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I just picked up a C-161 from craigslist today for $300. I'm thinking of putting the tiller on I got from @Ed Kennell since most of what I have are hydro and a tiller works best with a gear drive. The only gear drives I had previously are a Commando 8 and a couple round hoods. This makes number 8!

Alky Hal attracts moisture hence the H2O. OK things Fixed with Sea Foam: B-i-l had a car he just bought. Wanted me to check it over for brakes steering ect. I drive it and the engine knocks bad. I call him and tell him that it sound like you got a bad engine. He picks it up and adds a can of Sea foam to the oil. "you can't spoil a rotten egg" Knock disappears and he drives it 2 years. I had a 94 Chevy PU with 120,000 on it and a lifter tick when warm. I'm working at Napa and the Sea Foam rep comes in and gives me a can to try. He says add half a can to the oil. I do and drive 5 miles home for lunch. Tick is gone and stays gone for another 60,000. Delivery van's door hinges are stiff and I'm tired of fighting with them.We try Thrust, WD 40, Liquid wrench ect. nothing helps. I try SF Deep Creep and now the doors hit me in the butt cause they won't stay open. Weedeater won't rev up. I call my OPE guy because I hate tiny carbs. He says add a little SF to it first before you bring it in. I add a couple of tablespoons and WROOOM! Wife's van is pinging like crazy. Add a can to the gas and no more ping. Impact wrench is down on power. I add some air tool oil and no change. Squirt some SF in it and it's like new again. My 520 hunted and surged at idle when I got it. Added a good dose of SF to the tank and add some every time I fill it. Surging has been lessened to the point where it only happens once every five times I idle it. I'll have to think about some more.

Mint set of chrome lse rims and hubs showed up At fastenal today . now what to do with them 🤔

6-13-1961 CECIL E. POND patents POWER DRIVE MECHANISM CECIL E. POND was issued United States Patent 2,988,185 POWER DRIVE MECHANISM Cecil E. Pond, South Bend, Ind., and assignor to Wheel-Horse Products, Inc. South Bend, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Sept. 8, 1958. The present invention relates to a power drive mechanism for vehicles and more particularly a transmission for vehicles, such as for example tractors, small trucks and power implements for lawn, garden and farm cultivation. One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a compact, easy to operate drive unit for vehicles, containing a transmission, differential, gear reduction, clutch and a braking mechanism all controlled by a single lever and a foot pedal. Another object of the invention is to provide a drive mechanism of the foregoing type for a tractor or the like which is relatively simple in construction and operation and which can be assembled as a separate unit and then mounted in the vehicle as an integral part of the frame. Still another object is to provide a sturdy, durable transmission and differential combination unit which can be easily serviced and repaired and which requires only a relatively small amount of lubrication to maintain it in optimum operating condition. A further object of the invention is to provide a drive mechanism having a brake and clutch operated by a single pedal such that the mechanism is automatically declutched whenever braking action is required. Another object of the invention is to provide a relatively small powerful transmission mechanism for tractors or the like, having three speeds forward and a reverse and containing a single braking mechanism adapted to effectively and efficiently brake the two rear wheels of the tractor. Another object is to provide durable, light weight operating parts for the aforesaid transmission, which can be easily and accurately fabricated and which will withstand prolonged rigorous operating conditions. The present power drive mechanism is designed primarily for tractors and lawn care and soil cultivating equipment for use in suburban areas, by inexperienced, mechanically untrained and unskilled operators and consequently must be relatively light in weight, sturdy and versatile and must be capable of long use and wear with little attention and servicing. The present drive mechanism has been developed and constructed to meet these conditions fully and to be handled and operated efficiently and safely without special instructions or mechanical skill. These and other objects and advantages will become readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a suburban type tractor with one of the rear wheels broken away to show the position and relative size of my power drive mechanism in the tractor; Referring more specifically to the drawings and to FIGURE 1 in particular, numeral 30 designates generally a small tractor designed primarily for suburban use, including a frame 32, front wheels 34 and 36, rear wheels 38 and 40, a steering mechanism 42, and a hood 44 enclosing a fuel tank 46 and gasoline engine 48. Numeral 50 indicates my power drive mechanism which is shown rigidly secured to and forming a part of the tractor frame and which is driven by engine or motor 48 through its pulley 51 and a V-belt 5'2 and is connected to the rear wheels by an axle 54. The operator sits on a seat 56 mounted on the housing of the drive mechanism and controls mechanism by manipulating gear shift lever 58 and brake and clutch pedal 60. A hand lever 62 conveniently located on the tractor is provided for controlling the implements being pulled or driven by the tractor. For the purpose of the present description the parts of the tractor not forming a part of my power drive mechanism and the controls therefor may be considered conventional in construction and operation and will not be described in detail herein. The present power drive mechanism 50 includes a transmission 70, differential 72, and speed reduction gearing 74, operatively connected in a compact arrangement and enclosed in a housing 76 with side plates 78 and 80 thereof supporting the various parts of these mechanisms, the housing including the side plates forming a sealed chamber 82 for retaining a lubricant for said mechanisms. The transmission is driven from belt 52 through a pulley 84 mounted on a power input shaft 86 which in turn is journaled in a bearing 88 secured to side plate 78. A spline shaft 90 is axially aligned with shaft 86 and journaled at one end in a bearing recess 94 of a gear 96 rigidly secured to shaft 86 and journaled at the other end in a bearing 98 secured to shaft 86 and journaled at the other end in a bearing 98 secured to the internal wall of plate 80, shafts 86 and 90 being adapted for independent relative rotation. Two gears 100 and 102 are mounted on spline shaft 90 for rotation therewith and are adapted to move axially thereon, gear 100 being the high gear and gear 102 being the low and reverse gear. This is an abbreviated version of the patent, for the full text go to; https://www.google.com/patents/US2988185

