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Some of you may remember the sign I picked up at the auction a few weeks ago. After I got it straightened and cleaned up a bit, I decided to hang it on the Horse Barn. But the Wheel Horse lettering was overshadowed by the TORO name, so I knew I had to make the horse more dominant. So this is what I came up with. Was a fun little project.

Well here's both the tractors having a little horse play! It's time to celebrate 60's and sunny in any way possible, raking leaves and burning stuff! The ags belong on the 502 normally but back to that twisted belt on the tiller, I needed some extra pulling traction in the garden! Yep I switched tires before I realized the belt was twisted... Oh and that idler pulley under the 502 is from when I had the tiller mounted on that and needed a good way to put some tension on the belt.

Ed, your's is even nicer than the one on my barn.

Saw these... in my recent travels.

I pulled the Resto-mod out for some sun and took advantage of it and the warmth to mock up some additional parts that still need paint so I can do some of the customization for the Oil dip stick tube. In light of day, it's obvious I need to do lots of touch up paint due to sitting in garage for past few months and no matter how careful I am as I reassemble it, I inevitably add a scratch for seemingly every part I install. I kinda like the look but the white will be red for most part. Dropped the rear fenders at the fabrication shop to be strengthened as well today.

Seen in a certain person's shop in Leesburg IN!

Nice project. I think you are looking at it the right way, at the current moment you are way ahead of the game as you are into the tractor for zilch. If it turns out the old Techy is flat worn out I would head over to Grandpa's place and do a little rummaging. Who knows, there might be a good engine layin around free for the taking. My advice would be to not throw a bunch of money into the current engine, a little possibly but not a whole bunch. Upgrading the current engine to a Kohler is no big deal and won't be too expensive. Once you take a little simple green and the power washer to your Raider she will clean right up, I don't think it was left outside thru the years. I think she has been used but for its age she looks pretty darn good.

4-14-1975 Operation “Baby Lift” concludes Operation Baby Lift was initiated to bring South Vietnamese orphans to the United States for adoption by American parents. Baby Lift lasted 10 days and was carried out during the final, desperate phase of the war, as North Vietnamese forces were closing in on Saigon. Although the first flight ended in tragedy, all other flights took place without incident, and Baby Lift aircraft ferried orphans across the Pacific until the mission concluded on April 14, only 16 days before the fall of Saigon and the end of the war.

I respectfully disagree? There is no rust, all the parts are there, and aside from the charge coil and rear pulley, I'm not going to have a whole lot into it. Plus it as free and i am not going to let it (being the tractor) "win". The cheapest i found one on CL was $700 and it was a bucket.

I think that is what I'm going to be planting this year.

Nicely done Ed, now... if you could just think of some way to make that ag spin in the wind.

You'll be needing one of these.

I'm enjoying reading all the CL stories. IMO, it's not necessarily CL people that are bad, it's just some people that are. Before CL we used the classified ads in the newspapers and magazines or bulletin boards at the grocery store. Same bad people there too. I've bought and sold on CL and I've not had any real problems. Advertised a GMC pickup and had 2 no shows. I hate waiting around for people to come and then they don't. I did sell a banjo and shipped it out of state with no problems. The guy was real tickled with it. A couple of years ago I ran an ad on CL to sell some old model car and truck kits I've had for many years. I got one response and the guy came over (about 25 yrs old, I'd say) from out of town to my house (during a garage sale we were having), picked out what he wanted and we agreed on a price. He didn't have enough cash on him for everything he wanted to buy. So we both just stand in silence for a moment looking at each other when I suggested where the closest ATM was. He said he couldn't spend more than what he had on him for the week, (something about upsetting his wife ) but he would buy the rest after payday the following week. I said no problem I'll save 'em for him. So he payed me for what he took with him that day. We agreed on a price for the rest of what he wanted and I told him I had another similar car kit he that he wanted in my folks attic and it would be $20 dollars for it. I made him a real good deal on the stuff too, just to get it out of my basement. A few days later I went and got the other kit, boxed everything up and took it all to work with me so he could meet me there during the day and save him some driving. He calls to see if I found the extra car kit and then tries to get me throw in the extra car model for free now. I said no, we had already agreed on the price of the ones he had picked out and shook hands on it and I want $20 more for the other car like I had told him previously. He called once more about and hour later to get directions and again tried to get me to throw in the extra one for free. I stuck to my guns, he says he doesn't think he will come and buy any of the rest now. I told him politely that I was disappointed in him and sorry that he's not going to stand by his word and handshake. So as I was prepared to haul all these boxes back home, he shows up about an hour later and had cash for all of it including the extra $20 for the extra car. He never mentioned anything we had discussed on the phone. You can't blame him for trying, I reckon, but a deal is a deal, especially when you shake on it, in my book!

Two 8 speed workers, but they sure do sound great! (shy of the rattles here and there)

Thanks I thinking I should come out ahead on the whole deal. I have been wanting a lathe forever finally bought one a few years ago. Grizzly G4003G lathe 12x36. Works well here is the latest little project I turned with it. A brass hammer for the father in law. I tried to make it kinda fancy. Anyways back to the 520lxi I guess I just assumed the wheel weights had some affect on the hubs being wobbled out. The case was leaking so I wanted to put a new gasket on it and I had to get the axle for the fix. One thing that amazes me is how much money people spend on buying a new tractor like this and do zero maintenance on it. But I guess that's why I got a deal on it (I think lol)

I had an issue with my 99 520lxi where the axle bearing slid out or the housing so I had to tear the hole tractor down to fix that. I think the bearing was undersized from the factory because the new bearings I installed was .0005 bigger than the one that fell out. At the time the tractor only had 254hrs on it. Anyways I was pretty sure I could fix these to tractors that I bought being as I already did it one time. So I can do it 2 more times lol. Here it is with the fenders and rear tires off. Draining the oil. It holds like 7.5 quarts not bad for a mower lol. It seemed like I took more pics then I ended up taking. I took more during reassembly. I figured I would do this little write up being as I couldn't find much information on these as far as taking the transmission apart. This is pulling the transmission out. This thing is heavy. I downloaded the service manual from toro and followed it. It was pretty helpful. You can see how dirty is was. There was like an old mouse nest or something by the break drum it was packed with dirt and there was like a bunch of hersey kiss tinfoil wrappers in the dirt. Up on the bench I used the cherry picker to lift it up That's when the real fun starts

I picked up an SK-486 about a year ago. It is in great condition with about 1300 hours on the meter. The only problem I have with it is that it's steering is very stiff. It takes two hands and a good bit of effort. Meanwhile, my 1067 steers like a feather with a single finger. Is the difference related to the wider front tires and larger engine (heavier) on the 486, or is there likely something I can correct on the 486 to make the steering lighter?

Don't wear black out fit with that hat , some Vietnam vet make have M-16 wanting target practice.

OK...Phase Two begins.

Those sensors are pressure transducers and are effected by temp. I deal in building automation and have issues all the time with them. Same thing. Change the sensor and clean the screen. Have someone connect a pressure tester before installing the new sensor for piece of mind. You may have to "Tee" it in. The computer may disable fuel if it sees no oil pressure. if that doesn't fix it I'd either go the cluster route, or try to find out if the computer gets the signal and sends it to the cluster. Could just be a software issue.

So very true Muz...goes to show it takes all kinds to make a world go 'round... I use the dead presidents thing alot ztnoo... like ... had to fork out a "Jackson" for that on Ebay or honey have you got an extra "Grant"?? Kids always asks me if I got any extra "Lincolns"!!! Interestingly enough I think old Ben is the only person who is on our (printed) currency who was not a president? Can't imagine the day people will be asking "how many 'Bama's did that set you back" or "that cost me a couple of Trumps"!!! Heaven forbid that will never happen or hopefully I will be dead! Could be worse I guess tho....kids could be askin me for a couple of Hitlers!!! But then again.....

Well got it up on the bench. Here is the first issue. Both hubs where wobbled out pretty bad. You can see when the jam nut was wearing into the axle and the keyway was really loose from the axle hub moving so much. The guy I bought it from had 84 pound wheel weights on each rear tire so I am guessing that had alot to do with this issue. I will get into the fix that I used when I reassemble it To get the smart steering assembly off you have to take the control arm off the hydrostatic pump. I broke that when I was trying to get it off. I was like crappie I hope they still make that part. So the 1st thing I did was stop what I was doing and look up to see if they still made that part lucky they still do it was like $27ish bucks. Anyways after this point I didn't break anything else. Here is a peak inside the transmission where the hydrostatic pump bolts to it. Some serious gears for a lawn mower lol Then here is right after I got the transmission case opened up. Thanks for looking

Well hopefully it isn't like a Citroen 2CV and needs the frame replaced when the steering begins to get stiff! Anyways, my guess would be to grease the fittings and any point along the axle that moves as a starting point. Increased effort could be from the wider tires (maybe even the type) and larger engine, but you also have a mower deck that could be weighing it down. I'm not too familiar with the square hoods at all but do the steering systems have the same steering ratio? BTW, that is a nice looking SK-486.

