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mikekot3

onan powered WH how many hours do you have on yours?

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mikekot3

I am wondering how many hours I should expect to get out of an Onan 16-20 hp tractor that is well maintained?
Is a used one with about 1100 hours getting tired yet? That seems to be about the amount of used machine seem to have in ads.
Do manual transmission or hydro machines last longer?
Typical machine I am looking at is a 416-8 or 416 hydro or 520H. I have not seen any 20 hp manual trans machines.
Would a kohler 16 or 18 hp be better?
thank you in advance.
mike
 

Edited by mikekot3

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Theroundhousernr

To answer that question would largely depend on previous owners routine maintenance or lack there of. To find that info would be next to impossible unless owners has saved all receipts.... So 1100 hours is not worn out per say if proper care was done. Just look for something well cared for and clean oil. Its very rare you find onans that had truly been serviced the way they should.

  They are pretty tough and as long as the oil had been changed and not overheated from clogged cooling fin , they go pretty long. Just make sure to do a decarb on the engine, clean the engine , inspect for oil leaks and adjust valves once in your possession.
 
  My 520H has 1156 hours and going strong it seems. Sometimes I will get a little smoke when starting but very faint. Plenty of power and compression.

  Both manual and hydro are equally as tough in my opinion. You will want to run both through its paces when purchasing. Both can have issues.

  Kohler verses Onan is like Chevy verses Ford and so on. All can have issues but onan's surely require more routine maint. but neglecting a Kohler is not good in the long run either. That's all I will say on that subject lol
    
   Get a 520H!!!! Lots of fun and power lol

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JAinVA

The biggest issue with the Onan on the Wheel horse  as posted earlier is how it was maintained.The rear cooling fins are blocked on the horse application  and unless
kept clean engine can run hot and spit out the rear intake seat.I have a 416h with over 650 hours that was well cared for and it uses no oil and runs like new.I opened
the drive belt area and removed the portion of the bracket that the guard is attached to.The increased air flow is amazing.I would post photos of the mod but have not been able to post any pictures since the new format was introduced.I bought a used p220 block that was used on a Toro Ground Master and the engine had almost 2000hrs on it.The bores have no wear and the valve seats show no signs of any problems.The Kohler engine is no where near as smooth running as the Onan twin but are tough as nails.Well cared for,and that is the key,frequent oil changes and regular maintenace,both engines can last for many hundreds of hour before rebuild.
                                                                                                                          Luck,JAinVa

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rmaynard

I have a 1996 416-H with almost 1700 hours on the P-216. It doesn't seem to be needing anything done to it other than the de-carbon and valve adjustment done about 3 (engine) hours ago.

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boovuc

I have 850+ hours on my 1992 416-8. It's been at 850+ for 6 years now. So I guess I'm only going to get about 850 hours on this Onan. :blink:
Unless I get a new hour meter for it.

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cheesegrader

I worry about engines over 1000 hours. You just never know how they were maintained.
Keep looking.  The last two 520's I have picked up were under 400 hours, and 3 years ago I got my 520 loader with 150 hours.
I know that low hours don't always mean that you will have fewer problems (trust me, I am learning that the hard way on my last purchase!),
but I think you have better odds on low hour machines that looks cared for.  
My oldest 520 has just over 800 hours, and has no issues.   The generators that my father used to have at work ran 2-3000 hours before  they would get replaced,
but I think the Onan P220's in a tractor get worked much harder than in a generator, and have to deal with grass clogging cooling fins.

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DennisThornton

I have a 1996 416-H with almost 1700 hours on the P-216. It doesn't seem to be needing anything done to it other than the de-carbon and valve adjustment done about 3 (engine) hours ago.

I have a 93 416.  How long did your de-carbon and valve adjustment take?

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rmaynard

Not counting the time it took to acquire the gaskets, decarboning and valve adjustment took about 2 hours.

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mikekot3

Thank you everyone who gave me feedback on their experiences.

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JERSEYHAWG /  Glenn

Mike, welcome  to red square. Dont forget pics when you finally get your horse. Re hours, high hours scare me, ck engine oil and rear fluids for cleanliness, all my stuff except the 854 are low hour units with good maintenence  being done. There, now that I said it, something will blow up. Lol best of luck.
Edit: my 520 has about 260 hours on it. 

glenn

Edited by JERSEYHAWG / Glenn
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WNYPCRepair

Mine has 523 on it

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papaglide

On my 416, the Onan had about 950 hrs and was burning a little oil. I had a nos 220 installed to replace the 16 and the sound of a new Onan is AMAZING. So smooth. 
On my 520 the Onan has at least roughly 650 hrs. The hour meter doesn't work and I don't know when it stopped. The motor doesn't burn oil but there is a difference in sound between this one and the one on the 416 - a very subtle rattling noise - could it be the valves? How do you adjust the valves and decarbon? The exhaust on the 416 doesn't smell where as the exhaust on the 520 has a smell. 
I used to be a kohler only kind of guy but I am now convinced that Onans are just as strong an engine.
I wouldn't worry about the difference in maintenance: we buy these tractors and we do maintain them. That makes us different from people that buy box store stuff. Whether you maintain a Kohler or Onan, it's the same. That's what we do.

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cdsl810

I have one 520-H (P220) with 625 hours and one 520-H (P220) with 415 hours. Neither one burns oil, but as papaglide noted there is a difference in the sound of the two otherwise identical engines. The lower hour engine is smoother and quieter--"tighter" sounding. The older one is smooth, but has a more open sounding exhaust note while running. It could be that the Onan with 625 hours just needs valves adjusted (hasn't ever been done to my knowledge). I wouldn't exactly call this noise a rattle, but more of a noticeable "pop" in the exhaust. They both seem to have many years of life still in them--no loss of compression or torque. The younger Onan does start quicker--again hinting at a valves needing attention in the other one.

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lynnmor

I have three 520H tractors with 700 to 1400 hours.  All use a little bit of oil, always did.  All run well.

My newest one had the Al Gore carb on it which I replaced with an older model. Starts and runs better with no pop at shut down.

When adjusting the valves, check the two piece manifold carefully for air leaks.  Had a welch plug come out of a carb once, that made it idle real rough.

Don't use the intake manifold gaskets from Ebay, use Onan.  The cheap ones will fail.

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mikekot3

Thank you everyone who has given feedback on their equipment I appreciate it a lot.
 

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Trooper

Looking at a 1996 520 H with 1300 hrs. Is it worth 825.00 ? Seems to be taken care of. What is everyone's opinion ?

Edited by Trooper
Spelling error

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WVHillbilly520H
6 hours ago, Trooper said:

Looking at a 1996 520 H with 1300 hrs. Is it worth 825.00 ? Seems to be taken care of. What is everyone's opinion ?

1) :text-welcomeconfetti: to :rs:, being new here I won't give you to hard of a time about creating your own post instead of tagging a 4 Y.O. thread...                    2) price or machine worth is dependent on many levels average price if like machines in your area, overall condition, and what you are willing to pay vs what the seller is willing to let it go for... In my are $750-825 with a mowing deck and at least a snow plow/blade is a fair deal but other places may only go for $500 brand new it was at least $7500 new with a 48" deck ... Good Luck.

Edited by WVHillbilly520H

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