New wheelhorse

[entropy 104]

So I got a new(relative for me as I had a 21" push mower) 520hc with the 20HP onan. My yard was so big I had to split the push mowing into a 2 day festival! When I was 35 it was no big deal to do it in one day, but as age marched on I found my stamina diminished... or maybe it was my patience. It would take a solid 2 hours just for the mowing(21" my arse as overlap eats up an easy 4"), weed whacking added on another 30 minutes and blowing off the walk and drive  another 10-15mins..... numbers which became ingrained in my head after years of servitude. And yes I have kids, but all female(with grass allergies) so a definite no go with pawning off the job to my kids.

 

A little back story..... my next door neighbor is an older gent and I often head over to help him out with projects he can not handle on his own(cleaning the siding on a 2 story, moving furniture etc etc). Every winter(snow storm) I run my snowblower through his sidewalk and driveway as I am already out there doing mine so why not do his(guilty conscience would not let me sleep if I saw him shoveling while my sprite 49 y.o. frame was using a gas powered blower). 

 

Well my older neighbor contracted with a lawn service about 5 years ago and has not used his wheelhorse 520hc. It was sitting under his deck gathering spider webs and dust. It would not start. He calls me over to see if I can get it fired up, so I say no problem I will take a look. I pull the battery and stick it on my charger overnight. Next day comes and I check the gas tank, dry thank goodness. I put some fresh gas in and crank it....... nothing. I disconnect the gas line which hooks up to a thing mounted on the side of the motor. Gas is flowing to the small metal object but not up to the filter. So I prime the filter line, prime the small metal box, and throw a squirt of gas into the carb for good measure. Turn the key and the bad boy starts up and purrs like a kitten. My neighbor is quite pleased, liked my trouble shooting skills and congratulates me on a job well done. I said no problem Jim, its what neighbors are for. He then asks me if I want the mower/tractor. I told him I was thinking about getting a ride on but money was tight (a perpetual problem in my life...remember I have 2 daughters!). He says to me the price is right. I ask what the price is. 

 

Now to make all of you jealous I got it for a song and a dance(clothes on of course). 

 

The price you ask? He tells me I already paid for it, just drive it over to your garage......... SWEEEEEEEET! I ask him are you sure? I tell him this is to much for me to take without paying. He insists. I again say it is to much and he again insists I take it. I take it...... never refuse too much as this can be insulting to the giver.

 

So now I have a wheelhorse, time to do the entire yard now= 1 hour. Start to finish machines cleaned off, edging done and walk and drive blown off.

 

Of course I researched the brand and found this site, so I thought you all would enjoy the story. And this thing is a beast, a heavy duty beast.

 

 

[AMC RULES 36,954]

Wonderful story...who's luckier than you?

On the way home, hope you picked up a lotto ticket too.     

[cheesegrader 433]

Awesome.

Entropy is increasing, but there is still some order in the universe!

[Tankman 3,515]

Thanks for sharing, that's what neighbors are for!

Let's hope you're mowin' the neighbors some too! :smile:

[WH nut 553]

Cool story, and great neighbors

[entropy 104]

So an update, spent the day cleaning the WH up. The paint is well worn and missing in some areas with corrosion, mostly surface rust. Not pretty but serviceable and with a little sanding and paint can be stopped from getting much worse. Not worried about the appearance anyhow, mechanics are always the priority.

 

So the bad..... hydraulic deck does not work, fortunately it is in low mowing position. Brake pedal on left side is loose and has to be pushed all the way down to engage and has to be pulled back with foot to return. I did try tightening the linkage which runs to the back but after about 20 turns no improvement was noticed. Will have to look at the shift linkage which goes into tranny today. The gear shifter on the right engages forward fine, neutral has the mower still moving a very little bit, like it is just barely pulling and reverse is tricky to engage but it does work (will look at linkage today to see if there is unusual play underneath)

 

I am going to change the oil today, I read that it takes straight 30w oil, I noticed the only filter is on the rear of the machine. I assume this is a remote engine oil filter to avoid engine heat. Does anyone know what filter to use? There is also a dipstick under the seat for the tranny. I will change that as well, but do not know what fluid to use....any suggestions. 

 

Thanks for the welcome

[Wheelhorse84 87]

That filter is for your hydro transmission.

[chevyaddict83 39]

I cou ld be wrong, but the filter in the back should be for the hydro tranny, not the engine. There are manuals available on here, definitely worth a good read. And, congratulations on the new machine!

Sent from my 416-8

[bitten 133]

Hello and welcome to Red Square. 

Great story. 

Look under the seat at what model number you have and look up the manual for it. It should help with adjusting the linkage and identifying things. 

Good Luck.

[546cowboy 301]

The oil filter is at the left lower rear of the engine. Sounds like you need to adjust and lube the shift linkage under the seat. You need to check the oil level in the trans and that filter on the rear is the trans filter. Since you have no experience with the tractor download the manual and read it through. 520's are awesome nad after some maintenance you will be good to go for many years.  

[Ken B 3,116]

Pretty cool story. I live in a pretty tight neighborhood and we all like to help each other out. A neighbor I'm tight with just had a massive heart attack, he's my age, 45 and takes real good care of himself. A bunch of us got together this past weekend and split two cords of wood for him that the tree service dropped in his front yard recently and we serviced his lawn for him. He'll be surprised when he comes home from the hospital I bet, he'd do the same for us. You have been a great neighbor to the old timer, I hope when I get older I have a good neighbor like you. That 520 HC is a very capable machine, it cost big bucks when it was new! How bout some pics?

[entropy 104]

Well color me red for shame..... I just noticed the huge filter out back and quit looking (assume=ass-u-me, me being the key word in this instance). I will have to re-evaluate my diagnostic capabilities post haste! Great site and thanks for the feedback.

