Archive through September 05, 2010

[kmcconaughey]

Richard, to "port" an engine is basically to clean up the intake and exhaust ports so that there are no rough or sharp edges to help the flow of the fuel and air mixture into the engine and the flow of the exhaust gases out of the engine. Here is a link to a good write up by David Kirk, on building a killer K241A that describes the porting process. A link to this and other write ups by David can be found at the top of the main "IH Cub Cadet Pulling and Hot Rodding" page.

 

[cmize]

Question guys, I am not interested in making a pulling tractor, but I am considering modifying my 1450. I am having engine issues with my stock K321 and I am contemplating replacing the engine with a Honda GX Vtwin. I of course have seen the briggs swap but I do not have any interest in it. Has anyone here successfully installed the Honda engine? Do you have any pics or instructions?

 

[ldunlap]

Chad, I've never put the Honda engine in, but have a few tips to help you get started. These worked for my swap anyway, others may do it differently.
Start out by comparing crank shaft center line hieght from the bottom of the mounting base to the crank center lines between the two engines. The closer the centerline heights are together, the easier the swap. If the hieghts are really far apart, then a cradle will have to be made. I'm not for sure, but the crank centerline of the Kohler Command is alot taller than the K-series requiring a cradle that is around 1 3/8" below the frame rails. To do this, the original engine rails can't be used and parts of the side rails at the bottoms will have to be clearanced for the width of Command engine. Hopefully, your swap will not be that extreme.
Compare the flywheels, you will have to mount the driveshaft driver to the Honda engine.
Compare mounting holes between the engines, you may have to drill new ones. Decide which would be easier, drilling the tractor frame rails or the engine mounting rails. Keep in mind, that the engine's oil sump is close to the engine's mounting rails. These things can be done, while the old engine is still the tractor.
If you are going to still use the rubber iso-mounts, make sure to replace these while the old engine is still in the tractor. If you are using something different, then make sure the driveshaft stays in alignment as it was when new.
This will ensure your driveshaft will remain in the original position and not be out of alignment, which would cause stress on other components.
Once you are satisfied that the driveshaft is where it needs to be, secure the engine end of the shaft, before removing the old engine.
Start putting in the new engine.
When I did my Vanguard swap, I probably had the engine in and out at least 10 times. I took my time and made clearance where ever was needed.
Once I had the engine setting on the frame rails, I started moving it rearward toward the driveshaft.
As you get close with aligning, try to think that the crankshaft is an extension of the driveshaft. The engine will have to set true to the driveshaft, in all aspects, side to side and up and down. If not, it will cause binding which will cause stress on other components. This is how I did my swap, others may have different ideas. Above all take your time, and have fun.

 

[mrorie]

I am building a k301 that only has a 10hp bore I am going to put in a 301 crank and bore it out to a 12hp. Will I need a new cam or anything else with this setup?

 

[dfrisk]

MATT - Unless your block casting is marked "301" on the output shaft block face, where the PTO & S/G pulley would go, I don't think I'd bore it to 3-3/8", the cyl. wall thickness wouldn't be thick enough. Stock 10 HP bore was only 3-1/4".

The longer stroke (3-1/4") 12/14/16 HP crank should fit, and I'm pretty sure the cams were all the same as the 10 HP, but the carbs & valve sizes changed as the displacement got bigger. Best suggestion I have is to compare the individual part numbers in a parts book or the parts look-up above.

A rebuildable complete 12 HP K301 would probably be cheaper than trying to find usable individual parts for the crank & carb.

 

[tmarkle]

Matt,
You would need the 12hp rod. I wouldn't worry to much about boring a 10 to a 12, but boring a 12 to a 14 is usually a time bomb. Without some way to measure the thickness of the cylinder, you never really know how well it may hold up. I bored a 10 to a 12 and used it pretty hard mowing tall grass for probably 20 hrs but now it is just lightly used and will eventually be a show tractor.

 

[jhoeksema]

I have been collecting parts to do a cub for a while I'm going to use an abused 70 model frame a newer 15 horse command kolher I have a warner electric clutch for a mower I plan to drive the beast with a farmall cub driveshaft will cog up on an old reduction gear all I have to do is weld a hub to the pulley and turn the diff around what the question is should I use a relay for the clutch my plan is to use a seat safety switch on the clutch switch and a toggle switch as it has a blade brake that I'm will stop the tractor

 

[rlsmith]

I have a question, I pulled for my first year last year and my engine was stock no bore done to it, I pulled it and didnt realize alot of people were telling me hey your tires were spinning when you pull and your rear end is bouncing could that have a side affect of why im not pulling good.

 

[nbextermueller]

Joe, I have no idea what you said or what you are asking. Try typing your question again with english words and proper punctuation.

