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I saw an ad on craigslist that had been sitting around a while (month or so). The only information: It was a 500 series Wheel Horse, "520 horsepower", bagger, cart, 48" deck and there was a fairly dark hard to see image. No phone number, email only. I thought, What the heck I will see what its about. I found out it was a 1994 520H. It hasnt been the prime mower in nearly 9 years, but was driven around the property and only has sat for the last year or so (husband passed away in Feburary of this year). The people lived just a few minutes from my parents house and had been by there many times since I was a boy. Long story short: It was NOT the deal of the century, but I probably paid a fair value. They were the original owner, meticulously maintained and stored inside all of its life. 363.7 hours on a working meter. all gauges work and sounds great. Needs minor maintenance as it hasn't been serviced in the last year like fresh gas, new fluids, standard stuff. The bagger is pristine, no holes that I saw at all, matches the condition of the rest of it. Take a look at this beauty:

I saw this on Craigslist in Florida ... not mine, and I don't know anything about it except ... I have never seen this model before!! Is it rare? 1966???

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Here's some low quality pics. She aint a showpiece! Huge honkin muffler. That was the hardeest part. Hood is tight fit. Dont comment on my exhaust braze job.

Ed...you are cracking me up. It is 100 degrees heat index here today...and RacinBob is in Florida...so you know he is hiding in the "Man Cave". I think we both just love questions like yours so we can go into manuals and figure things out and not have to go outside today. We are the lazy ones...really. BTW...the only things I am a Pro at...............hiding in the Man Cave, heckling from the back, stirring the pot...I am taking retirement pretty good (but not a pro yet)...and...the thing I am really good at...I can work magic with the TV remote.

This was my second year at this show......and it did grow some. Also, Nice to see some more wheel horse people come this year . Just took some random snapshots of the show including my Andrew who spent about 75% of his time there hanging out in Joebob's new camper. Planning on going again next year.

My vife pic upp New tires for my horse tida. I love her. Se even pay them.

Thanks Guys....for the quick responses. I'm lazy Steve....much easier to ask the pros and experts than to read the manuals. Plus it gives me a reason to say HI.

Seven, The oil hole must face the cam.If you run it facing away then the rod will not get oil at the bottom end.Early rod and crank failure are in the not to distant future.Pull the pan and check if you are not sure.A new pan gasket is cheaper than hard parts and if you have the rod in correctly then you can sleep at nights. Luck,JAinVA

I couldnt use the standard 20% off coupon even online. Luckily someone posted on another forum a good code to use. I got mine for like $601 at my door. I passed on the extended warranty. might come back to bite me in the But then again. Fun project.

My wife picked up New tires for my horse today. I love her. She even paid them.

Seeing Neil's post with a Mountfield ad from the sixties reminded me that I've been meaning to post some info on the Amnor factory in Belgium for just over a year now. (Sorry folks!) I managed to track down a guy who worked there from 1980-81 and who provided a snapshot of how things were at that time based on some questions I put to him. I was Manufacturing Engineer at Wheel-Horse Amnor N.V. in 1980 and 1981. It was a fast growing company (revenue increased from 10 Mio to 17 Mio and to 25 Mio Euro in 3 successive years) for the markets Europe, Middle east and North Africa and assembled from small to medium size lawn- and garden tractors. This too fast growing caused then severe cash problems and a series of take-overs by other companies started until finally the company became a Toro company which it still is. The plant mainly existed of 3 different assembly area: 1) Pre-paint assembly 2) Pretreatment (degreasing, washing, phosphating, washing, passivation and neutralizing, final washing, drying), wed paint booth, cure oven 3) Final assembly Different models were assembled in different batches (very seldom two models were assembled simultaneously). The sheet metal parts were all imported from the main plant in US, (greased but not painted). (we did not have sheet metal presses to produce the parts ourselves) The engines were Briggs and Straton (US brand) or Kholer (European Brand). The majority of the other parts were also imported from US, except when European distributors were specifically asking for European parts, meeting the metric standards, in stead of the inch standards: e.g. bearings, belts, bolts, shafts. This was to my knowledge the only difference in models. So, using parts from another model as substitution to maintain production, was never done, as far as I know. Design engineering was done completely in US and they produced the ‘first-offs’. We at Geel only started assembling when the new model was full mature. (with exception of 1 ‘walk-behind’ model which was specially and solely designed for Europe by 2 engineers in Geel). (this model was not a big success because too expensive). My thanks go to Marc S in Belgium for sharing this with us. While on the subject does anyone in the US have a copy of 'Horse Power' (Wheel Horse Collectors Club Newsletter) from November 2003. There is an item about the Amnor factory in it. I have a pdf copy but unfortunately when it was scanned a critical page was missed out. I'm hoping that somebody may have collected the newsletters and can help by scanning the article in full for me. Andy

