Miscellaneous Garden Tractor Pulling Tips and Tricks (that don't fit any other category)
Jump to... (Each section is subject to updates)
- Build a table to repair your garden pulling tractor(s).
- Build a trailer to haul tractor to the pulls. (Updated 10/29/06)
- How to remove the Cub Cadet mechanical PTO clutch from a Kohler engine.(Updated 7/2/07)
- How to cut new threads with a tap, the right way.
- Welding reusable air-cooled, cast iron engine blocks.
- Adapting a motorcycle engine in a Cub Cadet garden tractor. (Updated 1/7/04)
- To search for a word or phrase in this Web page, with Microsoft Explorer, press CTRL+F to open the Find dialog box.
The tapered roller bearings for the narrow and wide frame IH Cub Cadet blade spindles are the same outer front wheel bearings that fit the 1955 to 1969 GM cars and 1/2 ton trucks. You can get these at your local auto parts store.
Build a Table to Repair your Garden Pulling Tractor(s) - Top of page
The easiest and most practical way to repair or build virtually any garden/lawn
tractor, ATV is to do it on a steel frame table that stands 2' from the floor,
and having a platform that measures 42" wide and 6' long. Being garden tractors
are so short (in height), this would be much better than working on them
directly on the floor. To construct this table, use minimum 2" x 2" x 3/16"
angle steel for the legs and frame. Make the loading ramps of 2" x 8" x 8'
#1 grade lumber (meaning no knots) planks with some 1/8" thick x 1-1/2" tall
angle steel underneath each ramp for additional strength. Fasten a couple
of 8" wide x 12" long x 3/16" thickness flat steel that's slightly bent on
the end of each ramp with a hole drilled for a drop-in bolt or pin to secure
them to the table. And then fasten some kind of fencing on each ramp for
traction, and keep the tires from slipping off the side of the ramps.
If you have an overhead [engine] hoist handy (supported by a sturdy beam, of course), you can lift one end of the tractor to repair the steering parts, change a tire, remove the engine or transaxle, or just to get at those hard-to-reach and hard-to-see underneath parts. If you're working alone, and if you have a smooth concrete floor, you could put a small wheel on each table leg to roll the table back and forth with the tractor on it, to remove/install the engine or transaxle. Believe me, this table will save you from having an aching back and knees the next morning. Plus, you'll appreciate it a lot more as you grow older.
Or if you have the money, try an air lift table: Handy Industries: Air and Electric Lift (http://www.handyindustries.com/airlift.asp).
Build a Trailer to Haul Your Tractor(s) to the Pulls - Top of page
Thinking of building your own utility trailer to haul your pulling tractor(s)
on to take it to the pulls? If you're good with welding and metal fabrication,
then to build a trailer, the the center of a single or tandem axles is to
be positioned 60/40 when measured within the length of the bed, not including
the tongue, and that 10% of the trailer's cargo load (weight) will be on
the tongue. If the cargo load is positioned over the axle(s), 60/40 will
allow the trailer to haul well without bearing too much or too little weight
on the tow vehicle.
Example: if the trailer's bed (cargo space) is 10 feet long, the axle center is positioned 6 feet from the front of the platform. And make the tongue 4 feet in length, including the coupler. This allows for plenty of room for someone to stand when a pickup truck's tailgate is down. Also, a longer tongue makes a trailer tow smoother on the road and makes it easier to back the trailer into a tight spot. And when mounting the tail lights, position them as high as possible so the traffic behind the trailer can be more aware of them.
Never place too much weight towards the front of the trailer as this is could cause the tongue to bend, the bumper on the tow vehicle to bend and it places a severe strain on the coupler and ball. And never place most of the weight towards to rear of a trailer as the coupler could come off the ball, and without safety chains, you'll have a "runaway trailer" on the road, which could slam into oncoming traffic. By the way - two safety chains are required by law to be on every trailer or any special vehicle that's towed on the road, such as a pulling sled. The safety chains must be strong enough to support the trailer when fully loaded in case of a break-away.
