Archive through September 03, 2013

[dtanner]

A dang counter would be a change . No pictures

 

[dtanner]

Got my 149 running . These are great tractors. had to go for a 15 min run around my place and had a big grin,.

Frank C likes my front tires .

 

[bjames]

Don, that Optima battery might make a good step to help get in and out of the seat of that loader.

 

[dtanner]

Bill , I find I can`t run my loader at the RPM that Denny and a few more here say that they need for heat removal . those RPM ~s just make it to fast for me . That gel cell is from my Diesel truck , I had bought pair but now have one. I thought they were the best kind of battery but 31 months and one gave up. I got room in my shop for a car now . I need to find better storage. I`am thinking a truck box with a roll up door . Put my Cubs in two high lol.

 

[dfrisk]

DON T. - You can't run your loader tractor @ 1600-1800 RPM? Loader use is intermittant use even if you use the tractor for four-five hours straight. The engine only sees load for maybe a minute in every five minutes of run time. The rest of the time it's just idling, running faster than an idle just wastes gas. I've NEVER said you have to run a Kohler at 3600 RPM or it'll over-heat... I've ALWAYS been on the OTHER side of that argument.

The Case 530 Construction King tractor/loader/backhoe I ran for the township was hands down the best TLB for loader work. It had a torque converter you could selectively lock or unlock, shuttle shift, and foot throttle. Ram into the pile of crushed rock and idle the engine down, raise the bucket and tilt it back to make sure it was plumb full and raise the loader on up, shift into reverse and back up a little, shift into forward and keep raising the bucket and as soon as the bucket was over the edge of the truck box, dump the bucket, tilt the bucket up and back up and lower the loader, shift into forward and ram the pile again. I could put 5-6 dumps, over 20,000# in a truck in about 4 minutes once the engine was running on the loader tractor. My right hand never left the loader controls, left hand steered and shifted the shuttle, right foot ran the brakes to creep forward and stop, left foot rested flat on the platform. When we oiled dirt roads it was kinda important that we got the roads chipped as soon as possible, so we were allowed to hurry as much as we could. If I was close enough to town I wouldn't even shut the loader tractor off between loads.

SON tried running an Optima battery in his old '93 F150 Lightning P/U.... he also only got 2-3 yrs out of a battery with them. The Motorcraft batteries in my truck are either TEN or ELEVEN years old. I replaced the factory batteries when the truck was either six or seven yrs old. Have to check my maintenance log to make sure.

 

[kide]

Dennis:
Heading back from Sears and Sawbuck right now (well actually sitting in car while SO shops at the 5 Below store) after buying new Group 65 Diehard Gold for the Sporttrac (08). Motocraft absolutely DOA after only 6 years. Cub batteries last much longer....

 

[sblunier]

Don T.

Foot control is on the list for my 1872 loader tractor.

Dual brakes and dual hyd. may end up on my 582 when the foot control goes on........Hmmmmmmmm?!?!?!

Joystick control is also on the list, along with new hoses (I keep blowing the old ones at inopportune times).

You won't hurt your 149 running 1/3-1/2 throttle for loader work.

 

[dtanner]

Steve Blunier "Mr. Plow"

I do have full front and back hyd along with Aaron`s Cat O on my 1512 and bought power steering for it also.But after looking at my loader today and running it some I see it could use the steering upgrade the most. It sure was nice adding batteries and have the two tractors come to life after sitting so long. I use two tractors getting the winter wood cut a split moved and piled. I do need to find out why my 149 is not charging . dang I hate wiring problems . It will soon be time to get the snow blower repaired . Art sent me the spline needed to repair it and now I have two 450 and only one tractor that it will fit.One day I will have to spend the $$$ and get me a nice cozy cab . That is tops on my wish list . all we are getting here is RAIN .I hope this weekend to get out on the Nomad . time fly's

 

[bwittman]

Finally, the 1250 Nightmare is alive again! Many, many thanks to all who offered encouragement, solutions, neighborly advice and examples. It is all taken into consideration. In addition, the tail lights are mounted, wired and working and the headlight panel is mounted. Wiring will take place tomorrow, and I look forward to after-dark seat time.

