Snagged this yesterday on a whim

[dschwandt]

Getting further into the 54" deck that is on this machine indicates as if it has NEVER been greased and appears to have never been removed or cleaned and the blades have never been sharpened or even off the deck at all.
Spindle bearings are all dry and seem to be quite loose!

.Deck shell is solid but completely rusty on 100% of the underside. Hoping the leaf season coupled with all the oak tree twigs and walnut shells will help that, then maybe I will get it sandblasted and a couple coats of Iron Guard federal yeelow and possibly rebuilt spindles this winter along with sharpening the blades.

Amazing someone would pay that kind of serious coin, $5564 w/tax to be exact, For a machine and then proceed to abuse it like that.

 

[hydroharry]

Amazing someone would pay that kind of serious coin, $5564 w/tax to be exact, For a machine and then proceed to abuse it like that.

Dave - doesn't surprise me. There seems to be a lot of people that have people that have serious coin that have decided many things are just thro away items.

 

[Neil Mullins]

I agree with hydroharry. I don’t understand it but it happens. I own & operate a small machine shop/fabrication & welding shop. So I tend to fix or rebuild things. My stuff don’t wear out from lack of maintenance. I’ve always been pro PM. At the same time don’t fix it if it isn’t broke. Always had the attitude, when something does break. Let’s rip it apart & see if can be fixed. “Crap it’s already broke, how can I make it worse”?
Not saying I haven’t destroyed a few things from not reading first!!! Case & point a manual PTO Cub Cadet clutch. Removed 3 set screws around the pulley, worked sprayed penetrating oil, & worked some more. I did not know or realize there were 3 more sets under the outer “locking” sets. So it’s time to go to the hydraulic press. At some point S*** flew apart. If any of you have used a 50 ton press you know what happens!!!! Pegs the fun meter when things let loose. Anyway several $$$$ later at the Cub store all is good again.

When you learn something the hard way, like the above. You apply that knowledge to other things.

 

[rjruchti]

Check those front deck carrier wheel yokes. The OEM bolt Cub welded in there are 3/4" to short and leave 3/4" of thread to chew the top bushing out. If they were the correct length those bushing would last much longer with prop[er grease. I cut the bolts out and welded in longer bolts and put a collar on top to get proper adjustment.

 

[hydroharry]

Neil - a 50-ton press, dang. Not sure how you did it, but must a been lots of PTO pieces.

 

[dschwandt]

Roger R.
Having a hard time picturing just what you are describing here, please elaborate.
Are you talking about the center front deck roller or the rollers on the corners of the deck?

 

[jknight]

Photo's would help with this one

 

[tkhoffman]

Since David has resolved his problem, I will hijack his thread a bit. This thread brings up a related automotive pet peeve of mine. My wife and son both bought used Audi’s that came with NO DIPSTICK!!!

You have to view the oil level in the touchscreen. You can calibrate the “full” oil level with a few clicks, regardless of the actual volume of oil. Fortunately, the forum community has figured out what dipstick fits, and we have now installed them in both cars.

Neighbor has same Audi headache. His gauge went bad, indicating low oil. He kept adding until his car blew smoke like the original Cub post. Guess a dipstick is too easy... Gotta throw in a gimmick, dashboard indicator.

 

[rjruchti]

Roger R.
Having a hard time picturing just what you are describing here, please elaborate.
Are you talking about the center front deck roller or the rollers on the corners of the deck?

The front corner deck wheel . They are mounted inside and heavy "U" that has the bolt that gos up through the deck arm. Has a lock nut on top - remove the lock nut and flat washer and you can see if the threads are eating up or have eat up the top bushing. Those corner wheels should be ball wheel, not the regular flat wheel.

 

[rjruchti]

Go to partstree.com, search for GT54 324. Should come up with that deck as the top selection. Scroll down to the various parts break down & select the deck breakdown. Part #38 is what I am talking about. Some of the lighter decks came out with rollers on the right front corner. Mine came on a 1862 and is the heavier deck and has the ball wheels on all 4 corners as well as the center anti-scalp roller. 3-1/2" bolt would be just a bit to short and leave threads working on the bushing. 4" gets the solid part of the bolt on the bushing but needs a 3/4" spacer on top to allow the castle nut to tension properly. I used a 1" nut and it worked fine.

 

[dschwandt]

Different deck than what I have.
Altogether different tractor also.
Mine is the fab 54" deck and it is a beast?

 

[rjruchti]

My apologies. I missed the first post on this thread some how. I see now that you have a lawn tractor, not a GT. The GT deck is a heavier built deck. My mistake.

 

[dschwandt]

GTX2154LE and a GTX2154

 

[rjruchti]

Again, I screwed up. I did not enlarge the photos and read the lettering on the tractor as LTX. Your is a newer version of the 54" deck. Mine has the caster wheel on both front corners, stationary wheels on the back corners with an the center roller in front. Mine is about 10 years older than yours.

 

[dsarow]

Nice post and job well done.David ,I looked thoroughness and perseverance in the dictionary, guess what?Your picture is on both pages.

 

[mtener]

I agree with hydroharry. I don’t understand it but it happens. I own & operate a small machine shop/fabrication & welding shop. So I tend to fix or rebuild things. My stuff don’t wear out from lack of maintenance. I’ve always been pro PM. At the same time don’t fix it if it isn’t broke. Always had the attitude, when something does break. Let’s rip it apart & see if can be fixed. “Crap it’s already broke, how can I make it worse”?
Not saying I haven’t destroyed a few things from not reading first!!! Case & point a manual PTO Cub Cadet clutch. Removed 3 set screws around the pulley, worked sprayed penetrating oil, & worked some more. I did not know or realize there were 3 more sets under the outer “locking” sets. So it’s time to go to the hydraulic press. At some point S*** flew apart. If any of you have used a 50 ton press you know what happens!!!! Pegs the fun meter when things let loose. Anyway several $$$$ later at the Cub store all is good again.

When you learn something the hard way, like the above. You apply that knowledge to other things.

I remember my own Ahhaa moment with those little set screws......This made me belly laugh.

 

[Mark Evans]

Was the engine still smoking and was it cracked rings from trying to compress the over amount of oil ????

 

[dschwandt]

Runs fine now, used it to mow the cemetery and will again this year. and will keep a close eye on the oil level.

We have a huge area there, most of it un-plotted with only a few headstones so far in the part that is plotted.
Another board member and I volunteer to keep it mowed and the cemetery furnishes the gas.
It costs us $10K a year to get the rest of the cemetery mowed and maintained so we need to be frugal where we can.