Locking rear end on a wheel horse 800 auto

[Craig.b 4]

Hi everyone,

 

new to forums in general so if I’m doing this wrong I’m sorry.  I just bought a wheel horse 800 auto and I am blown away with the pulling power and overall just beast of a machine for in general.  After doing some research I found this model has a lighter duty rear end then the non auto models but I live in a hilly area and was hoping there was a way to lock the rear end still? I find myself having the power to pull the load I’m pulling I’m just losing traction to the one wheel peel.  Any information on locking the rear or even other upgrades to be an even better worker would be amazing.   Thanks everyone!

 

p.s I noticed these originally came with a Briggs but this one seemed to be swapped with a 12hp Kholer 

[wallfish 17,011]

Add some wheel weights and chains to the rear tires. Or weight and a more aggressive tire tread. Solve the tire traction problem first.

Locking the rear will ruin it. Without tire traction you would just have 2 tires spinning instead of one. Plus it will force the tractor to drive straight.

[8ntruck 7,016]

I'll agree with @wallfish.  Add weight and chains.  In general, most any Wheel Horse will run out of traction before it uses up all the available horsepower - mostly due to the small size and limited weight.

 

@ebinmaine may chime in here.  He has property with lots of contour and uses his Horses to frequently haul things.  He is a good source of information about weight, chains, ans tire threads.

[Craig.b 4]

Thanks @wallfish and @8ntruck that makes a lot of sense.  I like the wheel weight and chains route a lot better especially for the longevity factor.  I’m new to the wheel horses but I clearly have been missing out!

[Handy Don 12,234]

13 minutes ago, Craig.b said:

 I like the wheel weight and chains route a lot better especially for the longevity factor.  I’m new to the wheel horses but I clearly have been missing out!

The weight on the wheels (or by filing the tires) is valuable since it is directly supported by the ground. Weights on the frame are supported by the bearings and transaxle.

It isn’t hard to find wheel weights up to 75 lbs per wheel outside (and up to 15 inside) and depending on your tire size up to 50 lbs of liquid fill per wheel. So getting over 200 lbs of added rear weight is not difficult and may make all the difference.

Also important is that the on steeper ascents, the front may also need some weight to stay down. Same idea--wheel weights and filled tires.

On descents, you cannot rely on engine braking the way you can in a fully gear drive vehicle--it is possible to have belt slip when descending hills easily driven up.

Lastly, be very sensitive to the WH’s modest braking through the transaxle, not at the wheels. You should test it out in not-dangerous situations to get a feel for it. Adding a lot of weight to the tractor will significantly affect stopping power.

Edited June 30 by Handy Don

[Craig.b 4]

Thanks @Handy Don I didn’t even realize these machines could handle weight like that.  I use just a little lawn mower trailer filled with brush and what not but I may start trying more especially with some weights.  Is there any way to improve the braking on this as the one steep part on my property I have noticed the weak braking ability.  Again thanks everyone for the input all this information is amazing.

[Handy Don 12,234]

1 hour ago, Craig.b said:

Is there any way to improve the braking

You can upgrade the old, fabric-based lining on the brake band with composite material from @rmaynard. The amount of improvement will depend on the state of your original lining but it can be significant.

At least one member (@Oldskool) has added disk brakes to the rear axles but it wasn’t a simple job. I’ve heard discussions of how one might add drum brakes but never seen an implementation.

 

My experience has been that I lost traction before losing braking action. I added chains for working on the steeper area and that made all the difference.

Note that most models’ braking also disengages the drive (clutch or hydro). I tend now to use a lower gear and use my foot to pull up on the clutch pedal to lessen the chance of belt slip and drive slowly down the steep parts. Patience wins.

 

In general, a WH can go a lot more powerfully than it can stop. Just the way it is.

 

Edited June 30 by Handy Don

[adsm08 2,067]

Turf saver tires like the ones you have are really terrible for traction. They were designed to not tear up a lawn but that tread pattern being able to maintain traction is based on the assumption that you are on a fairly level, dry, and most importantly hard surface.

 

Ag treaded tires can actually dig in and grab a bit. Chains are even better, and as said above, more weight to help tread bars and chains dig in goes a long way.

[87 416-8 horse 420]

Just curious, what would you use to liquid fill your tires?

[Ed Kennell 38,209]

Your 800 has the early Eaton 6 hydro.   Like stated above, do not attempt to lock the differential.  

To increase traction:

1. add chains in the existing turf tires    preferably 2 link with vee bar

2. add weight     filled tires with windshield washer fluid,  wheel weights, rear weight box.

 

This transmission only has a parking brake.  Use the motion control lever to control motion including stop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Handy Don 12,234]

Favored tire fills are RV antifreeze and Rim Guard (a brand of beet juice--look for a dealer in your area). These will not freeze or rust the rims inside the tires.

There are water treatments to inhibit rust but they don’t seem too popular among members here.

Some vendors In the past used various chlorides (to add weight to the water) but rim corrosion usually was severe over time.

Cost and availability usually drive the decision!

 

Numerous threads on this site explain different ways to do it yourself with a small pump. Practice using the search box at the top of this page!

[ebinmaine 67,587]

3 hours ago, Craig.b said:

I have noticed the weak braking ability

 

55 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

This transmission only has a parking brake.  Use the motion control lever to control motion including stop

 

 

@Craig.b

 

This is a fully hydrostatic machine. 

There's no actual "brake".

 

To slow down and/or stop use the motion lever to accomplish it. 

It's not at all abnormal for many hydros to pick up speed going down or lose it going up. 

When you set the speed control it was for the conditions in play at that second. 

ANY change requires you to adjust speed. 

 

 

@8ntruck thanks for the "mention".