Work begins on 104

[bpientka]

Honestly I have found very little difference in prices for OEM parts online. Often prices get even closer when shipping is considered.

 

[bpientka]

Well rough day working on 104!

Wanted to go through the steering column. Step 1 remove the steering wheel. After a couple days of soaking the steering wheel in pb blaster I was hopeful!

Hope was short lived! Steering wheel wouldn’t move. Took some time to build a plate for the puller. Looked good! Put some tension onto the puller. Still would not move.

I got a little aggressive with the puller and split the center shaft.

For right or wrong ended up drilling out the shaft. Steering wheel came through the adventure ok but need to find a replacement shaft.

In the end bottom end of steering shaft was pretty rough.

 

[kphill]

Trick to removing steering wheel.. Back off steering wheel nut until is flush with the shaft and you have at least 1/4 in between bottom of nut and top of steering wheel.. Then set on seat and with your feet flat on the floorboards put your knees under the steering wheel.. Then with maximum upward leg pressure take a rubber of leather mallet and hit the steering wheel nut square.. .. Wheel should pop right off.. I have used this method a few times...

 

[dschwandt]

Works for me every time only I use a big brass drift and a machine hammer.
I'll bet if you had rapped on the end of that puller after there was some tension on it it would have broken free.
Cant imagine how the shaft got screwed up like that, looks like someone went after it with a chisel for Pete's sake.

 

[bpientka]

Thanks for the suggestions. I tried the knee thing and didn’t have any luck.

I also hit the end of the puller multiple times when it was under pressure. I also left tension on the puller for a while 30+ minutes.

No luck.

Not thinking the steering was going to be this tough I used the cone tip for the puller. At some point I put too much pressure on the puller and the cone split the shaft. It looked fine before I started.

 

[gary noblit]

Bernie,I'm sorry for your luck.I've dealt with similar situations but usually it's a wheel that won't come off or an engine pulley.It is common for me to curse mfgs for not using "neverseize.. BUT...never give up!!"

 

[digger]

Anyone use these pressure plates?

Seems like a set of 2 is the same price as a single cub cadet.

https://www.jensales.com/products/h...er-pressure-plate-heavy-duty-new-8301030.html

You can do what ya want man, but I can tell you from what guys have told me for the last 5 years or so that you'll be replacing those pressure plates from Jensales in a couple years. Seems they are not hardened. ;-(

 

[mgonitzke]

Cant imagine how the shaft got screwed up like that, looks like someone went after it with a chisel for Pete's sake.

He probably didn't have the nut on when he tightened up the puller, so the point on the end of the puller bolt split it.

 

[bpientka]

Matt, you are correct, I forgot to have the nut on the shaft.

So what I learned.
1) Soak with penetrating oil for a long time.
2) try the knee removal technique in combination with the tapping of the shaft technique.
3) if still no luck use puller but leave nut on shaft to protect shaft end.
4) be careful on the amount of pressure applied so not to damage steering wheel or the shaft.

 

[bpientka]

Thanks Charlie,
In the end I didn’t go with Jensales plates as I couldn’t find any reviews. I ordered pressure plates and a driveshaft from MidWest Supercub. They haven’t arrived yet. We will see how they hold up over time.

 

[bpientka]

Used replacement steering shaft on the way from Rob Houtz (Cub Cadet Used Parts)

 

[john.knutson]

Well rough day working on 104!

Wanted to go through the steering column. Step 1 remove the steering wheel. After a couple days of soaking the steering wheel in pb blaster I was hopeful!

Hope was short lived! Steering wheel wouldn’t move. Took some time to build a plate for the puller. Looked good! Put some tension onto the puller. Still would not move. View attachment 141376

I got a little aggressive with the puller and split the center shaft.



View attachment 141377

For right or wrong ended up drilling out the shaft. Steering wheel came through the adventure ok but need to find a replacement shaft.

In the end bottom end of steering shaft was pretty rough.

