Refurb and Modification of 1430 Lawn Tractor

[rbeem]

Leave the PTO engaged for the majority of your work. You should only have to engage / disengage when you have a CONSIDERABLE amount of time between passes.

You will destroy your PTO going on and off all the time.

 

[digger]

Mike T.
Why pick it up? or don't pick it up so high.
Your sliding on snow or at least it's a little slick. Skid shoes are cheaper than belts and PTO's. ;-P

I ain't pickin on ya, just trying to help a little.

 

[kmcconaughey]

Mike, thanks for the video.

Rick, umm, I dunno, a video of you and a shovel moving snow could be highly entertaining.

 

[digger]

Can't be any worse than Tony Beets on Gold Rush! LOL

 

[mtarsus]

I will lift the blade only a little instead of locking it in the upright position. That way I can keep the PTO engaged.

Also, shoveling snow is the best way to bring out the anger in everyone. I curse like a sailor when I am doing it.

My plan for the summer is to attach one of those spreaders so I can salt the driveway at the same time. I plan to get one of those push-cart ones from Lowes so it will have a decent size hopper. Then I will have to rig it with a switch and some kind of drive system... Probably a little electric motor.

 

[mtarsus]

Or, I could also just buy one of the spreaders that are made for ATV's and whatnot, and then graft it onto the back somehow. Might cost a little more up front but it would save a lot in time....

 

[mhomrighausen]

Mike T. You don't like shoveling? Then it quite evident that you never grew up on a farm. Shoveling grain helped build character and muscles. Besides it doesn't pay to get angry while shoveling snow or anything. Think of it as more of a good workout for your body and time to think about what type of things you can design/build for your Cub Cadet.

 

[mtarsus]

I don't enjoy shoveling snow, but I very much enjoy working outside in the summer time, especially splitting wood with an axe. To me, chopping wood is the best way to think over life's gifts and to put my demons to bed. Snow is a whole different story, though. Though no, I did not grow up on a farm.


Also, I tried snowblowing today without turning off the PTO. It turns out the belt actually doesn't rub at all. I think I moved the pulley and installed a smaller belt to fix that, though it had obviously slipped my mind...

 

[mtarsus]

Pop starting with a drill is a genius idea, I wish I'd thought of it all the other times I've dealt with cold engines.

I cannot start the engine with just the drill alone, I need to kick it with the starter to give it momentum, then I hit the drill and it starts to turn. Using the drill also keeps the engine from stalling during the first few moments of cold running, it will keep it going, put-put-put, until the engine has enough warmth to take over. This saves me an enormous amount of time and energy, and I recommend that you give it a shot if you are ever having a similar issue - but please exercise caution as it is very easy to get hurt while doing this.