• This community needs YOUR help today. With the ever increasing fees of everything (server, software, domain, e-mail) , we need help. We need more Supporting Members, today. Please invest back into this community to help spread our love and knowledge of IH Cub Cadets. You get a lot of great new account perks including access to private forums. If you sign up for annual, I will ship a few IH Cub Cadet Forum decals too in addition to all the account perks you get. You can see what it looks like below.

    Sign up here: https://www.ihcubcadet.com/account/upgrades

New Member from SE PA with a 124.

IH Cub Cadet Tractor Forum

Help Support IH Cub Cadet Tractor Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

David Middleton

Active member
Joined
May 11, 2021
Messages
37
Location
Honey Brook Pa
Thanks for the add. I picked up a 124 with a 38" deck a few years ago and have been using it regularly since. It had a bad mule drive and kept throwing belts. The pivot points wore out and the pullies would get out of line. Over time I've picked up a snow thrower, creeper gear and lights for it as well. I want to add ag tires but I'm lazy and the stock tires still work... Also, I don't know how ags work with chains in the winter.

It runs well but I was getting pressured to get something new. I think some know the story of their other half just not getting it and seeing an "old" tractor and old = junk to them. I had a failed condenser take out a set of points not too long ago; or at least that's what I assume, and I had to do some maintenance on it and the "get rid of the old tractor - it doesn't even run..." junk hit a peak that I finally started looking and ultimately I put my foot down that I'm keeping the 124. There is nothing out there that I feel comfortable that does everything it does for a reasonable price. The only thing that comes close as a minimum is the XT1-GT50. Not sure how it would do dragging 2k up a hill a few times a year...

Anyway, I do have a question though. I've collected a K301 and K321. The K301 is completely unknown and has been sitting outside. It's not locked up though. The K321 had a knock and the balance gears were removed and the knock remained. I bought it as a core but haven't torn into it. My thought was to use that and the K301 flywheel and tins and put the 14hp in the 124. Assuming I want to rebuild one of them I think it's better to build 14 than 12 hp. I'm sure I'll appreciate it in the winter.

Thoughts? Also, what about adding the Kirk balance plate to the engine? Anything else I should do for what's going to be a working tractor?


13690941_10206694283497873_6252224167630979131_o_10206694283497873.jpg
The K301 is in front.
20210517_112934.jpg
 
David, WELCOME!

The 124 is from my favorite series, though I prefer the hydrostatic drive variants, the 105 and 125, the styling is the same. Perhaps the best course would be to tear down each of the two engines and see which is in better condition internally, then choose the better one to rebuild. If you end up rebuilding the 14hp the balance plates would be a good idea. IMO the K301 doesn't really require them.
 
Kind of hoping the 14hp is better or the same. I've ordered a set of telescoping mics so I can tear it down and inspect it.

The engine in it runs well, doesn't use oil or smoke but an engine failure would spark a fight with the lady of the house... So I want to get ahead of that and get it setup for the next 50+ years of service...

I wouldn't mind a 125 or even 105 but the only time I found one it was complete junk. Gears are fine I guess... And yes, I'm partial to that look. Even the 126's don't look as good despite still being a narrow frame.
 
I wouldn't mind a 125 or even 105 but the only time I found one it was complete junk. Gears are fine I guess... And yes, I'm partial to that look. Even the 126's don't look as good despite still being a narrow frame.

How I view the Cub Cadets series...

PERFECTION.jpg


:slanttongue:
 
So, I started tearing them apart and the K301 is sad and said it wants to help it's bigger brother the K321...

20210517_190627.jpg

The K321 had some surprises to it though...

I'm pretty sure studs aren't factory
20210517_191818.jpg
and the 010 over piston certainly isn't factory...
20210517_192338.jpg
There's some wear but still a good amount of cross hatch.
20210517_192357.jpg

Now I get ready for tomorrow, or whenever I get back to working on it. I'm going to inspect and mic everything and see where we're at.

20210517_194804.jpg
 
We the 10 over piston didn't come with the 147...

I'm hoping the bore is good and the noise is a rod issue. I can see someone ball honing a stock bore and having it tapered with piston slap but if it's 10 over then hopefully it was cleaned up and straight.

Question, the 301 crank has the same throw, if I put the balance plate on it could I use it if I needed to?
 
There's also this. Not sure what models they come on but I'm told people like to retrofit. Not sure if it's a 147 thing or not.

Also, this has the large flywheel. Not sure if that helps with it's lineage. I don't really care, just trying to do some detective work now that I see someone's been doing things to it. I don't mind modified but I want to actually use it as a garden tractor so too modified is probably a bad thing.

20210517_192514.jpg
 
I ran the numbers on the data plate.

K321 - A 2225849
6099A

If I'm looking it up right that's 1970. The only thing in 1970 that used the 321 was the 147, so I think it's definitive that's what it came from.
 
Back
Top