The purpose of safety chains is to prevent the trailer from separating from the tow vehicle in event of hitch failure such as a hitch ball that has loosened. The chains should be crossed in an "X" fashion below the ball mount, with enough slack that they do not restrict turning or allow the coupler to hit the ground. Even though hitch component failure is rare, the safety chains must be in good working order. Check with your local DMV for safety chain requirements.
How to remove the Cub Cadet mechanical PTO clutch from a Kohler engine - Top of page
There's
three sets of double Allen head set screws in the clutch. One on top of the
other. Six set screws altogether. You'll need to remove all of them before
you can pull the clutch assembly off the ball bearing that's on the crankshaft.
Use some penetrating oil on the set screws because they may be stubborn to
remove. If the set screw holes are not accessible, tap the center of the
clutch with a hammer while rotating it by hand. That'll line up the holes
with the slots on the pulley. And use a quality-made Allen wrench set to
prevent from stripping out the set screws! If they do get stripped, some
of the cheaper Allen screws might be drilled out with a 3/16" carbide
drill bit (like the ones that's used for drilling into concrete). (Carbide
drill bits may also work to remove broken hardened bolts or a broken threading
tap.)
FYI - After I remove the six set screws, I use a large hammer to "gently" remove the pulley/clutch part from the crankshaft. Be careful doing this so the crankshaft won't get cracked or break! If that don't work and all else fails, then I get mad at it. I pull the entire unit off by using my 1/2" air impact wrench with a heavy duty 2-jaw gear puller and place my largest C-clamp or pipe wrench over the puller's jaws to keep them from spreading and slipping off the angled pulley. Works every time without harming anything! But it kind of ruins the center pressure spring.
The ball bearing uses an eccentric locking collar to hold the PTO clutch in place. To remove ball bearing from the crankshaft, first, the set screws rests just behind the ball bearing, to secure the clutch assembly to the bearing. Remove the set screw in the collar, then using a punch, rotate it one way or the other until it loosens. The bearing can now be removed from the crankshaft. A gear puller may need to be used to pull it off. Installation is in the reverse order of removal.
When reinstalling the above parts, the bearing is held onto the crankshaft with an eccentric (off-center) locking collar. The collar goes on the crankshaft first, then the bearing goes on, and then the collar clamps the bearing to the crankshaft by rotating the collar one way or the other with a small blunt punch and hammer to secure the bearing to the crankshaft, and then tighten the set screw in it. The PTO pulley then slips over the bearing and is held onto the bearing by the three pointed-end Allen set screws.
When adjusting the pressure of the 3-pointed spring on the clutch disc of the PTO clutch, this is done with the clutch assembly off the crankshaft. A special gauge from a Cub Cadet dealer is required to adjust the pressure of the 3-pointed spring on the clutch disc.
Go here for more information: http://cubfaq.com/mechanical_pto.html.
Securing the Pulley on the Crankshaft So It Won't Slip -
The OEM Cub Cadet pulley on the PTO end of the crankshaft is held in place with two Allen set screws. One set screw tightens against the square keyway key and the other screw just tightens down against the crankshaft. To secure the pulley on the crankshaft so it won't slip, remove the pulley and drill a shallow "dimple" into the crankshaft where the set screw tightens against the crankshaft.
By the way - Only IH Cub Cadets with a gear starter and alternator charging system has an electric PTO clutch. This includes models 582, 682, 782, 982, 800, 1000, 1200, 1250, 1450 and 1650. All other models with a starter/generator use a mechanical PTO clutch. Running the electric PTO clutch for an extended length of time will not harm it because it draws very little amperage (3 amps). But engaging it and disengaging a lot might wear the engager plates.
