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So, I have been a RedSquare member for about two years now and I just want to share with y'all what I have collected so far. My collection started about 2-1/2 years ago when my uncle found my dad's old 1962 Wheel Horse 552 tractor and gave it to me for free. Then... and now... restoration in progress... same tractor but now with a 502 model Lauson HT55C-3088 engine and new front tires... My 2nd Wheel Horse was another 1962 model 552. This was a clist find that I basically bought so that I had one to refer to when tearing apart my dad's 552 for a full restoration and putting that one back together... My 3rd Wheel Horse was an RJ-58 (early S/N) that I bought from JDog's Horse Ranch. She has the original Kohler K-91T 3-1/2 hp engine and still runs great. I refinished the front wheels and mounted new front tires... Then my 4th, I saved this 1961 model 551 that was abandoned in a wooded lot about 25 miles from my home. This was a clist find for $75. This photo is from when I got it home. I already had an original Lauson H55D-2113 engine for it which is shown here just set on the frame. Since then, I have acquired new wide rear wheels/tires, and a hood for it. Not posting new pics now as it is in the back corner of the shed patiently waiting for serious restore time, but the plan is to build a rat rod out of this one... I got my 5th Wheel Horse about a year ago, a $500 clist find, this 1995 314-8 is in great shape with a mower deck and snow blower. I sold my 11hp Crapsman so this is now my worker... and a hard worker she is... I bought my 6th Wheel Horse earlier this year from RedSquare member Big Jake. This is pulling tractor... a 1977 C-120 WH chassis with a 1965 hood and a 22hp Robin Subaru V-twin engine. I went to about four local pulling events this year and had a ton of fun learning about garden tractor pulling... And my most recent addition to my herd about two months ago is another 1961 551 Wheel Horse. This is my 7th WH, another local clist steal. This tractor is nearly complete (also came with a heat shield not mounted) but does need some engine work and a new red coat. A rare feature on this tractor is an NOS replacement hood with the horizontal open slots you would find on the 1962 models... So, that's my current 2-1/2 year Wheel Horse collection. I am now a serious Wheel Horse collector, and yes, I do proudly admit it. There are a few other models that I have on my wish list but as you can probably tell, I really admire the late 50's-early 60's round hoods, So, I am always looking for more if and when the right ones come along. I am also very proud to be a member of the RedSquare forum where I have found so much more information about Wheel Horse tractors than I ever imagined. I have attended the last two Big Shows in Arendtsville, PA just looking for parts and admiring everyone's tractors. I hope to maybe bring a few of these fellers along with me to the next show in 2014. Dave from south central PA

Well i bougth a LXI for a while ago.. On the left side they had done som uppgrade on the hub whit 2 extra set screw's.. i thougt it was ok.. but i was driving it around i could notice that the wheel was (wobeling) a bit.. So i went back in the workshop to have a closer look at the fix they had done on it before.. the axel is 1-1/8 so ill started to pull the hub off.. it needed some fight to get it off but i won.. and when ill got it of the axel was really bad... and here are the hub it was broken from before.. but you can se they have drilled it up and put a sleve innside the hub.. i have asked around whit a some "tranny guys" and they are not sure on the axel in this tranny is the same as older horses .. so i had to do something whit it.. to fix it now.. and let's se how long it works before ill need to change the axel... so here is what ill did to fix it for now.. ill turned the axel 180 degrees and found a square keyway pice i had and marked the axel so i had some to cut after.. i tok my dremmel whit Cutting blade on and started.. have also did some filing whit a airtool on that pict.. almost done whit the new keyway did a test whit a hub that was good..and it's fit just need to do some fine filing on it and it's ready ill guess.. last pict shows how long the new keyway is.. this is just a test hub yo see how it fit's need to pull of a HD hub to put on this tractor and to fix the axel on the old keyway im gona try to clean it up really good and use chemical metal to fill up the old broken keyway and file that to a so it follows the axel.. and ill hope it will work good for a long time... Lars

