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I put the snowplow of the 314 Wheel Horse today. This plow has the five hole index sector on it so I should be prepared to move some snow this winter. I have rubber tire chains but will wait until later to put those on. I also have the 1967 Lawn Ranger with the STR-324 snowblower all ready and greased up the auger chain and other parts on the tractor today. 314 Wheel Horse with 42 inch -five sector plow: 1967 Lawn Ranger with 32 inch snowbower: I had some of the others out in the yard while cleaning the garage : 1958 RJ's: 1975 B-80:

So, I just dragged home a trailer full of a perfectly running 520-H, snow plow blade, tiller, 2 48" decks, and a trailer amongst other things. I know nothing about the thing. I just new it looked really HD and really cool and I really wanted it. It appears, from what I've read in the last 10 minutes, that I got quite a score here. Maybe the best I've ever gotten. I'd really like to spend most of the day tomorrow reading about this thing to learn as much as possible. I don't need to be spoon fed, but this is my first tractor experience and it would be really helpful if I could get some help in the right direction at least. If you guys have some links for info that I should read, that would be great. I'd also like to find out if there is a grader for this thing and if a 60" deck will fit. How easy is it to find implements for a tractor this old? Is there a quick/easy to tell what year it is? I took a crappy pic of the tractor, which I've attached. Thanks for the help in advance and I look forward to getting into this thing more!

I BOUGHT A 1992 310-8 WITH A 1992 42" SD DECK AND 1980 42" PLOW FROM THE ORIGINAL OWNER. I GOT THE DECK,PLOW AND MANUALS TODAY. I WILL PICK UP TRACTOR TOMORROW. TRACTOR WOULD NOT START BUT HAD SPARK AND COMPRESSION. I BELIEVE IT IS A FUEL PROBLEM. IT RAN WHEN PARKED LAST YEAR. I WILL POST PICTURES SOON. I GAVE $250 FOR THE PACKAGE. THANKS BOWTIE IN OHIO I GOT IT RUNNING TODAY, THE FLOAT WAS STUCK. POSTING SOME PICTURES NOW.

It is done had a ball doing it over this was a basket case of sorts nothing was working at the time of purchase I couldn't even roll it on to the trailer. Motor needed a lot of tlc. but it is fine now after a year of hard work. ENJOY Gary B... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su6QNUkiGFA&feature=player_profilepage

She's been dying to mow since she got her own little tractor and today was the day. I figured If I mow everything with the 520 and she mows around the trees (and there's lots of them) it would go a lot faster. She's never been on a rider before and never drove a stick before either. About 5 minutes of pointers and she was gone! I don't think she mowed over anything important but I haven't checked yet. She knows I never use the camera so I got a little sneaky today. Sorry the pics aren't better but I was hiding and the camera was zoomed as far as it would go. She's gonna kill me when she sees this! Here she is on her 68 Lawn Ranger. With that big smile she could have been on a brochure!

The Solution is discovered: ----------------------------- previously on Sept 22 I posted: "A new question: There is a connector that was loose behind the battery with blue, brown, purple wires which would seem to be part of the seat safety switch, the leads are only about 4 inches long with nothing in sight within reach to plug it into. Perhaps this wiring harness could be used for another setup?" ---------------------------- I kept coming back the this floppy switch hanging with no place to plug in, I know it was the missing link but could find no place to plug it in. Quite by accident I viewed some pin connectors from just the right angle and saw them slightly protruding from the back side of the center brace in the in the battery compartment. I did not remember that it came loose when I was replacing the the throttle cable. I really feed dumb for not finding this before, or remembering it came off when I was removing the old throttle cable. Once plug in It started. Again thanks for all the moral support that kept me going until I could get my head clear and see the obvious. And the exercise has provided a much better understanding of the electrical system of my 520-H. And in the process I discovered the corrupted connector 29 that was failing, but probable would have not died completely until the first heavy snow. Best regards, Stephen

