Wheel Horse GT-14+2

[Ian 2,417]

Howdo all, I thought it was about time I posted up something about my small herd of Wheel Horses, so let's start with my GT-14+2

 

 

I bought this beast from Neil as a non runner last year back in the days of warmth, blue sky's and some green on the trees.

Here she is shortly after delivery..

No she wasn't delivered by Wheel Horse, but it was a handy way of getting the non running GT from the van around to my shack.

 

 

 

 

A big thank you to this chap Paul for collecting the GT from Neils place and bringing it all the way to Kent.

 

 

 

The GT at home in the shack.

 

 

 

The first job on the list was to get the GT's engine running. As it was producing no spark my first port of call was the points.. I got a bit of a shock to find new points that hadn't been set up!

 

 

 

I should point out that Neil had bought it for spares for his other GT and other than unloading it at his place hadn't touched it at all. I'm just so Glad Neil offered to sell it to me.. I love the GT

 

 

With the engine now running she could be driven about and tested out.. The hydro trans works well as did the hydraulic side of things.

 

Here's Mark (Meadowfield) a fellow GT owner giving my GT a test drive round the garden.

 

 

 

 

Although the GT's engine ran it was showing signs of it's age which after almost 43 years it has every right to..  Burning oil was one problem but the one that worried me the most was the engine was getting very hot very fast!

It was getting so hot that my 1st planned long drive only lasted about 3 min's before I decided to turn back.. At least it was a nice day for it

 

 

 

Some quick thinking was needed to get the GT in usable condition again, which resulted in a bid on Fleabay and I became the proud owner of this Wheel Horse Raider 10 that had been fitted with a big Kohler Magnum 16hp engine

 

 

 

 

So out came the GT's original 14hp engine..

 

 

 

And and in went the 16hp Kohler Magnum lump.

 

 

 

 

One slight problem as you can see was the bonnet wouldn't close due the size of the engine..

 

Not a problem

 

 

 

Filling the hole.

 

 

 

Now the bonnet closes

 

[Ian 2,417]

With the original engine pulley being very firmly stuck on the original engine I had to find another pulley..

 

The closest I had was on a very dead Kohler KT-17 engine.. Slightly smaller in size but not by much.

 

This pulley was also firmly stuck on the crankshaft but as the engine was already dead (dead in a busted con rod that punched three holes in the engine case kind of way) I had no problems being a little less gentle with it

 

 

 

 

Pulley off.

 

 

 

The exhaust that came with the engine needed a little tweak to make it fit..

 

 

 

I've no idea what the exhaust originally came from, but I think it looks good.

 

 

 

The original pulley on the trans was found to be very loose due to wear and a badly done bodge with a previous owner, so it was replaced with a pulley of the correct size from a Raider 10 with the added bonus of a built in cooling fan.

 

 

 

Quite often you will see GT-14's with non original fuel tanks where heat from the exhaust has melted the plastic tank away!

I didn't want this to happen to my fuel tank so I made this ally heat shield.. Very well it works too

 

 

 

My Wheel Horse 312-8 was used for many years as a my main work horse, fitted with big and wide rear tyres and a home made roll bar.

But this year it has been put on gentler grass cutting duties only. so the roll bar was removed and bolted onto the GT

 

 

 

I think the grin on Pete's face says it all

 

 

 

As well as being the star of a few videos (see my YouTube channel link at the bottom of my posts) the GT has been put to work moving logs..

 

 

 

And moving pallets.

 

 

 

That will do for now, more of the GT story coming later.

[meadowfield 1,900]

Good to see the story on here Ian!

[neil 524]

Ian , It may be a bit of useless information , however it is still part of the History of your tractor  . The previuos owner before me was a guy named  Wayne Hemingway

Take a look at the video to meet him .

This guy built his own house using your tractor to transport materials around the building site .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi6lDffIzIo&feature=player_detailpage#t=1

[Ian 2,417]

Good to see the story on here Ian!

 

Thanks Mark, there is more of the story to come, just not tonight.. Maybe something to do with drinking half a bottle of red wine

 

 

 

Ian , It may be a bit of useless information , however it is still part of the History of your tractor  . The previuos owner before me was a guy named  Wayne Hemingway

Take a look at the video to meet him .

This guy built his own house using your tractor to transport materials around the building site .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi6lDffIzIo&feature=player_detailpage#t=1

 

Thanks for that Neil, I did want to add it to the story but I just couldn't remember the chaps name  

I have had a look around the net for pictures of my GT being used for Wayne's house construction but I haven't found anything yet..

 

Wow the Big Breakfast.. That's a blast from the past.. I'd totally forgotten about that show!

 

[bowtiebutler956 166]

 While not quite the beast the 6x6 is, thats still one tuff looking Wheel Horse! I always liked the look of the tall rear tires, and with 16hp now resting under the hood, I'll bet its a very capable machine.

 

Matt

[wheeledhorseman 19]

Ian , It may be a bit of useless information , however it is still part of the History of your tractor  . The previuos owner before me was a guy named  Wayne Hemingway

Take a look at the video to meet him .

This guy built his own house using your tractor to transport materials around the building site .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi6lDffIzIo&feature=player_detailpage#t=1

 

What Neil is saying (I think) is that you've got a 'Celebrity Horse' there Ian. You may recall that I have one in my stable also.

 

Andy

[Ian 2,417]

 While not quite the beast the 6x6 is, thats still one tuff looking Wheel Horse! I always liked the look of the tall rear tires, and with 16hp now resting under the hood, I'll bet its a very capable machine.

 

Matt

 

Thanks Matt, I think it was partly the size of the rear tyres that attracted me to the GT, and partly the size of the GT over all.. A real mini tractor size..

 

Don't worry, my 6x6 will be making more of an appearance here at MOM 

 

 

 

What Neil is saying (I think) is that you've got a 'Celebrity Horse' there Ian. You may recall that I have one in my stable also.

 

Andy

 

I think your thinking may be right Andy    I really should try and make contact with Mr Hemmingway and find out if he could give me a bit more history of my GT.

Yes I vaguely remember you also have a "Celebrity Horse". I can't remember which celebrity though, but as you may of noticed I'm not that good at remembering celebs

 

 

And so the GT story continues....

 

 

With winter rapidly closing in I thought it would be a good idea to get my snowplow which was custom built to fit my Wheel Horse 312-8, fitted to the GT

 

 

 

As it turned out the GT was so different from the 312-8 that it became clear that it would be easier to make a new A-Frame to fit the GT rather than modify the existing A-Frame to fit..

The existing A-Frame would not give me enough "lift" and it was too short for the blade to turn full angle each way without it hitting the tyres.

 

 

 

In the end I gave up with trying to fit the snowplow to the GT, somehow with the weather as it has been I don't think there will be any snow to plow this winter!

 

 

So instead I treated the GT to a "closer to original" size engine pulley. I bought this pulley knowing it was 5mm oversize hoping I could turn it down on the lathe.. Unfortunately when I went to try and turn it down to size I found that I could turn the extra 5mm off, but I couldn't widen the groove!

 

 

 

As 5mm oversize isn't too much I fitted the pulley anyway..

 

This is when I found out the GT's belt guard wouldn't quite fit due to the size off the pulley!

 

 

 

Rather than cut and shut the GT's belt guard I made my own..... From an Ironing board no less

 

 

 

 

 

It was about this time the GT's 16hp engine started playing up.. It's never really ran 100%, bogging a little under load and a little smoke.. Only now it would bog down with no load..

 

And produce lot's of smoke!

 

 

 

After lot's a faffing about including pulling the carb apart to check for anything nasty going on..

 

 

 

In the end it turned out the 16hp engine had the wrong main needle in it!

The right needle being the same part number as the main needle in the original 14hp's engine.. Which was handy as I had one

 

This stopped the smoke, swapping the spark plug with the one from my 312's engine got the GT's 16hp engine running sweetly once again

 

[Ian 2,417]

With the GT finally running right and driving real nice, the time had come to treat it a bit more..

Last year Mark (Meadowfield) gave me a decal to replace the shrunk and warped shifter plate..

 

 

 

Making an ally plate to stick the new decal onto.

 

 

 

Fitted... Thanks Mark the decal looks great

 

 

 

Almost up to date with the GT saga now

 

The only battery I had spare to use was a rather big one that would not fit under the GT's bonnet, the battery's normal place.

 

So I welded this big box to the roll bar to hold the battery..

I plan to fit a 3 point linkage to the back of the GT so I made a start by moving the box to the front.

 

 

 

The battery and box used to live on the front of my Wheel Horse 312-8, so I had this handy mounting bracket I had made kicking about the place.

 

 

 

As the GT's chassis is wider than the 312's I had to chop.

 

 

 

Lengthen..

 

 

 

And notch the bracket..

 

 

 

Until it all fitted.

 

 

 

 

The next job which I've yet to really start is to sort out this rat's nest of wiring to stop the battery being drained when the GT is not in use..

 

 

 

So there you are, the GT story up to date...

 

More to come as it happens

 

[hangman 25]

ian you take ingenuity to a whole new level 

[bowtiebutler956 166]

 Very nice work Ian. The new decal, and plate look good on there. I will look forward to seeing you build a 3 point for this horse.  I cheated, and bought a tractor with one already on it.  While I do enjoy welding, and fabrication Ian, I'm not near the engineer that you are.   I do like that GT14, as there is just something about those bigger tires, and taller fenders that make them feel more like a big boy tractor.

 

Matt

[Ian 2,417]

ian you take ingenuity to a whole new level 

 

Thanks Hangman, I do like to use what materials I have about the place if I can.

 

 

 

 Very nice work Ian. The new decal, and plate look good on there. I will look forward to seeing you build a 3 point for this horse.  I cheated, and bought a tractor with one already on it.   While I do enjoy welding, and fabrication Ian, I'm not near the engineer that you are.    I do like that GT14, as there is just something about those bigger tires, and taller fenders that make them feel more like a big boy tractor.

 

Matt

 

Thanks Matt, the new shifter decal from Mark looks great, almost factory fitment. My GT did originally come from the factory with a 3 point fitted, but as I don't have it here's the start of my 3 point build..

 

 

I may be cheating a little bit here, borrowing the 3 point arms that I installed on my 6x6, but as I plan to buy another "3 point kit" for the GT I might as well use what I have got to work it all out

 

The big challenge to fitting the 3 point is making it all fit around the GT's roll bar which sort of gets in the way quite a bit!

 

First things first, work out where and how to mount the lower arms. As luck would have it the rear hitch (which also helps hold the roll bar on) was just in the right place. I just need to weld some brackets on the hitch.

 

 

 

Straight away part  of the roll bar got in the way! Not a problem it can be trimmed to get full lift on the lower arms.

 

 

 

The lower cross bar on the roll bar is going to get in the way of the top arm!

 

 

 

With the roll bar safely strapped to the roof to stop it moving when I removed the rear hitch..

 

 

 

Parts were plonked on the bench..

 

 

 

Rather than chopping my home made rear hitch about, I dug out a proper Wheel Horse rear hitch instead.

 

 

 

While digging out the hitch I also found these two off cuts..

 

 

 

Which by a bit of luck just happened to have holes in them the same size as this steel bar which also happens to fit the lower arms

 

 

 

I see a plan forming

 

A bit of chopping up, a nice fit.

 

 

 

Both sides welded up and tacked onto the rear hitch..

If your thinking the steel I'm adding looks a bit thin for the job.. Your right... I will be adding quite a bit of strengthening later on in the 3 point build, but for now I want to see if everything I have planned works..

 

[pmackellow 2,738]

Looking good Ian, I'm following this thread with interest...

[Ian 2,417]

The rear hitch with lower arms bolted in place.. Yep the roll bar will certainly need a bit of trimming!

 

 

 

Just to see how it would look I dug my 3 point towing frame thingy out to see how it would look... Good me thinks

 

 

 

Before chopping any bit's off the roll bar I quickly welded on this bit of bracing to stop the RB from twanging out of shape.

