List of Upgrades to Vermeer SC252

[dstyduhar]

Hello Boys

I finally made a plow for my 252 like some other gent did on here a while back. Same principle, can keep it up or down, and mine comes all the way off.

Here’s a couple quick videos of the progress, all that’s left now is paint:



Happy Holidays to All!
Bruce

Hey Bruce, been a while man.....hope you guys are doing well. I think that's an awesome design! I have some box steel and catwalk laying around and would love to make this. You can be the guinea pig and let us know how it works! See ya!

Drew

 

[TheAMMIXman]

Hi Drew!

I will certainly report back on the effectiveness once spring hits and I use it. Glad your 252ng still, and hope your machine is going well for you.

Happy Hollidays!
Bruce

 

[Ty r]

Where do y'all source the 35hp vanguard for so cheap? Did the price go up this much over the last 1.5 year? They are around $3200-3500 now.

I finally got my sc 252 back from the police (long story of dope heads, false police reports and more) impound had it for 18 months and they took it while I was working on it and would not let me put the intake back on so now my whole engine has been open to sand/water and was full of water.. I'm going to try to free the engine up and see if it's worth running. It ran before it was falsely impounded

 

[TheAMMIXman]

Where do y'all source the 35hp vanguard for so cheap? Did the price go up this much over the last 1.5 year? They are around $3200-3500 now.

I finally got my sc 252 back from the police (long story of dope heads, false police reports and more) impound had it for 18 months and they took it while I was working on it and would not let me put the intake back on so now my whole engine has been open to sand/water and was full of water.. I'm going to try to free the engine up and see if it's worth running. It ran before it was falsely impounded

Ty r

This is hard to look at. I am sorry. Long story short look for a Kohler of similar HP, IMO. They do make I think a 35 with the correct shaft, or so I thought when I researched. You will find that the maximum angle of operation is only 15* for vanguards, kohlers thst I have checked are 25*. If you look in a manual for a 252 you will find they state maximum angle of operation to be 20* or 21*. You will be limiting your operable angle some technically with a vanguard. I have found this thread is great info but essentially dead. There is a decent 252 group on FB that is very active. I’m TulaRacer on there.

My $.03

Good luck sir

Bruce

 

[TheAMMIXman]

Hello All

I just read back and forgot I had not reported back on my debris blade I built for my 252 last year. It is quite effective. I previously shared a few progress videos. I’ll link a play list here that has all the ones I made on the matter. Progress updates, using it, materials. Most are under 1 minute, the last few are longer. Materials and some measurements in the list video.

@dstyduhar check it out:



Happy grinding!
Good luck to everyone this season!

Bruce
“Uncle Roots”

 

[Ty r]

Ty r

This is hard to look at. I am sorry. Long story short look for a Kohler of similar HP, IMO. They do make I think a 35 with the correct shaft, or so I thought when I researched. You will find that the maximum angle of operation is only 15* for vanguards, kohlers thst I have checked are 25*. If you look in a manual for a 252 you will find they state maximum angle of operation to be 20* or 21*. You will be limiting your operable angle some technically with a vanguard. I have found this thread is great info but essentially dead. There is a decent 252 group on FB that is very active. I’m TulaRacer on there.

My $.03

Good luck sir

Bruce

Thank you. Yea it was a terrible chain of events. After more reading and also ease of everything I'm going to go with a 25-27 hp like what was on it. I have freed the engine but prior to this I had about $500 in parts, gaskets, and fasteners that I needed to order and install. Now I'd be probably be over $1000 to repair the things I know about and then would have to hope nothing bad happens with the engine, charging system, etc. So new engine it is

 

[TheAMMIXman]

Thank you. Yea it was a terrible chain of events. After more reading and also ease of everything I'm going to go with a 25-27 hp like what was on it. I have freed the engine but prior to this I had about $500 in parts, gaskets, and fasteners that I needed to order and install. Now I'd be probably be over $1000 to repair the things I know about and then would have to hope nothing bad happens with the engine, charging system, etc. So new engine it is

Never know what could happen man. I have the quad my dad gave me. Went in the drink with not 20 hours on it. Wasn’t frozen solid, was actually still full of water when I got it 2 year later, and I think that’s what saved it. It couldn’t rust up. New fluid, carb and fuel stuff and it obviously wouldn’t start, but it would pop and fart. Took carb back off, plug back out, I sprayed PB in each way. Let it sit, sprayed again, turned it over some, sprayed again, let it sit. Did this a few times. Blew it out the best I could even tho most prob went to the exhaust. Didn’t spray too too much, didn’t want to hydro lock it if that hadn’t happened yet.

Low and be hold it fired up. Ran awful at first. But eventually whatever was stuck or hung up un stuck and it started running just fine. AMAZING really. I wouldn’t go trust this thing with my life on a 100 mile treck I guess but I am very very hard on this little thing when I use it and it just takes it. Still not a ton of hours on it but over 200 I think and no bad noises or scary issues. And I run it really hard when I run it.

Just my $.03, not sure how rusted the inside of your motor may have gotten with the intake off but it may be with some PB blaster, spark plugs, and a carb.

 

[Ty r]

It sat with water in it for 1.5 years. The valve cover gaskets were shot and the carb was open. I drained a whole jug out that looked that bad.

 

[TheAMMIXman]

Ohh I hear ya. But all I’m sayin is maybe, just maybe, I did have a similar experience. I know it looks bad. It’s better that it still had the water in it for you too probably. I’m so serious I’d take that motor if you didn’t want it and where anywhere near western MA, have to try soon though now that it’s been emptied. I’d be buying a couple gallons of PB blaster and doing what I said. Honesltly, not that I don’t want a 38hp Kohler on my 252 but I really would be filling it with PB and seeing if it could make compression. Especially if that rusty plug didn’t even take out the threads in the head, but there’s helicoils for that. Maybe it’s a wast of time and money, maybe not. Whatever you do I hope you get it running soon, spring is near. Good luck.

 

[Ty r]

I have it full of atf, oil, and pb blaster. I was thinking to set it to the side and rebuild it afterwards. Buy a motor, get to making money, have this as a spare or to put on a frame with a blown motor

 

[TheAMMIXman]

I have it full of atf, oil, and pb blaster. I was thinking to set it to the side and rebuild it afterwards. Buy a motor, get to making money, have this as a spare or to put on a frame with a blown motor

That’s probably the best plan if you don’t think it will fire up easily. Keep us posted.

If you can afford and adapt I’d go Kohler 35-38. If you stay stock check out the you tube videos I’ve made on the “mods” to the stock machine. All the stuff mentioned in here but just on YouTube.

Good luck Sir!

 

[JamesPerdue]

Welcome 252 brother! I as well was late to the party a few years ago. I have done most of the mods in this thread except a bigger motor and the plow. A 252 set up like this and a big saw have been working well for me as a part time gig. Very well.

I’ll send you some manuals I have later. One is small enough to go through AS. Other has to be email.

For the motor stuff it’s a fairly standard Koehler they just pull the ID tags off. For the machine parts some have part #s where some of the number crosses and some don’t. A lot can be found quality aftermarket once you know what to buy. The chain is a standard Whitney 50 or something like that for example, comes in the Whitney bag in a Vermeer box. Only thing not made by Vermeer I think I actually needed to buy from them was the muffler, the others I could find sat too close to the clutch housing in my option so I just went oem.
Good luck!
Bruce
“UncleRoots”