Back For A Bit

Well, it was a pretty good winter, and I didn't fix much in the garage since it was rather cold, but with an Ariens 32" snowblower, and the Cub 125 with a blade on, I kept everything cleared, including several neighbors.

Now it is time to paint and cleanup the 125. I did get the snowblower fixed with gears from the gearbox I rescued fron the Cub 76. However, I had placed it up on Craigslist, and it sold for almost 4 times what I had in it. (Not including repair time.)

To the right are pics. of the Cub 125 in the middle of sheetmetal teardown. Everything missing is sandblasted, primed and repainted. The frame was degreased, pressure washed, and I will re-spray Cub Cadet yellow of the remaining frame and exterior parts. I haven't decided whether I will pull the engine and paint it too, I may just touch it up since it was rebuilt by the previous owner rather quite well.

Finally Getting Back To Fixing Stuff

Well this summer sure has flown by, and Alex is now 7 months old.

But it is getting cold outside already, and I haven't fixed any of the snowblowers yet. I did get the clutch issue resolved on the Cub 125 project - the pulley that the starter drives, and subsequently drives the clutch, had a cracked keyway - thru the setscrew, so the setscrew was missing as well. A little welding, and a new setscrew, and putting it back on and we are back in business.

Now for the snowblower - as mentioned back in May the gearbox was junk and missing all the gears. I bought two Cub Cadet 76's, is mediocre to poor shape and fixed them up, and re-sold them. The coolness is that one of them came with a gearbox mounted on the front - so I kept those parts. The mowing deck does not use them, and so now I can rebuild the old gearbox to the snowblower I purchased for the 125 project. Pics of that to come over the next week or so. Also, I have a 6 HP Jacobson walk behind which did most of the work for me last snow season, but desperately needs an engine case gasket. It would leak about 1 quart of oil per hour of useage. I just kept refilling it with used synthetic motorcycle oil, and I still have plenty left from oil changes over the past two years. So I should be back to my wrenching antics within the next few weeks, just in time for a wintertime hiatus.

SnowBlower for Cub 125 Has Problems Too

Of course my free time is typically on a Sunday. So when I hit a wall (like bad wheel bearings) that is a show stopper until I get new parts.

So when I hit one wall, I'll start another side project, the snowblower. When I bought it, I noted that the gearbox would turn on one end, but not the other. The bearings felt good, but it seemed as if a key was sheared off. So I took it apart.

Well low and behold, the key was fine - and it was there, BUT one gear had 3 1/2 teeth missing and the whole other gear was GONE! After I cleaned out the water inflitrated green grease that had the consistency of baby poo (and I have plenty of that to compare to!), all the snap rings, lock pins, and the keys were there, but no gearing is left in this gearbox.

Looks like I need new gears, a new gearbox, or at least a parts one. This Sunday was a bust, I have fixed nothing, but just found more problems. Typical of a rebuild.

Cub 125 Has Wheel Problems

As mentioned before, one of the front tires goes flat, almost overnight. The previous owner had replaced one of the front tire and rim assemblies with a new one. The rubber and the paint on the rim prove correct - it is a fairly new replacement.

New being the operative term; ie the older machines were designed to work on and maintain, the old rim has a grease fitting to put a grease gun on and the new one doesn't.

Well as I went to pull off the front rim, it wouldn't come off - the bearing was hung up on the shaft. The new bearings that couldn't be re-greased from time to time, have failed, very prematurely, I might add. The void between the bearings had grease, but both the inner and outer bearings have failed - the outer one had ground down to the point that there were no balls left and the bearing race had cut 1/4 the way thru the axle shaft.

New bearings and a new axle shaft are required, as well as fixing the flat. I had pulled both front wheels and pressed out the bearings. In the one picture, the 40 year old bearings from the old wheel are on the left and the two year old bearings are the pieces on the right. Althought the old bearings are getting rather loose, they are definately more intact than the 'new' ones. They don't build 'em like they used to.