Advertisement:
 If you need a new bearing
with an eccentric locking collar for your PTO clutch, please contact me,
Brian Miller, at A-1 Miller's Small Engine & Specialty
Shop (1501 West Old Plank Rd., Columbia, Missouri. 65203 | Phone:
1-573-875-4033). Please call any day between 12 noon and 8:00 p.m. Central
time, and please be patient because I stutter. Fax: 1-573-449-7347. You can
also contact me through Yahoo! Messenger:
New insert bearing with an eccentric locking collar. 1" i.d. x 2.04" o.d. Fits all IH Cub Cadets with mechanical PTO clutch. $10.00 each, plus shipping. |
How to Cut New Threads With a Tap, the Right Way - Top of page
First of all, purchase a high-quality, name brand tap and die set and store it in a dry (low humidity) place. Because used or lightly rusted taps could break off in a hole! (Believe me, if this were to happen, it would ruin your entire day. Not to mention the piece you're working on.)
- Drill the appropriate diameter hole (scroll down to see chart below) and the same depth as the tap's flutes (hollow spaces between the cutters).
-
To start the initial cutting of the threads, apply some light
oil in the hole or on the tap and insert the tap squarely in the hole. Turn
the tap slowly and carefully in a clockwise direction while at the same time
applying slight downward pressure. Never start cutting threads with the tap
inserted crooked! Doing this could break the tap off in the hole! Actually,
it's best to use a drill press or milling machine to align the tap with the
hole exactly perpendicular (at a 90º angle). Insert the tap in the machine's
chuck only to start the cutting process. Turn the chuck slowly
by hand to start the tap squarely in the hole. Don't turn the machine on,
unless a self reversing tapping head unit is used! After the threads
are started, remove the tap from the chuck and finish cutting the threads
by hand.
- As the threads start to form, and to prevent from breaking the tap off in the hole, turn the tap SLOWLY BY HAND 1/2 of a turn, then reverse it 1/4 of a turn. Doing this will free the metal cuttings from the tap's flutes. In other words, it keeps from clogging the tap as it cuts. Failure to do this could also break a tap off in the hole! Or better yet, use a self reversing tapping head.
- Repeat step #4 until the tap bottoms out in the hole. If the tap stops halfway in the hole while cutting threads, DO NOT FORCE IT! Instead, carefully back it out and clear the metal cuttings from both the tap and hole with compressed air (use eye protection, too).
- When finished, carefully remove the tap and use compressed air to clear the metal cuttings from both the hole and the tap's flutes.
- Have more patience and use less muscle when working with smaller diameter taps!
- Threading Tap to Drill Bit Chart -
--------------------------------------------------------------- Tap Size | Drill Bit Size | Tap Size | Drill Bit Size ----------------------------------+---------------------------- 0-80 NC ---------------- 3/64" | 3/8-16 NC --------------- 5/16" 1-64 NC #53 - | 3/8-24 NF -------------- 21/64" 2-56 NC #50 - | 7/16-14 NC --------------- 3/8" 3-48 NC #47 - | 7/16-20 NF -------------- 25/64" 4-40 NC #43 3/32" | 1/2-13 NC -------------- 27/64" 5-40 NC #38 - | 1/2-20 NF -------------- 29/64" 6-32 NC #35 7/64" | 9/16-12 NC -------------- 31/32" 8-32 NC #29(.136") or 9/64" | 9/16-18 NF -------------- 33/64" 8-36 NF #29(.136") or 9/64" | 5/8-11 NC -------------- 17/32" 10-24 NC #25(.150") or 5/32" | 5/8-18 NF -------------- 37/64" 10-32 NF #21(.157") or 11/64" | 3/4-10 NC -------------- 21/32" 1/4-20 NC #7(.201") or 13/64" | 3/4-16 NF -------------- 11/16" 1/4-28 NF #3(.213") or 7/32" | 7/8-9 NC -------------- 49/64" 5/16-18 NC letter "F" or 17/64" | 7/8-14 NF -------------- 13/16" 5/16-24 NF letter "I" or 9/32" | 1-8 NC --------------- 7/8" | 1-12 NF -------------- 15/16" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- National Pipe Tapered Tap Chart -
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/8" NPT -------------- 21/32" | 3/4" NPT -------------- 59/64" 1/4" NPT --------------- 7/16" | 1" NPT ------------- 1-5/32" 3/8" NPT -------------- 37/64" | 1-1/4" NPT ------------- 1-1/2" 1/2" NPT -------------- 23/32" | 1-1/2" NPT ------------ 1-47/64" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14mm x 1.25 pitch (spark plug) use 15/32" or 12mm drill bit.
Click here to print out the above chart. (Opens a new web page.)
Welding Reusable Air-Cooled, Cast Iron Engine Blocks - Top of page
Use a wire feed MIG welder with a mild steel wire. Because cast iron is porous material, first burn the oil out of the metal with an acetylene torch. Be careful not to get the metal too hot though. Overheating it could shrink it. Heat it just enough so the oil evaporates and the metal is dry. Then grind into the crack(s) so the weld will lay into the crack(s) and not be "lumped up." Welding bonds the metal together better when it lays into a crack. Let the block "air cool." Don't drip it into water or pour water over the weld. Then finish the job by using J.B.Weld to seal up any imperfections in the mating of the metal so oil won't leak out.
There are different ways to weld cast iron. Just as there are many types cast iron- gray, ductile, etc. Each require different techniques. Where you are talking about welding, how much build up is required, as well as how the engine will be used should also be considered. The American Welding Society has a variety of good publications on the subject and are worth the money.
If your welding equipment and/or skills are somewhat limited, I suggest the AC stick rod manufactured by MG, number 289. This rod flows well, and the expansion rates are similar to iron. Cracking is, after all, the big issue on welding castings. Weld a 1/2" or so, and peen the bead as it cools to relieve stress. Most of the sand and impurities in the casting will "boil" to the top, so grind back into the weld to start again. Latent heat build up around the crack is a real problem. Patience is the key. The MG 289 rod seems to give a bead with minimal voids and inclusions, which makes it a good choice for valve seat areas.
If you are looking at massive build ups in the port areas, you have two gas applications to consider. Bronze adheres well and goes on easy, but can drop out if you aren't careful. Cast iron gas rod is stronger, but torch settings are an issue to avoid holes. The cast gas rod also give a very viscous (thick) puddle, and takes more time to apply. Spray welding is a good choice where build up is the goal, such as in ports. Problem is that not everyone has access to the proper equipment.
There is a vast difference in the success rate on welding a block, based on what you expect to use the engine for. Welding in the valve seats and in the areas where the block is thin can be tough because of the temperatures and thermal stresses a block sees. The transfer area between seats and the cylinder bore are very suspect, regardless of the methods used. Again, you can get by with more with a service engine that you can with one that is fitted with big valves and bore sizes.
Cool down is critical. You'll need a gas fired oven that heats the block to a dull red, which works the best if a lot of welding is anticipated. Packing the block in oil dry is a good option once the fire is out. Proper cool down can take 24 hours.
Thanks to the various aftermarket block people, we (pullers in general) are not subjected to such torture as welding engine blocks anymore.
Adapting a Motorcycle Engine in a Cub Cadet Garden Tractor - Top of page
To adapt a motorcycle engine
with a drive chain into a clutch driven Cub Cadet, a heavy duty right
angle (90º) gearbox must be used in place of the clutch/driveshaft assembly.
Use a gearbox with roller bearings. They can turn higher rpms. They ones
with bronze bushings are limited to how fast they can be spun. One shaft
on the gearbox must turn counterclockwise when facing it and the other must
turn clockwise. Meaning the shafts must rotate in opposite directions. The
motorcycle engine's drive sprocket connects to the counterclockwise shaft
with a chain and the other shaft is connected to the Cub Cadet's transaxle
input shaft. The puller then uses the clutch in the motorcycle engine's
transmission, and they use a combination of the gears in the motorcycle engine's
transmission plus the Cub Cadet's gears to pull with. This will give the
puller more choices of gears to pull with, too.
To connect the shaft of a right angle gearbox to the Cub Cadet transaxle, use a solid or flex coupler like the one that comes on the end of Cub Cadet driveshafts. Except one end fits the shaft of the gearbox and the other end fits the input shaft of the Cub Cadet transaxle.
