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This is my first tractor that my dad surprised me with when I was 6 or 7 and I was so excited.My dad got it in New York the state.when we tried to start it it had a knocking inside the engine so we opened the engine and it turned out that someone didn’t tighten the bolts holding the connecting rod to the crank shaft.we realized that it was smoking and even shooting out a little bit of fire.Now I fix up push mowers and stuff like that and sell them for money I’m saving up for a rebuild kit because we never fixed the smoke.I’ve also plowed snow with it a few times and it’s original paint and it needs a seat.

Not a barn find but a storage building find. A 1075 and a 1045.

And river otter. Wood ducks are my favorite.

I made a seat for the 953. I know, I know it's not black with a white stripe, but I had this FREE roll of tan vinyl and I actually think it looks good with the brown oil/rust finish. Then I made a storage rack for my 4 decks. Used up another FREE bed rail.

This being introductions: I'm a happily married Christian with a son and daughter, two grand-daughters. I enjoy doing wildlife photography.

Pics speak for themselves Happy Hump Day !! Tony

Hello all! It's been a while since I posted . . . I live in FL now so it's 6 months of warm weather twice a year. I've been working part-time so between that, boating, motorcycles, mowing 5 acres and having a machete accident that set me back a few months, life got busy. Anyway, I live 40 minutes from Leesburg, FL. My wife and I attended shows/tractor-pulls at the Paquette IH Museum and grounds every year. Sadly, the owner Stew Paquette passed way in March this year. The family decided to sell the entire collection and grounds which was auctioned off last week. I didn't want to let a piece of Florida history get lost forever, so we bought one of the collection. We bought a 1940 Farmall H, that originally came from the collection of Richard "Pinky" Provost. His tractors ended up at the museum when he retired to FL and passed way in 2014. So, it's not a Wheel Horse, but IT IS RED! We picked it up last Friday. Oddly, this is what I originally wanted in 2010, but didn't have room for a big tractor when I lived in PA, so I went with Wheel Horses. Now I have room, so... I posted it here because the other thing I learned over the years is there is no other tractor forum as good as this one

A 312-8 would be a great tractor. In my book any with a single cylinder Kohler and a gear shift transmission makes a good strong tractor. Nothing wrong with the hydro's, I just prefer a gear jammer. BTW, great wild life pic's!!

Thanks for sharing your stories Alex! I’ve got one for you now. Hopefully it didn’t come from one of your tractors, but somehow your dad lent a 3 speed transmission to his buddy in 2018, to get a 656 going. I ended up buying the tractor at the Big Show and eventually selling it and shipping it to Germany! Here’s a picture of me on the tractor, then it arriving at @Tractorhead’s home in Bavaria.

Today the fellas got the pine siding pretty near to finished up. The front of the barn is clearly about to eat a man lift. More views showing angles under the shed roofs.

That looks to be a Model 9A, with the quick change gear box as mentioned - that is a plus - more convenient than having to use change gears for single point threading. IF it comes with the collet closer and a set of collets - that in itself is huge. Those collets are specific to the Model 9 and only go up to 3/4" - they are NOT standard 5C lathe collets. Voltage?? Maybe 110 - maybe 220 single phase?? 220 3 phase requires a converter - not cheap. The "pass thru" diameter of a Model 9 headstock allows use of 3/4" round stock - no larger. (the Model 10 series allows 1-1/8). That may be a showstoper there?? It appears to also have the leadscrew reversing mechanism - 3 position - RH, off, and LH - allows you to cut left hand threads. Is it operational as shown?? Show up with a piece of 5/8 or 3/4 aluminum round stock about a foot long. Take a skim cut along its length - this allows you to measure the finished part to see if the lathe cuts evenly. Also allows you to hear any unnatural machine noise. MOST lathe parts are short in length - the bed wears from use and the first 8 or so inches of travel gets a LOT of use - to a point where there is a noticeable dip when measured with an indicator. You are looking to buy a machine that is used, not used up. Yup, demand to see it run - you don't buy a used car without a test drive, right??

