Collecting Wheel horses

[refracman 166]

Since it seems that the type/ price/ condition and location all are deteriming factors to me. Just wondering what yours are?

Mine start with type.

First it must be a hydro, 1973 or newer, prefer 14hp or bigger and I will not consider a D.

Price is a big thing, I have a limit and only have exceeded it only once.

Third is condition. This depends a lot on the price but it must run good or have so when parked ( I go estate actions ). The body panels have to at be least straight. The rest I prefer to have to fixup.

The location, as long as its within say 150 miles it really doesn't bother me.

And once I have them back in good useable condtion exept for a couple, I would perfer to send on their way to someone who can use it for what it was built for. For me at least I like working on them and seeing them back in use.

[BairleaFarm 339]

Price - I go just about anywhere withen 500 miles of here to get a horse of almost any condition if the price is right. I paid to much for 2 of my horses but knowing now what i know it wont happen again.

[gottahavvitt 0]

:banana: iT HAS TO BE RED.

[rustbucket 4]

um red runner or able to be rebuilt into a runner and price. not a big fan on going long haul to get em but i have gone from eastern edge of PA to the western edge to grab a parts machine once.

[htopjimmy26 3]

At this point all I really want is a 520 with the 60 in deck and a cool little parade/cart tractor [hm..... 854...], oh and of course more attachments. :banghead:

[DOC in Kentucky 178]

This is a great topic

Lately it seems I don't look for tractors, they have been finding me. It seems that since most of my family and friends know I like messing with old Wheel Horse's, when ever they see or hear about any old tractor they give me a call.

And I don't know how many I have missed because they talked to the wife first and she "forgot" to tell me about it. :banghead:

[jusjeepn 59]

I prefer the long frame/square hood myself. HP not an issue, heck engine is not an issue if I want it. Found a C160 yesterday. Pretty rough, deck is trashed, engine turns over, hydro?, hydo hoses gone, tires gone, been sitting outside 4 years. To me might be a $75-100 tractor. To him it's a $325 tractor. So condition really isn't an issue, but price is everything! (Guy is bleep'n crazy).

Yeah I guess 1)Type 2)Price/Condition (hand in hand) 3)Location

[linen beige 14]

I have noticed that nostalgia plays a huge part in the collector hobby, be it tractors or kitchen utensils, etc. What I mean is that most collectors, whether they realize it or not, prefer to collect things that remind them of the happiest times of their lives. It seems that in the old car field most guys in their 70s or older are more apt to be into Model As or other pre-war cars. Most in their 50s-60s are into cars from the '40s and '50s, and most in their late 30s-and 40s like things from the '60s-70s, etc. That is because in most cases these models are what they were around when they were younger. They are the models they used and learned to fix and that makes them comfortable. I think nostalgia plays a part in Wheel Horses as a hobby as well. A large number of us are partial to the models we grew up with. I know I am. My dad's '60 400ST was the only Wheel Horse I knew until the early '90s! I keep my eyes open for potential deals on round hoods and would like to have one of each Kohler powered model (I also am really fond of my 1054A.). I do occasionally run up on a newer model, but honestly am not all that interested in them as collectable but will no doubt look for one as a worker if I move to a larger place (My dad's 416-8 comes to mind.) I don't really care for the hydros, mainly because I feel awkward leaning forward to work the motion lever, but love a hydro lift. That could be because I came up using a stick and the larger tractor we had was a stick with a hydro lift.

I have driven well over 500 miles per trip to pick up a few tractors and even just a set of wheels and tires. Most of my trips cost me more in fuel than the machine I was picking up. But part of the hobby is getting around to meet other hobbyists and see the countryside.

[WheelHorse_of_course 99]

:lol: Good topic

I guess price is my biggest criteria. I just don't have the bucks to spend very much!

Condition is important as I would prefer something that is usable from the start. But I sure don't mind adding TLC and parts as needed.

Nostalgia is important - Someday I want to have a 550 like my grandpop had (in the meanwhile the 854 is my surrogate round hood).

While there is no doubt I am hooked I don't have much desire to have more than a few. It is nice to be able to have different ones set up for different things, so if I ever got one with a bucket (yeah right, at the price I'd be able to pay) for example it would not replace an existing machine.

Implements though, the more the better, again only if the price is right.

Mainly I just want machines that I can use to get things done! :lol:

[CasualObserver 3,406]

Storage space is one of my biggest factors. Want/Desire next and Cost and Location come in third. The farther away, the cheaper it needs to be. :banghead:

[Duff 206]

Great topic!