ONLY 24 more shopping days!!! Anyways.... I went hunting on a brand new piece of property the State of Connecticut purchased in 2011. Its just under 500 acres and is nice for walking in and sitting quietly. I was mopeing along slowly looking around and being quiet when i stumbled upon this abandoned deer / summer camp. I did find on the door frame the date November 25, 1965 and a list of about 15 names. I looked it up and that was Thanksgiving day. The stories and memories in this little 12x20 camp must be amazing. Sad to see it slowly rotting into the earth, it is all cedar and is incredibly well built including a solid cement slab---HOW MANY BAGS OF CEMENT DID THEY CARRY IN / MIX!!!!! Yes I did sit in it for an hour or so both to check out all the scribbles and stuff the kids have done over the years plus as a cool "snipers" nest if a deer strolled by---none did. Tony

I received my 701 dash today and was feeling like jumping off the porch in Joy!What a well engineered product.I highly recommend any of his products as they are A-1 quality!Thanks for keeping the interest and makin the time to help keep these red gems alive!

I was born in '45 and grew up on a farm in central New York. One of the greatest things was being able to go anyplace and feel safe. We would ride our bikes to the general store a mile away and drop off eggs and produce and bring home the groceries, didn't need any money, it was all on the barter system. If the account had a little extra on it I would get a Coke. ( if not I think Mr. Wright would tell me there was and give it to me.) Growing up all of the boys in the area would work for whatever farmer needed help, most of them paid us well and would take us out for pizza or burgers when the work was done. From time to time we would all ride our bikes to the city bus stop ( five miles ) and take the bus into Syracuse to see a movie. As a teen I played drums in the School band. That gave me an opotunity to go to all of the events and home games. Our little town had one social hang out, soda fountin/bowling lanes/barber shop/diner. We would all go down to "Archies" after shool on game nights and then after the game some one would take us home, parents never had any concerns, we were safe as could be. I can not remember any crime at all in our little town. My mom would put any excess produce out by the road with a change box and sell it on the honor system. ( try doing that today ) Every adult was treated with respect and if we got out of line they made sure you knew it, long befor your parents found out. I once made a go cart from an old door and the motor from dad's mower. That thing seemed like it went 100; Dad didn't mind as long as I put the motor back on the mower and cut the yard.Yes, they were the good old days!

Ok Terry, here you go! Pretty rough looking, but it all works! I have equipped it already with a copy of Scott Moreau's 2" receiver. I have a 12v fan type fertilizer spreader and a semi-mounted liquid sprayer with a 12v pump and both will be attached via the 2" receiver. I will have a 12v accessory outlet somewhere on the rear of the tractor for quick hookup when using both. Lot of work to do yet, but it will be a "labor of love"! I like the look of your 8" wheels better than my 6", but when sitting in the seat I can't see what it looks like, it just performs as I had hoped and like you, I have it to use! Melvin-man

I had most of my c195 complete last winter, then spring came. 140 rounds of golf later, it's cold outside and it was time to finish it .this tractor was the worst rust bucket I have ever worked on. refracman helped me with a few parts. also, learning the c175 has the exact same parts really helped. im just going to moth ball this tractor. I just cant see dropping three hundred bucks on rear tires that are not going to be used. here is how she turned out.

Been down in the 20's the last few days and went out tonight to swap out the 30w for some 5w-30 in the 314-8 (Kohler M14). After wrestling with my IH Cub Cadets and Simplicity, it was a pleasure to simply unscrew a pipe plug, drain the oil, refill. No subframes to remove, drain plug on the side of the engine, easy access to drain. Other simple things come to mind - like no speparate subframe for mower deck and front blade, heck - no subframes at all. No need to pull the engine to replace the clutch or hydro fan. Crazy simple PTO, easy to service and adjust - no special tool required. Flip the hood and almost total access to the engine. Problem with the driveshaft, pull the engine to service. Problem with the drive belt, easy replacement - engine stays put. Pretty simple. Am I missing anything? Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! Bill

There is a possible work around. Go to parts tree and drill down to find the part number you need or if possible download a manual/parts list from Toro. I have a lot better luck at these dingbat dealers if I do the look-up for them and just give them a part number to work with. I definitely respect and use a good dealer for any product, but find it more and more difficult to stumble into a dealer that is not an expert at taking your hard earned $$$'s for a product they know nothing about and dread the day they have to service or be asked a question about what you bought from them in the first place. It's no wonder the box stores rule today. At least with them you can get a no hassle return. But... I'd take an old Wheelhorse and the great support on this forum over a new dealer or box store tractor every day!!!!! Good luck, Bill

Here's a pic of both marks on a 161: @scratchawl: did you remove the camshaft & followers (lifters) during your "rebuild"? I'm with Kiwi Mike on the spitting possibly being caused by a "tight" intake valve.

