A-800 Ranger restoration

[wheeledhorseman 574]

We tend to be a bit low on active restoration projects in the Euro section so I thought I'd start a thread here rather than in the main section. Back in May last year I think it was a newbie raised the question ' Why no love for the A-800? which attracted a predictable response from some. Sure it is a vertical shaft tractor, it doesn't have a Kohler engine or Unidrive tranny, and worst of all (apparently) it has a Tecumseh engine but this little guy has cut grass for almost 40 years which must say something for the quality. 

 

So what attracted me to this as a resto project?

(photos in this post are from the 'aution site' by the vendor so they're what made me go for it)

 

 

The guy I bought it from was the second owner and had used it for fifteen years at his house in France to mow the orchard there. He got it from the original owner who by a bit of math must have mowed with it for about 24 years. He was only selling because one day it wouldn't start. He brought it back to the UK but couldn't work out why having checked and done the obvious things.

 

 

My first ever WH resto was a C-120 Auto and it was the overall look of the early 1970s C-100, C-120 tractors that drew me in to WHs. The A-800 is by design a scaled down version in the same style as it's bigger brothers, Smaller wheels, narrower foot rests, shortened hood and ,despite their size, the rear wheels bolt onto hubs; to my mind the design team got it right. Obviously the fender is standard though in a way it's a pity that they didn't press out a narrower one so that the wheels extend beyond it like the Cs. It's tempting to do a 'cut and shut' to achieve this though it would go beyond 'resto' (I might yet be tempted though!)

 

Its little two blade SD deck looks better in the photo than it actually is but has had new bearings, pulleys and belts fitted in the no too distant past and works but there's more plating than original metal in the shell though. It's not a priority for now but I can see that steel from a 42" shell I kept from a scrap deck could well come in handy in making good.

 

 

Obviously there was a risk that there was something terminal with the engine but my experience with a Tecumseh 2 cycle engine on a 1972 19" flymo that I have been using to mow my lawn since the early 80s is that they made very good engines if you treat them well so it was a case of

 

PO had cleaned the carb, checked wiring and I guess checked for a spark which I found tended to be there when you cranked the engine but stopped as soon as it fired and tried to run. Using a test meter on the points (by connecting it to the ignition stop wire) indicated the points were opening / shutting when you turned the flywheel by hand but putting a xenon timing strobe on the HT lead showed clearly that it was intermittent when cranked on the starter.

 

It could of course have been a dodgy coil, condenser, or the points but I had other suspicions based on the symptoms that turned out to be the case.Took the flywheel off today to get to the points and found the prob. The post that the moving contact that rides the cam has to pivot on had dried up though lack of lube over the years. It hadn't seized but was stiff so although the points opened and closed when the engine was turned slowly they couldn't keep up once the engine started to run.

 

Got it cleaned, lubed and back on then ran out of time but I'm 99% sure it will run tomorrow which will be interesting as it's in the workshop now  (best open the windows methinks)

 

I'll update the thread from time to time as I make progress but I'm not going to be able to work onthe tractor everyday. I'll be aiming to finish it for Ardingly though (famous last words)

 

I suppose that I should have photographed it alongside the C-120 but it's in the shop now and I've started taking bits off so that will have to wait till it's finished. The photo's don't really do it's inherent charm justice and you really have to see it in the flesh to fully appreciate that it's a feisty little horse with attitude! WH actually made a snow blade for these which says a lot I think.

 

Andy

[Anglo Traction 761]

Nice One Andy, glad your running with it here (need it). Yeah!,  those Pesky Techys with their buried Points, finiky timing setting and sometimes tricky Carbs can be a challenge, but when they are set up and running sweet , they'll pay back with effort.

look forward to seeing your progress and the end result.  

[meadowfield 2,590]

Good luck Andy, I think the tec engines are great too - its nearly always abuse/neglect that kills them.

Mark

[wheeledhorseman 574]

Nice One Andy, glad your running with it here (need it). Yeah!,  those Pesky Techys with their buried Points, finiky timing setting and sometimes tricky Carbs can be a challenge, but when they are set up and running sweet , they'll pay back with effort.

look forward to seeing your progress and the end result.  

