Gear driven or Hydro Driven

[Everettlee]

I definitely prefer Hydro as it always seems one I am using a gear drive the gear I have is either a little too fast or a little too slow to be perfect

Having said that I have always been under the understanding that a Hydro is a less efficient way of getting horsepower to the ground

 

[RAllison]

Great...now I gotta find a gear drive just so I have one!

 

[JPrattico]

I like both personally. The hydro is nice and smooth (and also faster than a gear drive) but it does take more maintenance.

The gear drives are slower and a bit clunky, but I love my 106 for its towing capabilities. I've also gotten used to mowing with the 3-speed

I own 2 gear drives and 2 hydros, so I'm pretty evened out. Although if I'm being honest, I got that itch again... might need to get a couple more over the summer... one gear and one hydro, to keep them even...

 

[RAllison]

Great now I gotta find 2 gear driven,I have 2 hydro...to keep em even!

 

[snicklas]

DENNY - My SON just picked up a 94 F-250 Extended Cab PSD 5 Speed 4x4 (1st year fro the PSD). The truck needs some body work…. but the truck has 369,XXX miles on it an still going. I have driven it…. But it has proven that my bad left knee + clutch = PAIN… glad all my trucks are automatics….. LOL. It still runs good and has had some maintenance that he has the paperwork in from the PO… like injector cups and a Wicked Wheel….

 

[dfrisk]

SCOTT - ANY truck from the midwest almost 30 years old will need some body work. My old F-250 is no exception. SON has researched upgrades to the 7.3 PSD a lot. There's lots of ways to put "E-fuel" on them, electric pumps and pressure regulators, eliminate all that clutter in the valley, and a TO-4 turbo of some type is the hot setup, with bigger injectors. He wants the 7.3 to pull like his '14 6.7 CTD did and it was deleted, chipped, and tuned. My poor old truck is still stock. He saved the pillar pod out of his '93 Lightning and it fits the '96 F-250 perfectly, so has boost, coolant temp, EGT, oil psi. The LUK clutch we installed years ago actually pushes softer than stock, but not sure how much HP it will hold.
They are still a great old truck. I get an electronic copy of Ford Truck Enthusiast and see comments from new truck owners wanting things like larger video screens, faster internet, my new truck has a screen maybe 6x8 inches that I mostly ignor. Now the dash readout with oil psi, coolant temp, engine oil temp, trans oil temp, I keep my eye on that!
SON wants to start working on the F250, but ALL his shop stuff, mostly wood working tools has to go first! I'm not letting my two FARMALL'S and 3 Cub Cadets sit outside under a tarp.

 

[Stephen Wattley]

Well today I bring the tractor home. The hydro lever on this 169 is very sensitive and jerky at times as the engine rpm changes by it self the tractor speeds up suddenly. It actually was scary for a few seconds. If you just try to move it like tiny bit at a time it is more controlled. It does seem this is a Franken Tractor. This guy has F ed with a lot I could not tell. I made the mistake of not driving it myself. I would walked away if I did. So now I need to take this beast lol

 

[bwstevens]

Personally I would block the tractor up securely so it wont run you over and read up on how to diagnose the cause . there are gentlemen here who have talked people through this.

 

[Stephen Wattley]

Personally I would block the tractor up securely so it wont run you over and read up on how to diagnose the cause . there are gentlemen here who have talked people through this.

So this is not the norm?

 

[bwstevens]

My 1250.149. and xbrand 140 drive very steady.

 

[kmcconaughey]

NOT normal at all for it to behave that way. Well, it is kind of normal if the trunion is worn out. Here are some links to the FAQ that cover some info and how to repair it:

CubFAQ #14 My Hydro Jumps and lurches, what's wrong?

CubFAQ #33 How do I repair my Trunion on my Hydro?

And a link to the main CubFAQ page:

CubFAQ

 

[RAllison]

I fixed the trunion on my147 according to this...and problem solved!!!

 

[PACub100]

Unless you paid a serious buttload of currency, I wouldn't fret it - it's a 45+ year old tractor...it'll have a few issues. And I've learned that some people consider "well maintained" as in "I always checked the oil and greased it"...

BUT...the nice thing is with the forum's help and some elbow grease, you'll have a beast of a machine that'll outlast any of the newer stuff. Later on, there'll come a moment when you have that "ah-ha, it was all worth it" moment...plus, as you go over it and take care of issues, you, yourself will know it was done right.

Go over the links Kraig posted - my money's on your trunion needs fixed up. Not a hard job if you have a welder and are good with it...plus, Digger (CCSpecialties) has the replacement springs / parts for it for cheap and easy fix. While you're at it, might want to consider changing the hydro fluid as well...

 

[Stephen Wattley]

Ok so we start a new thread and new name for this beast. It will not be red for very long but i like to cut my grass without getting Killed! The hydro linkage is a mess, so lets start there. Boy i wish i kept looking for gear box. But everyone around nj is looking to see how much they can F the new guy purchaser.

 

[Stephen Wattley]

What am i missing here? I would expect this kind stuff from china.

 

[dschwandt]

Steve, you need to get comfy with the Cub cadet parts look up site and all the exploded drawings of the components of your Cub.

Lookup Parts Via Diagram | Cub Cadet US

 

[bwstevens]

Did you check All of the joints in the linkage for lube and wear ? Do not lube the friction surface on the control handle ? You keep talking about a gear drive tractor so I am going to ask this ....... Do you leave the brake pedal alone when you try to drive ? Does it creep ? My 149 stays still my 1250 never knows which way it wants to go in neutral. As a safety concern I suggest that you take steps to control the movement of the tractor.

 

[PACub100]

Yes, follow the link and put in "169" and you'll get exploded prints with parts and numbers.

This is what Kraig and I said about in the other thread. This could be the culprit and is a starting point. Work the lever and look for abnormal play / slop. Take a good close look at everything...

 

[hydroharry]

I would definitely suspect the trunion as being the main problem/issue, but Stephen does say it's jerky as the engine rpm's change. The engine rpm's shouldn't change unless the throttle is moved. I'm sorta wondering if the carb is hunting causing a jerking as you touch the hydro control.

In my view, first things first. The engine rpms should be steady where ever you set the throttle. If that's the case when the tractor is not moving (brake on) then I'd start looking at the trunion.

 

[Stephen Wattley]

in this photo of with two arrows, the top arrow show the pivot and bushing and like you told me this is very worn and sloppy. the bottom arrow show the pin coming out of the slot, the slot is worn, you would think the pin would have a snap ring to keep in the slot. this is why i sent the pic. i have the original parts book for this tractor. it not show the plates assembled.