thehorse 221 #1 Posted April 22, 2017 Is it normal to have some smoke.... 2-3 seconds during startup? My 314 kohler command does but not sure if it's anything to worry about with the p220. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EricF 589 #2 Posted April 22, 2017 Yes, my 520 puffs a little (mostly black) smoke on cold startup as the engine catches. It has just a touch over 900 hours on it. Nothing at all once it's running or working. It takes a couple of seconds for the engine to get a proper air/fuel mixture going, so it's going to run rich for a second or two -- which is why you'll see a few puffs of gray or black smoke. I've read reports that this is pretty typical of the Onans. I'm sure more folks will chime in shortly, too. I grew up running a Kohler-powered John Deere 112 that always did the same thing -- pretty typical of a lot of small engines, particularly ones built before emissions regulations tightened up in the late 90s. Personally, I wouldn't worry. If the smoke stops as soon as the engine RPMs stabilize, and the choke isn't open, it's just clearing out the over-rich mixture from starting. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thehorse 221 #3 Posted April 22, 2017 That's funny! I also had a 112. Did the same thing. My boy likes it too! Thanks for info. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EricF 589 #4 Posted April 23, 2017 Nice 112! I see you have the electric lift. The one I grew up around had the all-manual "armstrong" type. Had a 42" mower deck and a single-stage snowblower. I would have loved to have had the cultivator -- I had to turn the garden over by hand... The 110 should have stayed in the family and passed down to me, but, unfortunately, it was not to be. I started looking for a suitable older tractor and decided on searching for Wheel Horses. The design is just so straightforward and simple to work with. The 112 was a nice, solid machine, and the variator drive was a great for matching torque and ground speed. But there are things I don't miss from the 110, like changing the drive belt. Or fiddling with the various mower mounts and pins and threading the mower belt up through the inside of the frame. The 520H really outshines it in terms of easy access to all areas around the engine, or just about any part of the tractor. It's soooo much easier to change attachments on the Wheel Horse design. The hydraulic implement lift and the very robust hydrostatic drive make running it a pleasure. I took a few minutes to make sure all the linkages on the motion control on mine are working nice and free and smooth -- the 520 has slow-speed creep ability for maneuvering that the 110 could never touch. Don't think I could ever go back now that I've got the Wheel Horse bug! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cleat 4,984 #5 Posted April 23, 2017 My 520's would smoke on startup if you needed to crank a lot to pump the fuel up. Since I have installed the primers and get instant starting, the smoking has stopped. Cleat Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thehorse 221 #6 Posted April 23, 2017 All great info. I worry a little but new 520 with 532 hours should be with me for a long time. May need to get Matts pedal when I get a couple $. BTW, the 112 was sold to help fund my first horse. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites