Mn520H 9 #1 Posted June 8 Greetings, Going to pick up my first Wheel Horse next week. A very well maintained 1996 520H. I've been reading up on the 520H here in this site and learning a lot of good information. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lynnmor 7,825 #2 Posted June 8 45 minutes ago, Mn520H said: Greetings, Going to pick up my first Wheel Horse next week. A very well maintained 1996 520H. I've been reading up on the 520H here in this site and learning a lot of good information. Congratulations! After you have it I would do a complete maintenance on it no matter what you were told. There are a number of things that should be done to extend the life of the tractor, we can get into that later. OH, and we need photos! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
8ntruck 7,842 #4 Posted June 8 lots of good folks here with several boatload of Wheel Horse knowledge and experience. Don't be shy about asking questions - we'll be more than happy to share advice. Some of it will occasionally be helpful. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 9,454 #5 Posted June 8 (edited) On 6/8/2025 at 11:23 AM, 8ntruck said: Some of it will occasionally be helpful. That's us for sure!! Do check out this "New to Herd" checklist - geared to folks getting their first Horse. Compiled by....us. Disregard to cover photo - that's just Kevin having a bad day at "The Office"... Edited June 11 by ri702bill 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 60,083 #6 Posted June 8 One frequently overlooked new-to-me item that should be looked at is the electrical system. Look for signs of corrosion or lack of attention so they won't become a problem later on. The 520 has what is known as a 9 Pin connector that is of special concern. It is a square white connector with nine wires in it and if there are any signs of discoloration it should be addressed soon. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wayne0 1,205 #8 Posted June 8 to You've come to the right place! I will second the attention to the 9 pin connector. Mine was toast. Easily by passed, as it only makes an engine swap easier.. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mn520H 9 #9 Posted June 9 Hi everyone. Thank you for the information and tips! I plan to go through all the service mentioned above and look forward to learning all I can about the 520H. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Retired Wrencher 5,792 #10 Posted June 11 @Mn520H You will find good help hear as always. Enjoy the site and the ride when it is done. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rmaynard 16,299 #11 Posted June 11 Aside from the 9-pin connector, the other thing that is often overlooked is the air flow around the rear (closest to the driver) cylinder. This entails removal of the engine skins and thorough cleaning of grass clippings, rodent nests, etc. Failure to keep the air passages clean can result in overheating which can lead to valve seat burning. Other than that... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mn520H 9 #17 Posted June 22 Here's some photos of the 520H. It cleaned up well. The only problems I noticed is the vacuum gauge doesn't work and the air box sensor had a broken connection that I repaired. I mowed the yard this weekend and it did a great job. The 9 pin is a little discolored, but I haven't noticed any issues yet. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lynnmor 7,825 #19 Posted June 22 9 hours ago, Mn520H said: Notice how the white plastic is turning brown from heat around the red wire? There are two ways to deal with it before the connection completely fails. One is to run a wire of the same gauge around the connector to take the load off the connection. Another is to run an additional wire, with a 30 amp fuse, from the center connection of the voltage regulator to the battery cable connection on the starter. Be sure to unplug and completely clean the contacts in the connector, then apply some No-Ox. Those hours are excellent and should give you many years of service. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mn520H 9 #20 Posted June 22 Thanks Lynnmor! Is it only the red wire that has too much load? So I only need to bridge that wire out of the 9 pin connection? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lynnmor 7,825 #21 Posted June 22 (edited) 8 hours ago, Mn520H said: Thanks Lynnmor! Is it only the red wire that has too much load? So I only need to bridge that wire out of the 9 pin connection? Correct. Of course any of the wires can be a problem if the connection is very bad. These connectors aren't rated to carry the load of the charging system and all of that is on the red wire. You can clean the red wire connector and leave it in there, then add your jumper around to handle the load. You can get a tool to release the connector from the housing, it is basically a round hollow tube that is pushed down over the connector flattening the latch. Search "connector pin removal tool" on your favorite online stores, any of the moderate priced tools should be OK, the really cheap ones fail due to the cheap metal. When reinstalling the connectors, pry out the latch a bit so it catches as before. I looked at your photo again and see that the connector is cable tied to hold it closer to the muffler than I like, move it away as far as practical. Edited June 22 by lynnmor additional info 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mn520H 9 #22 Posted June 23 I'll definitely move it away from the muffler. I also picked up the No-Ox you referenced. I like the idea of adding an independent fused 30 amp lead and will need to look into that more. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lynnmor 7,825 #23 Posted June 23 34 minutes ago, Mn520H said: I'll definitely move it away from the muffler. I also picked up the No-Ox you referenced. I like the idea of adding an independent fused 30 amp lead and will need to look into that more. Look up one of the first 520’s in the manuals section, they were wired that way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
