Going to look tomorrow - 1990 520H

[Mister_520H 52]

I’ve been idly hunting for a second 520H and a nice looking 1990 model popped up not too far from home. It sat from 2006 until about 2022 and had about 140 hours on the meter when it came out of storage. The owner had left fuel in the tank so that was a mess and the carb was gunked up as well. The current owner bought the tractor from the original owner and when he brought it home he cleaned out the tank, opened up and sprayed out the carb and said that it ran great for a season and then he put it away for about a year. When he pulled it back out it was running a little rough, or surging and he figures it needs another carb clean. Since he’s got other tractors, he decided to let this one go. It currently sits at 161 hours and he sent a video of it running and it sounds strong.

 

The tractor looks pretty damn clean overall. Didn’t see the best storage but all in all I think it’s a great candidate to bring fully back and get ready for my son to start using when he’s ready. (Sure he’s only 3 weeks old but I like to plan ahead!)

 

Anything I need to be concerned about? I’m pretty familiar with these but wouldn’t consider myself an expert. 

[Mister_520H 52]

[Lee1977 6,663]

I have a 1989 520-H they seam to run better if they are used regular.  

[Mister_520H 52]

Hey Lee - Great looking Horse! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Bar Nuthin 250]

Good luck, sir!

[953 nut 55,285]

10 hours ago, Mister_520H said:

 

Anything I need to be concerned about?

Since it has been sitting I would remove the engine covers and clean the cooling fins, no telling who or what may have made a home in  there.

[ebinmaine 67,564]

Good looking rig overall. 

 

I'm no expert on the big Onan. 

The carb is an easy rebuild. 

The intake does tend to leak over time. 

To fix the intake requires care and patience. 

 

There's a thread for looking at and or repair/restoration. 

Use this on the first section for "before purchasing".

 

 

 

 

 

11 hours ago, Mister_520H said:

get ready for my son to start using when he’s ready. (Sure he’s only 3 weeks old but I like to plan ahead!)

 

This is awesome! 

BBT aka Trina aka My Other Half has been tossing around the idea of a small round hood Lawn Ranger for our new grandbaby. 

He's a good strong almost 5 months old. 

 

[Mister_520H 52]

Well.. that was disappointing. 
 

Upon close inspection, I believe that this very well may have been a low hours unit but also that it suffered tragically from very poor long term storage. Tons of corrosion, and as many touch ups as original paint. Lots of small things incorrect and/or missing. The tractor fired up and sounded pretty good and there was plenty to like about it. For the price, there is probably someone who would be happy with it, but just not me. Doing the basic math on what it would cost to get this tractor into the sort of shape I’m looking for, I feel certain I’d be further ahead waiting for the right one. 
 

This may not be a popular opinion here, but it seems like buying from the mass of Wheel Horse collectors presents some common downsides. Many of these guys buy up any and all decent tractors they can find for good deals, harvest the bits and pieces they want/need and then flip what’s left for a profit. It seems in many cases, if a collector is selling a tractor, it’s probably because it’s not worth keeping. I’ve historically had much better experiences buying from original owners who have no motivation to squirrel away implements, hubcaps, or pilfer hard to find bits and pieces before unloading a tractor and they generally have a much more thorough historical understanding of the machine and generally care more about it as well.
 

All in all, it was a decent 3 hour round trip with an empty trailer but not a complete loss. I took my 3 year old daughter and we had fun all the same. She’s a great sidekick and always up for an adventure. I ended up buying a set of somewhat patina’d hubcaps from the seller (for probably more than they were worth) but oh well, now I have a set for my current 520H. 
 

So the hunt continues. One of these days I hope to find an extremely clean, low hours example of the pre Toro 520H and will be prepared to pay a fair price if one ever turns up.

[kpinnc 12,078]

On 11/18/2024 at 11:05 AM, Mister_520H said:

if a collector is selling a tractor, it’s probably because it’s not worth keeping.