 

 

 

Off came the RB for a bit of surgery, first a bit of marking out..

 

 

 

Chopped..  All the opening will be plated over in time

 

 

 

That's better, the top arm "fits" now

 

 

 

It was at this point that I had had enough of trying to see what I was doing through the GT's fenders etc.. So off it all came

 

 

 

More to come in a bit, I need to get started on dinner..

Looking good Ian, I'm following this thread with interest...

 

Thanks Paul, there's plenty more to come.

[Ian 2,417]

Moving away from the roll bar for a while, I started thinking about how to lift the lower 3P arms..

 

Normally on a GT this would be a thick steel bar that's connected to the hydraulic ram and goes all the way back to a strange pivoting thingy that lifts the lower arms....  So this is what I've started making..

 

My thinking started with this lifting arm that came from a Wheel Horse C-175.

 

 

 

On a GT the pivoting lift arm thingy slot's in to the rear body like so..  The trouble was the bar wasn't quite ling enough as well as needing another "lifting arm thingy" welding to the other side, the angles were all wrong!

 

 

 

Best start from almost scratch and make one then

 

Even the most rotten bit's of Wheel Horses have some usable bits..

 

 

 

In this case a manual lifting lever.

 

 

 

A bit of grinding of welds and a bit of pressure from my hydraulic press soon had the "shaft" out.

 

 

 

Add some 5mm thick flat bar..

 

 

 

Cut into 10" long strips.

 

 

 

And there's the basic pivoting lift arm thingy laid out.

 

 

 

This part will have the holed bit doubled up.

 

 

 

To make the pivoting lifting arm thingy pivot some bearings are needed...  Always one to copy the Wheel Horse wisdom I started making some "dry" bearing blocks.. No actual bearings instead steel on steel just like the genuine Wheel Horse item.

 

Starting with this odd shaped off cut..

 

 

 

Two blocks were cut.. Here you can see them while I work out measurements and check there is enough space to fit the mounting bolts.

 

 

 

The first block on the lathe.

 

 

 

After machining it fitted the shaft a treat.

 

 

 

And that chaps is as far as I have got with the 3 point.. More to come as it happens.

[meadowfield 1,900]

Good progress Ian, glad you are back on it

[hangman 25]

who said that there is a limit to everything cos when it come to re vamp these red horse you set your own limits, my little garden tractor has three point linkage but that is manually operated so this is of great interest to me as i have been trying to get it changed to operate hydraulically 

thanks for sharing this experimental crafting of your machine its top draw stuff

Edited February 23, 2014 by hangman

[WestwoodGazelle 103]

This is a great 'Horse and I love how you've worked on it. I love the Wheelhorse GT, is that bigger than the D-250? Keep up the great work

[meadowfield 1,900]

This is a great 'Horse and I love how you've worked on it. I love the Wheelhorse GT, is that bigger than the D-250? Keep up the great work

A GT14 fits somewhere between a C and a D series. 15 rear wheels, sundstrand hydro, optional 3 pt lift and 14hp Kohler.

They are awesome machines, will post some of my pics one day....

[Ian 2,417]

Good progress Ian, glad you are back on it

 

Thanks Mark, it's getting there slowly.

 

 

 

who said that there is a limit to everything cos when it come to re vamp these red horse you set your own limits, my little garden tractor has three point linkage but that is manually operated so this is of great interest to me as i have been trying to get it changed to operate hydraulically 

thanks for sharing this experimental crafting of your machine its top draw stuff

 

Thank you Sir. I guess the only limit is imagination when  it comes to re vamping these fine machines

 

 

 

This is a great 'Horse and I love how you've worked on it. I love the Wheelhorse GT, is that bigger than the D-250? Keep up the great work

 

Thanking you kindly Sir, don't worry, I will keep up the great work

I see Mark has answered your size question.

 

 

 

At this point I got a little distracted by the roll bar again.. Off came the temporary bit of bracing but not before a new cross member was welded in place.