John: ....Yes, I think the 1250 is smarter than it's operator/owner. When will he "wake up" from the Nightmare ?....I didn't appreciate the cheap shot. Next time, if you have something to say about my character, please say it directly to me in a private message or e-mail. We are all better than that here.

 

[jchamberlin]

What was the problem with the Nightmare, Brian?

 

[bwittman]

Jeremiah, et el:

I really don't know for sure what the real problem was. I know that when I left the key on for an hour, that fried the coil. I took the coil to the local Kohler parts and service dealer and they had a method of testing it. It showed an open condition. I thought it would start upon installing a new coil. Nope. Finally, I started messing with the points and a feeler gauge, and it showed signs of life. A new plug seemed to help as well. I was kind of amazed when it started, but still, I had to do a points reset a couple of times to get it to run decently.

Nothing on that machine has been easy. Even this light project has been a challenge.

 

[hydroharry]

Brian W - glad to hear the Nightmare is a runnin' again. Bet you really liked getting at the lower screw on the points cover. Wasn't it a great idea for IH to put a little hole in the frame so you could access the screw. Did you happen to drop it? It almost always falls off and right down onto the frame behind the ISO-bar. If you have a nice clean frame you might be lucky to catch it with a magnet and slide it all the way to the front out past the ISO-bar. You're certainly right to make a claim that nothing was easy. It's the only Cub Cadet you've owned and the 1st, 2nd or even 3rd time around, you might encounter a little different difficulty. The screw I mention is a notorious problem. Charlie will probably pipe in with a pic of his magnetic screwdriver, or one with those 2 side clips that hold the screw-slot into the screwdriver. It is a must have for this job, but I actually don't have one, but I know it will very likely drop off and I'm very careful with it.

Many of us on here will claim doing this stuff is easy, not hard at all - but that's really because we're done it 30, 40, 50 times or more. I will say that it's really not hard to do most things on these units, once you know what you're doing. It's really more difficult to figure out "exactly" how to access or actually do things without causing a problem. Charlie's got alot of FAQ's that detail alot of steps that really help, but for some basic things it's not necessarily easy to outline all the exact steps and pitfalls, etc.

So, you were right, the first few times you have to adjust or replace the points it's gonna take an hour or even two, including making the adjustments, getting the cover back on with the gasket in place, and getting those little screws back in. Yup there are only 2 holding the cover on, but it may have seemed like 6. I'm hopeful you did use a timing light to set your timing. It's been discussed on here alot but setting the points is only the starting point for the engine. You really have to set the timing (unless you're Charlie and just luck out ever time). If you didn't set it I highly recommend it. My very 1st 1450 was a victim of advanced timing burning the piston - but heck, if it hadn't happened I may never have gotten my 1st CC.

So all in all, keep up the good work. The more you do the more the tractor will feel like a part of you - and you begin to know it inside and out - and that's when you really love it. You fix something, fix it right, and it will last you a good long long time. I used to tweak my timing at least once a year, maybe only have to adjust it 1 or 2 degrees, but I liked having it perfect on the S mark. That integrated starter on the AQS engine has to work hard to start the ole Kohler K, and if the timing is right on she will start right up on a crank or two. If it's been running 10-15 minutes and you have to restart, she'll usually start almost as quick as the older S/G version units (which start almost before you turn the key). Keep filling us in on how you're doing. Hope you got another parade coming up and can get someone to take a few pics. Or just take a few pics after you get your lights in so we can see the tractor with the lights.

 

[brhodes]

Hydro,

You up early or out late?

Either way have a good morning

 

[mhomrighausen]

Brian W. That is fantastic to hear the 1250 is up and running again.

Hydro Harry is right about a lot of us have wrenched on Cub Cadets so many times that things now seem easy to us. This past weekend when I made one good steering column out of two,it was because someone had stripped and ruined the threads for the nut that holds the steering wheel on one. Upon taking the "good" one apart enough to clean the old grease out I discovered metal shavings. So, first time for everything... I took both completely apart and found the bad threaded one was in otherwise good condition with good bearings and other parts. Using the Patience part of wrenching, I took my time and thus now have a good steering column and some scrap for the salvage yard.

