Ok how r u guys venting belt guard!

[Black64galaxie 65]

I was reading here and was seeing some of you guys are venting the belt guard.  Just exactly how and any photos of u doing it.  I cut 5 acres of grass and would like to minimize the problem of grass pluggin up the fins.   

[Ed Kennell 42,111]

I just drilled mine.  I know some have slots, some louvers, and some cut the entire front half off.

[Black64galaxie 65]

So call me stupid but how does this benefit the motor there. Isn't that much lower than where the engine sits?  Or is it rerouting the air differently that way.   So the debris doesn't load up into the fins?? 

[Ed Kennell 42,111]

This may give you a better idea of the area that is blocked by the belt guard and support bar. The hood and muffler also block a lot of the upper half of the rear cylinder.  

  The front cylinder is completely open.

 

[Black64galaxie 65]

I see.    Hate to drill holes in a perfectly good piece of sheet metal but if it benefits the motor. How do u space the holes properly?

[WVHillbilly520H 10,376]

Just my  but 18 years and 755 hrs later and 3 acres of mowing then sweeping I haven't vented my belt guard ...just remember to use compressed air to blow out grass clippings/chaffe/ dust/dirt ect out after EACH mowing session this not only helps keep the debris from piling up in there but helps cool the engine down after the work is done...again just my opinion from my experiences after 18 years ,Jeff. 

[Phatboy 565]

1 hour ago, WVHillbilly520H said:

Just my  but 18 years and 755 hrs later and 3 acres of mowing then sweeping I haven't vented my belt guard ...just remember to use compressed air to blow out grass clippings/chaffe/ dust/dirt ect out after EACH mowing session this not only helps keep the debris from piling up in there but helps cool the engine down after the work is done...again just my opinion from my experiences after 18 years ,Jeff. 

Like wvhillbilly said, blow it out all in thee engine guard and keep it clean and you will never have a problem,, my dealer pointed out to me the bottom engine guard that is designed to blow the air upward not out ... And then take all the heat from engine out the hood vent.. So to test this i got my brothers laser thermonitor you point and it gives you tempurature .. I cut my front yard and tested heat of front and rear cylenders and ther was only a difference of 1.5 degrees celcious between cylinders, with is about 4.5 degrees,,, the air blowing upward cools the back side of the cylinders that are not getting air from the flywheel...so me personally ,, my personal opinion im leaving it as the engineers designed it.. As long as you keep shrowd clean inside cylinders etc.. So it will operate as it was intended you will never have a problem with heat...  I also use a steam gennie every once in a while to clean engine ,not a pressure washer either,, steam cleaner low power and evaporates almost immediatly so your not getting water where its not supposed to be.. you can use a hose and a deluded cleaner like castro super clean also, to keep your engine nice and clean and debree free I did hours upon hours of reasearch on this subject on this site and many other tractor and other forums and spoke to a man named boomer who is a Onan Guru (according to many internet sites)and this is his opinion and is mine now also ....Take it for what its worth .. I hope its helps you in some way while making your decision.. Good luck..

Edited April 5, 2016 by Phatboy

[varosd 1,185]

http://i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l581/varosd/photo1-1.jpg[/IMG]

[Ed Kennell 42,111]

I have no first hand experience with a rear cylinder valve seat failure.   It is clear though these Onans were designed for use in an open environment in pumps and generators and even in the tractors with the rear output shafts.   But when  Wheel Horse engineers turned them 90  degrees to put the PTO shaft on the right side, the rear cylinder got enclosed by the hood, the hood stand, the muffler, and the belt guard.

I also agree with others, If the cooling fins are kept clean,  you should not have a problem with  valve  seat failures due to overheating.

  I suspect most of these  failures are a result of small oil leaks from the oil filter and it's  base plate that coat  the cooling fins with oil and cause the grass clippings to adhere clogging the rear cooling fins.

After using my 520 for mowing on a hot day , I decided to make it a winter tractor and put all that heat to good use

I dedicated it to snow blowing duty only, so it will never overheat, but I can verify with the heat houser I have installed around the vented belt guard  that collects only the rear cylinder heat, the temperature inside the cab increases 35F above the outside temperature in about 10 minutes of running time.

If I were using my 520 for mowing, I would still vent the belt guard if only  to reduce the amount of heat coming through the hood vents into the operators face.

Edited April 5, 2016 by Ed Kennell

[JAinVA 4,638]

This is a  subject that has been discussed before.If you are not convinced that ventilating the belt guard helps with the cooling of the rear

cylinder it certainly helps with inspecting for blockage.

The thought that the engineers designed it the way it came is not entirely accurate.These guys are not professional  engineers who put

their stamp on the drawings and thus are liable for the results.These engineers work for a large manufacturer and the bean counters

usually have the final say so.That thought might explain the Eaton 700,one inch rear axles,4 pinion transaxles and 6" front rims on the

300 series. JAinVA

JimAnderson

Gloucester,Va

[WHX?? 51,864]

Correct me if I am wrong but isn't the sensor for the overheat dash light monted on the front jug?

