Caring for a Survivor

[jellyghost 378]

The previous owner of my Wheel Horse did a great job preserving the beast.  I am worried about aging this tractor more in a few years than he did in 35.  

Is there a better way to start the tractor, clean it, shut it down?  If it gets wet, is there some stuff I should be doing? It would be nice if members shared care tips in the order of importance.  Thanks in advance!

[953 nut 51,541]

Mechanically speaking, general maintenance with lubrication oil, and filter changes are bound to prolong it's life. Also, after mowing it is a good idea to blow out any clippings that might have accumulated around the engine cooling fins, especially under the tins. The best thing to do when shutting the engine down is to bring it to an idle for a minute prior to stopping the engine.

[JERSEYHAWG / Glenn 4,487]

             some good sound advice to follow, you won't go wrong.

 

Glenn

[Adam Bish 34]

All of my survivors are stored in a heated building. Batteries are removed and fuel drained. We usually run them 2-3 times a year to keep them in working order. I would struggle using them on a regular basis for any task. Any tractor can be restored, but they are only original once. If you need to use it, keeping it clean and dry, as well as polishing the paint regularly, will go a long way towards keeping it nice.

Edited September 17, 2016 by Adam Bish

[Wheel-N-It 2,967]

After you wash it, blow it dry with either your hand held or backpack blower. And keep it under roof, don't let it sit outside.

[Retired Wrencher 4,874]

jellyghost All of the above sounds good. There  is and old saying that I use to hear a lot when I was riding motorcycles  Taking pride in what you ride. I think this holds true for these fine tractors the we like so much.

[clueless 2,898]

12 hours ago, Wheel-N-It said:

After you wash it, blow it dry with either your hand held or backpack blower. And keep it under roof, don't let it sit outside.

Rust never sleeps!

[DennisThornton 4,769]

I just bought a 1995 Toro and what impressed me most was how clean the under-the-hood was!  Owner said he blew it out with a leaf blower after each use.  Just like the Toro manual suggests!  He also stored it inside so the rest looked pretty good too.  Worst places were around the foot rests, like most other tractors.  Must be a better way to have non-slip down there!  As far as rust goes I think they cause more than they prevent!

[TDF5G 2,051]

You have to keep the mower deck clean to avoid rust through.

[jellyghost 378]

24 minutes ago, TDF5G said:

You have to keep the mower deck clean to avoid rust through.

 

How do you keep the underside of the deck clean?

[TDF5G 2,051]

After mowing wet heavy grass, which has been many times this year, I remove the deck then scrape and hose it off underneath.  Pressure washer is even better.  I stand it up to do this and then leave it that way until it drips dry over night in the garage before re-attaching.   It's a good time to sharpen blades also if necessary.  And it's not necessary to clean the deck after mowing each time.

 

 

 

Edited September 21, 2016 by TDF5G

[r356c 375]

On 9/18/2016 at 10:29 AM, DennisThornton said:

I just bought a 1995 Toro and what impressed me most was how clean the under-the-hood was!  Owner said he blew it out with a leaf blower after each use.  Just like the Toro manual suggests!  He also stored it inside so the rest looked pretty good too.  Worst places were around the foot rests, like most other tractors.  Must be a better way to have non-slip down there!  As far as rust goes I think they cause more than they prevent!

 

The rubber foot pads are gone and not coming back on my 2005 Toro. Anything that traps moisture is a bad idea. Moisture = Rust.

There is severe rust on both of my foot rests from trapped moisture. Someone told me once that grass clippings are slightly acidic and will attack the metal given enough time. That may be why it is such a good idea to keep the tractor clean of clippings as much as possible.

The Toro manual also says never to use a pressure washer for cleaning. I take that advise to heart. 3000 psi will force water into many places it should not be on our tractors. My suspicion is many electrical gremlins caused by corroded terminals get their start by pressure washing.

 

Edit: Pressure washing under the deck is probably fine. It is too tempting for me to have it out and fired up to not keep going. I think the old saying of the camel's nose under the tent applies to me and pressure washers.

 

Edited September 22, 2016 by r356c

[ohiofarmer 3,156]

As for the bottom of the deck, use this stuff. It would also be good under the rubber footrests. The gray rust coater is 50% higher in price, but is UV stabilized. The black product is fine for use under decks where the sun don't shine. The product reacts with rust and dries hard and shiny and very smooth. It sticks to rust BETTER than bare metal. I power wire brushed a very rusty deck and used gasoline applied with a paintbrush and then wiped off the surface with old rags and again wiped it with lacquer thinner. That's it, no primer needed like the POR stuff.

 After it cured, i used a power wire brush to test it for abrasion resistance. the stuff did not hardly scratch and still maintained a semi-gloss sheen. Pick a cool day with low humidity and the finish will be smoother as it cures from moisture in the air. A steam bath of a day will result in tiny air bubbles in the finish

 

 I have never used a product that so exceeded my expectations. i bought mine at Rural King.http://www.agriguardcoatings.com/agriguard-rust-coater.html

[Al C. 1,405]

I use my 1967 and 1982 Wheel Horses regularly during the summer (every week or two) - subscribing two the old saying, "Use it or lose it."   Follow all the maintenance items described above and run them with respect and care.  I have not noticed any degradation.  From time to time, something will wear out, but this happens with new machines too.  It's a good way to get to know your machine inside and out.  I've been surprised at how well a well maintained 50 year old Wheel Horse still does work.  Honestly, they are as good as a five year old machine.  My advice, don't treat it like an antique, or it will become one.