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I have been using my beat up old 633 the last month to move my car hauler around when I need it. I bought the 633 a few years back and took the K141 motor off because I didn't want to wear it out in case I ever decided to restore it...I put a 5 HP Tec motor on it that I had laying around. A few weeks ago the carb was really acting up so I took a chance and bought one of those $25.00 Chinese carbs that are being sold on ebay. I put in on and was really surprised how well it made the old motor run ! I went outside this afternoon to cut the grass and thought why not use the tractor ? My lawn is really small and to use a tractor is kinda silly...but I figured I would try it and see if the carb was up to some hard work. I wish I took a before pic... I'm really happy with the way it came out ! BT

"Man insults mower by comparing it to his Wheel Horse, mower punches him in mouth. More on this story at 6:00" What a news story.

Still More. Will post some of back end work I did last week. john

O.K. more pics. She looks a bit odd all covered in WD40. The frame forward of engine cleaned up nicely. Actually ended up doing hood Had trouble uploading images on last post so I'll try again

Here are a couple pictures of the original 953 Wheel Horse steering wheel. You do not see many of these original steering wheels still on a 953. I do not believe they used this steering wheel on all the 953's as I have seen too many 953's with the later 1054 type wheel with the rounded cap/logo insert. Glenn Pettit has a boat steering wheel in white just like this one. Last year I gave Glen my 953 steering wheel insert to use (the diamond shaped one was made out of brass and painted matte black and had a dimond shaped logo decal on it in the center which Terry Dennis has already made up too) to make a mockup plastic insert for use as a replacement for any folks that have this diamond shaped steering wheel but no insert on their 953.

950 is a pipe dream. The hrs. aren't exactly low, the seat is toast (at least 150 bucks for the correct seat) If you do need to replace the tires there is 300 right there. All of the attachments need work (blade missing some parts) and they are kinda crusty looking. I wouldn't offer 650 for it, especially if I don't NEED it. I won't say its not worth 650 but I'd want a better deal than that to get me to pull the trigger. JMO.

Went to yardsales as usual this weekend. Was at one talking to the guy and my wife came over to me and said there was a Wheel Horse over by the garage. So kinda jokingly I said to the owner "How much for the Wheel Horse". (I hadn't even seen it) He said "What Wheel Horse?". I said "The one over by the garage." Well, I came home with it. I paid him and loaded the van. It's not perfect. He was replacing the engine. The intake elbow is missing. The rear axle is model #90-2046. He has the correct rear hubs someplace. I didn't see the PTO any place. No seat. He gave me all the extra parts in the pic. A "K301S" with a gear on the shaft. The 15" wheels. A starter generator. The carb and air filter are there. So .... should I fix it up? Nothing is known about the replaced rear axle. I'm leaning toward putting it back together. If he has the hubs and I can find an intake elbow it will be well on the way to recovery. I don't have much in it at this point. Here's the pics. I became a supporter today just to make it easier to share the photos. Thanks, Joe

I know where there WAS a tire garage that used the ether method on a big truck tire....Notice I said "was", as in it burnt to the ground while trying to seat a tire!

Bob, I just reread this post and reread what Sparky wrote. I compared that with the prices that I see here in Western NY and I find myself agreeing with those prices. If I really wanted it, I would offer $700 just to get it. If I "just wanted" it and didn't care if he said no, I would lower my offer to $500. Like Van also said, $600 would be fair to all. I agree with that. I am not into screwing people over just to get the cheapest price for myself.

Bob, any decision yet? The more I read, the more my original guess price is dropping. Now I find myself in the 500. dollar range also. I cleaned my glasses and revisited the pictures. Glenn just sayin

Mowed this evening, and as is my habit, I hosed down both the push mower, and the 312-8. As I was was hosing the underside of the el cheapo Poulon Pro push mower (I hate this thing), I shifted my hand from the second cross-bar of the handle, to the first. Unfortunately, I missed the handle, and grasped the brake/kill lever instead. Damned thing popped out of the holes in the handle, and allowed the entire mower handle to smash me in the mouth. Got one helluva fat lip. To keep this topic on Wheel Horses, my 312-8 has never given me a fat lip.

