Bought Another Horse to Fuel My Addiction :D

[mattd860 162]

Picked up a 1960 Suburban 550 this morning from a local member. I was going to buy Fireman's 1958 RJ (http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/index.php?showtopic=21663) which is a beautiful machine but I like the Suburban model slightly better and actually desired a winter restore project rather than something that is already in good condition.

The 550 is overall in great shape but needs a lot of cosmetic work and a few fixes here and there. The Lauson H55B-1170 motor runs good and the transmission shifts good as well. The engine tin on the bottom is shot though. Anyone have the tin??

The front wheels are shot but the seller gave me a set of front wheels in much better condition. The gas tank is also in decent shape but I need to work on the glass bowl because the fittings are badly rusted.

I'm going to get it running smoothly for the upcoming Jacktown fair (http://jacktown.com/schedule.asp) in Bangor, PA next Saturday and tear it apart and rebuild the whole machine.

Question - will a Kohler K91 fit on this tractor? I'm wondering if the Kohler carb intake will hit the hood support.

Here are some pics:

[wallfish 18,154]

Nice score

K91 will fit and turn it into a 400

[puddlejumper 67]

THe k91 will fit. If you take a notion to part with that H55 I would love to have it.

[wallfish 18,154]

You can buy a new fuel strainer here

http://www.psep.biz/store/small_engine_fuel_filters.htm

Did you get the snow plow to go with it?

[Pollack Pete 2,273]

Very nice Wheel Horse.What is the Case tractor in the back ground? I like that one too.

[massey 119]

Nice little Wh and a nice big Case.

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,534]

It is not easy to find a 550.. I would keep that HH55 in there and do your proper restore. Very nice. You planning on going to the next meet and greet on the 17th?

[mattd860 162]

I'm going to do my best to keep the H55 in there. I need thoroughly clean the carb and correctly route the choke and throttle cables. Right now, the throttle cable is completely bypassing the governor and connects directly to the throttle flap. Most of the thin wire rods connecting the governor and various springs have rusted away so I need to locate new pieces to assemble the throttle system properly.

Can anything be done to salvage the flywheel cover???

The tractor came with the snow plow bracket only - no plow. I'm thinking about selling it if anyone wants it.

[wheelhorse656 20]

i know some one who has a good shroud it was on a tecumseh but it should fit. you would just have to switch the id tags.

p.m. me if your interasted. :)

[mattd860 162]

The decals on the hood are in great shape. Is there any way to salvage them? They have to come off in order to restore the hood.

[BPjunk 184]

Another reason to keep the Tecumseh/Lauson original to the tractor is the super rare (or "hard to find" as I like to say) exhaust pipe. The one piece mandrel bent pipe was only used on the Suburban series tractors with the Tecumseh/Lauson engine. The air filter housing adapter is another hard to find part. Although these can be found on other period rear engine riders, the 550/551 Suburbans were the only Wheel Horse to use this part. What is also neat about the H55B-1170 and H55D-2113 engine is that has a oil pump, the oil pump is located in the indentation you see in the lower part of the out put side of the engine. Nice purchase.

Wild Bill

[mattd860 162]

Thanks!! I am definitely going to keep everything stock. I can't wait to begin the restore. Right now I have all the nuts and bolts soaking in PB blaster so they can be removed :)

[puddlejumper 67]

Matt

It needs the bolt holes in the top repaired as you can see. But you can have it for shipping.

[mattd860 162]

Matt

It needs the bolt holes in the top repaired as you can see. But you can have it for shipping.

PM Sent - Thanks

[mattd860 162]

I have another question. With the trans. in neutral, the tractor is still very difficult to push around. Does that indicate a problem in the rear end?

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

How tight is the brake band & how rusty is the drum?

[mattd860 162]

How tight is the brake band & how rusty is the drum?

I remember the pedal and adjustment lever to be very loose but I don't know how tight or rusted the actual band is. I will double check later when I get home. THANKS!!

[VinsRJ 723]

I would not say a stiff rolling tranny indicates a problem but more likely bad gear oil in need of a change. I'm sure there is a bunch of sludge in the bottem of the tranny so for a proper restore a full field strip and inspection of the tranny is in order. And you might as well replace all of the seals, bushings and bearings while you are in there. :)

[taycotrains 52]

I owned that machine for about 48 hours I bought it Friday night at the last Jacktown show

from the original owner...and sold it early the following week to help finance the purchase of this......

I would have kept it but the 401 was to good to pass up.

Bob T

[HankB 16]

The decals on the hood are in great shape. Is there any way to salvage them? They have to come off in order to restore the hood.

You can try covering them with masking tape and then carefully pulling them off with that. Then clean the adhesive from the backs of the decals and when painting is finished, spray on some adhesive and reapply.

I've not completely done this. It is probably worth a search because it has been discussed before.

-hank

[mattd860 162]

Where can I get an air filter for the Lauson H55?? I had everyone in the local parts store scrambling through the books, micro fiches, and computers trying to locate Lauson H55 parts so they can get the filter lol. After 30 minutes of watching a bunch of people run around like chickens with no heads, I said forget about it and left.

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

The filter is #28589 & good luck finding one.

I might have one or two left, but don't hold your breath.

Stay tuned. :)

[jusjeepn 59]

I sold 5 of those to a guy in OH. when I sold all my Tecumseh inventory off a year ago. I'll try and find his number and see if he still has them!

[jusjeepn 59]

I gave him a call and he sold all of them to one person. He's keeping a eye out for more!

[mattd860 162]

I gave him a call and he sold all of them to one person. He's keeping a eye out for more!

I'm going to be keeping an eye out myself. I wonder if I can try to open mine to replace the cartridge? Or I can try to clean it as is. Or better yet, maybe i'll just leave it alone :)