I bought a 1961 used Wheelhorse lawn tractor when I was 15 years old. It came with the mower deck, a snow blower, , snow plow and those round disks used to turn soil. I loved working on it, years later I took my children for rides on it, cleared the sidewalks of snow for all my neighbors, and just made great memories. The tractor and I are both 62 years old and, it still runs.
I'm from the UK and this is a very nostalgic tractor for me! I grew up in a small cottage in the woods, and my dad used to coppice the woodland around the house. We used exactly the same tractor with a trailer to get the logs out and I used to drive it in and out. My Dad would set me off (I couldn't reach the clutch 😂) and my Mum would stop me at the other end and help get the logs out! I loved my childhood!
Hi matt I've been a subscriber from.near on day one and diesel creek has brought me so much joy over the years and helped me with my mental health alot just the other day my little girl who has ASD and adhd watched one of your videos and went calm and silent I asked her what was the matter she replied nothing daddy I like his voice and how he repairs things like you and that warmed my heart to no end she finds it so hard to calm down and relax due to her needs she goes quiet and very inquisitive when she helps me with my mechanical and electrical repair work thank you for all the hard work you put into your videos and the joy and comfort it brings us all keep em coming matt god bless you mate
Sounds like you have identified something that can turn some of her energy/anxiety into productivity. I hope you have a garage and necessities to get her a project tractor / go cart or something of the sort maybe....
My 8years old son also has ADHD and he love to help me when i working on my workshop, tbh quite challenging handling child with ADHD.. i hope you and your family doing well and always in a good health 😊
The round sticker on the battery is your manufacture date. E is the 5th month. 6 is three last digit of the year. Yours is either May of 2016 or 2006. Probably '16
Matt, What a treat. I purchased a Wheelhorse 520H new in 1992 and mowed 2 acres with it for 24 years until the mower deck was so thin you could stick your finger through it in about a dozen places. I still kept it for 3 more years to use the snow plow, and finally gave it to a young kid who wanted to restore it. The 4 series was the same tractor except engine sizes and the front axle was different (canted further forward on each end, I think this was due to the hydraulic lift quick attach mower deck). Mine had the Onan 20HP with Hydrostatic drive and hydraulic lift. It was the top of the line for the time. All structural steel and cast iron, weighed in at about 700lbs with 48" deck. It is a testament to the quality of the older Wheelhorse equipment before Toro bought it and the accountants started running the business....cheap is good, cheaper is better mentality. This machine will probably last another 20 years as long as it is maintained properly.
Matt for me there’s nothing more cathartic than mowing grass on a riding mower be it a zero turn Cub Cadet or your Wheel Horse it’s just a relaxing time. Your channel is number one in my book.
Grew up and raised on International Harvester Cub Cadet tractors, HOWEVER! The heck with these zero turn radius go cart mowers. They look like an accident ready to happen, like they're ready to flip you out of that thing in a heartbeat if your not careful with those joy sticks. They SHOUKD be banned from further sales and taken off the market. Going further, also love old Wheel Horse tractors and Power King tractors to. Tractors RULE man, TRACTORS RULE!!!!
21:40 Love it! That's what you get from properly draining the fuel system before storage! No varnish or gum to block things up, no crap left in the tank.. +1 to previous owner 👍
When I was 12 years old (1968), I had the job of cutting our 3/4 acre yard with a 19” 3 hp Briggs and Stratton push mower. What a dreaded weekly summer chore! One Saturday Dad took me out to our local Wheel Horse dealer and bought one. I will never forget that day of liberation. Thanks for the memory!
You lucky Dog....lol. When I was a kid I had to wrestle an ancient walk behind "Suffolk Punch" cylinder mower around the Lawn. Thing must have weighed twice what I did! It was self propelled, but never had a split roller so it had the turning circle of an Oil Tanker.......
Sadly, I know nothing about the workings of engines, but I think its great that you take these older vehicles and give them a new life, and I am all in with that. Keep upthe good work
That was a not that expensive free tractor!!😂 now let your Dad enjoy it!! Your collaborations with scrappy are amazing!! Hope you write all of your Don’t of the book of OSHA,! Thanks for sharing
Lol. That is why I love working on small engines. It is my passion, because they are just so simple to work on. My mom's tiller started acting up the other day. I removed, disassembled, cleaned, and reinstalled the carburetor in 14 minutes. Small engines are just cheap and easy. You don't have to be rich to pursue it as a hobby. I have enough projects right now to last a year or so, and I got all of them for free. It's a great way to spend your spare time.
I bought my house Jan 2022 and there was an 1987 Deutz Allis 1918 series tractor sunk in the ground in my back yard from the previous owner. He said it had been there for at least 8 years. The engine was seized, tires flat and the mowing deck had too many holes to be saved but through watching videos like yours I decided to try to get it running. I unseized the motor with some Kroil in the cylinder and after a tune up of plugs, oil, filters, ect, it is the best running, sounding and starting mower I own. It is the oldest of my three and I will never get rid of it. Hydraulic steer, trans, deck height, ect. Front and rear driveshafts for implements. Really nice unit. I would post a picture if I knew how. Love the old stuff.
Wheel Horse, of course! My neighbor used to plow driveways with his, and his plow had no 'down force', so this guy got some weights off a barbell and put them on top of his plow. Worked like a charm!
That is a great tractor! I am a wheelhorse guy and own 7 of them at this time. I was thrilled to see you working on this one. These tractors are timeless and I plow my driveway out each year and mow with mine. I live in the snowbelt of Western New York state and that tractor has no problem dealing with all the snow we get. I get replacement seats for mine at Northern Tool, if you are thinking about replacing that one.
My dad bought a 1975 automatic years ago and is selling it despite my best efforts to convince him it’s a good little tractor to keep. They’re great tractors for their size, built sturdy, easily repairable. If you’re wanting a tractor to wrench on and get your moneys worth out of. It’s the tractor to cut your teeth on!
