Why do you collect these tractors?

[JackC 617]

My dad had a C-175 automatic and I enjoyed mowing the lawn with it.

I now have four C-175s and several other horses ( a total of about 15).

It is an example of an all American made quality product with great looks.

They are easy to work on and they work great.

[wh416lbz 1]

i recently have been into john deere and cub cadet garden tractors. pretty much for only the buying and selling reason of it. i have to say the cubs rearends are awesome but thats about it. they are cheaply made compared to the john deeres. however i gave my last john deere 318 to my dad who still loves his deeres-great. anyway ,my grandfather had a tractor shop back in the day called -gartners machine shop. he sold new holland balers,pioneer chainsaws,jacobsen mowers and wheel horse tractors. my dad rembers when the first wheel horse with 4 wheels came to his dads shop!!!!. anyway the shop closed down in the lates 1980's. and my grandfather passed away in 2005. i now would like to start my wheel horse collection and continue on a brand that was loyal to my grandfather, and helped him make a living. i just picked up a wh-416-8 with onan and im making it look good now. thank you everyone.

[SkyhawkTL 19]

1963....it was Dads.

[kthack657 279]

My story started 5 years ago when I got married. My husband needed something to mow the lawn and he went looking for a tractor. he knew he wanted a wheelhorse since he had mowed with a 68 lawn ranger growing up. (me personally grew up with craftsmans and my father had 2 in my lifetime). Little did I know that one tractor would start it all for us. we got a 657 off of craigslist, and Jim used it to mow the lawn, and then he picked up a Raider 12 at an auction. Well he decided that I needed to learn and stuck me on the 657. I had so much fun I "claimed" that tractor, and after that it was all down hill.

I have to put in too that although I love the Wheelhorses, I have found that the tractor folk are so much nicer than some of the circles that I have hung out with (have a classic car and everything has been a my car is better than your car because I have a bigger wallet). I think more than anything that is what has me so addicted to this hobby, that and my favorite color is red .

Thank you so much for all of the other stories, I think that tractors are in our blood, especially wheelhorses since blood is red and so are they!!

[Bowmard 4]

Five or six years ago our oldest daughter called me up saying a neighbor had a a lawn tractor for sale.  I ask her what kind, she said she didn't know but it was red in color and there were items to go with it.  I said I'd be in there in shortly.

 

I didn't even get to her house when I saw a red Wheel Horse sitting in the neighbor's yard with a for sale sign on it.  I'd seen the Wheel Horse there many times before with an older gentleman mowing the grass   I picked up my daughter and went back to the neighbor's place.  A knock on the door followed by a nice young fellow coming out on the porch.  He and his wife had just bought the place, the previous owner, the elderly gentleman had passed away.  I asked about the Wheel Horse.  Turns out is was a C-145 Automatic of 1983 vintage.  The young man was wanting to sell it, saying the battery was always dead when he tried to use it.  I asked the price, he said $150 and everything went with it.  The "everything" turned out to be a 42" deck, a like new snow thrower and a hard to find Wheel Horse winter cab.  I forked over the cash immediately then made arrangements for a buddy with a trailer to pick up the C-145. 

 

The Horse arrived at my place the next day.  I jumped started it and it ran fairly well.  Long story short, I swapped out the voltage regulator, rebuilt the carburetor and replace the rubber hood hold downs.  Also changed all fluids and the transmission filter.  My daughter used it for a couple of years then left it set in her garage.   She's buying a new mower. 

 

I picked up the C-145 a few days ago then changed the oil, put on a new front tire and deck drive belt.  With some good gas in its tank and a quick priming of the fuel pump, the K321 Kohler fired right up.  Next up will be a transmission fluid change and some engine tune-up work.  After that it will be my back-up mower in the summer and my prime snow removal tractor in the winter.  The classic Wheel Horse tractors are great pieces of equipment.

[HorseFixer 2,012]

Gosh, you talk about a  BLAST FROM THE PAST!  I went back to the beginning of this thread and read through the response's including my own, and my how Ideas and things have changed.   I think about all the horses that I have rescued, The ones I have come and gone, the ones I have missed along the way, and all the Great deals I have got also.   I think about the Stroke I had in the middle of restoring an RJ-56  burning the candle at both ends (getting it ready for the BIG SHOW) and not to mention all the bruised knuckles, burns and scrapes    (I call Battle Scars) while restoring these tractors. All and all for me it has truly become a labor of love.

