Speed up Your Horse

[WHNJ701 4,165]

when I bought my 854 a few years ago it had a 1" pulley on the trans and a mean set of wheelie bars on it.  it was set up as some half ass puller.  I was told without the bars it would stand up.  I took all that crap off and returned it stock and put a mower deck on it and use at as my grass cutter now, nice and slow in 2nd gear is ok with me!

[Warning:Unsupervised 81]

On 11/2/2018 at 7:42 PM, The Tuul Crib said:

 I have to chime in on all this hype about a mowers going faster than it should. To me speed is for the safer  surrounded four wheel  vehicle and doing what they are designed to do! Although I am not against and all for the pulling machine and what they are capable  of doing .  I guess what they say ....  to each his own !!!

 

Oh' I'm all for speeding up a job a little bit and for having fun build'n and racing "anything/everything" if one wants to roll faster. Puts fun into it, I get it!  Hitler made the VW just for those who shart themselves while going fast. Come to think of it, the VW made me almost shart myself, anytime one pulled out in front of me..lol .  

 

[Warning:Unsupervised 81]

Why is my 1976 B100-8 (K series) noticeably faster than my 1988 414-8 (Mag) tractor? Because its quite a bit faster for some reason. Is there something inside their trans that differs or what, if so what year did it change? Thanks

[SylvanLakeWH 25,614]

The WH Theorem of Maximizing Seat Time:

 

Use of Low 1 gear is exponentially proportional to the joy one receives from increased seat time on your Wheel Horse.

 

Or put another way: Why would one wish to decrease seat time by increasing speed? 

 

[Warning:Unsupervised 81]

To get our horse out of the rain faster of course

 

 Actually it used to always feel relaxing to mow, my me time if you will?

  But the older I get the more health issues I get so I can kick it up on my bad days and mow slow on my good ones too.

 7 bad discs in the ol' spine there's days that kick my arse but good & grass won't wait for a better day.

 

  With my old yard I'd never cared as I rarely hit high gear unlike here.

[Sammy 89]

I have a wheel horse 800 special and it’s all original with all the options they could’ve came with and from the outside it sure doesn’t look like it but it’s a sleeper for sure. It’s got a 5.5 inch on the front and a 2.25 inch on the rear and it’ll do 27mph and it’s an amazing show piece and a great toy to do speed runs and rip around my yard! It looks stock but let me tell you it runs like a champ and does great!

[Maxwell-8 4,277]

On 1/11/2021 at 3:43 AM, Sammy said:

I have a wheel horse 800 special and it’s all original with all the options they could’ve came with and from the outside it sure doesn’t look like it but it’s a sleeper for sure. It’s got a 5.5 inch on the front and a 2.25 inch on the rear and it’ll do 27mph and it’s an amazing show piece and a great toy to do speed runs and rip around my yard! It looks stock but let me tell you it runs like a champ and does great!

 

 

How is the tranny holding up? 

Any belt slip on that small rear pulley? 

Cause I do think this is excessive

[Warning:Unsupervised 81]

Id say the issue is lack of stopping power. The brake band is not made to stop at high speed, just beware of its limits. Have fun!

[Maxwell-8 4,277]

And starting in 3de gear. because you need to do this in low rpm, to prevent to much belt slip

[Warning:Unsupervised 81]

Nice 800 You got friend, looks to be in very good shape! Take care of it and it will still outlast most anything sold today, maybe even you. 

  I still have the stock pulley up front & 4" rear pulley on my 414-8 and this works out very well.  I used this Phoenix Iron Pulley # 6140058-

https://phoenix-mfg.com/V-Groove-Drive-Pulley--4-Dia--58-Bore--Cast-Iron_p_1425.html

Stens True Blue Belt-  5/8" x 79"  #258-079. 

https://www.stens.com/258-079-belt

It is a bit faster than I prefer but if I throttle down a tad it takes off & does just fine in any gear, its great to get the job done in a hurry when needed but still slow enough for relaxed mowing. I think a 4 1/2 pulley may have suited me a bit better but idk without trying both?  Now in high range my 2nd gear is about what 3rd gear originally was just a bit faster maybe? But 3rd is Zoooom!..lol  Only thing that bothers me with faster speeds are sharper turns can cause my rear tires to dig into my yard so second gear or throttling down is needed to avoid this at times, like doing small circles etc.. If I had turf tires it may not do bad at all but I run tractor lug tires. Nit picking here..

 

 I tossed the p.o.c. problem child soft start tensioner in my trash can (good riddance) & then put the old return spring back on it like my older original wheel horses originally have. Spring #108035, more about it shown below and elsewhere on this website- 

With the True Blue belt I have no slippage with this setup.

 After changing it I know my tractor will pull the front wheels off the ground in 3rd gear & throttled up since I already did that by accident, I expected my tires to spin being I was in gravel & she came straight up on me!..lol 

 I don't suggest this to avoid a broken axle, these tractors are heavy enough to bust one.

 

 fwiw-

 Keep in mind the pulley/belt angle as the pulleys on WH are what appliances have. They're not a standard "V" groove pulley like car belts.  They have a wide flat area at the bottom of the "V" so a standard "V" belt usually don't sit in the groove just right & slips more.

Automotive fan belts do work but not  as well as the correct mower/appliance belts work on these tractors.

Hope this helps. 

 Changing your Tractor from the P.O.S. Toro Dampener back to the Wheel Horse Original Clutch Spring-

https://www.wheelhorseforum.com/topic/33037-clutch-spring-on-416-8/

 

Fwiw-

I keep my oil changed, I never run her too lean or too rich and I keep her RPM under 3,600, she's worked her arse off for me year after year!

Edited May 16, 2021 by 123GO
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