Another horse squeezes its way into my stable

[wheeledhorseman 573]

I've not been looking to add to my collection but sometimes things just happen! On Friday I'd gone to my local garden machinery place (US - Outdoor Power I think) just to pick up a saw chain and out front was a WH.

 

 

Now I've had many conversations with the guys there about WHs when ordering Toro parts and they've mentioned that they used to service lots of them at one time so I assumed it was in for a service.

 

"You've got a Wheel Horse out front" I observed. "Yes and it's for sale!" came the reply, "We're going to put it on that auction site."

It was apparently a 'barn find' that someone discovered on moving into to the area and as a non-runner the place had taken it in part-exchange for a new mower knowing that WHs are collectable. They'd got it running and discovered it was in good shape hence it was up for sale.

 

"Why don't you sit on it, start it up, drive it round?" they suggested. Well, why not! No smoke, no nasty knocks from the Kohler, gears all worked fine and it was all so original and unmolested, a good deck for its age with no welding, even the lights still worked. Went and collected it today.

 

 

It's a Belgium built Raider 10  eight speed made in 1972 I think based on the Amnor serial. It probably differs from the US spec as was usually the case but it should have the hood ornament which has gone missing - no worries I have one in stock, must have known this tractor would come along!. Here's the walk round photos...

 

 

 

It's obviously had a replacement starter at some point and wow what a difference that makes compared with the other Kohler powered horses in the stable with their original motors.

 

 

Interesting choke lever handle - its been made from a wooden door knob I think - actually doesn't look too out of place but I'll replace that.

 

 

Even has what appears to be the original 70s style rear light lens - same as my D-200s have.

 

 

 

 

Amnor (European) model number 1-0310  serial 126220. My Amnor serial list suggests this is probably a 1972 model but I'll get the Kohler serial tomorrow as a cross-check.

 

The only issues that need fairly urgent sorting out are oil leaks from the drive pulley shaft seal and brake drum shaft seal, the latter making the brake band inoperable. I spotted these when I looked it over but they're minor issues in terms of cost. I discovered that the PTO bearing is 'iffy' when taking the deck and belt off and that the main drive belt is coming to the end of its life but that's about it so far.

 

Andy

[Daddy Don 887]

Great find. Just a little bit of cleaning and it will be ready for work. 

[elcamino/wheelhorse 9,021]

That really looks in good shape. It is surprising what people consider beyond repair or not worth the trouble , when a little TLC gets horse back up and running.

[Indiana_Steve 124]

Just like the  Raider I used to mow with a couple of years ago. Nice tractor.

[AMC RULES 36,940]

  How could you not...   

bring that awesome  home with you?  

[Bert 760]

26 minutes ago, AMC RULES said:

  How could you not...   

bring that awesome  home with you?  

Nothing more to be said 

 than that. 

[Wishin4a416 2,185]

Nice score!! In real good shape for its age.

[elliot ness 1,916]

Great Wheel Horse find. Enjoy friend.

[KC9KAS 4,741]

Nice looking horse.

 

That model number in the USA is a 1971 RAIDER 12 according to my sheet.

[JERSEYHAWG / Glenn 4,487]

lucky devil you are. nice shape. not beat up looking.

 

Glenn

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,034]

Did they originally come with an 8 speed?

[Shynon 7,435]

Nice looking Horse you have there. Is that a stock steering wheel?

[russellmc301 600]

the knob is what i have my my A-100, it is a custom feature.

[ClassicTractorProfessor 5,255]

Good find...doesn't need much to be up and going like new again

[wheeledhorseman 573]

Thanks for he comments guys - of course buying it was a no-brainer but so important not to appear desperate to have when a price had yet to be agreed! 

 

8 hours ago, KC9KAS said:

Nice looking horse.

 

That model number in the USA is a 1971 RAIDER 12 according to my sheet.

 

There are to my knowledge no known factory lists for the Amnor production in Belgium so some guess work is involved. There are also differences between what was assembled in Europe under a model number and the US hence my comment in the original post. I'll get a better pic of the data plate today also the Kohler serial which may help.

 

8 hours ago, stevebo said:

Did they originally come with an 8 speed?

 

Hmmm.. the differences between US production and Belgian production have given rise to the urban legend that when they ran out of particular parts at Amnor they cobbled together what they could. I'm not certain that this is a complete explanation but there are many differences.

 

I started collecting Amnor serials at one point and in that list is a 1972 Model 1-3010 serial no 127477, badged as a Raider 10  4 speed and I made the note that it was "the same mod no as 1971 US Raider 12 but 10 hp and 4 speed transmission". My latest addition to the herd is interesting in that the serial is slightly earlier (126220) same model number (1-3010) built and badged as 10 hp 8 speed. 

 

Andy

[neil 2,398]

That's an awesome find Andy, good to see you are still interested in the brand , we also miss having you around .

A little glue on that rear fender decal looks like all is needed .

Neil

[Retired Wrencher 4,874]

wheeledhorse-man Must be your lucky day. looks well maintained, should be a good worker.

[wheeledhorseman 573]

13 hours ago, neil said:

That's an awesome find Andy, good to see you are still interested in the brand , we also miss having you around .

A little glue on that rear fender decal looks like all is needed .

Neil

 

Good to be back Neil, still haven't got back to having the time that I had but hope to be making posts once again. BTW  I still have those rear wheels on the shelf with your name on them.

 

23 hours ago, Shynon said:

Nice looking Horse you have there. Is that a stock steering wheel?

 

It certainly is, and complete with metal foil WH logo sticker. Not sure if this style was used in any of the US production but it was used on some models Amnor built in Belgium.

