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So I got a new(relative for me as I had a 21" push mower) 520hc with the 20HP onan. My yard was so big I had to split the push mowing into a 2 day festival! When I was 35 it was no big deal to do it in one day, but as age marched on I found my stamina diminished... or maybe it was my patience. It would take a solid 2 hours just for the mowing(21" my arse as overlap eats up an easy 4"), weed whacking added on another 30 minutes and blowing off the walk and drive another 10-15mins..... numbers which became ingrained in my head after years of servitude. And yes I have kids, but all female(with grass allergies) so a definite no go with pawning off the job to my kids. A little back story..... my next door neighbor is an older gent and I often head over to help him out with projects he can not handle on his own(cleaning the siding on a 2 story, moving furniture etc etc). Every winter(snow storm) I run my snowblower through his sidewalk and driveway as I am already out there doing mine so why not do his(guilty conscience would not let me sleep if I saw him shoveling while my sprite 49 y.o. frame was using a gas powered blower). Well my older neighbor contracted with a lawn service about 5 years ago and has not used his wheelhorse 520hc. It was sitting under his deck gathering spider webs and dust. It would not start. He calls me over to see if I can get it fired up, so I say no problem I will take a look. I pull the battery and stick it on my charger overnight. Next day comes and I check the gas tank, dry thank goodness. I put some fresh gas in and crank it....... nothing. I disconnect the gas line which hooks up to a thing mounted on the side of the motor. Gas is flowing to the small metal object but not up to the filter. So I prime the filter line, prime the small metal box, and throw a squirt of gas into the carb for good measure. Turn the key and the bad boy starts up and purrs like a kitten. My neighbor is quite pleased, liked my trouble shooting skills and congratulates me on a job well done. I said no problem Jim, its what neighbors are for. He then asks me if I want the mower/tractor. I told him I was thinking about getting a ride on but money was tight (a perpetual problem in my life...remember I have 2 daughters!). He says to me the price is right. I ask what the price is. Now to make all of you jealous I got it for a song and a dance(clothes on of course). The price you ask? He tells me I already paid for it, just drive it over to your garage......... SWEEEEEEEET! I ask him are you sure? I tell him this is to much for me to take without paying. He insists. I again say it is to much and he again insists I take it. I take it...... never refuse too much as this can be insulting to the giver. So now I have a wheelhorse, time to do the entire yard now= 1 hour. Start to finish machines cleaned off, edging done and walk and drive blown off. Of course I researched the brand and found this site, so I thought you all would enjoy the story. And this thing is a beast, a heavy duty beast.

I bought these rear tires on Saturday at the Ct. show from Wallfish. I needed these 6/12 to make it original I hope u enjoy the pictures. It is all done now. It is like it was bought in Mideltown Ct on Day One 46 yeas ago. Take Care Gary B.............. Remember to click on the picture to make larger.

I've had my c-81 about 6(?) years or so and it dosen't even shine when its wet. It's a worker- plowing snow and hauling wood in winter, plow and disc the garden in spring, mowing in summer, and misc. dragging, hauling and woods running the rest of the time. I do hose it off from time to time, but that's it.

Gratulerer med dagen Lars!! Also to whatsup and Wh416H!!

Hello, I'm new to the forum. We have a 1991 520H with the Onan engine. I have had to repair loose valves seats in both cylinders over the last 5 or so years. Again, the motor is running poorly and compression has dropped from 125 to 75 and 35. The worst on the aft cylinder. The engine has 800+ hours now and I am tired of pulling it apart. I have decided to re-power with a Honda 630 motor. Repower Specialists, LTD, in Oregon has a conversion kit that I have ordered. It's pricey at $1995.00, but the tractor is really nice and we have a 48" mower, a grader blade, and 44" two stage blower for it, so we want to keep it running. Toro Wheelhorse does not seem to offer a replacement tractor that will utilize the accessories we have, so keeping this one running is our best option. Over the years I was able to stake the valve sets in with success. I know both my husband and myself have not always be diligent about cooling down the motor after hot runs, so we are partially at fault for the early demise. Hopefully the V2 Honda will cool better. I will post pictures of the conversion and my thoughts regarding it and the components received. We are in SE-WI. If anyone is interested in the old Onan core, I will sell it for a reasonable price. Red Bovine

I've been wanting to do this for a very long time...needed to do it. Pictures of the process... Hey, there is house back there. Needed some of this Oak trimmed also. Done trimming the Oak, and I got to keep the fire wood. Out come the shrubs. Setting up the new look. Planting the new with the mulch. They just put the new sod down yesterday. What a difference. No horses or people were hurt...cool. Thanks for looking. Sod is done and bushes are starting to bloom...the 2 little bushes are burning bushes...should be great in the fall.

The 416-8 is done. After a trip around the yard ill have to adjust the brake, the clutch....jumps when letting it out, and the throttle. But all in all, I am pleased! http://s737.photobucket.com/user/LenHaduck/media/image-29.jpg.html http://s737.photobucket.com/user/LenHaduck/media/image-28.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1

This may seem a little long winded but I didn't know where to put it. Well since everyone here likes a story about these tractors, I guess I'll have to tell you about the 656 I have. I was watching Ebay and saw this 656 in southern Indiana and believe it or not it had a Vanguard 18 hp. Stuffed under the hood. That's right it fit under there without any mods. I have a Woods Zero Turn that originally had that engine in it but has been changed, before I got it, to a 16 Vanguard. Well for the price there was no way I could pass it up, even though it was almost 200 miles away. To make a long story short I bid on it. I paid $350 for it and a friend and I went and got it. So another $80 in fuel. As I said I had no plans for the tractor just wanted the engine. About two months ago I finally got around to pulling the engine and got to looking at the tractor. It was pretty straight and not rusted and I had a brand new Carroll Stream 6.5 electric start sitting here. So a plan started and the next thing you know I have a 656 with new paint and engine that looks and runs perfect. Now for part two! I have a 653 that came with a decent deck just needed to be cleaned up and the front plate replaced. Easy enough. Then after I decided to put that deck on the 656 I had to come up with some parts to operate it. I had some laying around the shop so more paint and some modifications and now the little tractor has a purpose. I just mowed with this little gem awhile ago and it really does mow nice, I do have decals ordered for it from Vinylguy. I know you have all got a story like this if you have been at it very long but this is mine and here are the pictures to go with it.

Have a great day Lars & happy birthday to anyone else for today

I would probably use the 75W90. The 75W140 gets pretty thick when it's cold. I tried 75W140 Royal purple in my 654, I was using it for snow removal, it was thick enough when it was cold that it would creep in neutral when you let the clutch out.

well i now have a ride for the show, thanks to e-bay. 416-h with just 545 hours! paid just $1.02 per hour! Jay

Good tip, Don!! Will do and I will post pics of the process. Red Bovine

I called off work Thursday morning for this. After watching my neighbor get his 4x4 Sierra stuck in his driveway for 10 min. He finally got the truck back in the garage and got the snow blower out. Cleared his driveway and proceeded to get stuck in the street. This storm broke all our snow records for May (yes... there are snow records for May here in Minnesota!) 8 am news... When I woke up at 6 it was still coming down at 2 inches/hour, No more measurable accumulation during the day, but 2 more overnight Thurs/Fri. My girls got to build probably their only ever snowman in May... We went from zero Wed to 15 inches Thursday and back to zero in four days. That last pic was Thursday about 10 am. This is four days later. Mon night, 5pm.

Haven't had time to clean it up yet. Little work and I'm sure it will shine. Alum front and rear rims will be going on soon

Dan, a few questions. When you saw the spark at the corner of the hood, did you have the headlights on? Take a look at the ground lead on the headlights. Is the ground lead intact ? and where is the opposite end of the ground wire from the headlights connected to ? the hood ? or the frame ? The spark you may be seeing could be from the headlight current trying to find a ground path back to the battery. I'll put together an explanation later tonight as to why this may be important. I wouldn't worry yourself too much about resolving this as it can be fixed easily with a few well placed ground straps. Answering the above questions will allow a little learning to take place.

IMHO, you should run it at 3600 rpms. That's the max cooling for the engine and max torque should be around 3200 rpms, so when you hit a thick pile of grass, your RPMs fall into the max torque range. Wide open engine and control your ground speed with the hydro lever. Also, when you change your tranny oil, if you will crack the tranny oil filter a bit - it will let air vent out and the oil going into the tranny will flow much easier. Good luck! Bill

Hi all, finally got my K161 back from the machine shop. it's looks nice and shiny. Had the bore done, valve seats recut, new valve guides, and fly cut the head. nice crosshatch

I have a 416-8 repowered with GX-670. You will be happy with the motor, and I'm sure your fuel consumption will drop. I have had it in for about 3 years used it for mowing two acres, snow blowing and tilling.

Startup smoke is the sign the engine is beginning to get tired. Its cylinder is likely glazed (worn smooth with oil cross-hatches worn off) and the rings are getting worn. To see what needs to be done, you’ll need engine measuring tools in a micrometer and telescoping gauge, half way decent sets are available at Harbor Freight for little money. There is NO other RIGHT way around this if you wish to do the parts replacement and assembly yourself, as any other way is just guessing and/or assuming parts are useable. If you don’t want to take it apart and measure the bore and piston to bore clearance yourself along with all the other internal items than it will need a trip to the machine shop for sure. If you measure your engine parts comparing the readings to the service manual to find out what is out of tolerance, you’ll know what needs to be replaced and what needs to go to the shop for machining. This saves you some money, and is a lot of fun to boot. Plus you can then put the engine back together yourself, which is very satisfying. -Mark-

well guy i feel silly i usually wash mine once a month and wax it couple times a year then it get put inside and covered up lol its never left out in the weather

Leaf blower also does a great job.

I was in the shop Wednesday evening to early Thursday (1am) prepping lawnmowers when I went into the shop I could see green grass and when I came out all I could see was white....woke up late Thursday morning to see around 10 or so inches of heavy wet snow I didn't even bother to try to clear the driveway when I saw the forecast I knew it would be gone within a few days and besides the tractor would have destroyed the driveway since the ground was so soft and wet.

I think you got several options. 1. Run the tractor until it breaks. 2. Do more diagnostics and see what you've got. If you are not up to doing the service yourself, you might find a good mechanic that can do it - with a limit on how much you are willing to spend up front. 3. Sell the tractor. 4. Keep the tractor and do #2 to the extent you don't ruin the engine and then #1 until it breaks. While all of this is going on, find yourself a single cylinder Kohler K341 out of a 16 hp Wheelhorse for a transplant. Simple engine, cast iron block, lots of power - plus all the features of the 520H, like swept forward axle, etc. Another route is to keep an eye out for a donor Onan engine. Bottom line is - don't get in a hurry to do anything. Take it a little at a time and enjoy the ride. Good luck! Bill

Thank you, After messing with this one I'm afraid I will have 2 of them or five. This was supposed to be a one shot deal. but I'm starting to see them in my sleep!!

Rob do you have the two chains that go from the front of the deck to the Tractor frame? You adjust them so that when the 3 pt is down the front of the mower deck is slightly lower than the rear . ( I use a level to check). Side to side you need to check the 3 pt.and the caster wheels. Also look under the deck are the blade tips all the same distance from the ground? (some one may have added or deleted a washer or a blade is bent.

The good Lord willing, I'll be there...with my passion for all things in tow too.

Very nice job Steve! The value of your house just went up!

Pretty cool story. I live in a pretty tight neighborhood and we all like to help each other out. A neighbor I'm tight with just had a massive heart attack, he's my age, 45 and takes real good care of himself. A bunch of us got together this past weekend and split two cords of wood for him that the tree service dropped in his front yard recently and we serviced his lawn for him. He'll be surprised when he comes home from the hospital I bet, he'd do the same for us. You have been a great neighbor to the old timer, I hope when I get older I have a good neighbor like you. That 520 HC is a very capable machine, it cost big bucks when it was new! How bout some pics?

That filter is for your hydro transmission.

Pull the muffler off and see how she runs.

