Deck and Mule Drive Parts

[Martin Johnson]

I have a IHCC 149 with typical mule drive and 44inch 3-blade deck. I sent this to CCS a couple days ago but never heard back. I just need some help with part numbers to ensure I order the right things.



1. I need the PTO to Deck belt...which I think is Cub Cadet Mule Drive PTO to Deck Belt 3/8 X 79 SL PN/ IH-117465-C1



2. But I also need the pulley on the front right of the mule drive below the PTO; where the PTO belt makes a 90 degree turn. There are 2---one on the front right and one on the front left. They may be the same...but I need the one on the right side (from sitting position)...this is the one that is on the spring loaded belt tensioner that is released with the handle on the front of the mule drive. Please advise.



3. And I need some HyTran rear end oil. 1 gallon if you have it.



I can order these on your website with part # confirmation.



4. I also have a question about blades. I have 2 identical 44' 3-blade decks and 3 sets (9 total) of identical blades; including one set of new-appearing blades. I believe these are OEM blades. All my blades measure 14 7/8". There is 1/2 inch or less clearance between the blades and the deck baffles, which seems right to me. The closest blades I see listed on your site is IH - Deck Blades for 44 inch Decks PN/ IH-59704-C1 USE 759-3812 15.12" Long. I suppose they would fit, but there would be only about 1/4 inch clearance from the baffles. On the other hand, I don't get clean cuts with this machine; and it is possible I have the wrong blades. If so, I will buy a set. Your idea please.

 

[digger]

I have a IHCC 149 with typical mule drive and 44inch 3-blade deck. I sent this to CCS a couple days ago but never heard back. I just need some help with part numbers to ensure I order the right things.



1. I need the PTO to Deck belt...which I think is Cub Cadet Mule Drive PTO to Deck Belt 3/8 X 79 SL PN/ IH-117465-C1



2. But I also need the pulley on the front right of the mule drive below the PTO; where the PTO belt makes a 90 degree turn. There are 2---one on the front right and one on the front left. They may be the same...but I need the one on the right side (from sitting position)...this is the one that is on the spring loaded belt tensioner that is released with the handle on the front of the mule drive. Please advise.



3. And I need some HyTran rear end oil. 1 gallon if you have it.



I can order these on your website with part # confirmation.



4. I also have a question about blades. I have 2 identical 44' 3-blade decks and 3 sets (9 total) of identical blades; including one set of new-appearing blades. I believe these are OEM blades. All my blades measure 14 7/8". There is 1/2 inch or less clearance between the blades and the deck baffles, which seems right to me. The closest blades I see listed on your site is IH - Deck Blades for 44 inch Decks PN/ IH-59704-C1 USE 759-3812 15.12" Long. I suppose they would fit, but there would be only about 1/4 inch clearance from the baffles. On the other hand, I don't get clean cuts with this machine; and it is possible I have the wrong blades. If so, I will buy a set. Your idea please.

I replied to your email, with 3 paragraphs of links and info you asked for! After it leaves here, I have no control over yours or the other 97 in the last 3 days.

 

[digger]

I have a IHCC 149 with typical mule drive and 44inch 3-blade deck. I sent this to CCS a couple days ago but never heard back. I just need some help with part numbers to ensure I order the right things.



1. I need the PTO to Deck belt...which I think is Cub Cadet Mule Drive PTO to Deck Belt 3/8 X 79 SL PN/ IH-117465-C1



2. But I also need the pulley on the front right of the mule drive below the PTO; where the PTO belt makes a 90 degree turn. There are 2---one on the front right and one on the front left. They may be the same...but I need the one on the right side (from sitting position)...this is the one that is on the spring loaded belt tensioner that is released with the handle on the front of the mule drive. Please advise.



3. And I need some HyTran rear end oil. 1 gallon if you have it.



I can order these on your website with part # confirmation.



4. I also have a question about blades. I have 2 identical 44' 3-blade decks and 3 sets (9 total) of identical blades; including one set of new-appearing blades. I believe these are OEM blades. All my blades measure 14 7/8". There is 1/2 inch or less clearance between the blades and the deck baffles, which seems right to me. The closest blades I see listed on your site is IH - Deck Blades for 44 inch Decks PN/ IH-59704-C1 USE 759-3812 15.12" Long. I suppose they would fit, but there would be only about 1/4 inch clearance from the baffles. On the other hand, I don't get clean cuts with this machine; and it is possible I have the wrong blades. If so, I will buy a set. Your idea please.

There's a reason I have a link to the parts lookup on every page of CCS.
https://www.cubcadet.com/en_US/ari-partstream.html
Plus the FAQ site,
http://cubfaq.com/questions.html
Plus the manuals site,
http://www.ccmanuals.info/manuals.html
It's all there plus this forum to help new guys figure stuff out.

 

[digger]

This will prolly piss you off, but here goes.
We're not here to spoon feed ya, we're here to help.
And no we ain't coming to your house with parts, fix your tractor and leave 20 bucks on the work bench to make it easy for ya. Just sayin!

 

[Martin Johnson]

The first part of your reply is very helpful; and yes, you should have stopped there. I have yet to see any email reply.

 

[Martin Johnson]

I do wish I had the favor of your email, Digger; as it is not as easy as you suggest to find the diagram that I need. Please resend.

 

[Martin Johnson]

I did as you suggested and did find part numbers/diagrams. That will be helpful in the future.

I note that the parts diagrams show the 149 uses the same 78" belts for PTO/mule drive and the deck spindles; whereas CCS lists a 79" belt for the PTO drive. I wonder is there a reason for the discrepancy? I do think I can get a 78" on my PTO drive; but a 79" is on it now.

And I still have the question about the blade length. Minor, but I'm looking for reasons I don;t get a good cut.