I've seen this a million times Bob.Well maybe not a million. I use premium no ethanol gas and my tractors that sit I use the 4 cycle fuel that places like Lowes and Home Cheapo sell. 3 yr shelf life. Never a problem since. And be careful with Sta-Bil. I have seen that crystallize also.

Yes use that trigger to the right on the GT's Josh... unless you got guys coming over for a plow day who like to go thru a lot of gas and your not friends with them!

After looking at your work pan Bob maybe you should save the green gas for St. Pattys day! Here's my solution I keep two gas cans, one for high test and one for corn fuel. I have them labeled Miller and Miller Lite... I use the Miller in the good tractors & motors I care about, the Miller Lite in tractors or disposable motors I don't care about. If I know I am going to burn through a whole tank on a chore I will sometimes use the lite on a good motor. then refilled with Miller. When they all set for the winter they all get hi-test & seafoam & sometimes a shot of stabil. Must suck being in an area Slammer where you can't even get hi-test.

...agree with all the above but I’ve had really good luck with StarTron fuel additive too . ... If your going to store your equipment for a long time without starting it periodically (I try to start everything once a month) or draining the fuel system the only way to go is airplane or racing gas . Yes it’s pricey but I’ve seen cars with racing fuel set for ten years . Take off the fuel cap and take a whiff . The gas still smells like gas not turpentine and will fire right up . This is how many car collectors store their vehicles without having to worry about going through the whole fuel system after setting for years .

I get so much stuff here brought to me by the local folks in town that look like all the pics above - they know my equipment runs forever and I rarely ever have an issue so they ask if I can fix theirs . So far , only two keep coming back with their push mowers because they refuse to pay the extra cost of the "premium" non-ethanol fuel - instead they are paying me to fix the carb and one now has just gotten a new fuel tank due to corrosion . I have seen the green color on a couple of occasions - those folks bought their fuel at Casey's which is somewhat of a bottom-barrel quality fuel (no offense) . We're down to one place now locally to get non-ethanol 91 octane and one station that is 30 miles away - I'm getting nervous . I know for a fact that after 3wks the ethanol laced fuels start to break down as well as start causing corrosion in aluminum carbs and their brass parts - the stuff is highly corrosive . My 2014 pickup will drop around 5mpg on average if I don't run the non-ethanol and also starts getting some rattles upon startup - runs perfect on the Philip's 66 / 91 octane ethanol - free and definitely has a lot more throttle response . The modern digital injection engines are designed to compensate for this crap so most folks will never know the difference - nor notice over time the damage it's doing to their engines . My old Land Cruiser was designed to run on nearly any gasoline in 3rd World countries , clear down to 75 octane by means of an adjustable timing advance knob on the distributor - it absolutely hates ethanol and in a short time will flat out refuse to start - the stuff is that bad and I deeply hate it . Not going into the whole argument about what it's done to the food markets and all the subsidies paid out to support it's production - but in my opinion it's complete idiocy to use/make the stuff . Sea Foam is a very effective cleaner and seems to help keep the fuel from causing the corrosion issues . Sta-Bil is a stabilizer - you must use it with fresh gas right out of the pump and it must be of good quality to start with for it to work correctly . If you can't find local non-ethanol fuels or find something in the search engines - ask around with the bikers , racers and vintage car guys - they will know what works best in older engines . Sarge