@@StrikerV3 wheel horse tractors were at one time a direct competitor to cub cadet ,, i still have my grandfather's D-160 wheel horse tractor ,and there's no mistaking it for anything else it's a big square tractor slightly bigger than a 430 JD garden tractor,,, i own 3 D series WH tractors ,,the old D160 and i have acquired a D180 and a D200 ,,,,,my D200 has been repowered with a Kubota D722 3 cylinger diesel
I think the little round sticker on top determines how old the battery is. I believe it said E6 or something like that. The letter is the month and the number is the year. I think that’s an 06 battery if I recall how that works 🤔 Another great video as usual. Keep up the good work 👍
We had a Wheel Horse that Dad bought new in about 1964 or so. We used it regularly for many years with never a hiccup. Dad was still using it when I moved out of the house in '68. I'd buy one for sure.
I bought a used one very similar to this one 17 years ago. Excellent piece of equipment, always starts right up and I love the “thump” of the Kohler engine. I believe given the opportunity it would climb a tree !
Maybe a blade sharpening, a check of the belts and idler pulleys before dad gets it? A suicide knob for the steering wheel too 🙂 Enjoyed the video as always! I buy and sell commercial mowing equipment as a side hustle so I enjoyed this one extra 😎
Hey Matt, a plumber friend told me when I was about 20 to use grease on pipe threads. He told me the pipe thread is tapered and all you ever have to do is tighten the connection enough to keep it from leaking and the grease will offer lubrication to allow for tightening it enough. And as a bonus, you can usually undo the joint too. I have seen so many different kinds of "pipe thread compound,s" hardening, pliable, non-hardening, liquid teflon, yellow teflon tape for gas and white teflon tape, but I never once heard of or seen anyone use grease. The guy was a master plumber who owned his own plumbing business, so I took his word for it and I have used it ever since. ben/ michigan
My dad had an old Wheel Horse when I was a kid. I have allot of fond memories of that old tractor working around the property with my dad. Never had the mower but we moved allot of wood chips and pushed allot of snow around with that old machine. Good times.
My first garden machine was a mid-70s WH garden tractor, that my dad bought so he’d be able to off-load the mowing and snow-blowing of our 1 acre property, to his 8 yr old son lol - besides the coolness of being the only one of my peers whose family had color TVs, in-ground pool, garage door openers and other “new for the time tech”, he sold me on it b/c I could use it to make bank mowing lawns and plowing/snow-blowing neighbor’s driveways during the winters, wherein we averaged 200” of snow each calendar year (late Oct through late March)…he had that tractor until the day he died, in 1988….
Hi Matt, great video. In regards to the oil, high quality oils are designed to keep particulates in suspension so they can be captured by the oil filter. In most low revving, low stress small engines without an oil filter it is recommended use a single weight oil like 30W without the surfactants and dispersants found in regular engine oil so that contaminants fall out of suspension when the engine is stopped. That’s why when you tear down an old lawnmower engine, even if the oil is clean there will normally be a layer of black sludge sitting in the bottom of the crank case. It’s also quite gunky so it’s happy to sit there doing no harm even when the engine is running. I hope this helps. Cheers mate. Stuart 🇦🇺
I was going to comment the exact same thing. In lawn equipment, you want to use a straight 30, non-detergent oil. You will find it on the shelves labeled just like that: “SAE 30W non-detergent“. Now, if you use your tractor in the winter for snowblowing, you put in a multi weight for the winter, then change it back out for non-detergent in the spring again.
I agree. I've been using Rotella for a long time, with good results, but I've heard that the diesel additive packages in Rotella require the higher temperatures that diesels run at to be effective.
@BuildItFixItDIY despite what everyone says about not using detergent oils in small engines, all my John Deere manuals, even from 50+ years ago, recommend detergent oils
Fill the tank with corn-less gas and Sea-Foam, apply anti-seize to all those steel bolts contacting aluminum, and you should be good to go for a long time.
Last summer, I'd about had enough of big box store riders. So, I bought a '76 C-120 off of FB Marketplace. The old K series Kohler runs great, and it mows incredibly well. It will likely outlive me. I've had it dealing with poorly built and engineered modern junk. Great find, wonderful video as always, Matt.
These tractors take a beating and keep on ticking! Wheel Horse had a 300 series, 400 series and a 500 series so that is what the 4 means in the model #. This specific unit is a 1988 model and in the prime of it's life! That is a very nice "gift"!
Rotella T5 is the best. I use it in all my small engines (Honda, Briggs Vanguard, etc). Works fantastic and they don't burn oil at all. Great video, enjoyed watching you bring this good old mower back to life.
When I hooked up with the lady who would become my future wife, her tractor was a 1976 Wheel Horse 316-8. It's remarkable how similar that model was to your new baby. The PTO, the deck lift, Kohler engine, seat - all the same. I remember the starter was intermittent like yours, too. That Kohler (K?) eventually got donated to a log splitter project (which, in turn was replaced by a Honda 20-hp V-twin). The engine-less tractor is attempting to become one with the dirt in one of the back fields as I write this.
I bought my parents the identical tractor new in 88. Dad used it up until about 2017 when it got difficult for him to get on. The wheel horse still runs great. Good to see you get this one running for your Dad, Matt.
Save it . These are bulletproof. Tough as nails tractors. We had four of these at our local school district. I will tell you they did not go out for an hour or two once a week. They went out five days a week eight hours for years mowing at our schools. They were used in areas that were too small for our larger equipment to mow. And trust me they held up extremely well. Not only that but the cut was top notch. Because the deck is tall, they gave you a wonderful finished lawn even when mowing in early morning wet conditions. No clumps. Look at all of the cast iron construction all of the grease fittings. Even on the pivot points of the clutch and brake pedals unlike what you will find at Lowes or Home Depot today. They made a rear discharge deck that was used by many cemeterys because they did not blow grass onto headstones instead the grass came out the back or the tractor between the rear tires. a brilliant idea to keep grass out or homeowners flower beds as well. Please save it and treat it well and it will reward you with years of service.
Growing up, Wheel Horse was the go-to garden tractor. I grew up about five blocks from Elmer Pond's place and knew both he and his wife, The house in which I grew up had been purchased from him by my grandparents in about 1930. For awhile his grandkids lived a block away. The first machines that I recall were the ones with a four horse Kohler. Rather overworked with the mower deck. There was a gentleman by the name of Yates that lived a couple of blocks away. He worked for Wheel Horse and seemed to always be upgrading to the newest and best.
