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Hey all, Just closed on my house about two weeks ago. The previous owners left their Wheel Horse for me (they inherited from the original builder/owner), it's a '99 314-8, with a 42" mower deck. Only issue is it's been sitting in a shed for the past 8 years, as they started paying the neighbor to mow the lawn for them. Supposedly it ran fine when they parked it, so I figure I can get it running without too much trouble, and get it looking good at the same time. It's only got 251 hours on the meter. I've already got a fair bit of money into it, mostly the cost of new tires! However, it will only be a fraction of the price of a new comparable model. In addition, I really do enjoy working on machines of any sort to get them working as good as ever... there's some great feeling of satisfaction in the end result. (I know you all can relate) Things I've already done/have parts on hand to replace when its time for reassembly: - Replaced all four tires, the old ones were completely flat, unsalvageable. Got those back on today and was able to roll the tractor out of the shed and into my carport to have much better access to everything. - Replaced battery - Removed carb, bought new aftermarket carb (hopefully it works alright, was cheaper and easier than dismantling and cleaning old carb) - Will replace fuel lines and fuel filter, cheap and easy - Oil/filter change to be completed - Replaced spark plug On order, to be completed: - Spark plug wire, mice chewed through it - Clean out blower housing, as you can see. There used to be a scrap piece of insulation in the shed, its now just the paper backing. The rest was made into mouse condos. Obviously need to do a thorough inspection for other areas and wires. - PTO and Mower Deck Belts, I'm just assuming those are in need of replacement - Various bits and pieces, nothing too exciting - Anything else I come across as I progress Looking forward to sharing progress and getting advice and pointers from all of you who are knowledgeable on these machines! -Dan

This is my 8/32 That my uncle had for years. I took it over after his passing in 2011. I have to say with some hairy raised eye brows I am sure. But this is the best mower that I have ever used. It cuts very smooth And the dump box is so easy to use = one hand dump. It looks like a toy but it is all steel it is a 1994. Ohh over the years I had to put money into it but Look at what you get today. The only plastic it the steering wheel and the shoot and grass catcher. The engine has a cast Iron sleeve. I had to rebuild the deck and I went thru the rest of it. Ready for the leaves now. Enjoy........

I wasn't interested in the A-90 tractor so a friend bought it and some of the wheels for $20. I bought everything else.

Another pile of goodies. I see an electric PTO clutch and a nice pair of fenders.

You're gonna have to swap out that hat Lane.

picked this one up at an auction a few years back, pedals have been removed. I tried it out it took a lot of pedaling to go some where.

Are you sure one wheel isn't sliding or actually turning backwards when you descend the steep hill?

John: I want to ride this thing at next years big show!

OK...I'm thinking how many of us can ride it through the parade and tape what Wild Bill says each time. Could be a classic??

My wife "politely" informed me that she smelt gas in the garage today. I looked around the tractor, no visible leaks. But there was a whiff of fuel. I picked up my new clutch spring at the dealer today. While I was looking around here I noticed some moisture around the fasco fuel pump. Slight leak there, so I took the fender off and tightened it up, found the whole pump was loose as well. I left the fender off and put a rag under the filter side to see if it weeps. Weird tho since the tractor has been in there for 4 months and never smelt a thing. i replaced the clutch spring next. The PO had used a much smaller gauge and longer spring with bungee cord! In the winter sometimes I'd have to pull the pedal with my toe to get it to grab. No more. That new spring feels great. I bought a spring removal tool years ago and it is the best tool for the job. I even made 2 bigger ones at work. Safer than pliers. Of course my "helper" fixing the engine. Included is a pic of the old light duty spring. I should have fixed it 2 years ago Old spring Spring remover

it would be neat to watch Bill's reaction if we would take turns riding a tractor, or motor cycle through the parade, how many times could we take the same unit through the parade eric j

The only things in life people regret are the things they didn't do. You should've went for the ride! The bike will need some upgraded bearings for the steering which should be done. AND, parts are being gathered for a second build but getting the time to build it could be a problem.

Prior to beginning the disassembly I introduced the 953 in the foreground to the other 953s in the herd. The street rod 953 on the left accompanied me to this year's Big Show, to the right is the original worker that I brought to last year's show and far right is another early production 953 with snow cab frame that I bought from @A-Z Tractor at this year's show. The two early production 953s were probably on the assembly line at the same time, serial numbers are 62-780 and 62-829. One of the biggest challanges will be some rust through on both sides of the seat. Apparently the seat cushion was in place and wet leaves or debris accumulated there causing the rust. The rest of the sheet metal is in good shape and once I have inspected it closely I'll come up with a game plan. Haven't used my mig welder in a while, but shouldn't be too hard get accustom to it again. This morning I began to take it apart, nose, grill, hood and engine are off. Once I remove the front axle and transaxle I will fabricate a rotisserie which will allow me to work on it at a comfortable height and body position.

Happy Birthday to Lane. World traveler and explorer that you are!

