wheeledhorseman

There could be something in what you're saying Neil but one needs to be cautious about the urban myths surrounding the Amnor plant in Belgium.
 
It was an assembly plant that did not manufacture components. It did have a paint shop to process the parts shipped from the US which were in bare metal form.
 
So taking a couple of things into account i.e. nobody seems to have recognised the bagger in the US and the fact that on a timeline the rather old school design was pretty much obsolete compared with the vac baggers WH were producing by the 1980s it is perhaps possible that it was produced for the US market, didn't sell well, so the stock of parts were shipped to Belgium to be assembled for the European Market to get rid of them.
 
I have found an interesting link to this design on RS submitted by Vincent in Belgium.
 

 
I remember thinking that this looked a bit 'hookey' when I first saw it but I can see now that it's a rather nifty adaptation of the original design using a wheely bin to collect grass. It even has the same clear hose as shown in the WH brochure.
 
Here's the link http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/topic/30947-new-vacuum-bagger-system-made-in-belguim-orginal-from-wheel-horse/
 
I agree with Vincent about it being made in Belgium but I thing that is in the context of 'by a previous owner'. Vincent's photos show what the addition belt guard was like which is useful.

Thanks Mark, having had the both Winter and Spring pretty much wiped out as far as hobby stuff goes by aged parent problems including my father passing away in February, I'm slowly beginning to find some time again but there's a backlog of work that should have been done so this project will be for the future sometime.
 
 
 
 
Chris, it's reassuring to know that someone else has seen one of these - hours spent searching the net has failed to come up with even a photo of one let alone any details. I imagine that most ended up rotting away outside in the rain as its a big and heavy thing that's not easily mounted or removed from the tractor, a kind of permanent encumbrance that seemed a good idea at the time but ended up being discarded as being too much trouble. (Dealers managed to sell punters all sorts of things like that!)
 
 
 
Thanks Koen, its kind of similar but its belt driven from the tractor rather than being powered by its own engine.
 
 
 
As far as I can work out......
 

 
The bar 'A' clips into the hitch on the rear axle, the same one used for a snow blade frame. The channel section 'B' rests on the arm of the rear towing hitch.
 
I haven't tried it yet but based on weight and awkwardness it's a two man task to put on for sure.
 
The drive belt goes all the way to the PTO at the front so I'm guessing there was a modified or additional belt guard supplied with it and possibly an idler to mount somewhere on the tractor.
 
When the seller offered to deliver it FOC I jumped at it but it meant I didn't get to see the 312-8 it had originally come to him on. If I'd gone to collect it I'd have been able to see what mods were on the tractor to adapt it to this use.
 
Based on appearance I'd guess it pre-dates the 300 series so it could well have originally been on an earlier tractor. Who knows? Just hoping somebody will jump in and say - thats a.........
At a guess it's an aftermarket product produced to fill a gap in the WH range of attachments.
 
I'll probably never end up actually using it but I think it has a certain charm in having a kind of farm machinery look about it.
 
Andy

Stop Press !!!!
 
Doh! I was sitting on a 1970s brochure with the bagger listed! It is genuine Wheel Horse rather than an 'Allied Attachment' and should have a Wheel Horse decal.
 

 
Just need to find the product code but I bet it's one where Toro have managed to lose the documentation.

Having just acquired one of these I'm hoping someone will be able to tell me a bit more about this bit of kit. I first saw one when I picked up my C-100 a few years back from a guy who had a collection of WHs and various attachments. Another appeared on a certain auction site a yearor so later but missing bits and rotting out. Picked this one up for £26 off same site last week with just surface rust and a straight forward resto (famous last words!)
 



 
The vacuum hose end piece bolts onto a standard 42" WH side discharge cutting deck so designed specifically forthis. The ones I've seen have all been WH red (original paint) but this one has no ID tag or signs of having had a WH sticker on it anywhere.
 
