Leaderboard

Our 1985 WH 310-8 has been parked in a dry shed since 2000, after it started fouling plugs within a few minutes of run time. Always meant to get back to it, but life intervened. I retired last year and am finally getting to my to-do list. I am starting a refurbishment (not a full restoration) of the WH and plan to track progress with pictures. First thing I need to do is replace the rotted tires so I can more easily shift it around. I received the new Carlisle's this week, but found one of the old front wheels is rusted through the bead so I am looking for a replacement. Any recommendations out there? Here are some initial pictures. I pulled the wheels, mower and fender today. Getting ready to pull the engine tomorrow if I can figure out how to lift it.

Well even though it was blowing and windy got to finally see some warm weather to paint my wagon

A few friends and I did a resto on a Bronco 14 last winter for a friend of ours. Here are some pictures of the end result.

Mrs. P has a couple girlfriends over. Kids have one friend over. Shop night!

rjg854 - The plug was fouled with burnt oil and it was exhausting blue smoke 21 years ago. I pulled the head at the time and the piston & head were caked with burned & wet oil. I decided to find something else to work on at the time. It was my sons' training mower when they were in high school in the 90's and I suspect it took a lot of abuse when I was not around - if their learning experience with my cars was any indication. I'm taking the engine down to richmondred01 next week to tear down and do a more complete diagnosis. A few years ago I would have tackled this myself, but my to-do list now has "playing with my grandkids" on it as my #1 priority. 953 nut - Thanks for the link to the hydraulic cart. I was planning to use an old bomb hoist (and two grown sons) but this looks like it might be useful for the frequent times where it would be nice working at bench height. Here are a couple of pictures after it was cleaned before starting the tear-down

Time to get my 2020 Easter Peeps out of storage. Like bourbon, I like some age on my peeps.

NO... no thats cheatin.... we catch you cheatin we is sending this sickle after ya....

New guy here and thanks for having me. I’ve been picking up a few lawn tractors this winter and doing what needs to be done and then selling them. Not WH stuff but, let’s just say, stuff that’s been made in this century. I’ve decided I’d like to work on something a little older and I’ve been watching FB for tractors. I see WH stuff but don’t know much about them. I saw a reasonable B80 this week but missed it so now I want a WH machine in the worst way. It looks like a lot of folks are fans of the brand. I have little knowledge of this brand other than what I’ve researched In the last week or so. I’m a retired guy that just loves to “wrench” on something. I’m not a collector (yet) and would more than likely sell whatever I worked on once I got it to a dependable state. I don’t need to make money on it but I do need to enjoy it. Can you give me any info on what models are common and would be a good candidate for minor restoration? Looks to me like the WH era to watch for is maybe mid 60’s to early 80’s. They are still around and solid machines that can be found at a reasonable price. I like this mid-size lawn tractors with a deck. I like original stuff. I doesn’t need to be pretty, but I like things to work well. Anyone in the Grand Rapids area who cares to talk tractors can PM me.

Been looking at adding tools to our arsenal here and there. I currently cut metal with a sawzall or jigsaw for the most part. To try for better precision on angles and overall ease I picked up an inexpensive Porter Cable chop saw.

Finished the under side of the 1257Heavy paint on frame and then tried out a paint on the rims... said copper.... I don't know... 🤔

You’re right about the age ranges. Most of the stuff you mentioned can exchange most attachments as well. I have two daughters at home, the young one really enjoys projects with Daddy and they are both quite good with their motor skills. Garden tractors seem to be a perfect learning tool for them both and not too intimidating. This was early last year, so we’ve added quite a few along the way.... but check these videos out for some inspiration!

Oh yum! Peep Pee !

to the forum. Lots of good folks here who are willing to help. If you've got questions ask away. Somebody will be along who has seen whatever problem you have and has solved it. A carb rebuild on a Kohler is very easy. I use spray carb cleaner and torch tip cleaners (gently!). Takes less than an hour, unless the carb is really filthy and needs soaking. My local hardware store stocks the rebuild kits for the carb for somewhere between 10 and 20 bucks. One thing you will want to check on the carb is for excessive play between the throtitle shaft and the carb body. If it is loose, it can be repaired with brionce bushings typically available in the small parts drawers in the hardware store. Something else you should consider is changing the fluids in the engine and transmission. New air and transmission filters are a good idea too. A trip around the tractor with a grease gun won't hurt either. Doing this gives you a known starting point for your maintenance. While this is primarily a Wheel Horse site, we also enjoy other brands. Go ahead and post about your Sears in the alternate brands section of the forum. Good luck and have fun.

