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a quick update: so as with all things, the proof is with the pudding. The PO stated that he had the starter go out and then just parked it last year. after cleaning the engine, changing fuel lines etc and then check out the starter. Briggs decides to have a plastic/nylon gear on the starter(Why?) and it looks like Stevasaurus at the end of the Big Show, but I digress, so buy a rebuild kit (thanks EricJ) and attach it up and engine runs on carb cleaner only, then the gear shreds. Hmmmm. starter alignment looks good, flywheel is fine. a buddy has another starter and all is good. more on Mr Briggs starter woes later. So break into the fuel pump/carb issue (tiny fuel pump springs that I used tweezers to place back into the pump...Mr Briggs needs a talking to from Mr Stratton. still nothing and no fuel getting up there. EricJ reminds me that sometimes you have to give the old girl a big smooch! So after blowing into the gas tank (glad no one was watching) she fires up and roars (at least as a Briggs version of a roar) and take her out in the pouring rain wearing my old flight suit and the neighbors probally are still shaking their heads. The speed of the this faster Eaton 1100 compared to my 88 520 is noted. back and forth in the rain to try to get the tranny warm and she is strong until..... a spray of tranny oil up from the shifter plate dampens the day and I retreat back to the garage. But first, I have to put Dawn, HF part cleaner(it's Biodegrade) car wash down on the driveway and hose and squegee it down...again the neighbors wonder why I'm out there in the rain washing my driveway in a sodden old flight suit. that was my Sunday. I was lovin every minute of it since the wife never saw it! Shhhh!

When buying a tractor, and the owner says it's been in storage for a long time... do yourself a favor and pull the tins, you may be surprised what you find lurking in there.

If that's an implication that you're pumping through the original pump with the electric pump, bypass it immediately. The last thing you want is a ruptured pump diaphragm allowing fuel into the crankcase.

In another post there was conversation on buying American and how some try to do it when they can. I found this website and thought some others might appreciate it as well. I have no association with this site at all. http://www.americansworking.com/

Felt short, been working 9 hours. Still working part time.

FINALLY have the crew together (including my 48" squeegee ) for this year's winter weather. It started off nicely in December, and hopefully the rest of winter will be full of snow!

Got a 104" belt this morning and it is working just fine so far. Blew snow for about two hours cleaning up the bits and pieces the plow guy left. Finally getting some use from this unit and I think, with a little patience and practice, I may even be able to keep from sliding sideways when I get too close to the ditches. Happy New Year to all and thanks for your help. Bob

Yes storm work is bad and dangerous work. I was a Journeyman Lineman for 41 years, had plenty of storms summer and winter, very dangerous work. I went on the storm work yes for the money, but also to help those that did not have power. Most times my family had power and so I needed to help those without. Please have patience, these men and women have a very dangerous and difficult job, under very bad weather conditions. Usually 16 hours on and 8 hours off. Please say a prayer for safety for them all, I know I have walked in their shoes. Bob Blough , JL retired.

I agree with Mike (squonk) ! Don you would have had a youtube hit with that tranny oil spray event!

I should have know better. When I turned it over a live one bailed out.

I'm having some trouble getting my D180 to keep running when the gas tank gets below a certain point. I'm thinking it's the fuel pump. Am I correct in thinking there is a vacuum pump on those things? The connection seems to be a bit loose and my hunch is that it's not sucking the fuel like it should. I know a couple people have had success with electric fuel pumps. Any thoughts out there?

Hey.. i have done some upgrade on the horse and put on 4 bolt's on the front wheel's.. i have been thinking of that for a long time but never found the right part's for it.. but i finaly found a trailer hub kit that i bought... So here are som pict of what i did.. that axel was about 10 inch long so i had to cut it down to the right lenght.. and then i drilled a hole innside it about 1.5 inch and then it fit's on the original 3/4 spindel. And time to cut some more and both ready for some welding Finish whit welding time to try them on the tractor.. and as you can see they also has a greasepoint.. had some 10 inch trailer wheels that i put on so i could move the tractor and wait to ill got the other tires mounted on the rim's and finaly they are on the tractor Going to paint the rim's later dont have the time to fix that atm.. other project's whit higer priority.. Lars

I FINISHED THE CLEANUP ON MY 1988 312-8 TRACTOR. HERE IS THE FINISHED PRODUCT. I WILL TRY TO SELL IT IN THE SPRING. IT HAS 3 YEAR OLD 42" DECK AND 610 HOURS ON TRACTOR. BOWTIE IN OHIO

I do have to say I got my revenge last week. I was changing the oil on the C-165 and sat the pan under the tractor and pulled the plug. Came out an hour later button her up and refill the engine. Went to drain the used oil and found a strange "blob" in the used oil pan. Mouse had fallen in the pan and couldn't get out. Well, one less to worry about!

Jim- Enjoy every minute of it !!

Not to mention the productivity ! Welcome to the Retiree Club Jim

Neat story behind that product if you google it. I happened to see it mentioned somewhere a couple months back. Totally another home grown American business, straight out of a lady's farm garage. Really broke big when some agency like the EPA and USDA or something investigated because they had reports that she was manufacturing and selling pesticide without a license! Here... found a link to the story.... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/28/mom-makes-millions_n_4171299.html

So...I made the switch over to the five holer today, and finally got my plow mounted up. Just in time because the Weather man is suggesting a "significant snow event" may be coming in Thurs of this week..should have just enough time to put the vinyl back in place on my 520's cab too... then I'll have my two biggest 's on stand by, at the ready to tag team it...if need be.

Definitely mechanical - easy to maintain, can feather on and implement No 3 point hitch, clevis hitch is OK for me. I might also consider a sun shade on the mower/worker - keep the head from turning Wheelhorse red... A little side note on the Wheelhorse mechanical PTO. It is stunning at how much simpler the Wheelhorse mechanical PTO is to access and service vs my old iron other color tractors. Another reason I'm considering riding myself of the other color tractors and throwing my tractor eggs into the Wheelhorse basket...

Looked familiar ground. Was up that way about 20 years back and drowned my Land Rover S111.

Jake, Welcome to redsquare, come and say hello in the euro section. Second the others, clean the pump, carb, etc it's always worthwhile. Whereabouts in Scotland are you? Mark

Heh! I guess we all got stories about critters getting in our equip and shops - one of mine is mice ate the wiring on my D-180! Spark plug wires must have been extra tasty there wasnt much left of them, and scattered through out was tastings of the wire harness. And like brandon, down here the dirt daubers are as much of a problem as mice. I bought a milling machine to rebuild and on removing the motor to bench check it started up alright but was jumping all over the bench and making a terrible racket. On teardown there was NINE wads of mud scattered about! All total throughout the mill was some 30-40 wads.

Have since, mounted a pulley on the winch mount post, and attach the winch hook, closer to the plow, for easier lift. Winch removes with 2 pins to move to rear of tractor. Removing 1 pin, allows the mount to pivot, to allow the hood to open. Has worked good for a few years now. If doing again, I would make the plow mounting pin, larger than the 1/2" one I used.

i think im going to take it off and go see what the local shops have got. thanks for pointing that out to me

Could it be a blown head gasket and worn piston rings allowing the oil to get to the top of the piston?

Hi Ray, welcome to the WH mad house.. Have fun

I'm in the process of restoring my 2nd 520H, as others have said its a great tractor. I'd say you got a good deal on it. As others have already said if clean the fins especially on the rear cylinder. Also check for dirt buildup under the engine as well. There's a rubber air seal gasket that goes around the oil filter, I've seen many 520s including mine missing these and they help keep that rear cylinder cool. Cheap part if yours is missing it. I have owned some kohlers myself, great reliable engines but the onan is my favorite even if it is a little more difficult to work on. I replaced the gasket around my carb air horn as well, just to make positive sure it had a good seal.

That happened to me with wasps ( I'm allergic) last summer. Had just bought it, PO could never get it running. Boy did I high step outta there fast!

I had a hotel constructed in the muffler of an old MTD I had. I didn't know it was there until a ball of flaming material come sailing out of the muffler.

Here is what i got its a gt14 with a homemade loader and cab.

WD40 is good for initial water dispersal, but long term, I found this Bike Teflon Dry Lube by Finishline to be excellent at laying down a film of water repellent wax. Available everywhere that sells Bikes. http://www.finishlineusa.com/products/chain-lubricants/dry-lube When the panel joints on your WH are dry, just squirt some in and it dries. I've used the Aerosol Can version for years. Also great for protecting/lubricating and resists dirt......ok ! It's not perfumed like WD40, so bung some Aftershave on your WH if you want

3V315 Gates or Napa .38"x31.5" Believe this is a raw edge automotive belt. The original 1583 in the belt chart is listed as 3Lx33" but believe that is wrong. Should be 31-1/2" Garry

Another fine product from the Upper Midwest, you betcha. They state that it smells like pine. It is pleasant though. There are four sachets in a box and they are not to be used near traps as traps attract mice. http://www.earth-kind.com/

My wife can tell when I have been in the garage!

In addition to the "Tick Tubes" to ward off ticks, this fall I purchased six boxes of "Fresh Cab" to ward off the mice and squirrels. So far, so good. I also bought a HF Digital Inspection camera. It was originally intended for use on the tractors, but I have found more use around the house going behind walls scouting out for future remodeling jobs.

snap......

No problem I had loads of fun while getting them pics and defiantly got £20 of fun on that day :D

Thanks Shorts and Mike. That's something I'm not familiar with but glad you drew it to my attention. I will check that out on Monday. We have a national company here called Canadian Bearing. I did check there for some of the other parts but Toro oddly enough was no more money. I'm sure the shaft will be a lot cheaper though. It might even be cheaper to have one done at a machine shop. There are only two key ways so it's just a matter of length I guess. A full length keyway is no great deal is it? I called my Toro dealer and the shaft was $179.00 plus we have 13% tax here and the pulley is another $57.00. These things are not cheap to rebuild but on the other hand there isn't much left that can go wrong. They never break until you need them. Can't push much more.

testing how good they go offroad.... be for i realised what i have will get some close up shots asap

Steve, I ran out and took a picture. Also did the math and its not quite fifty years old. Its a 66 Chevy short bed. Her grandpa bought to use for a farm truck and that's about all it was used for. Its on the list to do after about ten other things.

Ya notice I didn't say Richard. Last night I watched the Richard Van Dyke show. Doesn't have the same feel!

Jim, I too am sorry to hear that being 56 myself I can relate. I am a HVAC Contractor by trade, & owned my business for many years and had to pay for insurance and everything myself before Switching Hats & going to work for my local County. I always have that fear myself ya never know what politicians will do, and its usually not good. Good luck. hope things change for you!

Merry Christmas Bob, Yeah, its the old a picture is worth a thousand words. Hope you get to blow some snow real soon. I have added a motivational picture for you here. This is from a blizzard last winter. I have just made it to the street with the blower, after clearing 550 feet of driveway, and are about to punch through. The snow was so deep I would first blow it with the blower in the raised position, then back-up and hit it again with it lowered. The one thing you will find out is that if you have a lot of snow to blow, you will go through quite a lot of gas. Just before this storm hit I got concerned if I had enough gas on hand, and I ran out and purchased a 5 gallon gas can to go with the three 2 1/2 gallon cans that I had filled. Clearing the drive I went through all the 2 1/2 gallon cans, and just started on the 5 gallon. If you want to play, you have to pay!! Always run the blower at full throttle. Enjoy the day. Rick

I am thrilled with the 18hp Vanguard I installed on my '83 GT-1848 ~ so far. My concern with the Vanguard twin is the lack of flywheel side main bearing (ball or tapered roller) and the lateral pressure exerted by the mechanical PTO clutch. The only thing I had to fabricate was the exhaust headpipes - everything else is off-the-shelf Wheel Horse.

God save us from the people who want to make the world a better place.

I use straight 90 wt in all the transmissions that I have...and the ones I have rebuilt for others. After I finish rebuilding one, I bench test it for about 1/2 hour while using all the gears. I clamp a 1/3 hsp motor to the bench, run a long fan belt to the trans drive pulley, and plug it in. The speed seems comparable to driving at full throttle. The reason I tell you all this, is because I can look down the shifter hole with a flash light and watch what the gears do to the oil. The transmission gears, literally, throw the oil all over the inside of the trans, and I have done some of these transmissions in the winter months. This is how the parts of the transmission, that do not sit in the oil, get lubricant...like your shift forks, all of your bearings, the axles and your fork gears...(keep in mind that oil has to get through the #1533 bearings and run the axles to lube the outer axle bearings). With all that being said, I am not sure using the thicker oil, especially in winter, gives proper lubrication. I would think there is no way I would want an oil viscosity in my trans that bogs down the engine. Just my thoughts on it. What do you guys think about mixing equal parts of Tony's 140 wt oil with 40 wt oil and thinning it to 90 wt???

plow blade and front of frame from a Deere - 1-1/2 square steel tubing welded up for the rest of the frame

Bill - you should take this time to clean out the cooling fins on the eaton transmission.

Bill - make sure you fully clean the shaft. It is best to let it run on a wire wheel of a bench grinder if you have one. Make sure after the cam is reinstalled with the cam lever that it freely pivots forwards and backwards with little to no friction.

Charles that might be true about the 325 but I'll never find out for myself. As you know, some of us just like to sit back and kick it old school. :ychain: