or shouldn't be).

The PTO belt is exposed until I think the early 2000's when they came out with a belt guard for the PTO. I have my teen and pre teen mow without a problem. There has never been a PTO belt issue, and if used properly there really shouldn't be.

As far as a model goes, anything with a horizontal engine and 1973 and up would work. That way you can find multiple decks and multiple attachments as needed.

No one shoot me here on the site, but the wheel horses do have one draw back. They have a huge turing radius compared to modern tractors.

But, they are rock solid reliable. And if they do break they are fairly simple to work on and parts are easy and usually cheap.

[boovuc 1,090]

:thumbs:

As with any older farm tractor spinning a PTO implement, the residential Wheelhorse tractor's exposed PTO belt is a danger to youngsters and can also be a danger to adults who get careless. I have mowed, hauled, plowed and blown with these tractors for over thirty years and never had an incident or near incident with the PTO/belt asasembly. When my step-kids and step-grand kids were around them, they were advised not to go near it and I watched them like a hawk. For a 10 year old and up, teaching them what to do and not to do is enough for me to feel good with them using the equipment. This would be only after I have observed them for awhile. I really get tired of us constantly feeding attorney's trying to protect ourselves from ourselves. Most Wheelhorse's with the exception of the very old ones use interlock switches to prevent starting without the rider on the seat, the PTO disengaged and the clutch pedal depressed. If you come off the seat, the engine should shutdown, etc. These tractor's showed the safety concerns of the times they were built in. I wouldn't be too obsessed by the danger of the exposed belt.

For two acres, I would want a C-Series or 300/400 series tractor. My engine size would be at or greater than 12 HP. So you aren't on it for long periods, the 42 inch deck would be the absolute minimum size deck I would use.

PS....some Wheelhorses have a bad turning radius. Not all.

Good luck to you!

BooVuc

Mill Hall, PA

[VinsRJ 721]

:thumbs:

With proper supervision of the young operators and general up keep of the unit there should be no issues.

Good Luck on your search for a you will not regret it. :thumbs:

[wheelhorse656 20]

when those tractor were made everybody used the comon sense God gave a billy goat so there was no need to worry. now you have all these people on drugs looking for law suits and it would not suprise me if they faked geting pulled into the pto just for a law suit that they could win to get there drug money. in my opinion they will be safe with your super vision i have been around these tractors since i was about 4-5 and nothings happend since then. But for two acers or starting your own bissness i would go with a C model tractor.

[Ken B 3,116]

Vin is right, supervision, strict instruction (and a little common sense) is the key to safety. My 8 yr. old son rides all the Wheel Horse's right on back to the 1950's RJ's and he has had no problems, (knock on wood) even in large crowds at the Big Show in PA. this past yr. he did just fine. He started riding when he was 4.

[Fiscalyear 0]

Good morning all.

Excuse me for jumping in the middle of a thread but I have a couple of questions that may clear up my ignorance (unlearned) of Wheel Horse lingo.

I'm pretty much a newbie to Wheel Horses and know very little about them except the GT14 I own. What is meant when someone says a 300 or 400 series tractor? What does the A, B, C series mean? I'm finally learning what some of the abbreviations used here mean, like FEL (front end loader - I'm guessing). But I have seen many letters that I'm sure stand for something? IE: Does LOL stand for "lots of luck" or "lots of laugh's" or something else? Many more. ????

Is there information some where that would help me with these abbreviations?

Thanks to anyone who may shed some light on this shortcoming of mine. .... Age related maybe?

Eddie

[Don1977 604]

Good morning all.

Excuse me for jumping in the middle of a thread but I have a couple of questions that may clear up my ignorance (unlearned) of Wheel Horse lingo.

I'm pretty much a newbie to Wheel Horses and know very little about them except the GT14 I own. What is meant when someone says a 300 or 400 series tractor? What does the A, B, C series mean? I'm finally learning what some of the abbreviations used here mean, like FEL (front end loader - I'm guessing). But I have seen many letters that I'm sure stand for something? IE: Does LOL stand for "lots of luck" or "lots of laugh's" or something else? Many more. ????

Is there information some where that would help me with these abbreviations?

Thanks to anyone who may shed some light on this shortcoming of mine. .... Age related maybe?

Eddie

LOL laughing out loud.

If you go to Wheel Horse Pictures and look at 1955 through 2007 pictures most all the Wheel Horses are there with the pictures.

[frankiefiredog 1]

I have 2 acres and use a 1975 C-120 Auto with a 42" Rear discharge deck. Does a great job and doesn't take too long. I'm a product of being raised around a Wheel Horse, as the 1975 I have is the same one my father bought the year I was born, 1975

I grew up on this tractor and started driving it when I was about 6. I have NEVER had any issues with belt dangers. My dad explained them too me long ago, and I have always stayed clear. The Wheel Horse is an iconic machine and I love mine. If you pick one up, I'm sure you'll love it too!

Good luck!

Dave

Lagrange, Ohio

[Don1977 604]

I grew up in the 40's and 50's when safety was a personal responsible.

None of the lawn mowers or tractors had safety fixtures. You had to know how to safely

operate the equipment. If you boys know how to safely operate the equipment and are responsible I don't see a problem.

[HorseFixer 2,012]

dhilbish I think like everyone said a is a safe tractor if common sence is used and with a little safety training.

Fiscalyear - The letter series tractors A,B, C, D, started in 1974. This was the same year that Cecil Sold Wheel Horse to American Motors. The 300 & 400 Series tractors fist year produced was 1985 and the 500 series started being produced in 1988.

[BPC23 18]

Pinch points on rotating equipment, such as the PTO, belts, and fly wheel guards, are serious hazards and should not be ignored, even for a second. I used to work for an OEM who's equipment was involved several times with very serious injuries, that resulted in disfigurement and/or death, due to freak circumstances involving pinch points.

If your kids are like mine, you warn them time and time again about the same thing. Kids just won't understand the seriousness of the hazards of pinch points. You've got to be cognizant of keeping your hands, feet, clothing, hair, shoe laces, tools, jackets, scarves, etc. away from pinch points, or anything rotating for that matter.

It's one thing to say "I told you so" to a kid who touches wet paint, but what do you say when they loose a hand because of a split-second of carelessness?

Sorry for the downer, but the older I get, the more cautious I become. That being said, yes, I still have an open, unprotected PTO drive system, but I'm the only one that operates the tractor.

Brian

[IthacaJeff 151]

For a good look at the models, check out the photo gallery. As for the exposed

PTO belt, yes there is danger there, as well as the spinning PTO itself. The

newer models with safety switches do provide some margin of protection, but

they are no replacement for common sense! Plus, many older WHs have had

the switches disabled because they got finnicky.

Are WHs more dangerous than other tractors that don't have the exposed belts?

I don't know. I do let my teenagers mow, but they are admonished sternly for

safety.

If you are doing mowing for 1+ acres I wouldn't use less than a 48" deck, though

it only comes in a side discharge version.

Jeff in Enfield NY

[Fiscalyear 0]

DHILBISH Always room for one more horse.

Duke - thanks for the info on series/years. Makes more sense now.

Eddie

[varosd 1,185]

:thumbs:

I have got to dig out the pictire of me on the brand new (back in 1977) B-80, I was so small on it after we had moved up from a rear engine Ariens.

I agree, that with my 1 acre lot, my 36 inch deck is rather small and at least a 42 inch deck with 12 Hp should do great for you . 8 speed vs Hydro?

As a kid my Father picked up a set of 3 gang reels and towed that around (w/o the deck) and boy that was a fast 1.5 acre cutting!

[can whlvr 991]

i would like to say that it would probally be a good idea to look at machines in good shape with less hours,it has a better chance of having the safty switches in working order,if these are working these are safe machines,and when u find something to look at,check for the saftys and if u post the machine u are looking at people here will help u with any questions,the a and some b tractors were lawn tractors,vertical shafts,rest of bs c 300s,400s,500s are garden tractors,full steel frames,horizontal shaft engines,they are well suited to ground engaging implements like plows,mold boards,grader blades,they also mow,till and putt just about anything,snow blow too,the garden tractor is what i would get to use for buisness

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,129]

The later model machines HAD PTO belt guards to protect against this very thing. If you're concerned about the open belt and want a Wheel Horse, look towards the later years with the belt guard or fabricate one for an older model.

Safety switches should never be bypassed, so look for a model which have the safety switches for you. Seat switch will stop the motor when the PTO is engaged and the rider exits the machine.

In my opinion, the PTO guard is not as critical as it would be a little difficult to get your hands in there accidentally.

[dhilbish 0]

thanks guys for the input. Wheelhorses are definitely growing on me. They seem easy to work on, parts are still available, and they appear to be very reliable (correct me if I'm wrong about any of this).

It was mentioned that it was possible to make your own safety covers for the older models. Has any one attempted this?

Dave

[Ferrets 0]

Dave -

Any machinery that has a spinning blade and weighs a few hundred pounds is inherently dangerous to the operator, bystanders and property.

For them to get their fingers into the PTO area while the tractor is running is IMHO the least of your worries.

My 8 yr old son and daughter are pretty good at consistently following directions, watching out for others and have a keen sense of self preservation. With that said, my daughter I trust to do the right thing, my son - not yet.....

You have to know your kids - :thumbs:

[BPC23 18]

I've seen pictures of newer Wheel Horses with black plastic guards over the PTO and belts. If that newer guard can't be retrofitted, I would suggest making a model of a cover out of cardboard that works for your particular model. I'll bet you've got a local welder or metal fab shop that can make a duplicate out of sheet metal.

As for the Wheel Horse brand, I can't imagine buying/owning anything else that is as well designed and built. I love my 1982 Work Horse GT-1100.