Sad story.

[clueless 2,976]

A local Wheel Horse dealer passed away a few months ago, I just found out about it a couple of days ago. I bought my first WH from him in 1985 a 1974 B-80 which is the only one I wished I had never let go. He was a dealer from the mid 60's to the mid 90's he was also a district manager for Wheel Horse for about 25 years, had about 25 dealer ships in his district. Between him and his mechanic for more than 35 years I learned a lot about WH's. By the 90's Toro drop him because they told him he had to be a Toro dealer only for him to get parts from them, he was also a Snapper dealer and they were 75% of his business by then and he told them he wouldn't drop them. He had a nice inventory of WH's parts, but like many he thought he had a gold mine, always full retail for everything. sometime in the early 2000's he told me he would sell me everything for $20,000 dollars. Most of his stuff is replacement parts for thing that wear out no tractors or implements although there is a NOS 48in deck and a 37" deck both with the mule drives, as of last year he still wanted $1400, and $1200 for them. Over the past 10 years we have talked about selling some of his on line at 40 to 50% off, he would just say why would I do that, just another one of us old guys stuck in our ways. He had a note under his glass top on his desk and on his counter top with my name and number to contact me if he decided to start selling some of his inventory. Like I said I just learned of his sudden passing back in Feb., and connected his daughter about his WH's stuff and she said that almost everything that was in the building is still there and the building is for sell and the price includes the contents, $440,000.00. I know there are still some of these old dealers down south that still have WH's parts in their back room just sitting there, and will eventually end up in a scrape yard .