With the engine running that good wouldn't dare tear into the carb. Just spray some carb cleaner to get the gunk off the outside. That thing is running absolutely perfect.
Hey Matt, it’s been great watching the channel progress. Here’s a thing that you may have not considered re cleaning stuff before working on it, it’s clear that you like any good pro, can deal with it as you find it so no real gain in wasting time blasting it off. From a watchers perspective however, it sometimes makes it difficult to see what is what when things are covered in oil and mud and …. Know what I mean. Time is precious, do what you’ve got to do, I’m looking forward to you getting the overhead crane installed in the shop.
Apparently the previous owner ran all the fuel out before they stored it. I've gotten a few that sat for years started right up. And if you use good gas it helps also. Thanks for the video 👍🇺🇸
Man, I just pulled a WH 1057 (1967 year) with a snow blade out of a farmer's field in Illinois last year (for sale off Marketplace). The transmission was full of water, the carb was toast, but everything else was good. A month of work on it later, I had it running and driving, then used it to plow snow from my long driveway all winter. That thing is a beast! All steel and no plastic on that machine. And it never got stuck in the snow or mud. I later realized people use these models for lawn mower tractor pulling!
Hey Matt, I loved the video on the Wheelhorse mainly because when I was a kid, my Dad owned a couple of them he added three-point hitches (manually operated) that he used to plow, cultivate, and harrow our and several friends', family's, and neighbors' gardens. Although both of ours had Wisconsin engines on them, I remember my Dad showing me that when starting them {especially cold} if they kicked back {ours had rope starters} it was generally a sign that the valve lash needed adjustment. Since then, I've remedied this issue with Wisconsins, Kohlers, Briggs and Strattons, Tecumsehs, and Hondas as well as a couple of Chinese engines. If the valve lash is too great, the intake valve is closing too soon causing excessive compression upon starting and the exhaust opens too late causing more heat buildup in the cylinder. I've encountered many instances where people have replaced perfectly good batteries and starter motors. This could possibly account for the overheated/melted/defective starter solenoid on your unit.
I use 3/4 Good oil and 1/4 desiel oil. Has detergent in the oil keep cleaning as it goes. And has proven that the oil don't go black for a long time. And everything is clean in side. I'm so happy with the mix. 40dc days. God bless mate. Mick Australia 🇦🇺
Hey Matt, I noticed the mini-splits wrapped in the background ... one thing I've wanted to mention, heating the shop with the radiant floor alone is a slow process. Consider adding unitary heaters as well. The floor will do a great job if the bay doors are kept closed, but as soon as you open one all the warm air is going to blow out and the floor alone will take a long time to warm the space back up again. A unit heater or two by the doors will help break the chill and give the floor time to re-heat the space again. Also a big ass fan will help push the warm air back down to the floor.
I never had any luck with green slime, or any other liquid plug short cut. Tubes are the same price and are permanent, also you can patch them. Great gift for you :)
I love the old wheel horse tractors, had a 1964 when I was a kid on the farm, pops got it broken and fixed it, put some chains on it and said Here, You have your own LEAVE MINE ALONE !!! : ) A friend and I made trails through the woods from our farm to his house, then to everyone else we knew in our rural connected woods, 50+ years later the trails are still there.
Wow. I have never seen anything sit that long and run that well without even touching the carb, That's impressive. Those Kohler engines are indestructible though.
"Commonly snapped off" so lets continue to use an impact to try to remove it!! Matt you are sometimes just like me and I would expect better ! Fuel rated teflon tape. That's a new one on my so add another one to the list. Free don't mean cut rocks with it running down the driveway! Matt that' a Luxury rig! Let yer Dad cut the grass in style! You owe it to him! Great episode bud!!
*Matt, Please check the blades and sharpen them, unless they need replacing after all at time just sitting... before giving the mower to your dad... 🙂.*
Hey Matt, another great video! For batteries one thing I learned in auto parts is how to read date codes. That battery you have there has an 'E6' label on the top. This would translate to May 2016 which would be just on par for how long you said it was sitting. They basically go with the alphabet being the month; A=1, B=2,etc and the 2nd character is the year using the last digit, making this one 2016. Hope this helps someone out there.
As a wheelhorse fanboy and collector I’m looking forward to watching this. The 4 is for the 400 series. They had a 200-500 series. The lawn tractor video you did was one of my favorites. It was my exact first mower when I was 8 years old. My dad had a 312-8 growing up, my grandfather had several different horses throughout the years. I currently have a 520 hydro and a newer 520 lxi which are both beast in the garden tractor world.
My favorite was my 1972 Commander with the Kholer 18 horse S belt drive takeoff. Simply couldn't kill it if I tried. Slow as F but always reliable once I got done fixing the various issues it had from the lawyer I bought it from up in Coral Gables. Paid 200 hundred bucks in 2010 body mint condition. It was originally his dad's. Unfortunately he gave all the accessories away or scrapped them.
That is a cool rider! Don't know if Slime is the same as Fix-A-Flat, but I could hear the voice of Chicanic ranting about "This "QUICK FIX" will destroy your mower! DON'T FALL FOR IT or it will cost you BIG later!" in the second half of the video.
Matt great video , I been watching you for a long time now. You are the big reason I am doing small engine school. I'm in bad health and recently lost my leg but im able to do online school for now. I hope you see this. I have learned alot from you. Thank you and Mrs Diesel creek for everything. Much love and respect from here in Kentucky ❤
Wheel Horse lawn and garden tractors were pretty much in par with John Deere versions. Cub Cadets were a basic homeower low price versions that didn't have the accessory options the other 2 did. Wheel Horses had a better motor that Deere's. I have a 2 year vocational school diploma working on small engines and a couple more diplomas on larger engines including radial and turboshaft aircraft and helo engines. I've owned both Deeres and Wheel Horses and preferred WH's for there simplicity, parts availability and costs for parts. Deere parts got ridiculously high priced where WH's stayed steady even after Torro bought them out. Ya got a good tractor there Matt. Your Dad is a lucky man to have you for a son. Keeping him outta that creek proves it.