[Jake Kuhn 1,547]

[Wheel-N-It 2,967]

Welcome to the Club. Its a great day anytime you get a free Wheel Horse.

[entropy 104]

Well I read the entire manual thanks to this site...... tranny uses motor oil. And yes I have now found both filters. I am going with a straight 30w according to the temp operating guides. I am going to leave the tranny oil alone for now, still clear with no burnt smell and a nice light caramel color. The engine oil on the other hand smells burnt and is dark. I just need to figure out the correct filter, so draining it and pulling filter will happen before I get to the store for replacement stuff.

 

The manual also does have info on adjusting linkage for brakes and shifter..... so another day will be spent on fiddling with the new Dad toy. Better restock my beer supply! Think I will go with a triple ale... Merry Monks unfiltered triple or River Horse triple horse. Decisions decisions

[leeave96 487]

Nice job helping a neighbor with no strings and the fellow nice enough to give you the tractor - great story!

 

Take your time, you've got a great tractor.  In addition to reading the manuals, spend some time doing a lot of searching and reading on this site about your tractor.  Most everything has been covered.  One really important thing right off the bat is to keep the engine clear of grass build-up.  Heat ain't the Onan's friend.

 

Good luck,

Bill

[MarkPalmer 80]

It's amazing what you can get for free if you are kind to others.  I got my 867 from my father in law, and the Chief from a friend.  In the past I got two Ariens (green Sperry-Rands) from a campground I helped out at.  All for free.  The Cub 682 is the only tractor I have that I paid for.  Of course the other tractors needed some time and money put in to them, but that's part of the fun

 

NIce score on the 520HC

 

-Mark-

[cheesegrader 433]

oil filters:

wix 51762

napa1762

 

I use 30w in the summer, but have to switch to 10w30 for the winter.

I've switched to synthetic oil for the hydro.  It makes a huge difference starting up in cold weather, and i don't worry if it stays in for more than a year.

Amsoil 10w30, but it isn't cheap

[varosd 1,185]

Welcome aboard!!

                                I would change to tranny fluid and filter  as who knows how long it has been sitting in there.  as far as the hydro lift, most likely the lift cylinder, there are numerous past posts that can be searched on this subject but if all you are doing is mowing, not a big deal for now.

I never use the left brake pedal as the hydro lever is all I use.

sounds like you have either 1988 or 1989 since you have the hydro level on the "floor".

how big is the deck?   even going from the 22' push mower to a smallish 36' rear or side discharge make a hugr time saver and the mighty 520 also could use a 42',48' or the behemoth 60' deck!

[leeave96 487]

One other thing...

 

[entropy 104]

Update to the update.... oil changed and new filter John Deere AM101207. Bought a 5 gallon store brand, drained old oil put in 1.5 quarts and ran it 10 minutes drained filled again ran 15 mins and drained again. After second drain oil came out lighter and cleaner looking. Then put in the good stuff with new filter. I will probably do the tranny next week, as I work weds through sunday this week. Better safe than sorry.

 

Pulled the side covers and cleaned it up, can see why the back cylinder heats up as cover stops air flow from fan.

 

Then of course I had to take her for a spin and timed my cut. 45 minutes!!!! And I am still trying to perfect my path so I may be able to trim the time down a bit more. Measured the deck and from shute to other side it was 50", so the cut must be around 44-48"? WAY better than the paltry 21"(really 15" with overlap) push mower

 

And I am not using the brake that much now, mostly manipulate speed with the floor shift. I tightened that up and now it is engaging forward and reverse much easier. Neutral still has a bit of play, but no big deal.

 

Impressions so far..... love the sound of the motor(burly), I keep it at 2500rpm and it has more than enough power. Seems like a sweet spot as it does not lug and I am not revving it our either.  It has 770 hours on it and runs like a champ. It does not feel like a mower, more like a little tractor with a cutting deck. 

 

I will talk with my IT consultants (daughters) to see if I can get a couple of pics up. I am quite the neanderthal with that stuff.

 

Thanks for all the feedback and welcomes. Now I see why there is a site for these machines.

[jrfan 2]

cool story not many neighbors like that out there these days

 

[leeave96 487]

IMHO, you should run it at 3600 rpms.  That's the max cooling for the engine and max torque should be around 3200 rpms, so when you hit a thick pile of grass, your RPMs fall into the max torque range.  Wide open engine and control your ground speed with the hydro lever.

 

Also, when you change your tranny oil, if you will crack the tranny oil filter a bit - it will let air vent out and the oil going into the tranny will flow much easier.

 

Good luck!

Bill

[entropy 104]

I may have a carb problem as 3500rpm is tops. It does seem to run rich so I will have to read over the carb adjustment section of the repair manual. Here are some pics I hope.
 

http://web.mail.comcast.net/service/home/~/_MG_0861_0507.jpg?auth=co&loc=en_US&id=122300&part=2

 

 

http://web.mail.comcast.net/service/home/~/_MG_0863_0509.jpg?auth=co&loc=en_US&id=122300&part=4

 

 

http://web.mail.comcast.net/service/home/~/_MG_0862_0508.jpg?auth=co&loc=en_US&id=122300&part=3

[RMCIII 838]

And I thought I got a great deal on the 518xi I just picked up last week. The price was absolutely right for what I had researched. $1,650.00. Came with a soft cab, solid glass front window, wiper blade, cab heater, 42" snow blower, 48" mower deck, weights and chains. Had just truned 160hrs. Great deal, that is until I read your blog. Can't beat free. I hope you have repaid your neighbor by allowing him to stop paying for his yard services.....