New to me Classic GT/315-8

[r356c 375]

An eight speed manual with 1-1/8 axles I brought home this afternoon.

The previous owner sold it at junk lawnmower pricing. I know better, thanks to you guys.

The model and serial put it at 2005.

1400 hours on the clock. I mowed the grass with it 3 hours after it getting to its new home.

Unlike the B-80, what a difference to be able to order wear items from stock!

I am now officially in the market for a tiller.

Can anyone recommend shipping services from most likely PA, NY, IL to FL?

 

[Bttatro 94]

Nice pickup!  Home and working in just hours.  

[r356c 375]

It seemed happy to have some attention, and I am happy to have it not have major issues.

The clock will keep climbing on this one. It has some Sunshine State gardening to do!

Used, but not abused by any means.

[AMC RULES 37,143]

 

 

https://www.fastenal.com/en/22/third-party-logistics-(3pl)

 

https://www.fastenal.com/locations

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,531]

Nice pickup.  It looks like it will need front tires.  Maybe go for some tri-ribs or ags on the front.

[Racinbob 11,393]

Nice @r356c It will serve you well. I'm surprised to see another one down here. Mine was it's identical twin (also 2005) until I made a few changes. We're only about 30 miles apart.

 

Edited August 22, 2016 by Racinbob

[elliot ness 1,916]

Nice score,

[oliver2-44 10,019]

Fastenal shipping is a good way to go.  One thing I've learned is while weight is the significant pricing factor, the "footprint" (length  x width) of the pallet is also afactor in price of shipping. So have them put it on the smallest pallet it will fit on. 

[muz123 1,192]

Nice score! There is still a couple thousand hours of work left in that! 

[r356c 375]

@Racinbob, Wow! Those are some long odds to be sure.

I don't play lotto, but this find sort of makes me want to buy a ticket this week.

How did you keep yourself from painting those grey wheel rims white?  All Wheel Horses should have white rims. Even Toro ones.

[Racinbob 11,393]

Maybe we should go in together on those lotto tickets @r356c   

Where did you find that? After a long search I found mine in Clearwater. That was in 2009  and it had 108 hours. I made quite a few changes to it. A Wheel Horse 13" steering wheel, seat, decals, removed the clutch damper and......let's just say I made a few changes to the countless safety devices on it.   I never really thought about the gray wheels. You're right about the off white but I doubt that I will change them. I'm amazed at the wear on your front tires. Do you suppose the PO had a reason to run it on pavement a lot? Your rear look like they have been replaced. I like the more squared shoulders better than the rounded shoulders I have. It's good to hear about a Command going strong with those hours on it. Kohler actually rates the Commands for more hours than a K-series but I have to question that. I'm a big K-series fan but I have to admit that I've been real happy with the Command. At my age I'll never see 1400 on mine. I'll be putting more on when we move back to Indiana but not likely that many.

[DougC 2,641]

You Florida members have some nice tractors!

Have you guys thought about taking some pictures of your 's with an alligator or two in the background?

That would be sure to make our calendar !      

[r356c 375]

Bob,

It was less than a half hour drive to pick it up. Fortunately for me, the PO didn't seem to like to tinker with mechanical stuff.  The toe in being about 2 inches -outward- explains the extreme tire wear.

The transmission dip stick was completely buried under dried grass clippings.  The oil level was at the half way mark when I checked it.

The transmission oil changed as oil and not shaving cream. No suspicious bits came out during the change.   It took a quart and a third to fill per the stick reading.

I have had good luck with Motorcraft FL-400S oil filters on a 24Hp Kawasaki engine I use a lot. It crossed to the Kohler 52 050 02 filter, it fits the Command engine space, is half the price, has additional oil volume,  and is available at Wally World. All good. Almost 2 1/2 quarts to fill. That is a lot of filtered oil for a 15Hp engine.  The manual recommends 100 hour oil change intervals. I will probably stay closer to 30 or 40 hours.

 

 

Edited August 22, 2016 by r356c

[Racinbob 11,393]

It's surprising it's in as good of shape with an owner like that. It sounds like he didn't have a clue what he had and you got to reap the benefits . The guy I got mine from was the same way but the tractor was only 4 years old when I got it so his lack of proper maintenance really didn't show much. He clearly didn't have a clue as to what he had.

 

A couple questions for you. I'm partial to Motorcraft filters too. You mention the FL-400S. I've got the Kohler filter crossed to a FL-910S. Apparently the FL-400S is interchangeable but just a taller filter?

Did you lift the front of the tractor when you drained the transmission? Quite a bit of oil gets trapped in front of the hump if you don't. Mine takes a full 2 quarts. Since your oil was looking good I wouldn't worry about it though if that's what happened.

 

18 hours ago, DougC said:

You Florida members have some nice tractors!

Have you guys thought about taking some pictures of your 's with an alligator or two in the background?

That would be sure to make our calendar !      

 

That would make for an interesting picture. There's gators in that water behind my tractor but I don't think I could get one to pose for me.

