New 1512 owner, questions?

[akiszka]

After my 1450 died I decided I needed a new tractor. I new it had to be a diesel, so after a lot of hunting I found a 700 hundred hour 1512. It came with a 50a deck, sleeve hitch, #2 tiller, and 54" blade w/hydro angle. I paid $2K for it all. Tractor runs great and the hydro is so smooth compaired to the 1450. I have some questions.

A previous owner had issues with exhaust. He welded the extension bracket to the muffler! After this didn't solve his issue, he cut the extension bracket, and welded on a car muffler. I have a new extension bracket coming, but the factory muffler may be unuseable and is NAL from CC/MTD. What are you guys using for mufflers?

What are the must do items for this tractor other then filters, oil, etc? I read drives shafts can be an issue? Motor mounts?

I run Power Service diesel additve in all my other equipment, does the little d600 need addtional lubricity?

I have noticed that the rear axle is cast aluminum as compaired to the cast iron 1450. Since I am selling the 1450 should I swap them?

Was there ever a power steering upgrade for these tractors?

If this too many questions please email me direct! I will get some pictures put up soon!

 

[mgonitzke]

Anthony K.-

Welcome to the forum!

I have a 1512 and a 782D. These things eat driveshafts. If the tractor shakes at all at full throttle, or if it seems to vibrate excessively at any RPM, remove the tunnel cover and have a look at the driveshaft, particularly the rear coupler that connects the driveshaft to the trans input shaft. Those start to wobble and cause vibration. Let me know if you want more info, I replaced nearly all the driveshaft hardware in my 782D and my 1512 needs it as well. Don't worry about the motor mounts; my 1512 has 2500 hours and the motor mounts are fine. While you have the driveshaft out, replace the alternator/water pump belt. You have to remove the driveshaft to change it.

I don't run any additives in mine; I do use Shell Rotella T 15w-40 at the recommendation of other forum members.

The aluminum rear is pretty light, and I find that I need a lot of weight to get the same things accomplished as I could with an IH-built machine. Depending on what you are doing, I'd just leave it alone if you have decent wheel weights and you put washer fluid in the rear tires. I'm going to put the "guts" (axles, carrier, reduction gear, main shaft, etc.) from my 782D aluminum rear into a cast iron case to retain the strength of the fine-spline axles from the aluminum rear and gain the weight of the iron case. It's pretty much up to you.

The power steering from an 18/2072 or the cyclops tractors, i.e. 1862, 1864, 18/2082 etc. can be retrofitted, but that isn't a "bolt on" deal exactly, and the parts will be expensive. In the FAQ's here there is a "super steer" upgrade in which you put a thrust bearing on the cam plate in the steering column and replace the ball joints with heim joints. That's what I'm doing to both of my diesels. If the spindles are clean and greased and you do the previously mentioned mods, that will help a lot. It also helps to keep the tires aired up; I use 25 psi.

Let me know if you have any more questions. You can see pictures of both of my diesels in my website in my tagline.

 

[akiszka]

Matt,

We have a local drive shaft company that I use for my offroad trucks, I can look into having them make up somethng. I should look in to using CV joints as they maintain the constant velocity.

How hard is it to swap the internals of the diffs? I have the 1450 sitting right next to the 1512 in the garage. I plan to sell it and make the 1512 the primary.

Do you have a CAT 0 on any of your tractors?

 

[mgonitzke]

Anthony K.-

I haven't done the swap yet, but it looks like a weekend of work or so. I don't have a CAT-0 on just yet; I'm going to be building one for the 782D this summer.

 

[akiszka]

What do think of the $400 CAT 0, unit that the guy in Minnisota makes, its also on ebay.

 

[mgonitzke]

I've conversed with him via email about it. His stuff looks very high-quality to me. You will never get a used, complete one for that on ebay or anywhere. If I wasn't committed to building my own, I'd probably buy one, too.

 

[kweaver]

Good luck on getting a shipping quote ... I've been waiting 18 days for a quote on his blade

 

[klejeune]

He's posted in the Classifieds the price for the Cat 0 is $400+ $35 shipping.

 

[mtoney]

His cat 0 hitches look well made and are a good value with the cost of the original ones pushing well over $500. For a muffler, your kind of one your own, you need to keep it fairly light weight as to much tends to crack the cast manifold. I would check with the local Kubota dealer, that same engine was used in many Kubota garden tractors and some compacts used the same thing. I know for a fact that the muffler from an older Kubota compact like a B7200 will bolt up to the flange on the cub. Almost all the old B series used that basic same muffler. The later style cubs used a much better drive shaft with CV style ends on them, if you can find the whole deal, my buddy thinks its a bolt on swap, we are planning to do this on my 982. Here is a pic of my CCO and my 882 diesel I used to have. Enjoy your new diesel! Mike and Michele T

 

[aschmidt]

Hey guys, Thanks for the compliments on the stuff. Just want to clear up that a quote was sent to Ken for the blade from freightquote.com a few days later. I never heard from him so figured he didnt want it. Parts are all sitting here ready to be built.... I guess it just got messed up in cyberspace and spammail. I hope he got the new one I sent him. I run a prompt business and can also make custom parts - just ask Rick Beem (see posts in custom section). Aaron Schmidt

 

[akiszka]

So I just did some checking online and the 2182 has a 3 cylinder gas version of the 600 Kubota, the muffler is available, it has the same mounting pattern(common gasket to the 1512), and the remainder of the heat covers are common, on problem is ts about $200 ouch.