Very good repair Lars . that damaged keyway was major. As has been said, I also sure hope it will hold up well. If you need anyone to search for parts in UK , just say .

Funny you mention Simplicity. I was showing my local OPE guy pics of my tractors. He sells Simplicity. He asked about one I just got from the original owner. He said, Why did the guy sell the WH? I told hime he couldn't get on and off it anymore and he bought a Simplicity. The Simplicity guy said ,HE WON"T BE HAPPY WITH IT!!! There is a Old Toro Wheel Horse Dealer about 30 miles from me. He has been there forever. He might be able to help you. At least he might be able to come up with a part # PM me if you want his phone #

I was born in 1951 in Chicago and raised there, the third child with an older brother and sister; and a younger sister born in 1958. We lived on the North Side. My grandmother on my mother's side lived with us. My father worked six days a week for a clothing store, Lyttons, and my mother watched children for families that had both parents working. Both of my parents worked hard to send the four of us to Catholic school. At that time, people associated the local parish with where they lived. I can remember "Duck and Cover" drills plus when they were doing sonic boom testing over Chicago. Living two blocks from school, I would go home for lunch. We would line up in the classroom to go home, either Church Corner or School Corner. My father never drove (he did during the war though) so my mother was the family chauffeur. We had a 1948 Studebaker that my parents had purchased from a neighbor who was related to the Stromberg family, of Stromberg carburetor fame. It was rather innovative for its time as I recall. It had been modified to run with two six-volt batteries because they had a home in Northern Wisconsin. It always started for us. We had a black and white console TV that would blow a tube every once in a while. My father would pull the tubes out and go down to the local Rexall drug store to test them on the Tube Tester. Just like Bob, I watched the same shows plus some local ones such as Romper Room, Garfield Goose, and Uncle Johnny Coons (he ran Tarzan and Jungle Jim episodes.) I can remember before I was old enough to go to school that my mother and grandmother would watch "As the World Turns" daily. Our telephone was a "Party Line" and the number was LAkeview 5-1157. No area codes then! When we traveled somewhere (for example, every summer to Durand, WI which was a 14 hour drive before the Interstates,) we would call using an operator "Person-to-Person" for my dead grandfather, of course never home, to save spending money on the long distance phone call! Unthinkable back then with today's cell phones. Summertime we would play outside until the street lights came on. The street would be the softball (16" clincher) field until "Car!" temporarily stopped the play. We played in the street as there were hardly any parked cars in those days. In the winter, we would play in the snow and flood the backyard for a skating rink. I can remember eating buttered Cheerios and fresh snow with maple syrup. I belonged to the NBC ( Neighborhood Boys Club) for organized sports where I broke my nose playing baseball in 1961. We had two neighborhood movie theaters, the "Northcenter" and "The Bug." Both are long gone! I delivered newspapers for the two local papers at various times using my wagon. I would also use that wagon to go to the local lumberyard for supplies that my dad used working on the house. Before I turned 12 (half fare), my father would take me on streetcar and bus rides throughout Chicago on Sundays. As Bob said, simpler times (hard to think that way with the Cold War going on) for a kid back then. Ah yes, then the 60's!

That's what old folks do Brian.

terry and i have been working on the dash decals the past week or so and we also came up with a new design for the other decals. all morning i have been preparing the 416 by removing the old dash decals and the last set of custom decals we did. i also decided that since they were all off that i would break out the da and give the paint some more depth and shine. that factory paint responded once more to some polish and i think its about as good as its ever going to get. so stay tuned for some more custom decals from terry a little later on....... heres the 416 all naked waiting for a new set of clothes.....

