What have you done to your Wheel Horse today?

[Handy Don 14,450]

1 hour ago, iR8Leprechaun said:

Looking forward to posting my progress. 

Welcome to the forum.

If you scan through older threads and posts (use the search bar) for stuff related to to 520-H refurbs and maintenance, you’ll find a ton of useful stuff. Use Google if you want and include “wheelhorseforum” in the search text. 

The file section of the forum has a bunch of documentation -- user manuals, parts lists, and wiring diagrams. If you have the model number, we can tell you the year since that model wend through some interesting changes over its life. (The files don’t appear in Google results--they are visible only to logged in members via the forum page--put “tractor 19?? 520-H” where ?? are the rest of the year in the search bar and choose the options “use all my search terms” and “documents” or “files

Since we love pictures, be sure to remember to take them!

Lastly, please consider starting a new topic for your progress--that way, it’s easier for us to keep track and posts don’t get “lost” in this more general topic. 

 

p.s. finding your way around and introductions and guidelines are all helpful and, In a blatant pitch to have you become a supporter, I’ll point out that supporter's searches run faster and their limit on space for uploaded photos is sky-high. Plus, you get your name in RED 

[ebinmaine 74,047]

LOTS done with the Wheelhorses and trailers today!

 

Earlier today I got the newly acquired and painted steel weights from @Sparky on my 1974 C160-8 Cinnamon Horse. 

 

 

We used Cinnamon to yank this project trailer outta its hole. 

Someone else can tackle it...

 

 

 

Then we cleaned out the slot of forest it was in. 

Trim. Rake. Blown leaves. Cut sticks etc...

 

 

Now the big 7 x 16 flatbed trailer has a home. 

 

 

 

 

 

Trina and her momma been working on firewood again today. Super friggin hot 🔥 🥵 so momma takes lots of breaks. 

 

 

The shed is full. 2.5 cord. 

 

 

The barn overhang is starting to get there too.  

 

 

[rjg854 12,425]

2 hours ago, iR8Leprechaun said:

New member

[953 nut 61,439]

@iR8Leprechaun,                         Please do an introduction and tell us more about your Wheel Horse story.

[WHGuy413 2,822]

Everyone meet Jerry, Jerry meet everyone.

 

my 5 year old stepson wanted to have a skeleton on a tractor. He went with his mom to go see his sister at her college this weekend. Can’t wait til he sees it. I’m going to get a different skeleton for the one who’s getting mowed up. Now the wheels are turning on getting Jerry some friends doing other crazy things. He’s temporarily mowing with my 12auto until I get the rusty 14-8 up from out back. 

Edited Monday at 12:42 AM by WHGuy413

[702854boy 144]

Well I dug into the transmission out of my one tractor that broke a few months ago and there are two random ball thingies that almost look the the ends of shifters, it's a lot rustier and crustier than we originally thought, and the needle bearings for the axels left the chat a loooong time ago; we we almost through the outer races. And I just learned how to use the emojis on Red square. 

Edited Monday at 12:43 AM by 702854boy

[iR8Leprechaun 31]

It lives! I think I found everything I needed except for a few small fasteners. Tires held air for long enough to see that it moves forward and reverse. All hydraulics seem to work. Gauges don't all work, but I'm not too concerned about that. Now I've got to dig out the snowblower and mower deck. The only real issue is the brake. It is pretty sticky. I sprayed and greased everything really good, that may just need to be worked back and forth to break it in. I'm not sure. I'm just happy it runs so well after being left for so long. Seems a shame it sat so long only needing a coil and fuel pump. 

[702854boy 144]

Congrats @iR8Leprechaun and

[Red Stallion 123]

20 hours ago, Blue Chips said:

 

Thanks, but I'm really no painting guru. I try to follow manufacturers' recommendations to the letter for surface prep, painting, re-coating, etc., which 'usually' keeps me out of trouble. That, and a bit of practice.

 

Making the paint shiny is primarily a matter of maintaining a continuous wet edge, which is challenging with rattle cans and fast-drying paint. Some newer spray cans come with selectable spray patterns, which can help. It's easier with a paint gun that applies a wider swath of paint so that previous passes are still wet when the next pass is made. The secret (IMHO), whether you're using spray cans or a gun, is good visibility. You need to have light coming from angles that allow you to see how the paint is going on---applying enough to be wet but not so wet that it runs. Leveling and drying retarder additives can be handy for some jobs.

 

I don't know what to tell you regarding the use of 2K paint/clear coat under the deck, as I've never used it for that purpose. Maybe someone else could weigh in on that question. Some people recommend applying used oil, allowing it to soak in and (depending on the type of oil) bake dry in the sun. I haven't tried that yet.

 

Over the years (a lot of them), I've had fairly good luck by cleaning out grass deposits on a regular basis, since they hold moisture for a long time, promoting rust. For the deck that I posted in this thread, I pressure-washed the underside, removed any rust that wasn't firmly adhered (wire brush wheel, needle scaler, flap disc, etc.), degreased and pressure-washed it again, and let it dry completely in the sun for a couple of days to help eliminate trapped moisture before applying a few coats of rusty metal primer, which is fairly thin, seems to penetrate quite well, and sticks well to firmly-adhered rust.

 

For clean, bare metal, I like self-etching primers, which often contain zinc phosphate for added corrosion protection. In the old days, zinc chromate was commonly used, but it's more dangerous to work with.

The general consensus seems to agree with you that painting the underside of the mower deck will last about 30sec, and giving it a good wash is better.

 

For the seat pan/wheel arch, I'll just rely on some decent clear coat.

 

Its not like my machine is used daily, which is both good and bad.

[JoeM 8,653]

@ebinmaine deck lizards! 

[Racinbob 12,147]

6 hours ago, Red Stallion said:

The general consensus seems to agree with you that painting the underside of the mower deck will last about 30sec, and giving it a good wash is better.

 

For the seat pan/wheel arch, I'll just rely on some decent clear coat.

 

Its not like my machine is used daily, which is both good and bad.

 

By far the best thing I've found to keep a deck solid is to do very little. My routine after every mowing it to blow it off, jack it up and just scrape the clumps of grass off. No hosing. The clumps hold the moisture and that's the problem. I purchased the 48" deck on this tractor new in the late 70's. Since 2009 it's been used on this 2005 Classic. Zero rust.

Once a year when I put it to bed for the winter I do pressure wash it and give is a light mist of whatever oil I happen to have at the time. 

 

 

[ebinmaine 74,047]

1 hour ago, JoeM said:

@ebinmaine deck lizards! 

 

 

?

[JoeM 8,653]

1 hour ago, ebinmaine said:

3 hours ago, JoeM said:

lizards! 

 

 

?

you know, lizards lay out in the sun warming up

 

[ebinmaine 74,047]

11 minutes ago, JoeM said:

lizards lay out in the sun

 

It would've never crossed my mind here. 

We got no lizards....

 

[sqrlgtr 810]

Got tired of robbing  parts machines so, Made a few shifter grub screws on mini lathe. Now the other horses want be jealous and everyone will have a shifter that works . 

[Andy N. 2,451]

2 hours ago, JoeM said:

you know, lizards lay out in the sun warming up

 

Here is my actual lizard doing just that!

 

[ebinmaine 74,047]

57 minutes ago, Andy N. said:

Here is my actual lizard doing just that!

 

 

Looks just my mowing decks!!

[Red Stallion 123]

18 hours ago, Racinbob said:

 

By far the best thing I've found to keep a deck solid is to do very little. My routine after every mowing it to blow it off, jack it up and just scrape the clumps of grass off. No hosing. The clumps hold the moisture and that's the problem. I purchased the 48" deck on this tractor new in the late 70's. Since 2009 it's been used on this 2005 Classic. Zero rust.

Once a year when I put it to bed for the winter I do pressure wash it and give is a light mist of whatever oil I happen to have at the time. 

 

 

Would you say the same thing for under the seat pan? Mine was pretty rusted up before painting it, so I figured maybe somekind of protective coat might help.

[Racinbob 12,147]

51 minutes ago, Red Stallion said:

Would you say the same thing for under the seat pan? Mine was pretty rusted up before painting it, so I figured maybe somekind of protective coat might help.

 

Never heard of an issue there and never thought about it. I would say a good paint job is all it needs. No abuse there.

[sqrlgtr 810]

Test fit some vredstiens on the C-160 (still need paint) and promoted the tri rib Deestones to the 856. Made a 3/4” wrench  ( forgot pic) to adjust governor speed on the 857.

[ebinmaine 74,047]

59 minutes ago, sqrlgtr said:

Test fit some vredstiens on the C-160

 

 

[Andy N. 2,451]

Installed some steps and side covers on the 418-A that I had cleaned up and painted over the summer. The removed set will eventually get cleaned up and painted and put on the 520-H.

 

Before:

 

  

 

 

 

After:

 

 

 

 

[kpinnc 15,229]

I mowed with my modified 48 today. Distributes clippings so much better. Definitely worth all the work that went into it!

 

You can see the tip of the blade at the chute. Only 1/2 inch to the edge now. 

 

No height adjuster. I always cut the same height anyway...

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 12:57 AM by kpinnc

[Bill D 2,332]

57 minutes ago, kpinnc said:

I mowed with my modified 48 today. Distributes clippings so much better. Definitely worth all the work that went into it!

 

You can see the tip of the blade at the chute. Only 1/2 inch to the edge now. 

 

No height adjuster. I always cut the same height anyway...

 

 

Looks like you sped up the blades a bit.   Smaller pulley.  Did you add any baffles underneath?

[kpinnc 15,229]

11 minutes ago, Bill D said:

Looks like you sped up the blades a bit.   Smaller pulley.  Did you add any baffles underneath?

 

This one is a Wheel Horse 48, with spindles and pullies from a 42. The spindle shaft speed is the same, but the blade tip speed is definitely higher. 

 

No added baffling on this one, but it works very well.