Part of this is copied from a post I made on another thread, but it's relevant here as well. I am one of those who covet the newer (or should I say "younger") machines not only because they are a good value for the money, but also because I can work on them and still get most OEM parts.

I drool over the design of the RJ's and some of the round hoods, but I lack the tools and, perhaps more importantly, the fabrication/mechanical skills to do these machines justice in terms of restoration and maintenance. So I've chosen the "maroon stripes" as my tractors of choice because I am within my own limits in repairing and maintaining them. I am NOT, however, actively looking for anything in the 200-series.... And I am admittedly partial to the pre-Toro maroon stripes, so I guess I'm a little picky.

Price is certainly a factor as, like most of us, I'm by no means made of money. Right now I'm saving up for a 400-series or a 520-something. Probably going to stay with gear drive as I'm quite fond of that setup, although I'm told a gear driven 520 will be a hard find.

Duff :omg:

[linen beige 14]

Who am I foolin'? The two most important things are:

1. Do I have enough cash hidden from the wife to buy it?

2. I better be home before she leaves for work in the morning!

[bitten 133]

Price is a very big factor to me. If money wasnt the issue I would have a new 40X100 shop built just for wheel horses. I hate to travel so I would have to hire someone to go around the country buying up goodies. But that isnt the case. I have gotten all three of my tractors within 30 miles of me. I did drive 3 hours one way for an attachment, but declared that I wouldnt do that again unless the circumstances dictated that I would be foolish not to. I wanted a D very bad, I looked for 2 years and it just never worked out. One day after work on my way home there was one sitting in a yard with a blower and a tiller hooked up to it. Thought to myself that there was no way that I was going to be able to afford it but stoped anyways. $400 and I walked out of there with it a deck and a set of duel wheel adaptors for my 310-8.

When I was a kid I used a Wheel Horse to mow our yard. It wouldent run so my mom sold it for next to nothing. Went 20 years before I got to a point in life that I wanted one for myself and now Im hooked. Not looking to get another till I get the ones I have were I want them, but Im always on the lookout for them. Sure there is some that I will have some day but for right now they would have to fall in my lap.

I read these storys about guys that go out a get new ones all the time and I wounder were do they get them. Im always looking for them. I go different ways to get somewhere just to look for red. Maybe it just the area that Im in. I live in W/C Ohio and maybe there just wasnt that many sold around here.

Oh well Ive rambled on enough.

[Nick 13]

Guess I will haul anything home if its cheap. Beyond that any model new or old works for me. But Ive also never considered myself a collector. I just enjoy finding something new, using it for a while, and then selling it to get another one.

Bitten, Maybe you have to many Amish Horses over that way to find a lot of Wheel Horse tractors on the back roads. Come to think of it I poached a WH dump cart at an auction in your town a couple years ago. :USA:

[kpinnc 10,968]

Well, I have to list my factors a little differently.

There aren't very many down here in NC. So when I do find one, it's kinda hard to be picky. All things considered, I have a decent assortment of what I consider to be at least, a good collection. Unfortunately, quite a bit of my tractors wouldn't warrant much excitement from someone from somewhere like Indiana or PA. Quite a few of my tractors are in very rough shape, and anyone who has seen my collection would agree. I have a couple really nice tractors as well, but every single one of those are nice only because I put the hours into getting them that way. I have NEVER found an original machine that was what I would consider good enough "as is".

That said, the majority of my tractors are runners. The ones that are not, are at least mostly complete, and can be brought up to a running condition without an extreme amount of money.

Of course, money is a huge factor. I've seen tractors like a 520 on Ebay bring more money than I paid for all 11 of my tractors. In short, I'm cheap.

There are a few models I'd really like to have (front-engined round hoods, mostly), but if they're silly cheap- chances are they will come to live at my house regardless of model. So many parts interchange on these machines that I can use most of what I find on other projects, and that is good enough for me.

Kevin

[Greg Parnell 6]

Well I'll add my thoughts too. I agree with Kevin, there ain't that many WheelHorses here in NC. I had not even heard of a WheelHorse garden tractor until my Dad traded a 16hp lawnmower for a 753 tractor with a few implements last year.

The GREAT times that me, my Dad and my son have doing an "amateur" restoration on the WheelHorse is priceless and there's not enough millions of $$$ in this world to buy it. I have a feeling you guys agree with me, that no matter the condition of your horse, it's the smiles on your own, the kids and friends faces that really counts.

I would even buy another one to do it again!! Price, condition, model and how much I wanted it would play a role in what I would pay for it.