Thinking next year, maybe get a new mower something with a little more 'pep', cut down on seat time. Looking for something with a 0 - 60 ...say 4 seconds, top out at 130 and blade rpm of...oh I don't know....say 4000. Mmmmmm , well at least its RED. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH_Qb4fdHfg

For the camshaft timing it is very easy to get it a tooth off. The cam and crank gears slide together as you insert the crankshaft and since they are hypoid gears they have to be slightly rotated together. The picture below shows the camshaft marking. I don't seem to have a pic of the crank mark but it is cast into the crank gear. More like a lump in the crank casting that kinda resembles an arrow. You can see both marks with the oil pan off. If the cam is 180 degrees out the camshaft eccentric for the points won't be in the right place. Seriously though, it would be impossible to get the cam 180 out on a 1 cylinder engine. Either way the piston is at TDC. If it is a tooth or two off though it needs to be corrected or it will never run right. The points timing needs to be set correctly after taking the engine apart too. The ignition timing is set by the dwell of the points. There is a peek hole in the shroud over the flywheel where you can find the TDC marking on it and another mark for the correct timing advance. If you are familiar with automotive engines you can set the points from there. It is like setting the dwell on a Chevy distributor, you move the points in and out and that adjusts the timing.

Well got a real wet snow yesterday, So got MJ on the Camera. Here is the 520 Snow Chucker in Operation. ~Duke

Grew up a Wheel Horse kid and we had a 1968 8hp WH (I want to say C-100 or something) and then in the mid 80s when I was 10 my mother vetoed a purchase of a new 300 series and my father "settled" for a used 1975 C-160 Hydrostatic with hydraulics etc. We sold off the snow blower 15 years ago or more as it was a better plow than snowblower for New England heavy wet snow.....fond memories of ducking exploding PTO clutch plates....... Anyways, fast forward to 2000 when I bought my first house and I ended up with the C160 and we mowed with it for years with the 42" deck. Now we just use a simple self propelled rig to mow our yard, however we have a log cabin in northern Vt that is our pride and joy and dammit, I need a toy to play with and I will get the C-160 running again. It's been a couple years since it saw regular duty, been sitting in the shed with the battery pulled for a year or so. I would like to find a plow for it, I think I found one on CL for $150......might have to pick that up, also I need a few things done/fixed: The seat bracket broke, so the bracket that holds the whole rear fender/seat assembly and lets it pivot etc. let go and snapped......anyone know where I could score a new one or should I jsut have someone fabricate one? Oil......it needs an oil change......what weight oil and how many quarts? I still have the manual in mint condition but after 38 years I figured someone might suggest something different for the Kohler 16HP mill..... Oil filter? Tranny oil.......what kind and how many quarts? I have a 900' dirt driveway that can get rutted up in the mud season and I would like to be able to plow the sandy soil back to level with this rig as well as move firewood etc. Any helpful links etc. would be appreicated, meanwhile I will soak up the archives here, great forum..... Thanks Steve

Yes I forgot to say how much I enjoyed this thread too guys, You all were a bunch of fun and the ribbing was cool too. Thanks to all of you for making this a fun and successful thread. Wow. 414 posts and all in good spirit. Special thanks to my buddy Stevillinisaurus for all your hard work.

The foursome in the boiler room has been determined!!!!

Steve... they need a quote on a new roof. PM me and I will get you the address Tony

My Bud Jon had two last year and swore never again! But here we go again! He has one from Thialand, and his boss brought others from Germany, Finland, Mexico and Columbia to learn how to snowmobile. As their insurance does not allow them to drive anything or shoot anything, they could only ride with Jon's oldest daughter towing the others on a sled. Jon promptly hit a 3' boulder at the driveway while warming his old 377 Skidoo, re-aggrivating a torn thigh and forcing him to the house. I was left overseeing 6 excited teen girls speaking as many languages! What a trip! I could not understand a word, but they could and were having a blast! 3 had never seen snow in their life, let alone a snowmobile and sled. They went round and round the property for hours, so much for me hunting tonight. In between rides they made snow women. When they went in for hot chocolate, I beat feet as I was hours overdue at home. Today is one of those days that just happen, and you will never forget!

RESULTS OF WEEK # 14 NOVEMBER 30 WINNING TEAMS...IOWA, MICHIGAN ST...OHIO ST...INDIANA...NORTHWESTERN,,,PENN ST. WEIGHING IN AT... 5 WINS AND 1 LOSS...JIMD, SQOUNK BRAGGING RIGHTS FOR THE WEEK.. 4 WINS AND 2 LOSSES...STEVASAURUS, PAPAGLIDE, BRRLY1, RMCIII, BITTEN 3 WINS AND 3 LOSSES...BK-SCOUTER FINAL STANDINGS...TOTAL... 78 WINS AND 18 LOSSES.....BRRLY1...CHAMPION.. * corrected 75 WINS AND 21 LOSSES.....RMCIII 74 WINS AND 22 LOSSES.....JIMD 73 WINS AND 23 LOSSES.....PAPGLIDE 72 WINS AND 24 LOSSES.....BITTEN * corrected 69 WINS AND 27 LOSSES.....STEVASAURUS 66 WINS AND 30 LOSSES.....SQUONK 64 WINS AND 20 LOSSES.....HODGE71 62 WINS AND 30 LOSSES.....BK-SCOUTER I hope my math is right...can't believe there are no ties...what a season...it has been a lot of fun gentlemen . I will start a new thread when the bowl pairings come out...GO BIG TEN IN THE BOWL GAMES...YA RIGHT CONGRATULATIONS TO BRRLY1...he is the only one that picked IOWA all season... :) Alabama just lost to Auburn...OMG...here we go... OK...I think the math is right now...the guys that were in all season...games add up to 96

In Tamaqua PA, we have a hardware store that sells just about everything. They also have a seasonal and power department that sells chainsaws, lawn mowers, ect. They mechanic is a WH guy and pulls in competition with them. They will service and order parts for anything. They had a 520 and a 312 there last week. They will help you out with questions wether you buy a new zero turn, or a 2 dollar fuel filter. I guess we are lucky to have a place like that around.

That sounds like a great deal on that MF and I can understand if you wanted to trade. I really enjoy my WH tractors and I'm not going to let some rude dealer change my mind about them and as mentioned, with the great "teamwork" on this site with some parts about anything can be fixed. You know the sad thing is, with dealers like we ran across I wouldn't ever consider buying a new product from Toro if that is the kind of "support" I could expect to get. I couldn't help but think if I spent $5000 on a product today and was needing help 15 years down the road, would this guy give me the time of day. Bill, your rignt about finding your part numbers in advance. I had looked at the parts list on the Toro site but couldn't quite get a handle on the mannifold O rings.

Gosh! Thank you. It's your sincere appreciation that makes it why I enjoy doing this as a hobby. This is a great family. Glen

well done Lars

happy b day Brian..

Very nice work Lars, as usual.

Hello All, made contact with the student. Hes going to cut me a steel Wheel Horse and hopefully I can meet up and get sme pics/video of the turbo. Tony

These guy's went far beyond when I needed parts for my 718Z, They ended up getting my part from another dealer in NC Grassland Equipment 892 Troy Schenectady Rd, Latham, NY 12110 (518) 785-5841

Sorry ibskot , I get a little complacent with jargon, not realising some maybe unfamiliar. Yes , as Mike (Squonk) explained , maybe give the Carb a clean as well.

WOW...Lars...that is major. I think it will work for you...depending on what you are going to use the horse for.. Great pictures...if I was in the states...I would just get another axle.

Maybe "Godzilla vs. Gork" or "the Incredible Shrinking Fungus"!

You are going to catch up with me...if you keep having birthdays. Hope you have a great Birthday Brian. :happy-jumpeveryone:

I was born in 1950. My family consisted of mom, dad, and an older brother. Life was simple. As kids, we played outside almost all the time. Rarely watched TV. Shows like Howdy Doody, Romper Room, I Love Lucy, Our Miss Brooks, and of course Saturday morning cartoons were watched on occasion. TV was so bad that my mother used to drape a blanket over the TV and my brother so we could see the image. When we played outside, we were cowboys, indians, pirates, soldiers, and anything our vivid imaginations told us to be. We came in for lunch and supper, but were back out until dark. We camped out under the stars, and played in the puddles during rain storms. On rare occasions, we went to the movies. Old Yeller, Davy Crockett, Bambi, and Godzilla were a few that we could see for 25 cents. 5 cents bought you a Bonamos Turkish Taffy or a bag of popcorn. Dad filled the old 52 Ford pickup at the Sinclair station for 15 cents a gallon and got the windshield washed, oil checked and tires inflated. On Sunday we went to church, then to grandma's for Sunday dinner. No stores were open on Sunday. Where I lived, life was centered around the family. We got a telephone in 1952. Our number was 53M. Mom always had a garden, and we were never hurting for food, even when times were tough. I always wore hand-me-down clothes, that had been handed down to my brother by my older cousins. A trip to go shopping meant a bus ride to Baltimore City. There we had Sears-Roebuck, Montgomery Ward, Macy's, Hutzlers, Hochchild Kohns department stores. In our town, we had a real hardware store where you could buy anything. My dad would typically buy a bag full of nuts, bolts, hinges, screws, wire, fuses, and other stuff, and for less than $1.00. I was not into music when I was a child, but I did take piano lessons, and learned to appreciate real music. In 4th grade I played the trumpet. We were not allowed to listen to Rock and Roll, and my mother thought Elvis Presley was evil. But life in the 50's was simple and good for an All-American boy. I could go on and on, but then came the 60's, and everything changed.