Brings back a lot of memories my grandfather work for Wheelhorse plant in South Bend Indiana. I grew up with one at home. That mower was a real workhorse. We did everything with it from clearing the land to build a house to raise gardens, or hauling things around.
I would not be too concerned about what brand of motor oil you are using Matt. I was the same way when I started working on lawn mowers back in 1973. I would not use anything but Pennsoil in my stuff, cars etc. As I became more experienced and went to more and more service schools I realized that as long as you use the right weight oil and change it on a regular basis it doesn’t matter what brand you use. I have been running Walmart oil in everything I own and have never had a failure. My Honda had 275 K on it when I bought another car and it never used oil and ran great. I’ve saved a lot of money over the fifty plus years I have repaired my own stuff. When you get tired of spending all that extra cash on oil, you could probably build that new house a lot sooner 😅😅. Best regards Steve. 😊
I owned a 1987 418c hydro for many years, but had to sell it when I downsized. They are great tractors! I had the plow with wheel weights and chains…what a beast pushing snow!! Used it for grading dirt as well. Tough tractors to kill. Btw, the date code on that battery was that sticker ready got on top. E-6 was May of 16 or 06. Pretty clean, so probably 2016. New shop looks great!
Magic Matt strikes again. I think it was the power wash job. 🙂 Hmm, ya think that never last battery could charged back to life? Man that blade works, that's a miracle, probably has a bit of rust.
You must be living right Matt with this find being as good as it is, although I think you’ve developed a pretty keen eye for “ stuff “ that has potential. I feel ya regarding just how good it feels to bring an old critter back to life, not much better to declare “ it’s alive “. Well done once again - pretty cool little machine 👍👍
Hi Matt, I have I have a 312A, 1986 anniversary series. It had chrome hub caps and chrome muffler. It had the smoothest hydro-static trans/rear diff I have ever seen. It did everything l asked to do, mow, push snow, sweep up lawn,and snow blow. I still have it but it needs a complete going through and new paint. It have new decals for it. I can wait to get started on it. I also had a 312-8, but let go. No room for it. The 312A was never stored out of doors. It will be with till I’m gone. It has well over 1400 hrs on it. Enjoy show!
I am going to be prophetic and say that motor is a Briggs and Stratton, they start every time .No profit loss very little time use , ready to go to market today !.
Wow, nice little unit you've got there, Matt! Once again, I admire your mechanical skill and know how. I'm sure your Dad will be so grateful to have the mower to keep things neat and well-kept. Thanks for showing us your new aquisition!
That looks to be an exceptionally good little tractor. With 16hp, I imagine it would make a useful yard shunter for trailers up to a certain size too. The tow bar on it looks sturdier than what I normally see on little tractors of this kind.
Using the Semi Supervillains Logo to hide the tractor as you drove up in the opening shot is cute but you kind of blew the surprise with the video's title and thumbnail pic... 😄😁😆😅😂🤣
That cleaned up nicely.
Awesome fix great lawnmower
Technically, it's a garden tractor. It's designed to do all the same work as a farm tractor, but on a smaller scale.
I bought a 1961 used Wheelhorse lawn tractor when I was 15 years old. It came with the mower deck, a snow blower, , snow plow and those round disks used to turn soil. I loved working on it, years later I took my children for rides on it, cleared the sidewalks of snow for all my neighbors, and just made great memories. The tractor and I are both 62 years old and, it still runs.
Thanks for sharing!
That's the year I was born, don't make things to last like they used to.
That’s a Great Story, God Bless You.
Is there a Chance You would like to Sell that Thing & just How Much do You need for it??🤣
Dang! Free!! I don't think I've ever said this in over 6 decades on earth, I'm jealous!
What a sweet memories you have,and thanks for sharing 👍
Congratulations mat.......New saying at DIESAL CREEK ".... "Well its going to run"😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊❤❤❤❤❤❤...
I'm from the UK and this is a very nostalgic tractor for me! I grew up in a small cottage in the woods, and my dad used to coppice the woodland around the house. We used exactly the same tractor with a trailer to get the logs out and I used to drive it in and out. My Dad would set me off (I couldn't reach the clutch 😂) and my Mum would stop me at the other end and help get the logs out! I loved my childhood!
what does coppice mean , mow?
@@stevewhyte8476 basically thinning the trees down strategically so it can grow in a healthy way. It was just the tractor without the deck on it.
Thanks and have a good day.
My family had a qualcast push mower in Uk mind u I’m on my second ride on now can only manage the 28 inch wide I’m all posh now with lithium powered
@@danielpowell8416sp basically pruning?
That's a nice machine, and it's in great condition for it's age. She's got some life left in her, and deserves a spit shine and a poor man's refresh.
is it available
Hi matt I've been a subscriber from.near on day one and diesel creek has brought me so much joy over the years and helped me with my mental health alot just the other day my little girl who has ASD and adhd watched one of your videos and went calm and silent I asked her what was the matter she replied nothing daddy I like his voice and how he repairs things like you and that warmed my heart to no end she finds it so hard to calm down and relax due to her needs she goes quiet and very inquisitive when she helps me with my mechanical and electrical repair work thank you for all the hard work you put into your videos and the joy and comfort it brings us all keep em coming matt god bless you mate
Sounds like you have identified something that can turn some of her energy/anxiety into productivity. I hope you have a garage and necessities to get her a project tractor / go cart or something of the sort maybe....
My 8years old son also has ADHD and he love to help me when i working on my workshop, tbh quite challenging handling child with ADHD.. i hope you and your family doing well and always in a good health 😊
Matt what you are saying about different metals is right and that is a good reason to use a spanner 🔧 before you use a power operated tool. 😊
The round sticker on the battery is your manufacture date. E is the 5th month. 6 is three last digit of the year. Yours is either May of 2016 or 2006. Probably '16
Matt, What a treat. I purchased a Wheelhorse 520H new in 1992 and mowed 2 acres with it for 24 years until the mower deck was so thin you could stick your finger through it in about a dozen places. I still kept it for 3 more years to use the snow plow, and finally gave it to a young kid who wanted to restore it. The 4 series was the same tractor except engine sizes and the front axle was different (canted further forward on each end, I think this was due to the hydraulic lift quick attach mower deck). Mine had the Onan 20HP with Hydrostatic drive and hydraulic lift. It was the top of the line for the time. All structural steel and cast iron, weighed in at about 700lbs with 48" deck. It is a testament to the quality of the older Wheelhorse equipment before Toro bought it and the accountants started running the business....cheap is good, cheaper is better mentality. This machine will probably last another 20 years as long as it is maintained properly.
