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Woodbutcher 56

My first Wheel Horse 1989 416-8

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Woodbutcher 56

Just got my first Wheel Horse a1989 416-8. It needs some clean up  but it's in decent shape. The seller was the son in law of the original owner it came with the owners manuals 48" deck and push blade. I'm looking for any advice on care and maintenance of this machine. I have other equipment I maintain, just not familiar with Wheel Horse or .Onan engines. First thing I needed to know is where to find the serial number on the engine??? Thanks in advance for any help.

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Pullstart

:text-welcomeconfetti:

 

:banana-gotpics:

 

There are some “base line” or “baseline” threads on here that have a great guide for first maintenance.  We’ll start with a warm oil change, inspect the fuel system and replace as needed, and inspect the transmission oil condition.  If it’s milky or dirty, a good flush and refill is in order.  :handgestures-thumbupright:  a zero gravity grease job on the front end and steering block by jacking the FRAME up and relieving front end pressure will help too.

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roadapples

:WRS:

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peter lena

@Woodbutcher 56 WELCOME ,  @Pullstart  good call on that ,  like to verify what you have , check out operational functions, baseline lubrication  refresh . check out the wiring etc . let us know how you are doing , pete 

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953 nut

:WRS:

Here is some very useful information about you tractor.

 

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Woodbutcher 56

Thanks , I drove the tractor before purchase. We had to jump it off a charger as the battery is dead. I'll be getting a new battery Soon from research it looks like it requires a U1 group battery, I'm thinking at least a 300 cca. I checked it in all gears high and low. Engaged the mower. The mower lift does not function , deck does not lift. It's a manual lift I'll have to find a diagram to determine the problem with the lift mechanism. I still haven't found the I'd plate on the P216 g Onan engine.  It's pretty dirty so I'm going to use compressed air and clean it off .I intend to change oil and filter, air filter and plugs , check tranny oil and grease the unit before I run it. I haven't looked for new filters yet , I'm hoping they are an easy find. I have part numbers from the manuals. I'll get a couple pics when the rain subsides it's been rainy here in Ohio.

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Woodbutcher 56
11 minutes ago, Woodbutcher 56 said:

Thanks , I drove the tractor before purchase. We had to jump it off a charger as the battery is dead. I'll be getting a new battery Soon from research it looks like it requires a U1 group battery, I'm thinking at least a 300 cca. I checked it in all gears high and low. Engaged the mower. The mower lift does not function , deck does not lift. It's a manual lift I'll have to find a diagram to determine the problem with the lift mechanism. I still haven't found the I'd plate on the P216 g Onan engine.  It's pretty dirty so I'm going to use compressed air and clean it off .I intend to change oil and filter, air filter and plugs , check tranny oil and grease the unit before I run it. I haven't looked for new filters yet , I'm hoping they are an easy find. I have part numbers from the manuals. I'll get a couple pics when the rain subsides it's been rainy here in Ohio.

Thanks this will definitely come in handy!!

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lynnmor

The serial number was on a sticker on the blower housing.  If it is gone, look at the horizontal surface behind the engine pulley.

 

You can carefully use Gunk engine cleaner and hose it off.  The engine fins that are covered by the tins need to be clean.  With the oil filter off, look in there with a flashlight to determine condition.  Since it sounds like the engine has been neglected, we have a number of things to do before putting it in regular service.  Two of the most important is cylinder head carbon removal and a valve adjustment.

 

Look for a Fleetguard LF3339 oil filter, here is just one source.  Make sure that the rubber grommet around the oil filter is in place, most are not.

 

Operating the engine with a missing or bad battery can damage the charging system.

 

Download the Onan Service Manual available on this site.

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Woodbutcher 56

Thanks 953 nut those files will definitely come in handy

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Woodbutcher 56

I only ran the tractor a couple minutes to test drive and load it on the trailer. I hope that didn't damage anything . I'm not sure what the previous owners did. It appears the original owner took pretty good care of it .. The inlaw I bought it from ,not so much. I'm not sure how long the seller had it.

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Woodbutcher 56

What's the procedure for carbon removal and valve adjustment?

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Pullstart

Carbon removal?  Pull the head and clean it up.  It’s not that difficult once you dig into it  :handgestures-thumbupright:

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Daddy Don

:text-welcomeconfetti:

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oliver2-44

If the Onans  are severely neglected and the rear cylinder fins get filled with grass dirt trash the rear cylinder can overhead and the valve seat loosen up. The WH belt guard can restrict air flow to the rear cylinder and some on here have made ventilation holes or slots in the belt guard. Mostly a concern if your cutting hot summer grass not so much if just snow duty

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lynnmor
7 hours ago, Woodbutcher 56 said:

What's the procedure for carbon removal and valve adjustment?