 

It's alive!!! Started it up the next morning but discovered a second fault in that when I reconnected the magneto engine stop wire it would cut out if the ignition key wasn't exactly in the run position. Dodgy switch as well but it runs so no need to search for a replacement engine (great relief!) and it doesn't seem to burn oil (another bonus!)

 

Generally speaking Techy timing (2 or 4 cycle engines) only becomes an issue if you have to remove and replace the stator with the magneto and alternator coils on it or a PO has 'tinkered' with it. One disadvantage of the design is that you can't see the piston head through the spark plug hole so if you need to time it then it's is a head off job. One advantage of the design is that you can see that the valves are opening and closing through the 'plug hole' and even what the seat surface looks like. In this case the seats were clean and shiny probably due to the fact that it's been used until recently.

 

I promised myself that I'd complete the resto of a second cutting deck before getting too involved with the 800 and finished reassembling it today. The first of two NOS wheels for it arrived from the US today - proper steel ones with grease points. Hopefully the second will arrive tomorrow. It cost no more to have them mailed separately and that way each package was below the import duty threshold.

 

I did find time to weld up the stress fractures round the fender mounting holes and then started investigating some ideas. I'm coming round to the idea of perhaps not doing a resto that's 100% faithful to factory.

 

The techy white engine casting would I think look be better in WH red to match the tractor and add to the mini C series effect.

The techy charging system (two diodes) whilst 'full wave' is a poor unregulated arrangement - even the manual suggests that if your battery tends to boil then remove one of the diodes! I sketched out a simple circuit with two SCRs that would do a proper job ijnstead.

The seat mounting spring things mount directly onto the fender but I could add a tray from a WH no longer with us, not to hinge the seat on but it would reinforce the fender to avoid further fractures and add to the mini-C look.

 

Any thoughts on the subject welcome.

 

I'll start posting some photos soon.

 

Mark, will we see your little Lawn Ranger again this year at Ardingly? Be nice to have two tiny WHs there.

 

Andy

[meadowfield 2,590]

Andy,

We need to travel light and more efficient this year... The 550mile trip was very expensive last year! I've entered my c101 and dad has entered his c105...

[Anglo Traction 761]

It's alive!!! Started it up the next morning but discovered a second fault in that when I reconnected the magneto engine stop wire it would cut out if the ignition key wasn't exactly in the run position. Dodgy switch as well but it runs so no need to search for a replacement engine (great relief!) and it doesn't seem to burn oil (another bonus!)

 

 

The techy white engine casting would I think look be better in WH red to match the tractor and add to the mini C series effect.

The techy charging system (two diodes) whilst 'full wave' is a poor unregulated arrangement - even the manual suggests that if your battery tends to boil then remove one of the diodes! I sketched out a simple circuit with two SCRs that would do a proper job ijnstead.

The seat mounting spring things mount directly onto the fender but I could add a tray from a WH no longer with us, not to hinge the seat on but it would reinforce the fender to avoid further fractures and add to the mini-C look.

 

Any thoughts on the subject welcome. Andy

 

Well I reckon you should follow your instincts and go the way you want with it. A man like yourself will no doubt document the changes anyway. So it can revert to Factory if required later. 

I agree with the Fender reinforcement. I have added strengthening plates to both of mine. 

I doubt if there are many Purists over here anyway that know what it should be like.

"GO WITH YOUR INSTINCTS LUKE"  

[meadowfield 2,590]

Andy,

Missed the bit about charging... Finns lawn ranger has a v70 engine and the same crap charge arrangement. His actually came with no diodes -I just made two two type bodies and added 5A schottky diodes. I've drawn that bit of pcb up to do a battery/charge monitor and was about to look at doing the regulation properly!

Happy to share ideas and make two of the same design . The kind folks at vishay sent me 20 decent scr samples for the RR I built.

---------------------------

Also paying more attention.... Is the engine on rubber mounts? Plus given the amount of research I did on The v70 and replacement starter/carb I might be able to point you in the right direction with servicing should you need it... The carb is totally obsolete, but I found an identical modern Tecumseh carb body with completely non matching numbers and managed to swap the remaining bits over. This turned the engine from something that ran terrible and was I possible to get to tickover to something that sits and ticks over like a sewing machine - very quiet and just a sweet mechanical tick!

