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I finally got a chance to rebuild a transmission with a hi/low mechanism. This is a 6 speed #5060 transmission with the 10 pinion limited slip differential. Notice the brake shaft comes out the hole closest to the axle housing. The 8 speeds brake shaft comes out of the cluster shaft hole. I did a series of videos for this thread along with some pictures. The videos are split up between different phases of rebuilding...ie...the differential, the hi/low shift mechanism, the rest of the gears 1 & 2 (my batteries died in the camera). Most of the information will be in the videos...be advised that I did some struggling while doing these videos and I left them as is because it is not always easy. Hope this helps you guys. correction... According to the manual the bolts that hold the differential together are in backwards in the video. The nuts should be on the input shaft side (right side) of the transmission. Sorry, I missed that. Just got the trans split. I use a 1" old wood chisel to start and then work the case apart with a pry bar. A couple shots after getting the case half off...trans is in neutral. The trans case works as a work bench for the differential...very cool Here is the reason the trans needed to be opened. An axle gear lost it's teeth and the pieces were lodged in the pinions. Finished and back together. The rest are the videos...1st on is the differential... Next 2 are dealing with the hi/low mechanism...1st one taking apart and the 2nd on putting together...be nice...it was my first time. Now, 2 videos putting the rest of the trans together...batteries died just before I finished the first video. Thanks for looking

I just picked up this 1960 Suburban 400 off of Craigslist. My trucks starter decided to take the day off and I got stranded a hour away from home in Green Bay Wisconsin in the shadow of Lambeau field with my daughter but we got some help from family and got home with our prize. Now I have the transmission torn down and need a spider gear and a shift lever collar. Does any one know if the axle has too much wear to re-use? Any help would be very appreciated. The break lever gear on the shaft seems to have a little more wear on a couple spots than I would have liked to see but I think it is ok overall. (can't seem to get a good picture)

Everyone Photos below. Just this came across this on local classified here in Toronto. Any chance it could be as ad claims - a 1947-49 Wheel Horse. And what model is it ? I'm assuming the owner is blowing smoke about the age. Asking price Is $950.00. Not running. Tires look sketchy John

These are more designed for the guys doing it the first time...not so much for the guys that have done them before. I just know that some members have been looking for videos involving the hi/low mechanism...while not the same as an 8 speed...the principle is the same and will work. r356c, I hope you are right and it gives someone the confidence to tackle these transmissions and fix them...rather then just melt them down. It really is pretty simple to fix up and give a horse another 40 years. This is what is crazy...if you add up the minutes that I spent doing the videos...it comes to just over 40 minutes to rebuild this trans. Without the camera and the explanations, this can be done in about 20 to 30 minutes. You do not need any special tools and fixing this horse costs like $65 and you got a clean, good trans. I replaced the outer axle bearings, all the seals, the trans gasket, the one axle gear and picked up an input pulley, a new dog point set screw, and new nuts on the differential bolts. A definite feel good.

I thought I'd throw this idea out. If the outer ends (where the hubs were) of the axles (say about 2") look good and the axle gears will fit snugly on them reverse the axles. All you'd have to do is drill new holes for the drive pins inside the differential that hold the gears on. It looks like that would put the worn area floating inside the transmission where it wouldn't be riding on anything. Feasible Steve?

I have a early three blade deck for a RJ35

Ok, here's what you do. You need to go outside in front of garage, take three steps back and yell "DINO" where are you? More than likely you'll have an answer on your tranny. Stevasaurus does this stuff in his sleep. He's like a resident tractor doctor amongst several others that also know what they are doing. Gonna give you a heads up though, He is also a Bears fan, I don't think he plays well with Cheeseheads enter at your own risk. No it's not all that, I'm, sure he'll wake up sooner or later

Yes that is a rare 1957 Wheel Horse Model # RJ35 with a Kohler engine! It is an early production 1957 with black rims. This is in really good original condition and should be left like it is and not restored. So I will start the arguments about the " to restore or not to restore" a rare original condition WH.The paint can be cleaned up well with some WD40 and four OOOO steel wool. The rims appear to be painted black and they only did that in 1956. So it is probably built in late 1956 or early 1957. The engine serial numbers can help identify it, if Clay jumps on board this thread. It also has the rare brake option on it. The tires all look pretty good, just don't over inflate them or they will get ruined. Like Stevasaurus said the rear tires are on backwards, just switch them from one side to the other and that will fix that problem. Hope you get this rare machine. The price is a little high but it is worth it, just hate to pay that much for it. What a good looking old girl!

This is my little old dog, she has degenerative nerve disease and her back legs stopped working. I decided she needed some wheels so after searching the interwebs and seeing prices around the $375 mark I built this one.

My sister is out of town so I decided to mow her lawn. Its a short video, had a run in with a lilac bush near the end and thought it better to drive with both hands,too many things to steer around. Mark

I'd rather fix an Onan with a broken rod than one with a loose valve seat. The engine in my 520 was just that, I too had expected to find a loose seat but instead found a broken rod. There are several different Onan rods, use a matched pair to retain balance in the engine. Mine was a very budget rebuild, I bought another engine (that did have a bad seat) and used the rods and pistons from that. I mixed and matched a few other bits from the two engines to find the best bits that I could. New rings and gaskets. I think I had a little over $300 in the motor. 5 years later it now is starting to use a little oil, but I think I got my moneys worth. Coincidentally I also have a 518 with an Eaton 1100, Its a good tractor.

Proof positive that even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while. Question. Why not on the 2 piece. Are the axles splined on the gear end?

Even though I should be getting on with welding my 6x6 back together for a show early next month, I just had to spend a day playing with "Why Not" and working things out a bit more, like how to get 5 bolt Wheel Horse wheels onto this 4 bolt hub! The two options are make an adapter ring thingy that will convert 4 bolt to a 5 bolt pattern or make the Wh wheels a 4 bolt pattern.. Not sure which way to go yet! After what felt like ages battling with bolts that had rusted solid into bushes all the old quad suspension arms came off! Time to flip the axle over, so the 6 bolt's holding the narrower side came out.. But only 3 of the 6 bolt holes lined up!! Why Qwakasaki couldn't space the 6 holes evenly apart I just don't know! Plan B it is then.. Off came the brake drum, the first one I've ever seen with an oil/dirt seal on the outside diameter! A bit dusty inside but not too bad.. But the good news is the 4 bolts that hold the brake assembly are evenly spaced apart Which meant I could rotate the brakes each side by 180 degrees to get the breather pipes up top and then flip the whole axle over which not only get's the drive the right way around but also help the prop shaft line up with the bike engines gearbox much better. The diff drain plug can easily have a hold drilled through the center to fit a breather pipe to So there you go, all up to date I should be cracking on with getting the 6x6 done today, but instead if plans come together I will be buying a rather handy tool that will change the ways I do my builds by opening up a whole new ways of doing things... But more on that later

Well done! Looks like its full speed ahead for your best friend! Mike...........

Really there can be so many qualifiers... do you want Wheel Horse branded implements, or include allied attachments (like the Danuser Forklift for GT14?), or include additional aftermarket non-allied attachments (like the Bachtold Fenceline Mower?) I would say let's just get some posted up and see where it goes from there. These are pretty hard to come by. It's far from the rarest though. I know of about 5 including mine. PTO-66 belly mounted Farm PTO.

Saw this at a local show this weekend it has the RJ35 channel frame with unidrive tranny,I was told or read it somewhere that W.H. made a conversion kit,thought it was a pretty cool tractor....