OK, here goes a long post.........Crankcase noise? Less than old Onan, but doesnt purr like a Honda. Muffler is Ginormous but not that quiet. Am I really the first person to do this?? If I did this . Anybody can do this. (especially after i give all the details) Measure , Measure , Measure before you take old motor off. Height , width, distance from here to there. The more reference points the better. HF shaft is 1.3" lower than P220. I used 1.25" aluminum (the miracle metal) blocks. Easiest to drill thru. (7/16 Holes) HF shaft is near exactly 1"Dia. P220 1 1/8" Dia... Thus you need a piece of steel tube 1 1/8" O.D. 1" I.D. (Online Metals. get at least 1' I will tell ya why later). However, closest i could find was .992" I.D. Had to use a 1" bore thru. Keyway slot needs cut in new tube to match slot in HF shaft. 1/4" key. You have to use 1/4" X somethin bigger key, cause you have increased the needed height by putting that sleeve on there. In other words to go up into drive pulley far enough. Oh longer set screws too. The length of this sleeve... sorry i didnt write it down. You gotta guess like i did by putting the PTO cone on. You have to be sure you are past the length of that heavy steel bushing or whatever that thing is called the needle bearing travels on. I unbolted the original motor plate and put the 1 1/4" spacers under it. I contemplated that, big time, whether to leave the original plate there and put spacers under it, or space the motor on top of the plate. i didnt feel right about the motor sitting on little blocks, so i spaced the motor mount plate up. If i had spacers and another plate i might not have gone the route i did. Have your front belt tightener pulley thing on the tractor for the east and west motor alignment. Have your PTO on and place a belt over the pulley. Make sure it doesnt ride on the cone flat disc face. Use all those measurements you took for north and south. Obviously you have to drill new holes in motor mount plate to match HF motor mount holes. (i used a 3/8" dowel rod about 1 1/2" long with paint on it to mark new hole placement. you dont have room for anything like a marker or center punch.) Upper PTO mount I simply had to weld 1" to its lower extremity to meet with HF bolt holes. Had I put the motor up on spacers and left the mount plate there I "might" not have had to do this. EXHAUST SUCKED! HF muffler dumps right in your face. Cannibalized new muffler and old, to flop everything around. Oh you can used leftover 1" tube to lengthen pipes to clear PTO and hood. Same size as exhaust pipes. .............. You figure it out. I did. Throttle and choke simply undo old/new ... hook old/new up. HF comes with a "control box" take it apart lengthen wires drill bigger hole in dash for ignition switch. SIMPLE STUFF. Obviously I got rid of ALL BS guages. Might try to hook up voltmeter. Fuel line SINCH. Battery SINCH. The hood is tight. I need to raise it. The hood louvers cut into the HF air filter top. I have a rag on it now. Muffler touches side of hood. GO FOR IT! All you guys that never cleaned the cooling fins on your Onan. I bought this one for $150 only because it had new back tires. All you Wheelhorse purists, is this like puttin a Chevy motor in a Ford? Or worse? If anybody needs more info, not sure if my e-mail address shows up to everybody, but feel free.

Hey @countrygirl216 Post a wanted ad here: http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/forum/10-wanted/ for any 8 speed 1 1/8" transmission made after 1970 like @stevasaurus said. OR Search your local craigslist for a horse (best to find a 400 series or a C- anything). But your best bet will probably be to get one shipped from someone here. You can ship heavy things like transmissions through Fastenal Third Party Logistics fairly cheap (must be strapped to a pallet and empty of oil). Ill bet shipping on a transmission comes in well under $100 depending on where its coming from.

