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Last Saturday , I went for a drive to go pick up a 417A in decent shape. Turns out it had a series I replacement motor and someone swapped the air cleaner and stuff from the blown series II. Was a little bummed but still happy to bring a new horse home. I figured out it was a series I when I got home.... Oh well. Still a nice solid tractor and has compression according to my tester so It should come out nice. It hasnt ran in a year according to the seller. My dad called me the next Sunday night about two 520's listed kinda goofy on craigslist. He found them looking for wood decking. I guess the word Deck is what turned them up in the search. Add says two low hour 520 tractors. Both had decks and one has a blower, make an offer. Give him a call, he says there really nice and not all beat up. Yea , I heard that before. I asked him the years and he wasnt sure. I said Ill be up tonight to look at them. He opens the shed door and there sits two of the nicest 520's I have seen in awhile. Both have gear reduction steering. NO rust on the tractors or decks. One had 800 hours and the other had only 600 hours, give or take. Blower was an older short chute but still in nice condition. I keep my best poker face and shoot an offer. To my surprise , he says yup. When are you coming to get them. Needless to say, tonight we unloaded them. My dad bought one and I bought the other. My dad is not a tractor collector but even he couldnt turn down this nice tractor to have around for mowing and house choirs. He says its like the cadillac of tractors lol. The one i picked is a 1994 with 800 hours. It really is in nice shape and one of the nicest in my collection. It runs great. Wiring is unmolested and all gauges work. The deck is like new and it came with hub cabs also. Really is a peach. Finally found my gear reduction, lower hours 520H. Woo Hoo. Also it is the same year as my 416H which is kinda cool. The one my dad picked has the blower and also a beautiful deck. Plus wheel weights and chains. His has around 600 hours and runs great also. It is a little faded from what must be a garage window because it has no rust. One of the fuses was tapped into and replaced with an inline fuse and also the molex plug was replaced with a different plug. The wiring was done very well and not a hack job. Could easily fix that but I think he is happy the way it is. Also the faded paint should polish right out. I beleive his to be a 1995 but have not checked the serial number yet. Its been a good week and thanks to dad for keeping his eyes open on craigslist. Although I may have to sell some of my other wheel horses to make some room.....for more wheel horse. I dont have great pictures yet but here are some. The dark one on the trailer is my dads. The other are of the 417 and my 520H.

I am the proud owner of one of Scott's hitches. Here is a thought for an attachment that I have been tossing around for use at some of the shows I go to.

Hi I am a first time Wheel Horse owner. It has the front plow and the AC-6 cultivator attachments. My guess is that it was the recipient of a DIY restoration in the late 1990's but not certain, based on the darker red, B&S engine and newer tires. Runs and drives perfect, everything works awesome. I need a trailer for it if anyone wants the cultivator.

1/4 of a mile of driveway. That's a good distance from the county road, but I could stand it if was even longer. And the bridge is floored with old railroad ties. They are 7" X 14" and vary from 12' to 16' long. They make a good bridge. I spaced them in the hope that they would last longer. My brother took a CAT 32o excavator across it and he had the tracks rolling on the guards at the edge of the bridge.

I filmed this Monday and it was raining on the snow that fell the day before. I was grading about a 50 50 mix of snow and slush. And I liked it.

The black goop means it has been sitting for some time (years)..the caramel color comes from the emulsion you get when you run the trans. I couldn't wait...had to tear into that differential. Both axle gears are chipped, maybe one spider is OK, the axles appear to be fine, and the differential and bull gear is good. One side... Other side Axle gears. Bull gear and teeth. And here are the bad guys... Those roll pin punches are a must have...no bending at all and the short ones are great for starting the pin. What a difference good tools make. A SPECIAL THANKS TO SOREKIWI for the roll pin information. Just a comment...when you have a horse that is not going anywhere and is like lurching and waiting for things to catch up before it moves, if it is in the transmission (and not the wood ruff keys or hubs)...the above picture is most likely what you have going on.

