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The Sugar Creek Tractor Show was a good time for everyone! It rained for a couple of hours and a few people packed up and left. It cleared up later in the afternoon and most of us stayed around until the end. I unveiled my custom one of a kind 1962 Army Wheel Horse at this show. My buddy had his custom one of a kind double engine Wheel Horse there too. We wrenched on my War Horse for a week straight to get it finished up for this show. It was a lot of hard work assembling all the restored, custom and new parts. It was received very well by most everybody who checked it out. Quite a few Army and war veterans were impressed by the machine. My Redsquare buddies were there too and seemed to like the resto job and custom parts, thanks for your support Tim SpeedyLeedy, Mike 55rj35jr and Derek Octfst and others! As soon as I backed the tractor out of my van, a few people swarmed over to it to take pics and check it out! I had to back away and I shed a few tears, I wasn't prepared for that! All the hard work had paid off right away. I started it up for the first time after the crowd backed off. It ran good and my buddy Packrat(not the packrat on this site) fine tuned the carb. It ran awesome right out of the box! We had one problem with it, the new voltage regulator wasn't working properly. I drove it over to the tractor area and parked it for the day. We will have to replace the regulator later. So here it is guys, let me know what you think. There is alot of rare and custom made parts on this hawg so click on the pics and go over it good. Check out the Serial Number, the very first 702 ever made! Thanks for looking....Hammerhead

Hey guys! It's been quite a while since I posted anything here, but I wanted to share a couple of pictures of my son, Emory, and his suburban. He had been wanting me to get his 60 fixed so he could take it to a show for quite some time. Sadly, my job and my sideline business had kept me from finding time to work on it for him. After having sat all winter, we went to start it and the K91 wouldn't start. Turns out it had lost spark. With only two weeks to a big local tractor show, I decided to go to Harbor Freight and get one of the 6.5 horse predators. Emory wasn't happy because he wanted the original engine. I assured him we'd keep it and rebuild it (needed rings anyway) when we could. He wanted me to paint the black parts red so no one would know we'd switched motors ! Anyway, he wanted to see some pics of him sanding and sitting on his finished tractor. You can't call it a lawnmower - he insists it's a tractor. He was even filmed by RFDtv in a couple of shots for an upcoming episode (no feature, but two good drivebys! Hey - I'm a proud papa!

So, long story short, I was looking for something interesting for my next Wheel Horse. I was keeping my eye out, and then I saw something that kinda stuck in my mind. It was so unique. And luckily, I was able to snag it. I talked it over with my parents, and they helped me out with it, and my dad took the 6 hour one way trip with me yesterday to pick it up. Without further adeiu, here is the info on the D-250 and my findings so far, and some pictures, and a video! So, The tags on the tractor make it a 79, 80, or an 81. but the front loader tags, say 80 or 81, so I am going to call it a 1980 D-250. The tractor runs absolutely beautifully and smoothly, It has just under 590 hours on it, there is a slight belt squeal from time to time, and the alternator light will sometimes flicker, but I will figure it out. Everything works, from the front loader to all the levers, gears, dash lights, steering box has no play, ect. The only problems with it, are that it is not a beauty queen, the headlights and tail lights do not work, the rear fender is broken because it is plastic, the foot throttle is a little weird, it doesn't work perfect, and there is a hydraulic leak in the front somewhere, not large, but noticeable when the tractor sits. With all this said, I have done my research, and will take care of this tractor. I understand how rare of a breed they are, and want to make sure it works for a long, long time. I looked at all the weak points that people say to check for, and everything seems to be alright. It does need some fixin's here and there, and it will need to be treated with TLC, but, this thing is absolutely AWESOME, and I LOVE it. I didn't realize how large it actually was until i brought it home. Click on the pictures to make them larger Oh, and it came with a tiller, with some obvious weird repairs This is how we had to transport it, because it was about a foot too long with the bucket on our 5x9 trailer. This will make some people happy:

Found a 73 today, one owner and had the origanal manuals with. Runs really good and cuts great, came with two decks and wagon (non wheelhorse) The model number says it is 73 Raider 10 Yes he did mount a cake pan and a light to the hood.......