Painted the underside of some 416-8 tins to get a feel for mixing Rustoleum/acetone/hardener. For my first time I’m happy. The weather really wasn’t ideal for painting but I will definitely wait for better conditions to do the top sides. This was also the cheap harbor freight purple gun.

Today after Work i tilled the Field than i cleaned the whole area arround the House and put all on my Horse Trailer and do a ride with the Trailer into Forrest to the Dump. I decide to ride the Road along, GPS tells me 18 Km/h ok not fast but not too slow. after i ride back onroad 😂 and put the Trailer back into shed. At least i decide for a extended Trail ride to the swamp Area - about 2hr Ride. Here i have a Break, took few Picts and ride back.

The belt is on. I hope it correct. Also working on a parking brake. I think I'm making headway.

ARRRRGGGGHHH the SUSPENSE!!!!!!!!!!! Its ALMOST as bad as Colossus!

To RedSquare! A tip for the site... you can type the “at” sign then start typing a screen name to tag the person @Farmer_John

You can see how dangerous these things are. Where are his FEET???

Vintage Peeps are excellent for filling holes in field stone foundations! I think they make em out of left over spray foam cans!

Wow.......I didn't know they had a 310-8 on the Titanic.All kidding aside,good to see another horse coming back to life.Should clean up pretty well.Good luck with your project.You'll get lots of help here.

If you have a Napa nearby it's 75-200 fluid IIFFF it's still red. That's old type ATF. Filter is a Napa 1410 or Wix 51410. Same filter. Avoid fram.

My experience on N/A bikes, cars, and small engines has been that straight thru exhaust kills your low/mid range torque but can slightly increase hp at the top end of the rev range IF you have a modified valvetrain/cam and can increase the redline. On a stock engine all you're doing is generating a ton of noise and ruining driveability. That said I loved how my stock Yamaha XS650 sounded with straight through 1.5" pipes cut real long... Shorter pipes caused it to pop and backfire too much even after jetting the carb but the longer pipes took care of all that. Now on a turbocharged vehicle, yes straight through is always better across the powerband than running a muffler but there are much different dynamics at play when boosting.

A few pics from there in 2018

Most ground work and setting in done on back. Modeling will follow after the rest of groundwork is done.

It's a custom set up for sure. Needed to accommodate for a limited reach. The plow frame was originally for a short frame tractor. It was stretched to fit this Bronco 14, pivot handle placement was moved, and a custom cable set up to pull the lock pin. When finished, it worked very smoothly.

Just picked up m 2022 peep supply. Hope I can wait a year to try out the new cotton candy flavor. Too bad they didn't come in the bunny shape. Bunnys are better than peeps. The bunny ears dry better and really get crunchy.

I didn't eat many sweets when I was young. But the older I get the more I want...

If you get a wheel horse you'll want to keep it and sell whatever you're using now. And

I like Peeps...

Yup. Family tradition here - we make s'mores over the burning Christmas tree using the leftover Easter peeps on the 4th of July.

Always working with as much on hand as possible i had to make a shaft adapter for the pulley. The engine I chose had a stepped shaft.

The fact that your hydraulic system is functioning without having service for twenty five years is a true testament to the toughness that was built into them.

to the forum. Lots of folks here have traveled the same road you are starting down. If you get stuck, post a question, as somebody here has already come across it, fixed it, and will be happy to give you advice. More likely, several people will chime in. Just a caution, without being a supporter, you will be limited in the number of photos you can post.

