No More Onans for me

Sorry I've been kinda quiet but things have been a mad house more than ever this year. A lot of days are from 7AM till bedtime and there's just not enough hours in a day, and not a lot of time to keep up with posting here on the forum. Things are good though, and I see a lot of things happening that tells me the Lord is up to something, so I'm behind and wore out but excited at the same time if that makes any sense... I'll have more time soon in the future and will be happy when things slow down some.

Anyway... you all know about my love / hate relationship with the Onan engines. They are a necessary evil so I can use my 60" deck and 2 stage blower, but I had a breakdown last Friday when my less than 100 hour 520 started and was flooding itself to death, so my Onan relationship has officially turned to hate lol. I moved a lot of stuff and some truck frames and parts from behind the shop that I sold and went to mow the taller grass around what was moved and couldn't. That was the last straw... I never ever had these problems with a Kohler, ever, not even my 34 year old one in all the years I've used it. When I get a minute I'll fix it and it will be sold.

I called my Country Clipper friend / rep, looked around and found a nice used one owner machine about an hour away and picked it up last Saturday. It's not the 72" cut I wanted but it will still do things faster than the 520 with the 60", and I can always get a 72" later when we find a deal on a nice used one. At least I have piece of mind that I can at least use it when I need it, sheesh.

I have been looking at those this year myself, but will wait for the end of mowing season to get a deal. Unless Homedepot has a good sale.

You can start digging around on CL and FB for a Clipper. These things are awesome, the owner of the company reminds me of Cecil Pond. No fuel injection, computers, sensors, or fancy stuff, easy to work on, flip up decks, cast iron spindle housings, tons of steel and simple as can be. The joystick steering is pretty awesome too, even leaves a hand free to puff on a good cigar. They use the same 5 pin connector to the engine as the Wheel Horse magnum engines, the 5 wire Indak male + female setup. I think one of these would last 40 years like a Horse with little work.

Geno wrote: Sorry I've been kinda quiet but things have been a mad house more than ever this year. A lot of days are from 7AM till bedtime and there's just not enough hours in a day, and not a lot of time to keep up with posting here on the forum. Things are good though, and I see a lot of things happening that tells me the Lord is up to something, so I'm behind and wore out but excited at the same time if that makes any sense... I'll have more time soon in the future and will be happy when things slow down some.

Anyway... you all know about my love / hate relationship with the Onan engines. They are a necessary evil so I can use my 60" deck and 2 stage blower, but I had a breakdown last Friday when my less than 100 hour 520 started and was flooding itself to death, so my Onan relationship has officially turned to hate lol. I moved a lot of stuff and some truck frames and parts from behind the shop that I sold and went to mow the taller grass around what was moved and couldn't. That was the last straw... I never ever had these problems with a Kohler, ever, not even my 34 year old one in all the years I've used it. When I get a minute I'll fix it and it will be sold.

I called my Country Clipper friend / rep, looked around and found a nice used one owner machine about an hour away and picked it up last Saturday. It's not the 72" cut I wanted but it will still do things faster than the 520 with the 60", and I can always get a 72" later when we find a deal on a nice used one. At least I have piece of mind that I can at least use it when I need it, sheesh.

What and say its not true you just pulling are legs,yanking are chains say its not true...you have gone to the dark side and i for one do not approve and will never ever use a zero turn for any reason...but to each there own i just hope you understand as a long time wheel horse owner i cant sit by without speaking my mind on this matter...................

Toro actually took Wheel Horse to the dark side with these cheap Onan all aluminum engines, it put such a hurt on their business and reputation that they went back to Kohlers in 97 and never used another Onan again to this day. I'm still a Wheel Horse guy, as long as it doesn't have an Onan on it, but remember, the 520 and all 5 series was not a Wheel Horse design, it was a Toro design... Unfortunately there is no other option in a true Wheel Horse horizontal engine tractor that will run the 60" deck, the 520H is it so I have no choice in the matter.

I have 30 of these tractors, most all bought with blown engines, 2 have blown on me with less than 500 hours each, and this one is acting up at 100. They simply will not last with a 60" deck mowing 3 plus acres, the engine just can't take it. They get too hot from a badly designed cooling ventilation system. It is also the most trouble prone tractor they ever built, my #1 seller of parts in the store, #1 in my shop for repairs (not including restorations) #1 in calls in needing help all over the USA, electrical problems, engines, carbs, and terribly expensive parts for the most part as well, especially the engine and related parts. These tractors were the worst thing ever built with a Wheel Horse name on it. This is not my opinion, these are real world facts lol. I'm simply not pouring more money in any of these just to loose the motor at around 500 hours anyway, it's just bad business and not very wise. A real Wheel Horse is still and will always be my fav and what I will use for everything, except mowing...

I decided this morning to see what the problem was with the 520. With the blowing of fuel out of the carb I started with a compression check and was surprised to find that the front cyl had no compression, that is very unusual but there has always been a tick in the front since it was new. I found something wedged in between the intake valve and block holding the intake valve open. I think it was a breather wing nut that may have very well been in there since it was new. I bet an assy line worker or whoever put the engine on the tractor when new dropped one in the intake and just said oops... There's not much left of it but it does seem to have 1/4 - 20 threads in it...

Geno wrote: I decided this morning to see what the problem was with the 520. With the blowing of fuel out of the carb I started with a compression check and was surprised to find that the front cyl had no compression, that is very unusual but there has always been a tick in the front since it was new. I found something wedged in between the intake valve and block holding the intake valve open. I think it was a breather wing nut that may have very well been in there since it was new. I bet an assy line worker or whoever put the engine on the tractor when new dropped one in the intake and just said oops... There's not much left of it but it does seem to have 1/4 - 20 threads in it...

now thats something you dont see everyday....its a wonder it ran at all and somebody didnt test it before it left the factory..............

Weirdest thing is there is no standard steel wingnut on these tractors. The one that holds the bottom air filter cover is plastic, and the top one for the chrome cover is round plastic with a brass center. Maybe someone was just having a bad day and...

It's all back together and I mowed the banks with it this afternoon, it's as smooth as new again, for now.