Leaderboard

Hello all, I joined not long ago as I have a 1996 314-H that I purchased new. It has around 250 hours on it and has been sitting idle for years. It's in excellent condition except that everything was factory including belts, blades, fuel line, tires etc. The hydro was jerky when going into forward and reverse so it has sat for a few years. I worked inside the wheel horse offices in South Bend before and at the time Toro purchased them in the late 1980"s. I would attend the national lawn and garden show then in Louisville every year and it was obvious Toro had no intention of continuing the Wheel Horse line with the same quality. I recall seeing the old solid product line displayed way off in the corner of the Toro outside display area. This is why I made my purchases before they went away. I have been concerned about finding someone with the knowledge and care to work on my tractor. The alternative was to sell it for whatever I could get. Finally I sent it off for a full refresh and hydro adjustment and it came back yesterday and seems like new. I cannot wait to use it. Cost was $1600 to replace all the original parts noted and smooth out the hydro. Feel like I did the right thing because I don't think I could have replaced it with a unit with the same quality for the price. Thanks for letting me tell my story. I wanted to share my excitement and I cannot wait to mow etc. with it again once this Ohio weather breaks. Mike

With that fun out of the way, on to todays progress. Just about finished. Missing the seat. Short frames are such a PITA to get a seat that fits properly. I ordered a Michigan seat from one of our vendors and it looks absolutely wonderful, BUT. The dang thing does not sit flat on the fender pan. The distance between the fenders on a short frame is narrower than a long frame & the seat sits on the fenders and is about 3/4" off from the flat mounting surface. Not the end of the world, I'll make spacers to put under the seat so that it will clear the fenders by about 1/4". The lighting system seems to have worked out pretty well. looks like I'll be able to see where I'm going. The little tail light is very bright. A few decals and a seat & this baby will be done. OH! I could not walk away today without trying to start it. It fired right up after gas made it's way to the carburetor. A few tweaks on the carb screws had it running well. Also tweaked the voltage regulator to bring the charging voltage down a little bit. It was charging at 14.7vdc, turned it down a bit so that it charges at 13.9 to 14.1vdc.

A little more progress today. Wiring took up a fair amount of time today. Should be able to throw some more big parts at it tomorrow. A close up of the ID tag, case @gwest_ca wishes to add the serial number to the roster.

So it's been a while since the parts pile has been picked and piled up for some assembly of something/anything. Been get'n the urge to build something for a long while now so here we go again. Hopefully something new to bring to the big show. This was a project @19richie66 started a long time ago and it's about time it got some luv. The most difficult part for me is just getting it started. But typically once it gets going, time is then somehow found to put into it. -Probably gonna make this a fast one and use low 2nd or 3rd for cruise'n shows. -Front suspension and possibly rear suspension too if my idea works.

I bought this one in New York probably 15 years ago. The swap from the 16 Briggs to a Magnum 10 was already done which is what was appealing about it to me. Plus it came with a bunch of attachments. It’s been a great tractor and has handled all my snow clearing since I brought it home.

Getting close…

I would not flush with ATF...use 2 qts of diesel. Do not drive it around, put the rear end on blocks and run the horse like that. Reason, the diesel is thinner and it could leak through the seals...that would leave streaks in your lawn. Run the horse on blocks in all gears a total of 30 minutes and drain. If fairly clean, add 90 wt (2qts), or flush one more time. Lift your front up enough when draining to do a complete drain.

I had a small fortune in trying to keep the deer out of the tomatoes. I ended up with the electric fence. My wife told me I could have imported tomatoes from Italy cheaper.

Had some spring repairs on the 416-8 - went to get it out last weekend throttle cable was completely seized after that was repaired then noticed an exhaust leak - I don't like the Toro gaskets so I bought exhaust gasket material and Permatex exhaust gasket sealer . Gasket is in - new throttle cable cut to size in - side note this hanger 9 Z bend pliers is the cats meow for 19 dollars on amazon to do throttle and choke work ......just picked it up for this repair

I have two teens (17 and 18) that still aren't driving. Covid was partially to blame, as NC requires driver's Ed completion before issuing a permit. Lockdowns meant no classes for almost 18 months. With that in mind, I'm gonna make sure my son WANTS to drive, and knows how to before we get there...

I do love Spring...