Faded on the sleeve is common... but if it really is an NOS belt, you should be able to see the lettering on the belt. Like this... It was nice when they printed this on the sleeve....

So somewhere there is a 420LSE up on blocks?? 😄 Nice score!

Sea Foam is an awesome product and anyone who doubts it will have to grab a chair and sit a while as I explain in detail all of the things I have fixed or seen fixed with it.

30 days is about the "shelf life" of ethanol gas. It's all down hill after that unless you treat it with Sta-Bil or Seafoam.

Hi Folks, just joined the group. Not an owner yet, but dreaming of getting hold on a horse. Looking forward to learn more!

Reading the label doesn't tell you the ingredients, so here goes. According to the MSDS sheet, Seafoam contains the following: Pale Oil 60% (Pale oil is straight naphthenic mineral oil) Naphtha 25% (Same as mineral spirits paint thinner, only evaporates faster) IPA 15% Isopropanol (Isopropyl alcohol) So in my humble opinion, I see nothing in those ingredients that would lead me to believe that adding this to my gas would have any positive effects, other than the isopropanol which is the sole ingredient in gas line anti-freeze. And if I wanted to remove water from my gas, I'd use 100% isopropanol instead of something that contains only 15%. However, if you think it works for you, go for it. For price of a gallon of Seafoam, I can buy about 20 gallon of ethanol-free gas.

Probably the same reason the manufacturers of my vehicles recommends 7500 and the dealer recommends 3000. GREED

I just realised the forum header says "International Wheel Horse Forum" Here is a poster child? Just kidding. Hudsonville Mi CL, blown engine parts tractor

Save the E-15 for the green ones!

Filled up the old work truck this morning at my favorite convenience mart here in WI, Kwik Trip. They had a new "gem" as an option, super 88... Its E15 which will really cause complications in your favorite hobby vehicle when stored. Used to be 87 and 89 with up to 10% ethanol and the good stuff on the right. Excluding my '69 Goat all my GT usage combined over a year probably only costs me $50-75 more to run non ethanol fuel constantly. To me, the hobby has costs associated with it and that is cheap insurance against multiple fuel related headaches...

As David Freiburger would say, that deck pulley is MINT! Nice score, though I love my 502, the C-101 8 speed is my go-to work horse. I'm sure an extra 60% power would make it an unstoppable mule!

I live in a small town the only gas station here only sales one grade of gas 87. I use seafoam in the fall seems to work well.

I too have been using ethanol free with Seafoam for several years and have had no further fuel related problems. http://www.buyrealgas.com/ https://www.pure-gas.org

Our local agriculture equipment dealer told me a couple of years ago that they switched from Sta-Bil to Seafoam and have not experienced any problems since then! I saw no reason to doubt him so I use Seafoam exclusive!

For all you Wheel Horse RJ fans! Here is patent on the first Wheel Horse three speed transmission. https://www.google.com/patents/US2988185

The voice of reason is the person who tries to get the group to adopt decisions using evidence and logic. That person's role is either to be ignored by the emotional members of the group or to be cast out by the mob.

You will be amazed at the amount of maintenance the ethanol free gas will save you.

I had a busy day and was tired yesterday. It was $400 I paid for it still a good deal!

If the four hours was just a couple of long runs that let the engine get hot then i wouldn't change he oil. If it was a bunch of short runs I might change it as condensation can build up. Long runs boil off the water in the oil.

Looking good. You are about half way to having a full herd!

Why did you buy them then? They look great.

Oh no...here we go.

I can only get ethonal gas where I live, I have used Seafoam for couple of years now, have had no problems.

