I have 'inherited' a Toro Wheelhorse (Model 56190, 10-32) rear engine riding lawn mower that I found in my father's old wood shop. He passed away about 4 years ago, and my mother says it was probably at least 5 (maybe more) years before that since he used it. It was made in 1992 and has a 10.5 hp Briggs vertical engine. I also found the original operator's manual that came with it.
The battery was dead so I replaced that, changed the oil, and cranked it up. It didn't start up immediately but it didn't take that long either. It ran OK, not great, but not that bad either. I have been using it to mow grass for several months now and have been doing maintenance as I go along. Probably the most worrisome thing for me was that it did not have an air filter in it. I have no idea how long that has been, or if my father used it without one for any length of time. I purchased a new one and put it in but honestly I don't know if any damage has been done or what to do about it now except to cross my fingers and hope. It would not surprise me if my father ran it without a filter for years. he wasn't very smart about stuff like that. The oil was also horribly black and dirty and thin when I changed it, along with being below the low mark on the dipstick.
Other things I have done have been to replace the spark plug, replace the old blade that was bent a little bit, greased the front spindles and wheels, lubricated the pivot points, adjusted the brake, leveled the cutting unit, and adjusted the drive chain tension. All of this was done according to the instructions in the Operators Manual. Overall the mower is in pretty good shape, so I am trying to bring it back to life, which I love doing with old things although I am strictly a novice when it comes to engines. Sometimes I think the engine is knocking a little bit, but it hasn't burned any oil, the new oil has stayed clean, and there isn't any kind of white or black smoke coming out of the muffler.
I have recently adjusted the throttle/choke control with no problems. I am now trying to adjust the carburetor per the Manual's instructions. here is what it says:
1. Turn idle mixture valve...until it closes.
2. Open idle mixture valve one turn. This initial adjustment will permit the engine to be started and warmed up prior to final adjustment.
3. Start engine and move throttle to SLOW.
4. Rotate throttle counterclockwise and hold against idle speed adjusting screw while turning idle speed adjusting screw to obtain 1750 RPM.
My main question in this post is how in [censored] do I know when I have 1750 RPM? The manual doesn't say anything about needing any special tools or gauges, and there isn't any tachometer on this baby, I'm not that much of a novice. Then again maybe I am, who knows.
I haven't tried to do anything as far as adjusting it, I was just going through the instructions first and realized I had this question. After #4 there a re a few more instructions, but the only thing that seems a problem is what I just said.
Sorry about the long post to basically ask a simple question. Actually, any advice or help on anything else I talked about would be appreciated as well. I really would like to get this mower in tip top shape again. Thanks in advance.
The battery was dead so I replaced that, changed the oil, and cranked it up. It didn't start up immediately but it didn't take that long either. It ran OK, not great, but not that bad either. I have been using it to mow grass for several months now and have been doing maintenance as I go along. Probably the most worrisome thing for me was that it did not have an air filter in it. I have no idea how long that has been, or if my father used it without one for any length of time. I purchased a new one and put it in but honestly I don't know if any damage has been done or what to do about it now except to cross my fingers and hope. It would not surprise me if my father ran it without a filter for years. he wasn't very smart about stuff like that. The oil was also horribly black and dirty and thin when I changed it, along with being below the low mark on the dipstick.
Other things I have done have been to replace the spark plug, replace the old blade that was bent a little bit, greased the front spindles and wheels, lubricated the pivot points, adjusted the brake, leveled the cutting unit, and adjusted the drive chain tension. All of this was done according to the instructions in the Operators Manual. Overall the mower is in pretty good shape, so I am trying to bring it back to life, which I love doing with old things although I am strictly a novice when it comes to engines. Sometimes I think the engine is knocking a little bit, but it hasn't burned any oil, the new oil has stayed clean, and there isn't any kind of white or black smoke coming out of the muffler.
I have recently adjusted the throttle/choke control with no problems. I am now trying to adjust the carburetor per the Manual's instructions. here is what it says:
1. Turn idle mixture valve...until it closes.
2. Open idle mixture valve one turn. This initial adjustment will permit the engine to be started and warmed up prior to final adjustment.
3. Start engine and move throttle to SLOW.
4. Rotate throttle counterclockwise and hold against idle speed adjusting screw while turning idle speed adjusting screw to obtain 1750 RPM.
My main question in this post is how in [censored] do I know when I have 1750 RPM? The manual doesn't say anything about needing any special tools or gauges, and there isn't any tachometer on this baby, I'm not that much of a novice. Then again maybe I am, who knows.
I haven't tried to do anything as far as adjusting it, I was just going through the instructions first and realized I had this question. After #4 there a re a few more instructions, but the only thing that seems a problem is what I just said.
Sorry about the long post to basically ask a simple question. Actually, any advice or help on anything else I talked about would be appreciated as well. I really would like to get this mower in tip top shape again. Thanks in advance.
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