Update: Filled my trash can root cellar with potatoes at the end of August. Today is May 11, 2014 after a real cold long hard winter, the potatoes are almost gone but still real fresh with no eyes or rot after 7 months! Making a Mother's Day potato salad with them today too. Here's a video of this morning's potato haul; I will grow and store even more this summer.

How often can you celebrate your birthday and Mother's day all at the same time? Hope you have a great day Karl. Happy Birthday!

Yea I was on the hunt for that one too. Unfortunately the wheel horse funds was low since I just bought a D250. Nice guy to talk to he was very passionate to sell it to a wheel horse guy. I'm glad you got it. Great score!!!! Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk

"I agree with Van. It is ALWAYS a GOOD idea to have a backup tractor.......you never know when you might need it." Not just a good idea, a must. One Horse might need a break from too much work. Then you could use the other; i.e.: plow with one, run the disks with the other, mow with one, sweep with the spare. Makes perfect sense to my Sons and Grandsons, me too! Gotta love the sound of the purring 20 hp Onan. The ride with the swept axle just feels different or, my imagination. Still you need at least two Horses, one Stallion might get lonely and run off someday! Have a heart, get your Horse a "buddy."

Looks like you've scored...the twin(no pun)to mine. Has a mint plastic pan and high back seat, but I swapped them for the steel 520 version.

Happy Birthday, Coach! I hope its a good one and you get lots of cake and ice cream!

Saving the engine would be my first approach or finding a used replacement. There are plenty of mechanics around including home hobbyist types that could do the labor for a lot less. I purchased a 1986 417A that was ugly and did not run for $250. It only had 550 hours on the clock and the clock worked. The PO said there was no spark and a shop told him it was probably a bad stator. After trouble shooting it turned out to be a simple bad connection to the condenser, The carburetor needed to be cleaned and the starter also needed to be replaced due to many attempts by the PO to start the engine. The baby runs like a top and other than some rust there is very little wear. It also came with a great 48 inch side discharge deck and chrome hub caps. These deals do come up from time to time. Here she is doing some yard duty for me.

I'm going to try and update this with all the little things that have been done since last time. i decided to go back to the standard size engine drive pulley(was going to do the hydro one like on the c125) but decided to just keep this one standard 'speed'. so i cleaned up the 8 speed engine pulley and got that installed. waiting on one pto part and then the pto can go back on. also need to buy a drive belt. 93-9809 and get that on. while i was working on the drive area, i got an idler pulley sorted. the one that was on it was loose and worn in the bearing so i split it and purchased new balls, cleaned up the races, painted the halves and bolted it back together. it went well, but the races had small notches that were really hard to get out. the pulley spins a little noisier than i would like so i ended up just buying a new one from napa. the hd one with the 6203 sealed bearing in it. much quieter and smoother..... blasted the old one. drilled out the spot welds and separated the halves. then rebuilt the bearing using new balls purchased from mcmaster car and put it back together. these are the only shots i have of the old rebuild.... then, not satisfied with the rebuild i purchased a new napa idler part number 7-05485 and removed all the sloppy gray paint and repainted it black, masking off the bearing etc.... also got the headlight harness built. need to get a male/female packard 56 series 2 terminal plug and then thats done...... installed new headlight surrounds part numbers 109494 and 109495. also tied up the loose ends on the brake side of the trans.....

on the site

While the idea of grinding the bearing may sound good, the VAST majority of bearings, especially ball types, have little material to remove before compromising the structural integrity of the race. Consider this: while a ball bearing may appear to have material on the outer race, the center of the race can be much thinner where the ball track lies. Too, the race is quite hard, which also means it is brittle. The thinner the cross section, the greater the chance of breakage. The boring of the casting is about the only option I see in this case, outside of finding an exact replacement bearing.

Good morning rustykan. The discount for support members has no expiration date. I will forever offer a substantial discount to all who support this forum. As long as I am of sound mind and body that is. Make sure to register an account on my website and enter your red square username in the registration form so I can put you in my support group. then when you access the web store and log in the prices you see are adjusted for the discount. Thank you for your support of the forum.

