My First Wheel Horse: RJ 58

[RichJ 29]

Hello All,

Here are a few pics of my first tractor (and first post), an RJ58 that I recently acquired from another member here in Illinois. It's in pieces now, while I scour the forum for info on how to restore or preserve it. 

 

The transmission is locked but it seems to otherwise have good basic bones, with no deep corrosive rust. I'm sure all the bushing and bearings will have to be replaced. The engine does turn.

 

Opinions wanted. Should this be preserved or fully restored? What are the pros and cons of each philosophy?

20210810_171530.heic 20210810_171448.heic 20210810_171441.heic 20210810_171557.heic

[RichJ 29]

OK. I see my pictures didn't upload properly from my phone. My new S20 smart phone is saving pictures in Apple's HEIC format instead of Windows JPG format. I''ve got my phone set to convert them when I use the "share" icon, but it's not converting them when I just use the "upload" feature on the forum. I'll try to convert them manually later tonight when I get home and then re-upload them.

 

Sorry for the inconvenience. I'm new to the forum and I still need to work the bugs out.

Edited August 14, 2021 by RichJ

[SylvanLakeWH 25,600]

[Pullstart 62,906]

 @RichJ!  An RJ58 is an awesome first garden tractor!  As for preservation vs restoration… they are only original once.  If it’s been repainted before, it’s fair game to do it again.  Looking forward to seeing your new machine!  
 

round hoods rock!

 

 

[RichJ 29]

My hood decals look different than others I have seed on RJs. Are they original? If not, what model and year are they from?

Edited August 14, 2021 by RichJ

[Retired Wrencher 5,465]

Rich  Enjoy the site and you RJ.

 

[953 nut 55,310]

7 hours ago, RichJ said:

My hood decals look different than others I have seed on RJs. Are they original? If not, what model and year are they from?

The question of restore or embrace the patina comes up quite often and my opinion is it is your  and your decision. The hood side decals are from 1965 and would not be correct for a restoration, but as a survivor tractor the help tell the story of the RJ's life.

[AMC RULES 37,130]

'65 example here.

 

[WHX?? 48,828]

On 8/14/2021 at 6:52 AM, 953 nut said:

but as a survivor tractor the help tell the story of the RJ's life.

Never quite thought of it that way Richard thanks. 

 

What's not to like about the onion in the exhaust.... easy engine removal perhaps? 

 

 Rich plenty of help here to fix any problem you have with her. 

[71_Bronco 1,072]

Welcome to the forum, what a great way to get into Wheel Horses, with one of the most iconic one they made (and most desirable).

 

Looks like a solid tractor, all there minus the heat shield for the exhaust. Check out the bay, I've seen repros on there from time to time.

[RichJ 29]

Yes, I've already ordered a repro heat shield and two axles for the 5003 transmission. Also found some nice rear hubs on ebay. The set screw on one of my hubs worked loose and was driven that way. Thus, the axle end was grooved and the keyway damaged.

 

The ballast in one of the front tires was leaking pretty badly. The bead seat and valve hole are compromised. Will be looking for new front rims too.

 

The engine rebuild is on the back burner for now.

[WheelhorseBob 1,549]

Love it! Can’t wait to see the progress! As for restore or patina. That’s your choice. Patina is popular now a days and if it has a lot of originality I’m for it. If it’s just because it’s popular then not so much.

[RichJ 29]

I like patina, but I also like restoration to the max. My main concern with patina is preserving for the long-term so rust doesn't continue to eat away the metal. A lot of the car guys use boiled linseed oil on their rat rods, but that doesn't seem to be the best solution to me. I guess some kind of clear coat that really seals the surface and prevents air penetration would be the best way to really stop deterioration.

[953 nut 55,310]

17 hours ago, RichJ said:

The ballast in one of the front tires was leaking pretty badly. The bead seat and valve hole are compromised. Will be looking for new front rims too.

