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Unofficial Home of Old Simplicity & Allis-Chalmers Garden Tractors

personal encounter with another GT nut


dhoadley

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They weren't Simplicitys, but they were interesting. I was delivering a vanity to a house and the owner had a JD 318 with a 4-way hydro plow in the garage. We started talking and he says "you might want to see my collection". Instead of heading to the shed in back, we go thru his living room, and in his enclosed back porch he has 5 restored Wheel Horse Rideaway Jrs. and 2 walk-behind tractors, with probably a dozen attachments stacked along the walls. I took a picture with my non-smart phone, but I can't figure out how to get the photo out of my phone and onto the computer:I. They were cute, but they looked like they were pedal tractors. He apparently is a big deal in the WH community, having written a comprehensive history on the Wheel Horse. Anyway, it was nice to find a kindred spirit in the neighborhood. There's not many of us here in southern New England. Dave

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quote:Originally posted by timflury

Are you able to email the photos from your phone?Can you text them to a friend with a smartphone and have him email them to you?


id="quote">
id="quote">Tim, I'm lucky if I can find them to show someone standing with me. I have a non-smart phone that calls and texts only. I can't email from my phone and I can't get them into a computer. The sad part is that with 2 teenagers, I'm still the "computer tech" in the family!^
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You probably encountered Michael Martino who has written three additions of "Straight from the Horse's Mouth", which is a GREAT book.

It chronicles the origin of the Wheelhorse tractors up until the sale in the 70's to AMC. I wish he would do a book on the years after the sale to AMC through Toro until the end of the tractors/brand.

At the time of the book writings, I think the first two additions, Cecil Pond (I believe he and his Dad were the founders/inventors of Wheelhorse) was still alive and in June, there is a Wheelhorse get together in PA near Gettysburg. It's pretty cool. Cecil Pond paid a few visits there - which was a crowd favorite.

Here are a few links:

http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/forum/123-wheelhorsestory/'>http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/forum/123-wheelhorsestory/

http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/

http://www.wheelhorsecc.com/

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My head is always on a swivel watching for our favorite brands, when out and about, but I really get a kick out of chatting with collectors of other brands, and looking over their machines to see how they operate, how they were designed, and why folks love them like we love ours.

Sounds like a great suprise visit.

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My first contact with a WH, and for that matter GT was in around 1976. I was using my dad's vintage (at that time) Gravely Model L walk behind with sickle bar to cut a friend's very tall thick grass field. I always talked up the Gravely as being the best thing since sliced bread, which it was for our property with saplings and less tall grass. However, it bogged down on this site, and it was not working.

Another guy comes along with his WH (don't know the model, at least as large as a Simp 7016), and he mows it down in no time at all. I learned a couple of things that day. Didn't own my own GT until 25 years later, and don't know what I would do without it. A sickle bar today? Don't know what I would do WITH it, but the walk behind had a roller I'd love to have access to. Each job has the right tool.

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quote:Originally posted by Talntedmrgreen

...but I really get a kick out of chatting with collectors of other brands, and looking over their machines to see how they operate, how they were designed, and why folks love them like we love ours.


id="quote">
id="quote">That is the primary reason I branched out from Wheelhorse a couple of years ago. I came within a hair of buying a new Sovereign, a dealer left-over with the Kohler Command 18 and power steering. I wound-up buying the last year of make for the Wheelhorse with the cast-iron Kohler Magnum 14 hp engine and it was gear drive. The price for the Wheelhorse was about $1000 less and I was in part buying with my wallet. Hydro tractors were also new to me and I wasn't sure about them. In retrospect, I should have bought both the Wheelhorse AND the Simplicity - LOL.So fast forward and now I have a Simplicity (Agco-Allis 918H) and a Landlord DLX. I also have several IH Cub Cadets and several Wheelhorse tractors, in addition to the one I bought new.So to your point - it's interesting to see what the fuss is about with these other old iron tractors.But for whatever reason, I just haven't had a hankerin' to own a John Deere, but wouldn't rule it out.One thing I have learned is - after about 16 years with the Wheelhorse, it seems like I know them like the back of my hand. I'm still in 1st grade on the learning curve with the Simplicity and IH tractors. Guess I'm just in old dog - new tricks territory...:D
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quote:Originally posted by leeave96

You probably encountered Michael Martino who has written three additions of "Straight from the Horse's Mouth", which is a GREAT book.It chronicles the origin of the Wheelhorse tractors up until the sale in the 70's to AMC. I wish he would do a book on the years after the sale to AMC through Toro until the end of the tractors/brand.At the time of the book writings, I think the first two additions, Cecil Pond (I believe he and his Dad were the founders/inventors of Wheelhorse) was still alive and in June, there is a Wheelhorse get together in PA near Gettysburg. It's pretty cool. Cecil Pond paid a few visits there - which was a crowd favorite.Here are a few links:http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/forum/123-wheelhorsestory/http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/http://www.wheelhorsecc.com/


id="quote">
id="quote">Leeave96, that's exactly who just got a new vanity for his bathroom. Mike was a nice guy with a couple of nice dogs and a porch full of tiny tractors. I wish I had more time to chat and peer at his stuff but I had to get back to work. (the wheels of industry and all that^)
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ive got a 69 wheel horse gt14 hydro with the kohler that i got thrown in on a big stump job and i love it but i wouldnt have got if it wasnt for my b110 (and bragging about it)that got him to mention he had a vintage gt i will always have a soft spot for the allis .

i cant remember who but someone on here poss a site custodian? is from south bend indiana seems they would at least have 1 wheel horse werent they made there?

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WheelHorse was the local product for many years, until TORO moved them to Minnesota I believe.

My dad had a WheelHorse 800 Special, that was the tractor I learned on.

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Toro moved the Wheelhorse tractor to Minnesota I want to say about 3 years after they bought the company. Lots of bitter taste over that by many. However, Toro IMHO did right by the original Wheelhorse design by really not messing with it in a way that would make it lighter weight or less heavy duty - if anything, they made a few improvements. When they decided to discontinue manufacture of the Wheelhorse tractors and buy Toro labeled MTDs, they killed off the brand name. I read somewhere one time that when a Toro bought Wheelhorse, they accounted for 20% of there product line, but 25% of their revenue? Manuals, parts owners and service are readily available for free downloads from Toro's web site.

The only real gripe I had with Toro's ownership was they tried to reduce (and likely eliminate) the Wheelhorse name on the tractors. I'm pretty sure the Wheelhorse tractors sold in Europe by Toro were totally logo'd/labeled Toro only. When they added the a Toro logo to the hood decals, it was much more prominent than the Wheelhorse lettering. Later they brought the Wheelhorse lettering back to a suitable size. Lots of folks re-decal their Toro/Wheelhorse tractors and I can appreciate that, especially where the large Toro logo was used. In my older age, in some ways, having the Toro logo on the tractor helps tell a bit of history of the tractor.

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