 

Pull some tins and remove the heads for carbon removal.

 

Pull the exhaust, intake manifold and valve covers to adjust valves.  This is a good time to clean the carburetor, inspect the manifold for leaks, glass bead and paint the exhaust.  When you are ready, ask questions and we can give you more detail.  You will need new head, intake, exhaust and valve cover gaskets.  Don't buy the cheap ones here, use genuine Onan parts.

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Retired Wrencher

Wood 56 :WRS: Good info as you see already. Some pictures would help. Just take your time with it. This will pay off in the end. Enjoy it.

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953 nut
11 hours ago, Woodbutcher 56 said:

The mower lift does not function , deck does not lift. It's a manual lift I'll have to find a diagram to determine the problem with the lift mechanism.  My guess is that the mower lift pin is not inserted in the slot on the mower.

834282864_Rockershaftmanuallift.jpg.8b8be1468ee6aec8096c2117b3c065ce.jpg

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Woodbutcher 56

Thanks 953 nut for the diagram. I'm gonna be honest here guys . I did not anticipate the need to tear down the engine to put this tractor in service. I bought it to assist with firewood chores, move the splitter, trailer wood from one location to another. I coach city league baseball and may on occasion use it to drag the ballfield. I might mow a little with it but I have a mower for yard work, it has a hydro tranny and I don't want to use it to tow anything. I was searching for a gear drive for the towing chores. Anyway I guess I'll do what needs to be done to keep the machine up and running. I really appreciate all the advice , diagrams and downloads. This looks to be an interesting project. Thanks to you all for your assistance.

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Handy Don

Most of the advice you've gotten so far is from folks who care deeply about doing good maintenance to ensure longevity and are comfortable digging into their machines.

 

IMHO, if the machine is running, you can start with the fairly accessible and critical maintenance items (engine oil, oil filter, oil filter grommet, cooling fin cleaning, and transaxle oil). Leave these untended and the machine could suffer serious damage.

 

Once they are done (and the mower lift is connected :)), start to use the machine without pushing it to its limits and observe. Hard starts, blue or black smoke, unexpected shutdowns, loss of power, low voltage while running, clunks thumps or other strange noises? Bring those questions back here and we'll help you get them resolved. 

 

As well, plan out some time for deeper maintenance on a non-urgent schedule. Fuel lines and filters, electrical connections, de-carbon, valve adjustments, chassis lubrication, deck maintenance, and so on.

 

BTW, I agree with not putting too much load on a zero turn mower that hasn't been designed for towing!

 

Enjoy and welcome!

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Bill D

Welcome. Do you have any pictures?  We'd love to see what you have.

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lynnmor

Just so you know, carbon removal and valve adjustment are normal maintenance items.   Stopping the muffler from rusting away can save you big money.  Tractors for the throw away market are sold every day, what you have can either be wasted or maintained to serve almost indefinitely.

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Handy Don
13 minutes ago, lynnmor said:

Just so you know, carbon removal and valve adjustment are normal maintenance items.   Stopping the muffler from rusting away can save you big money.  Tractors for the throw away market are sold every day, what you have can either be wasted or maintained to serve almost indefinitely.

Agreeing with you, here, for sure. :)

Only trying to help set priorities when available time is limited as a new owner becomes acquainted with the machine. 

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lynnmor
45 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

Agreeing with you, here, for sure. :)

Only trying to help set priorities when available time is limited as a new owner becomes acquainted with the machine. 

I’m just trying to say that ownership of these tractors requires certain obligations if one wants to keep them from degrading into the throw-away category.  When I read that he only wants to do X, Y & Z, as a good reason to delay maintenance, that had me push a bit. 

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Woodbutcher 56

I finally had a one to get in to this machine a little today . She's pretty dirty . I started by blowing it off with the air compressor. It's gonna take a bit to get it cleaned up. Once cleaned I have an air filter ,oil filter ,fresh oil , spark plugs and I put a new battery in today.Im gonna try and post some pics.

IMG_20220412_191800659.jpg

IMG_20220412_191934363.jpg

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SylvanLakeWH

:text-welcomeconfetti:

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