 

I often think back on the great memories, friends and people I have made along the way, some of which no longer post ( I wonder where they are and if they have lost interest)   I guess people and things change as did the many models of Wheel Horse Tractors that were made over the years. And then there is  Look how it has evolved and changed and gotten better over the years!     I applaud all the hard work the admins and mods put into this forum. I look around at all the talent, Ideas, knowledge that is here, all the things I learn and I am truly amazed. That's why I am proud to be a Supporter and a small part of it. I hope we all can enjoy this hobby and forum for many years to come!  

 

~Duke  

[rmaynard 15,519]

Dittos Duke. Though my journey with the    horses is not nearly as long and extensive as some, I find that when my interest starts to wane, I think about the great WHCC show in June. That short little weekend, and the few short spring months leading up to it is like a shot of adrenalin.

 

Only 2 months, 6 days to go.

[motox25 36]

I started riding Wheel Horse tractors when I was 4 years old.  My grandfather bought a new 520H in 1991 from our local Wheel Horse dealer (still in business) and I spent more hours than I can remember driving that tractor around his property.  Since then I bought a Craftsman for myself (to be fair it DOES have a Kohler Magnum) and WOW what a difference that was.  The craftsman is noisier, rougher, and the difference in build quality is huge.  Last year I finally found a 520H around an hour from my home and an hour after I found it on Craigslist I was on my way to pick it up.

[CasualObserver 3,408]

Just a little  to bring this back to the top.  Maybe some of the newer members have some input?  

 

Always great to read the stories of what brought others to this addiction.  Post'em up guys... and enjoy reading the old ones!

[Zeus55 38]

My story started a few months ago. I was visiting an antique shop I saw this old tractor out in a corner and I decided to do a project of it.
I'm an old mechanic and it brings me back to the time when things could be fixed.
This little 701 is my first ... maybe not my last!

[formariz 11,987]

It all started in 2005. Having only seen another one before we came across the 753 for sale in the local mower repair shop. It was love at first site. The beginning of many happy moments and of a further strenghtening of the bond between father and son. Once home, research about Wheel Horses started and shortly after we came across Michael Martino's first edition. That basically sealed what was already a sure future with these tractors. To me the story behind them embodies what is great and possible in this great land. It is an example of family, resourcefullness and survival just to name a few.

 

Here is the first one in the first hour it came home still with the sellers sign attached wich basically says it all.

[aaubrey96 0]

Well my story started about 2 and a half years ago, I was 15 and I decided I wanted to pull lawn mowers and my moms boyfriend had a lawn mower that "didn't run" they told me it was a wheel horse 414-8, and I had no idea what a wheel horse was I originally thought it was an off brand on something. But I didn't turn it down. So we took it home and my best friend and I started working on it and 2 fuses a new battery and it started up and ran. And from there I kept putting money into it. Now I'm 17graduated from high school and working full time and still have the 414 and now I also have a 252-h and my most recent project a 68 commando 8. But after all that I still haven't got around to pulling any of them.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[km3h 543]

I have always liked to tinker with anything with a motor in it. After I retired I started picking up various brands of garden tractors and fixing them up. I started trading them for others after a bit and eventually ended up with a Wheel Horse 417-A.

While I still own two Case 444's with 3 pt hitches and a tiller and a 220, plus a very strong MTD 995, which is a very nice machine with a 3 pt hitch, oh and lest I forget, a Ford LGT 165 with 3 pt and plow, I found that the Wheel Horse had great curb appeal. It is a beautiful machine and always runs strong. I now have five of them and still look for more daily. They just seem to grow on you.

Another thing I like about the Wheel Horse is the disappointment in others when they find that you beat them to the punch and got a new addition to the heard. A Wheel Horse is a beautiful thing and very easy to love.

[Lagersolut 661]

My story started 20 years ago when I built the house, Dad had a junky  WH he kept in the mountains. sold the camp, brought it home and told me if I didn't take it he was selling it for 100  bucks .

