New to me 1992 Wheel Horse 520 H some quetions on parts maintenance.

[maytagman]

Hello All,
Just acquired a new to me lawn tractor , it is a 1992 Wheel Hose 520 H with 785 hours on it ,overall appearance is very clean.
It has a 42" rear discharge deck ,The blades on this look to be original so I have bought a new set and replaced them.My
question is what is the average life span on the hydro drive belt, should I purchase one to have on hand or should I just wait until
there is major signs of wear on the belt? The PTO and deck belts look to be in good shape. The oil in the engine and transmission looks clean
and this Tractor must have been garage kept. Only thing that does not work is the voltmeter which I am not concerned about because I checked
the terminals at the battery while the engine was running and it read 14.5 volts on my meter so the battery is being charged when the engine is running.
This tractor has grease fittings galore which is great just means less parts to wear out! Any input on maintenance is appreciated, I do know the fins on the
Onan engine need special attention top keep them clean so the engine does not overheat. I like the sound this engine makes it sounds like a Harley when it idles!

 

[DHD]

Nice looking Wheel Horse, looks well taken care of.
I never own a WH 520H but over a period of 20 years I did own two WH 416H with twin cyl. Onan engines, and a WH 414-8, WH 310-8, WH 312-8.
As far as belts, I never had to change the belt for the hydro drive, and I remember changing maybe two, engine to mower belts.
Never changed the belt on any of the mower decks. Did replace a couple of pulleys on the front mounted pulley assy. for the mower to engine belt.
Had to rebuild one Onan 16 HP engine had 800 hours (parts are very expensive, and I would not do it again) the other Onan 16HP which had only about 300 hours and had an ignition module failure ( engine would die after it got hot, once cooled would start OK and run till it got hot then shut off again)
My other 3 WH had Cast Iron Kohler single cylinder engines and I never had an issue with any of the Kohlers.
Just sold my last WH this summer.
If I was ever to buy another WH it would be a WH 414-8 with the Kohler single cylinder engine.
The Kohlers are not as loud, are much easier on gas and much more reliable than the Onan twin cylinder, IMHO.
I am not a fan of Onans.

Grease fittings, one that is easily over looked is the one for the gear at the end of the steering shaft, under the battery.

 

[maytagman]

Thanks for the comments DHD!,
I know the Onans need a bit more attention to keep them running trouble free, my John Deere 318 which my Father In Law now has, has a B43g 18 hp Onan on it with 1500 hours on it. It runs well and doesn't smoke, but I took extreme care of that with Oil changes and most Importantly keeping the cylinder cooling fins clean and clear of all debris. Keeping the Onan clean and running cool is the secret to long life on these engines !