Matt for me there’s nothing more cathartic than mowing grass on a riding mower be it a zero turn Cub Cadet or your Wheel Horse it’s just a relaxing time.
Your channel is number one in my book.
Grew up and raised on International Harvester Cub Cadet tractors, HOWEVER! The heck with these zero turn radius go cart mowers. They look like an accident ready to happen, like they're ready to flip you out of that thing in a heartbeat if your not careful with those joy sticks. They SHOUKD be banned from further sales and taken off the market. Going further, also love old Wheel Horse tractors and Power King tractors to. Tractors RULE man, TRACTORS RULE!!!!
...bloody nice little tractor...imho...well-done Sir!!!😄
21:40 Love it!
That's what you get from properly draining the fuel system before storage!
No varnish or gum to block things up, no crap left in the tank..
+1 to previous owner 👍
I agree, I was thinking that the previous owner “ran it dry” for storage. I try to do that at the end of the season also.
I've commented before but I thoroughly enjoy your content. Your excitement and commitment to succeed is contagious!
When I was 12 years old (1968), I had the job of cutting our 3/4 acre yard with a 19” 3 hp Briggs and Stratton push mower. What a dreaded weekly summer chore! One Saturday Dad took me out to our local Wheel Horse dealer and bought one. I will never forget that day of liberation. Thanks for the memory!
You lucky Dog....lol. When I was a kid I had to wrestle an ancient walk behind "Suffolk Punch" cylinder mower around the Lawn. Thing must have weighed twice what I did! It was self propelled, but never had a split roller so it had the turning circle of an Oil Tanker.......
TRy mowing about 1 1/2 acres with a 3 hp cheapo push mower. I could only dream of a riding mower. 🙃@@nickmaclachlan5178
Ha, you were lucky! My parents bought a lawn tractor the summer I moved from home and they had to cut the farm yard themselves! :)
At least it was quiet
17:36 The oxidation between 2 different metals is called Galvanic Corrosion...
It's a MASSIVE Pain in the Assets when it happens...
😄😁😆😅😂🤣
Sadly, I know nothing about the workings of engines, but I think its great that you take these older vehicles and give them a new life, and I am all in with that. Keep upthe good work
I love Watching Diesel Creek. Turning Boys Into Men👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾. Keep Up The Good Dirty Work
Yeeeeeyyy !!!! Is time to sit down and just see what Matt is doing Good morning ☀️
That was a not that expensive free tractor!!😂 now let your Dad enjoy it!! Your collaborations with scrappy are amazing!! Hope you write all of your Don’t of the book of OSHA,! Thanks for sharing
I enjoy when you work on the “simpler” items. This is something I may find myself working on someday.
One nice quality garden 😍😍😍😍😍tractor
I LOVE your energy and excitement when an engine fires off!! It's part of why I like watching your channel.
Lol. That is why I love working on small engines. It is my passion, because they are just so simple to work on. My mom's tiller started acting up the other day. I removed, disassembled, cleaned, and reinstalled the carburetor in 14 minutes. Small engines are just cheap and easy. You don't have to be rich to pursue it as a hobby. I have enough projects right now to last a year or so, and I got all of them for free. It's a great way to spend your spare time.
Bought my 520H WheelHorse in 1990...still going strong! 3/4 arce lawn, 48" snowblower.
I bought my house Jan 2022 and there was an 1987 Deutz Allis 1918 series tractor sunk in the ground in my back yard from the previous owner. He said it had been there for at least 8 years. The engine was seized, tires flat and the mowing deck had too many holes to be saved but through watching videos like yours I decided to try to get it running. I unseized the motor with some Kroil in the cylinder and after a tune up of plugs, oil, filters, ect, it is the best running, sounding and starting mower I own. It is the oldest of my three and I will never get rid of it. Hydraulic steer, trans, deck height, ect. Front and rear driveshafts for implements. Really nice unit. I would post a picture if I knew how. Love the old stuff.
Matt cracks me up with his child like enthusiasm when he gets things going. I look forward to it every time.
Wheel Horse, of course! My neighbor used to plow driveways with his, and his plow had no 'down force', so this guy got some weights off a barbell and put them on top of his plow. Worked like a charm!
That is a great tractor! I am a wheelhorse guy and own 7 of them at this time. I was thrilled to see you working on this one. These tractors are timeless and I plow my driveway out each year and mow with mine. I live in the snowbelt of Western New York state and that tractor has no problem dealing with all the snow we get. I get replacement seats for mine at Northern Tool, if you are thinking about replacing that one.
My dad bought a 1975 automatic years ago and is selling it despite my best efforts to convince him it’s a good little tractor to keep. They’re great tractors for their size, built sturdy, easily repairable. If you’re wanting a tractor to wrench on and get your moneys worth out of. It’s the tractor to cut your teeth on!
your right that horse will out plow my 25 hp deere and the ponds had a superior snow plow design
@@StrikerV3 wheel horse tractors were at one time a direct competitor to cub cadet ,, i still have my grandfather's D-160 wheel horse tractor ,and there's no mistaking it for anything else it's a big square tractor slightly bigger than a 430 JD garden tractor,,, i own 3 D series WH tractors ,,the old D160 and i have acquired a D180 and a D200 ,,,,,my D200 has been repowered with a Kubota D722 3 cylinger diesel
Love ‘em I got 5 3 different 312-8 and two c160s
I'm in Western NY too..Lewiston NY actually don't get all that much snow here..where abouts are you southern tier?
I demand Roscoe video!
Way to be a good son Matt. Im sure your Dad is gonna love it!
I think the little round sticker on top determines how old the battery is. I believe it said E6 or something like that. The letter is the month and the number is the year. I think that’s an 06 battery if I recall how that works 🤔
Another great video as usual. Keep up the good work 👍
I have a lot of respect for people like you, who fix up these beautiful machines instead of letting them rot in a junkyard. Thank you!