Not necessarily. The only ones I sold were because I just had too many. I will likely not sell any I have restored, because I’ll never make that money back. Kids and grandkids will get them first. 
 

Down in NC, almost no 30 year old machine looks even decent. But I understand, you want what you want. Be patient, you might find one at some point. 

[Handy Don 12,233]

On 11/18/2024 at 11:05 AM, Mister_520H said:

So the hunt continues. One of these days I hope to find an extremely clean, low hours example of the pre Toro 520H and will be prepared to pay a fair price if one ever turns up.

I wouldn’t give up on ANY possible source--you never know.

Two years ago I bought a 225 hour 312-H with a barely used 42” recycler deck at the Big Show. It was a bit more than other similar units but it in good mechanical as well as excellent cosmetic condition. I was doing someone a favor by shopping for them so I needed a no headache unit that I could pass on easily and confidently.  The show had seemed like the extremes before--beautiful refurbs for $$$ or projects for $ that would need work and $$ to bring up to snuff.

[Mister_520H 52]

I’ve been down this road for years in vintage motorcycles and have restored many from the frame up. As time has passed my appreciation for originality has grown and restorations just don’t appeal to me like they once did. I’d favor a nice original over a perfect restoration nearly every day of the week. But tractors aren’t quite like motorcycles and most were used as intended and all too often neglected at some point along the way. 
 

I know the right one is out there, I’ll just be patient. 

[Mister_520H 52]

51 minutes ago, kpinnc said:

Not necessarily. The only ones I sold were because I just had too many. I will likely not sell any I have restored, because I’ll never make that money back. Kids and grandkids will get them first. 
 

Down in NC, almost no 30 year old machine looks even decent. But I understand, you want what you want. Be patient, you might find one at some point. 

I hear this. I have somewhere between 15-20 vintage motorcycles in my shop and occasionally move one or two along. That being said, I usually sell my least favorites. 

[ML3 1,212]

On 11/19/2024 at 9:19 PM, Mister_520H said:

I hear this. I have somewhere between 15-20 vintage motorcycles in my shop and occasionally move one or two along. That being said, I usually sell my least favorites. 

Vintage motorcycles??? Got anything interesting? I have a few. 1970 Bultaco Matador MK3 my dad bought new when he came home from Vietnam.  1972 Honda CL175- all original,  even the tires! 1983 Kawasaki GPZ750 turbo. 1984 Yamaha RZ 350 Kenny Roberts edition w/1800 original miles. 

[Mister_520H 52]

2 hours ago, ML3 said:

Vintage motorcycles??? Got anything interesting? I have a few. 1970 Bultaco Matador MK3 my dad bought new when he came home from Vietnam.  1972 Honda CL175- all original,  even the tires! 1983 Kawasaki GPZ750 turbo. 1984 Yamaha RZ 350 Kenny Roberts edition w/1800 original miles. 

 

Sounds like you’ve got a nice collection… I started riding 70’s Kawasaki’s.. graduated to 70’s Honda’s.. then moved onto 60’s BMW’s and a few from the 50’s. Currently I’ve got a 1951 BMW R67, several /2 era BWM twins from the 60’s and a 1984 BMW R80G/S Paris Dakar to name a few of the interesting machines in the shop. 

[ML3 1,212]

33 minutes ago, Mister_520H said:

 

Sounds like you’ve got a nice collection… I started riding 70’s Kawasaki’s.. graduated to 70’s Honda’s.. then moved onto 60’s BMW’s and a few from the 50’s. Currently I’ve got a 1951 BMW R67, several /2 era BWM twins from the 60’s and a 1984 BMW R80G/S Paris Dakar to name a few of the interesting machines in the shop. 

I had a BMW K75 years ago. Have you ever attended Vintage Motorcycle Days @Mid Ohio? If you haven't its definitely a must do! 