That thing is extremely nice!!! Congratulations!!!

Very Nice. Sure is a great day when you come across a find like that. Can I see a pic with the bagger on it? take care Mike

REAL NICE!

Good deal! very convenient, takes about 30 sec to join. I'm now an official member! Thanks Eldon, P.S. (my brother is also an 'Eldon')

I found this review of the Harbor Freight Predator V-Twin on homebuiltairplanes.com while looking for info on oil filters. The reviewer actually tore the engine down that he received. Some of his findings are interesting. Obviously an engine for an aircraft is critical. http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/firewall-forward-props-fuel-system/21130-22-hp-harbor-freight-engine-evaluation-other-v-tiwns.html

If I had to bet on it though, I think it was the brand of belt that was causing my original problem. It seemed to get gummy shortly after it was running for a bit. (Rear cylinder blows heat right on it) I'm thinking some belts are made to "slip" and some are made to grip. Being a little off subject, but I've tried several different belts on my vehicle to stop the squeal and squeak, Bando will be the only one that I'll buy for that situation.

Cool, people do not realize that this is the one place where you want a belt to slip...it is your clutch. Like most people, I found out the hard way. One of the first things I did was to put belt grip on the belt...we will not go any farther then that. Mineral spirits and sand paper or steel wool is the only way to go.

Just an update, Didn't buy new pulleys. Just cleaned the other ones up with some fine sandpaper. Put the 4" pulley on the engine like what is suppose to be there. Bought a blue 83" V-belt from TSC and it works perfect! Nice smooth transition from stop to go, and only does wheelies when I say so

Search some of kiwi's @sorekiwi old threads. I seem to remember him doing a post on the interchangability of parts a long time ago.

Snow Plow in Florida...rare

Sorry about that, The international issue is fixed now. We can accept payments from anywhere in the world. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

I had the same thing in mind, a few of us could bring gas grills and dogs or burgers, others could bring coolers with other fixins, whatever is a specialty for them. Sort of like a family reunion picnic that a lot of us are accustomed to. I am really not into camping and would be spending the night in a nearby motel, perhaps others would also wish to do this and we could establish a "Host Hotel"

Thanks for the details! You are the second person I know thats done it. I just like to see everyone's approaches. And as far as purists, you saved a horse and on the cheap... I dont think anyone can talk bad about ya for that!

Not sure about the wife... but, I do know I'd..... keep those tires.

WOW....she's a beauty.

Nice save!!! 520's with low hours are hard to find!

I have not installed it yet, and probably will not (I dont have the storage space for the vac-bagger system). There are a few if you google image search "Wheel Horse Vacuum Bagger" but not very detailed ones. Maybe someone who uses one on the forums will chime in here.

I have used one before and they really throw the snow. I would say 50-70 feet. You will not be disapointed

Thread coming soon...

Powder coated. Sweet! I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Andy, here's a pic of what I ended up with. Where the casting broke, it cleared the way for me to attach a piece of bar stock about an inch and a half long. Got a longer bolt to thread into the engine block to secure the bearing plate. Then I used the OEM threaded "L" round stock and welded a washer near the bend. I needed to place a couple spacer washers on next, then secured that with a self locking nut. Turned out pretty good. It really is bomb proof. Sad news was that the very next day, I was cutting the lawn and threw a rod.

The G-100/110 was sort of an in-between model. Bigger than the lawn tractor but the entry level ground-engaging so not as big as the garden tractor . Have them try to find out what other models they may fit. They might bring more as JD stuff is always pricey it seems. Don, I just did some quick checking on another forum and it looks like they may fit more JD models than I thought originally.

I think that's a great idea. As time nears and we can get an idea of how many are coming, we can make up a food list and volunteer to bring the type and quantity of food needed.

Welcome! I am surprised no one has mentioned this already, but we want pictures! Give us lots of good pictures, sometimes the experienced people on here can catch something visual also. (And we like looking at tractors...) Boy I wish you had never said you were an English teacher. I am self conscious just posting this terrible excuse for written word!

