homegrownusa 4 #1 Posted May 3, 2015 Greetings. I have mowed with an 89 wheel horse 520H for 15 years. I love it. I have followed a lot of readings here about the later Toro Model 520H (and C) swept front axle, steering reduction drive, heavy duty front axle. I finally found one locally for sale and just test drove it. Well the paint was in really good shape for age but...the transmission had an oil leak and when I turned the tractor the steering popped at full left and full right. The steering popped due to skipping a tooth at the end of the rack. The wheel moved out of center so it was not lined up anymore. The steering shaft appeared to not be loose. I inspected the rack but It had way to much grease packed on it to tell without cleaning if the pinion was worn. The rack appeared ok at the end but it may have been missing a stop. I couldn't see one. If you have experience with this later 520H i would love your feedback. Is this a common steering problem? The steering effort on this swept from axle was harder than on my old straight axle 520. Also the turning radius was wider on this swept front axle. Is that correct or was something wrong with the steering system? Any common leak problems from hoses around these rear ends? It appeared the oil was coming from up top. The tractor pulled great and jumped from fwd to rev as good as my tractor so I feel it is just a simple fix but one can never be sure. Any advice or experience would be excellent. With all this in consideration what do you think the value should be? Thanks in advance for your advice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sparky-(Admin) 19,876 #2 Posted May 3, 2015 What year was the 520 you looked at? The first year of the swept axle 520H did not have the gear reduction steering. Maybe that's the year of the unit you test drove ? Mike.......... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
homegrownusa 4 #3 Posted May 3, 2015 Not sure of the year. Can you tell if I post you a picture? Hood says TORO in large letters. It was harder to steer so maybe that wore out the rack...Not sure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
homegrownusa 4 #4 Posted May 3, 2015 Did the swept front axle models turn as tight as the straight? Should the effort to turn be less? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Save Old Iron 1,565 #5 Posted May 3, 2015 (edited) Did the swept front axle models turn as tight as the straight? Should the effort to turn be less? Swept axle and reduction steering are two separate items. Interesting question tho. If you swap out a straight axle for a swept axle, onto a machine without reduction steering, will the turning radius change? Don't know, never measured it. Regarding reduction steering, effort will be less, but just as in setting a fulcrum for a lever, less effort means more travel of the lever on the operator side (which is the steering wheel). Moving the steering wheel takes time and all this time the tractor is moving forward and thus increasing the turning radius. Reduction steering is not something I found to be desirable in a yard which requires many twists and turns amongst flower beds and shrubbery. Reduction steering feels more like driving a bus than steering a sports car. Edited May 3, 2015 by Save Old Iron 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 39,545 #6 Posted May 3, 2015 I have seen a lot of tractors with hyd lifts break the steering shaft support on the frame. When that happens a sharp turn will make the fan gear jump teeth. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MalMac 1,328 #7 Posted May 3, 2015 (edited) They might turn a hair sharper. To me it's not a big notable difference. I agree with Save Old Iron that even though the reduction is easier to steer it is a big pain in the backside if your in a area that takes a lot of maneuvering. You can really work yourself moving that wheel. I know some people use a spinner knob but there again you do a lot of cranking. It's just a fact that you can't get away from in that type of reduction. With that said it's also a matter of personnel preference. The reduction is nice for Front End Loader use and the 2 stage blower. Matter of fact it's a necessity. It's easy enough to tell if it's got it or not. Just look down at the steering gear to see if it's a fan gear or if it has got a large cast piece that has two gears on it. One gear will be a beveled gear that mates to the upper steering shaft connected to the steering wheel. The other small pinion gear will be mated to the fan gear that's attached to the lower steering shaft connected to the tie rods up front. Edited May 3, 2015 by MalMac 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