Mark

[wheeledhorseman 574]

Thanks for that Richard - I don't think I'll offend anyone either side of the pond as there really isn't much love for or interest in these little WHs as already mentioned.

 

Mark, as far as I can see it's pretty much the same tractor chassis as Finn's but in metal clothes. They seemed to drop the fibreglass shell in favor of metal fairly quickly, I guess sales must have indicated customers preferred metal horses though aesthetically I like both models! It has the VM80 (8HP) engine and yes it's appears to be on a plate with resilient mounts onto the main chassis. (I must post some photos)

 

To keep those not familiar with the little techy engines in the loop, they have a simple two coil alternator under the flywheel much like ancient mopeds / motorcyles had. The coils are in series and the centre tap is earthed, two diodes provide full wave rectification to charge the battery but no regulation beyond the 3 amps the alternator is capable of. 

 

Here's my 'back of a f*g packet' design to improve on this. (discovered you can't use our slang for cigarette on the forum)

 

Without getting too technical the diodes are replaced by SCRs. A reference voltage for both halves of the circuit is provided by a zener diode. The SCRs stop conducting when the reference voltage is reached so a 14volt zener diode would limit the charge to 14 volts. Although 14 volt zeners are available I was thinking of using say a 6.8 and 7.5 zener in series (14.3 volts) as the tractor isn't going to be run for long periods so it's important that the battery drain from starting it is replaced fairly quickly. Mark, I'm guessing you'll be leaning towards a variable voltage reference.

 

I haven't built one yet as I too was thinking of some kind of LED indicator but I've run this circuit on an emulator with 330 ohm resistors and it seems to work perfectly (in theory at least).

 

Andy

[wheeledhorseman 574]

Some pics to go with the above post.

 

 

Diode panel on the engine tin - fuse removed and magneto kill wire disconnected in photo.

 

 

Other side view - carb and resilient engine mounts.

 

 

Transmission

 

 

Fender (repaired) with seat tray from another tractor resting in place. The seat spring mounts would normally rest directly on the fender but this would strengthen and also look more in keeping with the 'C' styling.

 

 

Despite its appearance I was told it works and I do have the missing wheel. Quite a challenge here to get it looking rather more like original appearance.

[meadowfield 2,590]

Deck looks the same as mine, ours looks very tidy in comparison. Will get some pics and compare this weekend.

[Stigian 1,234]

 

 

Once again there's no stopping you is there Andy

 

I will admit that it's not really my sort of WH, but I will also admit that looking at your photo's it's is a lot more solidly constructed than I thought they were... That transmission looks quite hefty

I have no problem with the Techy engine, the one on my Hayter runs very well and as long as I remember to put fuel in it 99% of the time it will start first pull from cold..

 

As for narrowing the fenders... Go for it   I think it will complete the "mini Wh" look....

 

 

The cutting deck might be giving me ideas....   It kinda looks like it should be mounted on a 3 point

[Joeywads 0]

Just starting my resto on a 1975 A-80 E.  Looks just like yours here.  has a vm80 tec.  

[wheeledhorseman 574]

Just starting my resto on a 1975 A-80 E.  Looks just like yours here.  has a vm80 tec.  

 

 

It's reassuring to know that there are others who feel that these little WHs are worth restoring. The more I'm getting into the project the more pleased I am that I considered it in the first place. One issue is that Toro appear to have misplaced the parts diagrams for both the '74 A-800 and the '75 A-80 so there's an element of discovery involved that adds interest.

 

I decided to start at the front simply because it was nearest me in the shop so off with the axle, engine tin and ancillaries, and a small repair done to the hood front mounting bracket.

 

 

At the factory the bracket was just welded onto the chassis at a couple of points along the lower edge and one of these had cracked where the weight of the open hood levers on it. An easy repair but a couple of tacks on the top edge were added to make sure it won't happen again.

 

Dismantling the axle I discovered that there are no difficult to source wheel bearings needing replacement as bushings had been used rather than ball bearings. Regular greasing and the fact that the dust caps were still in place will have played their part but I was pleasantly surprised by the minimal amount of wear on the shafts.

 

 

Comparing this with what I've previously seen on C series spindles I can't help wonder if bushings wouldn't have been a better option all round.

 

Another unexpected discovery was that the tractor is meant to have a smaller battery than the standard size you'd find on a 'C' and fitted to it when I got it. I think the original size was discontinued, certainly I couldn't find one currently listed amongst garden tractor batteries, so a PO had taken the side off the battery tray and tacked it back on to achieve the width needed (just) for a standard size.

 

 

It doesn't look like it fits due to distortion (the top of the battery being closer to the camera than the tray) but it does though the side is only just about held on by the tack welds. The tray is salvageable so the side will be coming off and put back as it should be as I've identified a Quad / ATV battery that's about the correct size. Whilst some would no doubt argue that the larger battery is better this is meant to be a scaled down 'C' so having a smaller battery and tray is important to this overall effect I think. In any case it only has to start an 8 HP engine with magneto ignition and no lighting circuits.

 

That's about it for now.

 

Andy

[meadowfield 2,590]

Andy,

Looking good already! Re: battery, 14ah motorbike/quad battery fits well and works fine on the little teccy.

Re: deck, is yours a 5-8321 mine is

I seem to recall I couldn't find a parts manual.... Do you find one?

Mark

[wheeledhorseman 574]

Wow - 223 views (at the moment) there seems to be some interest in this little tractor resto after all. Thanks guys.

 

 

Mark: Deck looks pretty similar but to be honest there's so much plating on mine thast it's difficult to say what the shell originally looked like. Deck listed for mine was 5-0210 superceded by 5-0211. There's a parts diagram for it on Toro under the assembly drawings for the tractor model 1-0280 somehow they lost the diags for the tractor though. Looks like the same deck though.

 

Anyway, weather's been either too cold or too wet for much outside work for weeks now (where's Spring got to?) so I've made quite a bit of progress but everything seems to end up taking way longer than you'd think. Putting the battery tray back to its original size took most of a day. PO had widened it by removing one side and then butting it against the rest and brazing it back on. Grinding out the brass was a patient process as the tin that the tray's made from was not much more than biscuit tin thickness. By the time I'd done it the other side was hanging off where the spot welds had given out. Bit of a challenge welding them back with my trusty big old 70s stick welder.

 

 

 

I suppose I should have used the MIG but hey-ho with the aid of a strike plate to get the electrode hot I managed to tack the ends on again without blowing a hole through. Impressed myself by achieving penetration through to the other side (above).

 

Not only were the spindles in good condition but the track rod ends were as well, even a bit of grease still in them and the rubber dust gaiters all present. So cleaned and re-greased the ball joints but the gaiters had obviously become less flexible over the years and no longer made a good seal to keep dust and water out.

 

 

I'd thought of using a circlip (sping clip) to force the gaiter into better contact but one of a suitable size wouldn't open far enough to pass over the hex part of the shaft. Settled for C clips which did the job but look clumsy. (Any better ideas folks?)

 

 

With the front axle reassebled it was time to attack the other end.

 

 

The tranny was in pretty good condition, a little bit of play in axle bearing but not enough to merit tearing it apart. Oil seals seemed ok as well.

 

 

Although it is hardly visible, dismantling the rear end completely meant the mid hitch could be removed and a proper paint job done.

 

 

Also much easier to overhaul the disk brake properly with everything apart. The brake pads needed renewing and it appeared (from previous experience with these brakes that a metal shim that sits behind the pad to spread the force exerted by the piston / rod thingies was missing. Made one up only to discover that adding this meant the pads gripped on the disk when the assembly was bolted up. (Obviously an addition on later Peerless transmissions not meant for this one) As it's basically a good idea kept it anyway and added a washers of the same thickness as the shim between the assembly and the tranny case. Will see how it performs -easy to put back to stock if there's an issue. Cleaned and lightly greased the piston rod thingies and reassembled.

 

 

The drive belt's seen better days (understatement) - added to the list!

 

 

So I'm back to a rolling chassis at the moment. Weather must improve soon and there's a backlog of work to do outside so if Spring comes soon then progress on the project will slow considerably.