Right
angle gearboxes are manufactured to exact tolerances. You can acquire one
from either a salvage yard, off a large mowing machine deck or from a place
that sell gearboxes. One place to look for a right angle gearbox and other
useful items at reasonable prices is Surplus Center, 1015 West "O" Street,
Lincoln, NE 68501-2209. Phone: 1-800-488-3407. Web site:
http://www.surpluscenter.com. Order online or request a
free catalog. They have pictures, measurements and specifications of the
gearboxes that they sell, among other fine items.
To determine what size gearbox that will fit in your particular tractor, measure the area in the frame of your tractor behind the engine and where the front of the transaxle is. A gearbox that measures approximately 6" x 6" (including the shafts) x 4" tall should fit within that area. Also, you'll need to fabricate a couple of angle iron brackets across the frame to fasten the gearbox onto.
To adapt a motorcycle engine with a driveshaft into a direct-drive Cub
Cadet, 
install
two PTO universal joints with a heavy wall tubing as the driveshaft. Install
one u-joint on the motorcycle engine's output shaft and the other on the
input shaft that's on the transaxle. This will replace the Cub Cadet
clutch/driveshaft assembly.
Or if possible, attach the output shaft on the right angle gearbox directly to the input shaft on the transaxle with a fabricated coupler, then install a longer chain. They'll be no driveshaft to break either.
If all you can find is a 90º angle gearbox where the shafts turn in the same direction, and to make the gears rotate in the right direction in the Cub Cadet transaxle, or if the motorcycle driveshaft turns the opposite direction of normal rotation, you'll need to "flip" the carrier in the Cub Cadet transaxle. When "flipping" the carrier (the thing the ring gear is fastened onto), all you're doing is turning it over so the ring gear is at the left of the pinion (when viewed from the rear of the transaxle), and then the axles will rotate in the forward direction. Although some grinding may be needed on the transaxle housing to get the carrier to go back in, it'll reinstall perfectly using the original shims on the 3-bolt bearing flanges. And there's no need to do anything with the drive gears.
How to flip a carrier...
- Drain the oil and remove the rear cover from the transaxle.
- Remove the "E" clips that retain the axles in place, then pull the axles out.
- Lower the rear of the transaxle and then remove the axle housings.
- Remove the 3-bolt bearing flanges, and then remove the carrier. You may have to remove one of the taper bearings to get the carrier out of the transaxle housing.
- Reinstall the carrier in its reverse position and then reinstall all the parts in reverse order.
- Note: The pinion gear is in the dead center of the transaxle housing. So the carrier will be aligned and the ring gear teeth will still properly mesh with the pinion gear teeth no matter what. You may have to re-shim the flanges to achieve proper ring gear and pinion clearance, though.
If you want to build a "Super-Modified" (or whatever some clubs call them) pulling tractor from scratch, this is how to connect a motorcycle engine's transmission sprocket to a manual shift automotive transmission:
First, you must get the splined center from a [used] automotive clutch disc that fits onto the pilot shaft of the same make of transmission. You will then need to remove the clutch facing/outer part and true up the center in a metal lathe, machine it so it'll fit the center of the sprocket, then weld the sprocket to the clutch center. After all that, you'll need to align the motorcycle engine so it's transmission sprocket will be inline with the one on the automotive transmission's pilot shaft. Size of the sprocket on the pilot shaft depends on which gear you choose pull in with both the motorcycle and automotive transmissions, the ring and pinion ratio in the rear end and what size tires you run on the rear.
Basically, what needs to be done is connect the transmission directly to the rear end with a single U-joint, and then connect the motorcycle engine to the pilot shaft on the transmission with a chain. You'll need to have a sprocket welded to the center section of a clutch hub so the chain can work on the pilot shaft. You will also need tp determine the diameter of sprocket you will need so the gearing will be right. And be sure to install a pillow block bearing on the end of the pilot shaft so it won't run in a bind.
Linked pages to my parts & services:
Please click HERE, e-mail me at pullingtractor@aol.com or call me at 1-573-875-4033 if you need machine work performed, repairs made, various parts, if your business would like to help sponsor my web sites or if you'd like to make a donation towards my web sites. Please call between 12 noon and 8:00 p.m. Central time, and please be patient because I stutter.
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