 

I took it, put about 400 in it to get it somewhat right, used it for 20 years -pushing snow -hauling ground - mowing yard - plowing garden - when I first moved in we had was outs from the top of my 300 ft lot top the bottom , split at the house and formed two huge gutters  -  my little C-101 pulled wagon after wagon  mounded ( weighed more than the tractor )  for months every day back up the hill .

 

20 years it ran ,  after Dad mowed with it for 15 and beat it up in the mountains .

 

 

Never missed a beat.  restored it last year 100% . ( the one in my Av)  been using the 315-8 for the hard work.

 

C-101 is now my wagon tractor to help harvest the garden. ( light duty )

Edited August 21, 2014 by Lagersolut

[nhunt308 143]

I dont know that I can be considered a collector "yet". But I am trying to find a few more and every attachment I can see myself using. But as to why? [emoji12] lol I have no Idea!!! Just seems like I should!

[FarmerJim 5]

My addiction started early.... Mom has pictures of me as an infant perched atop Granddads RJ. He always had a horse (He traded about every two years) until he was in his 70's when one fateful day he had a lapse of sense and bought a new Cub Cadet. That tractor was a lemon from the word go( which is where I honed my mechanical skills keeping that pos running). Dad started out with Bantams of all things (wish I had one of them now) and graduated to horses and remained there for the rest of his life, his last being a c-100. I inherited that tractor and was the apple of my eye until my wife  developed cancer. all of a sudden you realize what is really important in life and it had to be sold to cover expenses. Fast forward 6 years and my wife is cancer free and wouldn't you know it a c-100 just followed me home yesterday,  A basket case to be sure,but I will prevail and will rebuild it and have fond memories of Granddad and Dad and all the horses I have met along the way.

[Forest Road 594]

For me it came out of necessity. Imagine that! My inlaws bought a vacation home in the Adirondack Park NY. As we cleared land we increased our mowing needs. The common driveway is over 1/4 mile long and required annual maintenance I struggled to do with my pickup and tow behind attachments. The constant snow in upstate NY was another common pain in my A*^!!!

So the search began for a small "tractor" which could fulfill all of my needs. I started looking at CUTs and quickly determined that a decent one was clearly out of my price range. I briefly considered Gravely 800 series but they were ruled out for 2 reasons 1 I heard parts are getting scarce 2 they're too large to fit in my pickup.

Then I remembered my dads friend in the early eighties had this Wheel Horse 10 hp 8 speed he'd bought new. I had stopped in at his old home a few times since the divorce and his ex wife referenced that lil red tractor as being one heck of a machine. It peaked my interest enough that I tried to buy a new one at my first home and decided $5k was just too much.

Well several years later the hunt was on. And low and behold the first tractor I bought was a 1992 312-8. It was perfect! It mowed, plowed stone in our driveway, dragged brush to the burn pile, and IT FIT IN THE REAR OF MY TRUCK!!!

Later on I learned of a 50" grader blade and scored an unused one. Then a single stage and 2 years later a 2 stage blower. Lets not forget the MacKissic chipper. There's really nothing these things can't do.

By now I've probably bought and sold 10-15 different tractors. I currently own a 314h and 522xi loader. It kills me that Toro has ceased production. But the way these lil red riders are built they'll be here for another 50 years!

[specialwheelhorse 174]

To make a long story very short since I had been interested

In wheel horses for years my mother in law gave me her old

Horse years back what a great mother in law.

That got it all started nearly 15 years ago .

[Gracie's Dad 155]

It started for me when we moved into our house. I inherited my grandmother's 212-5. Never did anything to it but routine service.  

 

Few years later bought a B-115 for $125 while mom's simplicity was out of service again. Once it became her back up I started to fiddle with it. Found a 300-400 series blade for $22 and made a mount for it to push snow. Alas, the snow did not come that winter. The next winter it worked like a charm. Sitting on the tractor beat dragging my walk behind over to mom's every time it snowed.

 

That summer I bought a C-105 from my partner at work. He inherited it from his dad, and it had been sitting in a barn for 2 years. I aired up the tires, replaced the fender (hate the plastic ones), and rebuilt my first carb...fired right up. Been mowing my lawn with it ever since. By the end of the summer I had an $80 312-8, not that pleasing to the eyes, to go along with it. In the fall I got a 48 inch blade for the 312-8 and a short chute blower for the C-105. The combination worked great for our record snowfall last winter. Maintained the block in front of the house, to the amusement of the neighbors, when the road commission was overworked. By the end of the winter, the short chute was barely clearing the tops of the snowbanks in the street. Should not be a problem this winter, as I found a single stage tall chute this summer, not for the $25 that the short chute cost though. 