Can't track down manufacturer / model/ manual for it and have had no response to date on the RS forum so maybe it was made in Europe / UK.
 
Hoping someone else remembers coming across one and may know something about them.
 
Andy

Having just acquired one of these I'm hoping someone will be able to tell me a bit more about this bit of kit. I first saw one when I picked up my C-100 a few years back from a guy who had a collection of WHs and various attachments. Another appeared on a certain auction site a yearor so later but missing bits and rotting out. Picked this one up for £26 off same site last week with just surface rust and a straight forward resto (famous last words!)
 



 
The vacuum hose end piece bolts onto a standard 42" WH side discharge cutting deck so designed specifically forthis. The ones I've seen have all been WH red (original paint) but this one has no ID tag or signs of having had a WH sticker on it anywhere.
 
Can't track down manufacturer / model/ manual for it and have had no response to date on the RS forum so maybe it was made in Europe / UK.
 
Hoping someone else remembers coming across one and may know something about them.
 
Andy

Made me think that we've a photo in our family collection and here it is:
 

 
From the early 1930s we think. My wife's mother, uncle and aunt all went to help harvest at the farm in Tetsworth, Oxfordshire when they were children, it was how they spent their summers. Not certain who's who in the photo but the horse was called 'Old Lil'
 
Andy

Here we have a ‘Swan’ generator set that I got about fifteen years ago. The guy that sold it to me said it was military and certainly a number of features pointed to that being true i.e. the bronze green paint, the connection terminals were the same as used on military lighting sets, and perhaps most compelling, the fact that the spec included brass drain off cocks for the sump and gas tank (after all who else would specify costly additions like that?)
 
On the other hand there was not one piece of hard evidence in the form of a tag to confirm it as military and all attempts to identify it as military or otherwise failed at that time.
 




 
I last ran it perhaps eight years ago and it’s been gathering dust on the workshop shelf ever since. In fact I wouldn’t have given it a thought were it not for seeing a photo posted on the forum by Steve D where in the background was a gen set looking very much like mine as far as I could see. It spurred me on to research again and since I last tried a couple of sites had popped up with the answers.
 
Turns out it is military and is a bit of Cold War memorabilia. These were built by two different companies for the Royal Observer Corps who manned posts which included an underground bunker. Their main role was to report nuclear bomb bursts and monitor background radiation from installations like this:
 

 
Lighting in the little underground bunker was provided by batteries like these.
 

 
If I’m not mistaken those are NiFe cells with a pd of 1.2 volts, hence the crate of five cells represents a 6 volt battery. Two of these provided the 12 volts for the lighting and the need for a 12 volt charging system. The batteries remained in the bunker and were charged from the surface outside.
 

 
The gen sets were made either by A C Morrison (Engineers) Ltd of Southampton or Engine Applications Ltd of Banbury. Documents refer to the engine as Villiers but it is in reality a JAP (Villiers having absorbed JAP in 1959). It drives a three phase permanent magnet alternator rated at 300 watts and the case contains full wave rectifier diodes to produce the DC output.
 
So there you have it – if you see one at a show you’ll know what it was for. The name ‘Swan’ for the Banbury produced version came from their address in Swan Close Road. The company was founded in 1959, became RTD Swan in 1973, and Swan Generators in 1986. They still make generating sets at Banbury today but nothing this small, their range is 20kVA to 2200kVA.
 
Some photos are from these sites
 
http://therocproject.webs.com/  and
 
http://www.subbrit.org.uk/cgi-bin/webdata_roc.pl?fid=988265546&query=Post%2BName%3Dturton%26OS%2BGridRef%3D%26County%3D%26Date%2Bopened%3D%26Date%2Bclosed%3D%26Location%3D%26Description%3D%26Surface%2BStructures%3D%26Date%2Bof%2Bvisit%3D%26Future%2Bactions%3D%26pagenum%3D1%26cgifunction%3DSearch&cgifunction=form
 
where you can find out more if interested.
 