Once again... GOOD JOB!!!

 

[kshultz]

OK. A little late on pictures of the newly arrived 782. It also came with a nice red windbreaker. I'll get a pic of that later.

 

[dfrisk]

BRIAN W. - Some other helpful hints on getting the points cover back on properly is to use a socket head screw on the lower hole of the cover. You can then hold the screw on the end of an allen wrench to get it started. Or I've used a small piece of masking tape over the ends of straight blade screw drivers to hold the screw onto the screw driver to get them started. Once the screw gets tight it tears the tape apart and you can remove the screwdriver and almost all the tape.

The best suggestion is to "SLOT" the hole on the bottom of the points cover so you only ever have to loosen the bottom screw a few turns to remove/replace the cover. A small pair of tin snips or even side cutters or a cut-off wheel in a Dremel or die grinder works good for making that hole a slot.

GERRY - Wife's '03 Mountaineer started having frequent dead batteries about 8-9 months ago. Took my DH Gold back to Sears and they tested it and said it was fine, just discharged. The factory alternator died a quick and painful death about a year before in about 2-3 miles before the car died. Wife called enroute on the way home from work as soon as the warning lights came on and I told her to get off the expressway ASAP, which was just in the nick of time to avoid a towing charge. I replaced the alternator the next morning in a store's parking lot and had Sears charge the battery. But something was always up with the dome lights, they'd stay on WAY too long. That was the reason for the repeat dead battery. I checked on-line and a new light switch was over $150. But about 6 months ago my Wife discovered if she turns the dash & dome lights completely OFF, the dome lights stay off and the battery stays charged. So much for "Theater Lighting".

Thing that made me suspect the Die Hard was bad was the fact it died so quick on the Mountaineer. Back around 1994 I'd driven my '87 F150 over 130 miles in 2-1/2 hrs with a dead alternator home from Aurora, IL. When I finally got within 3-4 miles of home and needed to turn on my headlights was when the battery finally started to say "Uncle". It was about ten degrees BELOW ZERO for a high temp that day, the diodes in the rectifier didn't like the extreme temp. changes I guess. I ran all the way home with no heater, lights, radio, ANYTHING that used electricity. I wasn't sure what was going to die first, the electronic ignition or elec. fuel injection.

Wife's Mountaineer has ALL the options, heated seats, sun roof, coil-on-plug ignition, etc. etc, etc. so it's amp draw to stay running is probably much higher than my old F150.

I normally get 8-10 yrs out of a battery in my CC's. The Die-Hard in the Super H is probably 15+ yrs old. Really helps to disconnect the ground cable when they sit for months at a time. I use Die-Hard's in things that have to start reliably, cars, trucks, except my PSD, I'll go with Motorcraft in it again next time too. The Super H has to start in winter to push snow so I put a Die-Hard in it too. Everything else gets batteries from Blain's Farm & Fleet.

 

[dfrisk]

SHULTZIE - REALLY NICE looking 782. You'll like it and the snow blower and cab when clearing snow this winter.

 

[stanner]

Shultzie,
Don't you just love it when you get a whole tractor when you buy a set of chrome hubcaps?!? Nice!!

 

[kide]

Brian: Great work! If you don't already have one, a screwdriver that is magnetized, or one that has "fingers" to hold the screw or, one with a spring loaded center part of the blade that twists and holds the screw should be on your list... Great for getting those small screws started...

Dennis: There IS a reason for keeping a decent speed (not lugging) on small engines with plain bearings like the rod bearing in a Kohler; The protection for the bearing is the layer of oil between the rod bearing and the crankshaft. That layer is actually created by the rotation of the rod journal within the bearing, creating a "surfing" wall of oil that the journal rides on. Too low an RPM and the pounding force of compression/ignition will overcome that cushion of oil.. I don't know what the minimum speed/loading is, but too low a speed and lugging 'em will wear the rod bearing sooner...

 

[sblunier]

Shultzie,

NICE...not many 782's out there that still look like that one!!!! Obviously well kept. You could afford to switch out the whole rear end for what you've got in that gem!

Nice find!!!!!