Ponyboy 64 #1 Posted April 5, 2022 (edited) Greetings! I just wanted to take a moment to say hello and do a shout-out from the West Coast. I'm a recent WH owner ('69 WorkHorse 700 w/ a Kohler Magnum 8) with my eye on a 2nd purchase soon for mowing. Would love to hear from some others who are out here in the Pacific NW. I'm new to garden tractors (and small engines and transmissions in general)...my wife found our WorkHorse online and I fell in love with it when I first drove it. We've had it for maybe 5 months (since we moved into our new place) and it's been used for hauling lots of heavy items from one side of the property to the other. Has some quirks which I will likely be posting questions about down the road (only thing we've done is put a new battery in it). Cheers! [edited to add more pics] Edited April 5, 2022 by Ponyboy added 2 more pics 5 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Achto 27,601 #2 Posted April 5, 2022 Sweet tractor! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,905 #3 Posted April 5, 2022 not a ton of West Coast folks, but they pop up here and there… 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 12,235 #4 Posted April 5, 2022 Hey, someone's gotta be an example of good taste on that Left Coast. Good choice of tractor! And welcome! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,592 #5 Posted April 5, 2022 Welcome aboard! Check out this list for LOTS of maintenance ideas and keep asking questions!! 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wallfish 17,011 #6 Posted April 6, 2022 Someone did some modifications to the drive system as it wasn't initially driven with a chain, just a belt from the engine to the trans. Interesting they put labels on there too 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 12,235 #7 Posted April 6, 2022 11 minutes ago, wallfish said: Someone did some modifications to the drive system as it wasn't initially driven with a chain, just a belt from the engine to the trans. Interesting they put labels on there too I didn't notice this before. Without a belt, what sort of clutch does it have? Centrifugal at the engine? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ponyboy 64 #8 Posted April 6, 2022 33 minutes ago, Handy Don said: I didn't notice this before. Without a belt, what sort of clutch does it have? Centrifugal at the engine? TBH, I don’t think it has a functional clutch (still learning about motors and transmissions). From what I can tell, there’s a chain from the engine to a center pulley, then another chain from the center pulley to the transmission. I had to lower the idle on the carb because I couldn’t shift it - the chain just kept spinning (depressing the clutch did nothing but the brakes). With a lower idle, I can now shift it into all 4 gears. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 12,235 #10 Posted April 6, 2022 7 minutes ago, Ponyboy said: TBH, I don’t think it has a functional clutch (still learning about motors and transmissions). From what I can tell, there’s a chain from the engine to a center pulley, then another chain from the center pulley to the transmission. I had to lower the idle on the carb because I couldn’t shift it - the chain just kept spinning (depressing the clutch did nothing but the brakes). With a lower idle, I can now shift it into all 4 gears. If there wasn't a clutch, then as soon as got it in gear, the tractor would either take off or stall the engine. In fact, with a WH transmission, it likely would not let you get it in gear and just make a lot of terrible (and bad for the machine) grinding noises. Now, when you speed up the engine after you have it in gear, then it goes, right? That's centrifugal. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ponyboy 64 #11 Posted April 6, 2022 47 minutes ago, Handy Don said: If there wasn't a clutch, then as soon as got it in gear, the tractor would either take off or stall the engine. In fact, with a WH transmission, it likely would not let you get it in gear and just make a lot of terrible (and bad for the machine) grinding noises. Now, when you speed up the engine after you have it in gear, then it goes, right? That's centrifugal. Got it! And yes, as it speeds up when in gear, it moves. Just watched a short video on centrifugal clutches, makes sense now. So I did the right thing by lowering the idle so we could shift, right? Otherwise the chain spun and it grinded whenever I tried to put it in gear (even with the ‘clutch’ pedal depressed. Day 1 on the forum and a mystery has already been solved on my WH! 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Horse Newbie 7,074 #12 Posted April 6, 2022 to @Ponyboy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,905 #14 Posted April 6, 2022 10 hours ago, wallfish said: Someone did some modifications to the drive system as it wasn't initially driven with a chain, just a belt from the engine to the trans. Interesting they put labels on there too Look at all the extra ground clearance! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 55,298 #15 Posted April 6, 2022 15 hours ago, Ponyboy said: I'm a recent WH owner ('69 WorkHorse 700 w/ a Kohler Magnum 8) with my eye on a 2nd purchase soon for mowing. These little red tractors can become a bit addictive but they are legal in all 50 states so you are safe. 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,592 #16 Posted April 6, 2022 8 hours ago, Ponyboy said: So I did the right thing by lowering the idle so we could shift, right I'd bet I'm not the only one who's super curious to see what if anything that clutch pedal is connected to. You probably did do the right thing by lowering the idle. A very important note here. These transmissions are not meant to be shifted while in motion. You must pick a gear while stopped and then accelerate in that gear. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SylvanLakeWH 25,598 #17 Posted April 6, 2022 How about a picture with that chain guard removed? Interesting to see how that works… 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 12,235 #18 Posted April 6, 2022 @Ponyboy yes, lowering the idle was good. The trick, though, is that on engines like yours, having the idle set too low (and letting the engine idle for any length of time) is not good for the engine (it can overheat or not get enough oil circulation). So you have a tricky balance of idle speed: slow enough to let the chain stop moving so you can shift into gear and fast enough that the engine gets the cooling and oil that it needs. 2 hours ago, ebinmaine said: A very important note here. These transmissions are not meant to be shifted while in motion. You must pick a gear while stopped and then accelerate in that gear. This is indeed critical. Any grinding or catching of the transmission can damage it very quickly. 2 hours ago, ebinmaine said: what if anything that clutch pedal is connected to. Yep, curious! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,905 #19 Posted April 6, 2022 Though I’m not sure about the whole chain drive idea, I can see how this shaft could be used for power transfer to a hydraulic pump, etc but only when in motion… 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