We had a Wheel Horse that Dad bought new in about 1964 or so. We used it regularly for many years with never a hiccup.
Dad was still using it when I moved out of the house in '68. I'd buy one for sure.
Probably a 854 which they had a rear discharge mower deck on it. I love those rear discharge mower decks very, very much!!!!
I bought a used one very similar to this one 17 years ago. Excellent piece of equipment, always starts right up and I love the “thump” of the Kohler engine. I believe given the opportunity it would climb a tree !
Clean the underside of the Mower Deck and Hammerite it. The Grass Juice Rots out the Decks - that's the archiles heel of steel Mower Decks
Maybe a blade sharpening, a check of the belts and idler pulleys before dad gets it? A suicide knob for the steering wheel too 🙂 Enjoyed the video as always! I buy and sell commercial mowing equipment as a side hustle so I enjoyed this one extra 😎
Hey Matt, a plumber friend told me when I was about 20 to use grease on pipe threads. He told me the pipe thread is tapered and all you ever have to do is tighten the connection enough to keep it from leaking and the grease will offer lubrication to allow for tightening it enough. And as a bonus, you can usually undo the joint too. I have seen so many different kinds of "pipe thread compound,s" hardening, pliable, non-hardening, liquid teflon, yellow teflon tape for gas and white teflon tape, but I never once heard of or seen anyone use grease. The guy was a master plumber who owned his own plumbing business, so I took his word for it and I have used it ever since. ben/ michigan
What a machine! Very nice! Ag tires, 16hp, good seat, nice paint. Deck even look good.
You've got good friends Matt.😊
Right. It’s like the guy got it dirty and gave it to him.
(Edit. My comment sounded crappy. Guy probably didn’t need or care about it. That’s fair.)
My dad had an old Wheel Horse when I was a kid. I have allot of fond memories of that old tractor working around the property with my dad. Never had the mower but we moved allot of wood chips and pushed allot of snow around with that old machine. Good times.
We need more Rosco! It was great to see him close up and your interaction with him.
My first garden machine was a mid-70s WH garden tractor, that my dad bought so he’d be able to off-load the mowing and snow-blowing of our 1 acre property, to his 8 yr old son lol - besides the coolness of being the only one of my peers whose family had color TVs, in-ground pool, garage door openers and other “new for the time tech”, he sold me on it b/c I could use it to make bank mowing lawns and plowing/snow-blowing neighbor’s driveways during the winters, wherein we averaged 200” of snow each calendar year (late Oct through late March)…he had that tractor until the day he died, in 1988….
I would totally choose a Wheel Horse over a Cadet. Dandahermit
That area that you mowed could make a really nice picnic area! A big picnic table and a dedicated grill would do the trick!
Hi Matt, great video. In regards to the oil, high quality oils are designed to keep particulates in suspension so they can be captured by the oil filter. In most low revving, low stress small engines without an oil filter it is recommended use a single weight oil like 30W without the surfactants and dispersants found in regular engine oil so that contaminants fall out of suspension when the engine is stopped. That’s why when you tear down an old lawnmower engine, even if the oil is clean there will normally be a layer of black sludge sitting in the bottom of the crank case. It’s also quite gunky so it’s happy to sit there doing no harm even when the engine is running.
I hope this helps. Cheers mate. Stuart 🇦🇺
I was going to comment the exact same thing. In lawn equipment, you want to use a straight 30, non-detergent oil. You will find it on the shelves labeled just like that: “SAE 30W non-detergent“.
Now, if you use your tractor in the winter for snowblowing, you put in a multi weight for the winter, then change it back out for non-detergent in the spring again.
I agree. I've been using Rotella for a long time, with good results, but I've heard that the diesel additive packages in Rotella require the higher temperatures that diesels run at to be effective.
@BuildItFixItDIY despite what everyone says about not using detergent oils in small engines, all my John Deere manuals, even from 50+ years ago, recommend detergent oils
@@evanruhl249 Ah, interesting. Do these small engines you speak of have oil filters? If so, than that makes sense (detergent oil may be recommended).
@@SirChevy Diesels run hotter?
I think it is the opposite actually: gasoline engines run hotter.
Fill the tank with corn-less gas and Sea-Foam, apply anti-seize to all those steel bolts contacting aluminum, and you should be good to go for a long time.
Last summer, I'd about had enough of big box store riders. So, I bought a '76 C-120 off of FB Marketplace. The old K series Kohler runs great, and it mows incredibly well. It will likely outlive me. I've had it dealing with poorly built and engineered modern junk. Great find, wonderful video as always, Matt.
These tractors take a beating and keep on ticking! Wheel Horse had a 300 series, 400 series and a 500 series so that is what the 4 means in the model #. This specific unit is a 1988 model and in the prime of it's life! That is a very nice "gift"!
Rotella T5 is the best. I use it in all my small engines (Honda, Briggs Vanguard, etc). Works fantastic and they don't burn oil at all. Great video, enjoyed watching you bring this good old mower back to life.
But this oil are not for diesel engine? I don’t understand how work?
What a lovely wee tractor your a lucky man for getting it for nothing please keep the great videos coming friend from Scotland 😊
CONGRATULATIONS, Matt! Once again, you've saved a piece of equipment from destruction!
When I hooked up with the lady who would become my future wife, her tractor was a 1976 Wheel Horse 316-8. It's remarkable how similar that model was to your new baby. The PTO, the deck lift, Kohler engine, seat - all the same.
I remember the starter was intermittent like yours, too. That Kohler (K?) eventually got donated to a log splitter project (which, in turn was replaced by a Honda 20-hp V-twin). The engine-less tractor is attempting to become one with the dirt in one of the back fields as I write this.
I bought my parents the identical tractor new in 88. Dad used it up until about 2017 when it got difficult for him to get on. The wheel horse still runs great. Good to see you get this one running for your Dad, Matt.
Save it . These are bulletproof. Tough as nails tractors. We had four of these at our local school district. I will tell you they did not go out for an hour or two once a week. They went out five days a week eight hours for years mowing at our schools. They were used in areas that were too small for our larger equipment to mow. And trust me they held up extremely well. Not only that but the cut was top notch. Because the deck is tall, they gave you a wonderful finished lawn even when mowing in early morning wet conditions. No clumps. Look at all of the cast iron construction all of the grease fittings. Even on the pivot points of the clutch and brake pedals unlike what you will find at Lowes or Home Depot today. They made a rear discharge deck that was used by many cemeterys because they did not blow grass onto headstones instead the grass came out the back or the tractor between the rear tires. a brilliant idea to keep grass out or homeowners flower beds as well. Please save it and treat it well and it will reward you with years of service.
Growing up, Wheel Horse was the go-to garden tractor. I grew up about five blocks from Elmer Pond's place and knew both he and his wife, The house in which I grew up had been purchased from him by my grandparents in about 1930. For awhile his grandkids lived a block away. The first machines that I recall were the ones with a four horse Kohler. Rather overworked with the mower deck. There was a gentleman by the name of Yates that lived a couple of blocks away. He worked for Wheel Horse and seemed to always be upgrading to the newest and best.
With the engine running that good wouldn't dare tear into the carb. Just spray some carb cleaner to get the gunk off the outside. That thing is running absolutely perfect.
Hey Matt, it’s been great watching the channel progress.
Here’s a thing that you may have not considered re cleaning stuff before working on it, it’s clear that you like any good pro, can deal with it as you find it so no real gain in wasting time blasting it off. From a watchers perspective however, it sometimes makes it difficult to see what is what when things are covered in oil and mud and ….
Know what I mean.
Time is precious, do what you’ve got to do, I’m looking forward to you getting the overhead crane installed in the shop.
Thank you for the video that is pretty cool that is a very nice tractor 🚜....JJ... Jonjon....😊
Just when I needed something to watch for breakfast, our man provides.
I'm the same, but with lunch
Wait you ate the video?
A man has to have dessert, don't he?
Moose milk best breakfest
@TiffanySmith-ed2lj Probably the best compliment I've ever received
Nice! As you said, doesn’t get nicer than that. A little sweat equity in maintenance & repair. Sweet! What a good son, blessing your dad with it!
I remember the early videos with lawn mower tractors and small engines in an auto garage, I'm glad Matt hasn't forgotten them either, a hug ,brother!
Bought my 520H Toro WheelHorse in August 1990.. running it hard every since- grass in the summer- snow in the winter!❤
Apparently the previous owner ran all the fuel out before they stored it. I've gotten a few that sat for years started right up. And if you use good gas it helps also. Thanks for the video 👍🇺🇸
or more likely they sucked/drained the fuel out of it
Man, I just pulled a WH 1057 (1967 year) with a snow blade out of a farmer's field in Illinois last year (for sale off Marketplace). The transmission was full of water, the carb was toast, but everything else was good. A month of work on it later, I had it running and driving, then used it to plow snow from my long driveway all winter. That thing is a beast! All steel and no plastic on that machine. And it never got stuck in the snow or mud. I later realized people use these models for lawn mower tractor pulling!
Hey Matt, I loved the video on the Wheelhorse mainly because when I was a kid, my Dad owned a couple of them he added three-point hitches (manually operated) that he used to plow, cultivate, and harrow our and several friends', family's, and neighbors' gardens. Although both of ours had Wisconsin engines on them, I remember my Dad showing me that when starting them {especially cold} if they kicked back {ours had rope starters} it was generally a sign that the valve lash needed adjustment. Since then, I've remedied this issue with Wisconsins, Kohlers, Briggs and Strattons, Tecumsehs, and Hondas as well as a couple of Chinese engines. If the valve lash is too great, the intake valve is closing too soon causing excessive compression upon starting and the exhaust opens too late causing more heat buildup in the cylinder. I've encountered many instances where people have replaced perfectly good batteries and starter motors. This could possibly account for the overheated/melted/defective starter solenoid on your unit.
I've just been doing the manual 3 point lift myself. Don't suppose you have any pictures of your dad's version?
Another good deal and now all you need is lawn so you can cut the gras and Make it look like Pebble Beach golf course.
It's too cute how excited you get when the engines actually start!! You're like a kid at Christmas!! God bless you and your family! ❤️🙏👍
When he claps his hands like a Seal at Marine Land lol It is funny.. A Matt thing for sure [part of the shtick]. :-) Key to his thang!
thats just how us guys are wired, we take something thats broke, and bring it back to life. we get excited
I use 3/4 Good oil and 1/4 desiel oil. Has detergent in the oil keep cleaning as it goes.
And has proven that the oil don't go black for a long time.
And everything is clean in side.
I'm so happy with the mix. 40dc days.
God bless mate. Mick Australia 🇦🇺
Hey Matt, I noticed the mini-splits wrapped in the background ... one thing I've wanted to mention, heating the shop with the radiant floor alone is a slow process. Consider adding unitary heaters as well. The floor will do a great job if the bay doors are kept closed, but as soon as you open one all the warm air is going to blow out and the floor alone will take a long time to warm the space back up again. A unit heater or two by the doors will help break the chill and give the floor time to re-heat the space again. Also a big ass fan will help push the warm air back down to the floor.
I never had any luck with green slime, or any other liquid plug short cut. Tubes are the same price and are permanent, also you can patch them. Great gift for you :)
Well done. Nice that you’re helping out your dad.
I love the old wheel horse tractors, had a 1964 when I was a kid on the farm, pops got it broken and fixed it, put some chains on it and said Here, You have your own LEAVE MINE ALONE !!! : ) A friend and I made trails through the woods from our farm to his house, then to everyone else we knew in our rural connected woods, 50+ years later the trails are still there.
I still think it's beautiful.
Wow. I have never seen anything sit that long and run that well without even touching the carb, That's impressive. Those Kohler engines are indestructible though.
Man I love when you just work on some small garden tractors!
Add some gumout to gas
"Commonly snapped off" so lets continue to use an impact to try to remove it!! Matt you are sometimes just like me and I would expect better !
Fuel rated teflon tape. That's a new one on my so add another one to the list.
Free don't mean cut rocks with it running down the driveway!
Matt that' a Luxury rig!
Let yer Dad cut the grass in style!
You owe it to him!
Great episode bud!!
Hello from Australia. Love the vids Matt
*Matt, Please check the blades and sharpen them, unless they need replacing after all at time just sitting... before giving the mower to your dad... 🙂.*
Hey Matt, another great video! For batteries one thing I learned in auto parts is how to read date codes. That battery you have there has an 'E6' label on the top. This would translate to May 2016 which would be just on par for how long you said it was sitting. They basically go with the alphabet being the month; A=1, B=2,etc and the 2nd character is the year using the last digit, making this one 2016. Hope this helps someone out there.
maybe it was 2006 then ?
@@rmee5165 I don't believe that they used that date code system in 2006.
Yes sir! Don’t cheap out on engines oil the most expensive part of your vehicle depends on it
You made out good on this little tractor
As a wheelhorse fanboy and collector I’m looking forward to watching this. The 4 is for the 400 series. They had a 200-500 series. The lawn tractor video you did was one of my favorites. It was my exact first mower when I was 8 years old. My dad had a 312-8 growing up, my grandfather had several different horses throughout the years. I currently have a 520 hydro and a newer 520 lxi which are both beast in the garden tractor world.
I have the 312-8 also and use it all the time
ive got a rj59 its great its getting a 212 put in
My favorite was my 1972 Commander with the Kholer 18 horse S belt drive takeoff.
Simply couldn't kill it if I tried.
Slow as F but always reliable once I got done fixing the various issues it had from the lawyer I bought it from up in Coral Gables.
Paid 200 hundred bucks in 2010 body mint condition.
It was originally his dad's.
Unfortunately he gave all the accessories away or scrapped them.
That is a cool rider! Don't know if Slime is the same as Fix-A-Flat, but I could hear the voice of Chicanic ranting about "This "QUICK FIX" will destroy your mower! DON'T FALL FOR IT or it will cost you BIG later!" in the second half of the video.
Matt great video , I been watching you for a long time now. You are the big reason I am doing small engine school. I'm in bad health and recently lost my leg but im able to do online school for now. I hope you see this. I have learned alot from you. Thank you and Mrs Diesel creek for everything. Much love and respect from here in Kentucky ❤
Wheel Horse lawn and garden tractors were pretty much in par with John Deere versions.
Cub Cadets were a basic homeower low price versions that didn't have the accessory options the other 2 did.
Wheel Horses had a better motor that Deere's.
I have a 2 year vocational school diploma working on small engines and a couple more diplomas on larger engines including radial and turboshaft aircraft and helo engines.
I've owned both Deeres and Wheel Horses and preferred WH's for there simplicity, parts availability and costs for parts.
Deere parts got ridiculously high priced where WH's stayed steady even after Torro bought them out.
Ya got a good tractor there Matt.
Your Dad is a lucky man to have you for a son.
Keeping him outta that creek proves it.
Brings back a lot of memories my grandfather work for Wheelhorse plant in South Bend Indiana. I grew up with one at home. That mower was a real workhorse. We did everything with it from clearing the land to build a house to raise gardens, or hauling things around.
I would not be too concerned about what brand of motor oil you are using Matt. I was the same way when I started working on lawn mowers back in 1973. I would not use anything but Pennsoil in my stuff, cars etc. As I became more experienced and went to more and more service schools I realized that as long as you use the right weight oil and change it on a regular basis it doesn’t matter what brand you use. I have been running Walmart oil in everything I own and have never had a failure. My Honda had 275 K on it when I bought another car and it never used oil and ran great. I’ve saved a lot of money over the fifty plus years I have repaired my own stuff. When you get tired of spending all that extra cash on oil, you could probably build that new house a lot sooner 😅😅. Best regards Steve. 😊
I owned a 1987 418c hydro for many years, but had to sell it when I downsized. They are great tractors! I had the plow with wheel weights and chains…what a beast pushing snow!! Used it for grading dirt as well. Tough tractors to kill. Btw, the date code on that battery was that sticker ready got on top. E-6 was May of 16 or 06. Pretty clean, so probably 2016. New shop looks great!
Magic Matt strikes again. I think it was the power wash job. 🙂 Hmm, ya think that never last battery could charged back to life? Man that blade works, that's a miracle, probably has a bit of rust.
That unit looks really nice, and seems to be great at moving grass. That thing is worth those parts you bought!
Rivnut that solenoid hole! You'll never have to wrestle with that solenoid again. Sorry if it's already been said. Great video!
You must be living right Matt with this find being as good as it is, although I think you’ve developed a pretty keen eye for “ stuff “ that has potential. I feel ya regarding just how good it feels to bring an old critter back to life, not much better to declare “ it’s alive “. Well done once again - pretty cool little machine 👍👍
Hi Matt, I have I have a 312A, 1986 anniversary series. It had chrome hub caps and chrome muffler. It had the smoothest hydro-static trans/rear diff I have ever seen. It did everything l asked to do, mow, push snow, sweep up lawn,and snow blow. I still have it but it needs a complete going through and new paint. It have new decals for it. I can wait to get started on it. I also had a 312-8, but let go. No room for it. The 312A was never stored out of doors. It will be with till I’m gone. It has well over 1400 hrs on it. Enjoy show!
Another great save Matt. When you started mowing I couldn’t help but see the new lights on the workshop, they look really cool mate.
I am going to be prophetic and say that motor is a Briggs and Stratton, they start every time .No profit loss very little time use , ready to go to market today !.
Nope tht bea Kohler K series y man..
Wow, nice little unit you've got there, Matt! Once again, I admire your mechanical skill and know how. I'm sure your Dad will be so grateful to have the mower to keep things neat and well-kept. Thanks for showing us your new aquisition!
Looks like the guy mowed his lawn put it back into the shed!!!!great condition nice score!!!
Hope you, Roscoe, meatball and the gang are doing well
It’s amazing what some people throw away. I get stuff from people from work occasionally and get it running. It’s a good feeling.
That looks to be an exceptionally good little tractor. With 16hp, I imagine it would make a useful yard shunter for trailers up to a certain size too. The tow bar on it looks sturdier than what I normally see on little tractors of this kind.
Using the Semi Supervillains Logo to hide the tractor as you drove up in the opening shot is cute but you kind of blew the surprise with the video's title and thumbnail pic...
😄😁😆😅😂🤣