I Couldn't Stay Away - I Bought Another One!

[Horse Play 393]

Back in 2012 I bought a Work Horse 700 from a friend.  It was not running with a newer 8HP Techumseh retrofitted.  I got it running and mowed with it a little bit before I ripped it apart and did a full restoration.  The tractor turned out so beautiful I did not want to use it.  So it sat in the garage for two years until I sold it and put the money towards a Harley.

 

So I went the last two years without a tractor.  I recently shopped around looking at John Deere X300-series tractors and really liked what I rode, but did not want to pay that much money. Last weekend my friend went to a show in Portland, Indiana and brought me a tractor.

 

I am now the proud owner of a 857!  I was intending on having a B or C series, but I could not resist another short frame.  It runs and mows great.  It appears to be very complete and originally, but could use some cleaning up.  Somebody brushed paint all over and it is driving me crazy!  It also came with a plow, rear lift, and the original cigar lighter.  My plans are to remove the brushed-over paint to reveal the original patina, new tires and wheel paint, redo the dash, and some other new parts.  The original deck works well, but is rotted in the from center - so I need to find a new deck.  My friend picked up another deck, but it is not the same and does not look usable.  

 

What deck do I have mounted on the tractor, is it a 5-1362?

Edited September 1, 2017 by Horse Play

[oldredrider 2,553]

That deck appears to be for a Lawn Ranger.

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,272]

Garry

[Retired Wrencher 5,658]

Horse Play  Just my  but I would just clean it up to see if you have any leeks and buff it out. Looks good the way it is. These work great on these old cables just put some shrink tubing over the old casing it will work real smooth. these are called cable lubbers you use a can like Wd40 or anything with a short tube that fits on the nozzle. Enjoy the project.

Edited September 3, 2017 by Retierd Wrencher

[Horse Play 393]

I guess it's earned the patina after 50 years of work.  I tried some hand buffing yesterday and it helped a little bit.  This winter I'm planning on sandblasting and painting the wheels along with new tires.  Also want to do a dash decal and a Michigan seat.  Keep it as a clean looking worker if that's such a thing.

 

Are you recommending the cable luber for the choke and throttle cables?  I use one on my motorcycles; I never thought about the tractor cables.

Edited September 3, 2017 by Horse Play

[Horse Play 393]

Could someone please tell me what kind of hitch this is?  

What types of implements is it for?

Is it supposed to lower and lift via cable with the tractor's center lift arm?

 

[953 nut 58,188]

That is a slot hitch and will lift with the cable attached to the center lift point. You can use it for a turning plow, disc, cultivator and other equipment.

[elcamino/wheelhorse 9,360]

It is a sleeve hitch , you can purchase an adapter from one of the vendors to accept clevis hitch implements. 

[953 nut 58,188]

[Horse Play 393]

Thank you, Richard!  My cable must be broken; I will have to quick investigation.  

 

 

 

 

BTW, here's my last tractor that I restored, but sold.

 

Edited September 8, 2017 by Horse Play

[WVHillbilly520H 10,376]

12 hours ago, 953 nut said:

There's an un restored version for sale near me for $100, too much for what you see? Jeff.

[953 nut 58,188]

59 minutes ago, WVHillbilly520H said:

un restored version for sale near me for $100,

That seems to be the going price these days.

[Horse Play 393]

I got lucky today!  I posted the Lawn Ranger deck for sale or trade on CL this week and was able to trade it today for another 36" RD deck.  The guy I traded with had a Lawn Ranger with no deck, so it worked well for both of us.  Hopefully this week I will start a teardown and begin a deck restoration over the winter.

 

 

[Horse Play 393]

I've got questions about my changing transmission gear lube:

 

What gear lube should I use in my 5053 transmission?

 

Is the angled bolt on the left rear corner of the axle the check bolt for the oil level?

[Searcher60 209]

You may want to go to the manuals section, find the manual for yout WH, and get the maintenance info straight from the horses mouth. Sorta takes away the chance to make a big costly mistake. 

[953 nut 58,188]

Some of the early  manuals call for 40W non-detergent motor oil  but a later service bulletin calls for 80-90 gear oil. Lots of posts on hear on the subject, some use synthetic and others use regular gear lube, you decide.

When draining the old oil you will find the plug near the back of the transmission, it requires a 1/4" allen wrench. Jack the front of the tractor up to allow the contents of the front of the trams. to drain (there is a hump in the bottom which will prevent complete emptying.). If what you drain out looks milky or bad in any way you will want to flush it with diesel oil, lots of threads on here about that.

Best place to fill is the shifter hole, just back off on the dog point screw and pull the shifter.

 

[Racinbob 11,768]

Wheel Horse issued service bulletin #55 addressing this. Using the lighter weight lubricant would help the problem of the transmission locking up due to a suction effect on the shifter rails. Then they modified the rails to pretty much eliminate the problem. It took them a while to think about going back to the heavier lube. The weight really isn't all that critical but I've used 80w90 for decades with no problems.

[WHX?? 50,819]

[Searcher60 209]

Below is the link to the manual, please verify that this manual is for your tractor!  2nd page, left side, "Before you Start" gives the correct fill level and type of fluid for the transmission. I do not believe you can go wrong using the correct WH manual. Others will surely disagree. Again, make sure that this is the correct manual for your tractor. You can also read the service bulletin listed above to see other options. 

 

http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/files/file/583-tractor-1967-857-da-om-ipl-wiring-snpdf/?do=download&r=35748&confirm=1&t=1&csrfKey=b21d1db76f8677cd92fd7a1928eb4ece

[Racinbob 11,768]

That's what I mean by my comment " It took them a while to think about going back to the heavier lube" They were using the upgraded shift rails in 1967 but left that blurb in the manuals. Not long after that thy caught it and went back to the heavier lubricant. That was another service bulletin. If you filled her up with 40w don't worry though. It will be fine.

[Horse Play 393]

Thanks for the help, guys!  

 

I should have mentioned I have a manual for my tractor and it does state 40W.  I cannot find 40W locally, so I'll go with the recommended gear lube.  My shifter boot is about gone, so I picked up a new one.  I'll report back how bad my oil looks.

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,272]

Click on the picture in this link. There are 2 screen shots taken from the Lubrication Charts for the 857. A note in the chart states that the information represents the most recent recommendations. Click on the screen shots to enlarge them.

Garry

[Horse Play 393]

I drained my transmission oil - water poured out for 30 seconds followed by thick, dark brown sludge.  I bet there was barely a quart of fluid in the drain pan.  I flushed it with diesel afterwards and now I need to run out for gear lube.

Edited September 30, 2017 by Horse Play