The 2182's has a drive line kit, p/n 759-3615, "Drive Line Replacement Kit", which appears to have all the hard parts needed to put CV style joints in. I have to compare the images yet.

 

[sgalante]

Matt G & Mike T,
I was just reading this thread, after doing a search for Rotella. I noticed that both of you mentioned a vibration problem with the 1512D and 782D models. I started noticing a very bad vibration on my 1512D a week ago, and took Matt's advice and pulled off the tunnel cover and noticed 2 things, my cooling fan is missing 2 blades (I'm pretty sure 1 was missing the last time I looked) and there seems to be quite a wobble in the driveshaft. I'm somewhat mechanical, but not that much. When you mention replacing the driveshaft components, what would you recommend be replaced? I am thinking the drive shaft and the coloing fan. Everything else looks OK to me. I guess the more important question, is how hard is this to do for a neophyte mechanic? Mike T, you mention a different Drive shaft with CV ends, did you ever find out if that was a bolt-on change? I'm calling my dealer today to get a price on parts, and what they would charge to do the job. I just want to have an educated idea of how much work it is, and what the parts cost is like.

Thanks for all your help...

SteveG

 

[mgonitzke]

Stephen G.-

The driveshaft itself is probably fine unless it's been shaking for quite some time. Unfortunately, it's everything else that needs to be replaced.

In this diagram, you'll need to replace #8 (#8 is wobbling on the trans input shaft, causing the vibration) and the #7 inside of it, as well as the #7 inside of #13 that isn't shown in the picture. If the driveshaft itself is wallowed out, it'll need to be replaced too. You'll want to put 4 new flex discs in as well. It costs $200+ for the parts alone, and to be honest, this is one of the most annoying repair jobs to be done on a Cub Cadet. I have done it to my 782D and my 1512 when I had it, and I've gotta do the 782D again...something I didn't replace must have let go, as the vibration is back. If you want, drop me and email with your phone number and a time I can call you and I'll do that...it's much easier than trying to describe the process on here. It takes me about 4 hours to do one, but I've done it before. It's not terribly hard, it's just frustrating and there's a couple of tricks. If I were you, I'd do it myself. Labor costs at a dealership to do it will be ridiculous.

As far as using the the CV-joint driveshaft from the cyclops series, you'd need a front coupler from a 1782 or 2182, and a pump and driveshaft from an 1862 or 1541 and possibly a couple other models. The driveshaft might have to be lengthened or shortened. It probably won't be entirely "bolt on" and the parts will be extremely expensive new.

 

[sgalante]

Matt,

Thanks for the heads up. I have to think about whether I want to tackle something that takes you 4 hours to do. I'm thinking it may take me a few days and I may mess it up. I assumed it would be the driveshaft from what people were saying, not parts of it. $200 in parts is a little steep, and another 4 hours of shop time, will just about make it something I may live with for awhile. If I change my mind, I'll email you and talk to you sometime.

Thanks again,

SteveG

 

[mgonitzke]

Just keep in mind- That wobble is because you have parts that have already failed, and some that are about to fail. Without the ball bushings in #8 and #13 in that drawing keeping everything in line, the flex joints can't handle the misalignment and will wear quickly. If part of the driveshaft fails, it'll take either the hydraulic lines and linkage or your steering column and wiring, or a combination of those. That'll be a lot more expensive. And the longer that rear coupler wobbles on the trans input shaft, the less effective new parts will be. I guess what I'm saying is, don't wait around too long...

 

[sgalante]

Matt,

Thank you for the warning. I talked to my regular mechanic at the CC dealership (which also happens to be a Kubota Dealer) and he said he would take a look at it for me, and let me know what the problem is. He has always been really honest with me when it comes to fixing stuff, he has even welded my heat shield on my muffler without charging me, and he has always billed me by the actual time to fix stuff instead of the what the book says, he says that he has encountered this problem with alot of the diesels in that generation, and thinks he knows what the problem is. I'm going to bring it to him next week and see what he thinks. I'm pretty sure I'm better off having him do it for me, than for me to try to handle it. Hope I'm right.

Thank you,

SteveG