found a 417-A

[njdpo 1]

hi all,

I recently csme across a wheel horse 417-A.its in a pole barn and I was not able to inspect it thourghoughly but it seems its in fairly nice shape.

Owner tells me hes got a mower deck for it. He tells me it was given to him and the

woman told him it stopped running he said - I dont know if its siezed or out of gas - I never looked at it (I have enough projects going on at the moment...)

I dont know what year it is - but I do know the hood has no vents on top of it, chrome air cleaner and a muffler. (I seem to recall this tractor not having a long run - could this tractor be a 1985 model)?

If I were to get into any kind of negotiations with him I want to know a few things about the machine.

was there any kind of bagging attachment for the 417-A ? (this is important for my property for fall cleanup)

What brand/type of automatic trans did it have (was it a good one)?

Are these 17 HP kohlers rugged / reliable?

Currently I have a good running commando 800 with the 3 speed (im sold on the ruggedness

of the gear tranny). Will i be equally impressed with the 417-A automatic ?

I had a newer box store JD with an automatic trans a few years back left me very weary of

getting another hydro trans. Now I have an ingersol 444 with a hydraulic tranny (very well well built) - is the wheel horse auto trans setup camparable with the Ingersoll setup? Or are we talking box

store quality?

The next tractor I get (any tractor I get) will be used for towing wood, leaf cleanup(bagging), and plowing. Im thinking if the 417-A had a bagger attachment - maybe Ive found a good replacement for the big 444.

The seller will probably help me get it running - any advise on testing this tranny is welcome. I assume they need to be warmed up bit? (the ingersoll does not need to be warmed up, the JD was whimpy either hot or cold - so I dont know what to expect from the 417-A setup).

Your thoughts on the matter appreciated.

thx - Dave

[Forest Road 594]

Aside from checking the fluids and letting it get warm there's not too much. Run it up a hill. Should it lose obvious power thats a bad sign. Its not unusal for the forward/reverse lever to fade or fall to a lower speed you might even have to hold it in position. A simple adjustment corrects that. Don't slam it from forward to reverse.

You might also want to hang the deck and see if the lift cylinder works properly. They get old and los their holding power. Iwouldn't let a bad cylinder spoil the deal.

If you decide to pass on it let me know. I'm in North Jersey as well.

Good luck

Kevin

[HorseFixer 2,012]

Dave the 417A is a fine machine. I purchased one awhile back and gave it a good Freshen Up. They are a good machine from all that I have heard. This one is my yard machine also same as yours. Without seeing it I agree with Kevin, Ck the fluids and run it and try things out. With a little work you can get em looking pretty good too! Heres mine a Before & After. Shes a 1985

~Duke

[smoreau 658]

I have the 85 417A and its a work horse for sure! I use mine very hard in the woods pulling logs around and also pushes snow in the winter. I like it better then my 96 520H for doing serious work! Looks good with a few rough edges, but if I fixed it up more I may not work it as hard. It uses about 1/4 of a qt of oil between tanks of gas, but runs like a champ! I would but another one in a hart beat, If I needed another worker.

[rexman72 210]

hi all,

I recently csme across a wheel horse 417-A.its in a pole barn and I was not able to inspect it thourghoughly but it seems its in fairly nice shape.

Owner tells me hes got a mower deck for it. He tells me it was given to him and the

woman told him it stopped running he said - I dont know if its siezed or out of gas - I never looked at it (I have enough projects going on at the moment...)

I dont know what year it is - but I do know the hood has no vents on top of it, chrome air cleaner and a muffler. (I seem to recall this tractor not having a long run - could this tractor be a 1985 model)?

If I were to get into any kind of negotiations with him I want to know a few things about the machine.

was there any kind of bagging attachment for the 417-A ? (this is important for my property for fall cleanup)

What brand/type of automatic trans did it have (was it a good one)?

Are these 17 HP kohlers rugged / reliable?

Currently I have a good running commando 800 with the 3 speed (im sold on the ruggedness

of the gear tranny). Will i be equally impressed with the 417-A automatic ?

I had a newer box store JD with an automatic trans a few years back left me very weary of

getting another hydro trans. Now I have an ingersol 444 with a hydraulic tranny (very well well built) - is the wheel horse auto trans setup camparable with the Ingersoll setup? Or are we talking box

store quality?

The next tractor I get (any tractor I get) will be used for towing wood, leaf cleanup(bagging), and plowing. Im thinking if the 417-A had a bagger attachment - maybe Ive found a good replacement for the big 444.

The seller will probably help me get it running - any advise on testing this tranny is welcome. I assume they need to be warmed up bit? (the ingersoll does not need to be warmed up, the JD was whimpy either hot or cold - so I dont know what to expect from the 417-A setup).

Your thoughts on the matter appreciated.

thx - Dave

the 417A has an eaton 1100 tranny which is one of the top trannys made.Also some of the 417A s came with a series 11 kohler motor which in my opinion is a good motor.So i wouldnt be worried about the tranny being a hydro.welcome to the site lots of great info here.