 

I'm not keen on the overall design from a visual point of view - to my mind it's too kind of kiddie toy tractorish. Guess I'll keep it though as it is original.

 

Andy

[wheeledhorseman 573]

I've learnt from previous experience that it's a good idea to work your way round a new purchase checking a few things over before giving it a major outing and, knowing from the test drive that the brake didn't work, a rear wheel had to come off. The fact that the wheel bolts looked well kind of not at all rusty seemed a good omen.

 

 

Not so! I'm guessing they were this good looking because the wheel had possibly never been taken off in 45 years. The tyres are typically cracked original Carlisles. The threads protruding through the hub were well rusted and even after cleaning it was a struggle to get the bolts out with the ever present danger of shearing them off but patience won the day. The wheel then refused to be parted from the hub - another little challenge which penetrating fluid and some gentle tapping so as not to loosen the axle inside the transmission paid off. Getting on for an hour to get a rear wheel off may seem excessive but it's nothing compared with doing the same on a 200 series when the wheel has rusted onto the axle so be thankful I said (or something like that).

 

 

Two things became apparent; there had been a significant oil leak at some point though the gunk was now well dried and hard, also no sign of any friction lining which presumably had become detached as a result of getting a good oiling. One bonus though was the fact that under the 'oil cake' the drum surface and the steel brake band had been perfectly preserved.

 

The other side of the drum was completely full of dry grass and oil cake extending to the tranny casing itself. With everything cleaned up. the drum back on, and the tranny filled to the correct level I took the tractor for a bimble round the field expecting to find oil leaking but apparently not. Perhaps it only leaks when it gets hot so its a bit of a mystery.

 

On the other side of the tractor the clutch idler pulley sounded a bit rough and having taken it off found it was stiff where some years of lack of use and drying out of the grease had taken its toll. Cleaned it, painted it. and got a bit of oil past the dust seal. With the oil worked in the pulley seemed good to go again. I may need to replace it but for now it will do and so far I've yet to replace an idler rejuvenated in this way.

 

 

One thing not on the photo is all the black dried oil crud from an oil leak round the transmission drive pulley that I had to scrape off. As with the brake drum, taking the tractor for a run didn't produce any sign of an oil leak on this side either. The mystery deepens.

 

It's my first encounter with a Raider and the rather Heath Robinson dipstick arrangement on the transmission case compared with the later C series tractors I have. One thing's for sure though, any build up of pressure in the case certainly won't get past that piece of industrial engineering! Could the answer to the historic oil leaks be down to this maybe?

 

Another question for the experts - I have some woven brake lining strip to reline the brake band. Heating it up will make it more flexible but I'm not convinced it will form to the radius required. Should I cut some slots in it to aid forming it to shape?

 

A final pic for now. Discovering a WH or even Toro sticker on a replacement part is par for the course but it appears that the idler pulley was replaced fairly early on in the tractor's life as it has a Mountfield label on it. Mountfield distributed WHs of both US and Belgian origin together with the spares for them in the UK during the 1970s.

 

 

Andy

[Horse46 512]

That's in really great shape, mine was similar condition just less paint. It looks to be rust free from the pictures. Great find.

[DougC 2,641]

Its fun to stumble across finds like that, and to know the people selling it is even better! Congratulations and enjoy your new  

[Racinbob 10,256]

Very cool find. I see that seat on a lot of tractors over there. Is there a manufacturers name on it? I'd like to see if I could find one over here.

[wheeledhorseman 573]

Thanks for the encouraging comments guys - it's a bit rustier than comes out in the photos but it is surface rust and nothing serious.

 

13 hours ago, Racinbob said:

Very cool find. I see that seat on a lot of tractors over there. Is there a manufacturers name on it? I'd like to see if I could find one over here.

 

 

It is a 'Baltic' by Bostrom. As you say a lot of these were the standard seat fitted to WHs sold in the UK during that period. I'm not sure if they were fitted at the Amnor factory as standard for Europe or whether Mountfield fitted them once they arrived here.

 

The company still exists as KAB and they still make a very similar seat http://www.kabseating.co.uk/P2.html I suspect the mounting hole spacing is probably different now as I found this when using one of their other seats on my D-200.

 

I've been continuing to work through the various little age-relates issues on the tractor as and when I have time and have now sorted the lack of having a brake that works. Not sure how others reline the brake band but after a bit of head scratching I did it like this....

 

 

Having cut a length of woven lining material  (a bit over length) I heated it with a hot air gun till it became pliable and formed it roughly to shape by hand. Using a brake drum from a Sundstrand transmission I had on the shelf as a former and the lining secured to it with a hose clip, it was heated up, the clip tightened, and then allowed to cool down. The idea worked well but at each end the lining was not quite flat against the drum so the process was repeated with a second wider clip added.

 

 

The result this time was pretty much perfect. The Sundstrand drum was ideal in that it was easy to heat up being hollow and having little mass but the brake drum from the manual transmission on the tractor would have done the same job.

 

 

So the lining was trimmed to length and a slot filed into the outer edge so that it sat down over the rivet heads that secure the band to the L bracket at one end. I then applied some SIKAFLEX 221 (a black mastic like adhesive sealant) to the outer surface and put the brake band back onto the tractor.

 

 

No its not a 'Redneck' parking brake - simply a way I thought up of applying pressure to the brake band overnight while the adhesive cured. Result.........

 

 

Next day it was ready to adjust the brake and the brake now works perfectly making it a much less scary thing to ride. You only come to realize how much you use the brake on a WH when you haven't got one that works.

 

Andy

 

[Racinbob 10,256]

Thanks Andy. I'll see if they are available here.

[meadowfield 2,545]

Nice find, nice work and good to have you back Andy!