 

Andy

 

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,088]

Not a real good copy but all I could find at the time

 

Some service bulletins on this model

 

Garry

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,088]

The 5-8321 parts list is in this manual

http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/files/file/1099-tractor-1969-lawn-ranger-1-8741-1-8745-ipl-a-5502pdf/

 

Garry

 

Andy,

Looking good already! Re: battery, 14ah motorbike/quad battery fits well and works fine on the little teccy.

Re: deck, is yours a 5-8321 mine is



I seem to recall I couldn't find a parts manual.... Do you find one?

Mark

[Anglo Traction 761]

I think I recognise what you saw and attracted you to this little Tractor Andy . Pleasing to find you have little wear on the important bits  You must be pretty resilient to work in a cold Shop and make that amount of progress (and getting the paint to dry)  . I hate the cold and have lots to catch up on , but I won't waste money on heating the work areas.

I agree with the Engine painted Red, now has the 'Integral/Factory' look.

With what Garry( ) has now dug up for you in the form of Manuals etc, loo'k like your sorted info-wise  . Great progress and Thread subject.

[wheeledhorseman 574]

Not a real good copy but all I could find at the time

 

Some service bulletins on this model

 

Garry

Thanks Garry - already proving useful as you'll read in a moment.

 

 

I think I recognise what you saw and attracted you to this little Tractor Andy . Pleasing to find you have little wear on the important bits  You must be pretty resilient to work in a cold Shop and make that amount of progress (and getting the paint to dry)  . I hate the cold and have lots to catch up on , but I won't waste money on heating the work areas.

I agree with the Engine painted Red, now has the 'Integral/Factory' look.

With what Garry( ) has now dug up for you in the form of Manuals etc, loo'k like your sorted info-wise  . Great progress and Thread subject.

Progress has been maintained through the use of several more 19kg propane bottles than I got through last year. Log burner was part of last summer's plan but it didn't happen for a number of reasons so it's burn gas or do nothing. Pleased you can see some merit in this project  - more about the engine coming up.

 

So another two weeks have passed, it's been barely above 0 degrees C and a biting cold easterly wind......

 

Garry's manual has helped with two issues that were puzzling me, firsltly the battery tray. Having restored the tray that the tractor came with to its factory size I noticed that the mounting holes didn't allow it to fit properly. The answer is that The A-800 didn't have a tray, the battery was originally held in place by clamps.

 

 

So the little tray had apparently been borrowed from another tractor of some sort and then modified to take tha standard size battery. I'm going to continue with the plan though to have a smaller battery fitted in the style of the C series as it's part of what I'm trying to achieve in the project.

 

The second issue that's been puzzling me is the rear fender arrangement. The standard C series fender is too wide for the tractor and looks out of proportion with everything else. It also has central cutout which is of course not symmetrical with the centre line as on a C it has to take into account the belt guard and creates a large opening through which the gear shift protrudes. All very strange and hardly what you'd expect from the WH design team.

 

Although the diagram in the manual is an artist's impression rather than accurately drawn, it does show two things, first that there was to be a 'gate' cut out for the gear shift and second that it doesn't much look like a C series fender.

 

 

It led me to look at an A-800 owned by Hammerhead and sure enough his very original example has a fender with 'gate' for the gear shift that is also a more sympathetic size and style. The photo also shows that the US model had the engine spayed red.

 

 

so it appears that in Belgium engines were fitted to finished chassis as they came in Tecumseh colours and for some reason, possibly cost, a standard C series fender was fitted even though it really doesnt suit the tractor and creates a large 'unfinished' opening. 

 

 

Not just my example (above) but also the reference photo from Meadowfield's website http://www.wheel-horse.co.uk/a800.htm

I feel better about cutting down the size of the standard fender now though in that it wasn't intended to have the big fender (only in Europe).

 

Another 'cheap' option for the A-800 in Europe was a rigid plastic steering wheel (albeit made by Kelch) more akin to something you'd find on a child's pedal car IMO. So I've cleaned up a soft touch wheel from a B-165 I parted out which is the same as the early C series.

 

 

Spot the difference? Chalk and cheese I'd say and I think from Hammerhead's example that they used the soft touch wheel in the US model.

 

So here's where the project has got to as of today's work.

 

 

Remanufactured a suitable choke cable using the throttle cable from a 200 series parted last year so the POs adaption i.e. manually operated from the side of the engine has gone. Steering wheel looks good I think.

 

 

Engine tin is back though Garry's manual indicates that the HT lead should run inside the tinwork - I was wondering why there was a hole above the spark plug, now I know.

 

It's coming on but there's still lots to do. You're right about paint and the cold temperatures Richard - I've been struggling and the finish is unlikely to be as good as I'd like but if I leave it till it warms up a bit I'll have little time to work on the project. The hood is painted and hardening off - a slow process given the temperatures but when I can fit the hood I'll be much maore able to judge what to do with the fender to make it look more in keeping. Ian (Stigian) always makes his steel 'nip and tuck' surgery look so simple - I suspect I'm going to find it the greatest challenge of the project.

 

Andy

[meadowfield 2,590]

Looking good Andy. Battery mount is the same as the lawn ranger, two rods with a looped rod across the top of the battery.

Note that yours has a start solenoid, ours runs straight from the key! Putting maximum amps through the switch contacts...

Suffering the same problem painting, Ewan's C101 is waiting for warm weather, the enamel is almost solid in the tin at 3 degrees.

Will hopefully have your decals this week, then need to plan a visit down your way :D

[wheeledhorseman 574]

Looking forward to the visit Mark - I can almost smell the freshly printed vinyl already.

Andy

[meadowfield 2,590]

Andy,

 

missus tells me the order has arrived, fingers crossed see you next week!

 

mark

[wheeledhorseman 574]

An update is long overdue and it seems an age since Mark (Meadowfield) called by with the decals.  Trouble is that with the good weather having finally arrived there's been a backlog of work to do outside and the little added distraction of the WH trailer.

 

Anyway, today I promised myself I'd spend it on the project but the morning was lost to helping a neighbor work on his car but in the afternoon the Ranger saw the light of day for the first time since going into the shop.

 

 

Most of the decals are on and excellent they are Mark. Thank you.

 

 

The hedlight blanking plate still needs tidying up but I thought I'd put in in place anyhow and the hood ornament is yet to go back but you can begin to see what it's going to look like when finished.

 

 

I've been pondering for some time as to what to do with the fender as the Begium made examples were fitted with a standard B / C series fender of the period which clearly doesn't really fit properly, overhangs the tires to the sides and there's also excessive overhang at the rear and the big offset cut out to the front. Not a lot going for it really!

 

 

It looks all wrong and out of proportion with the rest of the tractor. Hardly surprising as the US model had a fender specially made for the A-800. To scale the fender down would require about a 2" strip cut out from front to rear down the centre line and another crosswise through the middle leaving four pieces to weld together. The problem with this is that there are so many curves that a lot of tweaking of metal and enivable use of filler to achieve something passable. A further issue would be that the standard rear decal would no longer fit, it would be too long. Looking at photos of the US fender gave me an idea though.....

 

 

It's not at all in the style of the contemporary B and C series so.......

 

 

I have in stock the fender from a 210-4 parted last year. Like the Ranger it had rather smaller than usual wheels at the rear so let's see what's possible.

 

 

Having removed the flaps then cautiously removed strips of steel half an inch at a time..... I think this might work and I'll be able to cut the H gate for the gear shift lever like the US fender panel has.

 

 

Yep, sizewise it's much more in proportion with the tractor and the tires pretrude slightly as I feel they should. Sure there's a mix and match with a later series but it's not too out of keeping with the US fender. Once the 200 series decal is replaced with the red and white rear Wheel Horse it will blend in. It's probably difficult to see in the photo but I was really pleased with the improvement made by a scaled down fender, so much so that I went on to work late experimenting with the seat mounting. Photos of that in the next post after the weekend.

 

Andy

[pmackellow 12]

Looking good, that later fender really does match, as you say with a coat of paint and decal it will look like its always been there...

[meadowfield 2,590]

looking good Andy, that fender is perfect!