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I picked this up a couple of weeks before Christmas but have not had a chance to post it until now. (Christmas came early for me) It's a 1982 SK-486 in excellent shape. 8 speed, 16 horse Kohler. There is even still some original paint here and there on the under side of the mowing deck. Since this picture was taken I have replaced the missing roller on the deck and put a new correct shifter knob on the transmission shifter (also removed the silly boat sticker). It lived in northern michigan at a cottage its entire life and seen very little use. I am extremely happy with it! It's a true gem. I am really looking forward to cutting grass with it for many years to come.

belt sander? what? do you do your nails on that thing too? why don't you kiwi's just reach out the window of your cars and drag your fingers on the blacktop while driving on the interstate? if i want to grind on my fingers like that, i just grab some small parts that need wire wheeling and go at it....... seriously though, i use aveeno hand cream that i steal from my wife. works great, i try to remember and put it on before going to bed, but usually forget. I'm reminded about it the next day at work when they start to itch and crack, or theres something that involves dexterity and i can't muster up any.......

Jabronie or Gibronie is Italian slang for a "Loser". Thanks for watching this addition of "Early 20th Century Italian Slang". "Early 20th Century Italian Slang" is made possible by a grant from the Sicilian Brownies, (formerly la Costa Nostra), and Whatsamatta U and by viewers like you. Thank you for your support!

With Karl's help...I replaced the old spread sheets with PDFs. It includes, what I think, are all the bearings and seals used in all the Wheel Horse transmissions. In other words, if your transmission is not listed, like the bi-level differential 3 speeds, you can still find the correct cross reference to the bearings you need by using the WH # and going through the 3 PDFs. Find the correct manual for your tractor with the transmission breakdown and these PDFs will give you the correct cross over. I included Motion Industries catalog number for each bearing and seal that they carry. If you go to their web site (motionindustries.com), you can type in their catalog number and that bearing/seal will pop up. It gives a picture, size and an approximate price. If you type in the TORO web site and it says the bearing/seal is N/A, you can get it either at NAPA or M/I...if there is a catalog number. The only thing that you can't get at this moment...is the WH #1533 ball bearing. The NICE 412-35 is still available (for the 5003 and 5010 trannys), but not from TORO or Motion Industries. I think I have that information, but I have to look. Hope this helps everyone. edit::: The NICE 412-35 is available from Kelly Supply ksodirect.com I think all the numbers are correct and the PDF is printable. This should save a lot of ordering the wrong part and a ton of questions.

Well..... yeah, in that case I'll certainly be able to attend!

The house next door to me is for sale, I would love to have you as a neighbor! Of course, the commute to work might be a bit....

I bought a 1992 520-H several years ago. It had just under 200 hours on it. I'm up to 535 now with no issues at all. My grandfather also had one, and he had it up to 1400 hours with no issues. When he passed away, I sold it to a guy from Australia. So I can't speak for what happened to it after that. Our local dealer says he sold a lot of these back in the day, and as long as the oil is changed on a regular basis (HD-30 in the summer and 10W-30 in the winter) and the air intake screen is kept clean while mowing, these are solid 2000 HR engines. We have this exact same engine on a welder at work. It has 2300 HRS on it and we have never had any issues with it. The valve issue seems to come from the screen getting plugged while mowing and the engine overheating. When the engine gets to a certain temp, is my best guess on why the valves warp. The neat thing about the Onans over the Kohlers is the tube that runs from the fan to the air intake chamber. The fan forces air into the chamber, almost acting like a tiny supercharger. I have heard many people say and write on here that this Onan is more powerful the the 22hp Kohler in the newer 522xi/Lxi's. Don't get me wrong, I love the Kohlers, they seem to be almost indestructible to a certain extent. But I love the unique sound and power of these Onan motors. I love the holes in the belt guard Cheesegrader. That looks like a simple after work project that I bet helps out a ton and will save a few Onans and 520's along the way. I see so many of these starting to get parted out. Makes me sad because there just isn't anything that compares IMO.

I love my 520's. I have had some electrical gremlins, and they use a LOT of gas, but they are beasts! Air flow across the rear cylinder is blocked by the guard over the drive belt. Like all safety features, I am sure this was added late in the design. The front cylinder has nothing blocking the air flow. The front cylinders never throw valve seats. I wouldn't modify the tins that direct air flow to the fins on the rear cylinder, and I would be very fussy about keeping leaves and grass out. This is what I have done to my belt guards. 3/4" step cut drill bit and a drill press. LOTS of heat comes through these holes, most of it off the upper half.