So now I'm a RS Supporter. As soon as my profile gets updated I'll post more pics Hmmm a 50's setting eh? (we really do say "eh" a lot) I may be able to come up with something John

Around here anyway. Been looking to buy a small utility trailer to haul my 312 back and forth to my property out in the sticks. Putting it in the truck, removing and reinstalling the deck, and the interminable drive back and forth just isn't cutting it. I figured that I could finish putting a hitch on the Grand Cherokee, get a nice utility trailer, and haul the tractor in style, and in air-conditioned comfort. That is, until I saw what most folks want for a trailer. Unless you want a hacked up POS, any trailer you aren't ashamed to put in your drive will cost you around $600 and above. Being that I am as tight as the bark on a tree (having 5 kids will do that to you), I have decided to go another route. I figured, what the hell!, get another Horse. For $500 or less, I have found several Horses for sale that can be used at either my place here in town, or out in the country. I will just keep a tractor at both places, and cut down on the hours used on both. This solution does several things: completely removes the onerous process of transporting a tractor 100 miles every week, cuts down on the work hours of my one tractor to less than half, lessens the maintenance costs and time, and most of all, gives me an inarguable reason to buy another tractor. Geez, I am so smart.

It should say on the tire maximum pressure when seating beads. Plenty of soap is the key.

Glad you didn't loose a tooth!

Great idea. Makes sense. You obviously don't work for the government.

Here is the wiring diagram for your B-80 I do not condone the bypassing of any safety switch, but if it is necessary to do so temporarily, the wire from the "S" (start) terminal on the ignition switch goes directly to the small terminal on the solenoid. The ammeter wire gets connected to the same large lug on the solenoid as the (+) battery cable. The condenser wire and the points wire connect to the (-) side of the coil. The condenser body must be securely connected to ground.

Picked up this '74 C-160 a few weeks ago and hadn't had a chance to post it yet. It was a one owner tractor bought new in '74 by the husband of the widow I bought it from. She was one of those women who had lived her whole life on a farm and could probably outwork most people half her age, myself included! She was still using the tractor to mow the ditches when it dumped all of it's transmission fluid out the RH axle seal. The local Toro shop said the bearing and seal needed to be replaced, and the cost to fix it was more than she wanted to put into it, so that's why she was selling it. I couldn't drive it in that condition, but the engine seemed to run well. The 48" deck is in very good shape and bearings are nice and quiet. The pads on the deluxe seat aren't the best, but at least everything is there. Overall the tractor looks well maintained, but also used pretty regularly it's whole 40-year life. She gave me the original manual. In it were lots of notes about services done and when. The hour meter shows a little over 1000 hours on it, but it wasn't hooked up so who knows how many hours it really has. The notes don't say anything about engine work, but it looks to have a newer shortblock in it. It has had some modifications over the years, but nothing that can't be undone as far as I can tell. I have already pulled the deck off and put it to work on my C-120. It mows very nice although the C-120 does lug quite a bit if the grass is tall or wet at all. It will do just fine for now. I'm looking forward to digging in to the C-160 and getting it back up and running. I'm sure a few surprises await, but hopefully they aren't too bad Dave

Well its just out of the shop for the first cruise around the yard. Pretty happy with it, overhauled the whole steering system including axle pivot pin. New piston, rings,rod, crank ground, and valve seats, three ribs on the front and the seat. What y'all think? Anybody got an earlier serial number? Hoping to see several of you at the Northeast Indiana Steam and Gas Association Show in Lagrange Indiana August 7th-10th Denise and I will be there with this 953 her Stitchin' Chic Cruiser and a few others. Hint hint , Horsefixer, Martin, Steveasauras, sousakerry, smoreau, Kelly, Perry and others I am sure I am forgetting.

had the same problem today. we put 40 psi into some nanco 23-10.5-12 bar lugs and it wouldn't seat fully. left them in the sun for two hours, smacked them with a hammer-not too violently-a couple of times, checked them 30 minutes later and they had seated.

I have a pair from a '69 electro 12 I had.

I think it's rather nice to have a old wheelhorse do such a nice job on the yard

The local authorities keep bugging my wife about the farm animal ordinance. She keeps telling them, my name is on the mortgage so I have to stay!

Hello everyone, I finally got an older Lawn Ranger to restore, it is missing a few things like the right side foot peg, carb. and the muffler needs replaced as well as tires and such. If anyone can help me find the parts I need it will be appreciated. Anyway, the serial number is 62-2089 last number was unreadable but may be a 0 or a 6, I think I have a 32R but not totally sure. Anything anyone can tell me about it will be very helpful.