If it isn't to the point of being completely gone a rim can be saved with JB Weld. Here are a few threads to look at on saving a rim.

https://www.wheelhorseforum.com/search/?q=JB Weld rim&updated_after=any&sortby=relevancy&search_and_or=and

[RichJ 29]

Thanks 953 for those links.  Very helpful info for me. I will move this discussion to the restoration section when I really get going on the rehab.

[RichJ 29]

Spring is here. The saga continues...

The shifter fork on the outer pin slides forward and backward and right to left freely. The fork and whole pin move. The fork on the inner pin slides forward and backward but not right to left. The inner pin doesn't move right to left like the outer pin does. Is this normal or is the inner pin frozen? Is the inner pin supposed to be fixed?

[AMC RULES 37,130]

@stevasaurus

@Racinbob

@Lane Ranger

[953 nut 55,310]

8 hours ago, RichJ said:

The inner pin doesn't move right to left like the outer pin does. Is this normal or is the inner pin frozen?

Obviously the transmission has seen better days and will need a lot of love along with some bushings and bearings. Too bad you didn't do this tear down last fall so that the parts could soak in a bucket of diesel fuel all winter long (price was lower then too). I don't think heat or using force would be the answer. Put everything in a five gallon bucket and add enough diesel to cover what were supposed to be moving parts, cover it so critters don't get in and check the progress in a month or so.

[Racinbob 11,093]

I replied in your other thread on this. You are correct that, at this point, it's more appropriate in the transmission section. Maybe the mods can help out here.

 

5003 Trans Forks - Transmissions and transaxles - RedSquare Wheel Horse Forum

[stevasaurus 22,764]

@RichJ  I combined your 2 threads and moved the (now 1) thread into the "Transmission Section".  This is a long thread, but it is all here about the #5003.  Take the time to go through this thread.  I see you are in Sycamore, Elgin here.  We may have met at the Pioneer Tractor Show sometime.  Did you buy that RJ from Joe???  

 

 

[WHX?? 48,828]

My post got lost Dino... that's ok I was just referring him to Lowell and parts and your thread pinned in this section about the bearings & seal part numbers. 

Looks like you got a bit of mechanical background and not afraid to tear into things so you'll be ok. 

Run into trouble use your shout out or go see your neighbor.... he likes Rock & Rye..... 

I've also got a ton of pics on a three piece resto did once need be. Bet the others do too. 

[stevasaurus 22,764]

@WHX??  I don't know what happened to your post.  I had a little trouble merging and cleaning up the threads saying the same thing in different places.  Go a head and post that link again.  Rich is going to need it. 

[WHX?? 48,828]

 

Bearings & seals can be had here 

 

https://wheelhorsepartsandmore.com/product-category/manual-transmissions/

 

[RichJ 29]

Thanks for all the information, guys. I'll need it.

 

Dino, I don't think we've met because I've never been to the Pioneer Tractor Show. Got my RJ from a guy in Peoria, but I don't remember his name.  He said he bought it a larger lot of other Wheelhorse stuff that he was more interested in. This is my first tractor, but I'm fairly comfortable tackling something like this. I worked on lots of mini bikes and mopeds as a kid, and I worked in a bicycle shop for nine summers. 

 

From what I can tell so far, rust may be more of a problems than actual wear. Many of the gears look really nice, but others have a little corrosion. Somebody has probably been in this case before because the side plate bolts had mis-matched washers.

 

In any case, I'll update this thread as I make progress.

 

[oliver2-44 9,759]

Your front rims were only used from 1958 to 1961. They are getting harder $ to find. Most were shipped from the factory with calcium chloride for ballast which is corrosive.  I’ve used fiberglass to repair some really bad ones. LB Weld or just Bondo works on the heavily pitted ones.  Post some pictures when you get to that part. 
 

Also If you haven’t already bought new axles you can flip then and drill new roll paint n holes. 
 

When you get your gears all cleaned up post closeup pictures of each one. These guys can tell you what will work. For a show cruiser you can put up with a little pitting.