Snow Thrower Project For the 125 Cubbie

I found an International QA-42A Snow Thrower (which will install on any narrow or wide frame Cub Cadet tractor built before 1981) for a whopping $40 in Panesville, OH. Sure its rusty and beat, a spring pin is sheared off in the gear box, the augers are cut up from a gravel driveway, and the bottom base is a little bent. For very little work, I can make it work again. With a little sandblasting, a BFH, paint and a few more hours I will have it working great and have it looking as good as almost new (those augers are really torn up!) But for form and function, it will be a great addition. I removed the gear box and mounting before I unloaded it from the back of the truck, and will post pictures of the disassembly when I get to it.

Mancave had a Visitor

Well Wildman had a visitor of whom tinkered and played with the tractors! Paul from http://www.outlandishbiscuit.com/ swung by to share some time together, wrenches in hand.

We replaced the battery in the 125 project and did a little plowing as a test. We scraped up a good amount of grown over dirt and sod from the neighboring alley and transplanted it to a low spot around a bush in front of the garage. The tractor is only 12Hp, but it is a beast! It cut thru the dirt like a hot knife thru butter.

We also toyed with an old Montgonery Wards tractor. There isn't much wrong with this one other than just age. We added water to the battery, and it charged right up. A few tweaks, and tightening some bolts, and its up for resale.

Later in the day, we headed over to Paul's and I took my blue hippo out for a spin (Suzuki Intruder) and Paul was on his Triumph. It was an awesome day, 50+ degrees, amazing that just 28 hours later, it was snowing again.

Mancave

Here's the project(s) in the Mancave. However there's more. The Cub 125 to the left, an old Montgomery Wards riding lawn mower to the right. A very sad little tow behind lawn trailer in the foreground.

That's Paul's dolly in front of the red one.

Of course, I have a few engines in my stockpile. These are about 80% of my collection.

Kinda sick, isn't it?

It is so sweet having a garage again!!!

New Project (Cub 125)

It was one stop shopping - and I got a lot. Unlike my 169 project in which I got the tractor in Randolph, Ohio, the snowblower in Rochester, NY, and the rototiller near Canton, OH and many smaller parts on EBay, I got everything I needed in one place. The guy was really nice and knowledgeable, and even told me about a tractor club that meets in Ashtabula, Ohio. It turns out, that he downsized his property, and his son only wanted a riding lawn mower, so he put this one up for sale.

Cub Cadet 125's came off the manufacturing line between November 1967 thru August 1969. I will confirm the actual date later with the serial number. The tractor has a 12Hp Kohler horizontal engine, a hydrostatic drive, 44" mowing deck, a trailer, and snowplow. It also came with a 42" rototiller that even included the gearbox pulley drive and mule pulley bracket. The tractor also has headlights (an option at that time) and a cigarette lighter which was rather common at in that era. I also got a small collection of belts and various clutch parts. It only needs a battery, a headlight, a few belts, and a new seat to put back into service, but I'm going to sandblast, paint it up, and tighten up a few loose items as well. Sweet deal.

New Tractor (Cub 125)

Well ya know I like to fix stuff. I like cars, trucks, and motorcycles.

Well those take lots of room and money.

A few years back, I fixed a mower that a neighbor threw out. It was junk to him, but in an hour and some tinkering, I was mowing my lawn. I sold it, and so began a new hobby. Actually one that makes money, or at least funds itself.

Some three years later, about 20 push mowers, 15 tractors, and a couple of weedeaters, snowblowers, and other items like that; I now surf craigslist and ebay for the next project.

Tomorrow, I head to Cleveland to buy a 40 some odd year old Cub Cadet 125 that has several accessories: snowplow, 42" mowing deck, rear tiller, and tow behind cart. I am quite hopeful from discussions with the current owner that getting it running will be easy. I'm sure it will need sandblasted and painted, a new battery, drive belts, and basic tune up and grease job.

I like the old ones - they actually can do a lot more than a tractor bought today. Plus, since I found my Cub Cadet 169 hidden behind an old barn in Randolph, Ohio a few years back and spent many hours bringing it up to full strength, and then a paint job. It has been my favorite rebuild to date. The tractor is hydraulic drive, 16hp, came with a 50" deck and 42" plow. I have since purchased a 42" snowblower (which works great), and a 42" rear rototiller and rear drive gearbox. I am looking forward to the new 125 project.

Here's a pic of my 169 just after the new paint. I still hadn't re-installed the headlight panel yet.