The easier the better for the host. You don't want to get too much involved and spend too much money and only 10 guys show up. Not that the 10 guys wouldn't have a good time, but it just doesn't seem worth all the money and time. Moving something from AtoB is something Vince and I are pretty good at. If anyone needs something brought back from the Portland IN show, I can help out there.

Let me know how I can help. Sounds like you guys are off to a good start, porta john, and room to camp. How about food? Any restaurant around? I like the parts swap too. If someone is needing something they can bring it. Also if someone needs something moved from lets say wva to atlanta ga I can help move it. I cant wait, to hang out. I find it so much fun talking tractors and meeting new people.

The charging system has nothing to do with the starter. All the regulator does is rectify the AC current the stator produces and when the voltage reaches the 14.4 volts it limits the current so the battery is not overcharged. If you connected both cables directly to the starter and it does not run the starter is the first problem. Power to the starter terminal and the ground to the case of the starter. If you connected the ground cable somewhere other that the starter housing the starter grounds could be the problem. Remove the spark plugs to eliminate compression and see if you can turn the motor over by hand at the flywheel. If you can that removes the chance of a mechanical problem. I don't know where the battery ground cable is connected to the tractor chassis. I like to see it bolted to the engine because the starter is the single largest load the battery will ever see. Then add another ground cable from the engine to the frame for the lighter electrical loads. Garry

You need to test the charging system first. Charge the battery and get it running then follow the instructions. manual

Finally had a little bit of time to get my pics off the camera and go through them. . Joe @joebob, Tom @Shynon, Mike @prondzy, Terry @Terry M and Ed's collections... (I set up over by my family and completely forgot to take a picture of my own tractors) Lowell @wheelhorseman1000 and his wife also came down for the weekend. Mike, Tom and Lowell hanging out in the shade... Joe and Terry and Andrew My younger daughter giving wagon rides to her sister and cousins My older daughter doing the same.My oldest with her twin cousinsMy nephew and brother-in-law... he's two and is actually getting pretty good at driving. He can completely solo on his hydro Ford 140And posing on what we affectionately call "the circus tractor"This was a great little rare piece Would love to find one of these! A Struck Mini-Beep.A Garden Alland a few other random pics.

Great! Now I can b#%*h at BMW, Lexus, Acura and now vintage Wheelhorse owners when they blind me at night! Nice work, Mike!

Here are a couple of more pictures. Planing to do a little yard work this fall. A pulverizer I built to plant grass.

Thanks you guys .... this gives me an idea of what to look more closely at. Just to let you guys in on it, What I did was I converted a 518H to an 8 spd. A 5073 build by MB, and a donor SK486 for the clutch and brake linkages. I left the drive pulley on the engine (knowing it is 5 1/4" instead of 4") and got a 86" belt to accommodate this change. I knew it was gonna run a bit faster, but now is too fast. I have to mow in 1st gear....lol. I now have a 4" pulley to put on the engine and a new 83" belt from TSC. Would be nice to have a gauge for the pulleys.... Thanks. Ya know, come to think of it, I would never replace a chain without replacing the sprockets. Maybe I should look for new sheaves before I burn up another belt...

It very well could be the brand of belt. The correct belt from your TORO dealer is designed to not fall into the grooves in the pulley so much and is cloth covered, which will let the belt slide a little instead of grabbing right away. One other thing it could be is dirty or sticky pulley grooves...use some steel wool to clean and then wipe them with mineral spirits. I would also suspect a weak spring on the clutch pedal. Sometimes, you just have to throttle down a little so you do not get thrown from the horse.

If you substitute the name Kolher or Briggs or Kawasaki for Tecumseh, your post sounds identical to 90% of the other posts in the engine category, Troubleshoot the symptoms, and ignore the pissing and moaning regarding what name is on the engine.

Let me tell you about mine. Rolled the 312 out to knock off some weeds and relocate some dust the grass is dead around here. Turn the switch nothing. Check the battery a little low, decided to jump it still nothing. Looked like the plug on the switch was loose check it it was tight. While check that found the rusted screws holding the dash were not tight. Tighten them and it started up. This tractor is not a rust bucket, just the screws and a little around the screw holes.

cool information andy! really nice to hear some of the stories etc. james