Finally a hl-22 set ! http://pho.to/AnVHn

I believe your tractor utilizes the gas strut that pushes the idler arm and doesn't have the clutch spring on the left side. prior models used only a spring. Later models used a spring with a damper on the right. Try what's been suggested and see what happens. I'm betting the strut is causing the problem assuming your drive belt is good. Get yourself a 108035 spring, install it on the left side and remove the strut. You'll then have the setup that worked great for decades. I had the damper with the spring setup on my 2005 and I hated it. When I first got it I had a flat yard. Now I have very steep hills that must be mowed up and down. I would imagine if I hadn't switch to the old school way I would be terrified going downhill. I believe they used only the strut at that time. It was later when they used the damper with the spring He'll need to install a spring to make it work but I think you hit the nail on the head.

By the time the snow starts flying, this will be a distant memory. Florida will still look pretty good for a few days vacation to warm up.

To that information above, you'd have to add: Disconnect several wiring harness connectors, fuel line from tank and something else I'm forgetring. But in the end run: The wife's CrossFit equipment came in handy, because I don't have an engine hoist. And I popped the hood off to be able to roll it out afterwards. But the thing is out. And it's gross in here: But mostly: She's out. Coil pack work to begin at the next free moment All in all, that went a lot faster than I figured. It's not easy like changing oil, but it's really not terrible either.

Haven't built one yet, but plan on doing it in the future. As soon as I can find a Snapper rear engine rider, like Tom Hanks used in the movie Forest Gump, for the right price, construction will be underway.

Yeah heartbreaking for some neighborhoods that are almost under water and people with nowhere to go. We are blessed beyond measure. God is good!

Picked up this old computer server cabinet starting to fill it up. http://pho.to/AnV9s

John: you let me know what parts you are looking for and I will find them!

Right turn Clyde......

953 Nut, I appreciate the advice and information. Very sorry for the link post. Won't happen again. I am looking forward to buying the tractor and visting/contributing to the site as a new member. Thanks again!!!

Definitely have to watch this. Richard, when you build the rotisserie, keep in mind the air brake slack adjuster assy for the rotation mechanism. Works great. You can overhaul a transmission on it or bolt the back end of a frame to it and spin it where you want it and it wont move on you. Kinda has it's own brake lock.

I remove the pulley, then take a dental pick or small 1/8" flat screwdriver with the end bent into a hook, slip it between the shaft and the rubber seal and pull. Once out, clean the shaft and remove any burrs from the Woodruff key slot, clean the recessed area thoroughly, put a little oil on the shaft, and slide the new seal into place. Using a piece of CPVC pipe or a deep socket that will fit over the shaft, tap the seal until it is flush with the case.

WE ARE THE BLACK WIDOWS!!!!!!

Yeah "fish will probably want to try on your easter bonnet too... You get him a rounded diamond turf tire for the front I bet he'll let you ride it all day!

I guess I have to retire so I can make it to some of these auctions instead of Ed getting everything, lolsaw that stuff coming up and figured you be all over it Ed good score eric j

Plenty of space to mount a cutting deck underneeth Jim, though getting drive to it would be interesting.. I am indeed Pullstart, as it's there it would be daft no to take full advantage of it Morning all, bit more of a MadTrax update for you.. Yep, yet more slicing and welding, even more of the same to come The box section under/around the rear diff needed to come out as it just looked rubbish!! Slicing it off in one bit was interesting ! In went some new tube.. A lot of extra tempoary bracing went in to stop things moving.. The big blue tubes hold the rear end off the bench as I had to remove both rear wheels and move the shocks so I could get a cutting disc in.. Not fully welding in yet, but I have added a cross tube between the end of the new rails since this pic was taken.. It was at this point my Murex 165 TradeMig shat it's self and decided it didn't want to produce good welds any more! When using it you can feel it's "pulcing" and just has lost it's amps and doesn't want to penetrate!! So a BIG THANK YOU to Nigel for offing me the use of his welder until I can get mine fixed which will hopefully be some time next week.. Nigel's Mig on the right, naughty Mig on the left! Much welding and the wheels put back on later the rear end looks like this.. Some extra strengthening and tidying up needed but it's looking good. Another big to Nigel for helping me get the new front end lined up and squared up with the rest of the frame.. This took a suprisingly long amount of time... Bracing was added after this photo was taken to keep it in the right place. Time to get serious with the front end.. Not the best of photo's as someone had put an exhaust in the way, but the front is now welded to the rest of it.. I will put a load more strength in this area but it's one of those jobs best done later when the frame is stipped down (again) and I can turn it upside down. So I could do some structural slicing the front diff needed to be moved forward and out the way a bit.. Of course two of the Allen Key bolts came undone with only a small fight, the front two refused to budge and eventually got chewed up.. The only way to undo them without grinding the heads off was to weld a bit of bar to the bolt head and hope the heat would free the thread up.... Which it did. There's no two ways about it, the Quadzilla front strut towers looked ugly, really ugly.. So why not turn it around and make them a feature With yet more tempoary bracing in place and the top of the towers already mostly wrapped in tube, half the O/S strut tower was cut out! Cleaning up the welds was not fun as they were very hard! Fresh tube welded back in to replace the metal I had cut out, and a Nigel holding the rear tube in place.. A close up for you. And a view from the front and top.... By the time we are finished it will look way better and be much stronger than the original Quadzilla strut towers Oh..... Much to my and Nigel's suprise I found the Quadzilla gear/transfer box the other day.. Both Nigel and I thought it had long gone! If I can make it fit in this space, MadTrax will have HI/Low ratios and a reverse.. Well 5 of em

