Archive through May 07, 2009

[dfrisk]

KENDELL - Mowed with the 982 again yesterday. Did a "Tweak" or two to the deck before mowing. All was going well until the engine started laboring a bit after about three rounds and the handwheel to set the mowing level had loosened and I was mowing a half inch lower than I wanted!

I finished mowing the section I was doing then reset the highth again. I must be getting close to getting the deck aligned & set properly because the 50C mowed REALLY well, I'd almost say better than My modified 38" deck.

I do have to get something on the lawn for dandelions and a couple patches of clover. I could do like that MORON on the TV commercial and use "ROUNDUP" for weed control!

 

[dross]

Dennis, dandelions just beg for a cub "wick"

 

[tstewart]

Well after about half a year owning my first cub the addiction is starting to set in... I just got cub #2!

I was wanting a gear drive next mainly for garden duty but this thing rides so nice and the constant speed on the hills I might even try it for mowing next. I also liked the QL series, so when I saw this 1000 listed for $350 I had to check it out. Talked him down too!

Hasnt been restored but in pretty good shape I think. PO replaced head gasket, and replaced wrong coil. Oh and the choke had been relocated but thats no biggie. The depth stop on the lift is screwed up will have to look at that. Everything else seems in good running order. Just thought I'd share.

 

[gsmyth]

Is anyone aware of the actual belt sizes in inches for a Cub Cadet 1450? The deck is a 44A. The belts are listed as 59971C1 (Drive Belt) and a 754-3004 (Deck Belt). I'm looking to cross reference the belt with other manufacturers. I've been to several auto parts suppliers and although they put it on a stretcher, the size (to them) is odd. The price can be about half of one from my normal Cub dealer. Anyone know if an alternative will work ifferently than OEM?

 

[mgonitzke]

Gary S.-

Get the correct belts. Auto belts will last about 5 minutes. The correct belts are not THAT expensive and will last much longer. Some tractors I have had still had 30+ year old belts on them that were still usable.

 

[kmcconaughey]

Gary, I'll second what Matt wrote and add that the drive belts for mower decks are subject to extreme conditions because of the way they twist through the mule drive. As Matt stated, a typical automotive belt will last for a few minutes, while a Cub Cadet brand belt is designed for the extreme conditions encountered with the mule drive and can last for years. I have several still in service that are decades old. Yeah they cost more, but if you amortized that cost over the longer life of that expensive belt they are actually cheaper.

Tristan, nice find! Looks like a keeper, even if it is a gear drive, wide frame...

 

[kmcconaughey]

Denny, when I first read your post about the Roundup commercial, I read it as "MYRON" not "MORON"... Couldn't figure out why you were picking on Myron.

 

[rhenry]

Thank You Scott!!

 

[kide]

Speaking of NOT using automotive belts, my third car was a '64 Corvair... Since becoming familiar with mule drives, I've often wondered if Chevrolet had the same design consultants as IH (they might have been a little ahead of IH, as the 'Vair was designed in the '57-'59 time frame..)
Anyway, for ya kids, here's a picture of the 'round the corner belt setup for driving the cooling fan off the crankshaft pulley..Worked well AFTER they got the generator mount beefed up, I broke several of 'em over revving mine (before getting a smaller crank pulley)..

 

[mwhalen]

Was mowing with the 1450 and it would go for a while and then just die. If I kept the rpm's very, very low (almost idle) it would keep running with deck on. It seemed to run fine at higher rpm's with pto off, but did bog down and die after a while. But would start right back up. Would it be a fuel or governer problem?

 

[fsnerd]

have a problem getting the right clutch shaft, any body know the correct part number ?

model 128.
serial 414066.

ordered part number IH-545492-R91

that shaft is 19 1/4" long, the shaft i took off is 14 1/2" long.

i ordered from the "cub cadet parts look up " link at the top of the page. I got the number from their parts diagram.
i am waiting to hear from them to see if it was their mistake .
since this is late friday. i don't expect to hear from them before monday.

just wondering if anyone knows what went wrong and the part number of the correct shaft.
at $83.95, i hope it is their mistake.

thanks

 

[snicklas]

Frank S,

Does the 128 have a creeper (underdrive) on it? If so the driveshaft would be shorter... the 19" measurement sounds about right for a standard driveshaft, I am not sure how much space the creeper takes up.....

 

[theaton]

Frank S., Do you have creeper drive on your 128? If so then you will need to cut the new shaft to make it work.

Scott, you are quick on the trigger. I dont have a pic, but the oem driveshaft has the score mark and hole already drilled for the creeper drive.

 

[fsnerd]

yes i have the creeper drive.
yes, new shaft has a score mark at the correct length . meaning, if i cut it at the score mark, it would fit.
and yes, all of the holes will line up once cut on the score mark.

is this something i can cut myself? or should i bring it to a machine shop ?

 

[snicklas]

Frank,

I would believe it would be something that you would be able to cut. I would just make the cut as straight as possible. I don't believe the driveshaft is "hardened" so it shouldn't be to difficult to cut. Didn't realize about the hole/score mark. I have onlu dealt with the driveline of a hydro......

 

[tmarkle]

I'm a couple days late on the M-1 discussion but I have a correction. IH did NOT make any M-1s during WWII. I remember that from Jim Becker's Red Power article. The only reason I remember it is because I had thought that as well. IH didn't make them till the late 40s or early 50s IIRC.

 

[mgonitzke]

Frank-

About 30 seconds with a hacksaw and you'll have it cut off. I can't believe they charge that much for a piece of 5/8" cold-rolled with a few holes in it. I usually get an $8 piece of steel from the hardware store that I can make 2 driveshafts out of. Can't beat that...

 

[gsmyth]

Thanks to Kraig and Matt. I'll stick with IH belts but that brings me to a different concern. I've been advised to change belts every year because they stretch with normal one week growth but thick grass and many hours. I'm told a 1/4" can make the difference and the spring and pulley belt tensioner at the deck seems to make little difference if new or old. What could cause a bogged down blade in thick but not wet, or over height grass. Have I a compression problem? Slipping belts? Worn pulleys? 1978 was a while ago.

 

[mgonitzke]

Gary S.-

Whoever told you that is full of crap and must want your $$$ for belts every season...they'll last decades.

Define "over height". How much does it bog down? Idler pulleys that are hard to turn won't help, and neither will stiff deck spindles. It's also possible that the governor needs to be adjusted to be more sensitive. Is the deck slowing down, or the engine? I can't really tell from your post...

 

[ckueny]

Thanks for the welcome and advice. Today I installed a new wiring harnesson my 123, as a lot of the old wires and connectors seemed weak. Even though it has goofy switches, like a push-button start, it started and ran. But I had to jump the safety start switch. Is that an available part?

And with it running, sparks came from the grass-screen on the flywheel. Mine is loose and flops around. After searching the archives I need to ask, how does one secure that?

Thanks to all,
Chris