What Wheel Horse models are in your area ?

[johnnymag3 2,572]

I find that all around the Country, and points beyond that certain Models of Wheel Horse Tractors are more prevalent in certain areas.

     What Model / Type have you seen the most of in your neck of the woods ?

 

Hydro...8 speed...3 speed.....    8 hp.....10hp......12hp...…   you get the idea !!!

 

Have fun with this... Nothing gets boring when talking about the HORSE

[littleredrider 409]

I've gotten all my horse within a coupe hours of me. Starting with a 63 lawn ranger, a 67 lawn ranger, 1055, 1045, 845, 3 520s, 518, C141, 606 (mile from my house), theres been more, but can't remember lol.  The farthest I've traveled was 3-4 hours one way. 

[ebinmaine 73,002]

Seems interesting to me that I couldn't find a decent hydro to save my.... but @Stepney was tripping over them left and right.

Reverse that for him and 8 speeds.

 

I don't know if any given model or range is more popular here.

Not a huge assortment of any particular type.

 

[JCM 10,251]

I lived 20 miles north of Boston for 50 years and was very friendly with the local WH dealer and most of the tractors that he bought were 8 speeds until the 416 -H and 520 H tractors were introduced. He being and old school person and dealer did not really trust the automatic transmission because he told me they had never had an 8 speed trans apart and felt the hydros may be problems. This is a high volume dealer that is still in business to this day because of their reputation. I have really never been able to find any hydros in that area and have had to broaden my horizons to find them. Most if not all were 12  14 & 16 HP  8 speeds.

[horseyheaven 113]

There are quite a few different models here in central Ohio. I think the farthest I went was about an hour away for a GT 14. However, I have a 500 special and a 654 that came from right here in my neighborhood. I went about 40 minutes away for a C 161 Eight speed.  I have acquired a C120 automatic, 416 eight, 417 auto, a 100,  520h and 520HC all locally. Wheel Horse seemed to sell really well around Holmes and Wayne County Ohio.

[WHNJ701 4,165]

551,701,854,854,com 7,c85, lots of parts all picked up within my 25 mile circle over the years

[troutbum70 858]

I think Wheel Horse done ok in my area until Toro took them over and then sales started dropping off as prices increased. I think the standard trans dominated as the hydro's were quite a few dollars more, I know I purchased my 417-8 with electric lift for I  believe about $800.00 less than a hydro. Always wished later down the road I would have went all out for the hydro.  

[ClassicTractorProfessor 5,371]

Here in Oklahoma they all seem to be pretty scarce, but seems the hydros are even more rare. Out of 7 tractors I have managed to locate and purchase, only one has a hydro. Been looking for a couple years for a C-Series hydro to make my dedicated mowing tractor, but all I ever seem to find are 8-Speeds. And almost never come across a 300,400, or 500 series in the state, and have never came across one locally

[ZXT 2,401]

They're pretty difficult to come by around here, but when they do pop up, they are nearly all hydros. 

 

Of the 6 that reside at my place, only one is a manual. I found it at a swap meet earlier this year, and it came from up north somewhere. 

 

In the last two years, I've seen one RJ pop up, 2 D series, and probably 8-10 C series or similar. Out of all of those, the only ones that have been manuals were the RJ, and my 800 special.

[Stepney 2,354]

Seems to me around here, in general, the most common by far are 10-12hp 3xx models in both transmission flavors.

As EB said though .. I tend to have a nasty habit of tripping over really well priced, oddball, early hydro models. 
Meanwhile. I spent a solid three years trying to find a intact 1967-69 8 speed. That wasn't either beat to death or hacked apart. Before finally finding a Raider 9.

By far though, for my area, it's old 300 series machines. Generally with massive amounts of missing paint, for very high prices..

[Achto 29,433]

You would have to ask Jim what he has. 2/3rds of all of the Wheel Horse's in my area are at @WHX24's house. He's nice enough to let the some of the other people in the area share the remaining 1/3rd.

Edited June 7, 2020 by Achto

[WHNJ701 4,165]

years ago we heard stories of this real old nasty dude that was going around buying up every single wheelhorse tractor and other brands and attachments  at sales and auctions in thr mid atlantic area and sticking them in old box trailers on his property, they would say he would outbid a kid looking for his first tractor when this dude had a couple hundred of them in trailers just to hoard them.  I never found out much real info on him I think he was down in Maryland area but would travel around.  I assume he is no longer around this was going back 20 years ago and stories described him as an ancient dude.

[Lane Ranger 11,447]

I have gone to Toronto Canada,  Des Moines, Iowa,  Miami, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Michigan, Georgia and Tennessee for most of my early tractors!

Oh and let me not forget FLORIDA!

 

 

Very few picked up around here other than later Toro models!

Edited June 7, 2020 by Lane Ranger

[Pullstart 67,054]

There seems to be 3-500 models for the most part around here which don’t too much excite me, but randomly I find a square hood or the like.  I’ve driven further for some of the coolest models so far, including 953’s, 1054, RJ58’s and such.  Putt Putt came from about an hour and a half away, but then I just grabbed my closest ever, from just 6.2 miles across town.  I haven’t ever gone to the west for a ride, but have delivered one to Uncle Jim’s and Mr. Josh’s places   Owned one in ME once time, for about a week or less!  

[scWHhauler 96]

Not many .

[Turftech 82]

Seems my fellow Mainers have been looking in the wrong places? Out of nine tractors two 300 class gear, five 500 class hydro's. All hydro's within a two hour drive or less. The last 520H three weeks ago.

 

Yes, most in Northern New England are not reasonably priced or end up at closer inspection to be basket cases.

 

But diligent searching and patience can still give good results. And I admit to paying $$$ for a crappy tractor to get good quality attachments.

[EricF 589]

My view is probably a little skewed... I grew up around South Bend, so Wheel Horses nearly every common variety were all over (although D's seemed to be rare). When I started looking for one of my own when I was living in New Hampshire, most for sale seemed to be older round hoods, mostly down in Massachusetts, and most were beaten to death. 520H's seemed to show up every now and again in NH, and one of them is what I finally scored. They seemed to be reasonably popular with folks who had fairly large stretches of lawn to mow, or driveways to clear with a snow thrower.