953 nut 51,719 #1 Posted February 13, 2021 Having grown up on a dairy farm I’ve had a lifelong affinity for tractors. When I first saw the Wheel Horse 953 the farm tractor look hooked me, just had to have it. A couple years ago I built a narrow front end for one of the 953s which I think brought it even closer to the appearance of the tractors I grew up with. I just finished a project that enhances the farm tractor look of the other end, a three-point hitch. Much like the narrow front project my goal was to make the three-point unit a bolt-on unit that could be added to the rear of the 953 without any modification to the tractor. The lift arms came from a Wheel Horse “D” and the lift cylinder came from a 300/400 model (the 953 hydraulic cylinder was too long for the space). Lowell at Wheel Horse Parts and More made the hoses and everything else came from my scrap metal stash. I glued-up a cardboard mockup of the space available and transferred the information onto a piece of MDF then made a wooden test sample of the lift system. Component size and placement was determined by drawing them out on the MDF The unit was fabricated on a spare transaxle saving me from having to crawl around on the floor. At my age that is a no-no. There was too much interference on the left side (brake drum side). The right side had only one problem, the six-inch input pulley on the transmission was too big so it was replaced with a four-inch unit. That will make it a bit faster and diminish the pulling power but this is a show cruiser so no harm done there. As the unit was being built, I was able to transfer it onto the 953 to ensure that clearance was as expected and modifications could be made. The pivot point blocks that support the rocker shaft are the ones that supported the 953’s rocker shaft. The arm that fastens the hydraulic cylinder is bolted to the transmission. It is a fairly light-weight unit and I have no intention of putting it to work with ground engaging equipment but if heavier metal were used and additional fastening were done to the top of the transmission, I see no reason why it couldn’t be a worker. 3 17 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skwerl58 634 #2 Posted February 13, 2021 Lots of work and great results. Making it like you want is rewarding. Thanks for sharing Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tractorhead 8,611 #3 Posted February 13, 2021 Pretty cool solution. Nice built 👍 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Herder 2,354 #4 Posted February 13, 2021 The work was well worth your time & effort!! It look's awesome. I've often wondered, how much of the 3-point hitch system from a GT-14 was usable on a 953. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SylvanLakeWH 24,146 #5 Posted February 13, 2021 Looks great! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oliver2-44 8,852 #6 Posted February 13, 2021 (edited) Very creative build. Looks Great 👍🏾 Edited February 13, 2021 by oliver2-44 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 51,719 #7 Posted February 13, 2021 1 hour ago, Herder said: The work was well worth your time & effort!! It look's awesome. I've often wondered, how much of the 3-point hitch system from a GT-14 was usable on a 953. If you removed the tool box at the rear, relocated the fuel tank and swapped the Sundstrand onto the 953 it should be able to fit I guess. The arms from the "D" three point hitch are the same as the GT-14. 1 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 59,730 #8 Posted March 20, 2021 Wow Richard, thanks for posting this link! I’m not sure how I missed it, but glad you helped me find it! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Tuul Crib 7,332 #9 Posted March 20, 2021 Nicely done!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mikey the Monkey 697 #10 Posted March 20, 2021 @953 nut...this has been my favorite wheel horse custom since you introduced it a couple years ago. Now I love it even more. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
