wife is on vaca with girlfriends...I bought a...

[truckin88 104]

1988 520H, Got it off craigslist, 883 hours, does burn a little oil (he said 2 qt every 40), but the tin is amazing, always garage kept, all manuals, 2 year old 48" deck, bearings, belt guard, 2 year old mule drive (got the original one with it), 48" snow blade with axle bracket, chains, tires in good shape, seat does have 3 tears, not major though. it is fast, the brake is a little jumpy, paid $820, I think it was a good deal, as long as the motor holds out a bit.

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,527]

Now that is what I like to hear... no verticle shaft jobs. Nice machine I just finished restoring my 88 520. It is real nice!!

[truckin88 104]

Steve, how did I do on price??? anything to look out for, any idea about the oil consumption. it is 21 years old, just want to go over it. Any idea on the jumpy brake

[Horse Fanatic 51]

I think you did great on the price, if you deduct the value of the attachments (a two year old 48" deck is pretty valuable) you got the tractor for a steal.

[igota310-8 0]

Congratulations!

Im sooooo jealous at all you 520 owners....

Eric

[truckin88 104]

I think between the C-120 8 speed and the 520 I am set, the 244 is for sale on ebay right now, hopefully someone who is not a deadbeat buys it, real nice lawn cutter, but just not a 520...

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,527]

I agree with horse Fanatic on the price however you forgot to add the lawers fee for the divorce

The onan's are expensive to repair/replace so keep your eye out for a new one on cl etc. It may be cheaper to replace then to rebuilt. I am in the same boat. I bought mine without a motor and put a 16 in it that I had and got it running but smokes a bit. PM me your email and I can email some pics.

[truckin88 104]

sweet, PM'ed you, the onan runs nice, lots of power, i think he is wrong about the burning, I am gonna give it a tune up, anyone know the air filter number?? like in fram?? I think it has a slow leak in the oil drain pipe, I have to watch it while running.

Another thing, is she can be hard to start, the battery is from 2005, she does how ever start, once she starts she is good, the air filter did smell gas soaked...any ideas??/

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,527]

the carbs on the onans are easy to clean. simply take the top half off and remember how the linkage goes on. usually they have crud sitting down in the bottom. you just need to remove then hit with carb cleaner. puralator makes the air cleaner but not sure of hte number.

[truckin88 104]

FRAM CA140 for everyones reference, anyone have an idea of the PTO belt size for the 520 with a 48, it does need a new one.

Thanks,

Will

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,527]

i need that too.. does yours have swept forward frnt end?

[Bow_Extreme 550]

It shouldn't be burning oil with that many hours on it. Give it a full tune-up. New plugs, wires if needed(expensive), air filter and pre-wrap, a new battery, new fuel line from the tank to carb, new fuel filter, and if you still can't get it to start well buy a carb rebuild kit for it. Remove the fuel tank and clean it out. Dont forget to check the screen valve assembly on the bottom of the tank. Check over the wiring very meticulously. There is a fuse block on the PTO side of the mower which is a big problem on all 520H. I generally replace this block with a sealed fuse block or in-line sealed fuses. Remove the starter wires, clean the connections, clean the ground connections. Replace the battery cables if needed. Remove the oil drain plug assembly from engine, tape up the threads, and reinstall. If you want you can replace this drain assembly with a new twist valve. This is the same valve that's on all the new mower engines. Threads are standard for it. Replace the engine oil filter and check to make sure there is a rubber grommet around the filter between the engine shroud and the filter. If it doesn't have one, buy one for it. You need this to regulate the air flowing thru the motor. Check over the muffler for rusted out areas. Drain the hydro fluid and replace the hydro filter. Be careful when filling the hydro unit. The hydro fills very slowly due to the air lock conditions. The hydro is 10W-30 and I recommend Shell Rotella. Lubricate the linkage where needed. Check the play in the PTO engage lever. This gets sloppy. You can replace the plastic bushings with new ones and shim out the rest of the play with a plastic washer. Check the hydro connections to verify they aren't leaking. Remove the exterior drive belt cover on the right side when your sitting on the tractor and inspect the belt and pulleys to insure the bearings are still good. A new drive belt is around $25.00 at your local Toro dealer so it's not such a bad idea to throw on a new belt. There are also ground wires right between the fuse block and the battery. Remove the nut that holds these ground wires down and clean the connections. It's also not a bad idea to goop these connections up with some Di-electric grease. You can also go thru all the safety switch connections on the tractor. Clean all the terminals and pack the switch connectors full of Di-electric grease before re-connecting them. Grease up all the joints in the front axle. Inspect the deck lift bar for play side to side. Remove the PTO pulley assembly on the side of the motor and do a full inspection for cracks in the pulley assembly, bearing wear, and the friction plate for wear. Also inspect, replace, or adjust the pulley brake. The GAP should be .012" between the brake assembly and the pulley. That's about 5 sheets of normal paper in thickness. If you have any more questions feel free to PM me. I apologize for any and all spelling and grammer mistakes. It's getting late.