Andy
 

Time is precious, so I try not to waste it!
 
I got the engine tore down today, and I'm very happy with the way it looks inside. I gave the cylinder a brief honing, and cleaned up very quickly. Its not perfect, but it is good. The crankshaft is still standard, and looks good. Although you can see a mark in the rod, you can't feel it. I gave the block a good cleaning, and cleaned up the ports. I went ahead, and ordered the engine kit, which will consist of piston, rings, connecting rod, both valves, gaskets, and seals.
 The first picture below is the exhaust nipple, which I had to cut, and break out with a chisel, as it wasn't coming out of its own free will. 
 They say a picture is worth 1000 words, so I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking for me!
 
Matt

Here are one or two photos of  the mid fifties.My wife driving the tractor my late mother in-law and Allison,s sister are on the trailer along with the farmer working with the sheep
That what memories are all about
 

Late to the party here - sorry.
 
Looks like that 'bad boy' is capable of some serious work Matt - love the hydraulics.
Makes my D-200s look like toys - but I luv 'em to bits none the less.
Great find, gonna be a great project.
 
Andy

A tale of two Lister Autotrucks
 
My son is on the organising team for the Isle of Wight Steam Show and spends a week over there helping to set up the show and camping. Back in 2012 and with some time to spare he dragged an autotruck out of the brambles where it had been left outside for several years to see if he could get it going.
 
Having managed to get it to run it was given a good clean up, a bit of paint here and there, and put in the show.
 

 
That's me having a go - great fun but a bit scary on eneven ground!
Turned out it was owned jointly by several guys associated with the railway where the show is held but they wouldn't sell it even though it had been left outside to rot.
 
Anyway, my son had to have one and here it is. Not a diesel like the example above but JAP petrol engine powered.
 

 
Bought as a non-runner that used to run it was soon running again but it does burn oil as you can see.
 

 
Over the winter it was dismantled, shot blasted etc and emerged in Royal Navy livery as both my son and I collect and restore military vehicles. It made it to a couple of shows last year (Overlord military show and Netley Marsh) but still needs some bits and bobs finishing.
 

 
Things like the toolbox, foot gong (we've been told it was probably originally a railway's autotruck based on having one) and some RN markings still need to be done.
 
We haven't touched the engine yet, having had no experience of rebuilding a 600cc JAP or knowing what the availabilty of parts is like but it will need doing as if you run it long enough the plug oils up.
 
Any info from those with any experience out there in MOM land welcome.
 
Andy

A tale of two Lister Autotrucks
 
My son is on the organising team for the Isle of Wight Steam Show and spends a week over there helping to set up the show and camping. Back in 2012 and with some time to spare he dragged an autotruck out of the brambles where it had been left outside for several years to see if he could get it going.
 
Having managed to get it to run it was given a good clean up, a bit of paint here and there, and put in the show.
 

 
That's me having a go - great fun but a bit scary on eneven ground!
Turned out it was owned jointly by several guys associated with the railway where the show is held but they wouldn't sell it even though it had been left outside to rot.
 
Anyway, my son had to have one and here it is. Not a diesel like the example above but JAP petrol engine powered.
 

 
Bought as a non-runner that used to run it was soon running again but it does burn oil as you can see.
 

 
Over the winter it was dismantled, shot blasted etc and emerged in Royal Navy livery as both my son and I collect and restore military vehicles. It made it to a couple of shows last year (Overlord military show and Netley Marsh) but still needs some bits and bobs finishing.
 

 
Things like the toolbox, foot gong (we've been told it was probably originally a railway's autotruck based on having one) and some RN markings still need to be done.
 
We haven't touched the engine yet, having had no experience of rebuilding a 600cc JAP or knowing what the availabilty of parts is like but it will need doing as if you run it long enough the plug oils up.
 
Any info from those with any experience out there in MOM land welcome.
 