Finally had a warmer day to do things in the garage. I have had that 4th transmission from Lane for over a week now, (pictures at top of page 5) and it has been driving me crazy to get into it. Really, all we need is the casting to have all the bolt hooby-doobys...the other 3 are all missing at least one, and one of them is missing 2. I don't know why, but they always seem to be on the input gear side and on the bottom. Anyway, we finally have a good casting with all the hooby-doobys. Lane bought me a set of these Grace USAshort, roll pin punches that Sorekiwi recomended back on page 1, and they are the "cat's meow". They tapped out that pesky roll pin on the tension pulley linkage with no problem. If you do roll pins, this is a must set. So I got this thing apart. Some rust on the gears. The rail shafts are rusted enough to freeze them in place. Looks like the E-Tank is making another visit. The bearings may be OK and most of the gears look alright...have not cleaned them yet. The gears in the differential are toast. Each axle spins by itself. The spider gears are stripped, but the differential housing looks OK. Need to clean up things yet.

You are not going to believe this...but while pounding on that 4th transmission, I had an oil drain pan with diesel fuel in it on the bench...knocked it off and about 1/2 gallon went on the floor and in that wagon that had the transmissions in it. Luckily, I had some Rock & Rye in the cup, and I grabbed that and sat back and looked at the mess. There is a drain right near where the fuel spilled...the drain goes out to the back of the garage...kind of where the mice have a nest. Bye mice. So there is some good that happens...you just have to find it. The fuel is going down the drain and I can clean it all up this spring. I actually like the smell of diesel when it is mixed with 90 wt. It is a cocktail without a name. Tomorrow, looking to hone the bronze bearings, fit the axles and put together one of the differentials for the RJ transmissions. Still have some ideas as far as fixing those little nubies that are broke in the other cases. Martin, if you are enjoying this thread...Thanks...you are one of the best. Mike, you will absolutely love those roll pin punches. These are keepers for a long time...not just using and abusing. Worth every penny.

And the addiction begins....

This thread is really very informative and all the pics are great! Steve, you are doing an amazing tutorial on these transmissions and Lane, i think your interjection with the progress on the tractor is great too! Who would have known that all of this would be contained within a thread titled: SO, YOU WANT TO SAVE THAT WH 3 PIECE TRANNY... I have to be honest, with a title like that, at first i was a little scared to look......

I work at a chemical plant out of town and live out of town. I only go in for groceries and gas. Seem like every light turns red as soon as I get to it, drives me nuts. I like highways better than city streets. So nice to get home where it is quiet (except for the roar of and Onan when I fire up a Wheel Horse).

I liked it just how it was. You could see well enough...not really too much vibration...and when the slush pushed the front of the horse over, it was like I was sitting on the seat. I think I was trying to turn the steering wheel when that happened a few times. It would be nice to take that ride again in the summer and in the fall.

I made me a camera mount. Make that an experimental camera mount. Galvanized pipe, some bolts and nuts, some rubber pipe cut for shock absorbers and an old camera mount off a tripod. The good news is that it holds the camera. The bad news is that you never know for sure what you are filming. And evidently the shock absorbing rubber pipes do not absorb the shock as well as I hoped. But the night is still young, as they say.

Was someone riding behind you? Or prehensile tail or how did you mount the camera?

Dats right mates. Me roo scratched his head while I was standin' nex tu em and I can't ride meself of the beasts. Follow me around wherever I trek. The Doc says there's nuttin' to be dun.

Now that you mention it, it must be an epidemic! I have the same issue:)

I don`t mean to hijack this thread, but do you know your kangaroo has fleas and their getting on my `puter....

The rain is not a problem when you have just put your transaxle back together and need to try it out. Even getting soaked in February can be overcome.

Is that a grill on there or cooler...or both?

A nice new or used nelson muffler is about the best I have found. Not going to be cheap but surely makes them old flat heads pretty quiet. My C-160 has a nelson on it but it is the smaller version and not as quiet as I hoped for. I think the best muffler wheel horse used is the horizontal muffler made by nelson that runs along side of the hood used on the newer magnum motors on 300 and 400 series tractor. Its about twelve inches long and about 4 inches in diameter. I would think you could adapt that to make it work. I heard a 314 running at the show with that muffler and I could not believe how smooth and quiet it was. Also look for a muffler from a John Deere 316 or 314. Just as quiet and gives you more options when hunting down a used muffler. Remember to, a lot of the noise you hear from these motors are the motors themselves. Not all exhaust that makes them loud. The valve train is really something to hear on an engine being spun with the plugs out. Some where on youtube I found a video of a V8 being spun over by a big industrial setup for valve train improvements in the R&D lab. I could not believe how loud that was and there was no gas/exhaust involved.