 

 

 

Now the fun bit..  The holes at the top are where the roll bar bolts to the trans.. They need to stay where they are, but the parts below that and inbetween  the hollow tube need to be moved out a couple of inches each side.

 

 

 

I didn't take many photo's of this stage as I was too busy getting on with it..

The new metal going on are the brown bit's seen here clamped on for welding.. Before I started making sparks I cut through the old bit where I would not be able to cut with the new bit welded on..

 

 

 

As you can see there is now plenty of space for the drop arms

 

 

 

And more than enough lift for the lower arms

 

 

 

Back to the bearing blocks.. The second one cleaned up and bored out..  The masking tape is to help mark out where the bolt holes should be.

 

 

 

A quick check to see if everything bolted in place and the shaft still turned without binding.. They do and it does

A little tight on space though..

 

 

 

The extra space created by the roll bar widening got me thinking.. If I could extend the bit of bar a bit I could get the lift arms almost above the lower arms..

 

 

 

For me the best way to work something out is to put the parts in place and have a look.. A bit of metal balancing and moving the bearing blocks "outboard" later, it looks like my idea will work.

 

 

[Ian 2,417]

As I don't have a length of bar long enough I'm going to use part of this Wheel Horse lift thingy to join two bit's of bar together.

 

 

 

But before I join the bar I need to join 6 strips of 5mm steel to make 2 lift arms..

All 6 welded together.. The join right down the middle had only been tack welded a couple of times, with those tack welds ground out I will end up with 2 15mm lift arms

 

 

 

While the above welds were cooling some masking tape and a handy sized socket were put into use lining up the two bearing blocks for bolt hole drilling and a bit of thread tapping.

 

 

 

Another test fit to check I'd got the bolt holes in the right place and the shaft still turned.. They were and it did turn

 

 

 

The plan for the lift arms was to chain drill out a hole so they could tightly slot over the shaft.. Chain drilling through 15mm of steel didn't go as well as I had hoped, in the end I had to do a bit of cutting and shaping with the grinder!

 

 

 

I was a little worried about getting enough strength in my welds to hold it all together, but a bit of "right place, right time" came into play and I picked up this Ferm Concept 210 arc welder for a good price.. It feels much nicer to use and is almost twice as powerful as my old Clarke 110 arc welder

 

 

 

Time to tackle this bit..

 

 

 

Cleaned up a tad.

 

 

 

A couple more bit's of steel tacked together and marked out for a little shaping..

 

 

 

Quite possibly the two best bit's of metal shaping I have done in a long time... So have two photo's of them

 

 

[meadowfield 1,900]

Very tidy

[Ian 2,417]

While I was in the metal shaping mood the bearing blocks were bolted together and marked out for trimming.

 

 

 

Trimmed...

 

 

 

And cleaned up..

 

 

 

It's taken a while but finally I have all the components to make the pivoting lift arm thingy made..    That's 17 bit's of steel!

I still need to cut the steel bars down a little and radius the outer ends of the lift arm in these photo's

 

 

 

 

The bit of tube  on the shaft will be welded to the shaft to limit sideways movement.

 

 

 

Now for the fun bit.. Welding it all together in the right shape, at the right angles, with everything the right distance apart!!!

 

At this point I am only tack welding it together, should I need to change anything then it's easier to cut out tack welds then full seam welds.

 

Part 1 done.. The shafts have been joined and the flange thingys tacked on.

 

 

 

Part 2 involved lot's of clamping, measuring more than twice, and a ratchet strap

 

 

 

Ta-daa...  Everything is square and the space between the lift arms is only 1/2mm wider at the outer ends than by the shaft... I'm happy with that

 

 

 

Does it fit???   Oh yes

 

 

 

 

 

And that chaps brings this thread up to date..

 

Today's fun task is to make the rod that connects the lift arm pivoting thingy to the hydraulics at the front... It should be fun as it's rather an interesting shape

Very tidy

 

Thanks Mark, I must of been having a good day

[meadowfield 1,900]

Bit o' flaky red paint and it would look original!

[Ian 2,417]

Bit o' flaky red paint and it would look original!

 

I'd best buy a can of flaky red paint then