 

My tractor do list has cutting the whole section out and spot welding some hardware cloth on. I agree with the keep it clean and you won't have a problem theory but hey it can't hurt.

 

There are some guys who got fancy and had louvers stamped in...there are lots of pics in a thread I started about this when I got my 520...will go look for them.

 

Speaking of engineering nice linkage on the foot control @Ed Kennell 

[JAinVA 4,638]

I wondered about the need for louvered hoods on the 520.The 518 and 416 Onan powered tractors don't have them but the Kohler powered 312A does. Always seemed to be an entry point for rain,pine needles or maple seeds.JAinVA

Edited April 5, 2016 by JAinVA

[WVHillbilly520H 10,376]

I wasn't saying it wouldn't help but if one doesn't feel like drilling or cutting the belt guard then some sort of preventative maintenance has to be done regularly such as using the compressed air or Phatboy's steaming also DON'T forget that little rubber gasket that seals up the oil filter to the blower housing this also helps keep the debris out of there, and the WH open hood design does allow more air to flow across the engine compartment than some other brands of garden tractors , green, yellow&white/red ect the closed engine compartment keeps the heat off the operator but it tends to concentrate the heat within the engine compartment but less debris settles in there because of the guarding leading back to my original statement compressed air to clean afterwards, again just from my experiences, can't judge the Dxi yet but my in-laws Kubota diesel ztr attracts a lot of debris on the air screens from the radiator cooling fan therefore requiring a compressed air cleaning after mowing 5+ acres of "orchard" grass, that dry grass chaffe and dust just clings to every thing no matter what and yes oil does make it worse....CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN...Jeff.

[Ed Kennell 42,111]

Good point on the oil filter air seal Jeff.

[WHX?? 51,864]

I think I read in a manual wher the seal needs to be ther for proper cooling

Edited April 5, 2016 by WHX61/3

[WHX?? 51,864]

there was a pic here of a guy that cut it out and put a heating grille over it but I'll be darned if I can find it...

[WHX?? 51,864]

This thread has some in it too Scott http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/topic/62196-plastic-belt-cover-on-pto-520h/#comment-581548

[Ed Kennell 42,111]

Yeah, I've seen that grill picture also Jim.   Your picture really does show how much the rear cyl is blocked by the hood stand, muffler, and belt guard.

[WVHillbilly520H 10,376]

I'm not doubting that the "venting" helps just my experience and and opinion that after my 18 years with this machine since new I haven't had problems yet with heat induced valve seat failure...but hence I have and continue to maintain my 520 as mentioned above...and yes with my very own job I question the worthiness of some engineers designs and tolerances, but mass market for residential use and most people only mowing an acre or less they most likely deemed it the lesser of two evils " engine failure" or law suit over some "idiot" who decided to put some foreign object in the "unguarded" portion of the belt, an engineer with a lawyer hanging over his shoulder, hence more and more redundant safety devices installed on newer models that weren't on the same type machine 30-40 years ago,Jeff.

[can whlvr 994]

its got to do with some luck too,i know a few people that take very good care of their onans and they blew the valve seat,one is a machinist and he kept her in as new condition,then he fixed it and it blew a second time,but he was using a 60 inch deck,but very careful of debis,so I'm not sure if its always dirt,and some members have stated the same thing,kept them clean a and serviced,and some guys go forever and not have trouble,luck of the draw,my neighbor the machinist bought his tractor the same year I did,i bought a 308,he kinda laughed at it,my 308 still lives and his 520 is parked in the driveway and been junk for years now,alot of electrical problems and blown engine,so he didn't fix it a 3rd

[AMC RULES 37,198]

A few examples that have been shared here...

[Black64galaxie 65]

Lots of very good replies and photos guys thank you.  Now I'm really confused!!!   No but really I think the venting would out way the oem looks and authenticity of the tractor.  It's not a one of a kind vehicle never to be seen again I guess.  So I'm going to try and get a matrix kind of hole pattern found and cut it into the guard.  Good info thanks !!!!!!!!  Scott.  

[WVHillbilly520H 10,376]

One more tip to help with the longevity of the Onan, impressed upon me by a 30+ years small engine tech...throttle down and idle for 30-60 seconds before shutting it off after running it hard, also helps with the backfire at shut down that some (and I myself) have experienced,Jeff.

[WHX?? 51,864]

19 hours ago, WHX61/3 said:

put a heating grille over it but I'll be darned if I can find it...

 

19 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

Yeah, I've seen that grill picture also Jim

 

AMC Rules found it Ed...gotta love that mod! I showed it to my guys here at the heating shop and they got a charge out of it & suggested one with dampers for cold weather running...

[TDF5G 2,073]

On 4/5/2016 at 5:58 AM, varosd said:

http://i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l581/varosd/photo1-1.jpg[/IMG]

I don't own a 520 series but the stamped custom vents would be my favorite. They look cool!   It seems there are differences of opinions on venting the rear cylinder, although some claim it isn't necessary, it sure won't hurt anything either.

Edited April 6, 2016 by TDF5G