Just brought home a new project. The sheet metal is in super shape , just really dirty. I have an eaton 1100 to put in it from my 416 that smokes. I like the hood and dash better from the 500 series than the 400 series. The 416 smokes real bad and I would rather rebuild the p218 onan if possible. It came with a smashed up 48" deck that may be savable but I am not worried about that now. I was hoping for a valve seat. It ran great on one cylinder onto the truck. No smoke or knocks so I had high hopes. Well I pulled the rear plug and saw no movement tonight. Then I decided , its just a hand full of bolts to get the head off and here is what I found. It is a broken rod.... darn. What has me worried are these chatter marks in the bore. You can't feel the marks with your finger nail. I will have to take it down further to find out more on the inside. This will be a budget onan rebuild. I will only be replacing the parts that are worn out. I am hoping to get away with pistons , and rods. Crank and cam bearings if need be. Also any little things that need replacing and seals. We shall see I guess. So in the end I will have a 518 with eaton 1100. . Not sure what to call it. Here are some pictures. I am hoping to have it running before fall.

I finally was able to bring home what I feel is the ultimate garden tractor. Ever since getting my 518xi, I have been searching for a 523Dxi. Passed on a couple, missed a few but finally got a fantastic deal from a JD dealer in VA. I already have had offers to resell at a profit before I brought it home! It is a 1998 523Dxi with 605 hours that has a 52" mower deck, brand new snow cab, snow blade (with spare edge) that has been barely used, a pair of turfs, two pair of filled ags, clevis hitch, disc harrow, and rear grading blade. And a picture of: "Poncho", "Cisco", and now "Paladin."

Title says it all. My intent when I first bought the 312, was to do all the maintenance items, fix anything obviously broken or missing, and use the tractor till this fall/winter when I would do some serious restoration. But these damn things have a nasty habit of growing on you. Slowly but surely, I have repaired, replaced, re-worked, or otherwise restored a significant number of items. And I just can't seem to stop. All I have to do, is walk past the tractor, and notice some little less-than-perfect part, and I begin planning of fixing it. Just this week, I bought and installed a drive belt idler. This is covered in a separate thread under Transmissions. The other undertaking this week was the stripping and repainting of the seat frame. After picking up a new seat at the Big Show and installing it the day I got back, I have been seriously irked by the rusty frame and springs it was attached to. So...last Monday I dismantled the seat, frame, and springs, took them to work, and sandblasted everything. Applied a coat of primer, and painted the parts semi-gloss black. Most all the hardware was wire brushed and painted. Was pleased to note that there was almost no wear on the hinge, and even the rubber bumper caps were like new, no cracking or checking. Pretty pleased with how the seat frame came out. Maybe now I'll just leave the tractor alone till winter..... but probably not. Noticed that most of the paint is gone from the PTO pulley, and the muffler has some rust on it. The Rodent (granddaughter) gave the tractor her seal of approval by making me ride her around the yard.

These videos are going to keep a lot of Wheel Horses from being sent to the glue factory. If anyone needs to open a transmission, they will find these very informative. Nice work!

Great Vids Steve!!!!..Told ya they wern't to Bad!!!!...

just watched the differential video, Steve. nicely done. i like the fact that you didn't edit it in anyway, it shows us through your work what to look out for and what problems we may come across while assembling. going to watch the others now!! so does this mean that you have now joined the hi/lo rebuilders club?

This is going to be a well followed thread by a lot of folks here Steve. Your videos are great. Now that i have the basic knowledge of the 3 speeds it will really help in understanding the 6 speeds. I'm looking forward to learning more from you.

That's one yard you don't want to fall asleep at the wheel in. Lots of curves to steer around.

Enjoyed the video. Theres nothing like cutting grass on a Wheel Horse

Kelly has that rare front sickle bar for a 70? I think Very few known to exist. Can't find the pic I had of it.

nice find on that horse, the diff looks pretty worn tho yes, the axle's on the 2piece are splined where the diff gear goes. Koen

Burrly, you are a riot!! Tyler, nice find on the horse. Those axles are junk the way they are. They would burn out a bronze bearing in a heart beat, plus the axle will have enough up and down in it that an oil seal will never stop it from leaking. A few options...I understand that you can do something called spray welding and then re-turn the axles to size...someone may have a couple of axles for sale here on the site...a machine shop could make a couple of new axles...I just happen to have a 5010 transmission in my garage that I just cleaned out for SmokinJoe (I called Joe this morning and he said you could buy it if you want) it needs the axle seals yet. When you say shift lever collar...are you talking about the rubber boot? Also...what are you calling a brake lever gear...not sure what you mean here?? Maybe a picture.

The post hole digger is the best so far I think....

Well I've alway's wanted the post hole auger for the GT14.

Damn, Now I have to go take a look. The thing holding me back was that I have neither the time nor money to restore an older horse. Oh, and did I mention ability. I've never restored anything so there was no way I was going to "learn" on such a find. Going to try and get out today. john

Here are a few recent pics. Ive had the chrome guard back on the muffler for a few weeks now but never stopped for pictures. Im glad I finally got a few of her out in the yard especially right after she made it look all nice. I have been cutting lately with both my 312-H and my 312-A with 42" rear and side discharge and they both do a really great job. My wife thinks im nuts because I want to mow every 3 or 4 days because it looks so good when im done .

That is looking real nice Glenn! I really hated parting with that tractor (truckin88 bought it from me) At the time it was the one that had to go. I cut the grass with it a few times while here and I remember it running real nice. You've made some real good choice's, love the tires you've gone with and Rustoleum Antique White has been my color choice for years now on rims. Even if I go all out on painting a tractor with automotive paint I always use Rusto antique white on the rims. It goes on nice and it is pretty durable once its cured. Space is tight on my trailer and the paint on the rims take a beating, it touches up well also. Great choice on the help also! My two boys are ages 20 and 12. When my older son Jesse was younger he was always out in the garage with me but once he turned 14 that was it, he was done. My younger son Cole... He takes two things seriously, X-box and racing go carts. He always says he wants to come out into the garage and learn but he never does. My wife said just the other day that Cole told her he wants to learn but I won't teach him! I told my wife that I have told Cole MANY times the garage door is ALWAYS open. If I have to drag him out there then he really doesn't want to learn... Its his choice. I'm going to be doing some work on Cole's 854 soon, I will see if that excites him enough to leave the X-box off. He loves that 854 and its story. We bought it from Brian (Buckrancher) at the BIG SHOW a few years ago... Its one of the very few tractors in our stable that is on the never for sale list.

Very cool.

New looks great... might need to start looking for another set of axles though.

Nice... back on the road with her own little sulky.

Thanks for the video. Maybe you need a helmet-cam!

For me, the seat has to be able to dampen out the direct vibrations and bumps transmitted to the spine. Before changing to the spring arrangement shown in the attached picture of my two work horses, I had the miseries. Now, with these reworked JD springs (Ebay) two hours of mowing produce no discomfort.

Nice.....I was waiting for a cowboy to take a shot at ya as you rolled up on that log cabin.. . Mike.........

Mark, much appreciated. you knew you had to get on that horse didnt you. Glenn

Feel free to buy as many as you want. You can store them at my house

It is probably impossible to say, but the very early Ride-Away Jr.'s twenty four inch snow plow would be high on the list. The push bar is flat and looks just like the LMR30 flat push bar, however shorter. The Ride-Away Sr. cultivator and the first variation of the 1948 Pond walk behind cultivator with adjustable hitch pin is a difficult find as well.

(from another)...Mike.........

I have good used axle's if needed...I wish ya luck finding new ones..They are almost impossible to find for the 10-pinion differential which you should have in your trans....PM me if interested.

A picture (or 2) is worth a thousand words.

That's my biggest down fall. I can never leave well enough alone. That's why I went from 17 Wheel Horses down to 3. If I where to keep all of them I'd end up divorced and broke with what I would have to put into them.

Progress so far. Using the cargo rack to bring wood from pile into house. And the 3PH.....well endless options. But all in all going well.

This is Bad to the Bone what a cool idea cant weit to see more Take care and good job Jeff

I have three log splitters I would have traded for that combo! Two are solid metal handles and the other one has a wood handle! That was a great trade and for a Quick-Way no less! You pretty much got a free tractor out of the deal!