I have a Kohler K341 on a GT 14 tractor. Its always had the typical .....what are they called?........pepper shaker muffler? on the tractor. I've had to replace them several times....they seem to just eventually burn up. I can honestly say even from day one whenever I installed a new muffler of this type, I really couldn't tell that it really muffled much noise, maybe a little, but very little. As usage time goes on, they all got nothing but louder. Of course, part of this is the sheer displacement of the motor......35.9 cu. in. = 588 cc. Think of it in terms of a slightly bored out Norton Manx 500 cc thumper with an open megaphone exhaust. Deafening! You don't want to be standing 8 or 10' behind a Manx when it being warmed up and the throttle is being "blipped" to do that, without ear protection. These older flat head engines seem to be much louder than the newer OHV engines which are common in lots of equipment now. I've owned and used this tractor for 35 years now, and I guess I'm beginning to become somewhat of a crotchety old senior, but its becoming annoying to me (the operator), and I in fact had one neighbor that ragged me out over the noise. It may be because they have a pool and spend a fair amount of time outside, and the pool is about 10-11 feet from a chain link fence that divides the properties. I'm really not that worried about the neighbor nearly as much as I am myself, or should I say my hearing. I already have hearing loss from years of firing pneumatic nail guns and listening to compressors and heavy machinery running on job sites. What are you other K341 owners using and doing to get more muffling accomplished? Surely there has to be a more reasonable solution which will allow you to hear yourself think after an hour or hour and a half of operation. Is there a viable, positive solution for this problem so my ears and head don't ring for an hour after just mowing my lawn? Regards, Steve

What about a topic of tools for the hobby. Everything from wrenches to welders, lifts to spray guns, Where people can ask questions and share experiences about something they have bought or want more info on before buying? Thought it might be nice

I had asked my son to keep a lookout for a junk round hood for me a while back. He sent this picture to me yesterday and asked if this hood will work. I told him not to get the hood but see if his friend wants to sell all of it.

so I got some time this weekend(not a lot due to honey do list)and I finally got to fab up a few recivers for my c160,s once you have a 2 inch receiver the skys the limit to what you can put back there,anything that can be welded or bolted to a 2 inch piece of square tube,i know we have a member that makes these and I can tell you his price is very fair,as theres a lot of work to fab these up,i made mine with the rear attachmatic for plows and tillers,ill paint it in the spring

Another little update on the 56. Engine is mostly back together, still need to paint the tins and on the search for an oil bath air cleaner, have the elbow and bracket, just need the cleaner part itself. Parts primed waiting for me to sand them again. And got the hood welded up and hammered out. Need to beadblast it again and then can do some filler on it. Thanks, Jake

If you got any diesel into the R & R could you tell ?

Steve: Those spider gears and axle gears are starting to get me to improve make updates to my machinists mailing/telephone number list. No wonder there was no resistance when we were turning those axles in that 4th transmission Steve! That one axle gear looks like it has only a third of the gear teeth on it. Martin: My RJ redo may just cause me to buy another one or two ! I am piecing together parts and ideas for the redo. Squonk: That garage still smells like Rock and Rye ! Believe me!

have the cooler in the front to even out the weight and you would be set at the show you can drive around cooking some hamburgers.

Great pics. I'm wondering what the garage smells like with all these trannies apart. If there's gear oil around a mile away I know it! ( Just ordered the short and long pin set)

Steve: I knew you would be hitting the 4th transmission today. When I saw 40 degrees plus coming to town! Looks like a very good center case piece Steve! That black goop in last picture is a little different too from the other ones.. Must have had water or lots of moisture in air to be rusted up as much as it is.. We usually see that white milky stuff when lots of water combines with the gear oil. Are e all four spider gears stirpped of threads??

I thought there was supposed to be a cotter key there as that's what I took out, wondered why it was so sloppy, thanks for the info Steve. Jim, I am going to edit in your post...if that is OK. That roll pin is WH#1244....1/8" X 1" roll pin.

I don't have a loader, but my understanding it would be better with the 20 PSI to make it more stable when the bucket is up.

