Archive through September 28, 2012

[fcurrier]

Turn the Page. (Bob Seeger).

Darn archive bug.

So: Now I have a $30 grille on a tractor that I paid $200 for. I guess where I'm going here is cost is relevent. Sometimes I long for the days that I hadn't aquired this addiction! However, I've hung around long enough to know that that new 149, if it ever comes to my local dealer, would cost about $4500.

 

[mhomrighausen]

Frank A. I just know that type of steel is still made. It is just a matter of finding a place willing to order it. Maybe when I get to Cedar Rapids I'll try around there. Or better yet... the Quad City area. My screen cost $35.00 a little over ten years ago.

My hood lost this piece recently while mowing. I didn't know the bolt had come loose. I do know of a gentleman that can make the hood look like new again. For now I have another hood that I just need to repaint and put on.

This how he looks right now however I'm putting the old seat back on. Or a replacement since the other one is torn up a bit.

 

[bwittman]

Harry,

Thanks for the flowers concerning my 1250 Nightmare. I had to do something with the white. It was more tan with rust when I got the thing, than it should have been. I think the paint dressed it up quite a bit.

As for the ISO mounts, I ended up tightening them up considerably, with good results. There are those in here, and other places, who don't agree with that, and it may well be true. One poster even accused me of wrecking the mounts at first install when I tightened them to the factory recommended torque specifications as listed in the package flyer. I have trouble believing that I permanently deformed an ISO mount at first tighten, when I loosened it again after wondering if it was correct. I am planning on taking out the engine again next spring to do a complete paint over, and I'll try new mounts then to see if there is any difference. I doubt that there will be. In the grand scheme of things, vibration is something that, to a point, can be fixed, considering the Nightmare ran poorly, looked terrible and wasn't steerable when I bought it and hauled it home.

Thanks for noticing the mud on the tires. That photo was taken when I had the Nightmare on display at the Western Minnesota Steam Thresher's Reunion, over Labor Day week-end. I was able to drive it in several tractor parades. They wet down the parade route with lots of water to keep the dust down. It was kind of hard to avoid the mud puddles. Due to some family issues, I couldn't spend all four days at the show, but I was able to display the tractor the whole time and make it to the show for one day. It's a great show, and one of the largest shows of its kind in the nation. I always enjoy it. IH was the feature this year.



The only things that should be green and yellow are the NDSU Bison. GO Bison!

 

[nbartee]

It just now occurred to me that the girl by the swimming pool is about 62 years old now.

 

[digger]

Brian W.
Ya know!
In all the years I've been on this forum, I can honestly say that your the first and only member that continually bashes their machine, and to be honest, I grow weary of it!

 

[jchamberlin]

Charlie: As I recall, when I first started posting, I had a tag line to the effect that I didn't yet see the beauty in my Cub Cadet that that guy Charlie Proctor did.

Give Brian W. some time, he's learning. Matt Gonitzke's been beating on him really hard, I think he'll come around. One day he'll have a revelation, and all of a sudden he will see the light. The trouble is that no matter how hard we shine the spotlight, he has to be the one to "turn on the light."

You have to give him this, he is persistent. He will see it through.

Dennis: I checked your link, I'm sorry, but the evidence is inadmissible in my court. I'm looking for a photograph of a deck with a "50C" ID tag and steel runners with water-pump spindle bearings. All you guys say they exist, all I'm saying is "show me" (like they say in Missouri).

Matt Gonitzke: I would be very interested in seeing a service bulletin to the effect that the aluminum housed re-buildable spindle bearing replaced the water-pump style spindle bearing. Perhaps then we could begin to narrow down what distinguishes a 44A/50A from a 44C/50C. You have to give MTD credit, their posting is logically consistent --steel runners and water-pump style bearings for the "A" series, and spherical "patio" wheels with re-buildable spindles for the "C" series.

From what you guys are saying, there is no difference between an "A" series and a "C" series but the label; which would mean that the "A" and "C" designations are meaningless.

Do you understand that from my perspective there is something missing. At what point in the production of the 44" and 50" decks were (1) the steel runners replaced with spherical "patio" wheels, and at what point were (2) the water-pump style spindle bearings replaced with aluminum-housed re-buildable spindle bearings.

If the changes did not coincide with the change from "A" to "C" series, then when did they change, and why?

I think this is an honest question and worthy of exploration.

 

[jbaker]

 

[lpalma]

Frank C.


That grill used to be on one of my cubs...I don't know how you got it....hmmmmmm

 

[kostendorf]

The reason I asked about the decks is i have a 1650 made in 77 and the deck i have is a 44c . I kind of doubt the deck came with the tractor new but it does work ok. But the adjustment bolt is almost at its farthest adjustment with a new belt.

 

[mgonitzke]

Jeremiah-

Service bulletin CC-132 dated June 4, 1987 provides installation instructions for service kit 759-3369 and 759-3370 (numbers may no longer be valid, I haven't checked) that are essentially installation instructions for the new style spindle. That is likely the rough timeframe when the new spindles were introduced.

I think you may be misinterpreting what's been said. From the decks I have had in my possession, here are the differences:

A decks: 3/8" drive belt, two total holes for front eye bolts, no front wheels.
IH-built C decks: 5/8" drive belt, three total holes for front eye bolts, no front wheels.
Early CCC-built C decks: Same as IH, with a CCC serial number tag
Later (1987 or so ?) CCC-built C decks: Same as previous, with front wheels and aluminum-housing spindles. Addition of stiffening bead on top of deck from right spindle to discharge chute, and also some sort of handle on the discharge chute, most of which have probably broken off by now. I have seen one with intact handle.

I have a picture of an IH-built 50C that I used to use on my 782D with an IH tag and 'water pump' bearings that has had the front wheels added, but they were obviously not factory, as remnants of the skids remain, and the welds on the wheel brackets look like crap. However, the picture doesn't show any of this, so I'm not going to bother posting it. Sometime you just have to believe without seeing. Just because you haven't seen it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Here's a chart from another service bulletin from 1989. I'm guessing this was made from a 1981-ish era IH chart, since no non-IH models are included. Notice the water pump spindles and different part numbers for the drive pulley...that should clear up 2/3 of the differences between an A and C deck for you.

Edit: Keith O.-

It did not come with the tractor new because the "C" decks didn't exist until the 82 series came out in 1979. Your belt issues are probably because it still has the 5/8" drive pulley, which the 3/8" belt will ride too deeply in and seem too long. Get the correct pulley and all should be well.

 

[kostendorf]

 

[kostendorf]

Thanks everyone for all the help I'm very much enjoying my first cub and all the people on this site Thank You...

 

[wsdrake]

Hi all, been uber busy. Thought i'd drop in for a quick hello and question. Dad and me are bickering about what he says is "gear shift slop" in my 108. It doesn't seem sloppy to me, but i thought i would ask about how to check for slop, and if it is, how to fix it. The 108 has been running good, mowed with it some last weekend. Thanks in advance. Bill.

 

[fcurrier]

Lewis P.: If I said 107, bvillesigns, and North Carolina would it ring a bell and keep you from

? I think it's so cool (do people still say that?) that you recognized it and posted to that effect. That pic is as it was advertised so I'm glad I didn't show it since I painted it.
JackieO is slated to spend the winter in the CubHouse where I plan to tinker on her - nothing drastic. Filling the hole in the front of her was a start!

 

[jchamberlin]

Matt Gonitzke: Thank you for posting the service bulletin, I think have the same bulletin; it came in the box with a new spindle I bought from the dealer.

If I'm interpreting it correctly, it appears that IH made decks with the water-pump style bearing, and that the aluminum-bodied re-buildable spindles were an MTD/CCC innovation. Further, the water-pump style spindles (IH P/N ST-745) were no longer supported, but replaced with the new assemblies which included the pulley.

I also note that the production of the xxA decks overlapped the production of the xxC decks for three years, 1979, 1980, and 1981.

From your text I draw the conclusion that the only difference between the "A" and "C" decks is the thickness of the drive belt and hence, the width of the pulley.

Do you think, or does anyone recall, if the introduction of the front "patio" wheels coincided with the abrupt change to the "service kit" re-buildable spindles, i.e., about 1987?

By the way, I didn't mean to communicate that I didn't believe either you or Dennis, I was merely trying to spur you to "present evidence" to support your claims. You'll have to excuse me, I've been serving in a jury pool all week and I have been subjected to several lectures about the rules of evidence, reasonable doubt, etc.

Finally, for Keith Ostendorf's benefit, if he or someone else installed a 3/8" pulley on the 44C deck, it could be P/N IH-126393-C1 at 4-1/2" diameter, but he could have the belt designed for P/N IH-59703-C2 5" diameter. Parts Lookup only calls out one P/N for the belt, 954-3004, but Charlie's FAQ lists two, one 78" long for the 4-1/2" pulley, and one 79" long for the 5" pulley; the length for P/N 954-3004 is not given.

I also note that the "speed-up" pulley is not called out for the 50" deck; I guess the IH engineers figured the 44" deck could take the "speeding up," but the 50" decks could not.

Thanks for responding, we now have supplementary manufacturer data that helps explain why owners like Keith keep asking questions and why the answers from people like me must seem so confusing.

 

[dfrisk]

JEREMIAH - Well, since you didn't "Believe" my picture, tell you what.... next weekend jump in your car and DRIVE the thousand miles up here and look for yourself. For whatever reason SON says my 50C deck doesn't have a serial number plate saying it's a 50C but I swore there was one on it. I'll show you the waterpump bearings and I hope you saw the skid type runners in the pic.

I really don't see what the issue is. Look in the old 82-series red tractor sales brochures, look at the decks. And as every sales brochure I've EVER seen says, "Specifications subject to change without notice!"

Having been around International Harvester equipment for over 50 yrs I long ago learned to NEVER make blanket statements about what's standard, whats factory, especially on 30 yr old equipment thats been owned by more than one other person. IH was very good about making product improvement packages that updated equipment to more current specs or configurations.

If you have some piece of equipment, and it runs, RUN IT and don't worry about trying to pigeon hole it as a specific This or That. My best example of this is IH FARMALL built Farmall M's from 1939 till spring of 1952. Then they built Super M's from spring of '52 till spring of '54. Then they built Super M-TA's from spring of '54 till late fall of '54. They built Super M-TA's WITH and WITHOUT the Torque-Amplifier. But the SM-TA without the T/A was still a Super M-TA. NOT a Super M. There may not be a single part different, but the serial number plate and the decal on the hood still says Super M-TA... it just won't have the flag that says, "With Torque-Amplifier".

And where did you come up with this "Patio Wheel" thing. Techically their just gauge wheels, but as opposed to other "round" wheels, like used on the rear of decks, they're spherical, so when you turn, they slide sideways along the grass. There's Nothing "Patio" about them. Running them on hard surfaces wears them very quickly. And it reminds me of those off-topic tractors that got painted white and different trim colors that bring 2-3 times what the standard color tractor are worth now because somebody was stupid enough to buy them 25+ yrs ago. As the JD Combine lead drive train engineer who lived a half mile from our home farm told Dad when he took delivery of the CC 70, he saw the new CC in the back of the dealer's pickup go by, jumped in his car and followed it to our farm... "When JD builds a garden tractor with the strength & durability of a Cub Cadet, I'll buy one." He built his own garden tractor a few years later, used a brute of a Wisconsin engine, a JD combine transmission, big 15 or 16 inch drive tires, a Simplicity mower deck, and he ran that thing for over 20 yrs. I bet it's still on his farm, just not used, His Son bought a new JD years ago.

 

[mhomrighausen]

Norm B. You're probably correct about that gal in the picture being around 62 years young by now. Probably still a babe in the looks department also. I love the picture of Kevin O.'s little Cub Cadet girl in the lower part of this page.

Brian W. If you were to sell that Cub Cadet that you call Nightmare????

Charlie P. I'm asking because I see a true diamond in the rough with that particular tractor and it wouldn't take much to make it a true diamond. Off to work on the tractors today... or possibly get to install a person door on a neighbor's garage that the wind tore off last spring. (Never done one of those before so that should be interesting.)

Everyone have a safe and wonderful weekend.

 

[jchamberlin]

Dennis: I think "patio wheel" is a term I picked up at my local tractor supply house. I didn't question the derivation.

Again, I'm not doubting your word so much as asking for evidence to put beside the pictures of my equipment which happen to correspond to the published data available from the manufacturer.

In other words, I'm trying to make some sense out of conflicting data.

Even though I've been around since before they started making Cub Cadets, I certainly wasn't paying attention to how they were made until a few years ago when I suddenly acquired one.

I have worked in manufacturing for over ten years now, I know how screwed up things can get on the production line and about how poorly Engineering, Sales, and Production departments communicate at times. Add to the mix the sale of the entire business line, a move to a new plant, a change in how the independent Cub Cadet Corporation was allowed to operate by MTD corporate, all the changes in how parts were named, etc. etc. I'm sure there is more to the story than the simple "A" and "C" variations given to us on Parts Lookup.

I'm after more of the story. How is it that we have the same model number (44C/50C) used to describe mowing decks with more differences than there are between the "A" and the "C" versions?

I was hoping for "the rest of the story" like a Paul Harvey radio show; all I'm getting is something along the lines of, "It's different; deal with it!"

Oh well, no big deal. I figured my combinations out without a lot of help, I guess everyone else will have to do the same.

<font size="-2">(Someone remind me, why am I posting on this forum, anyway?)</font>

Edit: By the way, I would love to come up for a visit, and I'll bring my camera!

 

[jbaker]

Not mine but it made me do this

 

[fcurrier]

Jeff: Somebody didn't