- Wheel Horse
Wheel Horse was a manufacturer of lawn and garden tractors. The business was started in the two-car garage of Elmer Pond in 1946. He began building two-wheel, self-propelled "Walk-Away" garden tractors that were sold under the Pond name. The framework was typically simple angle or channel iron and various surplus motorcycle and automotive parts were used. In 1947, a four-wheel tractor, the "Ride-Away" model was introduced for garden use. It was also made from crude parts and without a hood for easy service access.
The demand for garden tractors was rapidly increasing as households with small gardens found them rather inexpensive, practical to use for a variety of chores, and they were economical to maintain. By 1956, the business had become very successful. The company began to build a range of small to large lawn and garden tractors, in addition to a line of riding
lawn mower s. A characteristic of the products was theirstandardization through the years.The company's headquarters were in
South Bend, Indiana . The business was acquired byAmerican Motors (AMC) in the 1970s as it expanded into non- automotive markets. However, in 1986, Wheel Horse was spun off from AMC and purchased by Toro. [ [http://www.thetorocompany.com/companyinfo/history_1980s.html Toro company history — 1980s] , retrieved on: July 29, 2007.]References
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External links
* [http://www.wheelhorsecollectorsclub.com/ Wheel Horse Collectors Club home page] , retrieved on July 29, 2007.
* [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wheelhorsegardentractors/ Wheel Horse Garden Tractors Group] , retrieved on July 29, 2007.
* [http://www.WheelHorseForum.com/ RED Square Wheel Horse forum (www.WheelHorseForum.com)] , retrieved on November 9, 2007
*For a detailed early history of the company see: www.angelfire.com/al2/wheelhorse/wheelhorsehistory.html
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