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buster

YEEAAAHHHHH- My first Wheel Horse

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buster

I just bought my first Horse, a 1993 314-8 with 330 hours on it. I have to check a few things on it first.

1. Is there supposed to be a o-ring or something on the engine oil dipstick tube? The dipstick on this engine has nothing holding it down and just flops around.

2. The steering wheel is cocked off to the right a little and the steering column has play in it. Are there any components in the steering system that have to be replaced?.

3. The owners manual says there is no reason to change the transmission oil

but I want to anyway. I was going to go with a synthetic 85/90 weight GL-5. Will I have any problems?

Are there any other areas for maintenance I should be looking at. Can't wait to mow with it for the first time and see how that 42" recycler mowing deck works.

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shorts

sometimes changing to synthetic lubricants will find leaks that are not present with dino oil, my opinion is that they tend to have different detergent and viscosity characteristics, once you work thru the leak issues the superior protection and reduced friction are worth the aggrivation.

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tunahead72

Welcome to the exciting world of Wheel Horse ownership!

I'm surprised you've only had one response so far, so I'll see if I can at least give you some general direction.

First, if you don't already have them, try to get as many manuals as you can for your tractor, engine and attachments, preferably free. Parts diagrams are also available, and REALLY handy. If you don't find what you need, ask again here, they're around. Here's a couple of links to get you started, you'll need your model numbers:

  • [*:1k6ba6ym]Toro:
https://homeownersolutions.toro.com/portal/...duct_center/225[*:1k6ba6ym]Kohler (You have a Magnum M14? Click on the M12, same manuals): http://www.kohlerengines.com/manuals/landing.htm

The rest of my comments are based on my '86 310-8, similar but certainly not identical to your '93 314-8.

If your dipstick is the type with a handle at the top to pull it out of the tube, you probably do need an o-ring on the dipstick itself, just below the handle.

When you say your steering wheel is "cocked off the the right", do you mean it's just not aligned nicely (i.e., doesn't form a "Y", with one of the spokes vertical)? There's a procedure in the service manual to fix that, not hard assuming everything moves freely.

Your best bet for finding and fixing loose steering is simply to turn your steering wheel and watch the entire system to see where you find play. Starting at the front end, here are some general guidelines:

  • [*:1k6ba6ym]Make sure the entire front end and steering system are well lubed, best to do the front end with both wheels off the ground (be careful!).[*:1k6ba6ym]Tie rods can be loose (fairly common), easy to tighten or replace.[*:1k6ba6ym]There's an axle pin that goes through the center of the front axle, should be nice and tight.[*:1k6ba6ym]Front wheel spindles may need to be shimmed.[*:1k6ba6ym]There's a flanged bearing at the front of the lower (horizontal) steering shaft.[*:1k6ba6ym]There's a grease fitting on the steering support where the lower and upper (vertical) steering shafts meet, that area should be greased well.[*:1k6ba6ym]Just behind there, the end of the lower shaft can be shimmed to reduce end play -- this is another common area to fix, and can make a huge difference in the way your steering works, you want somewhere between 0" and 0.015" when you're done.[*:1k6ba6ym]Finally, if you can move your upper steering shaft front-to-back or side-to-side, you may have a worn bearing near the top, or bushing where the shaft goes through the console. It's one of the few weak design areas on this era of Wheel Horses, but there are some creative fixes on this forum, here's a couple to check out:
http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/index.php?showtopic=24353
http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/index.php?showtopic=28060

The petroleum vs. synthetic debate rages on. I have no opinion (where's our Monty Python emoticon?) -- I personally use regular gear oil (and motor oil), no particular reason. I think the most important thing is that you've decided to change the fluid after all these years, no telling what kind of treatment it's had in the past. Keep an eye on the level, and make sure your shift lever boot is in good shape (a bad one will allow water into the transmission, your fluid will look milky).

As far as other maintenance, I'd say follow the manuals, they usually know what they're talking about. Check here for a list of some other maintenance items that aren't usually covered in the manuals:

http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/index.php?showtopic=25240

And one last piece of advice: the Search function at the top of each page here is your friend, use it often (but be aware of just how many hours will disappear if you're not careful! :woohoo: ).

Hope this helps, and have fun with your new machine!

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dlaw90
On 6/28/2011 at 0:15 PM, tunahead72 said:

Welcome to the exciting world of Wheel Horse ownership!

 

I'm surprised you've only had one response so far, so I'll see if I can at least give you some general direction.

 

First, if you don't already have them, try to get as many manuals as you can for your tractor, engine and attachments, preferably free. Parts diagrams are also available, and REALLY handy. If you don't find what you need, ask again here, they're around. Here's a couple of links to get you started, you'll need your model numbers:

  • [*:1k6ba6ym]Toro:

https://homeownersolutions.toro.com/portal/...duct_center/225[*:1k6ba6ym]Kohler (You have a Magnum M14? Click on the M12, same manuals): http://www.kohlerengines.com/manuals/landing.htm

 

The rest of my comments are based on my '86 310-8, similar but certainly not identical to your '93 314-8.

