36 inch tiller: What am I in for?

[rwlvt 3]

Hi folks,

 

I'm at it again, and as usual, I'm out of my depth.  This time, I have just installed an old 36 inch tiller. 

 

Model is unknown, but this has to be an 80's or 90's vintage.  It has a Wheel Horse label, though the model and serial number are illegible.

 

After some research, fussing, and a few miscellaneous pins and springs, I got the thing together this morning, and it was working!!!

 

Unfortunately, I think I BROKE it.   😒

Admittedly, I'm trying to till a rough patch of ground, and I'm new to the machine.  I thought I got the feel of it. I put the tiller in the ground and let it till for a bit before moving ahead a foot or so.  But ultimately, it stopped working.  I am intimately familiar with the belt assembly at this point.  It's not the belt or the assembly.  The PTO is working, the large pully on the tiller is turning, the shaft is turning, but the tines are not.  

So, my question to you Wheel Horse guru's is:  What am I in for?  Getting this thing on was a chore.  The prospect of taking it off is not pleasant, but it seems like I'm going to have to get into the gear box.  Any advice before I disassemble?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Ron
 

 

Edited June 13 by rwlvt
punctuation

[kpinnc 18,747]

I think the Wheel Horse tiller is one of the best implements they ever built. They can be hard to work on but are mechanically simple. 

 

The tiller gearbox just has two sprockets and a heavy chain. Sounds like it skipped off one sprocket or the chain broke. 

 

Either way, you gotta open it and have a look. Good time to inspect the bearings and seals and replace as needed. The case holds about a quart plus of oil as well. 

 

The difficult part is always removing the tines from the center shaft. Each tine set use a couple pins to hold them on the center shaft but it is not uncommon for the tines to brown weld onto the shaft. Lots of heat and penetrating oil are sometimes required to break them loose. 

 

 

[Skwerl58 831]

I was into mine after it locked up a couple of months ago. Like kpinnc stated the hard part was getting the tines removed. I cleaned them then shot pb blast at each point I could see the shaft. Turned it up sideways and shot it between the tines and shaft also while tapping them with a hammer. With a lot of persuasion they came off. You will need a new case gasket or heavy duty gasket maker and possibly shaft seals also. A vendor here has the gasket and seals. I used a wood block to help separate the case because it is cast and you could crack it if you hammer on it. They are simple but take pictures along the way to help with reassembly. Mine held about 28 ounces of 85-140 gear lube. Hope you get it going because they are a great implement.

[rwlvt 3]

Hoo boy!  That's pretty much what I thought, but thanks for the insights.  

[rwlvt 3]

There are several tiller models in this likely time frame.  This one definitely has the Wheel Horse label.  They all look pretty similar.  Any idea whether the gasket and seals are likely the same for several models?  Or any clues about how to determine exactly which model I have?

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 12,358]

All the tillers for this application are listed here. Click on the picture in the link.

 

[oliver2-44 11,630]

if you figured out how to install the tiller and belt drive, the gearbox won't be hard for you. 

[rwlvt 3]

Well, the shell and the tines are off.  It turns out the most difficult thing so far is removing this pulley...

 

So far, heat, tapping, and pulley puller have failed.  Looks like a clip on the outside but I don't have a clue how to remove it.  Any suggestions?

[rwlvt 3]

Yes, I removed the retaining bolts (set screws) on the other side.  

Edited June 20 by rwlvt

[pfrederi 20,870]

Is there a set screw on the backside of the pulley  #54 grips key #53

 

 

 

[rwlvt 3]

Persistence paid off--though it cost me a pulley.  (I suspect some of you knew this would be the case.)  😏 
I checked around before pulling it and found reasonable replacements before I did too much damage...

 

That allowed me to remove the remaining bolts and gingerly separate the sides of the casing...  

 

 

Finally got the case apart, and indeed, the chain was broken. 
That seems like the best possible outcome. 
Other broken parts look like they would be more difficult to repair.

So, I'm hoping I will be able to repair the chain.  Clearly, I will need a new gasket  and probably new seals.  Any other thoughts?
Also, tell me if this is too much information.  Just sharing my experience in case it might help another newbie.  😁

[ineedanother 2,598]

Nicely done! Gasket, seals, and just a couple other things I would consider at this point...those cases rarely need oil but I would pull both plugs and get some anti-sieze on the threads. The other thing which you've maybe already done is check the gears and chain really well while it's in your hands. That link broke for a reason and others might be headed in that direction. Teeth on the gears can be "massaged" with a dremel or file if needed and when you find the right chain you can make the call on how extensive the repair needs to be.

[rwlvt 3]

It's been  weeks, but I'm finally getting to re-assembling this tiller.  Got things cleaned up pretty well.  I looked at the tine shaft this morning and saw some wear in the teeth of the gear. 

  

This probabaly wouldn't bother much but since I have it apart, I ground down anything that felt sharp or too badly deformed.  Here's the result...      

The bearings all looked good.  I did replace the oil seals and started re-assembly.  All bearings and seals are pretty heavily greased.

The tiller failed because the chain was broken.  So, I bought a new chain and cut it to size rather than fixing the old one...

   

I just laid the gasket on there to make sure it would work.  Thankfully, it seems like the right fit.  I plan to use some gasket sealer as well.

The other side of the case is cleaned up and ready to go.

 

   

 

A couple of questions. In the closeup of the pulley shaft above, there is a new bearing that was not in the original machine.  When I orders new washers, it came as a set with this bearing.  I take it this was on newer models.  It is not in the drawing.  It definitely doesn't go on the underside.  That causes to gears to misalign too much.  Not sure if it's going to fit, but I'll give it a try here.  

 

  

 

The reason I ordered these washers was because one was actually BROKEN in the case.  

I also found a broken circular clip in the case when I pulled it apart.  The circular clips are on the tine shaft.  They hold the washers on that shaft away from the gear and chain.  They're in place.  So, I assumed that it was for the 3/4 inch pulley shaft.  But there is no place for it that I can see.  Any thoughts from anyone who has torn one of these apart?  

 

Any other thoughts before I close this thing up would be appreciated.

 

Thanks all for being here.

 

Ron

 

 

 

 

 

[ineedanother 2,598]

Looks great. If this is the bearing in question that wasn't there previously, my opinion is that it doesn't belong. That would be the wrong bearing for that application .