The name not only evokes tractors generally (doing tractive work with wheels) but also the connotation of a steady, dependable worker (wheelhorse).

The framework was typically simple angle or channel iron and various surplus motorcycle and automotive parts were used.

The most popular model and year was the R-J58 Wheel Horse 1958, it came without a mowing deck, but one could be added.

When equipped with a Briggs & Stratton 2.5 horsepower (1.9 kW) engine, the model of the tractor became RJ-25.

In 1965, Wheel Horse was among the first to introduce tractors with a hydrostatic drive system, the model 875 and 1075 "Wheel-a-Matics".

The 1968 Ranger was a high-end 6 hp (4.5 kW) rider with big rear wheels, "husky front suspension", and featured a two-year warranty.

[9] In 1982, a group of AMC officers, led by director of corporate development John S. Munn acquired Wheel Horse in a management buyout.

Under their new owner, economically priced Wheel Horse tractors shared the same pressed-steel frames, attachments, and other parts used in bargain-built Toro family equipment.

In fact, even larger garden and compact tractors were "cookie cutter" units identical in construction to New Holland models built under contract by Toro[citation needed].

The brand has enjoyed a resurgence of interest in recent years, such that in 1999 the "Wheel Horse Collectors Club"[12] was formed and has gathered annually in June at the South Mountain Fairgrounds in Arendtsville, Pennsylvania.