New guy :)

[Ukfan1977 7]

Looking to possibly get a wheel horse...plan along with mowing and garden is small plots for doves.... Looking for advice on what model would be best.... And what kind of price range a person should look for for a functional but not fancy first wheel horse:)

[SylvanLakeWH 24,145]

 

You’re going to get a lot of opinions on that one… they are all good in there own way…

 

I have two with 8 speed manual transmissions… work great.

Midwest like me you should see good stuff from 300 - 750 average. Lower will need work. Higher will be nicer or someone thinks they’re gold plated…

 

[wallfish 15,921]

One can't go wrong with an older C series tractor for ground engaging attachments.

[Maxwell-8 4,270]

Lot of these Wheel Horses have the same bones, but with a diffrent skin. I think any 6 or 8 speed would do you wonders. quite some Wheel Horses have the thicker 1-1/8 inch axles instead of 1"

Their are jsut some things to check, stuff like are all the bearings good, is the engine runnin good.

 

The raider 10 is for me the most comfortable (mower), the C175 is the big beast,(trailerpuller) my C161 will be a great hard worker (ground engaging)!

[Ukfan1977 7]

What is the correlation of the alphabet series to the number series... Is the c series equal to say a 500

[Pullstart 59,729]

  

 

most B and C series are very similar, B had options that were standard on C.  D is altogether different and A is mower / lawn duty.  If you find a B or C, you’ll be in good shape for what you need.

 

If it has a  on it, you’re in good shape for most any yard/garden chore!

[Maxwell-8 4,270]

7 minutes ago, Ukfan1977 said:

What is the correlation of the alphabet series to the number series... Is the c series equal to say a 500

A and B(european) have a vertical shaft engine, C horizontal

 

300 series mostly have 1" axles,

400 the 1 and 1/8"

500 are mostly hydro's

Edited October 25, 2021 by Maxwell-8

[Pullstart 59,729]

If you can find a 953 or 1054, you’ll have an even stronger frame than B or C series, plus manual gear drive transmission and hydraulic lift.

 

 

[Pullstart 59,729]

Just now, Maxwell-8 said:

A and B have a vertical shaft engine, C horizontal

 

300 series mostly have 1" axles,

400 the 1and 1/8"

500 are mostly hydro's

A B-80, B-100, etc are still horizontal shaft tractors 

[Maxwell-8 4,270]

Just now, Pullstart said:

A B-80, B-100, etc are still horizontal shaft tractors 

My bad, we didn't recieve those in europe. All our A and B series have vertical shafts

[wallfish 15,921]

9 minutes ago, Ukfan1977 said:

What is the correlation of the alphabet series to the number series... Is the c series equal to say a 500

B = 300 series

C = 400 series

For the most part.

 

[Ukfan1977 7]

Let's use this one for example. That's going to do everything I need? Pull the plow. And run the tiller?

[Maxwell-8 4,270]

3 minutes ago, Ukfan1977 said:

Let's use this one for example. That's going to do everything I need? Pull the plow. And run the tiller?

For sure, do keep in mind it's a Hydro, most people like a tiller with a manual transmission as the tiller pushes the tractor forward and parts for that Onan 2 cilinder are getting harder to find

[Ukfan1977 7]

Glad I ask. So no hydro and be careful of the Onan engine

[Handy Don 10,603]

5 minutes ago, Ukfan1977 said:

Glad I ask. So no hydro and be careful of the Onan engine

 

May I add my opinion?

The hydro:

a) is not quite as energy efficient as a geared transmission (i.e. it absorbs some horsepower) but if you have 17-20 horsepower, this loss is inconsequential,

b) CAN do engine braking to hold its speed just as a geared transmission does,

c) can adjust speed to, say, lawn or soil conditions, on the fly in small increments without clutching or adjusting the engine speed control (aka throttle),

For heavy work, the Eaton 1100 equipped models are more than adequate--I am not knowledgeable about Sunstrands, especially in the larger units.

 

The Onan's:

a) have very high torque and very smooth operation (nearly all are two-cylinder, 16-20 hp)

b) seem to have marginally higher fuel consumption per horsepower than Kohlers

c) are more sensitive to inadequate maintenance than some other engines, but when maintained can achieve long service lives

d) are reputed to have higher parts costs, but are still reasonably well supported by parts vendors (being 2-cylinder does increase costs over a 1-cylinder!)

 

A very fine, strong, middle of the road machine would be a 14 or 16 hp, one-cylinder 8-speed and there are many of these out there. There are fewer with Eaton Hydros, but even these are not rare. 

 

 

[Ukfan1977 7]

I see an abundance of 312-8 online right in my price range :)... Will it do what I want to do as well?

[Handy Don 10,603]

1 hour ago, Ukfan1977 said:

I see an abundance of 312-8 online right in my price range :)... Will it do what I want to do as well?

Absolutely. Unless you are going to moldboard or till something really large (like an acre) or need a deck wider than 42", you'll be ok. A bit slower than with a 14 or 16, but ok. The fuel economy on 12's is quite pleasant and since they cost less, you'll have money for implements (snowplow or blower, moldboard or tiller, etc.).

The 14 is a noticeably stronger machine so if you are not in a hurry, do some scanning and comparing. Make notes so you can compare apples to apples on the machines you look at.

Forum policy is that we don't post links to the sales sites (CL, FBM, the bay, etc.) but if you have questions on the process or the aspects of a particular year and model of tractor, by all means post your question here. Search around recent threads and you'll see a lot of discussion of what to check out when looking for a machine and what kinds of pricing are being discussed.

Also, keep an eye on the For Sale Classifieds right here on the forum or post a Wanted ad yourself. AtoZ tractors and KandB, two of our vendors (see the vendors topic at the top of the page) sometimes have complete reconditioned tractors as well, 

Have fun!

Edited October 26, 2021 by Handy Don

[Pullstart 59,729]

Even that 12 hp engine in the 312 will pull plenty of plow…

 

Here’s my “Putt Putt” pulling either a 10” or 12” plow on more than one occasion.  It’s an 8 hp rig with a C series transmission.

 

 

 

[Maxwell-8 4,270]

John Deere is using plastic transmissions these days, our cast iron boms will handle pretty much everything you can ask from it.

[SylvanLakeWH 24,145]

18 hours ago, Ukfan1977 said:

I see an abundance of 312-8 online right in my price range :)... Will it do what I want to do as well?

Yes.

[Handy Don 10,603]

3 hours ago, Pullstart said:

Even that 12 hp engine in the 312 will pull plenty of plow…

 

Here’s my “Putt Putt” pulling either a 10” or 12” plow on more than one occasion.  It’s an 8 hp rig with a C series transmission.

 

    

Just be aware that what @pullstart is struggling to find as he stares at the ground is any sign of a rock! 

 

I've heard there are parts of Ohio that are low on rocks, but pulling a deep plow through rocky soil could be a very slow go on a 12.

[Ukfan1977 7]

Rocks aren't bad in my area.... I found one locally I think I'm going to go check out... Thanks for all you guys help

[Pullstart 59,729]

17 minutes ago, Ukfan1977 said:

Rocks aren't bad in my area.... I found one locally I think I'm going to go check out... Thanks for all you guys help

keep us updated and good luck!  We’ll be here to help if any maintenance or revival is needed!

[Ukfan1977 7]

Update on the wheel horse. I found a 312-8 for $400 close to me.... There is a bad pulley on the mower deck. Is this a big deal to fix?

[SylvanLakeWH 24,145]

 

Pulley should be fixable…