As for price I see them run from $75 to $125 far from rare or hard to find, I see them often, I have 3 sets here, they are also used on the front wheels of the Cub low boy tractors, they also came in 3 colors Red, off white, and yellow, the ones with the IH logo on them are more sought after but still only about $125

Happy birthday Brian.

Happy Birthday Brian. Hope the day finds some new red in the shed. Have a great day!

Not to hi-jack this thread but this is a really good opportunity to say that it is nice to be able to work with a dealer in case something is wrong. The problem that I have run into is cost. Yes I like to support my local dealer especially the one I have used for years. The fact is the dealers price is sometimes 20 to 30% more than what I can find it on-line for. I just recently bought some Toro/Wheel Horse OEM items for 40% less than what my dealer was charging and that included shipping. I have in the past gave my dealer a chance to match or at least come close but he said he just could not do that. I understand business and know he has his cost, etc. but when you are faced with pay more and in some circumstances a lot more in order to support a dealer, it just does not add up for me. I have to get the biggest bang for my buck and unfortunately going the Internet route is being route I have to take. I don't like it but circumstances dictate it. I fully understand what flyovrcntry is saying and I am sure there is times you just should work with a dealer but the price they charge now a days you have to look to the net. Just kinda stinks to me. I guess the old saying "What it is, is What it is"

I want to compliment each and everyone one of you folks for posting pictures of your tractors. Imho, each of them is great. Thanks fellas, you sure help to INSPIRE! Glenn

Sorry to hear of your problems. That oil splash thingie on most kits is long enough to use in deep sump oil pans and I have had to cut it down in the past. The spitting back could be cam timing, but I would think the compressin would be very low. Since it runs the compression has to be rather good, I would take a look at the carb. and the engine breather first. If the float is set too high or the vent hole is plugged it could cause spitting. As I recall (I'm suffering from oldtimers, can't remember all the time) the cam gear has one tooth with a dot on the side and the crank has two teeth with dots on them, the cam tooth with the dot goes between the two dots. Good luck and keep us posted.

How about a special video: "Tearing down a Kohler From the Shores of Lake Michigan"!

I have one: Mine began as a 1968 Charger 9. I built it about 8 years ago here in my own shop and didn't have access to fancy machinery, so everything was done with my hand grinder, sawzall, Dremel, hand drill, Miller 135 welder, etc. Unfortunately I did not document the build, but I do remember some of it. I removed all of the original front axle brackets and welded a piece of channel iron under the frame rails. I used a modified late 60's (iron) mower deck spindle assembly to mount the wheels to the tractor. All sprockets, chain, (#40 single-row) 3/4" flange mount bearing and upper steering shaft with u-joint came from various eBay sellers. To "slow down" the steering, I also built & installed a reduction (cluster) sprocket midway between the steering shaft and the front end. Using roller chain / sprockets allows maximum rotation - which in my case is infinite because I never got around to installing steering stops.

here's a another fresh pic with blower attatchment

The secret to welding cast iron is to use a high nickel content rod and to preheat the pieces and then cool slowly after welding to normalize the stresses in the metal, put the pieces in or on the woodstove and get them hot, weld them and then throw them back into the stove and leave them until the fire burns out before trying to use them. if you don't have a wood stove just build a nice hot charcoal fire and use that for the heat process.

Yep...the wife, and that crazy cat too.

I will plant a tree Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk