Archive through December 01, 2013

[bjamison]

Finished moving the 3 pt hitch over from the parts tractor to the 1650. What a pain in the arse!!!! But I got'er done. Also put the Brinley hitch and plow on for a look-see.

Quick question - is it to late in the year to plow the garden under...

 

[lhinds]

Bill this is the correct time to turn your garden. We turn every 2 years in the fall giving the cub cadets a good workout.

 

[drglinski]

If the ground isn't frozen it's the perfect time to plow.

 

[fcurrier]

O.K. - little problem, here. Stanley asked about putting bigger tires on 6" rims but now we're back to 6-12 ags. I'll rephrase and ask "will 8.50-12 ags look OK on 6-12 rims?".

 

[dfrisk]

BILL "Quik-Question" J. - As long as there's no frost in the ground and the ground isn't too wet to be "greasy" Go ahead and plow. Frost in the ground makes getting the plow in the ground REALLY hard, almost impossible, and even full size tractors struggle to find traction on the land wheel when plowing more than an inch or two of frost under. The freeze/thaw of the ground breaks up the big chunks of dirt over the winter and your garden will work up nice come spring.

I'd throw a set of tire chains on your 1650 then give it a try.

And also, a GOOD ZINGER for Harry about his 100 being a Hydro!

Speaking of 6-12 ag tires, Doesn't Art have a set of 6-12 Firestones on his Plow Special?

You really need 12" x 7 inch wide wheels to run 23-8.50X12 tires regardless of brand. Yes, you can squeezed them onto the 12"X5" wheels the 6-12's mount on but they won't be right. These small tires really don't have an "alternate rim width" like the bigger tractor tires do, most of those can use a 1" narrower rim than their design rim width. Yes, people do it, and they also run rims/wheels wider than the design rims widths which is a BIG No-No, and they also go over Niagra Falls in barrels, and parachute out of perfectly functioning airplanes.

 

[dfrisk]

FRANK - NO....

 

[kmcconaughey]

Denny, yes, Art has 6-12 Firestone Ags on his Plow Special.

 

[dfrisk]

KRAIG - Thanks for the picture. Art actually has MORE Firestone tires than I do. I just have a set of 23-8.50's & a set of 26-12.00X12's. Art has those 6-12's & a pair of 23-10.50's too.

They're a great tire, I wouldn't run anything else.

 

[kmcconaughey]

Denny, I wish I could find a set of 23-8.5 x 12 Firestone Ags that I could afford. I'd love to have a set of them on one of my 125s. Second choice would be the old style Carlisle 23-8.5 x 12 Ags to match the 6-12 Carlisle Ags on my Original.

 

[vthomley]

Here's a of my dad's O with some 6-12 Goodyears I think 6-12s look great on Originals.

 

[tsimpson]

Good morning,

I have a very nice 129 that I've been restoring for about a year. I've a few questions about the compression release like how does it work, where is it located, where can I find detailed drawings and how can I check to determine if it's working properly? My 129 is cranking very slow but when I remove the plug it cranke a whole lot faster. The battery is good and it doesn't crank any faster when I connect a booster battery. The starter/gen. is also good. The tractor starts but it really cranks slow. I had an original for over 30 years, it always cranked a lot faster that this one. I did a search and can't seem to find much. Your advice will be much appreciated.

 

[dfrisk]

KRAIG - Miller Tire has had some 23-8.50's made again. But they're expensive. Their price each is about what I paid for a PAIR of them from our local discount car/truck/tractor tire shop before PD #1.
http://www.millertire.com/categories/lawn-garden-tires/23x-8-50-12/

They're a L-O-T of money, but they last forever too.

 

[nbextermueller]

The ACR is on the cam. I'm not sure what the best test is. Others will have to chime in on that. But I'm sure you'll need a Kohler service manual, not a cub manual.

Have you looked in the "manuals" section on this site?

 

[dfrisk]

ANTHONY - Kohler's automatic compression release (ACR) is a centrifugally operated mechanism that pushes a small tab or finger up from the base circle of the exh lobe of the camshaft to hold the exh valve open just a tiny bit, typically .050". It does help, but on the larger engines, 12-14 & 16 HP they will still crank pretty slow compared to a 7 HP engine. Removing the plug releases ALL compression, and you do need some for the engine to start. You can not do a compression test of a Kohler K-series engine
with ACR unless you figure out a way to crank it faster than 600 RPM or BACKWARDS. And in 40+ yrs I have not figured out how to do that.

They are trouble-free for the most part, but some seem to work better than others. Most of the mechanism is on the side of the camshaft driven gear, you can see most of it if you remove the little diecast cam gear cover. The Kohler service manual suggestds AGAINST bending the little finger since it's hardened steel, really stiff and brittle, and will possibly break making the ACR completely disabled.

The manual here, has about everything you can find on the ACR; http://www.kohler-engine-parts.opeengines.com/pub/TP-2379.pdf

 

[jschrage]

I had a bit of an accident with my (QA42a) snowblower.

The spindle/shaft on the sprocket end of the auger now slides in and out and spins inside of the sprocket.

Is there any reason I can't throw a couple of weld tacks between the shaft and the sprocket to keep the shaft in place?

Thanks

 

[digger]

James S.
Go for it, not going to hurt a thing.
I'd go with no less than 3 though, or just weld it all the way around in stages so it doesn't warp.

 

[jschrage]

Thanks Charlie.

Thought it would be ok, just wanted to check with the experts.

 

[tkhoffman]

Tires: Functionality Over looks.
Not looking for same type verse Style of tire just looking . Turf tire vs Turf Tech vs Super Turf. seriously, can anyone really say they tested and found that one works better on Grass over the other? The basic function will be probably Snow plowing a driveway ( I have Chains) and basic trailering stuff across a field. Almost thinking that I can get away with te hcheapest I can find for my application

 

[dfrisk]

TONY - There's some REALLY poor imported brands of tires on the market today. I wouldn't stray too far away from name brands. The less common brands sell on price alone, and to reduce cost they leave out the rubber components that protect the rubber from rapid aging from sunlight, ozone, etc. I've heard of full size tractor tires cracking and weather checking in one year. Even the new Firestone's are made off-shore, not sure how they will eventually hold up, they may be O-K, or not much different than the cheaper imported brands. We'll all let your know in 40 years!

For pushing snow, turf tires with chains are best, but I actually prefer lug tires for mowing. My yard is really pretty flat, but I have a ditch and bank along the road, and if you ever make a turn uphill, the turf tires will spin and tear up your grass, while a lugged tire grips well, doesn't spin, and does NO damage.

 

[hydroharry]

Bill "Quick Question" J - thanks for asking that question. My 100 just as well be a Hydro - I think it has just one gear called "FAST".