I had hopes of finding an ARK 550 so started with the axle upgrade. Found an axle assembly from Model 61-20 KS01 from a 1976 D-200 (1975 and up) Axle 104390 RH Front Spindle 104394 LH Front Spindle (Cannot find this part number!) Flanged Bearings 104396 (Almost impossible to find) Rims 104339 Everything was direct swap, nice I had to dry fit a spindle.. Front Wheels Set To Go! Refurbished Hubcaps with 2" Decal from Terry 16 x 32 Farm Harvester Tire to raise the rear as my Tiller bottomed out coming out of the garage! A nice set 75 lb IH Weights I love this shot! I enjoy just replacing/repainting sections of the assembly as repairs are done..She plows beautifully! I had to include a shot with the Tiller!

Will there be a snow plow blade used? I think I know where you could find one.

All great guesses, but I knew no body would get it. Guess it's time to let you all in on it's purpose. It is something really simple yet it turned out great in my opinion. What is it?? It is a fixture to hold my mini maker light that I am using as a tail light.

When my Amish neighbor bought the farm next to me, he installed the white tape electric fence around the farm to keep the deer out of the 10 acres of sweet corn. He put a dab of peanut butter every 3 feet on the tape to get the deer to lick the hot wire. It must have worked. He only had the wire up one year and the deer never came back. That was 3 years ago.

Painted the outside of the Work Horse hood… when that dries for a few 2-3 days I will do the Rustoleum Satin Black grille…

If you have 1" axles, there is "NO WAY" you have Limited Slip. You actually have the #5086 transmission...1" axles and 4 pinion differential. The Limited Slip only came with 1 1/8" axles and a 10 pinion differential.

Worked on a set of rims to make up some duals. Welded the inside valve stem hole shut and drilled the outside. Some fresh paint today.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/37188/michelin-built-this-freakish-10-wheeled-citroen-to-test-truck-tires-at-110-mph Sourced from this article: https://www.thedrive.com/news/44934/inside-the-mind-of-a-self-professed-tire-nerd

My old C125 kicked some butt again. 3rd place in this years race. The c101 was a backup incase the bigger one broke. Also it’s a C125 with a 417 hood, dash, fenders.. the video will be out on my YouTube soon!

OK, here is the deal. There are 4 different differentials made during the Wheel Horse years. The 4 pinion differential with 1" axles. Obviously 1" axles are not as strong as 1 1/8" axles. All 4 pinion differentials have 1" axles. The other thing, transmissions with 1" axles and 4 pinion differentials were only used in 4hp to 10hp horses. Horse power makes a difference also. The 8 pinion differentials all have 1 1/8" axles, and have hi/low range transmissions. Both the 4 and 8 pinion differentials have pinions mounted on posts. All of this makes them accept more abuse...which is what you guys are about. The 10 pinion Limited Slip differentials are just as strong.....if you are using your horse for what it was intended. The pinions are smaller and are not mounted on posts. They "float" in the end plates held in by that spring. Yes, the spring can become weak, and it can now be replaced (thank you Lowell). A weak spring can cause the pinions to not inter-act like they should...and you would have more like an 8 pinion differential. The 4th transmission is what is called the Heavy Duty transmission. It is a 3 speed with the bevel gear differential. It came with 1 1/8" axles. It seems the bevel gears can strip their teeth and that makes them rare. 953's and the early 10hp Wheel Horses had them. The point is, all of the Wheel Horse Manual transmissions are strong enough to do what they were intended for- for ever...if taken care of. If you are climbing rocks, pulling competition, flipping over tractors, or otherwise doing things they were not intended for, you are going to break things. There are weak spots in the transmissions, axles, hubs, engines, belts, pulleys, etc. That is just the way it is. When that 400 lb horse flips over on you...the weak spot is going to be you.

Mac & Cheese scoop!

I had these too. I got them with the 856 and the 500 Special I pulled from the weeds.

A new hat for the Tin Man from The wizard of Oz

fender mounted lights got rid of the pull style throttle/choke cables stainless muffler “firewall” for electrical custom fuel tank led tail lights ”air conditioned” halogen headlamps trailer hub conversion quick release air cleaner latch. I really don’t think there is much stock left anymore on mine. 😂

Remember that these old girls are splash lubricated - extreme angles from horizontal can result in oil starvation and connecting rod breakage ....

Hey guys, been away for a while. Been knee deep in the restoration/modification of my 64 C10. Anyway got the loader horse out today to help with some really big red oak rounds. Money in the bank given the price of heating oil!

