RJ58 for Christmas

[cmt123 23]

Hello, I had never heard of Wheel Horse until October when I saw an RJ58 on eBay. I have a 3.5 year old that loves tractors, so on October 20th I purchased the tractor for Santa Clause to deliver. I was not able to pick it up until October 30th because I had to drive 3.5 hours one way to Fastenal in Enterprise, AL. I wasn't able to study the tractor until November 1st because I had damage from hurricane Zeta. What I found was a total piece of junk that the seller lied about, misrepresented, or failed to mention certain things wrong. I have attached pictures of before and after. It took 5 weeks to get the tractor in working order and presentable. I will continue to look for the correct parts and re-do the tractor when I have all of the parts.  

[troutbum70 857]

The after looks very good, appears that you done an engine swap. Was the original engine not running?

[Jeff-C175 7,199]

I hope that you intend to get the old engine running and replace it onto the tractor!

 

VERY nice job, and a heckuva Dad too!  Your son is a very lucky boy!

 

[rjg854 11,356]

 @cmt123 looks good. Hope you can get the engine running and reinstalled. It would be well worth it to keep it original if at all possible. But it is your tractor and you might as well have it, the way you want it. 

[Pullstart 62,827]

and Merry Christmas!  Nice tractor!

[cmt123 23]

Thank you for the compliments. I very much so intend on replacing the harbor freight motor with either a Clinton or. Kohler engine. The Clinton engine that was on it was a Model 498 not a B1290. This is an early RJ58 with no casting date on the transmission; the serial number is 05714. The tractor had been rolled so I replaced all of the upright support and beat on the hood with a dolly and hammer for about 12 hours to get the major bow and twist out of it. None of the steering components were correct, the gas tank is not correct, the gears in the transmission are in really bad bad shape.. there were a lot of things wrong but it is a nice looking tractor now and it runs. The seller even took the lift cable off and repost it for sale. Parts are hard to come by here on the Mississippi Coast so it will take some time to find them.

[Jeff-C175 7,199]

22 minutes ago, cmt123 said:

Parts are hard to come by here

 

Well... you've come to the right place!  There are guys here who have enough parts laying around to build 100 tractors from scratch!  I'm pretty sure you can find what you need from them.

[cmt123 23]

That's what I like to hear because I am in the market for parts, or even whole tractors.

[wallfish 16,994]

Nice job on the RJ

You can find a cable here and some other stuff too so poke around on the site.

https://wheelhorsepartsandmore.com/cables.html

[cmt123 23]

Thanks, wallfish! I did buy a lift cable from them. I should probably post detailed pictures of the tractor and a list of things I know that are incorrect. Here are a few more until I can take better pictures. 

[ebinmaine 67,380]

Nice work so far!

 

You've certainly found the best possible place to get help, parts etc for a horse. 

 

Welcome aboard. 

[SylvanLakeWH 25,524]

 

Nice job! 

[oliver2-44 9,724]

Getting to be a very nice tractor. One thing to add to your todo list is add some weight to the front end such as filling the front tires or a front weight.  Those RJ's are very light on the front end . If you or he pop the clutch a little you can easily be looking at the sky.   

[cmt123 23]

@oliver2-44 Santa Clause found that out first-hand and filled the front tires with water. But thx for the tip!

[WHNJ701 4,165]

4 minutes ago, cmt123 said:

@oliver2-44 Santa Clause found that out first-hand and filled the front tires with water. But thx for the tip!

Might want to use something other than water like windshield washer fluid that doesn't freeze

[ebinmaine 67,380]

1 minute ago, jabelman said:

Might want to use something other than water like windshield washer fluid that doesn't freeze

Check locally for Rimguard. Around here it's less expensive. 

[cmt123 23]

Luckily a freeze is a rare thing in South Mississippi, but the water will be replaced with something else.  

[adsm08 2,044]

1 hour ago, oliver2-44 said:

Getting to be a very nice tractor. One thing to add to your todo list is add some weight to the front end such as filling the front tires or a front weight.  Those RJ's are very light on the front end . If you or he pop the clutch a little you can easily be looking at the sky.   

 

I can do that to my 855 when i have the deck off.

[ebinmaine 67,380]

11 minutes ago, adsm08 said:

 

I can do that to my 855 when i have the deck off.

Trina's 867 as well. Small block with short frame. 

I've added roller chain to the front tires and will be putting on a weight in the front. 

 

[cschannuth 3,816]

Even with weight in the front that’s going to be very prone to wheelies. I threw a predator in my 606 roller and even with my 42 inch snow blade on the front it easily lifts the front end off the ground if you’re goofing around. I  use ethylene glycol antifreeze in all of my tires. It actually helps preserve the inside of the tire and the wheel.  I had it in my 520 for over 20 years with no issues. 

[stevasaurus 22,713]

Go a head and list the parts you are looking for.  @Lane Ranger may have some for you, or know where to find them.  Great pictures and Welcome to Red Square.  

[cmt123 23]

Thanks! @stevasaurus I need: front wheels, exhaust heat shield, correct engine complete with shroud and air cleaner, correct gas tank, engine pulley, lift cable hold down tab (or the dimensions of an original),  BFG rear AG tires and every gear in the transmission. I know that's that's a pretty good wish list, but that's what I need for a "correct" restoration. Once I have the parts I will break it back down, sandblast it again and this time it will be sprayed with automotive paint. @Lane Ranger

Edited December 28, 2020 by cmt123
forgot to tag a member

[jay bee 896]

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