Maybe I should consider getting an old paint shaker and fastening it to the Wheelhorse. Then mounting my camera on it. If I got everything in time, it could be some smooth filming.

Those bridges are common in Tennessee. When I was a kid, a guy delivering a mobile home was afraid to cross it, so the farmer got his tractor out, hooked up to the trailer and pulled it across with no problem. The gaps in the boards keep cows from crossing, they are afraid

I have an ark loader but shouldn`t make any difference in this case. The manual says 250 lbs. in the ballast box with wheel weights. 350 lbs. without wheel weights. The manual is from Wheel Horse.....

Looks real nice but it ain't done till you have Mrs. Buckrancher's seat cover on it...

Well, here is my first try at making a gasket for my GT-14. Yep, my barn is cold and it was in the 20s here yesterday. First I tried my brass - or copper, or whatever - ball peen hammer. I think it was to soft. So I drug out the John Deere Green Ball Peen. It did better, but I just didn't feel right using a Green hammer on a Wheelhorse. And since I didn't have a red ball peen, I went with the blue hammer. I may have to paint one of the ball peen hammers Wheelhorse Red. The best I can remember, this is my first attempt at cutting a gasket. If anyone here has ever done this and knows how it is supposed to be done, I'd appreciate any suggestions.

Spray some carb cleaner around the intake, etc, see if it changes

I knew you were making these hitches scott,i just didn't know if you still were or not and I didn't want to say your name without permission or knowledge if you were still manufacturing these quality hitches,i must admit I fabbed my first one several years ago with an old reese hitch I had from a lease truck that went back,ive made 4 since then but I borrowed your idea of using the factory hitch bar for extra support,very good idea,and keep on producing those fine hitches

The name is Tom Ruprecht or n1defan. He and I started building these hitches 4+ years ago and there's still demand for them. Would have to say we have sold well over 200 of them and orders keep coming in. Tom took it over by. Himself a few years ago as I took a different job and spar time is hard to find. Biggest attachment I use on this hitch is 5ft York rake from a category one 3 point hitch. I use a wench to lift it and need to add 200lbs to the front of the tractor for good steering. Works great you canfind a link to reach Tom in the vendor section.

This has been discussed before so you might like to look through previous postings. The change came in 1990 when Toro started putting their name on the Wheel Horse tractors and started painting them Toro Red. I can't place my 1989 and 1990 brochures right now but the phrasing for ownership on the back page changed between the two years. That also coincides with the change from maroon stripes to black stripes. But it was Toro that brought us the swept axle and 60" deck for the 520-H model. Toro also made their own tractors prior to buying Wheel Horse. Those were lawn tractors.

I don't have a picture of the trailer. I will take one and post it this weekend. I don't think it's a wheelhorse trailer. It's just a small blue one. I don't have the pulley any more.im not to worry about going in reverse. I just got wd 40 and steel wool #0000. I'm going to try to clean it up.

I have a couple more pictures for today. Went ahead and jumped the gun, wired everything up the exact same way I took it apart to see if it would fire.....and nothing. I'll be getting out the dmm tomorrow and tracing every wire. I just wish I could find a helpful diagram on how that regulator is wired. I have up for today. I'll be right back at it tomorrow though. Will also try to get a video of it running! One of my buddies also made me a brass knuckles shifter knob out of what we had laying around. It'll be cleaned up and painted tomorrow also!

done!

Don,,,you are right......i have the one from Don R. ..............it fit perfect,,,,when a neighbor sees it they ask were the camper or boat is sitting,,,they are amazed at that they are looking at,,,with little imagination and your thoughts running wild....let the welding begin !!!!!!!!!!!!!! that dont include what you already stick in a hitch !!!!

Here's a up date on the 633 I was able to fix the dash tower up had to weld sum craks and straighten out sum bent areas in it patched the hole buy the shiftier with sum exspanchen metal so it will match the hood also was able to get the lift handle straightened out i'm pretty sure this horse has been rolled over at sum point

Sounds like it could be sucking air. Check the bolts and gasket between the carb and block. Did you check for play in the throttle shaft like Shynon suggested?

I agree, 855, 1055, 856 or 1056. too bad it was left out in the cold; needs a little love, and some red paint!