First Wheel horse

[russtiron 41]

I have purchased my first Wheel horse tractor ,after years of wanting one finally made a purchase.With Wheel horse tractors you learn there is probably the most loyal following of any brand,and deals are hard to come by ,unless you are lucky or(in the right place at the right time)wanting an early model doesn`t make things any easier.Over the last two weeks I have learned more about the RJ (through Redsquare) than I thought there was to know.Everyone here already knows these things,so onto my purchase.The tractor a 1955 RJ35 model came from a member here.I`ts mostly complete,but needs some work to be operable.Making it run is the fun part. Chuck

[JimD 3,345]

Sweet looking little ride ya got there. You can do a lot with it, restore or leave it original. Either way you can't go wrong! :)

[rmaynard 14,896]

Nice find. That's a good start to your collection.

[TT-(Moderator) 1,127]

What's still there is in pretty good condition.

Did you get any of the other parts?

[Tankman 3,515]

Nice ride! That'll be a great project, restore that ! Save old iron! :-)

[AMC RULES 36,945]

Very cool tractor...hope you don't "over restore" it.

[stevasaurus 22,229]

That is a real nice start in this horse hobby. You did well. Don't put your tongue on that steering wheel in this cold weather. Welcome to Red Square.

[russtiron 41]

Thanks guy`s! I have a gas tank that I think is right most of the brake assembly,the engine is a 1200 but a B series that I believe is a later model.Didn`t know that the early ones came with a oil bath air filter.It is missing the brake cable, stop button, throttle cable, correct air cleaner assembly and probably some other small itens.Finding parts is half the fun.I am not a big fan of restoring somthing that is useable as-is will try to find parts of equil patina to try to return it to a 58 year old tractor. Chuck

[rydogg 186]

Gas tank is the correct one I am not sure what they used for a petcock or if it had a sediment bowl but those are easy to find...I did a lot of searching to find the correct tank for the 1955 RJ35. I will do some searching for the brake cable I don't remember if it came with the tractor when I purchased it but if I find it or any other parts that will help you in your restoration I will send them to you. I don't have a kill button but the ones I have seen remind me of the buttons on the old carnival rides. The throttle lever/cable is the same one that is used on the Troy Bilt Horse garden tiller and it can be found on ebay you will need to shorten it to the correct length. Below is a picture of an updraft air filter that I put on a kohler the air filter actually came from an older Lauson engine...they are easier to find.

[whc160 74]

Nice Score ! from another Buckeye.

[KC9KAS 4,741]

:WRS: And nice start to a Wheel Horse collection! If you spent time lurking around here, you know you can't stop with just 1 WH!

[Jake Kuhn 1,547]

Awesome tractor!

[welderman85 53]

great looking tractor

[VinsRJ 721]

Attached is a RJ35 brake cable...

The large style kill switch is nearly impossible to find. Do a search on RS just to see how much effort RS members have made over the years in order to locate a switch or even a good replacement/repro.

Edited February 4, 2013 by VinsRJ

[Wheel-N-It 2,967]

And nice start to a Wheel Horse collection! If you spent time lurking around here, you know you can't stop with just 1 WH!

One Wheel Horse just gets you started!

[855ownerJoel 32]

Congrats, I also have constantly been looking for old rj's. Very few and far between here as well. Enjoy it!!! Sweet ride:)

[russtiron 41]

Thanks for the help and support.When show/swap season starts in a few months I will have an idea what I`m looking for Chuck

[chazm 412]

:text-welcomewave: to Wheel Horse Wonderland

[WH-PWR 62]

Very nice first Wheel Horse. Welcome to the world of Wheel Horses!

[Hammerhead 816]

Very nice score, how did I miss that one here in Ohio? Good find for sure. It is a pretty early production 1955 RJ35 of course. It has the metal gas tank stand instead of the under hood straps, cast iron steering wheel, solid lift handle and I noticed the triangle brace right under the seat crotch area and the big kill switch on the back of the hood. All these parts are used on the early production machines, not in the first batch of 100 tractors but probably in the 2nd batch for sure. I'd leave it in this condition, clean it up and repair it. Very cool machine! Thanks for posting it...Hammerhead

[russtiron 41]

Hammerhead You didn`t , this came from a few states away.I got tired of trying to find one here. Chuck