 

My grandfather did have a raider 10 (which I have the purchase agreement for, but not the tractor), but he passed away when I was only two. I did mow grandma's lawn with it when I was young, but I did not appreciate what she had at that time. I guess the reason I "collect" them is because they are such a VERSATILE and QUALITY product. Wish I had more storage space for tractors and attachments.

[Desko 608]

Hey all.

What made me fall in love with these machines is first my dads D160 which we still have but the onan dropped a valve seat and were planning to fix it this winter, what really got me into them was a work horse lt1637 that my dad gave me it was a great little tractor for what it was but ended up getting rid of it because it kept frying mags (young me and electrical wiring) them what really ignited the ambition for them was when I rebuild the 11 hp Briggs by memory for a work horse GT 1142 (grandfathers) but I didn't know how to use mics at the time so it smoked and knocked then put an onan e140 and then just fell in love with the tractor and then discovered onans and just fell in love with them also so my grandfathers GT1142 will now have an onan p220 and I mow have a 416h that I'm getting use to but not impressed by the column hydro. So I ask what is your story?

Edited October 8, 2014 by Desko

[WheelHorse79 271]

It started for me back in 1966 when my Dad bought his first Wheel Horse, a used 854 with a 36" deck.  I learned how to mow on the 854 and it was the first real responsibility my Dad ever gave me.  He had the 854 for 13 years and then traded it on a new '79 C-101 which I still have.  I have so many fond memories growing up and mowing with these tractors, that's why I will always love Wheel Horse.  They were always simple, rugged and reliable and more than capable of doing the job.  You just have to love tractors like that.  That original 854 is long gone, but when I had a chance to buy an old 854 to restore a couple years ago, I just couldn't resist.  Now it has grown to an addiction, since I also have a 1045 and an RJ-58 along with the 854 and C-101.  I would have more if I only had the space.

Edited October 8, 2014 by WheelHorse79

[flyovrcntry 115]

I had never heard of wheel horse tractors until about 12 years ago. I had a go cart when I was about 8 years old and my uncle who was about 5 years older than me was a pretty good small engine guy for his age. Him and my dad taught me about engines and got me interested and I have tinkered with small engines off and on my whole life.

I started working on mowers and l&g tractors as a sideline thing about 12 years ago. I bought 4 or 5 riders from a guy at that time and one of them was a wheel horse. I don't recall the model but it was a vertical shaft 38" cut and I think 3 spd.Like I said I had never saw a wheel horse till that time. I mowed with it once and knew immediately it was much better than the snapper or craftsman I had been using.

There isn't many wheel horse tractors in this area,I don't know why,I guess they were never marketed  very well here. Untill a few years ago it really pained me to see a good wheel horse parted out because they are scarce around here. That changed when I realized we all need the parts and there are an abundance of these tractors in some areas that would end up as scrap in a lot of cases.

I've had a few different models in the past few years and now I have a 417-A with a dozer blade that I love, and I just picked up a hxl 44 that will probably be my mowing machine, I haven't got to check it out just yet.It will have to beat out my simplicity Broadmoor that I have used for the pastfew years.

[Tankman 3,518]

Early 70's, a round hood. My sons and I rebuilt our first Horse, was a basket case.

 

Loved the RD mower, towing a sweeper. Great mowing. I then moved snow, then turned earth. WOW!

 

Now I work on Horses with the grandsons. The boys wanna ride 'em cowboy. 

 

[CasualObserver 3,408]

Desko and the latest contributors... I've added your stories to the list we've had going for years... make sure you go back and catch up, there's some good stories here!

[Solex 27]

In a world of computer controlled automobiles and appliances, to me it is very rewarding to be able to turn a wrench or screwdriver to make an adjustment. I like the days when you could open the hood of a 1960's car and still see the motor without all those plastic shrouds and wiring hiding it. In addition, you did not have to use an engine analyzer to research error codes. The Wheel Horse brings me back to those simpler days, a pure mechanical world,  and I don't need a password to operate it.