There's really no substitute for an Echo. They tend to be reilable and easy starting. I've had two trimmers, two saws, a pump, a drill, a blower, hedge clipper, and an engine driven sprayer. All flawless even though I bought most of them very well used. The killer for the economy grade trimmers and saws is the thin chrome plating on the cylinder bore. Higher end equipment (Echo, Stihl, Shindaiwa) use a better, heavier grade to last a lot longer and not lose compression. If you run a trimmer a lot, a premium engine is a nice thing to have. But 17 years out of an economy model is very commendable. I have an SRM-260 (bought new) which is a fairly powerful straight shaft string trimmer. It will swing two strands 0.125" diameter line from its bump feed head and will cut grass, weeds, vines, and even woody stems up to about 1/2" diameter without problem. Tipped vertically, it also makes an effective edger with no need to change anything. Big line is a nice thing. Line this diameter will cut PVC pipe (guess how I know) but it can be respooled down to about 0.080" for around the house. Smaller line requires a different head. I have had my trimmer for 10 years and have never had a jam or misfeed from the bump-to-feed head. If you choose an echo that is a "standard" striaght shaft model, they also will accept a couple of attachments if you have the need. And replacement heads are available if you want to cut heavy brush or add a different type of line loading spool. Of course they also sell the quick change split shaft models as well that offer a wide array of attachments: tiller, thatcher, broom, edger, blower, hedge clipper, underwater weed trimmer, etc. I prefer the straight shaft trimmer, but also have used the curved shaft models and like them too. They are little easier to use if you're shorter like I am (5'8"). My dad has the GT2100 curved shaft echo bought in 1992 and runs it weekly. No problems in 21 years of use with minimal maintenance. Echo warrants a 300 hour emissions life from their engines. Most others only warranty 50 hours. Not sure if this is a statistic with no value or if it means something. Echo makes good stuff. Steve

I finally got a chance to tear into the C-160. When looking up what transmission gasket I was going to need to order to put it back together (P/N 5999), I came across a reference to the in-chassis gasket replacement Since it was the RH side that needed the bearing and seal, the procedure worked well for taking that half of the housing off without pulling the whole rear end out of the tractor. I wasn't sure what I would find when I opened up the transmission. I assumed I would find some debris, but the question was how much. Inside was a nice assortment of filings, bearing race pieces, needles and ball bearings. Wait, what, ball bearings? Oh yeah, the dreaded 1533 bearing, totally trashed. I proceeded hoping I could salvage one from a parts tractor. The axle shaft had a few grooves in it from running on the failed bearing, but based on what I saw I believe the seller's story about not running it after it failed and think that was probably just from pushing it around. The bolt heads on the diff also showed some contact wear from running without the support of the inner bearing. While none of the wear was necessarily good, it was better than I had feared. Just getting the remains of the outer shell of the old 1533 bearing out of the housing turned out to be quite a challenge. There was nothing left to grab on to. Even after cutting it with a dremmel in several places it put up a fight but I was finally able to get it to pop out. The same story on the outer bearing with only the outer shell left and nothing to grab. Just one cut with the dremmel and it fell right out. Despite attempting to be careful with the dremmel, I did get into the bearing races a little bit. I sanded them down to eliminate any burrs, so hopefully that doesn't come back to haunt me down the road. While I had it apart this far, I decided to pull the axle and gears out of the rear end and inspect the bearings on the LH side. Of course the hub on that side didn't want to come off, but a combination of penetrating oil, heat and the trick of using a spare hub to pull it off did finally persuade it to come. Thankfully the LH bearings looked good. With everything apart, I cleaned it all as good as I could, especially the pump inlet screen. With all the debris in there, I don't have alot of hope that I won't have to get into the pump and valve too, but the plan at this point is to put it back together and try it and see where I need to go from there.

never tried butane or ether. Icelandic truck trials and ice road truckers swear by the method

My 657 has that exact wheel/tire combo.

I remember dad doing that years ago and sometimes it worked better than others, especially the fire part. I think I'll stick to my tire changer.

Ever try this before: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFfXhTQBwWI Rob

That's the one I've used in the past.......