To all who replied regarding my "Hydro" question, Some may be unaware of what has taken place, so to quickly recap... I placed a question under "Transmissions" about tapping into the hydro pump on my '68 Charger. Within hours of my post, my Dad suffered a heart attack after trying to start a chainsaw which had not ran in 2 years. He had 1 "Stint" put in, however he required a second "Stint" late Wednesday. Dad is resting comfortably however it is clear he will need someone to stay with him when he comes home. I am a recent empty nester after raising 2 boys myself, and also about 60% Disabled from an accident in '06. I just wanted to get a message to all the kind folks who ARE "Red Square" and thank you for the blessings, kind thoughts and well wishes. It has been a tough year and a half for us. My Mother passed suddenly March 3, 2013 as she and my Dad walked into a surprise 50th wedding party from a massive brain aneurism. My dad had to undergo a hip replacement this past February, and has been working hard to prep their home for sale ASAP ever since. I wanted to get this message out to those who have "PM'd" me as in some cases when I have attempted to respond, I have received a notice saying "I am not allowed to use the PM option". Basically I just wanted to say, my plans have been shelved...no put on permanent hold for now, and I didn't want anyone to think I was "snubbing" them. If someone can, please pass this message along. I have been truly blessed to have found a group like "Red Square"...I have little in the way of friends, and my old tractors mean a lot to me. I own nothing restored or for show, just grew up with a lawn cutting "business" during the summers. I saved until I could buy a well worn RJ (although no one knew that then, they just called it a "ball burner" & laughed). This was about '72-3. I expanded my "empire" from age 10 to about 12-13 when I bought a less used 856(I believe?)Hydro. I thought I was the king of the neighborhood. I washed & waxed it faithfully! I spent hours at "Western Hardware" in Greenwood IN, just looking at all the attachments I could get to further expand my empire into garden plowing/disking (which everyone had a garden back then) so I could put the massive power of the mighty K181 to full use. I know I took dozens of their brochures, but they kindly put up with me. I had a neighbor who had an old Roper built sears with a big Kohler and a plow who would pay me $5 to ride his plow as ballast as he plowed & disked gardens...can you imagine that today??? Anyway, today I look forward to simply mowing the yard. The crackle of the old Kohler firing & the smell of fresh cut grass, and a well tuned slightly worn Kohler. It takes me back 40 years. With the Diabetes (Type 1 Insulin dependent) I've had 47 years now, I don't know how long I have left, but I wouldn't change a single thing. Sorry to ramble. YOU FOLKS ARE JUST GREAT!! Much love & good cheer & happy "Horsing around" to all!!! One last thing if I may. I wanted to post a photo of my Mom & Dad at the closing night after 25+ years, of a local "live music bar". My friends Band played & it was their 46th wedding anniversary. It was also the last time they danced. I WILL BE BACK!!!! Blessings & Kind Regards Bill Baker, Indy Sorry to ramble

We are just barely one week away! Thank you for taking the time and making the sacrifice to be with us for the day. We are excited to see everyone again! Thank you to everyone who has communicated to me your willingness to help with the raffle prizes. We could still use some help. If you feel led to contribute please let me know. Plowing may be a no go. The beans are still on the field and am hoping we will be able to turn over some soil. Bring some fuel for your Horses. I am planning on having a tractor cruise. These beauties were meant to move! I will be placing a donation box out to help cover many of the expenses that are incurred during the day in order to put a show of this magnitude together. Any help is greatly appreciated. Food will be available for purchase again from the Miller family. The pies are amazing! A few folks will be setting up Friday afternoon and evening. Feel free to stop by any time after noon on the 3rd. Hoping to have a bonfire Friday night if the weather cooperates. We will have a swap meet area again. Work out and post those deals this week. I will continue to update as we are getting closer.

With the yada, yada 'bout Onans, I thought never. I then found a rusty beat up '90 520-8. Lots of work and, yes, it is a gas hog. With time to spare, I've always PM'd the Horses to the hilt. Why not? The '90 520-8 is now, don't know why, my favorite Horse. The rest of the herd gets lots of rest. Before After

Yes Geno ,,, a family that mows together -- grows together

AMC has won this battle already, so, if I don't follow suit I'm in some trouble.