Richard, Welcome to the world of pulling. It's always great to have new tractors onthe track. Pulling is all about balancing engine power and traction. If your spinning the tires you should have enough power to get a bit further down the track. To settle the bouncing, try adjusting where you put your wieghts (taking some form the rear and putting it on the front.) Also, play with tire pressure. At the end of your run, check out the holes your tires are leaving. If there is a hump in the middle of the hole, add about 3-5 psi until the hump goes away. If the hole is way deeper in the middle than at the edges and not the full width of your tire, than let some air out. The ideal hole should be a smooth radius of your tires and have complete contact from edge to edge.

But the bouncing generally comes from a bad weight balance. the perfect balance is when during the pull you can lean back and lift the front end without hitting the wheelie bars but lean forward over the steering wheel to settle the front tires and still be able to steer when needed. that way nearly all the weight of the tractor and sled is on the rear tires. 2 good pictures of this are the 2 right side pictures at the top of this page. prefectly balanced on the rear tires.

Once you get that down pat, then worry about upgrading you engine to gain a few more feet. More power would only make your current situation worse.

 

[jhoeksema]

NEVERMIND I"LL go somewhere else where someone can understand english
I dont appreciate being treated that way##$$#@@#$#@!#@$#@

 

[kmcconaughey]

Play nice guys. You've been warned.

 

[bnolte]

I have a Cub 102 that I recently restored, though I didn't completely rebuild the clutch at the time, but I plan on rebuilding the clutch, and beefing it up a bit to withstand the rigors of plowing.

When I acquired the tractor, the corners adjacent to the throwout lever pivot were cracked, and the PO rigged it with angle iron as shown in the picture (sorry about the quality I had no closeup shot).

I have since removed the original rigging, and neatly welded new heavy angle stock into the area, which should make it stronger than it was originally, and made it look nice. This was taken when I was painting the tractor.

While the current setup works, the clutch slips and stalls the wheels in 2nd gear when running the snow blade up against a fixed object. The K241 is freshly rebuilt, with some mild hot rodding efforts, such as porting, etc, but running a stock cam, so I doubt its putting out any more power or torque than a stock K301. I am running new 6x12 Ag tires on the rear, and my ample rear supplies plenty of supplemental weight.

My current plan is to either use another clutch assembly I recently acquired, which seems to be in decent shape, or use parts from it and upgrade to billet clutch plates and an 800# spring. I'm not looking for overkill or do serious competitive pulling, but I want to get power to the ground and keep it usable for other chores and putting around tractor shows.

Please feel free to share your opinions!!

 

[lhinds]

Bruce I would have my clutch plates trued up at a machine shop. If the driveshaft is worn a lot i would replace it and the throwout bearing. Then install a new disc, a new spring with a couple flat washers to make the spring a little stronger. Then properly adjust the clutch. That is what i do and i havent had one slip yet.Also the helper can still push the clutch in.
Just my 02c

 

[tmarkle]

Bruce,
I agree with everything Luther said. Having the pressure plates trued up will make a big difference. If you replace the disc, you could get one from Vogel mfg. It is about the same price as a stock one but has a smaller center hole which gives more friction surface.

http://www.vogelmanufacturing.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=66&products_id=295

I'm running two of them in my diesel and I really like how they work.

 

[bnolte]

While out cleaning the garage, I took a closer look at the used clutch assembly I got. For my $25 I got a throwout bearing rusted to the drive shaft, but the outer race freed up with some PB Blaster, but felt gravelly afterwords. The holes and slots on the plates don't look dogged out, but I will need to dismantle it to see what I really have. Once I get it apart, hopefully I will at least have a good throwout lever, drive shaft, and plates that can be trued up. It would probably be easier to take the plates to someone, but it might be a good excuse to get my old BP Rapp engine lathe operational.

 

[tmarkle]

Bruce,
Make sure you have a good sharp tool bit. The plates are so thin they like to chatter. I made an arbor to mount them on. I have had the best luck with the 3 sided carbide insert bits.

 

[mgonitzke]

I have had pretty good results turning them with HSS tools. Turning them on an arbor between centers is the most reliable method I have found.

 

[tmarkle]

I just may not be that good at sharpening bits for that application. The carbide insert bits are more foolproof for me.

 

[dfrisk]

TODD, MATT - Most automotive machine shops resurface flywheels by grinding. A foundry I used to deal with had a really CUTE little bench-top BLANCHARD grinder, think the magnetic chuck or table was 15-18 inches in diameter, and used 2 or 3 segmented stones for grinding. Would have been the perfect tool for resurfacing clutch discs.

Advantage of grinding is there's less tool pressure, less material removed.

 

[rlsmith]

pulling season is coming up and im wanting to know if theres anything i should do before i pull my tractor this year