I get around a lot in the UK, with family, work and visiting some of the folks on here! Here's a collection of some of the random street signs I've picked up on my travels, I've just taken them from my camera and phone whilst out and about.. There's a few odd ones, I can't actually remember where many of them are from! If you recognise any then shout and I'll tell you if you are right

Those decals look great. I'm actually in hot pursuit of another kit with the tractor in it. I don't remember if they had decals in the kit or what they were if they did. I found this on the internet: The Wheel Horse 500 Special was special edition tractor to commemorate the Indianapolis 500. Wheel Horse has provided tractors to the Indy 500 as pit tractors for a number of years. The 500 Special was built to celebrate this; they were not actually used at the race. I'm still looking for info on the actual models they used. Outta time right now cuz I gotta get at my wifely duties....like dinner. Being retired but with the wife still working has it's drawbacks.

I ran a little print cut test to see if I can get a legible print that small. I think they will work. I can go just a bit smaller if needed. ..

3 small "screws" hold the tube to the block. You might be able to save the gasket if you're careful - and lucky. Helpful hint: removing the drive belt guard allows better access.

It maybe just me, or maybe because I know how painful arc eye can be, I find myself looking away from welding when it's on tv even though I know it can't do me any harm!! Looking away from welding becomes automatic I guess.

Excellent choice Karl, and Congratulations Neil. Karl...feel free to slap Squonk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-S9Dj-S9rU

I once got that due to working on a bench with a white painted wall in front of me. A workmate was welding behind me. I woke up that night with my eyes feeling as if they were full of sand. Every time I blinked or shut my eyes the pain was something terrible. Took a couple of days to clear.

I guess I'm lucky. I've worked with harsh chemical all my life, never using gloves. I have been told many years later that the chemicals that I used are metabolized by your liver, and that I will suffer the results of my misuse later in life. So far, so good. I have a physical every year with blood work specific to liver function. Don't get me wrong, I am not condoning the mishandling of chemicals, I am just saying that I don't know if I have problems waiting for me later on, but as of now, I am okay. Having said that, I do wear latex or nitrile gloves now when working with most liquids that are known to be harmful. As I am on the slippery side of the slope of life, I don't want to speed up that slide.

Roughly 800 miles. I no it sounds crazy but have a lot of changes going on at work and I just needed to get out of town and get my mind on something else. And what better way than to pick up a Wheel Horse Tractor

This started back during leaf season as I needed a place to store the tools for the Cyclone Rake. HF recently released plastic ammo boxes which are smaller than a 12" tool box. Originally it was just the box but then grew into flashing lights and a backup light. The nice thing is that I didn't drill any holes into the tractor. It is about 80% finished as I still need to wire it completely, touch up, etc. I use 1" x 1/8" aluminum angle.

I can not count how many times I've been asked about will this engine fit, or will this oil pan fit?? most times the first question I ask is what style block do you have ?? large or small base ?? BUT there is one exception to that rule I will cover that later. I'm writing this post to help clear up that question, first this only applies to 10, 12, 14 and 16 HP Kohlers, they used two style blocks commonly referred to as large or small base blocks. We will start with the large base or eared block used on most WH tractors from 1967 to the last Magnum about 1987, these blocks use the bigger oil pan, and the pan bolts on from the top side through ears on the block, this style oil pan is the one that bolts directly to the frame, the two bolts on the right side that hold it to the frame go from under the frame into blind bolt holes in the bottom of the pan, the pan will hang over the frame some on that side, with the mounting ears on the pan NOT being used. This is a large base block and pan, note how long the pan is and where it bolts to the block Here you can see where the pan hangs over the frame, at this point under the frame is where the bolts go from the bottom in to the blind holes in the pan. The holes outlined in red are the blind holes used to bolt the pan to the frame from the bottom, the holes in green are the ones that hang over the frame. Here you can see the bolts that hold the pan on, going through the ears in the block. That pretty much covers the large base blocks. Next is the small base block used on the shaker plate engines, and some of the mid 60's 10hp engines in WH tractors, this style block is also common in Cub tractors, and others but we are talking WH here. The small base block the oil pan bolts on from the bottom of the engine, it does not have ears on the block, the pan is closer to a square in shape than the large base block, here is a pic of a small base block and oil pan. There are many many styles of oil pans to fit the small base block, other brands of tractors use pans in all shapes, and depths so when swapping this style pan you have to watch how long the oil dipper is on the bottom of the connecting rod, it can be cut to fit a shallower pan, WH used two basic pans on this engine a very shallow pan on the early 10 hp and a mid depth on the shaker plate engines. This pan is a shaker style pan used in the late 70's early 80's on the shaker engines This pan is the flat bottom style used on the 1045, 1055, 1075 and 1046 also used on many Cub engines and other brands, the dipper on the connecting rod is very short on the engines that use this pan. This is a deep pan on a Cub engine, I do beleive it uses the same dipper as the large base blocks with the big oil pan. Here is a shot of both styles together, to give you a idea of how the blocks look side by side, note on the large base block the cut outs at each end, I will be talking about them and the 4 holes you see where a small base oil pan could fit with a few mods. Here are the pan gaskets side by side and over top of each other. Ok now we will talk about how a small base oil pan can be used on a large base block, note the red circles they point out the cut outs in the block where the small oil pan will not seal, this area can be filled up with JB weld or other compound that will stick to metal and take the heat, then note the green circles they show the holes that will need to be tapped to bolt the pan to, so far all blocks I have seen have the holes but are not tapped, with these mods a small pan can be used on this block, also if needed you could cut most of the ears off the block. Now some blocks (very few) are set up from the factory to except both style oil pans, most common found on JD tractors as they use a shaker mount set up that uses the ears on the block to mount it but still uses a small oil pan, here is a duel pan style block note is does not have the cut outs in the block like a normal large base block does. Just remember to check the dipper on the rod, to long and it will hit the pan, to short and it may not splash lube properly. I hope this helps clear up a few questions about block styles and how they differ

This is shamelessly copied and pasted from my blog (which you can read here) but it saves time as I would of only typed the same stuff anyway "I'm working on a video series all about promoting RedSquare and RedSquare members videos No hint's on what it is called yet, I hope all of you like it when it hit's a computer screen near you.. So what do I need help with? Video's of course.. If you think promoting RedSquare and your video's is your sort of thing please submit me your videos.. Full credit will be given for the video clips of course You can post your video links here, or PM them to me if you want. I will be adding a "RedSquare members videos" section to my YouTube channel where people can click on your vid and be taken straight to your video page. The bad news is your videos MUST be on YouTube so I can use in-video click-able links. YouTube won't allow "non YT" in-video links! I may be able to find away around this in the future, but for now YT video's only. Will this idea work out? I hope so. But for it to work I need your video's so get submitting Guy's It's going to interesting for me as this will be the first time I've played a "presenting" roll.... Should be fun :text-lol:"

RESIDENT CANADA GOOSE NEST &EGG DEPREDATION If you have problem Geese in your area & want to do something about it. Here is the starting information, the legally correct way to do it. Please share this info, Face book, Twitter, All your contacts and friends, and Forums. People are getting sick form Goose droppings in grassy areas. When lawn mowers throw it up in the air the operator breaths this dust in. If you are a Golf player you know the deal. In some areas there are so many Geese, they cause traffic problems. This web site works for most any state. It covers the lower 48 States and the District of Columbia. And please don’t feed the wild life. Go to: WWW.dgif.virgina.gov Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Click on: Wildlife Information Click on: Nuisance & Problem Wildlife Click on: Canada Geese Click on: registration process Click on: New User Create Login ID. Password Complete the registration process. There are several ways to destroy the eggs. A personal recommendation is to affix a small, thin nail to a broom handle and simply approach the nest and poke one small hole in each egg. And allow them to sit for full term, other wise they will rebuild. I do not recommend completely destroying the nest because the goose pair will only rebuild, possibly in another area where you are not authorized to destroy eggs. Please take time to read through the information on the website, get informed and keep it legal and humane. You must register each year prior to destroying nests/eggs. You may register anytime between January 1 and June 30 of the year in which your activity will take place. 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　

Since the weights are usually found free around here, and I did not want to pay the $80.00 for a special bracket available on eBay I came up with my own design made up from strut brackets easily available at Home Depot for about $10.00 per wheel. It also works out that these are easily removable in order to remove wheel since one can remove it from front.

SK's and SB's are tractors built from too many left over parts from the c series not sure what the S stands for but the K means kohler and the B means briggs Brian

I know member/vendor Kelly has at least one set of original white wall tires that survive on a tractor in his posession. Maybe shoot him a PM for some better images of them.

Those are pics I was looking for Craig! (Done with my wifely duties for the evening) Building models is one of my hobbies and now I've got the bug to replicate the tractor in the Indy car kit as closely as possible. What the heck. I can't find a full size Wheel Horse down here to restore. I do remember the whitewalls. Ugly but that's just the way they were. I believe the tires in the kit are plastic and not 'rubber' like they provide for the car. I think the tires on the actual tractors used were solid rubber and not pneumatic. I was telling my wife about my most recent 'bug' and I got the "you'll never grow up" look. Oh well. I didn't get in trouble because I think she liked the dinner I made.

had an old customer years ago who whenever he thought someone did something stupid, he'd call them a Gibronie. He tried calling me that once and I responded by calling him a "Fatchdighan." (Dog Face) I have no idea what Gibronie means

"Gibronie"!!! Magnificent!!! Now I have a new word to add to my vocabulary Another one of the benefits of being a Supporter Mike! Also, glad Marvin is healed .

It's still available... 5 bedroom colonial on 1.2ac, only a 2-car garage though but a cool neighbor.

Marvin's problem has been found! I replaced the wire from the switch to the coil. Problem was still there. Next I replaced the switch with a new one. I originally got the switch for my C-160 as it is worn and the key falls out. Haven't gotten to it yet. Anyway Problem is still there. Next I replaced the points as the gap is too narrow and the contacts are oxidized. Problem is still there. So now I put my voltmeter on the coil and battery positive and I'm dropping 2 volts with the key on. Start it and now I'm dropping 4 volts with it running good and 6 volts when it starts to misfire. Now I trace the wire from the solenoid to the ammeter. I unwind the crappy tape and find even worse tape. Unwrap and find this. Some Gibronie decided to put an inline fuse in there and did a lousy job. I cut it out and twisted the wires together to try it and VROOM!!!!!!!!! Funny thing I was planning on going thru the wiring in the spring!

I know I've seen images of round hoods there too.

What's that there in the background? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjlOmOZmdwo

Find a place next to a forest preserve so we can finally have a bonfire and burn some picnic tables. Signed...one of your rowdy friends. Good hunting Scott.

Pinned to the top of this section is the cross reference list for your seals. It is Uni-drive trans 3 pdf. Napa precedes their number with the letters NOS.

When it comes to welding , you need all the gear to be safe, tinted helmet, heavy gloves, leather vest, long pants & NO sneakers & flip-flops (ask me how I know ) Like Meadowfield said about the sun burn, I got it bad on my chest once & I was wearing a vest BE CAREFUL OUT THERE GUYS

If you've been around here for a while you know full well who UkWheelHorseBloke is, who has been providing us with informative and entertaining video's for years. If you haven't seen his video's your certainly missing out. "How do I find him?" you ask! Well that's easy, go to his YouTube channel UkWheelHorseBloke and subscribe to his channel. You'll want to subscribe so you know when the new stuff comes out, and it's easy to reach again. Ian is member number 110, which means he's been here since almost the beginning but I believe that he is U.K. Member 1. Regardless, you must see his video's, especially the 6x6 build which is just an amazing piece.

Thank you guys for your support , It means a lot too me & is a real Honour & i hope to thank you all in person at the Wheelhorse collectors show

Ian's videos are TOP SHELF...I think he could quit his day job and go into the business.

Hey could be worse my 67 Ranger has a tool box hath you can't get into without scraping all the skin off the back of your hand...Terrible design I need to fab up a hinge and frame for that.

If you tap into the pink feeding the light switch the 15 amp fuse ahead of that will protect the relay coil. They don't draw much amperage. Then fuse the power supply to the relay high enough to carry the load you are adding. 20 amp and 30 amp relays are easily found. If it takes more than one feed the 2nd coil or more off the output of the first one. Garry

good choice Karl, Neil, well done done on accepting

Wiring diagram I would add a fused relay that is activated by the pink wire from the accessories terminal on the ignition switch. This circuit powers the gauges. That way you are not adding the load to the ignition switch. Garry

I work in a corrugated board factory.....I lot of guys use gloves but back in the day the older guys used glycerine on their hands.....rubbed it in all day. I think it was used more for its tackiness but also kept the hands from drying out.... I never had too much trouble except when I get into solvents and oil....I quit using that anti-bacterial stuff and use soaps my daughter makes and sells on her online store.....

I will change the points after I replace this wire. If I do both at the same time, I won't know what actually fixed it.

really great entertainment & well worth subscribing to his youtube videos

I think the issue with the ONAN Performer Series engine is that if you are not careful with them, they can overheat and lose a valve seat or rod. Some people hate the ONANs due to the cost to rebuild them I would not rebuild. I would just look for another used engine. I just bought a used 1989 520H with a 660 hour ONAN for $450. Here is an example of a post from someone with a 1500 hour ONAN: I have a 1988 520HC Wheelhorse purchased new with over 1500 hours and have had only a couple of minor engine problems. When new I had a couple of leaks repaired under warranty and last year the regulator/rectifier had one of the fast-on tabs burn off. It uses only 1 pint of oil in 50 hours. Onan parts are expensive. The biggest problem with Wheelhorse tractors is lawn debris collecting on the engine blower inlet screen causing overheating. If you do regular maintenance, oil & filter changes, keep air filter clean, and valve adjustments it will last a long time. I do not use my tractor in the winter so I add StaBil to the fuel. I also use Chevron Techron Fuel System Cleaner, a 12 bottle divided between 2,5 gallon cans of fuel each year. The Techron will not only help clean the carburetor but also disolves the oil carbon on the intake valve stems.

I would keep both and use the 93 the most to see how many hours you can get out of it. As long as it does not overheat you should get 2,000 plus hours out of it and you will never be down with carburetor problems because you will have a back up ready to go. You can use that gorgeous 94 to ride to church on Sundays.

Never sells whole tractors, only parts. He's doing it for money not to save them from the scrap yard. I guess in a roundabout way he is saving them from the junk yard piece by piece but I would sooner see a whole tractor get saved then the parts of one. Thats why I stole that Charger 12 even though it didn't run….now it does though…And my son sure is happy because of it Actually, I love tractors, when I was 12 I built one from an old walk-behind, worked on them ever since, I also had a motorcycle salvage yard when I was 18 to cover my tractor hobby, when I sold the salvage yard, I had over 400 motorcycles. Now I do the tractors because I love it and it pays my bills. Sure, some people hate what I do, but then there are people out there that will hate someone for anything, no matter what they do. So, I am not to worried about pleasing people unless it is someone who bought a bad part. So, it is more that just being about money. I am sure many people would do what I do (or what they love) rather then the job they do now. Grace & Peace Lv. 25:14 - Joe Thanks to all of the people with the positive posts. I try hard to run an honest business that is fair and helpful to everyone. Grace & Peace Lv. 25:14 - Joe

It's really amazing to see where we have come from, to where we are, with so many motorized vehicles. As a kid, living in the country, at one time we have 5 snowmobiles. Johnsons, SkiDoo and a SpeedWay. The SpeedWay topped them all. When I say, topped them all, I mean anyone that tried failed. Polaris, Yamaha, Artic Cat, Rupp, ect... Did not matter, this machine was wicked fast. With it's 650cc triple Kohler high fin heads, ported carbs and ice picked track. Nothing but air was all you got after grabbing the throttle. You had to steer the sled with your weight. The only time the skis were planted, on the ground, was when it was not moving... Being a farmer, dad had the idea, to attach an IH front weight to it.... Did not matter, still lifted the skis right off the ground. Like all neat toys, it finally went away. A guy from Wisconsin heard about it. Drove 4hrs. with a 6 place trailer and 5 sleds. His mission was to prove he had a faster sled, if he didn't he was going to own it. Well, 5 races later, it was time to talk $$$$. He left with 6 sleds and a smile on his face.

I'd vote for the patina look as well. Another member here coats his with a little motor oil...(salad dressing...you know who you are.. ). Gives it a rich deep dark tone, and helps future rusting out. Here's a quick video of my 551 plowing. I had it all apart, but couldn't help myself...(so I know that feeling) It has been since restored. Below is a video of my 854 plowing 13inches of snow. This is the same tranny as my 551. Don't think I'd worry about the tranny with the 401. Good luck with it and thanks for the updates.