Definitely my Mrs Rules attachment.

Awesome! My favorite kind of people... the one's who'd rather replace that "old lawn mower" with a nice shiny new one from Home Depot! you definitely get a for that score..... Even John Winger agrees.

The Onan is a good motor but it never should have made it out of it's intended environment and put into a Garden Tractor, other brands of tractors have had the same failure. Any air cooled engine is susceptible to proper cooling. The Onan is just extremely sensitive. I don't know how many times I have seen people mowing with a 520 or the likes with a Onan and see the grass screen totally plugged up. Most people who bought Wheel Horse's with Onan's in them are not tractor Guru's and all they have on their minds is getting the yard cut. If they do clean the machine off I am sure it was not on their mind that grass might be clogging up the fins or other areas. Like I said the Onan is a good motor and strong, it just should have never made it into a garden tractor application. It should have stayed where it belongs in a nice and clean RV environment. It's really ashame that Toro chose to ignore this problem. It does not take a rocket scientist to see a Onan will suck up enough grass in the first five minutes of mowing to cover the grass screen compared to other motors. They all get some grass sucked up on there but the Onan is one of the worst of the lot. By putting in even more air flow restrictions along with grass build up you have the makings of what we are all finding out, premature failure. It's a shame that something was not done engineering wise to help overcome this. It's a good motor just out of its environment as far as I can see. Now if Geno can fix this Onan, I am sure he will be very alert to what causes this and will take appropriate measures to keep it from happening again and get a long life out of it.

As you may have seen, i recently acquired a slightly rusty 520. I am not trying to stir up a hornets nest, just looking for honest opinions from those of you that have owned several of these engines. I am looking to combine it with my C-165 to make a blackhood 500 series. I have read a lot about the Onan issues and so my initial reaction is to sell it and put in the K341 that I am having completely rebuilt. I am stuck though with how much I love the sound of that Onan. SO i am putting it out to vote. This tractor will be my heavy duty snow plow machine and mow every once in a while. I will not have a large collection of tractors at my house (small shed and garage) so I am looking to make one tractor do it all. I do not have any high horsepower requirements like a 2 stage blower or 60" deck. Considering: Fuel Usage (BIG point with only a 3 gallon tank!) Complexity Reliability Power Cool Factor What motor would you use?

Everyone at school calls me Desko or in a teachers case its Mr.Desko. Desko=last name- nick name

Looks like she was having a heck of a time ... it's wonderful to see!

Gene. Tell Sandra we are going to grade her wheel horse riding form. Ok judgessssss......vote. lol Glenn

Mine used to be my four wheeled wagon. ... But this has taken over since I got it in July. Via Tapatalk 4

Make sure that the regulator is properly grounded.

Some of the crud I found inside the engine tin and around the tranny of my 520H.

Being in 2nd place over all...I felt like I could stick my neck out. Know this...I picked my games before anyone posted, just did not get them posted before everyone else picked. I am either going to lose a few spots, or I may end up in 1st place. I don't know if any of you have clicked on my secret way of picking these games this week (because it was a secret) , but I will share that information if all works out. I know this...you guys are in trouble if I picked these games. :happy-jumpeveryone: I know there are always doughnuts in he basement...hope there are some left after this week. On the other side...if I picked these games...HOLY COLLEGE PICKS BATMAN...I am looking like I know what I am doing. Depends on if the secret way of picking games works. I will share it with all of you. Just exercising my bragging rights for last week.

Higher front tire pressure really heps. Loading the rears might be a problem if you plan to use it to mow. You are stuck with the extra weight, even when you might not want it. Rear weight helps a lot, and rear wheel WEIGHTS put the weight on the ground, not on your wheel bearings, so I would recommend starting there. I am not happy with weight brackets on the rear of my snowthrowing maching. I have to make a few tight turns, and the extra length of the blower out front makes it hard enough. Extra length off the back, even just a foot, makes maneuvering a living hell. My barn has a big dent in the corner from last winter. Want to guess how?