[TT-(Moderator) 1,129]

I really can't "nail down" specific determining factors in acquiring Wheel Horses for me. (unless you consider FREE as one )

I will say that my preferred model is the Kohler-powered front-engined round hoods (701/702/633/753/704/754/854), but the gear-drive, long-hood, big-block Kohler tractors from 1966 to 1969 are more than welcome here just the same.

Price is naturally the biggest concern, with location following in a close second. I'm actually content with what I have here now, but I probably wouldn't turn any of the machines mentioned above away if I have the chance to get more. :USA:

[bmuone 15]

While there are a few WH here in Texas....most of the horses have tails. So just finding a Wh is 3/4 the battle. Can't really be too picky on what you buy. I knew mine was something scarce when I saw it on Craigslist. Had to drive about 100 miles one way to get it. Glad I did though. When I say scarce I do not mean as in a true historical gem....I mean as in only WH available. I leave looking at the gems to those of you who live up North and post your great pictures on these sites. Thank you and keep on posting....DT

[bluetuna08 0]

determining factors as of right now...

I have a list of what I want and will not buy anything else but C's 16 hp and up, any D right now but it must have a loader. any round hood with a fair price. I would also like a tiller.

condition is not really important because I can bring anything back from the dead with the help of redsquare member tech support

I used to want to buy em all though...but I cant stand someone asking 500 dollars for a b-80 even if it is freshly spray painted

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,347]

Price and location. I have paid only for two of my 4 Wheel Horses, one was free and I traded for the fourth one. Ironically, even though I consider location to be a prime factor, 3 of the four I have came out of state. But I only drove to pick these 3 up within my own state, the farthest was to Springfield, which was about a 360 mile round trip.

As for what would I look for - I like the hydros, the round hoods, the black hoods, the long hood-short framed, the maroon stripes, the letter series, the........get the drift. :banghead:

[FrankinWNY 12]

:banghead: I like 'em all as long as ther'e red,,,,well as long as they are a horse. More or less 25 in my stable at this time, about half are runners, the rest waiting for TLC.

My favorite puller is red, but I also like the red, white and blue one I call "The Patriot" my pic on the Red Square page.

Condition, price, and distance are my priorities, however I cross those lines an awful lot. I like to buy and sell, trading is even better. Lots of parts available if anyone needs something, please ask.

I just added a Trac-Vac to my B-80 diesel conversion with the Yanmar clone and a 48" deck with gator blades. What a nice set-up, caster wheels on the vac that follow the tractor, dump box that can use a 33 gallon plastic bag. Can't wait to bag leaves..... pics coming soon of this set-up.

Frank in WNY

Just had a NOS planter come into my stable with the seed plates still unwrapped in the box, manual, everything. Now have my show set almost complete.

1969 Raider 12 w/ original Kohler

10" Land plow

36" disk

Planter

Mid and rear cultivators

5000Watt Generator

40" grader

Did WH ever offer a potato digger or pea picker other than the one posting this message?

lol

[CasualObserver 3,406]

Just had a NOS planter come into my stable with the seed plates still unwrapped in the box, manual, everything.

Frank... can we please, please see pics of that!!! :banghead:

[Jman6 1]

Well as a new owner, had it all of about 5 weeks, I have 4 main considerations.

1. Finding one, up in Washington state they are very, very rare. Ever since I bought mine and got it running I have been looking for another, any model any price and have not found one.

2. Location. I don't mind driving but am not gonna drive 4 hours to pick up something that is not running and the guy wants 5-6 hundred for. Saw one 3.5 hours away that ran and the guy wanted 1200 for it and it looked like I would need a tetnis (sp?) shot just to sit on it.

3. Price, willing to pay a decent amount for one, just not a mint for a rust bucket

4. What I can hide from the wife. Until I finish building my shop that is not much. What I would truly like is another WH with a blade attachment and then I could just use one for blowing snow and lawn mowing and roto-tilling and one for blading areas and ground prep and a little bit of blading snow so the snow throwing is easier.

Fun topic!!!

Jman

[fretscha 0]

I am happy with my 316-8. I Just want to upgrade it as much as possible. I have buy a pair of 400 series front rims on ebay.com. I hope they will arrive in Germany soon. Wheel Horses are very rare here so it

[saguaro 0]

I got my WH off an add on Craigslist. I was just looking for a small tractor to to use as an outdoor wheelchair that's small enough to fit in the truck when I go camping. and the ranger looked like a worthy project. I had never heard of WH before that, but they are cool little machines and built like tank's. It's also cool that it was built about the same time I was conceived just like my first car a 66 Buick Special D

Would I ever get the money back out that I'm putting in. I doubt it, but it's more for the fun of it then anything else.

Would I buy another sure. I could go for a bigger 60's square hood. :banghead: