C-160 Restore

[mflowers 85]

I actually found it after tearing the garage apart! Where is the big show?

[rjg854 11,356]

Biglerville, PA

[AlexR 627]

Looking really good!!

But man is that is a lengthy restoration started 14 years ago haha 

[mflowers 85]

On 6/20/2024 at 8:31 AM, rjg854 said:

Biglerville, PA

Thanks, I’ll put it on my calendar. 

[mflowers 85]

1 hour ago, AlexR said:

Looking really good!!

But man is that is a lengthy restoration started 14 years ago haha 

Haha - yeah, and it’s amazing after all that time and three moves nothing was lost.

 

here’s a more recent pic. I’m about a week away from tearing the motor down and measuring so I can order my kit.

 

[AlexR 627]

2 minutes ago, mflowers said:

Haha - yeah, and it’s amazing after all that time and three moves nothing was lost.

 

here’s a more recent pic. I’m about a week away from tearing the motor down and measuring so I can order my kit.

 

It's coming along nicely! It's always exciting to see the new painted stuff going on. 

[mflowers 85]

I took a break from body parts to start on the engine. After measuring it looks like I’ll have to send it off to the machine shop and have it bored .10 over and turn the crankshaft the same. I also found the PTO bearings were basically seized up so that will have to be rebuilt too. Considering it’s been run for 50 years, I guess that’s not too bad though! 
I did find it has the old style balance gears and have seen where keeping them or removing them is hotly contested here and elsewhere. I think I’m going with keeping them and will be ordering a shim kit to get the end play back in spec as well as replacing the bearings and retaining clips. I figure it’s run all this time with them and don’t like the idea of modifying it from original.

 

There’s also a slotted stud threaded into the PTO end of the crank that I’m having trouble getting out and can’t tell what it’s purpose is. I’m wondering if something got chewed up in there that I’m missing?

 

Anyway, here are few pics of the progress and would love to hear about anything I might have missed!

 

 

[mflowers 85]

[mflowers 85]

The block and crank have been dropped off at the machine shop and I’ve had some time to get a few more parts on. There’s also a box of parts that came off the engine that need to be inspected, cleaned and painted.

 

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,040]

Check a parts list for the pto parts - screw , spring and bearing I think. They were there to push the pto disc away from the plate when turned off.

You can get a pto shaft item #33 that is pushed by the pto hoop with two snap ring grooves. Yours likely has only one snap ring groove. The two rings allows the hoop to pull on the outer bearing when the pto is turned off. If you have a metal lathe you could cut a second groove so there is one on each side of the bearing.

https://www.partstree.com/models/31-12k801-312-8-toro-garden-tractor-1990/pto-clutch-and-control-47/

 

What you have now items #40-44

https://www.partstree.com/models/71-12k801-c-120-toro-lawn-tractor-1977/pto-clutch-controls-19/

 

[mflowers 85]

6 hours ago, gwest_ca said:

Check a parts list for the pto parts - screw , spring and bearing I think. They were there to push the pto disc away from the plate when turned off.

You can get a pto shaft item #33 that is pushed by the pto hoop with two snap ring grooves. Yours likely has only one snap ring groove. The two rings allows the hoop to pull on the outer bearing when the pto is turned off. If you have a metal lathe you could cut a second groove so there is one on each side of the bearing.

https://www.partstree.com/models/31-12k801-312-8-toro-garden-tractor-1990/pto-clutch-and-control-47/

 

What you have now items #40-44

https://www.partstree.com/models/71-12k801-c-120-toro-lawn-tractor-1977/pto-clutch-controls-19/

 

This is great info! I think the stud I’m referring to is #14.106 here - https://www.partstree.com/models/1-0381-c-160-toro-lawn-tractor-1975/14-050-manual-p-t-o-fig-14b-13/

It looks like the thrust bearing, spring and washers ride on it and mine has a few groves cut in it. I may ask the machine shop if they can get it out and make a new one to replace it, or take a closer look to see if the groves will be a problem.

 

[rmaynard 15,434]

I made one from a wheel lug. Ground the head down to 7/16" diameter and cut a slot with a hack saw. It's been working fine since 2010. 

[Kelsey 91]

On 7/8/2024 at 11:06 PM, mflowers said:

The block and crank have been dropped off at the machine shop and I’ve had some time to get a few more parts on. There’s also a box of parts that came off the engine that need to be inspected, cleaned and painted.

 

 Are the seat springs on backward?

[mflowers 85]

8 hours ago, Kelsey said:

 Are the seat springs on backward?

They’re just sitting on the seat pan in that pic. I was trying to get a count of how many stainless bolts I needed from Lowes 😂

Edited July 10 by mflowers

[cleat 5,914]

That is the same steering wheel I am using on my GT1600 project.

Did you orient it so the spokes go vertical or horizontal ?

I think I want mine horizontal.

Great job on that C-160.

 

[mflowers 85]

1 minute ago, cleat said:

That is the same steering wheel I am using on my GT1600 project.

Did you orient it so the spokes go vertical or horizontal ?

I think I want mine horizontal.

Great job on that C-160.

 

I didn’t have a choice. The hole for roll pin needs to line up and I centered the gears when wheels were straight.

[cleat 5,914]

2 hours ago, mflowers said:

I didn’t have a choice. The hole for roll pin needs to line up and I centered the gears when wheels were straight.

I am afraid of that but will try.

Good thing is the center cap can rotate any direction so the Wheel Horse emblem will be straight whatever way the wheel ends up.

I had a C-160 a few years ago and sold it. Seeing yours now makes me wish I kept and restored it.

 

 

[mflowers 85]

8 minutes ago, cleat said:

I am afraid of that but will try.

Good thing is the center cap can rotate any direction so the Wheel Horse emblem will be straight whatever way the wheel ends up.

I had a C-160 a few years ago and sold it. Seeing yours now makes me wish I kept and restored it.

 

 

This was my grandfather’s, he bought it new in 1977 (it’s a ‘74). I recall mowing and blowing snow with it as a youngster and thinking it was indestructible. It was surely as I close as I was going to come to driving heavy equipment anyway! 😂

I've had so much fun working in this thing, I think I’ll start looking for another one when it’s done. 

[cleat 5,914]

21 minutes ago, mflowers said:

This was my grandfather’s, he bought it new in 1977 (it’s a ‘74). I recall mowing and blowing snow with it as a youngster and thinking it was indestructible. It was surely as I close as I was going to come to driving heavy equipment anyway! 😂

I've had so much fun working in this thing, I think I’ll start looking for another one when it’s done. 

Awesome story on that machine.

I'm sure that one is going to stay with you forever. 

So, as far back as you can remember how did the steering wheel sit when driving straight ahead ?

Thanks. 

[mflowers 85]

5 minutes ago, cleat said:

Awesome story on that machine.

I'm sure that one is going to stay with you forever. 

So, as far back as you can remember how did the steering wheel sit when driving straight ahead ?

Thanks. 

You got me thinking and sure enough it can be rotated in any direction you want. Just loosen the collar and pull it up, then you can align it with the bars horizontal. I guess I’ll be doing an alignment tomorrow 😂

[pfrederi 17,700]

Installing and timing the balance gears is not an easy project.  Do you have the balance gear installation tool??  That makes it much simpler.

[mflowers 85]

1 hour ago, pfrederi said:

Installing and timing the balance gears is not an easy project.  Do you have the balance gear installation tool??  That makes it much simpler.

I do not have the tool but have it my cart on Amazon, have been trying to decide if it’s worth the 40 buck it costs. 

[pfrederi 17,700]

4 hours ago, mflowers said:

I do not have the tool but have it my cart on Amazon, have been trying to decide if it’s worth the 40 buck it costs. 

When you look at the fuzzy pictures in the downloaded manual for installing them without the tool it may makeup your mind on the tool.  Just put them in a 341 using the tool it still was tricky getting everything engaged correctly.

If you spring for mail I will loan you my tool when you are ready to do them. (same one as on Amazon) got it from Red Barn

 

The bearings for the old style gears are GB-88 (Koyo now JTEKT)  name changes drive me nuts Koyo used to be Torrington)

[mflowers 85]

14 minutes ago, pfrederi said:

When you look at the fuzzy pictures in the downloaded manual for installing them without the tool it may makeup your mind on the tool.  Just put them in a 341 using the tool it still was tricky getting everything engaged correctly.

If you spring for mail I will loan you my tool when you are ready to do them. (same one as on Amazon) got it from Red Barn

 

The bearings for the old style gears are GB-88 (Koyo now JTEKT)  name changes drive me nuts Koyo used to be Torrington)

I printed that out and you’re right, it’s not easy to see! 
I wonder if this bearing is the same quality? https://isavetractors.com/kohler-k-balance-gear-needle-bearing-set-k241-k301-k321-k341-old-style/
 

I’ve also been looking for a source for heavy duty snap rings. I understand the ones used for them are not the same that you use to hold a bearing in. 
 

I would be happy to cover shipping if you would loan me the tool. I really appreciate the offer! 

[pfrederi 17,700]

15 hours ago, mflowers said:

I printed that out and you’re right, it’s not easy to see! 
I wonder if this bearing is the same quality? https://isavetractors.com/kohler-k-balance-gear-needle-bearing-set-k241-k301-k321-k341-old-style/
 

I’ve also been looking for a source for heavy duty snap rings. I understand the ones used for them are not the same that you use to hold a bearing in. 
 

I would be happy to cover shipping if you would loan me the tool. I really appreciate the offer! 

Anywhere you can get the GB-88 they will all probably come from the same bearing manufacturer

 

I have the snap rings you need (got a bag of 10 from McMaster)

 

When you are close to being ready to install PM your address I will mail you the tool and some snap rings