Did the fall maintenance, and got it dressed for winter.

Good to see you and you dad are building a great tradition of working together. Lucky son, lucky dad.

Fall lineup

Got the front sided today amongst other things....

When I purchased my WH 310-8, the oil level switch had been disconnected, and after removing the oil pan, I discovered that there were broken pieces of the switch in the bottom of the engine. Being compulsive as I am, I had to fix the switch. The Kohler part # 15 099 02-S is available, but is pricey. The company that originally manufactured them (Gemtech International) is now part of Tyco, and they no longer manufacture the needed version of the switch. I did find that a Madison M7700 has all the right specifications, and have one on order. The cost was $22 on Amazon, and I am hoping that my mighty Conrad Weiser Wheel Horse will have a functioning float switch and test switch by the weekend. I will post an update when I get the switch.

I checked with the builder by phone this morning. Procedure as follows. Over the last three seasons there have been times when he has not been able to choose "new construction" with a nailing flange versus "replacement" windows with no nailing flange. Turns out the way he installs them it really doesn't much matter. All it does is change the location of the screw. Insert window in hole. Generous amounts of caulking are installed. For the top piece of trim only, there is a bevel put on the wood. Behind that is more caulking so the water runs down the siding and out over the top of that piece of wood. More caulking where that meets the lip of the window and the water runs down the face of the window. He couldn't remember a window that had leaked over the last several years. He has had leaks pop up the following season on a south-facing unsheltered high heat location where the boards shrank fast. Because we already pre-painted our boards and because this is a sheltered/shaded location he says there should be no issue. He also said if there is an issue, call him back....

I restored a neglected 312-8 about 5 years ago for my son to use for mowing. It’s been a great machine You might also want to consider the C Series tractors. Like the pre Toro 312-8 they are rugged and have simple electrical systems. The C-120 or C-121 would be the equivalent of a 312.

PayPal is has been good to us. Ours is tied to a credit card and a checking account. Rather than giving out our bank account numbers or credit card number to a vendor Pay Pal is insulating us from being victimized. If we want to pay for a class or membership for our granddaughter it is quick and easy with "Friends and Family" payments. When I was selling on I didn't mind their fees because I wasn't having to wonder is some stranger's check was going to clear.

Since no-one has answered your questions yet, I'll give it a whirl. PIvot Tab The 300 tractors have a cast iron front axle that hangs on a pivot that passes through two holes in the frame. There is a tab welded to the aft end of the pivot that extends upward by about an inch or so. There is a bolt through that tab into a threaded hole in the frame that holds the tab, and the pivot, in place (losing the pivot while driving is an unpleasant event). It is fairly common for the bolt to work loose while the pivot stays in place. And sometimes for the tab to break between the bolt and the pivot leaving the pivot vulnerable to falling out. This is an easily repaired issue assuming the pivot hasn't fallen out and damaged something but it's not easy to see without getting the front lifted up. You can see in this image that the bolt fell out once and the pivot was rotating and scraped an arc in the paint!. Lots of excess grease there too! This is looking from the left side, front to the left and the right wheel in the background. Front Fender Attachment The 300 tractors have a full fender covering both rear rear wheels and the transmission and gas tank. That fender bolts down to a rail under the fender that runs across the tractor. Where the tractor has been exposed to weather a lot, or the underside of the fender has a heavy accumulation of wet grass, etc. that rail can rust out (or the brackets it attaches to can rust out) and the fender (and seat) become insecure. This can be a serious impairment and there are a number of possible repairs. Check for it by gripping the forward edge of the fender and testing for up or down play. Look underneath above and in front of the rear tires for accumulated debris. A lot of rust creeping out in front of the fender onto the center console is another hint. Here the fender has been removed and I'm pointing to the rail. Rust can affect the rail itself or, more likely, the flanged frame members just at the left edge of the picture to which the rail is bolted.

Hellow from NE GA, with Currahee Mtn. out my breakfast window. I'm 59 and been using a self propelled walk behind until the personal pace wore out for the second time a couple years ago and been pushing it sense. I started looking for a rider to pre retire with and remembered that years ago I had discovered Wheel Horse machines that were 40 years old and still going strong. I told myself then that when it came time to get a rider I want to get a Wheel Horse that will last the rest of my life with some maintenance and proper use. I'm looking to get my first Wheel Horse; favoring a pre Toro 312-8. Can you guys/gals guide me in making a check-list? I don't expect a flawless tractor as I see so many of that are stored indoors up north. But I hope to get a solid functioning machine that isn't in need of a major repair that I discover once I get it home. I don't mind having to do some minor fixes; things wear in forty years of use. What are the signs that tell you that it's wore slap out? Please list your experiences that you hate to remember to help a fellow Wheel Horse fan avoid that same sinking feeling that you once had. Thanks for your help, Joe

@Ed Kennell Ed is there anything you can't do ? You sure work hard considering you are retired.

I found the other one for ya!

Only 1 chain and its a 4 link.... siggghhh

You got a set of tire chains and a free parts tractor with ‘em!

It is a Tecumseh with a bent plow... but nothing a Predator 212 won't fix. It's an auto after all... Ill see if the electronic ignition module is any good and see if somebody needs it

Here’s another fun one. I took a mesquite marinaded pork loin that was in a 5 for $10 sale and sliced it open, about 1/2” thick, unrolling it into a flat chunk of meat. I then rubbed the inside, added homemade applesauce, 1/4 onion sliced, and 4 or so cloves of garlic, chopped up. I rolled it back up, and used cotton chalk line string (new and unused that is!) to tie it back together. It has been smoking for 4 hours at 180 to an internal temp of 135, now I cranked it up to 350 for the last 30 minutes or so to get 145 internal temp. I have a feeling this’ll eat real good! Yes, I said chalk line. I needed to go to the hardware store and they have an extensive grilling/cooking section. The guy helping me look for the cooking twine found the empty area on the shelf and told me his father was a butcher and this was all he ever used.

You talked him down a few bucks right??? Nice score!!!

Using a step drill, then a 19/32 bit, then a 5/8 chamfer (I should have used a reamer but didn’t have one) I was able to make the bushings fit snug.

Ahh, the much coveted 1045. Nice find.

If I can figure out how to upload videos I have that one of you driving your 1077 towing your brother in a trailer who’s in a recliner with his feet up in a snow storm.

I might buy something with PayPal but I have quit taking it for sales. They will send a 1099 when the sales exceeds $600 per year. Think about it, I sell $601, make a few hundred in profit and now need to keep book to entertain the IRS, it ain't worth it for me.

The 312-8 will be a real pleasure to mow with. I have had a 310-8 (same tractor with two less HP) for sixteen years and it hasn't missed a beat. It is a 1986 with the K-241 and came with the house when we moved to NC. I already had a couple older Wheel Horses at the time so it sealed the deal for me. I doubt that a 36 year old machine of any other brand would give the faithful service I've had from the . Regular oil changes, greasing, points and a spark plug every couple years and other routine maintenance will keep this machine going for a few more decades I'm sure.

Regarding that pin. If the axle were greased PROPERLY with the weight of the tractor off the ground, the axle wouldn’t grab and rip at that pin tab. Most folks don’t lift the frame of the tractor to relieve the pressure, where it allows the grease access to the actual wear points. I can understand how that might be difficult with the mower deck on, but with the tach-a-matic feature, a deck can be removed in about a minute!

Alex nice post. I hope you enjoy it for years to come and pass it down to your son someday.

Very cool. Good luck on the motor overhaul. Ask questions here when ever you have one. Lots of knowledge here from the members of the site.

@Burnerman have a Happy Birthday! It’s been nice having you around

I have used paypal for probably over 20 for feebay transactions with no issues

Happy Birthday Burnerman!

You read my mind!

Just a thought, Eric. Have you thought about a trap door in the upstairs floor? With a hoist above it for lifting heavy or bulky things up there.

Brought home a free to me head sanding plate. Left overs from a bath remodel my brother did.