Advise

[Elliot 7]

Hi guys, I'm new to this site and need your advise. I am going to look at 2 garden tractors tomorrow, I will be buying one of them 1) 1997 Wheel Horse 520 H with a deck and single stage snowblower 731 hrs on the clock,$1200.  2) 1986 Ford LGT 18H with deck, 2 stage snowblower hours unknown $900. I know this is a Wheel Horse site but what do you think the pros and cons are?

Thanks for your help.

[Razorback 1,133]

Hi, Elliott. Welcome!

 

I have ZERO experience with Ford GT’s. All I know is, there were not nearly as many of them made. (Meaning that parts and tractors will be more plentiful)

 

I only have experience with my 1974 Wheel Horse C160 since last September or so. From what I have learned about these, the time I have already spent with it in the yard and in the garden, and THIS SITE, I would highly recommend going with the Wheel Horse given the choice.

 

My .02!

Edited August 17, 2019 by Razorback

[WHNJ701 4,165]

it's going to be ALOT easier to to find wheelhorse parts

[Chris G 3,361]

The Ford LGT tractors are a very strong and we'll built machine. There pretty dependable as well. But as stated previously finding parts can be very tough for them. I would go with the wheel horse, for the fact of parts availability, dependability, readily available knowledge of the machine here and we'll because it's a wheel horse.

[pfrederi 18,719]

Attachments for the Wheel Horse will be much easier to obtain.

[pacer 3,177]

13 minutes ago, Chris G said:

 because it's a wheel horse.

 

Heh, Chris summed it up really well ---- especially that last part

[Stike 204]

Just a few years ago I knew nothing about wheel horse tractors but ended up with a 308-8 from a friend and found this site, I was amazed how simple and well built these machines are and as stated parts availability and the extensive knowledge and friendly nature of this site are invaluable, I now own 6 wheel horse tractors in both gear and hydro drive and would not even consider any other make plus the 520 H is on my tractor wish list so it definitely gets my vote.

[Elliot 7]

Thanks for the input guys, I am leaning towards the WH as long as it runs as good as he says it does. If I put a clevis hitch on the back of this to attach a grader blade does the 520 have hydraulic lift for the back as well as the mid & front?

[953 nut 60,390]

1 hour ago, Elliot said:

does the 520 have hydraulic lift for the back

The rear lift is via a cable to the rear. If your 520 doesn't have the cable you can buy a new one from Lowell.  https://www.wheelhorsepartsandmore.com/cables.html. He also makes the clevis hitch and lots of other goodies.

 

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,613]

You might want to post a thread in the off brand section below to see if anyone on the forum has experiences with a Ford GT.  Myself, I do like them, but I only owned one, and it was more of a yard tractor from the mid-80s.  Here is a brochure on the Fords.  I believe it's from 1985.

85485-ford_lgt-print.pdf

[dells68 7,499]

I’ve always been a Ford guy and can vouch for their rugged build character, but the parts can be a pain to get and expensive when you do find them.  The belt driven trans design of a wheel horse is is far more simple with far fewer parts to wear out.  For regular use, I’d go with the horse-easier to maintain.  Also, like said above, by the mid 80’s Fords we’re more of a lawn tractor in comparison to the rugged built Ford garden tractors of the 60’s and 70’s.

Edited August 17, 2019 by dells68

[Elliot 7]

Thanks for all your info guys, I bought the 520H its a 1990, got it home. drove it up my driveway hill just hope it will do it blowing snow this winter !

Edited August 18, 2019 by Elliot

[Stike 204]

Congratulations on your new horse! Tire chains and wheel weights go a long way for traction on ice and snow,  I use a c175 hydro with a plow and just chains on a 230 foot driveway in n.e Ohio with no problems.

[Elliot 7]

is your driveway flat or uphill?

 

 

[Stike 204]

It starts uphill then levels out, I push the snow down to the end then move to the sides, with a snowblower just see what works for you and go slow until you get used to how it reacts, I live in the area of lake effect snow from lake Erie and see a lot of snow in a hurry and the tire chains have been a great help.

[The Tuul Crib 7,339]

 You will not be disappointed with the snow removal this 520 H could do for you !

 If the engine is well-maintained as it should be no problem whatsoever !

[1995 520H+96+97 937]

@Elliot My 520H blower horse has a lot better traction going forward than reverse. If you are going uphill, forward and get stuck(start spinning to much} it will back up. If you are going downhill forward and get stuck, you may not be able to reverse.

[Stepney 2,354]

This is of course a WH site.. but I'll play a little devils advocate. Both are very well made rigs and won't do you wrong. The WH will be easier to find implements for and they have a huge following.

That being said I've had a handful of Ford LGT's from 1968 to 1985. The Kohler twin in that Ford will be far less prone to the occasional 'Onan issues' some experience with their 520's and others. The overall structure is a bit more rigid too. Implements aren't that hard to find and parts are still quite available.. atleast better then the 1960's variant. 

Can't really go wrong with either one though.