Martin 2,131 #1 Posted October 17, 2013 (edited) if you've kept up with these two threads..... you would know that i now have a 416. both of them tell the story to date. tonight i decided i needed to hook up the rough 48 SD deck that came with the GT1848 and go get me some seat time on this thing. i thought that maybe running it under load for a couple hours would help the engine (carb really) sort itself out a bit. well i got nearly 2 hours in tonight mowing my neighbors field and lawn surrounding her house. it was reasonably long and thought running this thing loaded would sort out some of the bugs (and keep its new owner sort of sane with some riding........) got done and gave it a good compressed air blowout to clean up some of the grass afterwards. definitely running a lot nicer, but still thinking a carb rebuild eventually will have to take place. it still stumbles and hunts every 5-10 seconds, but will smooth out with just a small amount of choke out...... need to look at a couple manuals i have, its got one of those limited range plastic screws in the mixture screw location on the carb, so i need to get familiar with it, before i can fix it. now ive not had a 400 series before, closest tractor to that would be my GT1848, which, when you put them both together and look at the specs they are almost the same tractor mechanically except for the differing twin engines..... and the briggs 18 (GT1848) has 2 hp on the onan P216 (416). after spending some time on the 416 tonight, i have found another favorite (think i have a garage full of them anyway), plenty of power and not too bad on gas for the engine size. the ground speed isn't as good as my 1848, but it goes plenty fast for mowing with the 48 deck. not sure if the eaton gearing was faster on the GT1848s than the 416 tractors or not. just seems that the 416 is slower......i still have some bugs and other stuff to sort out, mainly from lack of maintenance from the previous owner before terry got it, so with some linkage adjustment and tuning we will see...... heres a pic or two after chores tonight........ Edited October 17, 2013 by Martin 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tankman 3,518 #2 Posted October 17, 2013 Nice Horse! I had a few Horses carryin' on some probably from lack of use. Tried SeaFoam® in the carbs, smoke, WOW! After a while, clear 'n clean exhaust. My '85 416-8 (Kohler one cyl) and my '90 520-8 Onan (two cyl), are both purring now. Some needle adjust and SeaFoam® did the trick. Try some if you haven't already. Liked the results so much added some to my old pickup trucks fuel tanks. We'll see. Again, "Nice Horse!" 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wheel-N-It 2,968 #3 Posted October 17, 2013 Martin, by all means as Tankman said, "Use some Seafoam". It worked for me also. I mixed one ounce per gallon and wow what a difference in my 417A and Ariens Zero turn after only one tankful each. I then repeated this mixture for another tank and there was more improvement in both machines. I'm sold on this stuff now. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tankman 3,518 #4 Posted October 18, 2013 Martin, by all means as Tankman said, "Use some Seafoam". It worked for me also. I mixed one ounce per gallon and wow what a difference in my 417A and Ariens Zero turn after only one tankful each. I then repeated this mixture for another tank and there was more improvement in both machines. I'm sold on this stuff now. I used the SeaFoam® spray, my first using this product. I am now using the liquid adding to the fuel tanks. I am impressed! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,131 #5 Posted October 18, 2013 i bought the liquid last night. added some to a 5 gallon gas container of ethanol free premium, (using the gas along with stabil has helped avoid problems for all my other tractors). replaced the soft gas line, cleaned out the tank and replaced the inline filter. ran it for probably half an hour, its a little better, can now get it to run in the lower rpms now, still hunts. i will get some more hours on it, but in the mean time will be on the lookout for a carb kit. im not yet convinced its finicky running can be fixed without going through the carb....... thanks for the help and comments guys....... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,131 #6 Posted October 19, 2013 Well I was planning on getting some seat time this morning but I can't get Jeanine off the tractor........ I see a video coming on..... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,131 #7 Posted October 20, 2013 (edited) videos from yesterday.......... early on...... the showdown ( if you think its between Kent and Jeanine, you would be wrong)...... oops...... Edited October 20, 2013 by Martin 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WH nut 553 #8 Posted October 20, 2013 Damnit, now you need another one. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,131 #9 Posted October 20, 2013 i pulled the wheel covers and thought id clean them and try to get some of the rust off. i didnt get a pic of the worst one before i cleaned it up, but the pitting is fairly bad in some areas and won't clean up real nice. it does look good from 10 ft though........ i might try to find some back ones to make a set. the fronts are only good for a worker, i dont think i would put them on a nice tractor but there ok for the workers..... heres the bad one cleaned up.... looks good from this distance...... here is the other one before clean up. this one should clean up a little nicer...... they are reasonably straight after some work with the rubber mallet, and could be rechromed sometime in the future if i wanted them to look better..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,131 #10 Posted October 20, 2013 the one on the left has the worst amount of pitting of the 2 in the chrome, but they will look great on the 416H... now i need to hunt down some rears....... 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dbartlett1958 96 #11 Posted October 21, 2013 Martin, Nice looking "Bling" you have going there! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wheel-N-It 2,968 #12 Posted October 21, 2013 That 416 should be a good tractor for you. I like the wheel weights too! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,131 #13 Posted October 22, 2013 (edited) van, im liking the 416 even with all its little quirks. all the safety switches and electrical are driving me nuts. nothing that a good wiring makeover wont take care of though. i guess i cant get away from onans either, been messing with a few engines the last 6-8 months and while i appreciate all the engineering built into them, i like the simplicity of the kohlers and especially the cheaper parts. always liked the looks of these tractors, but weren't coming across any when it was buying time and then just recently this one came up. i think this one will be a keeper, its going to get a few mods and some work done on it, but first i need to sort out all the adjustment and electrical issues. still undecided if it will get a teardown and shine up though. pulled the deck after finally prying my wife off it and hooked up one of the blades i have. all ready to push a bit of snow now....... got a set of chains with it as well so if needed i will put them on too..... Edited October 22, 2013 by Martin 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dclarke 4,032 #14 Posted October 23, 2013 I think you're gonna need a red seat for this one too, Martin.... Looks like ownership has been established. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bowtiebutler956 650 #15 Posted October 23, 2013 Nice looking machine Martin! So, how many of your :wh:'s has Jeanine claimed now? Matt 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,131 #16 Posted October 23, 2013 no, no no, this one is.... MINE!!!!!!!!!! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bowtiebutler956 650 #17 Posted October 23, 2013 no, no no, this one is.... MINE!!!!!!!!!! I believe you Martin, really. Matt 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anglo Traction 761 #18 Posted October 23, 2013 Worse case of denial ever saw ! .............Understandable really, great tractor. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wheel-N-It 2,968 #19 Posted October 23, 2013 Martin, I know what you mean about the Kohlers. Thats what helps keep me away from the Onans, even as bad as I want one. You should be able to replace all the plug in connectors, and basically give the wiring harness a good overhaul. I built one from scratch this year for a K301 converted 310-8. It was simple really. BTW, I really like the video and all the pics you are posting of the 416. Glad the wifey likes it too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,131 #20 Posted October 24, 2013 (edited) yep, wiring will get some attention soon. for the moment everything is working, just need to get the pto and motion control in just the right spot and it will fire up. both the molex connectors will be replaced too, as they have seen better days..... tonight i needed to remove the seat pan to be able to get to a broken off bolt as there was only one holding the seat gas strut bracket to the seat stand. it was moving around and i could see the broken off bolt in there but couldnt get to it without removal of some body parts...... while i was in there i noticed the hubs were loose and also needed to clean up the wheels, so they came off too. removed the wheel weights also and will take them into work and powdercoat them silver to better match the wheels. the hub situation was only worn out keys, the hubs and axles are in good condition so i just cleaned them up a little and put them back together with new keys. set screws were a little loose too so that added to the loose hub situation. glad i sorted this out before putting more hours on it. cleaned up some more of the trans and removed a bunch of grass and crap etc as well. everywhere i work on this 416 i see that it hasnt really done a lot of work, hours are at 560 something and the gauge works. it hasnt been pampered but hasnt really been beat that much either..... heres a few more pics for those that cant read, (or just like pictures)..... had an axle seal leaking sometime, doesnt seem to be leaking anymore after a trans oil change.... left side, no leaks but lots of grass was in there..... wheel weights will get a blast of silver powder, i think i can find something close to the shade of the wheels..... wheel cleaned up. lug bolts look like new. im enjoying the lack of rusty/siezed bolts on this one.... still some cleaning to do down there...... seat pan will get a polish and we will see how nice it comes up, once again, not complaining about the lack of rust here either..... need to get a trans tunnel cover to replace this temporary one that is on it now..... was interested to see how close the ih red powder i use is to the factory paint on the seat support. paint looks like powder coat, i think by this late in the game all these tractors were powder coated. Edited October 24, 2013 by Martin 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dbartlett1958 96 #21 Posted October 24, 2013 (edited) Martin, Nice looking tractor. I really like mine, even with the Onan! If you decide to keep it, I recommend getting one of Matt's Hydro foot conversions. It really makes the tractor a pleasure to use. I also found a cheap source for the micro switches that plague these tractors. http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/category/727/Switches-Snap-Action/1.html I did have to drill the mounting holes out in the switch I used to make it fit, but the price was right. Edited October 24, 2013 by dbartlett1958 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyovrcntry 115 #22 Posted October 24, 2013 That seafoam is some good stuff.I read somewhere,maybe on one of the cans or website about cleaning carbs with it.It was a pretty strong concentrate like 50-50.Just put a little in the tank and run the engine for a couple minutes at various speeds then shut it off.Let the engine set for awhile then do it again.I have done this on a couple occasions,it worked real well.I never really thought much of fuel addatives until I ran across this . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,131 #23 Posted October 25, 2013 First time I've ever used seafoam. I've noticed it running better, but it still has a long way to go before I'm happy. Stayed back at work tonight and got the wheel weights powdercoated. Also decided to paint the bracket that holds the front of the seat pan and gas tank in place, it was a little rusty and we can't have any of that nonsense. I think the silver is fairly close to the wheel color. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wheel-N-It 2,968 #24 Posted October 25, 2013 (edited) Looking good Martin!!!! Wish we lived close by. I would keep you busy powedercoating stuff for me Edited October 25, 2013 by Wheel-N-It 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bowtiebutler956 650 #25 Posted October 26, 2013 Those wheel weights look fantastic Martin! Matt Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
