Wheel Horse 520 worth

[Cee245 846]

I know it's all about what a buyer and seller agree on, but doesnt this seem like a good deal IF all is in working order? Seller claimed it is. 

 

Its a 96 520 with about 825 hours. Deck looks repaired on left side.  Im looking at it in a couple hours. Seller is asking $800. I know to check for the electrical gremlins 9 pin etc. I'm hoping to use this as plow tractor and not mowing because of heat. I do like my 416H a lot and Onan's don't have the best rep in a WH, but if maintenance is good, they seem to be 1500 hour motors at least.

[haydendavid380 759]

Doesn't seem terrible. Pretty average price here in the midwest. 

[Cee245 846]

I'm thinking of a cash offer. Seems like the best for both. Then I can buy some extra fun stuff for it. Lol

[lynnmor 7,856]

What kind of "heat" problem are you talking about?  I have mowed with a 520H for 30 years without any serious issue.  An ignition module and a governor spacer were the worst issues and that is with four tractors.  I did buy an abused engine that had a loose valve seat, but it had a mud dauber wasp condo in the fins.  An Onan engine is a three thousand hour engine given only normal care.

[Cee245 846]

I could get it for 400 but the deck doesn't lift and it kept blowing a fuse after shutting down. 

Gauges dont work either.

[OutdoorEnvy 1,777]

On these kind of finds I try to base it on what I think the max repair cost is and then add it to the purchase price and see if I feel good about it or not.  So for this I would think if it would have worked perfect would I be happy with it for the $800?  And if so then I would think I have $400 more to throw at it if I bought it for $400 and was confident about the repairs cost of parts and my ability to diagnose and fix myself.  If this gets too high though or is out of my comfort zone I would walk or go lower on the price.  Basically try to avoid buyers remorse if you can so you don't feel you've wasted money that could have went to a better tractor/project.  

 

Any indication if the lifting issue was hydraulics or if it was more linkage/hardware related?  That is probably what I would want to figure out before buying this one.  

[Darb1964 1,120]

I known we all try not to spend more than the perceived worth is in any given area for a tractor. I paid probably more than I should have for my first used tractor, a C125-8 with a nice tiller, rear discharge deck ,and new agie back tires. He was asking thirteen hundred dollars, the market was different then,2010 and if you weren't the first to call you were done. I was the second, because of the price the first didn't jump I did, I did ask him what it would take to put that on my tralor, he stood tall and I respected that. The tractor was his late fathers tractor he had bought new when he was a kid. I could tell he could use the $, I wasn't leaving that tractor there anyway. 

Point is that tractor, if it runs good, moves good and everything is good and sound to work it. That tractor is well worth it. I bought a520 new in1989, It has I would guess three thousand hours on it. I have worked it hard exclusively in the hot weather, I have maintained it well. I could go out and with a good battery, right now start it up and work it hard. Still uses very little oil, what little trouble the wiring can be, the 520 is a monster. I now have sixteen WH. Of different Cs 3,4,500 models, they are all good sound hard working machines. The 520 is hard to beat.

 

[EricF 589]

If you can knock a few C-notes off the asking price since it's not fully functional, you'll be fine as long as you don't mind tackling the repairs. The fuse issue is probably some stray voltage going where it shouldn't due to a pinched wire and/or bad ground. Non-functioning gauges on a 520 is almost always an issue with the infamous 9-pin connector (or a bad repair to it by a previous owner). A thorough going-through of the wiring can correct a multitude of problems. They do have a bot more wiring than the older, simpler tractors, but there's nothing particularly difficult or over-complicated about them.

 

Is the hydro drive strong? The standard trick is to hook it to a tree with some chain and see if it will break the rear wheels loose and try to pull anyway. That means the pump is working OK. As long as the pump is good, the lift cylinder can be rebuilt if the problem is in there. (Wheelhorsepartsandmore.com has the seal rebuild kit) Other problems with the lift can be mechanical -- as simple as the lift chain and/or trunnion needing attention. Even the pump can be repaired or a replacement had with the resources here.

 

If a good inspection of the tractor shows that the faults are really simple repairs, then even full asking price wouldn't be bad -- with TLC that's a machine that will do whatever you want it to.

 

On 520s, one of the secrets to keeping the heat at bay is to make sure the cooling fins are clear of stuffed-in grass clippings and critter nests. Might require taking the tins off the engine to make sure. There should be a soft gasket that goes around the oil filter and plugs the gap all around it. If it's not there, get a replacement and put it on. It's important for keeping the correct airflow around the back cylinder. I like to leave off the plastic add-on PTO guard so that there's nothing blocking air exiting freely around the engine. There's no safety interlock on it, and it's just a hasty tacked-on piece to satisfy the lawyers in the 90s. Keep the fan intake clear of thick buildup of leaves and clippings -- 520's take a few more stops to sweep that off than the others -- and you really shouldn't have to worry about engine heat. It's not as bad as it's been sometimes made out to be.

 

More important to the health of the 520 is keeping the gunk and clippings off of the hydro pump fins, and make sure the plastic fan under the right fender is intact. The hydro needs it to stay cool. Also, better to run a 520 at full throttle under load so the engine and hydro fans are doing their jobs, and oil pressure is up all the way.

[lynnmor 7,856]

12 hours ago, Cee245 said:

I could get it for 400 but the deck doesn't lift and it kept blowing a fuse after shutting down. 

Gauges dont work either.

 

Some need to be run for a minute to get the hydraulics to work.  Did you check the oil level in the transmission?  Electrical problems are frustrating but usually are cheap to fix, first start undoing the usual homeowner blunders.

[Cee245 846]

thanks for the replies.  I do have a spare Eaton 1100 and lift cylinder for such a case. I made an honest offer and we'll see what happens. Others are going to look at it.  

 

I was also interested in a 314h w 540hrs on the clock for a couple hundred more. But that one is turn key.  

 

We'll see what happens!

[Cee245 846]

@lynnmor, I actually forgot to check the hydro Oil. I had it in mind then started looking at some splices in the wiring. It was warmed up enough to lift it though. It was barely responding. Not making the usual noises. It very well may have been low.