With new rear rubber

Got into the wheel horse bug a while back with my first purchase of a GT-14 needing serious attention. Kept building the "herd" with 2 C -120 Hydros, then the 416-8 and finally my "crown jewel" C-160 Hydro with hydro lift. Accumulated a Brinley plow, push blade, mower decks and tiller. Not sure why... just seemed the right thing to do. All became clear to me the day I recently took the C-160 with the plow to my new garden plot. Followed up with the C-120 and blade to knock the tops off the furrows. Finished with the 416 - 8 and tiller! Did it all in record time, had a hoot doing it and never had to change an implement! Other C-120 still has the mower deck attached waiting for summer duty. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! Thanks to all the great support and advice from all the folks here on the Red Square.

Hi I’m new here should’ve joined years ago from red square but I have a question about my tractor I own a 1966 Wheel Horse 1276 with the Hydro and K301ST , And came with the 48 inch deck and 48 inch plow I was wondering a dumb question because probably will never be a awnser but how much it cost when it was new from the dealership , I got $1000 into it now still gotta rebuild the starter gen and repaint it but it’s all mint since I got it free 2 years ago and sat for 20 years

Can’t wait to see what you do with it. It’s in good hands. 👍

Well after I painted the hood for the Work Horse, and adjusted the PTO mechanism, I had to take her for another shakedown cruise… and put her in the shop. Then I pulled weeds and put out some of the stump grindings from the 10 oaks I had cut down last May. From this to this… ( My knees are killing me… ) Gonna plant some petunias in that rotten stump… mom’s favorite…

Thanks for the input, I'll do this and report back.

Banana holder.. no doubt....

I have successfully kept the deer away from my small trees with cheap white tape style electrical fence . They do not seem to want to jump it as they nuzzle it first and get a shock then leave it alone. Since it is way away from house I got one of the solar fence chargers.

Rear rims were already silver/chrome when I bought this tractor. Bought new wheels & rims for the front and painted them to match before putting them on the tractor. Bought through Walmart - the rims required about a 1" spacer added on the inside on the spindle, which is a bit of a hack but seems to work fine.

An incomprehensibly horrific hypodermic needle?

Straightening up around here…somehow I now have 5 snowplows and GULP .. 9 axle brackets!! Three mounted brackets and 6 spare/backup brackets

I really wish those front tires were still available. Today's 4x8 tires are closer to 3 inches wide. My 867 just doesn't look right with skinny front tires...

Also added new LED tail lights to the 520-H.

Thanks for the replies. Glad to be on the forum with so many members with so much knowledge. The proof will be when I use it but around the driveway she felt really good and solid. Will post again once I give the 314-H a workout soon. Mike

No need to disassemble the tractor. There's a drain on the BOTTOM of the transmission near the back. Raise the front as much as you can safely do so. This gets the fluid past a bump in the floor of the transmission. Use the diesel or K1. Flush. Likely twice. Add the 2 qts of gear oil. Change the shifter boot too. Watch for leaking seals. Diesel will really show them off.

This is the spring inside the trans that give you limited slip. It just puts pressure on the pinons giving them resistance to turning. It isn't much and these break. Remember limited slip is not posi traction or a locked axle.

have fun with that tractor, it may have been expensive when originally bought, but here it is all these years later and it's still running. Well worth it I'd say.

At 2:40 this morning our friend arrived to stay a couple days. When we woke up this morning we guzzled some 🤠 ☕ and took off for a medium length hike with that friend and another. I'm still slow as molasses going uphill but downhill I'm fine. Getting better. When we got back to the house Trina was still in "go" mode. (of course!!) She started shredding the round fire circle our back and then the friend and I went and helped Trina assemble a combination open BBQ and smoker all made up of concrete blocks. When that was done I helped them move the sides of the outdoor chicken coop into the backyard and they continued with assembly. They made some changes including narrowing the entire set-up 6 or 10 inches so we can use the gate and coop door easier. While they were doing that I commenced to doing a bit of water relocation in the new clearing. Tried to make a wet are drier and also dug the stream a little deeper for better flow control. After.... Fire 🔥🔥🔥

“To the left to the left now, to the right to the right…”.

When my wife asked me how many tractors do I need? I said, how many did they make?

I've been spending March and April sorting out tools in all of my tool boxes. Taking pictures of what is in each box, so I can pull up pictures to find what I need. Way to many pictures to post, but I could show you all of my screw drivers and wrenches. Just know that my Grandfather was a truck mechanic in Chicago. He left all of his tools to me. @Shynon notice the wrench from Owatonna, Minn at the bottom of this picture.