[r356c 375]

The Motorcraft engine oil filters FL-400S and FL-910S are the same except for length. Cutting open filters and posting pictures is a thing for motor heads. Who knew?

 

I did not jack the front end up for the transmission oil this time. I'll use this as a 'flush' oil change and do another this summer before going to recommended intervals.

 

[Racinbob 11,393]

That's interesting. Years ago I cut oil filters apart and even had them on display. I wanted to compare the quality of build, filter media and # of pleats between brands. I had just about every common brand made. That's when I decided to stick with Motorcraft. There were several that were just as good but the availability was a bit better for the Motorcraft. A couple surprised me by their low quality.  That forum you linked to looks interesting. I'll be spending some time there.

[Texas Todd 1,025]

Bob is definitely the Oil Guy!

[r356c 375]

Corrosion triage.  I could go on a long rant about the evils of powder coating "paint" in a tropical environment...

 

Short version: A powder coating finish does not 'breath' like normal paint. Once moisture gets in through a scratch, it cannot evaporate and spreads under the coating. Moisture, oxygen and iron soon do their thing and turn a good part into a pile of rust.

 

 

 

Edited August 24, 2016 by r356c

[Racinbob 11,393]

That's bad but these tractors weren't powder coated. That must have sat outside with wet leaves and grass for quite a spell. I know grass likes to collect under the foot rest pads.

[ohiofarmer 3,298]

19 hours ago, r356c said:

The Motorcraft engine oil filters FL-400S and FL-910S are the same except for length. Cutting open filters and posting pictures is a thing for motor heads. Who knew?

 

I did not jack the front end up for the transmission oil this time. I'll use this as a 'flush' oil change and do another this summer before going to recommended intervals.

 

 The worst part of the transmission oil separates into a tan goo and it floats on top of the oil because it has water in it. when you drain the oil, it remains on the bottom if not removed and contaminates the new oil.. On my early tractor, the drain cock turns up a bit. I took an old gas can with a nipple vent and put a clear vinyl hose on the nipple. Shop vac on the big hole and it takes about a half hour to suck the gunk out of the transmission---even with the tractor lifted up on the front.  I got about 6 ounces of tan goo out of mine, even though the overall condition of the oil was decent.

I know I have posted this before, so let me know if you are tired of seeing it.

[r356c 375]

Thanks ohiofarmer, that sounds like good solution to get any goo hiding in the case.

 

Bob, Wheel Horse may have only used baked on enamel but Toro... well, Toro seems to have preferred powder coating buddy.

Only powder coat finish will peel off in such alarming chunks, like this piece from the bottom of the footrest.

It's not the end of the world, just something to be aware of that rust may be running unseen under a pretty plastic top coat.

 

Edited August 24, 2016 by r356c

[Racinbob 11,393]

Having purchased mine when it was 4 years old and certain it was original I can tell you it isn't powder coated (but I wish it was) . I also know the paint isn't as durable as it was in the earlier years prior to Toro. My curiosity was aroused as to the process they used so I contacted a gentleman named John Brooks at Toro. They used a dip process with Hayter paint. All I really know about this process is that the paint is extremely thin but coverage is excellent. I personally saw Wheel Horse spraying the parts when I was fortunate enough to get a tour of the plant when they were still on Ireland Road in South Bend but that was prior to the Toro years. The 'baking' process was a bit of a joke but regardless the finish was far more durable than what Toro produced. While I can't comment on the quality of spraying vs dipping I have no doubt that the same folks would agree that they would powder coat their restorations given the opportunity. Your problem was almost certainly caused by poor surface preparation and compounded by the moisture trapped under the foot pad and migrating. Without fail, every time I mow I make sure all the debris is cleaned off paying special attention to the areas it gets trapped and under the mower deck. I'm confident that by doing so and never leaving it out in the weather I won't have an issue even in the damper Florida environment.

Edited August 25, 2016 by Racinbob

[Tuneup 1,433]

I'm sensing a complete dis-assembly and repaint in your near future as the WH disease takes hold. Keep peeling!

[r356c 375]

Dipped or sprayed, plastic top coat finish does not age well. It kills tractors because it hides the corrosion from view.

Rubbing some oil on it for the retro rust look won't preserve metal with this finish.

Sooner or later, Tuneup is right. Complete dis-assembly and repaint with a quality enamel is the only way.

[r356c 375]

Some glamour shots. She was smiling... it's horsey love! The tractor can stay.  

I think the seat pan repaint came out good enough for a working tractor. I can't tell any difference in color between the seat pan Rustoleum Regal Red and the factory paint on the fenders.

 

I chased an "engine dies after 5 minutes" problem for a while. Replaced the fuel line and filter. Fixed!

I'll put the fuel pump I ordered on the shelf for installation some other time.

 

A tip passed on to me a long time ago. Use a razor knife to slice fuel line off of the barbs.  Slice along the length of the line over the barb. Old fuel line is often hard as a rock and it is easy to damage the barbs by trying to muscle the fuel line off.