Farmall Cub

Thanks for all of the help. When I removed the mower pulley and checked for side to side play, there was VERY little. It was not rock-solid, but it was pretty close.

I removed the back plate (smaller PTO plate) and the transmission fill plug and looked inside. Everything seemed pretty clean. The splines looked good on both parts. But the PTO lever pin is sheered off. It looks like it had already been worn very thin, and it finally folded over yesterday.

INITIAL SYMPTOMS...
PTO lever would slide into position intermittently
PTO made grinding noise and stopped working while mowing
PTO would no longer slide into position

OBSERVATION...
Removed smaller back plate from transmission and used flashlight to inspect internal operation of PTO lever

FAULT...
PTO lever pin was sheered

NEXT STEP...
Find a procedure for getting that thing out of there. It appears I will have to take the larger back plate off the transmission (or convince my wife to stick her smaller hand through the PTO hole). If so, it looks like the transmission fluid will need to be emptied.

QUESTION...
Are there other things I should take a close look at while I'm in there?

kirkcudbright wrote: (or convince my wife to stick her smaller hand through the PTO hole)....

...QUESTION...
Are there other things I should take a close look at while I'm in there?

Yes, make sure your wife can get her hand back out of the PTO hole.

If you don't want to spend the money to buy a new one, you can drill out what's left of the pin and then weld/braze/silver solder a piece of drill bit or other hardened steel into the hole. If you decide to do it that way, you can ask for dimensions.

Bob

Anybody know the pin dimensions?

I just measured two. The pin diameter is 1/4", the length from the back of the plate to the end of the pin is .38". The pin length may vary a little depending on whether the pin was pressed in or goes all the way through.

Bob

Just my opinion but what I would do is:

-drain fluid in tranny
-remove both back plates and remove the PTO assembly
-fish out the broken pin and any other metal fragments with a magnet
-inspect the shifter clutch for worn splines (as Rick said), check that the set screw is in place and adjusted properly on the shaft (use loctite or stake it to secure the set screw)
-inspect the bronze bushing in the end of the transmission shaft
-inspect the splines on the PTO and transmission shaft
-repair or replace the PTO lever and shaft that is worn
-the bearings sound ok from what you said so you are ahead of the game there.
-button it all back up

Like Rick said, the PTO is very basic, go through and check it out now, repair or replace as needed, and avoid more problems in the future.

Instructions from the service manual via Rudi:

http://www.cleancomputes.com/Cub/Blue%2 ... Pulley.htm

oh and also, you need to replace this part:

http://www.tmtractor.com/new/pt/245fp.htm

If you need any good new parts, contact TM Tractor.

There are other sponsors and members on here that sell used parts, along with myself.

Good luck.

Just for clarity, the set screw should keep the clutch from sliding beyond the limits, due to the flat area on the shaft; however, the clutch does still have to slide, so don't crank down on it beyond just necessary; that is why you need to loctite or stake it in place.

And you might consider replacing the PTO shaft seal, and you will need the gaskets, too. TM has them.

I just purchased a new house with tall grass, and the city won't let me move in without mowing it first. So, time has been of the essence. Therefore, I did the quick fix and hope it will work out.

I found the replacement lever pin on eBay for $8.00.

I removed the cover plates and cleaned everything out as well as I could with small brushes and rags. It had been filled with brown sludge.

I have large fingers, and I had a hard time getting my hand in to install the part. In the end, I gave up and found long needle nose pliers to get it in.

I was hoping I would get lucky and keep the gaskets intact. That was wishful thinking and I needed to make new gaskets.

When I slid the PTO shaft back in, it didn't align and wasn't going in all the way. Once I peeked down the oil filler hole, I understood that I needed to shift the lever forward as I installed the shaft.

When everything was buttoned back up, I went to engage the lever and it stopped short. Then, I remembered to rotate the PTO shaft a little to get the splines lined up.

Once everything seemed to work properly, I replaced the oil.

In the days while I waited for the lever pin to arrive, I went through the lubrication guide. It was clear some of the grease fittings hadn't seen a gun in a long time. I also replaced a couple of missing grease zerks.

This paid dividends when I mowed.

BEFORE LUBRICATION
Most of the grass I mowed before the lubrication was bogging the tractor down. On relatively flat ground, I had to keep the deck partially raised while doing only narrow strips of grass at a time.

AFTER LUBRICATION
Today, I mowed with the deck lower and I took wider swaths at a time. It was the same tall and damp grass but on steeper slopes (enough that wheels were sometimes slipping as I climbed the hills), but it rarely bogged down.

LUBRICATION RESULTS
I recently saw somebody asking how to increase his horsepower. If the objective is to get more power out of the tractor, good lubrication made a world of difference today.

REPAIR RESULTS
After replacing the PTO lever pin, gaskets, and oil, the tractor works perfectly.

THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP!

good to hear, you may want to consider replacing the shifter rod guide plate also in the near future to, easy process, remove the one bolt holding it down, slip it up over the handle and replace with a new one in the reverse process, its an inexpensive part for $5.

good luck

I will do that.

Thanks