Electro 12 question

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,264]

I have an opprotunity to pick up an Electro 12 but really don't know much about them except it is fully hydro and made between 67 and 70. Here's a quick picture of it noting the decals any guess on the year?

Tell me your honest thoughts on it, The following is the blurb...

1967 WheelHorse Electro 12 Charger Automatic. 12 H.P. Automatic Transmission. The battery was taken out. It has a good motor but needs carb work. The hydrolic lines are all near new. The tires are good but not great. It has new tie rods. The seat is in rough shape but could be replaced with a simple cushion.

What would you think it's worth?

[perry 82]

all depends on what he's asking. myself i would'nt go more than $150. you never know what your getting with not being able to hear it run. i would be worried about the engine burning oil and how the transmision is. go over it with a fine tooth comb. bring your own battery, gas, and compression tester and see if it will start or at least get a compression reading. if he wants $100 or less i would just ****** it up and worry about it when i got home.

i bought my little 877 from a out of the blue phone call. my father-inlaw said the guy was getting rid of it for $50. when i got there i drove it on the trailer . here we are 4 years later and that tractor has been almost maintenace free.

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,264]

Mike had brought up a good point, shouldn't there be an electric PTO on this?

[combatmp29r 27]

Yeah I thought thats why they called them electro 12s.

[CasualObserver 3,408]

Yep, should be Karl. That's where the Electro name came from. With out that 'lectric PTO, you just got a Charger 12. It's hard to tell by the decals, I think they were the same for the years it was made, and the Electro itself was made from 68-70. I think if you can get the engine type, you should be able to tell the difference. According to the "Great Reference Spreadsheet" the spec numbers for the three years were different.

1968 was a K301S-47147B

1969 was a K301S-47147C

1970 was a K301S-47371C

And I'm with Perry on the pricing.

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,264]

I looked in the MPV and this and the C-120 share a lot of parts. I may get this as a parts machine for the 120 as I am missing some and others are just plain bad.

[Kelly 1,029]

Hi, Ive been reading some of the hundreds of post over the last few weeks And I would like to put my two cents worth in on this one. I have 2 Electros a 68 and 69 The 69 I picked up for $50 runs but smokes has had the pto converted to manual like most as the electric ones died and are very pricey. The 68 I paid $350 for it came with a nice 42 sd deck a snow blade, spare parts motor, boxes of parts, the manuals and a list of every oil change, batt. , spark plug Ect... since it was new and I sold the deck for $150 was a newer style and I have a nice one. It also has the hard to find front hitch to mount the newer mule drive on the older tractors. This tractor is very nice still has a perfect orig. seat. I think they where the top of the line tractor in their day Hydro trans hydrolic lift, lights, electric pto, cig. lighter, I think That was all standard for this model, many had hubcaps. I buy all the WH I can under $75 over that they have a little nicer as the price goes up. I like this site alot you talk about tractors not what someone likes to eat for 2 days, over and over. Thanks Kelly in MI.

[TT-(Moderator) 1,131]

OK.....how's this:

If it has the original rear tires, it's a 1968. (The model number will tell the truth though.)

Footrest "boards" (replaced the heel stirrups) and Electro 12's both started in 1968. They only used that hood style in 1968 and 1969. (and the decals look the same in my big red binder)

The manual PTO clutch probably means that the original electric unit went bad and the owner didn't want to spend big money to replace it. (very common bolt-on conversion)

The entire hydraulic lift is still there, so you can use that on many other Sundstrand-equipped Wheel Horses. (from an 875 up to a C-XXX)

Because it has no other visible accessories or attachments, and it's probably quite tired by now, I'd say $75 to $100 tops.

AND......

Welcome aboard, Kelly!

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,264]

Kelly, first welcome glad that you're here. Second, thank you for the input. I am going to call on this tomorrow to get more details, but it seems to be a complete (minus the electric pto) tractor. My current project is a 1977 C-120 completely hydraulic. This tractor has been worked and has been welded, spliced and repaired in ways I couldn't begin to explain. I have checked some of the parts which the 120 needs and they are the same as this electro would have so I may buy it as a parts tractor. Unless of course it is better than the C-120 then maybe this would be the project.

In either event, glad that you are here and if you could post some pictures of your electro's that would be great.

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,264]

Great info Terry, just curious though, how would the rear tires determine it would be a '68?

[TT-(Moderator) 1,131]

You might not believe this, but the '68 in my manual has different tread on the rear tires than the '69!

I know 40 years later that might not hold up well, but I looked at those pictures for 20 minutes and that's the only visible difference I saw.

UPDATE: I just noticed the seats are different too (I should have known that because of my '68 & '69 Chargers )

1968 had the angular metal seat with two seperate bolt-on cushions

1969 had the stamped seat pan with the molded foam/cover.

1968

1969

[Kelly 1,029]

If you have the owners manuals for the different years they show different tread patterns on the tractors. Lots of info just buy looking at the photos. Kelly

[WheelHorse_of_course 99]

I believe the wood grained decals were used in 68 and 69.