Just ran through some of your past updates, it might be a good idea to replace axle seals if your hubs are that greasy and coated with grime. It would be a shame to see a nice paint job get all oily let alone running your transmission dry

Dr Jekle? Mr Hide? You there? Just kidding! I too get frustrated with projects, get aggravated, want to walk away, then cool down and am ready to go again. In all due respect, I agree that you are looking at a major undertaking to turn this machine into your weekly mower. Not saying it can't be done and well worth the time. Find a cheap crapsman or something similar to use while you slow down, really take time to do a proper tear down, and enjoy the process of bringing her back to life. She'll be a great tractor, just gonna take time. Ask lots of questions here and you'll find the help and answers you need.

Post some pics and ask away... These guys know everything WH!!! And quickly reply as well...

Socks and Wonder Bread wrappers in the boots!

Well I brought another project home I don't have time for. I rented a trailer and drove about 900 miles round trip to pick up 2 1998 toro wheel horse 520lxi tractors, cab, 2 stage snowblower, 60 inch mower deck, extra tire, debris blower, tire chains, 4 suitcase weights, and 2 wheel weights. Here it is loaded up almost home Unloaded kinda a mess I only had the trailer for 24 hours so I straightened up later I new they needed work when I bought them but I figured I could make one nice one and sell it making some money off it then still have the 2nd one and have a parts machine for my 99 520lxi or sell it or whatever. Here they are all set up to teardown. They both had holes in the muffler and the transmissions both leaked bad the axle seals where out and so on. Oh and the previous owner had 84 pound wheel weights on the tires so the hubs where wobbled out. But we will get into that stuff later.

Needing some help here... definitively IDing the year of my new RJ-35. I'm thinking, based on the rolled steel frame, no evidence of a gas tank support, and it has the front axle stops in place... it's from the '56 model year. Also, can someone help determine the original engine it would've left the factory with? For reference...I'm going to dump here, all the picts I've taken today...any help would be greatly appreciated.

That 35 had part of a Wisconsin engine and a 3 speed transmission mounted in front of the seat when I got it, The picture I saved from the classified ad:

I believe the filter is on the return line, after it has gone through the pump, but I could be wrong

Boy Ed that is something else !!! Really nice buddy ,,,, and ed also thanks for the help with my hub,, the grade 8 bolt And nylon lock nut did the trick ,, a whole day plowing and checked and is perfectly tight so far,,, if it was gonna losen it should have with all that hard work today for sure..again thanks

I am sure it was a combination of things that caused the hubs to wobble out. I am not saying I am right or wrong or even know what I am talking about but the reason I thought it was part of the problem is starting and stopping. I get that once the wheel is spinning it prolly don't matter but every time you take off fast or stop fast I just assumed all that extra rotating weight that has to start spinning and stop spinning must put strain on something. Although once the hub gets a little loose that prolly gets worse fast. Anyways part of the reason I took the transmission apart was to get the axles out. My plan was to cut a new keyway on the axles themselves. I did that at work although I didn't take any pics of that. The hub itself has a keyway that goes threw the whole bore. And the axle only has like maybe an inch or so of keyway on it. So I flipped my axle over 90 degrees and cut a keyway in it from the tip of the axle to almost where the axle seals is. That way I could use the same hub using the good part of the keyway and still use the original axles without buying anything. It seems to work well so far. I also bought new toro wheel horse set screws and torqued them down. I had a nice tight fit with the new keyway and I didn't have to buy anything besides 12 inch piece or .25 key stock was like $3.00 ish With this fix there is actually more keyway engaged on the hub and axle tha the original shorter key This keyway was really bad both sides where like this. I will have to take some pics on the next one cause I don't feel like taking this one back apart

Ed , I am lucky to be able to type on the computer . I will PM my address , if you would be so kind to make me a copy of the pattern . I owe you one.

I can send you a copy Jim. But you can also just goggle "wheel horse emblem" , blow it up to whatever size you want, and trace it off the screen. This is what I did in the first picture. Let me know

Ed would you sell me the pattern, I would love to make something similar to yours.

The lube chart that Phatboy posted above clearly shows the service interval as 100 hrs. Its on pages 27 & 28 and show the Eaton models with transmission lube code T-4 with a spec of 10w30 or 10w40 and a service interval of 100 hrs. Your manual shows 200 hrs. or 1year. I would think that few people would put on anywhere close to 200 hrs. in a year, so its a guess as to how often to change it. For most folks, one year may only be 20-30 hrs. I don't know which is right. Possibly Toro changed it over the years. I could see a slight bit of water build up through condensation that might affect the properties of the oil, but other than that, it should last a long time. The Hygard oil will handle the condensation issue much better than motor oil, if it is an issue. As I said earlier, either will work, and work well.