Don't know as I ever seen the green stuff Bob, wonder what caused it? Now Dave' pics yes plenty of times. I do try to empty the bowl if I am going to lay a tractor up for months by shutting off the pet cocktail and runt till is empties out plus choke it as it's starting to sputter. Don't know if that helps but figure it can't hurt. Sometimes I wish they hadn't done away with bowl drains. I'm also with Mike on the seafoam. Which surprises my self not being a believer of tune up in a can.

I totally agree. My family calls me "Over-kill Ken", but I don't have redo many projects!

I had the same problem...you'da thot someone planted corn in the carb bowl. I tried Stabil, but that only turned the green 'seeds' to brown. Ultimately I began using Seafoam and have not since had a problem. A better idea is to buy Ethanol Free gas, which I've also done. Even with that, I still use Seafoam cuz I like to 'over-kill' an issue.

The secret to putting them on straight is to mist a little water onto the decal and the tractor. Then you can move them around until they are straight. Squeegee the water out and let them dry.

Go to their website, find the product you are looking for, and there should be a link to the safety data sheet.

Looks like a few decal removed will restore the Horse's dignity.

Substances like that sitting in a bowl are the reason why I am not allowed to try to cook

I definitely will I have a lot of other things going on right now hopefully I will get to it soon.

Nice pickup and project. Love the 16 hp Kohler engines but, "followed me home." ? Sounds like another Red Square......story.

That big thumper should crank that tiller Chuck. Keep us updated on the installation. We are interested in the lift arrangement.

I did just that Dick and it came in at 1.497. which is close but there are some imperfections that showed up under the AL. Now I'm not too sure 10 under will take them out so Ford Diesel may be right in 20 under. . I am going to let the machine shop guy make the call. He is going to take it down to 1.490 and see what it looks like.

hi men, since the fender pan and belt guard were removed for the seat support repair, i also removed the hood. special thanks to my bud mark for the fresh automotive paint and clear. new decals from terry, super guy! custom stainless steel exhaust stack from john at blue ribbon welding in chester ma. the stack is something i bought at home depot. (actaully its a shower safety grab bar) my bud harry fabbed the rake mount so it works with a clevis hitch. and thanks to my friend phil for the pics. enjoy mike in mass.

I would echo the sentiments of the guys that are saying repower if you want to put that much money into it. A 520HC is a fairly unique and durable tractor and certainly worth it. Also mentioned is a swap from another Wheel Horse tractor with the same engine. If you are patient and keep your eyes on CL, ebay, or the classifieds here you might just find a running tractor that you can get cheap enough to make the swap worthwhile if it runs well and has a managable number of hours. I have done this before with success. This method would be simply a bolt for bolt swap and probably the simplest. However, any time you buy something used, you run the risk that it too could fail in a short time. The warranty backed new repower does eliminate that from your worry list...

Not only being into the GT hobby but also the vintage car hobby, this fuel topic comes up a lot. Ethanol has a lot of problems associated with it for hobby machines. I have seen numerous problems with it and steer clear of it for any of my in shop fuel tanks (whether attached to a vehicle or on the shelf.) I have used Stabil in the past but am not convinced that it works like SeaFoam does. My uncle had put some Ethanol into one of my GT's last fall and I had a real challenge getting it going right this spring. Fuel certainly isn't what it used to be years ago. I'm a big fan of running premium in my GT's all summer and storing them with full tanks and SeaFoam in winter. I like @WHX12 method of running the float bowl dry for the winter as well.

I was at an action a few weekends ago and I saw a box with two nos wheel horse belts in it. I didn’t get the box they were in but I asked the person that did if they wanted them or not and they said no and they ended up giving them to me, little things like that can make your day. Here are a few pictures. Going off of the packaging they look like they are earlier wheel horse but not sure, also not sure what they fit, maybe someone on here can tell me that? They are About 1’ to 1.5’ long

Sparks are the result of a bad connection. Before replacing anything, I would clean all or the wire terminals and make sure that they are tight when you put them back on. Also pull on the terminals and make sure that they are tight on the wires. If the terminals look questionable in any way cut them off and replace them.

I use ethanol-free, 89 octane gas only.

I also use Ethanol free gas with Sea Foam. Works for me.