Epilogue: Got this little fella' cleaned up, added a new drive belt and put it on Craigslist for $300. 48 hours later it was sold! Not bad for a $60 tractor, $40 in parts, and some elbow grease!

Thanks Bob! Those Yahoos from CT can never give you an answer when you need one!

Bought my tractor back in 2000, its a 96 or 7 I believe. Came w/ plow, 62 in deck and wagon. When I got it, I was stoked about its beauty. Wax this rig twice a yr. Didn't know there was a community on wheelhorses, but im glad im part of it. Got the surge problem, getting ready to soak carb w/out kit. Crosses fingers.

Ebay find - 1983 Wheel Horse C175 twin - advertised as non-running - $ 500.00. Picked it up - hit it with started fluid - turned on the gas valve - started right up. Mowed the lawn with it. No leaks. Needs some maintenance.

Oh yeah, I wax and polish compound mine too. In between that I use car detail "Spray and Wipe" then "ArmorAll" the tires. But I'm not the least bit OCD about my Wheel Horses. No not me

Thinking I might use this to break ground... and my new FEL to remove the small embankment beside my one lane driveway. Got it hooked up today...but can't bring myself to drop it in the yard yet... concluded, it's definitely gonna leave a mark when I do.

i would think if you had spark when rotating the engine the ignition module is good, its only purpose is to trigger at a specific point the spark. i would be careful testing the ignition module any way other than what is recommended in the manual, if it tests ok leave it alone..... one mistake while testing and you will be replacing it. theres not much on these engines thats cheap to replace......

It may be a 79, but the loader is an 80 or 81, therefore I call it an 80.

I imagine, at operating temps... that ol' 73 cooks like an easy bake oven. Lasagna's done...no need to stop working for lunch.

My neighbor tells me that getting old is a good thing...lol happy birthday Karl.

Great score. I saw that for sale and considered it but decided to let it go. It looks like it found a good home. That machine sits at the top of the Wheel Horse Kingdom.

Thanks Van, I appreciate your answer, even though it's not what I wanted to hear! I am going to call a few shops around this week and see how they compare with my local dealer.($700) maybe I can find some one who can do it cheaper and get that engine rebuilt sooner. I will keep everyone posted. Thanks again everyone for the great advice!

You never disappoint Martin!! Nice find on the hood latches, and beautiful work on your !! Matt

Mike, as a friend I would have to say drain the fuel (even in the carb) and put that sweet 417 inside the garage until you can get the engine overhauled.

I agree with Van. It is ALWAYS a GOOD idea to have a backup tractor.......you never know when you might need it. Right now I have a B 80 that threw a rod, a C 165 that is still having carb issues even after a rebuild and a 417 with a broken governor gear. My 416 is the tractor right now.

+1

Thanks Don, not sure I would want to let the Top Gear boys near it though.. Clarkson likes to paint things green! It's only metal Craig and a lot easier shape to fix than the Lawn Ranger fender pan I have been patching up Thanks Neil, yes it will be nice to do an easy project for a change.. It should take a lot less than the 4+ years my 6x6 has taken so far Thanks Gerry. Hi Chris, the engine is on because I didn't have anywhere else to put it It was great to visit you and your shed last weekend, a place that every Wheel Horse nut should visit at least once in their lives Shame my visit was sort of cut short by my Wife who was more interested in buying fish!! Thanks Bob. Your going to have to wait a little while, I need to do some serious remodeling of my shacks interior to make some working space! Thanks James... I think we are both getting our braking ideas from the same chap on YouTube? Your always welcome mate No progress to report other than while digging through my spares looking for engine parts for diggerjames this morning I found a few parts for Project Zero turn.. A lift handle height stop thingy, ammeter with bracket and the brake discs I plan to use..

regarding the change in positive coil terminal voltage from 11 to 12 volts, when a coil is drawing current, any unwanted resistance between the battery + terminal and the coil + terminal will drop battery voltage before it reaches the coil when the coil is not conducting. no current flows to the coil and resistance in the supply wire to the coil will no longer drop any voltage - so coil voltage goes back toward battery voltage if this issue persists, wiring will need to be checked between the coil and the battery. this means ignition switch connections, fuse block connections, etc. if you want to measure the total voltage drop between the battery and the positive coil terminal, put the positive meter lead on the battery terminal, and the negative lead of the meter on the coil positive terminal the meter will be set to read volts on a low voltage scale. the voltage on the meter will be the difference between the battery voltage and the coil voltage or "voltage drop" across all the wiring powering the coil. this drop should be very small, about 0.1 to 0.2 volts.

