[AT] Cub - Update

[szabelski at wildblue.net]

Steve,

Steering Gear:  There are only seven places for leaks:

     1) Fill plug on top
     2) Low level plug on back side
     3) Full level plug on back side
     4) Seal on bottom where steering arm bolts on
     5) Gasket where steering shaft collar bolts on
     6) Seal where steering shafts passes through steering collar
     7) Gasket where both halves of bolster bolt together

Six can be sealed with RTV, with number six being difficult due to the fact that the steering wheel shaft rotates in it. The only real hard ones are numbers four and seven since you have to deal with getting to the bolts.

Hydraulic pump mount: Could be just loose or partially stripped bolts (two of them). If the bolts are loose or stripped, tighten/ replace. Again RTV will make a good seal. Any oil leaking there is from the engine block interface, and the oil being splashed in that area, not the hydraulic pump. If the seal on the drive gear was shot, the hydraulic fluid would poor right into the oil pan. If the seal between the pump and hydraulic lines was bad you’d see oil at that interface. Personally, I run 20W oil in my hydraulic system. If the gear seal ever went, which it once did, I’m not going to be mixing oil and hydraulic fluid. I can always drain off any excess oil if it ever happens again.

PTO shaft: The pulley is held on by compression using three small bolts. Make sure the pulley is on correctly, or it doesn’t clamp tight. The collar should go on first, then the pulley. Tightening the three bolts pulls the pulley onto the collar, which is also being compressed against the shaft. When installed correctly, you need to remove the three bolts and insert them into the threaded holes in the pulley to push the pulley and collar apart. There are tapered surfaces in play here.  PTO sealing is done with grease, look for grease fitting.

Freeze crack: You can always grind and reweld to your liking.

Oil leaks: Tighten oil pan bolts, rear two can be difficult to do. If that doesn't work, get new gasket or RTV both side of old gasket after wiping all surfaces with something to remove oil residue. RTV also works on shifter mounting plate. Rear oil seal can be replaced without to much effort, front seal takes some disassembly and effort on front end.

You’ll notice that I said RTV a lot. A lot of the gaskets are thin and tear easily. It doesn’t take a lot or RTV to form a seal, and it helps to keep bolts from loosening during use. One tube of RTV also goes a long way and is cheaper than ordering baskets.

Good luck!

Carl




----- Original Message -----
From: Stephen Offiler <soffiler at gmail.com>
To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Sun, 05 Jul 2020 11:46:43 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [AT] Cub - Update

Yesterday, I traveled over to take a look at this Cub that's still trying
to find its way into my barn.  I brought along a checklist that I put
together from all the inputs from helpful ATIS folks who responded to my
previous Cub note.

Starting off with the things that might be trouble spots.  Front bolster
freeze crack.  See attached pic.  Now if that's not a repair, I don't know
what is.  It is holding fine.  The drain pan under the front axle (if you
recall the image I attached in the previous note) is there to catch fluid
from a leaking steering gear.  In general, it seems to be having minor
issues holding on to all of its lubricants.  Steering gear is really the
only thing warranting a catch pan, but it's just a little weepy pretty much
everywhere - with the possible exception of the front main seal which is
dry as near as I can tell.  Damp around the whole hydraulic pump, oil
pan/rear main, shifter, PTO.

I was also warned about the PTO pulley, and indeed it is rather loose on
the PTO shaft.  I could use a bit more detail, but I am assuming it's a
spot worth mentioning because the shaft gets abused and the only decent fix
is replacement.  True?

On the upsides.  No cracks/damage in areas others mentioned:  front
spindles, cylinder head, front ears on block.  Good compression judging by
feel from hand crank.  Pulled plugs, all four nice and even, tan/gray.
Engine oil is down towards low on dipstick, but OK, and it looks clean-ish,
"normal" for partly used motor oil.  No evidence the hydraulic pump is
dumping fluid into the crankcase.  Did not attempt to start it up.  I can
feel clutch engagement point by rocking it, seems OK.  Ditto both brakes.

S/N is 101886 which I have not run down yet but sure to find it is a 1950
based on the casting date codes (one Nov '49 and two others Feb '50)

I think I mentioned previously the owner hit a rock with it.  I learned a
bit more.  It's a prominent rock in the field he used to mow, and he
sheepishly admitted he knew exactly where that rock was, and can't really
explain how it happened.  He was age 79 at that time (3 years ago) and
afterward his wife decided he didn't need to mow that field any more.  The
flywheel guard for the mower is bent in a way that's consistent with
hitting a rock of a certain size.  If I understood correctly (owner has a
fairly heavy German accent) the tractor might have actually been perched
atop said rock with one or more wheels off the ground, which is really what
got his wife's attention.  She's German too, and he said her answer was
"NEIN".  He's in no great rush to sell, but he also has zero interest in
dealing with tire-kickers and scam-artists on Craigslist, and he's quite
well-off, isn't looking for a sucker to give him top dollar.  More along
the lines of finding a good home for it.

I am pretty sure I can get it in the neighborhood of $1200 which is on the
low side relative to the ranges we've been talking about, and really quite
low here in the Northeast where for whatever reason the Cub value are a bit
higher.  So it's really just a matter of closing the deal and hooking up
the borrowed trailer and making the 150 mile round trip.

SO