Hello Gentlemen, (yes I assumed your gender) New to the garden tractor world. I made a few purchases this spring. First is, and what is relevant to this forum, is a 71 Bronco 14. Ill see what I can do to figure out how to post pic.. It is in running condition, but will need some attention. first it needs a carb cleaning and then the ignition system addressed. so I will need to pick some brains around here as to where I can find info on here as to a thread on how to go about that. I looked threw the owners manual section and didn't see my model tractor so any help with that would also be appreciated. I bought a front "a frame" plow blade for it, little unsure if I got the right set up. I think I am missing some bracketry to attach to the hydraulic lift I did get a rear bracket for the axle though, so I will need some info on that and how it hooks to the hydro. I am missing the rear lift bracket and a cable, but don't know what I am looking for in a bracket??? I want to run a box blade of some sort on the rear. I plan to dig up and re-stone my driveway this spring. I ran it around the yard some today, The motor ran decent, has some backfiring on occasion and a slight miss, hence my need to address that, but overall good test drive. Learning the controls. The drive belt to the hydro trans is quite noisy when engaged so, I need to investigate that and do general maintenance to pulleys ect. . The steering is a little loose at the rack and pinion area so a fix is needed for that, I am also suffering from a lack of braking system. the pedal moves the hydro drive lever back to the neutral position, but is it supposed to have an actual brake??? the hydro lever is quite sensitive around neutral also, like the neutral creeps forward so i pull back slightly and it takes off in reverse. Don't know if I am explaining that properly. I am also i need or a repair idea on one of the hydraulic lines to the front of the lift piston. it was repaired with a piece of coper and is leaking. so I need the fitting replaced at the piston and a hydraulic hose, or a cleaver repair idea. So yea, it runs and drives, but needs attention to almost everything :) I think I have enough questions for my first post on here. so try not to beat me up too much. Thanks, David. The sears 12 is the other tractor I bought. but that is another story for a different forum.

Hehehehe. Agreed.

Here are a few mixing pointers Using mineral spirits in Rustoleum would be great on a warm or hot day as it will slow the drying time. Enamel reducer would be a good all around reducer and probably what I would use. Acetone will greatly decrease drying time and would be good in cooler temps. Reduction instructions should be printed on the paint can. I usually follow the recommended reduction ratio. If it is not printed on the can, check their web site for recommendations. Enamel hardener is usually added at a ratio of 16 parts paint to 1 part hardener.

The older tractors are my favorites but my heard ranges from '57 to '93 so maintain an open mind and buy whatever strikes your fancy, again and again and again.

One o them is also in the research and possible purchase phase. @OldWorkHorse uses a similar thing.

My go-to metal saw is a Port-A-Band.

Trip out to get some cam locks for the new water pump, discovered a garage that has replaced their air compressor then at another location a pair of snow machines.

Thanks for your input! Im new to this forum and wheel horses but it looks like I'm here to stay now. Already arranged to pick up 520 and got the price a little lower.

Being a supporter is not a necessity but it helps keep the lights on. Thanks

David, nice Bronco! It seems you have been dealt what you need as far as your maintenance items. I can only suggest when you give it a grease job, jack up the frame under the engine so you can relieve the pressure on the front axle pin, spindles, etc. that’ll allow the grease to get where it needs to be. I can also suggest (though it seems you get this already) that we really like pictures!

The Sundstrand has no mechanical braking system, the hydro stops the tractor from moving when in neutral. The Hydro lever being sensitive around neutral is commonplace. There is a spring loaded friction device on the motion controller that can be adjusted to take care of that, see page 22 (part 1) of the manual below. This manual will tell you how to set the neutral adjustment too. https://wheelhorsepartsandmore.com/

As others have said, Was the plug fuel fouled, or oil fouled? Before pulling the engine, maybe take off the head to see what's going on inside there. Might save a lot of work, unless you already know what's wrong with it, and the engine needs to come out.

Welcome to the forum. The ID plate can be seen under the dash in the 2nd photo you posted. Post those numbers and will add them to the list. This link will take you to 21 files on the model 1-0420. There was also a model 1-0421 in 1971. https://www.wheelhorseforum.com/search/?&q=1-0420&type=downloads_file&search_and_or=or&sortby=relevancy Garry

To look for parts for these Wheel Horses feel free to post an ad in our wanted section. A great vendor is A To Z Tractor in Pennsylvania. I'll be looking forward to the pictures....

Let’s defund the post office rather then the police.