[truckin88 104]

i need that too.. does yours have swept forward frnt end?

Steve,

it is an 88, with a standard plow same as my 120, so I think it is a normal front end, looks normal, how would I tell, I will get pics up tomorrow.

[truckin88 104]

It shouldn't be burning oil with that many hours on it. Give it a full tune-up. New plugs, wires if needed(expensive), air filter and pre-wrap, a new battery, new fuel line from the tank to carb, new fuel filter, and if you still can't get it to start well buy a carb rebuild kit for it. Remove the fuel tank and clean it out. Dont forget to check the screen valve assembly on the bottom of the tank. Check over the wiring very meticulously. There is a fuse block on the PTO side of the mower which is a big problem on all 520H. I generally replace this block with a sealed fuse block or in-line sealed fuses. Remove the starter wires, clean the connections, clean the ground connections. Replace the battery cables if needed. Remove the oil drain plug assembly from engine, tape up the threads, and reinstall. If you want you can replace this drain assembly with a new twist valve. This is the same valve that's on all the new mower engines. Threads are standard for it. Replace the engine oil filter and check to make sure there is a rubber grommet around the filter between the engine shroud and the filter. If it doesn't have one, buy one for it. You need this to regulate the air flowing thru the motor. Check over the muffler for rusted out areas. Drain the hydro fluid and replace the hydro filter. Be careful when filling the hydro unit. The hydro fills very slowly due to the air lock conditions. The hydro is 10W-30 and I recommend Shell Rotella. Lubricate the linkage where needed. Check the play in the PTO engage lever. This gets sloppy. You can replace the plastic bushings with new ones and shim out the rest of the play with a plastic washer. Check the hydro connections to verify they aren't leaking. Remove the exterior drive belt cover on the right side when your sitting on the tractor and inspect the belt and pulleys to insure the bearings are still good. A new drive belt is around $25.00 at your local Toro dealer so it's not such a bad idea to throw on a new belt. There are also ground wires right between the fuse block and the battery. Remove the nut that holds these ground wires down and clean the connections. It's also not a bad idea to goop these connections up with some Di-electric grease. You can also go thru all the safety switch connections on the tractor. Clean all the terminals and pack the switch connectors full of Di-electric grease before re-connecting them. Grease up all the joints in the front axle. Inspect the deck lift bar for play side to side. Remove the PTO pulley assembly on the side of the motor and do a full inspection for cracks in the pulley assembly, bearing wear, and the friction plate for wear. Also inspect, replace, or adjust the pulley brake. The GAP should be .012" between the brake assembly and the pulley. That's about 5 sheets of normal paper in thickness. If you have any more questions feel free to PM me. I apologize for any and all spelling and grammer mistakes. It's getting late.

woah...there is no real fuse block, there are fuses but not a block like on my 244, I will post pics asap.