Greater Cleveland Wholesale Is who I ordered them from . Deestone brand , not bad pricewise . They will chew the heck out of your lawn , but I don't care , they look cool !

Here's a little inspiration , mine looked pretty cruddy when she came home : Welcome to the sickness ....

Let's step back for a second. Gus is asking about wiring to an ammeter but the manuals and schematics we are posting DO NOT SHOW AN AMMETER, One terminal of the ammeter should go to the "B" terminal on the ignition switch. The other terminal of the ammeter connects to the battery, either directly or thru the battery terminal on the starter solenoid. Gus, one of the recomendations I would make is not to go strictly by wire color codes. If you post a "where does this wire do?" type question, it would be helpful to rephrase the question to something like "I have a wire that is connected to the small terminal of the starter relay - where should the other end of this wire be attached?" This allows folks to recognize the FUNCTION of the wire and make the proper recommendation as to where the "other end" attaches. Keep asking questions - you will get this done correctly.

Absolutely superb gazza Excellent work

Using a meter, measure the voltage at the battery with engine off and then running. The Wheel Horse meter may be out of calibration.

That's a nice fleet you got there!

Ha! Sorry I missed you. I've always been in construction and when we bought our first house, I asked the guy if he wanted to train anyone and he said yes. 8 months later I was a solo home inspector. I'm an independent contractor, but I work with a guy that schedules me through his company. I love the freedom and I love the work. The free stuff isn't bad, either.

Here is my trailer load: Also included was a stihl chain saw, 2 stihl weed eaters, and a push mower. All free. I'm going to go back after they pack up and get some furniture, too.

Mine was simple, I drive the only Dual Drive Horse in the UK, which as far as I know was the first one built, though there are a couple in the USA now I believe.

My prayers and thoughts with you and your Dad.

For the two tractors pictured up there with no decals... Sparky is suggesting having a custom decal made for the A90-EXT (EXT=extended)

I don't see much movement this week. Out of 9 games, we all piked 6 games the same. Only games with different picks in them...Iowa/Purdue...Maryland/Indiana...Minnesota/Michigan. Just need Farmhand's picks.

Not much help but I'll turn it right side up for you.

If you can get the onan running good, why not use it till it quits? Keep it serviced as normal and run it.If it never quits, good thing. If it did ever die, you would have a fresh kohler waiting on the shelf. You are going to have to fix the wiring either way. I say use it.

Many years ago, forget the models, used RD decks. The Horses were pull starters. I was a prototype sheetmetal layout man, made decks using 316L stainless steel. Covered with red paint of course. Used the cast iron parts from the rusted out deck during the rebuild. Rust be gone forever! Wifey loved the Horses and their rear discharge decks, towed a large Jackson sweeper. Riding, easy enough to mow frequently. Healthy for the lawns too! Should never mow taking more than one third of the grass off the top. Enjoy the ride! Mow, mow, mow!

The old Horses plowed earth and snow very well too!

Wow!!....Stevebo, that is one Incredible Barn you are building....Can't wait to see it finished

My 1054 is my favorite tractor right now. good luck fixin her up! Mike..........

