Archive through September 30, 2013

[glippert]

Frank C - your recent post about helping a dad and his sons into Cub Cadets. I received this photo from my daughter today. This is a tractor I bought in Nebraska 4 or 5 years ago and (with help from Charlie) hauled it back to Minnesota where I went through it from top to bottom. It now belongs to my year old grandson, back in Nebraska! He's driving it in a parade with his little sister riding shotgun. (Dad's walking along beside, just in case, and took the pic.) Son-in-law also recently picked up 1650 for me in Nebraska and will bring up to MN in a couple of weeks. Like Gerry said, it's good (and fun) to pass the Cub hobby on to another generation.

Here's how the 1250 looked when I got it:

 

[hydroharry]

Steve S - those frame extenders are just pieces of flat stock with 3 holes drilled in them. The 2 lower holes are for bolts to hold the frame extenders to the subframe ears. The upper hole is for bolting the frame extender to the tractor frame. It should bolt directly into the existing hole in your tractor frame (you don't need a rod but if I recall correctly you can use one). Before you go buying or making the frame extenders I'd mock them up using the dimensions of the actual ones. Someone mentioned they have the original extenders and could provide you the details. The frame extenders should sit just outside and rearward of the QA latch so you don't have any alignment issues.

Bill J - quick note here - glad to hear it sounds as tho you're finally discovering the 1650 will be the best CC you have.

Mike P - geez am I glad to hear you're still sticking with that 100. You said you adjusted the valves per the manual. It's been so long since I got into valves that I forgot details, but there is something about having to account for the automatic compression release when you rotate the crank to open the valves. Once you do get it running you will still have to set the timing with a timing light to get it exact. (I'll never believe static timing will be exact since the make/break is still done by manual rotation). Using a timing light measures the exact mechanical operation. Once it's all set correctly it should start as soon as you hit the key switch and almost, ya almost, before you turn the key. Stick with it and I know you'll get it. Hope you can before you have to get the beans in.

Greg L - makes ya real proud doesn't it. Going completely thru a unit like that, and passing it along for a few more generations to use. The QL units are mighty fine. As I've mentioned many times my very first CC was a 1450, one of the best ever. People just can't believe the QL units are a circa mid/late 1970's tractor - yes, approaching 40 years old. (And of course my real preference is the 169 of the 1x8/9 series and many of us are counting the days to our 169's 40th birthday. (Art - are you catching this??? Will you be sending out monthly birthday wishes based on your data???)

Frank - yes I'm still here, just haven't had much time to sign in and keep up. Are you getting ready to start pickin your spuds?
By the way, someone sent me a link to this ad. I'm hoping you or someone on here will call this guy and tell him a thing or 2 about 169's and the transplanted engine he has in this unit. What a shame. He claims it's all original but in the pics you can clearly see a transplanted 16hp K341AQS that's missing the muffler box. You can also see the basket pulley for the S/G. Don't you think he might wonder why he has that big pulley with no belt on it? I did notice he's got some nice correct tail lights. I wonder if those are the original lenses, or the QL era replacements. Here's the link for all to see.
http://nh.craigslist.org/grd/4046704842.html

 

[dfrisk]

MIKE P. - It's not so much what "TYPE" of torque wrench you have or use, it's the torque RANGE of the wrench you have or use. I have a big click-type torque wrench, but it's a Craftsman 1/2" drive 25 to 250 #/ft. WAY TOO BIG for use on Kohler engines. I mostly got it for working on my truck. I use my little bending beam 3/8" drive wrench, 0-75 #/ft or 0-900 Inch-pounds for my small engine work.

You should NEVER use a torque wrench in the bottom 25% of it's torque range. They get very inaccurate at those small torques.

You should also NEVER loosen fasteners with a torque wrench either, just tighten with them. Breaker bars & ratchets are the correct tool to loosen fasteners.

Tightening head bolts too tight can do several bad things. Snap head bolts, strip threads in the block or on the bolts, distort the head or block, even crack them if tightened too tight. When the head distorts, you can have a leaky head gasket between the bolts just like a leaky head gasket.

 

[dtanner]

Greg Lippert

Thanks for sharing and helping others . I hope to pass on a few Cubs so they will be around another 40 yrs

 

[dschwandt]

Here's the 1250 on Walnut Patrol!

 

[fcurrier]

Hey, Dennis: Why not loosen bolts with a torque wrench?

 

[digger]

Frank C.
It's very easy to exceed the maximum torque loading of a wrench when breaking bolts loose. The wrench will still function in terms of tightening or loosening bolts, but by exceeding its maximum torque limit loosening that tight bolt may throw off the calibration.

 

[fcurrier]

Gotcha - thanks! I was thinking in terms of torqueing a left hand thread.

 

[dfrisk]

FRANK - What Charlie said! You risk throwing your $100 torque wrench out of calibration because you're too lazy or in too much of a hurry to grab your $15-$20 ratchet, then either damage things you torque together or pay $25 to recalibrate your torque wrench. And I'm just guessing on the #25 to recalibrate, could be higher. I've NEVER had to do it. I've worked lots of places where the Metrology lab recalibrates them, but the torque wrenches I have are ONLY used on "Special Occasions".

Both my torque wrenches are Craftsman. You read the fine print on the warranty card, and recalibrations are NOT free, and the warrantee is only 90 days IIRC, not life-time like their hand tools.

It would be about like using your framing square or power saw to POUND nails. Totally wrong tool for the job.

I've posted the link here in the past to ARP's website and the Fundementals of proper fastener torquing before. People should read it before tearing into their engines.

 

[kide]

I just bought an electronic digital torque adapter from HF for $29.00 - it comes with a serial number and a test certificate. It is actually spec'd for above 30 Ft/lbs, but my main interest was using it to check my other torque wrenches and for this it's great. I found my beam types pretty close, one of my clickers within tolerance and the other clicker so far off that I won't use it for anything until I tear it apart and find out what's what...