[Mister_520H 52]

16 hours ago, ML3 said:

I had a BMW K75 years ago. Have you ever attended Vintage Motorcycle Days @Mid Ohio? If you haven't its definitely a must do! 

 

I was there one time about 15 years ago long before I ventured into BMW’s. At the time I had a dozen or more 70’s era Honda CB’s and was rather fixated on the 4 cylinder bikes. I really need to get out there one of these years to unload an absolute horde of old Honda parts. I have a wheel horse cart piled 5 feet high with exhaust systems, handlebars, crash bars, fenders, and then many bins of tanks, side covers etc etc etc. At this point I just want it all out of my shop and never seem to have the time to make it out to Mid Ohio. I may just slap it all on FB Marketplace and let it go to anyone who can make use of it. 

[Mister_520H 52]

I think that perhaps because I no longer have much time for riding my motorcycles, my interest has shifted to the only machine I get time to enjoy at this point in my life, my 1989 520H. I used to lay down thousands of miles across my many vintage bikes a year, but now with 3 young children, I just don’t prioritize those rides anymore but with 12 odd acres of grass to keep cut, I still get a hundred odd hours of cutting in on the Wheel Horse every season. My cutting season is just about over though with the first snow of the season falling this morning. In the next few weeks I’ll pull the deck, scrub it clean and get it oiled up and stored for next year then do my bi-annual full service and maintenance to make sure the horse is ready to go in the spring. 

[ebinmaine 67,564]

9 minutes ago, Mister_520H said:

I think that perhaps because I no longer have much time for riding my motorcycles, my interest has shifted to the only machine I get time to enjoy at this point in my life, my 1989 520H. I used to lay down thousands of miles across my many vintage bikes a year, but now with 3 young children, I just don’t prioritize those rides anymore but with 12 odd acres of grass to keep cut, I still get a hundred odd hours of cutting in on the Wheel Horse every season. My cutting season is just about over though with the first snow of the season falling this morning. In the next few weeks I’ll pull the deck, scrub it clean and get it oiled up and stored for next year then do my bi-annual full service and maintenance to make sure the horse is ready to go in the spring. 

 

 

With that amount of land whether it's grass or not you could certainly justify another tractor or seven.

[Horse Newbie 7,071]

On 11/16/2024 at 8:58 PM, Mister_520H said:

Hey Lee - Great looking Horse! Thanks for sharing!

 

Here’s another picture to help nudge you towards a purchase and satisfy your addiction…

My 1994 520H…

[Mister_520H 52]

9 hours ago, Horse Newbie said:

Here’s another picture to help nudge you towards a purchase and satisfy your addiction…

My 1994 520H…

 

Good lord that is gorgeous! Did you restore it? 

[Mister_520H 52]

10 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

 

 

With that amount of land whether it's grass or not you could certainly justify another tractor or seven.

 

My thoughts exactly. My hope is to find another great 520H as I’ve already got an extra 60” deck in the barn and lots of spare parts and get my wife out there with me to cut down on cutting time and then slowly introduce my kids as they get older. 

[ML3 1,212]

On 11/22/2024 at 10:30 AM, ebinmaine said:

 

 

With that amount of land whether it's grass or not you could certainly justify another tractor or seven.

Absolutely! I have just under 1/3 acre city lot & I have 7 tractors! Seems normal to me......

Edited Sunday at 04:08 AM by ML3

[kpinnc 12,078]

1 hour ago, ML3 said:

Seems normal to me.....

 

Me too! 

[Handy Don 12,233]

9 hours ago, ML3 said:

Absolutely! I have just under 1/3 acre city lot & I have 7 tractors! Seems normal to me......

Hmmm. One tractor, one riding mower, ½ acre--but no more storage space and I can’t abide leaving equipment in the weather.

[ebinmaine 67,564]

4 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

Hmmm. One tractor, one riding mower, ½ acre--but no more storage space and I can’t abide leaving equipment in the weather.

 

Further proof you need another building. "Tractors only" of course.