Ed, you could probably sell some of those at the big show...

Man that is some muffler!

When I stated 100 hrs, I was referring to the lube chart that was shown earlier in the thread. I don't have a hydro. My only WH is a gear drive. But, back to Phatboy's discussion, the Hygard is a good option. When comparing it to synthetic motor oil, the price is pretty much a wash, but the trans/hyd fluid is better optimized for the job. Or, you can stick with the Toro/WH recommendation and change your oil every year. Either will work, and work well.

I've got a '08 that has fluctuating oil pressure at times. Couple things to check: 1. Have you replaced the oil filter? I once had a faulty filter that was effecting pressure and even sending off buzzers and lights on the dash. Changed the oil and filter and problem solved. 2. There is a pressure switch on the rear top of the engine that gets gunked up with mileage and effects pressure. This switch has a screen in it that gets plugged up. As the oil heats up and thins, the oil pressure could get better. Some guys buy a new switch/sender others take the switch out, remove the screen and clean it and reinstall it. These would be your easiest and cheapest fixes. Bought mine new and have never really been happy with the LS. Lifters nock and click on start up for quite a while-always have. Engine uses 2+ quarts of oil per change, yet there are no leaks, no smoke, plugs burn clean. Done this since new. GM would do nothing about it. GM says it's "within normal specs". The warm idle gets lower and lower as the truck ages. Originally it was about 800rpm, then went to about 750 after a year or so, then 700, now it's down to about 600rpm at idle? Add in the fluctuating oil pressure and it's a pain. Think I have about 140K on mine. I like the truck, but the engine is quirky.

I recently brought home an old wheel horse Ranger mower. The model # on the deck is RM117 and the SN on the deck is 320777 It has the original tecumseh engine and all the stickers and is in pretty good original condition. I am brand new to wheel horse and am trying to find out year and any other info I can find on this old tractor. It came from Anderson in Carthage MO. It is both electric and recoil start. Would appreciate any feedback. Called Toro and they could tell me nothing. Thanks

It's not that we think the Techys are junk we just know that parts are ..well can be hard to find and pricey. For what you would have in it you could easily do a repower. It is definitely a labor of love to get it going. as for the coil..yeah I think you trashed it.... Good news on the pulley a member had one in classifieds not too long ago.. see if I can find it for you. Here it is ...might be what you need maybe @RedRanger can help you out.... .

My green and yellow works okay but I'm not joining a site. The black and yellow screams and is a winter passion to get me through until spring. Anyone that hasn't tried snowmobiling in the last ten years should give it a try.Awesome how far they have come.Addictive for sure. And they have motors so you guys should like them.

Welcome to RedSquare I see you live pretty close to me. If you need a hand with your horse send me a message.

@Nagzz4423 I usually drain the milky fluid and put in some kerosene and drive around in all gears. Don't try to be a Cowboy, but use ALL gears to get he fluid circulated. Drain it and do it again. I do this at least 2 times, and sometimes I have to do it a 3rd time to get "clean" kerosene to drain out. I let it drain overnight then I put the 80-90 gear lube in. Make sure you have a good shifter boot or you may get water in the transmission again!

Waiting for motor rebuild kit and rain every day so I started to.work on some small parts. Cleaned the fuel pump and started cleaning the carburetor. Fuel pump was easy but the carburetor is going to take some work. Also put the starter/gen back together with new bearings, brushes and stud insulators.

I had an adventure with a CL user when I got my 854 with mower deck and wheel horse lawn sweeper. The ad said make offer so I emailed him to let know I was interested. He emailed his phone number so I called and made a deal for 100. He said he had 2 other people coming to look at it so It was first with money in hand and he would remove listing if sold. Fair enough. Still listed that Friday so I called to make arrangements and he would not answer. I went back to ad to email him and the listing was for 150. He still would not respond to me so I had a co-worker email him and had a reply in less than 15 minutes. Set up a meeting time and I used my company cell phone number to call him. Met that Saturday and he said about 5 people had looked at it but it needed too much work for them to tackle. So I made an offer for 100. and he even loaded it in my pick-up for me.

I have to say , growing up on a farm and AG dealership you come to appreciate ugly well used tractors . Those are the ones you go to everyday and depend on . You use them and neglect them and when something happens to it that's the tractor you miss the most . I've seen many of farmers bring in tractors caked with grease , oil ,dirt , manure , and who knows what else from top to bottom . Most time before we could diagnose or give a quote they want to know how soon they could have them back . These well used tractors to me are why we come to love this hobby in the first place .