Andy

Some of you will have seen this before ,but for those who have not get a look at this twisted cutie. started with a stock trailer and immediately I had a vision of how it should look today. looks rather small for the wheel horse c 61 so with a lot of thought etc and cheap bits and pieces from my friends I made this. Now that's more like it. comes with extended body,extra axel,suspention which works like a beam axel. full controllable hydraulic raise and lower by hand pump and Grafics by Titch,machinery decals.  would just like to add that this trailer will tip at 90 degrees so anything awkward will come out.

A mate of mine down on the Sussex Coast (no not Mr Showman) has a large collection of stationary engines, mainly generators and battery charging sets, amongst which is a little set made by W.E.Conyers Ltd. I always fancied this little set and thought if one came along I would add it to the collection, as its 6 12 or 24 volt I could use it to demonstrate the 12 volt Tarpen equipment that I have.
 
Walking round the Sunday Sortout at Newark last November I spotted a Conyers set on the very last stall we looked at. It wasn't dear so was duly purchased and brought back to the camping field (see first photo below)
 
A few days later I popped down to see our mate Steve who owns the other Conyers set and found that not only did my set run with a bit of tinkering (and a bit of smoke - too much oil in the petrol) but that it and Steves set are only two serial numbers apart !!

Another beautiful tractor - nothing wrong with a repower that's in keeping and a great resto. :thumbs:
 
Andy

Second that - thanks for showing us your collection which is impressive John.
 
Andy

Posts that tell a story are simply the best IMHO and this one is great.
 
Re the headlights, they may not be factory but I can fully understand where your son was coming from, they add so much extra character to that little tractor!
 
Great to see such interesting stuff from your side of the pond which is much appreciated - spread the word.
 
Andy
 

Spooky stuff the parallel universe theory but I'd swear there's a guy on another forum doing the exact same projects as you Ian.
 
You certainly fixed your GT-14, don't know about the other guy though.
 
Andy

Open auger snowblower:
 

okay, since everyone is posting what they have here's mine
 
first is our '48 Farmall Cub

 

 
then our '64 Farmall B450
 

 

 
then our '27 Mc Cormick Deering 1020
 

 

 
and my '78 Wheel Horse C-101
 

 

 
that's all for now.
 
Koen

Thanks Neil, and actually all the engines that are picture here are living on display shelves inside my house. I have about 50 old engines, most of which live at my shop, but these are the privileged few that live in a climate controlled environment. Believe it or not, it doesn't bother my wife at all. She likes them!  
 
 Thanks, I appreciate it. I do have a few old engines, and it seems like every time I turn my back, they multiply like rabbits!  
 
 Thanks for the kind words Andy.
 
 Thanks Richard, I take that as a great compliment coming from someone who does the caliber of work that you do. I've spent alot of time drooling over your C-120!
 
 Thanks You.
 
 Thanks for the encouraging post.
 
 
 
 You guys sure know how to make a guy feel at home.
 
Matt

What a wonderful collection -  just amazing really.
Thanks for sharing both the pics and details.
 
Andy

The following helpful information is from the Gutbrod owners site http://www.gutbrod.co/
 
Gutbrod was a German company. It was based in Germany. They did things in German. Most of their documents are in German. If you don’t speak German there are a few hints on how to get on with your Gutbrod click here.
 
They do go on to offer
 
Betriebsanleitung = Operator’s Handbook
Repapaturanleitung = Workshop Manual
Ersatzteilliste = Parts List
Gang = Gear  | Getriebe = Gearbox
Wartung = Maintenance | Dichtung = Gasket
Zapfwelle = Power Take Off (PTO)
Hinterachse = Back axle | Bremsen = Brakes
Traktor = work it out
 
I'm sure most Gutbrod owners are aware of the site but if not it's worth a visit (don't mention the war) and looks like it could grow into a useful reference point.
 
The biggest Wheel Horse tractor, the D-250, was in fact a rebadged Gutbrod.
 
Andy