This forum is awesome. I appreciate the help.

 

[gchunnett]

I found I was getting a differential cut between mower blades, I removed the mower, flipped it over and turned the blades till the cutting edges were directly adjacent to each other (this might require releasing tension etc), and if there is a height difference then release the hub bolts and either shim with a washer or remove a washer till both blades cutting edges are exactly the same height. Straight edge lying on the back of the flat side of the blade helps.
Now there should be a very small gap between the blade tips at the point where the cutting edges are adjacent to each other, if there is a gap of more than a few millimetres then either the blades tips are worn or incorrect blade length installed. A gap of more than 1 centimetre ( ~1/2") will probably leave a ridge line of uncut lawn and cause frustration and irritation. And clearly blades that touch each other will cause all sorts of catastrophic calamity.... etc So length here is critical and height adjustment too. That said, take care to adjust hubs (under belt tension) so that the outer tips are the same height above the mower base as well as their inner tips or I'm sure you can visualize the consequent concave or convex mowed surfaces. A long straight edge across upside down mower deck shroud and measure the gap to blade on outer and inner tips helps to point out where adjustment is necessary, typically if someone has worked on hubs (replacing bearings) etc, causes an out of alignment issue.
Don't forget to re-adjust the blades to positions 90 degrees from each other although this is not an absolute necessity.
Depending on the bearing hub design the adjustment may be on bearing shims or with washers under the blade(s)

[Mom always muttered that if you dont have anything nice to say dont prove it .... just saying]

 

[kmcconaughey]

Martin, have you checked your spam filter to see if it has quarantined the email(s) that Digger sent you? He can send email after email but you wont get them if your spam filter is holding them.

 

[Martin Johnson]

Yes, I checked Spam and even my deleted mail to see if I accidentally trashed it. For all its benefits, I learned the hard way a long time ago that I cannot take for granted electronic mail communications. They are subject to miss-sending, misinterpretation, misdirection, mis-forwarding, accidental deletion and a host of other problems. Not the least of which is the mood on the other end; and whether it was sent with a chuckle or sneer. Its hard to be human these days....thank goodness for the gurus on this forum and others that pertain to my vintage motorcycle, VW and IHCC hobbies. Anybody can drive a Lexus or mow with an X-Mark, but it takes something special to drive a 50 yo VW or mow with an IHCC 149....

 

[tromaniecki]

And I still have the question about the blade length. Minor, but I'm looking for reasons I don;t get a good cut.

Martin, I have found that the old IHCC tractors are much better at doing things other than cutting lawns. They are however "okay" for lawn cutting, and will do a much better job of cutting if you set the cut height lower rather than higher! These decks don't have the suction necessary to hold long thin blades of grass up so they tend to get pushed over by the blade rather then cut. You also will need to spin those blades as fast as possible so run that throttle up to max unless your grass is very sparse and keep the blades very sharp!

gchunnett's tips in his post above are very good too, but deal more with uneven cut problems and I suspect your concerns are more of a just general crappy cut.

 

[jkent]

Martin,
I totally agree with Tom! Cubs are good for a lot of things other than cutting the grass. I too mess around with a lot of "old stuff" and I'd rather use my cub to plow my small garden, spread dirt and harrow with. I have about 5 decks ranging from 38" to 50" and I still get a much better mowing cut with my Husqvarna ZTR!

 

[Martin Johnson]

That's all good to know. I have used my 149 for nearly 20 yrs, but really not as a lawn grooming machine. Now I use it sort of like a small bushhog, mowing some pasture borders, etc. It may be asking a lot for it to cut pasture grass/thick weeds; but I have to go over everything at least twice for a half-decent cut. The fact that others have similar experiences reassures me. If there were some low-hanging fruit, I'd pick it. Otherwise, maybe I'll live with it. Despite its limitations, I do love my old 149. It cranks like an old war horse. I do have a transmission leak and in the fall I will try to diagnose and fix that. Probably that infamous cork gasket.

 

[tromaniecki]

It may be asking a lot for it to cut pasture grass/thick weeds;

Well, you can always ask it to try, but then you already know the answer now!
It is definitely not a meadow mower/bush hog....I hear you can get a sickle mower for it though.

 

[dschwandt]

If you are going to use it like a bush hog...
Expect it to cut a lawn like a bush hog.
Hard telling what all yiu may have hit with it at this point.
I'd expect anything from bent bladed, spindles, hangers and the deck it self being sprung out of whack.

I have a 44A on my 1650 right mow and it leaves near a golf course cut.
Run that puppy at WOT, that's the way they were built to run and make sure the PTO is adjusted properly.
My $0.02 worth.

 

[dschwandt]

Perhaps I can still redeem myself here....
The pin is 1/2" dia and is 2.5" OAL with 2" sticking through to the inside and about 1/4" through to the outside for welding.
Be sure to remove the paint and get a good clean solid bead w/good penetration all the way around the 1/4" or so that protrudes to the outside of the hanger.

Good luck!

 

[tromaniecki]

Martin: There you go, get that mule drive properly attached and then buy the belts digger was guiding you towards and you will be well on your way to mediocre grass cutting. Wish I had a 60" though, biggest one I have is a 48".
Good luck!

 

[Martin Johnson]

To complete the circle:
My 149 is mowing a lot better now. I installed a nearly new older set of blades...probably most important. I had questions about correct belts...even the parts lookup suggested 78" were correct for both PTO and deck. However, CCS correctly sells a 79" for the PTO. The 78" does technically fit, but interferes with stationary parts near the idler pulley. Learned the hard way. If I can make it through October, with a serious hydro leak, (infamous cork gasket?), I will tackle that project and be good for another 45 years.