These small engines are not like the big ones that have an accelerator pump to richen the inrush of air when the throttle is cracked open. They do seem to do OK if the low speed mixture is slightly richer than the best low rpm setting. Try 1/8 of a turn richer and if it does not respond give it another 1/8 turn. Garry

Wish that auction was closer. That gear drive deck in front of the tractor looks like it could be a 36"

Glad to report my Sister in Law in Tampa was also one of the lucky ones. After spending two nights in a shelter, she has returned to here home to find very minimal damage and her power was restored yesterday. Have yet to hear from a Cousin in Jacksonville.

Have you replaced the ignition points and condenser? They can give you similar symptoms to a fuel problem. The are located behind the fly wheel and seldom receive any attention.

With any electrical problem the first step is to clean and tighten ALL electrical connections including grounds, this will cure ninety percent of them.

The problem sounds very familiar to me. I have some very steep inclines and have found that adding wheel weights to the rear wheels is the only solution. Your rear wheels are loosing traction and the differential is applying the braking force to the wheel with the least traction. There are a few points in my yard that I will only mow going up hill, too much of a hazard going down. Also, your Kohler engine is splash lubricated and should not be operated on slopes of 25* or more.

I looked all over and can't find anything. May have to set a ladder against the neighbor's roof!

Come on down and hang out! Seriously if you get to central Florida, shoot me a message.

Is the gas spring cylinder still installed. They were there to keep the clutch from engaging too fast. It may be your problem, by not letting the clutch engage fully. You can remove it. Just be easy letting out the clutch Wheel Horses have been known to rear up.

OK guys the 520 H is up and running !!!!here's what was up. I replaced the key switch as recommended then replaced all three relays... no go. I then replaced the refractor and then also replaced the capacitor..nope! Cleaned a bunch of wires and connectors ...na.Then I took the advise of my good bud 96WS6TA because he's a decant guy at best .. to replace the ignition trigger. So we pulled the flywheel and discovered that the stater was filthy dirty covered with dust ..we proceeded to clean that all up replace the ignition trigger started it up and BLAMO !! That's it !!!!!!!!!!!! He even gave me the part to ! What a guy!! So we let it run for the longest it's ran since I've owned it and she didn't shut down. then a new problem revealed itself . The 30 amp fuse begin to melt. I pulled the wires out of the fuse block and made a joint because the fuse connection was poor creating a high heat connection . Probably wasn't a problem before because I wasn't getting great voltage off of the charging system because of it being so dirty. Just wanted to let you all know in the hopes that it might help someone else along the way and thank everybody else for their help also thanks to my good buddy!

Aluminum roof flashing makes a good heat shield.

Found a set of carlise ags on craigslist and picked them up really cheap ($30). Put them on and gave the rear rims a quick coat of semi gloss black. Need to finish the wheel paint. Also added the wheelie bars out back and added a drawbar so I can pull a trailer. I hate to cut these machines but I did on the dash tower to fit the gas tank there. I will keep the section I cut so it can be added back with some welding. Coming along nice I think. I decided to soak the carb to be sure it is nice and clean.

been there, long time ago. Now I smack them and shove a straight screwdriver down into them and rotate them out. No rotation equals using a pick and bending the brass body as mentioned early and pulling out with needle nose pliers.

Not sure what I have yet. I'll get it all sorted and take some pics, then ask the experts. It does look like I have enough parts to make an "Old Grey Mare". The chair may go on one of my snow machines Jim. That thing must weigh 75 lb.

As noted, and as your new to site, we can't link to CL or other sites. So 1st, welcome to the forum. 2nd, C160 is a preferred tractor for their strength and durability and this one looks well cared for considering its age and environment. 3rd If that tractor was elsewhere it would sell for more easily. But make sure you fire it up and that it truly does not smoke or have engine knock. 4th, easily will handle mowing. You will need both a furough (plow) and tiller Implements to garden efficiently but the tractor will easily handle them. again, welcome and good luck

A previous owner of my '97 520H used this method to eliminate the 9 pin connector. Not the way I would have done it, but I've had no issues at all with it.

Have you considered going to an electric fuel pump? Your tank and pump are about the same height so filling the tank to the top could help. Also, you should use non-ethanol gas, the ethanol can crap up the fuel system.

Well as of yesterday the eye was tracking 50-60 miles to my east. Now it has shifted and is showing it about 30 miles to my west. Either way its gonna be rough. I have most everything picked up but with everyone coming from south Florida evacuating, gas and store shelves are empty. Still some but you have to find it. Im stocked. Just gotta get the horses and other loose things secure in the backyard. if I disappear off radar for a while, just say a little prayer. Hope to slide out ok on the other side. May God bless everyone affected by this storm in some way. Later fellas

Are you going to make use of that front differential? It looks great with the new suspension!