I can relate, I still have not gotten the steering wheel off my 107. I've tried the knees, built a puller plate like you did, used an air chisel & hammer against the backed off nut. Nothing has gotten it to budge even a little bit. I have come up with a theory that a previous owner used JB weld or something in there, it sort of looks like there is some grayish gunk around the little splines but who knows.

Fortunately that Cub has decently snug steering. My 147 is very sloppy but I was able to get the steering wheel off with either PB or Kroil (or both) and my knees, which was nice to at least validate that some steering wheels do come off like everyone on the forum says!

 

[JPrattico]

Funny enough I haven't been able to remove the steering wheel from my 107, granted I haven't tried that hard yet. Gonna build a jig like seen above and pull it that way, should work because it's probably just lightly rusty. I have no real need to remove it but I would like to get under the dash so I can better lubricate the hydro lever and maybe replace that plastic bushing on the steering shaft with a metal bearing.

The real trouble is gonna be my 147, it's rusted up BAD. And I need to get the wheel off because I need to rebuild the steering box. It seems as though stuck steering wheels are a very common problem among the IH Cubs...

 

[eberner]

Dont be suprized if it dosent move at all, the one on my garage kept 127 had no rust at all.
Still soaked the crap out of it (Kroil)- tried the knee thing and then resorted to a homemade puller.
I kept the nut on to protect the shaft and put an inordinate ammoutnt of pressure on it and let it sit.

It still wouldnt budge - 3 well place smacks of the 3lb sledge on the puller made it come loose with loud pop.

Once it was off I fastioned a 1/4 plate that bolts to the steering wheel hub and is drilled for 1/4 bots to go in a puller

 

[john.knutson]

Dont be suprized if it dosent move at all, the one on my garage kept 127 had no rust at all.
Still soaked the crap out of it (Kroil)- tried the knee thing and then resorted to a homemade puller.
I kept the nut on to protect the shaft and put an inordinate ammoutnt of pressure on it and let it sit.

It still wouldnt budge - 3 well place smacks of the 3lb sledge on the puller made it come loose with loud pop.

Once it was off I fastioned a 1/4 plate that bolts to the steering wheel hub and is drilled for 1/4 bots to go in a puller

Mine has not yet met the 3lb sledge, that might be my next option when I get the urge to try and rip it off.

 

[jlord]

Hi Guys, Usually heat will do the trick in really tough cases, but in this case there is phenol (sp?) or some other type of plastic involved, so a torch would be really tricky to use so as not to burn the plastic.
However, I have seen (but don't own one yet) is an induction heater. They work by magnetically inducing eddy currents into the metal part you put inside of multiple loops of a formed coil. I've seen where you can make a "home-brew" one by forming 8 or 10 loops of # 6 or 4 solid copper wire around a 2 or 2 1/2 inch pipe or something else round to get the coils formed, then hook it up to a welder set at about 50 amps. You've got to be careful because you can turn whatever is inside the loops red hot in short order.
I have some old service entrance solid ground wire that's # 8 or 6 and have toyed with the idea of making one, but haven't had the need for one yet. There are some youtube videos showing one in action.... impressive!
The idea is to heat the shaft which will expand it and then let it cool. That should break the rust bond if there is rust or just loosen a tightly wedged on taper, splined or not.

 

[bpientka]

Clutch setup back together!
Parts from CCSPECIALTIES and Midwest Super Cub.

Still waiting on replacement steering shaft. USPS is killing me with shipping delays around the holiday.

 

[bpientka]

Clutch installed! The only part reused was the clutch lever.

 

[bpientka]

Successful day! Tractor moved under it's own power today! This is the first time I have ever seen it move on it’s own. In and out of the garage! Tough to control without a steering setup so my trip was short.

New items to address.
1) adjust clutch/brake - I have to really push the clutch all the way down to shift without grinding gears.
2) Does not appear to be charging. Have to double check wiring and potential test the starter/gen.

 

[mfrade]

When you assembled the driveshaft into the motor, did you put a spot of lube on the shaft? Sometimes the bushing in the motor grabs at the driveshaft and keeps the shaft turning. This creates the grinding gears in the transaxle.