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1986 Troy-Bilt Horse III help

5K views 15 replies 4 participants last post by  Larry LGT 165 
#1 · (Edited)
I've been reading this forum for a little while and just signed up to be a member. I'd like to share some pictures of a tiller I got for free from a neighbor who was tired of it taking up room in his shed. I'd also like to ask for some help with a couple issues I have with it.

Troy-Bilt Horse III with a Tecumseh HMXL70-132501 motor on it.


I've had the tiller for about a week and a half now and have put a bunch of hours into it dismantling, removing rust, and repainting it. I must say Evaporust is a lifesaver. It's a little time consuming waiting for each part to finish soaking but it's pretty much work free for me and can be happening while I'm doing something else.

The previous owner was the original owner who purchased it new from the dealer and used it up until about 3-5 years ago when he downsized to a Pony due to age and health. It has sat since then. He did drain the gas prior to storage which probably helped a lot. Overall I'd say it was in great condition for it's age and use and I really lucked out.

Thing I have done:
Replaced Tine axle seals
Replaced wheel axle seals
Disassembled and soaked the carb in carb cleaner
Rebuilt carb using new bowl gasket, needle, seat, screws (float was intact and empty)
Replaced all intake and exhaust gaskets
Replaced spark plug
Drained and replaced Trans oil (SAE 140wt GL4)
Drained and replaced motor oil (SAE30)
Added inline fuel filter and replaced fuel line
Replaced grounding kill wire
Replaced the air filter/ cleaner and oiled pre filter

Things I plan to do:
Add oil to PTO
Replace belt
Replace ignition coil
Finish reassembly optest and adjust carb/throttle/gov as needed


Issues that I am having and would like some advice on:
1) I failed to photograph the throttle linkage and how it gets connected to the speed control plate to the governor to the carb. I could really use a picture or two to clarify how things are connected. I have the TB Horse manual as well as the Tecumseh service manual and can't seem to find a picture or diagram that has the same set up as mine. I googled my heart out for hours yesterday and could only find the older HH60 motor.

2) I am not sure how the grounding kill switch connects to the speed control plate. It the end of the wire is male and the point on the plate (terminal) also appears to be male. Does this need to be soldered? That doesn't seem very secure.

3) should I be getting spark when rotating the flywheel by hand? I check the air gap between the flywheel magnets and Ignition coil and its in spec. The magnets are still magnetized but I don't have spark when rotating FW by hand or with recoil .

4) When all is put back properly and I get it running is there a video or procedure for tuning the carburetor? Right now I have the main mixture and idle mixture screw all the way in then backed out a turn.


I will take some pictures to share my project and help clarify what I'm talking about.
 
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#9 ·
I've got this old Horse all finished. The carbs tuned as good as I'm capable of, the linkage all seems to work, I installed a new drive belt and reverse disk and have that adjusted. I tilled up some perfectly good grass in my backyard to prove it worked. My wife wasn't too happy.

I'll post some pictures a little later
 
#11 ·
:Welcome1:

Wow, awesome job with that restoration. Sorry that I missed this thread earlier, but I wouldn't have been much help, as my machines have a 90s Briggs and a 70s Tecumseh, which as you noted, is quite different.

Glad you got it sorted. Can you post some closeups of your final linkage and kill switch wiring connections? That will help others down the road (who knows, maybe even you someday, LOL)...

Mike

PS: Thanks for the tip on Evaporust!
 
#12 ·
Thanks.

Here's some pictures of the linkage and kill wire.





I had to move the clip that holds the throttle cable to the top of the speed control bracket so that the throttle lever wasn't backwards any more. Also, the kill wire had a male connection. In order to get that to connect to the terminal I had to cut the factory make end off and replace it with a female spade terminal from Home Depot.
 
#15 ·
Cool, nice job on getting it all working. Seems really odd that you needed to add a female terminal (although it absolutely does seem to be the right move). I wonder if the old one had fallen off, or had been modified by a PO (previous owner)?

Looks like you need to take about a foot off of the length of that throttle cable. Was that original?

I swear that linkage diagrams and explanations are the Achilles's heels of most machines' manuals. The engine manufacturers leave it to the equipment manufacturers, who rarely do an adequate job. It's like the no-man's-land of service information.

Mike
 
#16 ·
I see you have the old original throttle lever on the R/S handle that mine did. Mine would also run like the devil when those tines found fresh hard packed ground. Darn near lost it a couple times, or got dropped on my face if I hung on.

Best machine I ever had, but had I kept it I would have incorporated some sort of operator presence switch like the bail on a push mower.

Just something to consider before that new paint gets all scratched up, or worse still the side of your pick up.:tango_face_devil:

At the end of the summer, I sold the 8hp Horse and kept the 5hp Pony as I wasn't doing a big garden anyway. Mostly it gets used to chew up the sod in the free loads of topsoil I get delivered for building up the lawn.

Nice rebuild all the same, glad to see one of the good ones saved.:thThumbsU
 
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