I use a hose, carefully. And a bit of drying. Often I use the backpack blower, again, carefully. Helps keep the Grandsons busy, I have them ready, rags in hand. Earning their keep (wagon rides in the woods)! :smile:

Awesome. Entropy is increasing, but there is still some order in the universe!

You can save yourself the hassle of building a 2" receiver, and contact smorneau. He has a great design, and a couple of production runs under his belt. I've had his receiver on for a year, and stand my #200 on it with no concerns. Better than the drawbar for towing boats, log splitter, chipper/shredder, utility trailer. I have a 96 520H, very low hours , with a FEL. The gear reduction steering is a real plus. Great machine. A newer machine is generally a better idea, but I don't like the quality of the rubber on the steering wheel and the levers on the 96. I know it is a strange complaint, but it is a little too soft and tacky compared to the older models. The cowling over the PTO is silly, and should be thrown away as fast as possible. It blocks air flow across the cooling fins of both cylinders. I don't like the hydro lever on the column , but between the legs is even worse. Foot pedal is best. Wheel weights will come in handy, and are stupidly expensive--worth 150-200 bucks. You will appreciate them if you plow. On a small yard, the speed of the HC is wasted. Both look like very well maintained machines. I don't think you can go wrong.

I was working on the 704 I just picked up and decided to take the Tall Horse out for a spin so I thought you would like to see the BIG and the Small of the herd.

i will be there for the fourth time & this time im bringing a newbe. Wheel-N-It ! don't think i will bring a tractor ,or just throw a clone on the ranger, or just buy one to ride! need to buy a good 16-20 onan though. looking forward to seeing you all, or those of you from Pa. younse. Jay

I'll be there... the plan is to have the Proto-Type RJ.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LARTS (spelling)...have a nice day mate.

I don't use mine to mow with very often since the Zero Turn was added to the herd but when I do they usually get blown off with the air compressor. I do wash mine and even put some wax on them every now and then. When I get another one for the herd they get a thorough cleaning with the pressure washer as most I get haven't been cleaned in years. Then the decision is made to paint or not. That's just the way I am though.

Happy birthday bro.

There are three poles (or maybe 4) on the solenoid.. on mine there are the two main ones (one from the positive terminal of the battery, and one that goes to the positive terminal of the starter). Then there is the tab that comes from the ignition. When the activation tab is energized, it is supposed to cause the doodad inside the solenoid to jump and make contact with the two poles. My guess is that you may have some current on that one. (hooked up to the wrong thing on the ignition switch?) Either that, or your repair to the solenoid made something weird. it is magnetic,is it not? I have some weird reverse polarity theories that are probably all nonsense, but would be amusing to check out.

Happy birthday Lars!

Here is a pitc from Steves backyard

Thank God no ladders were hurt either. How did the toy saw work?

Is that at your house, Steve? I don't remember all the trees and bushes.

Michael, many thanks for your thoughtfulness!!!

1st gear gives you the most Wheel Horse seat time! Life is already too fast.

This is a 1956 Fordson Major that has been in the family since 1957. She still goes out to work occasionally backfilling trenches with a side blade. My son James is driving. Michael

Very nice tractors, guys! This is Bertha. She's my 1977 International 686, bought used in 1994 with only 1355 hours on her then, and not even 1900 on her now. As you may have guessed, she's had a pretty easy life, with almost all of her working time being spent doing nothing more strenuous than bush-hogging (can't say the same for the mower, though). I haven't been able to find any real good photos of her, but I did manage to dig this one out -- it doesn't really show her off very well, but you get the idea. One of the things I've come to appreciate over the years is how "honest" these old farm tractors are, all function, everything engineered to serve a particular purpose, very few frills. And after hanging out on RedSquare for the past 8 months or so, it's been interesting to notice some of the design similarities between Bertha and Wheel Horse tractors of the same era. Nice!

I have a 1944 Farmall H that used to belong to my grandfather...we use it for splitting wood and clearing snow when the drifts get too deep for the wheel horse. I am hoping to get my great grandfathers old "johnny popper" John Deere A sometime in the future.