NO need to be scared of an Onan. These horrors need to be put to rest. Bottom line is these Onan's require PM to last the long hall. They where made to be serviced/rebuilt for commercial applications. Sure, you dont change oil, let the engine fins get clogged to S***, let them sit for years with bad gas , dont change filters....sure these are terrible engines I guess. Treated in that manner , any engine will be. These are filtered, pressure lubricated motors, and built to last. Within in 5 miles of my house I have counted 4 520H wheel horses that are their weekly mowing machines, yard tugs, and snow removal machines. Putting in reliable service year after year. I run no funny additives in my tank , just non ethenol fuel that I run in all my machinery. It starts every week, no surging to speak of. No smoke/ or knocks and is approaching 1100 hrs. No one seems to mind the infamous " Kohler Knock" or rods making windows in the block. Numerous posts in the engine sections of carbs blowing gas. Or missing and carrying on. Repair costs are about the same when you figure part for part with kohler. And dead on if not cheaper than the twin kohlers. Oh and the valves are adjustable on the Onan unlike the kohler kt17. I am not trying to sound rude or nasty, just stating how I see it. There is plenty of issues I see pop up with Onan, Tecumseh and Kohler. Some how Onan developed a reputation of the black sheep and Tecumseh for that matter. It reminds me of growing up and the reputation my brother paved for my last name...... lol Get a good running unit and take care of it and you may be surprized. I am not trying to force Onan on anyone. I like them all. My Raider 10 with the Tecumseh has been on my nerves lately though but I will get it all worked out. My opinion is you seem to have a sound running engine with some dirty carb issues. Easily fixed and then you can really enjoy that sound the Onan pumps out. You will be happy to pay for the extra gas and we are only talking a few bucks more a week really.

Glad this post got pulled forward -- I have a 37" and a 42" and I am continually struck by differences -- Big pluses for the 37" are that you can grease the spindles and remove blades without removing the deck -- Not so for the 42" -- Also the discharge distance is noticeably greater for the 37" -- This could be bad and good -- It is bad because you have to make 3 passes discharging onto uncut grass if you want to avoid grass clippings/piles on a walk, in a bed, against a structure/fence; BUT conversely the good is you don't need any power assistance to bag with the 37"

This may be an old post, but I have learned why my 42" RD sucks, or rather doesn't suck, and leaves a mess in anything over 3" high. I have a 54" SD on my Husky that cuts quickly, but still doesn't leave a nice cut. My 22" Toro pusher, now that is smooth!

Many of you know of Geno and his massive collecting effort, but few of you are as affected as those of us that live within a few hundred miles of him! (I have much respect for Geno, but I have to rib him a little! ) Despite that fact, I was able to wrangle me a horse today (it helps that it was closer to me). Real nice fellow that used to use it to cut his yard but hasn't needed it in a couple years. Its not the prettiest but it is solid. 1991 520H, 683 hours.

Sorry to be off line for so long and for not finishing up this thread. I got interrupted by a wrecked Jeep that had to be made road worthy and then a partial engine rebuild on the replacement Jeep, in addition to the other work 'round the house and grounds. in any event, the column and steering box rebuild went pretty well. The only issues were the wrong size stud or finger noted above and I did not end up doing the thrust bearing on the pivot. Reinstallation went fairly well without any problems -- just some contortions to get to the nuts and bolts. The supply of the rubber dash grommet from a member was a great final detail. Photos of the work in progress. I did not take any of the re-installation or even the finished job. The steering is much improved but I think I was too conservative on how much to tighten the follower finger or stud into the worm gear. I am going to tighten that up. Next step is to replace the spindle thrust bearings. Thanks to all the folks who provided comments in support and especially to those who posted their own experience and photos. All were helpful. B/R John

Lane, this post is 6 YEARS old. Haha, digging around in the archive room again?

You may resume your hoarding good sir . Actually, all in all, that bum CL seller saved me over two hours of driving and plenty of gas! (Found this one less than 30 minutes away). It needs plenty of PB blaster and grease to get her back in running form again. The motion control lever was frozen in place and the parking brake too. I am torn because I love the 520 (and that onan sounds amazing) but I dont like how much gas it uses. I will never be turning a 60" deck or 2 stage snow blower, so I know I dont need that much horsepower. I DID want the gear reduction steering and the swept axle to improve turning radius... So we shall see. I love all the gauges.

I have several grits of emery paper from 80 to 1,000. What would you start with and do you stick to one grit or progress gradually up? I am sure there will be some jealous guys around here. They are already making remarks about why anyone would go to so much trouble for an old tractor. The truth is I will know it is there and that will not make me happy. I don't care if I have to repaint the thing 5 more times, I am going to get it right and to my standards. That's just me. It won't be as good as some folks can do but it will be as good as I can make it. Why go to all this trouble to settle for less.

Ok Here is another Thanks Duke