found a C161 in a falling down shed

[rustyoldjunk 127]

a neighbor who repairs mowers came by yesterday to see if i happened to have a transaxle he needed for a customer.as we talked and he looked over my collection he noticed the C100,C160 and 854,wheel horses dominating my collection.he mentioned he had a neighbor whos parents had used wheel horses and he had kept them running for them.he thought they might have one or two left but they didnt use them anymore.well i went over to see.the daughter lives ion the property now.in a falling down shed (and i mean falling down) back in the corner with things piled on it including a push mower sets a C161 automatic with hydro lift.she said she would call her brother in texas and make sure he didnt want it and if not she will sell it.i know i was just complaining about having to sell some of my tractors.....but lol i will sell another one or two of my off brands or even the C100 to add this fine tractor to my stable.i do have a question or two for the WH experts.i noticed the gas tank is under the seat but it still has the 70's style long red hood.anybody have any idea about what year this might be? does the tranny use an eaton hydro?if so which one?

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,350]

The C-161 was made for 2 years, 1978 and 1979. Nice find, btw. :whistle:

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,350]

Oh, and the tranny - I believe it's a Sundstrand unit, model no. 90-1173.

[rustyoldjunk 127]

thanks JD.im hoping to know if i can buy it by the end of the weekend.wonder why they only made them two years? was that particular sunstrand common to any other model wheel horses? just wondering for parts availibilty's sake.i hope to get a picture of it buried in the falling down shed before she starts cleaning to get it out.

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,350]

The C-161, as well as the C-121 and the C-141, were all made only those 2 years. They were the first ones I believe of the C-series to have the fuel tank under the fender deck. These were the models that transition between the older C's and the newer black hood C's.

The Sundstrand units were used through out the 70's and were also used, I believe, on the D-160, D-180 and D-200 and also on all the C-series automatics in the 70's. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. :whistle:

[TT-(Moderator) 1,129]

They were only made two years because the C-160 was produced up until 1977, and the C-165 came out in 1980. The C-161 was a cross between the two models (or a transition model) and featured the rubber mounted engine and the wider hoodstand, but still had the old-style sheetmetal. (except for the 161 twins - which were supposed be C-171's and receive the KT17 Kohler twin. The engines weren't ready yet, so the Briggs twin was used in their place - along with the strange fiberglass hood and the plastic rear fenders)

The Sundstrand 90-1173 hydro was used in 19 models from 1978 to 1980 and was (is) an excellent unit. Most maintenance parts are still available if needed.

Edit: I guess treed and I were typing at the same time. :whistle:

[rustyoldjunk 127]

thanks JD and TT thats the info im looking for.you gotta love the interchangebilty of the gear drive models so i was curious if the auto's were fairly the same.TT i particularly like your post with lots of the model year cross over details.those types of things fasinate me and of coarse if i get the thing and continue to research it i will need a black hood C since i have earlier C's,then the cross over to the black hoods....guess i had better slow down until i find out if it can be bought.lol (be nice if i could spell.......)

[HorseFixer 2,012]

Keep us abreast rusty on what ya hafta pay! Nice find BTW!

Duke

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,350]

Yeah, TT, you had to outdo me. Really, TT, info overload. But, seriously, TT would have more info because he knows more than me on these tractors. But, to my credit I did forget about these being the first iso mounted engines.

Now, if it comes to JD, I can hold my own. But, I need a lot of catching up on Wheel Horses to even approach TT and some others here on their knowledge. :whistle:

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,350]

Come to think of it, TT, knows more than me when comes to virtually all things mechanical. As a co-worker of mine says, "I'll go away now". :whistle:

[rustyoldjunk 127]

Treed,your info and answers were detailed also,very helpful and focused exactly where i needed.as for TT's more detailed knowledge,im certainly glad we have him here to learn from.seems he smokes most of us here in wheel horse knowledge. i have alot to learn on wheel horses too but Treed if you are anything like myself you have too many interests to focus to hard on just one.i have been dragging in all brands of garden tractors for years,the more obsolete or the longer the company had been out of business the better.i have gotten away from that lately,concentrating,the more common 60's-70's brands that i can actualy find info on and parts,attatchments for.i have been a big wheel horse fan for years but im just now getting into them but i still also play with several other brands that i am constantly trying to soak up knowledge on,then theres the thing i have about jeeps,big antique tractors,musclecars,or any old hot rod or 4x4.im always learning.i think maybe TT is just more organized and focused then most of us.thats a good thing for those of us that arent as wheel horse versed,as he can get us up to speed alot faster than if we had to research for weeks to get the same info.