I *think* that the rear decal is different from 68 to 69. My 69 Has the cutout Wheel Horse were the letters stick up with gaps at the top. I don't recall what the 68 looks like.

The 69 model year engines all had electronic ignition (!), stator charging systems with solid state regulators and bendix type starters. Apparently some 68's may or may not have some of the above - another member here has told me it was a transition year (see recent thread on Charger 1968).

If I were you, I would consider using the C-120 to fix up the Electro rather than the other way around, depending on the condition, of course.

The C-120 was made for a very long time, so that makes the electro more "interesting". If you are of the "practical" ilk versus the "make it original" ilk here are the areas where you might want to upgrade the Electro (Charger really, since the PTO is now manual).

It is true that the front hitch is hard to find. If you know how to weld though, it is easy to adapt the newer style to fit (see recent thread about Charger 1968).

Replace the dash and throttle/chock cables. If the throttle still locks, then wait till it starts to slip. Those throttle are a pain (snow plowing with a manual lift and the non-locking throttle was quite interesting - not enough hands) and the replacements tend not to last, so I decide to replace mine and not look back.

Add a PTO brake (easy bolt on change).

Replace the PTO engagement assembly (not sure if this requires mods or is bolt on). The older style works fine, but if you use the tractor a lot it is a bit hard on the wrist.

Ammeter (unless maybe the Electro had one, my Charger didn't).

Does it include a deck or other accessories? I paid $150 for mine, site unseen on ebay with a 36" deck. If it is real nice, and looks like it has low hours I'd consider going as high as $200 (with deck) but that is mostly because I have a very limited budget. In "Very good condition" with a deck in "good" or better condition and I think $300 would be quite reasonable. Like the C-120 these are very solid work horse.

Cheers

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,264]

Great manuals, so it looks like this one would be a '68 then. Thanks.

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,496]

So Karl, are you going to buy it?

BTW, Kelly, welcome to the site.

[TT-(Moderator) 1,131]

You know, I have just the thing to fix up your C-120, Karl. All you need to do is drive half way across PA and pick it up. Find a K-341 and you'll have just what you always wanted.

(It's even a 1977!)

[combatmp29r 27]

A dash tower and tank support? :D

[TT-(Moderator) 1,131]

It's actually the complete frame, front axle & steering, hoodstand/dash/tank tray, the hydraulic lift "rockshaft" and the direction control stuff.

And -- most important -- the model number tag!

Here's a little more of it, Joel

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,264]

The C-160 that I want would be a 1974, but you're right! I was burdoned with a new C-160 Automatic with arm rests and a parker sweeper, when I was a kid. I appreciated it, and probably should have taken it with me when I moved to NY but didn't.

Terry, my gut tells me no, but everything else says GO man GO

[combatmp29r 27]

Arm rests and a sweeper? Man was I jipped. I got to start out on a Bolens 1050 with a built in bug sprayer. Had to add a quart of 30 weight to the sprayer every couple hours though

I wasn't alowed on the JD until I mastered the bolens and then by the time Dad was convinced I could handle it, He got rid of it and got a horse. Yeah I didn't get to drive that till I was 16 or so. 6 years after I started driving the big deeres :D

[kj4kicks 151]

Looks like Karl's gonna add to the herd ! If you need some odd-n-ends, I have a C-120 8 speed frame and dash tower here.

Hey Terry (PA), does that dash tower have the detent spring fot the hydro shifter? Also, I may need the shifter itself. The one I'm working on has the pivot shaft rusted tight (at the moment).

Eldon.

PS. Karl, I'll have pics of the freshly painted 1975 C-160 up tomorrow!

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,264]

Yep brand spankin new C-160 with arm rests and rear discharge deck, Parker Sweeper and a trailer, not sure of the brand but may well have been a Wheel Horse, it was red. I used to wax the tractor every weekend, it was like my little car at the time. Then my brother got a hold of it...... end of story.

[TT-(Moderator) 1,131]

Hey Terry (PA), does that dash tower have the detent spring for the hydro shifter? Also, I may need the shifter itself. The one I'm working on has the pivot shaft rusted tight (at the moment).

Eldon.

As far as I know, it's all there and it should work. That's one of 4 carcasses I saved from going to the scrapyard because they still had lots of good parts on them. (I got them from one of those "parter-outer" guys)

I'll check it out tomorrow when I can see to climb up to it. :D

[Rollerman 290]

Karl I picked up an Electro 12 very similiar to that one couple years back.

Same deal with the manual PTO & all.

The good...had a replacement "gray" Kohler K301 that ran like a top when I got it home.

The bad...trans was toast & many of the older hydro's I have found seem weak in reverse..this one would not even go backwards.

No complaints though...was $50 well spent & parts of it are still living on in some of my other horses

Don't look like it be a bad tractor if the price is right.

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,300]

Looks like the "68" had a smaller fuel tank from the pics.

Mike..........