 

If your dipstick is the type with a handle at the top to pull it out of the tube, you probably do need an o-ring on the dipstick itself, just below the handle.

 

When you say your steering wheel is "cocked off the the right", do you mean it's just not aligned nicely (i.e., doesn't form a "Y", with one of the spokes vertical)? There's a procedure in the service manual to fix that, not hard assuming everything moves freely.

 

Your best bet for finding and fixing loose steering is simply to turn your steering wheel and watch the entire system to see where you find play. Starting at the front end, here are some general guidelines:

  • [*:1k6ba6ym]Make sure the entire front end and steering system are well lubed, best to do the front end with both wheels off the ground (be careful!).[*:1k6ba6ym]Tie rods can be loose (fairly common), easy to tighten or replace.[*:1k6ba6ym]There's an axle pin that goes through the center of the front axle, should be nice and tight.[*:1k6ba6ym]Front wheel spindles may need to be shimmed.[*:1k6ba6ym]There's a flanged bearing at the front of the lower (horizontal) steering shaft.[*:1k6ba6ym]There's a grease fitting on the steering support where the lower and upper (vertical) steering shafts meet, that area should be greased well.[*:1k6ba6ym]Just behind there, the end of the lower shaft can be shimmed to reduce end play -- this is another common area to fix, and can make a huge difference in the way your steering works, you want somewhere between 0" and 0.015" when you're done.[*:1k6ba6ym]Finally, if you can move your upper steering shaft front-to-back or side-to-side, you may have a worn bearing near the top, or bushing where the shaft goes through the console. It's one of the few weak design areas on this era of Wheel Horses, but there are some creative fixes on this forum, here's a couple to check out:

http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/index.php?showtopic=24353
http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/index.php?showtopic=28060

 

The petroleum vs. synthetic debate rages on. I have no opinion (where's our Monty Python emoticon?) -- I personally use regular gear oil (and motor oil), no particular reason. I think the most important thing is that you've decided to change the fluid after all these years, no telling what kind of treatment it's had in the past. Keep an eye on the level, and make sure your shift lever boot is in good shape (a bad one will allow water into the transmission, your fluid will look milky).

 

As far as other maintenance, I'd say follow the manuals, they usually know what they're talking about. Check here for a list of some other maintenance items that aren't usually covered in the manuals:

http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/index.php?showtopic=25240

 

And one last piece of advice: the Search function at the top of each page here is your friend, use it often (but be aware of just how many hours will disappear if you're not careful! :woohoo: ).

 

Hope this helps, and have fun with your new machine!

 

I'm trying to find the thread you mentioned that has a list of maintenance items not included in the manuals. It looks like the link you posted takes me to a thread about raffle prizes. Do you still have the thread saved somewhere? Thanks!

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tunahead72

I wish I did.  It was very informative as I recall, but unfortunately I believe that particular thread has been lost forever.

 

What happened was, this forum went through a major software conversion back in late 2011 or 2012 if I remember correctly.  It went remarkably well considering everything that was going on at the time, thanks to Karl (nylyon) and the other moderators who made it all happen.  But some threads were lost completely, and others weren't transferred exactly right (like this one -- you'll see strange or missing text or formatting, incorrect emoticons, that sort of thing).

 

If anybody does have a copy of that thread, I'd love to see it.  I think the title was actually something obvious like "Maintenance items not covered in the manual".  In the meantime, the Search function is still our very good friend. :)

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dlaw90
10 hours ago, tunahead72 said:

I wish I did.  It was very informative as I recall, but unfortunately I believe that particular thread has been lost forever.

 

What happened was, this forum went through a major software conversion back in late 2011 or 2012 if I remember correctly.  It went remarkably well considering everything that was going on at the time, thanks to Karl (nylyon) and the other moderators who made it all happen.  But some threads were lost completely, and others weren't transferred exactly right (like this one -- you'll see strange or missing text or formatting, incorrect emoticons, that sort of thing).

 

If anybody does have a copy of that thread, I'd love to see it.  I think the title was actually something obvious like "Maintenance items not covered in the manual".  In the meantime, the Search function is still our very good friend. :)

 

Thanks for the info. I always wondered why some links didn't take me to the right spot. If i manage to track it down, I'll make sure I send it your way.

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Tankman

Years ago I switched to Mobil 80w90 synthetic gear lube. How often is gear lube changed anyway, like never.

I was delivering synthetic, Mobil 80w90, gear lube to UPS locations. That's all they use!

UPS's data proved to them, increased life, fewer problems, using Mobil 1.

 

A racing friend, one race per rear. Changed to Mobil 1 89w90 synthetic, 3 races per rear. :handgestures-thumbupright:

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