Basic tuneup, plugs, battery etc. will have tomorrow, I need a pto belt, drive belt looks ok. He put a new carb on it two years ago. He changed the oil and hydro, theya re full and clean, but I will do the oil anyway, a little nervous about the hydro, anyone know the capacities and the filter numbers for motor and trans. Also I agree about taping the thread on the oil drain, because I think a slow leak is from there, what kind of tape should be used here???

I did pull the plugs before I bought it, they were old, but clean.

Also why is the brake so hard and jumpy, any ideas???

[JonW 0]

For tape get some white Teflon tape.When holding the drain plug with threads away from you wrap the tape COUNTER clock ways.You don't need a lot, just 3 or 4 wraps. You just want to cover the threads. (overlap each wrap by half)

Lowes or HD has it.

[truckin88 104]

is there an easy way to get the elbox and pipe off the oil drain, and do the whole thing?

Also anyone know where the steering grease fitting is, I see in the manual where it says it should be, and I can not find it, or a hole where a zerks once was or anything.

[Bow_Extreme 550]

I believe you have to un-bolt the motor from the mounting plate to really get at it with ease. It honestly doesn't take long to do this. Pull the drive belt cover off and remove the drive belt. I don't know for sure about the grease fitting. You don't have the gear reduction steering setup in yours. I don't think there is a fitting in the gear reduction setup either. All you do is grease the gears a bit.

[lt230s 14]

Sounds like you got a good deal.

I scan CL every couple of days - didn't see that one.

Where about in OC are you? I'm near Port Jervis.

Definitely post some pics for us to drool over.

[Mattbg79 1]

I paid 500 for mine which ive been working on since, think its an 88 also. ill have about 1500 in it when im finished painting and fixing.

[truckin88 104]

for whatever reason if you searched for wheel horse it did not come up, but 520H it did, it was in gardiner (ulster ct). I am in town of newburgh, and it was 10 minutes away from me which made it even sweeter. I was lucky enough to see it when it was first listed. That is how I found it.

Whats the best way to change the oil filter, anyone have a filter number, it is sort of in the engine cover, I do not want to make a mess. Anyone know the capcity, I did grease everything. The manual states the fitting for the steering not sure why I can not find it.

[mcwh1950 2]

anyone have an idea of the PTO belt size for the 520 with a 48, it does need a new one.

1 TORO 102742 103 0.5

2 WHEEL HORSE 102742 103.25 0.5

[truckin88 104]

anyone have an idea of the PTO belt size for the 520 with a 48, it does need a new one.

1 TORO 102742 103 0.5

2 WHEEL HORSE 102742 103.25 0.5

Thanks do you have an Oil filter # ?? Also anyone know how change the filter w/o a mess??

[mcwh1950 2]

Oil filter # nn10147

[truckin88 104]

again thank you, any trick to changing it the oil filter??? anyone know the capacities of the engine and trans?? Any trick to changing the fuel filter??

I took everyones advice, I just ordered the pto belt, oil/trans/and fuel filter, from pete's (good prices/no tax).

The pre filter was good, the air filter was not but I will pickup a fram air filter today, battery, and 2 spark plugs today.

Thansk all for your help, I will get crappy cell pics up today, and nicer pics when my wife comes back, she has the camera, she already knows about the madness, she is cool...for now....

[Bow_Extreme 550]

There is not much of a trick to changing the oil filter. It will make a bit of a mess but very carefully remove it pointing the engine side up as much as possible. Carefully clean the metal spill tray the oil filter sits in with some shop towels or rags as there will be some spilled oil. Have your oil change pan ready and preferably change the oil with the deck off the tractor. This way you can get the pan under the tractor if needed to catch residual oil spill and at ther same time keep the deck clean and free of oil. Other than that there's not much of a trick to this. It's a bit of a mess no matter how you try to change it.