65-69 I believe. Maybe into the early 70s, but I don't think so. If they're 4.80 wide they were on a 6-7 HP Tecumseh powered tractor, if they are 5.50 wide they were on 8-12 HP tractors. I'm guessing from scale in your picture those are 5.50?

Just a little update on how the 417 mows with the tri ribs. Not so good. While I love how it now looks with the tri ribs, forward swept front axle with gear reduction steering that I have on this 417. The problem is the deck now cuts unevenly when taking a turn and it probably picks up more grass clippings in the blower screen than it did with the old tires. This I believe is due to the tractor now sitting quite a bit higher in the front now, which in turn raise's the deck more in the front. The quality of cut that I had from the 48 inch deck previous to the tri ribs was absolutely fantastic, it honestly looked like a professional lawn service cut the grass. Though my 417 still runs super strong it does have right around 2000 hrs. on the clock. I'm thinking about switching the deck to my C-161 8 speed and giving that tractor a run. I'd love to do up my 417 as SOMEWHAT of a 420 clone if ya know what I mean...

For $20 I'd have disassembled it and brought it home in a Geo Metro! :handgestures-thumbupright:

Did you look... to see your laughing?

Looks like she's still got it!! Love those round hoods! And in my opinion, those old rear discharge decks make a yard look awesome! Hard to beat! Great looking little 633! :-)

You may want to look at this thread-

I read that and thought you were kidding!!! Best $20dollar Wheel Horse I've ever seen!

I got my C-175 with what the owner said was a bad coil and what were supposedly 2 flea market Harley coils that he never got around to trying. The existing Kohler coil was indeed bad, and after a quick check both of the 'flea market' Harley coils threw a spark so I mounted one up and have been running the KT-17 happily on it for some time now.

When you topped off the oil, did you make sure that you didn't over fill it? Too much oil can cause smoking.

Thanks for checking in Van. I am still nursing the leg. Seems the older you get, the longer it take to heal. I still have a bit of fluid build-up around and above the ankle, so every night I have to sleep with a compression sock on that leg. The laceration is also taking longer to mend than I would have expected. Maybe a little of your peach iced tea would help.

And this is my other baby... Any other riders here ?

Hi, I am in Kenilworth Warwickshire and keep all of the engine parts for K and Magnum engines in stock including rebuilt engines. Web Site is www.guypartsandservice.co.uk Regards Mike 07802 199906

Im not sure what your budget is, but buy a complete rebuild kit off ebay. A little over 100 bucks

You got a GT-14 in a MiniVan???!!! OK, that does it! I'm dragging a Wheel Horse home from the big show 2015 in my Dodge Caravan. Jay, if you're reading this, be prepared to ride home on the roof rack next year!

Do I carry ramps all the time??????????? Yes, in the van but not in the Geo Metro! The van has hauled a B80, Commando 800, 416-8, 520HC, GT1200, GT14, RanchKing, Husqvarna and a MTD. And a few others.

Bob: I just paid $950 for this 1994 314-8 . It only has 500 hours and had a 42 side discharge mower I traded to my brother for the 42 rear recycler deck. I did not get a snow/dozer plow with it. Maybe these photos will help you come up with a price to make an offer. I like they way it mows and operates! I used my 1975 B-80 that last six years to mow my yard and I bought this to upgrade to only a 20 year old tractor!

I think that tractor needs a set of 10.50 wide ags out back.... Looked great like that...

Here are some pics of a couple WH's that I have used WD40 and 4 ott- 0000 steel wool on for paint restoration. The first one is a 1967 Model #857 that I cleaned half of the hood to demonstrate how much paint is hiding under the rust. The 2nd machine is my early production 1955 RJ35 that was pretty much totally fried with rust. I couldn't see any red paint no where on this old girl. The after pics are quite amazing to see how much red paint is underneath the rust! So just spray the machine with WD40 and lightly rub it down with 4-0000 steel wool, that is the finest abrasiveness they make and I don't use any other size! So I hope this will help out guys who don't want to restore a nice original condition WH but just leave it in as found condition!! I think they look just fine the way they turn out with just a good cleaning. You can keep the oiled look on it year round with a few shots of WD40 later in the year too. I usually wipe it down with a towel type of rag just to keep it dry to the touch.

Big pimpin' right there.