Happy birthday!

Happy Birthday Karl, hope it's the best one ever.

Happy birthday Karl, hope your having a good day

Happy Birthday!! Thanks for all you do.

Looks fantastic! Your boy's idea of painting the motor red was a great one. Mike............ (PS....as a father of a 19 year old boy I recommend you find a way to get to the show with your son. I started bringing mine when he was 8 or 9 years old and he went right up till he was 17...then along came a drivers license, a part time job and a girlfriend. Hasn't been since although I ask each year. Don't miss an opportunity to spend a weekend away with your son.)

Have you got one of those extendable magnets? Like this one http://www.harborfreight.com/15-lb-capacity-telescoping-magnetic-pickup-tool-95933.html It should be able to pull it out of there.

Advance auto Strong arm lift support F4673 about $18 bucks. fits perfect w/o having to open up the end holes to fit. TSC also has something for their tool boxes that others have bought.

Hi James, I'm guessing the YouTube guy is snowmangsx1100 and his Cadet style build? I did try brake steering on my 6x6 before going the 2 trans route, I found the brakes were just not up to the job of turning such a heavy machine.... But maybe I built it a bit of the heavy side

man that will be a neat machine to see, purty shure've seen your skills and know you'll geter completed.

You asked for it and now you got it!! Heres my next ride around video this time with multiple camera shots as suggested by andy (wheeledhorseman) Enjoy! James

Those friction hubs are part of a reversing system. About the mid fiftys tractors came reverse ready, which meant you got the double clutch pulley and the back half of the hubs. The other half was still a forwards only one and had to be changed with the kit you bought, that contain all the other reversing parts and controls. You have a nice start to a DB. For inspiring, heres a picture of one of mine.

been working on some more small stuff and will gather a few pics together and report later, but for now i want to report about a find...... was needing to replace the hood latches on this one as well as a couple of other of the later ones and needed to find latches at a more reasonably price than the average $15 or more each that toro wants for them. so i looked at one closely and found they were made by Addco in MN. a google search brings up Actus (they supply them now) and was pleasantly surprised they sell the exact same latches on the 80s up tractors. you can get them in stainless or clear zinc or black zinc as the 90s tractors had. the part number for the black is A-089-0118. they cost $6.97 each, but the kicker is the shipping at $15.59. since i needed them for a few tractors i bought 10 at a cost of $6.29 and the added shipping of $15.59 spread out over the 10 pcs added $1.55 to each giving a total of $7.84 each, less than half the toro cost....... heres the link for anyone interested...... http://www.actusinc.com/latches/a-089-0118.html heres how they look. after you rub off the chalky surface on the rubber, nice new flexible rubber underneath and at a much better deal than the alternative for exactly the same thing. the ones i bought from toro for the c125 last year have the same markings and moulding as these.......

This one will be my first show Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk

Back at it today, except I ran into a new problem. The oil drain pipe actually broke off while I was tilling. The engine on the red C125 has always puffed a little smoke under load, but all a sudden it really started smoking so I shut it off. I looked at the engine and saw oil dripping. Look underneath and the pipe broke off flush with the bottom of the pan. So I loaded her up and went and got the silver one to finish the job. Then I went and did another big job. I always do this garden but thus year he wanted it twice as big. Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

One owner machine, PO worked it it's whole life... and all I've done was wax the bejezus out of it.

Runs good and the deck is awesome 48inchs of grass murdering awesomeness

Mmm, mmm, the best part Van brought tasted just like homemade peach candy.